David Jeremiah: Christians have biblical mandate to 'stand with Israel,' issues prayer amid 'chaos'.
Pastor and author David Jeremiah has issued a prayer in support of Israel, asking Christians to join him in praying for a “spiritual hedge of protection” for the Jewish state after the Iranian-backed terror group Hamas launched a surprise attack, leaving at least 1,200 Israelis dead and thousands more injured.
In a statement Tuesday, Jeremiah, head of Turning Point Ministries, said he was “grieved by the attacks that have besieged the nation of Israel over the last few days.”
“Israel is God's chosen people, and her borders are the boundaries of the Promised Land,” he said. “The loss of life, the bloodshed, and the destruction of property are heartbreaking.”
The pastor and author said that amid the chaos and terrorism, he is reminded of God's words to Abraham when He chose him to be the father of “this great nation”: "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you," (Genesis 12:3).
“As Christians, we recognize God's purpose for Israel, and we must stand with her,” he wrote, asking Christians to join him in “petitioning the Lord on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Israel.”
“The psalmist tells us to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem,’” reads Jeremiah’s prayer. “So I pray for peace for Your chosen people, Israel, and their beloved city today. You have planned for Israel, provided for Israel, and protected Israel for thousands of years.
"But as in days of old, there are those today who seek to harm, even destroy, Your people. So I ask you to keep Israel in Your loving care. Put a spiritual hedge of protection around Your people and their land. Watch over this nation as a Good Shepherd watches over His flock, and may Your chosen people find their ultimate safety and security in You.
"While You watch over Your people, may Your Spirit awaken in them a hunger to embrace their Messiah—the One who died for them—until they see His face to face. We pray this in His name, Amen.”
On Oct. 7, armed Hamas militants broke through the Gaza border into Israel, launching attacks on residences, causing havoc in agricultural areas and local communities. The Islamic extremist group reportedly killed 1,200 people in the attack, and took up to 150 individuals hostage, including women, children and the elderly. The Biden administration said American citizens are among the hostages.
On Wednesday, the president told a group of Jewish leaders at the White House that “he has not given up hope” on bringing American hostages home from Gaza.
In response to Hamas' attacks, Israel launched airstrikes that have killed at least 1,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 200,000 people, in addition to cutting off electricity, food and fuel supplies. The IDF says access to supplies is cut off to encourage civilians to flee Hamas targets in Gaza. The Israeli government has also said Hamas puts civilians in danger by placing weapons and missile launchers in public buildings like mosques and hospitals and ordering civilians not to flee.
Some, like California-based Pastor Greg Laurie, have suggested the escalation of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in recent years could be the start of a series of events predicted centuries ago in Scripture.
“Thousands of rockets rained on Israel from multiple directions, and Hamas gunmen invaded by land, sea and sky,” he said in a recent sermon. “ ... They went literally home to home and door to door, looking for the young and for the elderly.”
Laurie cited Iran’s stated objective of destroying the state of Israel, adding: “Interesting how it always comes back to Jerusalem. The Bible predicted, thousands of years ago, that the End Time events would revolve around Jerusalem. Not San Francisco. Not Los Angeles. Not Moscow. Not Paris.
“But Jerusalem, this tiny little city, in this tiny sliver of land, will play a key role in the events of the last days. It’s the focal point of End Times events.”
In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Jeremiah urged Christians to be “ready” for the return of Christ, suggesting the world is seeing the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
“There’s no excuse for us, if we read the Bible, to be surprised. Because the Bible tells us that this is going to happen,” The World of the End author said. “He talks about the upheaval in the world that's going to take place before the Lord returns. There’s no sign of the return of Christ and the rapture, but there certainly is a prediction of the kind of season it's going to be, and I think we're living in that season right now. I believe that Christians really need to stay glued to the Scripture and not get too far away from the truth because it's pretty precarious right now.”
Though the rapture is a “signless event,” there are some signs outlined in the Bible that point to the tumultuous season ahead of Christ's return including the prevalence of deceitfulness, wars, and rumors of wars as well as the recent global pandemic, he said.
“The Bible says, ‘Be careful that no man deceives you.’ Well, we live in a time when the truth is almost gone, and nobody knows what to do with that,” he said. “And then the Bible talks about wars and rumors of wars and all kinds of sickness and pestilence, and we just went through the COVID experience. It's the first worldwide pandemic that I've ever been a part of, and maybe the first one that was totally worldwide.”
“Those things get your attention, and we read about those in the Bible,” he said. “And when you start seeing some of those things happening in the world where you live, you should sit up and take notice.”
