The International House of Prayer in Kanas City has launched a 21-day prayer and fast for Israel, which its leaders believe will hasten Jesus’ return.
The Isaiah 62 Global 21-Days of Prayer and Fasting, organized by IHOP leader Mike Bickle, is being billed as a historic gathering that will bring together as many as one million intercessors who will take turns praying an hour a day for the salvation of Israel.
The prayer and fast, which began Sunday, will conclude on May 28, which is Pentecost. The Christian holy day commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles following Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Bickle said the fast is part of a network of thousands of evangelical ministries across the world that are mobilizing their followers to join for the three weeks of prayer and fasting.
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It did not appear that anyone was traveling to Israel in person. The event is named for a passage from the Book of Isaiah that says, “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night.” The purpose of the fast is to awaken Jews to the God of Israel, which they believe took on human form as Jesus. Once they do, Jesus will return.
“When Israel wakes up spiritually, Jesus says,` I will come down from heaven,’” Bickle said in a YouTube segment with evangelical singer and activist Sean Feucht. “The second coming is actually connected to the Jews saying yes to Jesus. And the Jews saying yes to Jesus is related to the gentiles standing for God’s purpose for Israel.”
Since 1999, Bickle has led a prayer room in Kansas City devoted to nonstop 24/7 prayer. The prayer room is staffed intermittently by some 600 worship leaders who lead musical prayers around the clock. For more information, visit www.ihopkc.org/isaiah62-kc-hub/.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice