Millions of Christians pray for Jerusalem

An estimated 100 million people worldwide prayed for peace in Jerusalem on Sunday.

The eighth annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, which takes place on the first Sunday of every October, united some 300,000 churches in 175 nations to intercede in prayer on behalf of Jerusalem, Israel, and its inhabitants. The event is the largest Israel-focused prayer event in history.

“We are living in challenging days, when Jerusalem is under tremendous pressure on all sides,” said Robert Stearns, Eagles’ Wings founder and co-host of the prayer day.

“The prayers of faithful people on her behalf will make a difference, especially as Christians and Jews from the nations, along with Arab Christians and Jews from Israel, stand together in Jerusalem on October 3.”

Stearns and Jack Hayford, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, led a prayer event in Jerusalem that was due to be attended by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Christian Broadcasting Network President Michael Little, and other Christian and Jewish leaders.

The Eagles’ Wings leader said the prayers would not focus on politics, but Arabs and Jews equally.

This year, participants in the global prayer event were challenged to donate to help feed at least 1,000 poor families in Israel.

The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem took place just days after an important Jewish holiday, the Feast of the Tabernacles, or Sukkot. The weeklong event began at sunset on September 22 and ended at sunset September 29.

Sukkot is one of the three major holidays in Judaism where the Jewish population travels to the Temple of Jerusalem. The pilgrimage festival lasts for seven days with some people sleeping in temporary structures called Sukkah, where they reflect on their sins and God’s goodness in providing for all their needs. Sukkah are structures reminiscent of the ones the ancient Israelites dwelt in during their 40 years in the desert.

The Book of Zechariah states that all nations will make pilgrimages to Jerusalem in the messianic era to celebrate Sukkot. Christians understand this scripture to mean that Jews will welcome non-Jews to join in celebrating Sukkot in Jerusalem.

About 5,000 Christians travelled to Jerusalem this week to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network.

God TV broadcast the prayer event in Jerusalem to 192 nations.