If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy. (Psalm 137:5-6)
Thus says the Lord God, “This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her.” (Ezekiel 5:5)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Australian Christians at venues around almost the entire perimeter of that large land listened with intense interest – a few with milder curiosity – to what I traveled from Israel to share this past July-August.
I spoke about the unaltered place of central importance Israel holds in the redemption purposes of God – and how other nations have always been impacted positively or negatively by their relationship with the Jewish one.
I delved into fascinating facts about the way Australia was divinely ‘permitted’ to stand, with New Zealand, at the forefront of the national forces that liberated the Land of Israel from 600 years of Islamic control; how men from the lands Down Under prepared the way for the rebirth of Israel – the national home of the Jews.
Assessing the history of Australia vis-à-vis Israel pretty much since the former entered nationhood, I maintained that no other country has had a more positively consistent contributing relationship with the Jews as they were fashioned into and embarked on their own renewed national life.
I sought to – in a constructive way – provoke an energized response from Aussies with the news that the centennial of the Battle of Beersheba that will take place on October 31, 2017 presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help entrench Australia as a true friend of Israel’s in a world that has largely turned against her.
And I had the peremptory nerve – or chutzpah – to suggest to my audiences that, should they hope to see their land indeed be part of the much-vaunted “Great Southlands of the Holy Spirit” (becoming, as has been foretold by more than one authoritative Christian, the center of the last great revival to impact this world before the coming of Messiah) that they should place praying for and seeking the well-being of Israel above their prayers and hopes for their own land.
This stumped some. Yes, they averred, they understood that Israel still has an important part to play; that the Jewish people still matter as a nation before God. But where on earth do I get off suggesting to dyed-in-the-wool patriotic Aussies that they should place the flag of Israel above their own beloved national banner in terms of their priorities for action and for prayer?
To find the answer – for there most certainly is one – we Christians really need to jettison our Gentile perspectives and reposition ourselves to view the Bible from a Hebraic or Jewish point of view – something I tried to explain.
It lies in grasping the actual meaning that underlies what followers of Jesus were instructed to pray – and have been praying – for close on 2000 years:
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
This answer, fellow believers, poses no threat to our God-given national heritage and allegiance (it was the Creator who intended that we would be born into the nations we deem our own).
But the answer most certainly does lie in the place of our first allegiance, which is to the Kingdom of God. And if that is where we center our sense of loyalty, then (and this has been promised by God) Heaven’s blessings will accrue to our nations.
What it boils down to, simply, is this: The King, when He soon comes, is coming to Jerusalem. It is in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah (AKA the Temple Mount), that He will be enthroned. And it is from there that He will rule and reign over all the nations.
Like it or not – and most reading this don’t – our nations are almost all joined in alliance against His coming, as manifested through their opposition to the Jews’ return in 1967 to Judea and Samaria, and especially to the heart of Jerusalem wherein stands the Mountain of the Lord.
This positioning sets our nations on a collision course with God and in line for judgment.
And we expect to see Him blessing us with revival?
No, my friends – if we truly desire to see blessing of revival come to our lands, then we need to bring our lands into line with God’s His purposes for Israel. Otherwise our nations will know His disfavour.
An indigenous Australian pastor grasped this truth at my very first meeting this year – in Yarrabah up near Cairns. Following the message, he approached me keen to share about his great grandfather who was one of six Aboriginals from that community to fall in Palestine during World War 1.
His family has played a personal part.
Then he told me what he had understood from my message:
“We indigenous Australians,” he said, “love to sit around campfires and talk about the Dreamtime. As Christian Indigenous, we have been praying fires of revival to break out across our nation. Some started up, but then they faded away.
This evening, he continued, with barely surpressed exhilaration in his voice, he had suddenly seen the answer:
If Australian Christians put the ‘log’ inscribed with the name ‘Israel’ in the center of the fire, he said; if they choose to prefer Jerusalem above their chief joy, and seek the Kingdom of God over and above the wellbeing of their own country, the fires of revival would ignite in their land.
I believe he is right. It is one of the most fundamental Biblical principles: The nation that blesses the seed of Abraham will be blessed. (Genesis 12:3). The nation that is unwilling to serve Israel will be utterly done away with. (Isaiah 60:12) And if we seek first His Kingdom, and His righteousness, then all these other things will be added to us.
Is this truly so hard to understand?
Once again, Stan, I believe you have heard Ha Shem’s voice and articulated His message perfectly. Those Aussies were blessed to have heard you, and I pray they will act upon this wisdom. Now…..when are you returning to the states? \o/
I can only thank you Stan for keeping us informed about the important nation, Israel the people of God. We are praying for this nation in our church, Assemblies of God whenever we meet at our 06h00 prayer meetings on Sundays. May God be with you till we meet again in Israel.
Totally agree – “I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you I will curse.” The world needs to understand that this is still in place and it is about Israel.
Chris – what is being addressed here is the stand a nation takes as a nation i.e. the way its national leadership behaves towards Israel, the policies it follows, etc, and ultimately whether or not as a nation it is an ally or an enemy of Israel. It doesn’t matter how many individuals in America love Israel, if the United States as a nation is endangering Israel, forcing Israel to take positions that threaten its existence, support countries that hate Jews and threaten to annihilate the Jewish state, then America as a nation will find itself in the Valley of Jehoshaphat – the winepress of God’s wrath. (Joel 3) If enough Americans really loved Israel passionately and were willing to put Israel’s best interests above their own nation’s, and were willing to work actively – giving themselves no rest – to get their government to change its policies, they could make an enormous difference. But where were all these Israel-loving Christians when, for example, the Obama administration led the drawing up and signing of an agreement with Iran which Israel believes endangers the existence of its six million Jews? If, as John Hagee says, there are “sixty million Christian Zionists in America” then how is it that not even one million could make their way to Washington DC and demand that the government not sign such an agreement? I’m afraid that while we talk a lot about loving Israel, very, very few of us are prepared to go all the way, to put aside our own interests and be willing to even lay down our lives for the sake of Israel or for the sake of our own nations. Words are cheap, and prayers are easy to say – but the Jewish people face very real physical danger to their existence that is growing every year. Our nations (surely especially our Judeo-Christian ones)should be standing around Israel to champion and protect her. We should be threatening Iran with more sanctions and even militarily unless it desists completely from, and scraps, its nuclear plans. The mighty United States could tell the Ayatollahs in Tehran – “We are not your friends. We are Israel’s friends. The United States is completely and unapologetically on Israel’s side and against you. Endanger Israel and you endanger the US. Touch Israel and you touch the US. If you want good relations with the US that will benefit your Iranian people, develop good relations with Israel. But if you are Israel’s enemy you are our enemy and we will oppose you all the way.” Imagine if a million Americans demanded from their senators and congressmen this way of dealing with Israel’s foes!
Thank you very much Stan for very good deep message for all of us.
Looking forward to meeting you soon
Karel
I’m not saying this to be critical. I really would like to know. Does an entire nation have to bless Israel in order for there to be revival? I live in the United States and know that many people DO love Israel, even though our nation’s leaders do not.
Stan. We bless you and especially Israel, and beautiful Jerusalem, from Bendigo Australia.
We praise the great God of Israel, and Yeshua- our wonderful redeemer, and coming King
Bless you. Shalom from down under! Bill Hanna
Sometimes, when reading, there’s a quiet conviction that one is reading TRUTH . This is one such time.
Thank you again Stan and may God bless richly the Aboriginal Pastor and your words spoken to many. Come over to Scotland and help us!!
Wilhma
Stan, I agree totally! Those who bless Yisrael will be blessed, and those who curse her will be cursed. G-d made this promise to Avraham nearly 4,000 years ago, as recorded in Genesis 12:3, and His Word does not and will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing the purpose for which it is sent. G-d bless you, my brother, for standing on G-d’s side in this ages-old struggle in which we find ourselves, and G-d bless Yisrael!
Absolutely right on Stan! Thank you for teaching this truth to my countrymen. Australia has a great heritage in our brave Light Horsemen who set Jerusalem free – we don’t want to lose it by now neglecting to bless Israel above all other nations (including our own). I just love the way the indigenous pastor sees our spiritual responsibility toward Israel – what great insight our indigenous people have.
Long may your chutzpah continue!
Abundant blessings to you,
Shalom.
Lynne
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
America is a good country. but Israel is number one. See you in New Jerusalem.
Well said, Stan. Christians have forgotten how to approach God to win his favour.
Amayn. “We” are removing all ties to the Roman lie that have misled so many…they and England stole the Hebraic Gospel for thier own benefit…Names do not change in translations unless the tranlator is tring to hide the root of its foundation….This is what the nations have handed all within. Its a lie, i submit…In Y’shua
Absolutely right! We bless you Israel, we pray Your Kingdom come your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!
Thank You so much for this message Stan, it’s not hard to understand – it makes perfect sense! I have been waking up recently in the mornings with pray for the peace of Jerusalem coming to mind straight away. I believe it is a very significant message and you have made it easy to explain to others.
I will just get my necklace out to wear today to Church which reads in Hebrew – If I forget you Jerusalem ……
P.S Heard you speak a very passionate message in Geelong, thank you again Stan.
Amen Stan.