Jerusalem, regarded as a holy city by Christians, Jews and Muslims, is one of the world's most intriguing cities where East meets West; ancient meets modern.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Its repeated destruction and rebuilding can be seen in the uncovered layers of building in the Old City. Jerusalem's rule has changed hands approx. sixteen times through the the likes of Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome. The Crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099, but the Muslim leader Salah al Din won it back in 1187. Since that time until 1948, Jerusalem was under the rule of various Muslim rulers. In 1948, the State of Israel was established and during the Israeli War of Independence, East Jerusalem became part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and West Jerusalem was declared the capitol of the State of Israel. In 1967, another Arab-Israeli war found Jerusalem united under an Israeli flag. The population of East Jerusalem remains predominantly Arab-Palestinian.
The eternal needs of Jerusalem, Israel
Despite the strong Christian significance of Jesus' life, crucifixion, and resurrection in the city of Jerusalem, Christians who visit the city often encounter strong opposition from both Jews and Muslims when sharing the Gospel. The emphasis by Christians has always been strongly directed to the Jewish people, but the Arab population seems to be forgotten in the zeal of evangelism.
The majority of the Christian population is represented by the Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches, and a small percentage of Protestant churches. There are small evangelistic outreaches to the Muslims by the traditional churches, and very restrained emphasis from the minority Protestant groups.
Flag of Israel
Map of Israel
Because of Jerusalem's strategic position both historically and religiously, there is an overwhelming interest in the city that is evidenced by the influx of pilgrims coming in despite political conflict. A need for better understanding of the age-old conflict between the Jews and Arabs is of utmost importance as well as an honest awareness of the eternal needs of both people groups.
Pray for Jerusalem and Israel:
* Pray for a revelation of Jesus Christ the Messiah to the political leaders of the land. Matthew 16:26
* Pray for the fulfillment of God's plan for Jerusalem to take place through the revelation of Jesus Christ to the Muslim and the Jewish people. Obadiah 1:21 and Zephaniah 3:16-17
* Pray that indigenous and international churches will be emboldened to minister to the Jerusalem Muslims in love and compassion. Romans 10:14
Background on Israel (World Factbook)
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982.
In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence between September 2000 and February 2005. An agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005 significantly reduced the violence. The election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of Yasir ARAFAT, the formation of a Likud-Labor-United Torah Judaism coalition government in January 2005, and the successful Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip (August-September 2005). Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU formed a coalition in March 2009 following a February 2009 general election. Direct talks launched in September 2010 collapsed following the expiration of Israel's 10-month partial settlement construction moratorium in the West Bank. Diplomatic initiatives to revive the negotiations through proximity talks began at the end of 2010.
The Economy of Israel
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. The economy rebounded in 2003-05, growing at a 4% to 5.2% rate each year, as the government tightened fiscal policy and implemented structural reforms to boost competition and efficiency in the markets. The Israeli Government responded to the recession by implementing a modest fiscal stimulus package and an aggressive expansionary monetary policy - including cutting interest rates to record lows, purchasing government bonds, and intervening in the foreign currency market. The Bank of Israel began raising interest rates in the summer of 2009 when inflation rose above the upper end of the Bank's target and the economy began to show signs of recovery.
Statistics on Israel
Population: 7,473,052 (July 2011 est.) World rank #96
notes: approximately 296,700 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank; approximately 19,100 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights; approximately 192,800 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem.b) In 1948, Israel had 806,000 people, one third of whom still live in the country. 5,415,000 of the population are Jewish, 1,425,000 are Arabic and 310,000 are smaller people groups.
Lie Expectancy at Birth: 80.96 years. World rank #17
Ethnic groups: Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab)
Religions: Jewish 75.6%, Muslim 16.9%, Christian 2%, Druze 1.7%, other 3.8%
Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy: 97.1% -- Male: 98.5%, Female: 95.9%
School life expectancy: 15 years
Video: Middle-Eastern MUSLIMS Having VISITATIONS From JESUS!
Muslims in Israel, Jordan, Jericho, are having dreams and visitations from Jesus.
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Hi !
Just thought some Muslims may be interested to know more about the land of Israel according to the Koran.Did you know that some Moslem Scholars actually believe that the Jews have the right to the land of Israel? I was surprized at this myself. Please read 17:104 The Night Journey.it says
"And thereafter We said to the Children of Israel;'Dwell securely in the Promised Land. And when the last warning will come to pass,we will gather you into a mingled crowd".
So we see there are common grounds within both Islam and Christianity concerning Israel. I just wonder why some fanatics want to get rid of Israel and it's people when their Holy Book says otherwise?
Anyone got any ideas?
We have just recently been the the Holy Land and lived with a Palestinian family.
We are Evangelical Christians.
While there, I was finishing up reading the Book of Ezekiel.
Sitting on the veranda of a home in Samaria, I read chapter 47: 21-23 and realized that the Israelites are far from obedient to God's word in their treatment of the "aliens" living in their land.
You speak about "fanatics", but we saw the hundreds of Israeli settlements within the West Bank that had been taken from Palestinian land.
We witnessed the extreme drought and deplorable conditions that the Settlements are forcing upon the Palestinians due to their re-routing the water up on the hilltops for their beautiful new towns.
I myself witnessed the hostility and rudeness of Israeli soldiers towards well educated Palestinian we were traveling with at the checkpoints, and the humiliations of having to walk through the turnstiles with all of our luggage. This is an every day occurance for farmers trying to bring their produce into Jerusalem markets.
The over reactions that the Israelis routinely display is sadly not in keeping with the verses I shared above..Ezekiel 47:22-23 and I would love Bible scholars to justify American Christians' one sided pro-Israeli when Muslims belief in the coming Messiah is actually closer to our own.
I am not saying that we should be anti-Israel..only that we should honestly call them to account, and not continue to be so Pro-Israel that it infuriates the Muslim world.
Mary
Hi Mary,
I understand what you are saying concerning the Israeli manner. Just a few pointers here Mary, a lot of Israeli's are very guarded and overprotective of their own identity and land. This may be due to the attack upon the Jews of every nation. They have gone through the most terrible atrocities' in the history of mankind. Nevertheless, that does not excuse harsh treatment of such as you speak of towards Palestinians. But you know they can be indifferent or even rude to others as well. I was in Israel many times and found the Israeli's very distant most of the time. Really, though it is understandable when you see and hear of terrible battles that are going on. Who can they trust? Have you noticed that most of the Muslim fanatics look quiet handsome and peaceful people and I am sure some of them were well educated ? Don't be fooled by appearances' Mary. It's the spirit that lives inside that is important.
Even though the Bible speaks of being kind to the Aliens within the land , remember that some Palestine's were born in Israel and are not aliens. The old Testament speaks of not being friends with the enemy, King David himself speaks of this in the book of Psalms.
Truth is that you have only seen one side of the results of war why don't you go look at the other side as well Mary. War is horrible on any side. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM AND THAT BOTH JEW AND MUSLIM WILL HAVE PEACE IN THEIR SOUL, this is only going to happen through the Love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
God bless you, Joan
Pray for jerusalem:
* for a worldwide Church emphasis on the spritiual needs of Jerusalem
* for Jews in the city to come to know the Messsiah as Jesus
* for the Muslim people to come to know Isa [Jesus] not only as Prophet but also as Son of God
* for a revvial amongst traditional "Christian" Catholics and Orthodox
* for visions, dreams, and revelations of Jesus
* for Christian pilgrimaes to Jerusalem to ereach out to the locals in love