Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(3/20/23)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 3/20/23 | left that other site

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Mark 11

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city.

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26] [g]

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New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Oh LORD,
Our God!
How Wonderful and Excellent is Your Holy Name!
And How Present and Eternal Your Word,
Even To This Day.
Abba Father,
You are Always with us,
Even in the pit of despair and grief.
We can Always Turn to You,
For Comfort and Support.
For You Alone Are Worthy,
You Alone Are Lord,
The One True God of Abraham,
The Eternal Rock of Ages,
The Ancient of Days.

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 33

1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.

18 Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Mark 11

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city.

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26] [g]

_______________________________________________________

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Mom had an idea for a Quiz Show question:

Question: What ubiquitous current fashion statement has it's origin in the US Navy during WW2?

Answer: The T-Shirt.

It seems like every Concert, Artist, Sports Team, Event, Political Position, and just about everything else, has a T-Shirt to go with it. Soon, it became de rigeur to purchase a T-Shirt whenever one went to a Rock Concert. The "Official" T-Shirt from the Concert has the Artist on the front and the Concert Dates on the Back. Non-official T-Shirts do not have the dates on the back and new (licensed) ones are available at Walmart, but they are not the same thing. This makes the ORIGINALS more pricey, and they sell for BIG BUCKS online.

Of course, the Concert Promoters got wind of this, and have made the Originals more expensive at the point of sale at the concert itself. I first got wind of this at a YES Concert in 2018 where the shirts were $40.00 each. "NO WAY!" I said. I like the band, but not THAT much.

I saved up for the Eric Clapton Clapton Concert in 2022. That was to be a once in a lifetime concert, and I really wanted the T-Shirt. I waited in line for what seemed like an hour, and finally got to the "Merch Table". The T-Shirts were awesome looking, but they were $60.00! Chances are, I will never be able to see Clapton again, but that was too much. Besides, I was there for the MUSIC, not for the T-Shirt. I do not dispute the Promoter's right to charge those prices, but I made a choice to do without.

The three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of Jesus Cleansing the Temple towards the end of His Ministry. In the Gospel of John, there is another "cleansing", at the beginning of His Public Life. So it would seem that Jesus did this twice in the space of three years. Why was this so important to Him?

The difference can be illustrated by my T-Shirt Saga. I could still attend the concert, even if I didn't buy a T-Shirt. I had my ticket, which I paid dearly for. The seat was right there waiting for me, T-Shirt or not. This was not the case in the Temple.

In order to worship God, the people had to have a lamb or other animal for a blood sacrifice. The animal was to be without any blemishes, and could only be a "clean" animal. This was all outlined in the Law of Moses, so it was legit. During the Exodus, one only had to choose a proper animal from the flock and bring it to the Tabernacle.

Then people began to live in cities, and had to travel to Jerusalem to worship. What if they brought a lamb all that way, and it didn't pass inspection? No Problem. You could bring cash and buy a pre-approved animal at the Temple itself. How Convenient! The Temple was providing a valuable service. From all parts of th Roman Empire, people arrived bringing their local money. Drachmas, Denarii, Coins from Persia, Greece, Rome, and other Pagan Countries were unacceptable in the Holy Temple. But there were Money Changers who could help you out, for a small fee, of course. They were set up in the Temple precincts and could change your money, and even sell an animal to you. The surcharges and fees multiplied, and soon you had a "Religious Racket" going on. People could NOT say, "Forget about the T-Shirt. I have my Ticket." They had NO CHOICE.

In Mark, the Story of the Temple Cleansing is sandwiched right in the middle of the Story of the Fig Tree. This is not an accident. Since this all took place during Passover Week, we can assume that it was in the Spring. The Fig Trees in the area start putting forth leaves in the Spring, along with an immature form of fruit, and come to full fruition in the early Summer. When the tree is full of leaves, the fruit is ripe. This is what is meant by "...it was not the season for figs". This always puzzled me, because, if it wasn't the season, why should it have figs?

The clue is that the Fig Tree was covered with a full, rich, garment of leaves. It advertised that it was ripe, showed its leafy beauty, and called out to Jesus that the Figs were ready. However, on closer inspection, it was shown that this early ripening was all a hoax. Texans have an expression, "All Hat and No Cattle" and this was a case of "All Leaves and No Figs", which was the condition of the Temple in that day.

Causing the tree to wither at the root may have been a prediction of the Destruction of the Temple in 70AD. It's proximity to the Story of the Cleansing of the Temple in Mark would indicate such a connection.

Jesus also uses this incident to teach His Disciples about the efficacy of Believing Prayer. And so, we have a multitude of Lessons in this one little snippet of Scripture.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, DarthVader, For Your Prayers and Wonderful Psalm For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[redryder_90]

Amen

[TianaHighrider]

Blessings and Prayers up ❤ 🙏

[etabeta]

Joining in prayer. God bless.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, redryder_90, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, TianaHighrider, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Jeanbl]

Amen, thank you. Joined together in prayer, hope and praise.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Jeanbl, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS