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(Psalm 122:6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
but which Jerusalem?
If anyone has ever read any Christian Zionist books or materials or visited a pre-Tribulational church, no doubt you have heard Psalm 122:6 quoted and then told it is the Christian’s responsibility to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Of course, the Jerusalem which is always in view is the city of Jerusalem in modern day Israel. When David penned this Scripture, it was probably about 1000 B.C. The theologian Edwin Thiele dates the lifespan of David from 1040 B.C. to 970 B.C. He was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem. Do you know of anyone else who was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem?
The Jerusalem which David had in view initially was the city of Jerusalem because at that time, that was where the worship of the Lord took place and where God commanded all the males to meet Him three times a year. (Exo 23:17 KJV) Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. Jerusalem was the center of worship for ancient Israel. It was where the Temple was built so the eyes of every Israelite was focused upon Jerusalem. So 3,000 years ago we can understand why David focused on the city of Jerusalem. Now is it the same for today? Christians make one great mistake which has led to the false interpretations of many passages of Scripture. When they take Old Testament promises or events and neglect to filter their understanding through the cross, they will wind up with error. Everything changed at the cross. The Mosaic system of sacrifice was done away with. There would be no more animal sacrifices because they were all foreshadows leading up to the final sacrifice of Christ upon Calvary. The cross also signified the end of the Feasts because they were all foreshadows and types leading up to the person of Christ. It also signified the end of a physical temple because Christ would now dwell inside every one of His people through the Holy Spirit. It also signified the end of the ancient nation of Israel because once Christ came, there was no more reason of existence for that nation. Why? It was because the real Israel was a family lineage. It started with Abraham who was Chaldean, then came Isaac his son, then came Jacob, who was named Israel, who had twelve sons. It was through the line of Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ came. The name Judah means “The Praise of the Lord.“ The true Israelites, even back then, were only those who came from the Abrahamic line. This is why genealogies were very important at that time up to the coming of Messiah. During the divided Kingdom stage, the northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity with Assyria and was never again re-established. 135 years later, the southern Kingdom, Judah, went into captivity with the Babylonians but they were only in captivity for seventy years and were allowed to return to the land. Now Judah had to be restored because, again, it was through Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ would come, so restoration was necessary and required for the messianic line to continue so Jesus would be born in Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2. (Micah 5:2 KJV) But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Now I went through that bit of history for one reason and that is not only were the feast, temple, Mosaic system done away with at Calvary, but so was the definition, understanding, and the physical nation of Israel. Thirty seven years after the cross, in 70 A.D., God had sent General Titus to destroy the physical city of Jerusalem. Let us return to our passage of Scripture this article is named after. (Psa 122:6 KJV) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Let us now look at this passage filtered through the cross.
After the cross, no longer were we to look at the physical nation of Israel but to the body of believers which became the New Jerusalem. (Rev 3:12 KJV) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Now if you notice that the term “New Jerusalem†is written in the third chapter of Revelation. The book of Revelation concerns itself with the body of believers from the time of the cross to the last day. Do not look for black helicopters, Middle East wars, nuclear war, etc. The book of Revelation uses much symbolism to teach the final war on this earth between God and Satan. It encompasses the whole New Testament period and ends with the defeat of Satan. The reason that so many are confused over Revelation is because they read books which are nothing more than Hollywood style presentations and these false interpretations sell books and are good seed for movies.
So filtering the meaning of Jerusalem through the cross, the born again believer anywhere in the world is not going to be praying for the peace of the physical city of Jerusalem, although those who live there can pray for the city and those who are in leadership positions in the city and the country. The focus of the body of believers in the last days which commenced at the cross is not the physical city of Jerusalem. (Heb 13:14 KJV) For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. The true believer knows that in this present age we do not have a continuing city on earth and the physical Jerusalem is going to be burned up on the last day with every other city in the world. Our focus needs to be on the New Jerusalem which, according to the book of Revelation, will suffer ceaseless onslaughts by Satan and his kingdom. So when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, it so for the body of believers. Too many prayers for the body of Christ are neglected for the false notion that it is the Christian’s responsibility to pray for the physical city of Jerusalem. This is because many Christians have been diverted from the truth by Christian Zionist materials such as the Schofield Bible or the many books written by Zionist authors like John Hagee and others.
When we pray for the peace of the New Jerusalem, we are also praying for the salvation of the Elect because once a person is saved, then the war with God is over and we are peace with Him. (Rom 5:1 KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: When we pray for the peace of the New Jerusalem, we are also praying for the Lord’s return because only then will the true church have everlasting peace.
From:
http://www.scionofzion.com
but which Jerusalem?
If anyone has ever read any Christian Zionist books or materials or visited a pre-Tribulational church, no doubt you have heard Psalm 122:6 quoted and then told it is the Christian’s responsibility to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Of course, the Jerusalem which is always in view is the city of Jerusalem in modern day Israel. When David penned this Scripture, it was probably about 1000 B.C. The theologian Edwin Thiele dates the lifespan of David from 1040 B.C. to 970 B.C. He was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem. Do you know of anyone else who was born in Bethlehem and died in Jerusalem?
The Jerusalem which David had in view initially was the city of Jerusalem because at that time, that was where the worship of the Lord took place and where God commanded all the males to meet Him three times a year. (Exo 23:17 KJV) Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. Jerusalem was the center of worship for ancient Israel. It was where the Temple was built so the eyes of every Israelite was focused upon Jerusalem. So 3,000 years ago we can understand why David focused on the city of Jerusalem. Now is it the same for today? Christians make one great mistake which has led to the false interpretations of many passages of Scripture. When they take Old Testament promises or events and neglect to filter their understanding through the cross, they will wind up with error. Everything changed at the cross. The Mosaic system of sacrifice was done away with. There would be no more animal sacrifices because they were all foreshadows leading up to the final sacrifice of Christ upon Calvary. The cross also signified the end of the Feasts because they were all foreshadows and types leading up to the person of Christ. It also signified the end of a physical temple because Christ would now dwell inside every one of His people through the Holy Spirit. It also signified the end of the ancient nation of Israel because once Christ came, there was no more reason of existence for that nation. Why? It was because the real Israel was a family lineage. It started with Abraham who was Chaldean, then came Isaac his son, then came Jacob, who was named Israel, who had twelve sons. It was through the line of Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ came. The name Judah means “The Praise of the Lord.“ The true Israelites, even back then, were only those who came from the Abrahamic line. This is why genealogies were very important at that time up to the coming of Messiah. During the divided Kingdom stage, the northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity with Assyria and was never again re-established. 135 years later, the southern Kingdom, Judah, went into captivity with the Babylonians but they were only in captivity for seventy years and were allowed to return to the land. Now Judah had to be restored because, again, it was through Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ would come, so restoration was necessary and required for the messianic line to continue so Jesus would be born in Bethlehem according to Micah 5:2. (Micah 5:2 KJV) But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Now I went through that bit of history for one reason and that is not only were the feast, temple, Mosaic system done away with at Calvary, but so was the definition, understanding, and the physical nation of Israel. Thirty seven years after the cross, in 70 A.D., God had sent General Titus to destroy the physical city of Jerusalem. Let us return to our passage of Scripture this article is named after. (Psa 122:6 KJV) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Let us now look at this passage filtered through the cross.
After the cross, no longer were we to look at the physical nation of Israel but to the body of believers which became the New Jerusalem. (Rev 3:12 KJV) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Now if you notice that the term “New Jerusalem†is written in the third chapter of Revelation. The book of Revelation concerns itself with the body of believers from the time of the cross to the last day. Do not look for black helicopters, Middle East wars, nuclear war, etc. The book of Revelation uses much symbolism to teach the final war on this earth between God and Satan. It encompasses the whole New Testament period and ends with the defeat of Satan. The reason that so many are confused over Revelation is because they read books which are nothing more than Hollywood style presentations and these false interpretations sell books and are good seed for movies.
So filtering the meaning of Jerusalem through the cross, the born again believer anywhere in the world is not going to be praying for the peace of the physical city of Jerusalem, although those who live there can pray for the city and those who are in leadership positions in the city and the country. The focus of the body of believers in the last days which commenced at the cross is not the physical city of Jerusalem. (Heb 13:14 KJV) For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. The true believer knows that in this present age we do not have a continuing city on earth and the physical Jerusalem is going to be burned up on the last day with every other city in the world. Our focus needs to be on the New Jerusalem which, according to the book of Revelation, will suffer ceaseless onslaughts by Satan and his kingdom. So when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, it so for the body of believers. Too many prayers for the body of Christ are neglected for the false notion that it is the Christian’s responsibility to pray for the physical city of Jerusalem. This is because many Christians have been diverted from the truth by Christian Zionist materials such as the Schofield Bible or the many books written by Zionist authors like John Hagee and others.
When we pray for the peace of the New Jerusalem, we are also praying for the salvation of the Elect because once a person is saved, then the war with God is over and we are peace with Him. (Rom 5:1 KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: When we pray for the peace of the New Jerusalem, we are also praying for the Lord’s return because only then will the true church have everlasting peace.
From:
http://www.scionofzion.com
