As many of you know, the Isaiah 62 Fast, led by Mike Bickle, concluded last Sunday on the day of Pentecost.
I firmly believe these 21 days, where over five million intercessors around the world united in prayer for the salvation and deliverance of Israel, were of utmost importance. When the Lord answers these heartfelt cries, there will be significant ramifications throughout the earth.
During these 21 days, I preached six messages about Israel and the end times. I know numerous people have questions about why we should pray for Israel, how do you pray for Israel, and what’s next for the Jewish nation after 75 years of being a modern-day nation.
I tried my best to answer these questions and more in these messages. But one thing became clear to me over these 21 days. The Lord is currently releasing fresh insight into Israel and the end times—revelation we need for the days ahead.
Why is understanding Israel so important? As prophecy scholars have rightly said, Israel is God’s prophetic clock that lets us know how close we are to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Some have even suggested that if Israel is God’s prophetic clock, then Jerusalem is the hour hand, and the Temple Mount is the minute hand.
After many years of studying the end times, I’m convinced that if you don’t get Israel right, your view of the end times will be wrong. If you don’t understand Israel, then you will misunderstand the end times. And if you don’t properly interpret Israel, you will misinterpret how God’s end-time plans will unfold.
For His Namesake
God is not restoring Israel because they are special, His favorites, or they have some type of inherent righteousness. On the contrary, the Lord said succinctly to the house of Israel, “It is not for your sake . . . that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went” (Ezek. 36:22).
In context, this promise was spoken to Israel concerning her end-time restoration. God will fulfill His promises to Israel for His own namesake because He is good, faithful, gracious, and kind. Not because Israel has kept the Torah, observed the feasts, or has a special bloodline.
God will fulfill His promises to Israel because of His “holy name” alone.
Ultimately, He will fulfill His promises to Israel because Jesus Christ is Israel—the one to whom all the covenant promises were made and fulfilled (Isa. 49:3; Gal. 3:16).
This in mind, we must pray for God’s prophetic purposes for Israel from God’s perspective of Israel from God’s heart for Israel.
Common Responses to Israel
Opinions about Israel can be polarizing, leading to various responses. Some exhibit indifference, failing to recognize the importance of Israel’s role in God’s prophetic plan. Others display misplaced zeal, attempting to adopt Jewish practices as a means of sanctification.
Offense, naivety, confusion, conspiracy theories, and a belief in Replacement Theology are additional responses that hinder a proper understanding of God’s purposes for Israel. To effectively pray for Israel, therefore, we must align our hearts and perspectives with God’s Word.
I explain more about this in my message Why Pray for Israel, Part 1.
Watchmen for Israel
Isaiah 62:6-7 states, “On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Over twenty years ago, the Lord called me to be an Isaiah 62:6-7 watchman. Initially, I mistakenly believed that the church had replaced Israel in God’s prophetic agenda, and Jerusalem referred to the church. Consequently, I thought my calling was to pray for the church to become a praise in the earth.
Some years later, the Lord later corrected me and revealed that Jerusalem referred to the physical city in the Middle East—Israel’s capital. For the first time, I realized this city would be the praise of the earth when Jesus returns. Furthermore, I understood that this depended upon God’s watchmen praying day and night for Israel’s prophetic destiny.
For this to happen, I understood that watchmen had to know God’s prophetic promises to Israel. Intercessors would not usher in the Lord’s return with half-hearted prayers rooted in ignorance, but with fervent and persistent prayers motivated by an understanding of God’s prophetic agenda for the Jewish nation.
To pray effectively for Israel, therefore, our prayers need to overflow from experiencing God’s heart for Israel and the Jewish people as the Word reveals.
Our intercession for Israel and the Jewish people needs to be driven from God’s perspective based on the Word.
Our petitions must be gripped by God’s prophetic purposes for Israel and the Jewish people as spoken by the Old Testament prophets.
And we must carry the burden for Israel and the Jewish people like Daniel, when he interceded for Israel while in Babylonian captivity; and like Esther, when she exposed the plot of Haman to the king and delivered Israel from the Persians.
When we pray this way, we will function as forerunners, partnering with the Lord to prepare the way for His coming by interceding for Israel’s prophetic destiny—until Jerusalem becomes a praise in the earth.
If you would like to learn more about this, see my two message Why Pray for Israel? Part 1 and Why Pray for Israel? Part 2.
