Should Jews have the right to visit the Temple Mount in Israel — and perhaps even pray there
if they desire?
if they desire?
Should Jewish People have the right to buy or rent a home in any part of
Jerusalem they choose?
Jerusalem they choose?
You would think that the reasonable answer to these questions would be a self-evident and resounding . . . “Yes.”
After all, Jerusalem has been the geographic heart and soul of Judaism for roughly 3,000 years — since the time King David made it his capital city.
And no other spot on Earth holds more meaning or sacred significance to the Jewish People than the Temple Mount, at the base of which the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall) of the old Temple courtyard still stands.
The Temple Mount is where Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac in obedience until (foreshadowing the eventual coming of Messiah) God stopped him and provided a substitute sacrifice.
One thousand years later, King David purchased the threshing floor of Araunah on this spot (see 2 Samuel 24:24) and designated it to be the site for the Temple that would become a permanent habitation for the presence of God among the Jewish People.
It is the site of the Second Temple that stood in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) day — where the promised Messiah walked, taught, and worshipped.
Only the overwhelming force of invading armies have ever been able to drive the Jews from that rocky, sacred hill — and then, only temporarily. The Babylonians, the Romans, the Crusaders, and finally the Muslim hoards have all tried.
But each time, the Jewish People have been drawn back to their historic, God-granted place of origin.
In other words, for 4,000 years, Jerusalem in general and the Temple Mount in particular have served as the geographic focal point for the Jewish People.
And yet, since 1948, it has been illegal for Israel’s Jewish citizens or pilgrims to pray on that site, lest delicate Muslim sensibilities be inflamed.
In fact, Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount have been forbidden to even move their lips, lest they quietly speak to God on the holiest ground known to Judaism.
But now . . .
. . . As I write these words, we are witnessing a growing passion and yearning among the people of Israel to gather and pray on God’s holy mountain.
God is stirring that yearning to pray. I also believe that it is part of His plan to soften Jewish hearts and open Jewish eyes to the truth that Yeshua is the promised Mashiach (Messiah)!
Ezekiel may have foreseen this movement when he prophetically wrote:
| For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve Me, and there I will accept them (Ezekiel 20:40). |
That passion is growing into a full-fledged movement. And this movement could very well be a spark that ignites an explosive conflict that engulfs Israel and spreads throughout the Middle East.
Of course, this subject is a major hot-button for the Muslim Arabs of Jerusalem and beyond.
In fact, one of Israel’s most visible activist leaders of the Jewish Temple Mount prayer movement was nearly assassinated by a Palestinian Muslim just a few weeks ago.
He survived the attempt, but it serves as a chilling reminder of how ugly things might get over the next few weeks and months.
A Base for Blessing Israel
As a dear friend of Jewish Voice, you know that a powerful passion to bless the people of Israel is at the heart of our mission and calling as a ministry.
I’m sure you also agree that the greatest and most eternal blessing we can bestow upon a Jewish person is an introduction to the Messiah, Yeshua.
I want to remind you right now that your past gifts have made you a part of delivering the life-transforming Gospel to beloved Jewish People in Israel and around the world.
Through your generous connection to Jewish Voice, you have also extended a hand of compassion to the poorest of Israel’s elderly Holocaust survivors.
Thank you. I also value your prayers covering everything God has called Jewish Voice to do in these extraordinary Last Days.
That’s why I wanted you to be one of the very first to know about an exciting vision for 2015 that God has given us. Click below to find out more.
No comments:
Post a Comment