Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed, Magnified,
and Sanctified is Your Most Holy Name!
How Blessed and How True is Your Word,
and How Mighty!
How Glorious, to Span the Millennia,
To be Unfettered by Time and Space,
To Know The End from the Beginning
and the beginning from The End!
For it is You, Oh LORD,
Who designed the Galaxies with Your Compass,
And Mapped Out the Vast Reaches of Space
With Your Word and Your Omniscient Imagination!
Scientists tell us even the heavens are finite.
But YOU are Infinite!
LORD, remind us ALWAYS to Worship You,
and not Your Creation.
Your creation is there but to proclaim YOUR GLORY.
Hallelujah and Amen.

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

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

The Names and Titles of God (Holy Child) Acts 4:27

27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

King James Version

________________________

On a large tract of land, behind one of Jerusalem's older hotels, is magnificent model (to scale) of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. It has everything: the houses of both the rich and the poor, the Roman administration's structures, The Hasmonean and Herodian Palaces, the walls, and, of course, the Temple. While most of the model is of the famous pink/gold Jerusalem Stone, The Temple shines pure white with a golden parapet. It sits upon the platform above the city, and dominates the entire model. One can see it from every angle, walking around this public work of art.

It was the same in Jesus time. The Temple had become the center of religious and civic life in Jerusalem. Although the occupying Power was Pagan, the People were able to worship The One True God in their Temple, with the Priesthood and Ceremonies intact. The Romans were wise in that regard. Unlike the Greeks, who set Alexander up as a "god", or Antiochus Epiphanes, who defiled the altar by sacrificing a pig on it, the Romans (at that point in time) knew that the people would be less likely to revolt if you didn't take their "gods" away from them. In fact, by this time, a lot of foreign "gods" had their own cults in Rome, and had merged with the Romans "gods" as objects of worship. Isis, Aphrodite, Mithrais, and dozens of others shared temples with Jove and Caesar.

But these "troublesome Jews" were another story! They wanted their Temple for Their God Only. No Sharing! Not only that, they had their own Priesthood, and would not tolerate any "appointees" from Rome. They would not even enter a Pagan house, nor allow a Pagan into the Temple Area. They despised their Puppet King Herod, as he was Idumean, not even Jewish!

Yet, Herod had renovated and expanded the Temple to dominate the landscape (Like the One at The Hotel Model), using the magnificent Jerusalem Stone in impossibly huge blocks, with wonderful beveled edges that can still be seen at the Western Wall.

The High Priest grasped desperately to his Position, knowing that any hint of rebellion would bring the full weight of the Roman Empire down upon his people and their beautiful Temple too. The LAST thing the High Priest needed at this particular time was Someone Claiming to be the Messiah!

This is the Religious and Political Atmosphere in which Peter gives his first sermon. Peter's big mouth has gotten him into trouble before, but this time he is speaking under the Anointing and Power of the Holy Spirit. He doesn't ascribe the death of Messiah to just the Jewish People, despite what antisemites may have said through history. He includes Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, the Leaders, and the People of Israel. He gives a new Name and Title for Jesus, "Holy Child".

That's an odd name for a Man of over 30 years. Why would peter have used that particular title?

My humble opinion is that Jesus was ordained to His Ministry from before Creation and before the Time-Space Continuum existed. His coming as a Baby in Bethlehem was predicted centuries prior to His Birth. Magi from the East journeyed for miles, as His Birth was announced in the Stars. Moses knew He was coming, as did Elijah, Isaiah, Micah, Malachi, and other Prophets. The first Herod tried desperately to get rid of Him before He was even a toddler.

There is an old saying, attributed to Genghis Khan and, later, to Nietzsche, that:

"Whatever Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger."

The "Powers that Be" really thought they had disposed of Jesus when they killed Him. The Gospels even point out that Pilate bribed the tomb guards to say that the Disciples had stolen the Body and concocted the Resurrection Story. The Disciples cowered in fear, figuring that, "If they could do it to Jesus, they can do it to US."

But then something totally unprecedented happened. Jesus Rose From The Dead!

The Holy Child that Herod, Pilate, The Jews, The Gentiles, and, indeed, all the World, tried to kill was ALIVE!

And Still Is.

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

For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. (Mark 4:22)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS