I, GOD, WANT TO REASSURE YOU

Do You Feel Like a Lowly Worm? 

1 “Quiet down, far-flung ocean islands. Listen! Sit down and rest, everyone. Recover your strength. Gather around me. Say what’s on your heart. Together let’s decide what’s right.

2-3 “Who got things rolling here, got this champion from the east on the move? Who recruited him for this job, then rounded up and corralled the nations so he could run roughshod over kings? He’s off and running, pulverizing nations into dust, leaving only stubble and chaff in his wake. He chases them and comes through unscathed, his feet scarcely touching the path. 

4 “Who did this? Who made it happen? Who always gets things started? I did. God. I’m first on the scene. I’m also the last to leave.

5-7 “Far-flung ocean islands see it and panic. The ends of the earth are shaken. Fearfully they huddle together. They try to help each other out,  making up stories in the dark. The godmakers in the workshops go into overtime production, crafting new models of no-gods, Urging one another on—‘Good job!’ ‘Great design!’— pounding in nails at the base so that the things won’t tip over.

8-10 “But you, Israel, are my servant. You’re Jacob, my first choice, descendants of my good friend Abraham. I pulled you in from all over the world, called you in from every dark corner of the earth, telling you, ‘You’re my servant, serving on my side. I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.’ Don’t panic. I’m with you.  There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. 

11-13 “Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you will end up out in the cold— real losers. Those who worked against you will end up empty-handed—  nothing to show for their lives. When you go out looking for your old adversaries  you won’t find them—Not a trace of your old enemies, not even a memory. That’s right. Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go. I’m telling you, ‘Don’t panic. I’m right here to help you.’

14-16 “Do you feel like a lowly worm, Jacob? Don’t be afraid. Feel like a fragile insect, Israel? I’ll help you. I, God, want to reassure you. The God who buys you back, The Holy of Israel. I’m transforming you from worm to harrow, from insect to iron. As a sharp-toothed harrow you’ll smooth out the mountains, turn those tough old hills into loamy soil. You’ll open the rough ground to the weather, to the blasts of sun and wind and rain. But you’ll be confident and exuberant, expansive in The Holy of Israel!

21-24 “Set out your case for your gods,” says God. "Bring your evidence,” says the King of Jacob. “Take the stand on behalf of your idols ,offer arguments, assemble reasons. Spread out the facts before us so that we can assess them ourselves. Ask them, ‘If you are gods, explain what the past means—or, failing that, tell us what will happen in the future. Can’t do that? How about doing something—anything! Good or bad—whatever. Can you hurt us or help us? Do we need to be afraid?’ They say nothing, because they are nothing—sham gods, no-gods, fool-making gods.

25-29 “I, God, started someone out from the north and he’s come. He was called out of the east by name. He’ll stomp the rulers into the mud the way a potter works the clay. Let me ask you, Did anyone guess that this might happen? Did anyone tell us earlier so we might confirm it with ‘Yes, he’s right!’? No one mentioned it, no one announced it, no one heard a peep out of you.

But I told Zion all about this beforehand. I gave Jerusalem a preacher of good news. But around here there’s no one—no one who knows what’s going on. I ask, but no one can tell me the score. Nothing here. It’s all smoke and hot air—sham gods, hollow gods, no-gods.” ~The Message

THE MESSAGE OF GOD, THE MASTER

 Back to Your Own Land

EZEKIEL 36:1-5 “And now, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to God’s Message. God, the Master, says, Because the enemy crowed over you, “Good! Those old hills are now ours!” now here is a prophecy in the name of God, the Master: Because nations came at you from all sides, ripping and plundering, hauling pieces of you off every which way, and you’ve become the butt of cheap gossip and jokes, therefore, Mountains of Israel, listen to the Message of God, the Master. My Message to mountains and hills, to ditches and valleys, to the heaps of rubble and the emptied towns that are looted for plunder and turned into jokes by all the surrounding nations: Therefore, says God, the Master, now I’m speaking in a fiery rage against the rest of the nations, but especially against Edom, who in an orgy of violence and shameless insolence robbed me of my land, grabbed it for themselves.’

6-7 “Therefore prophesy over the land of Israel, preach to the mountains and hills, to every ditch and valley: ‘The Message of God, the Master: Look! Listen! I’m angry—and I care. I’m speaking to you because you’ve been humiliated among the nations. Therefore I, God, the Master, am telling you that I’ve solemnly sworn that the nations around you are next. It’s their turn to be humiliated.

8-12 “‘But you, Mountains of Israel, will burst with new growth, putting out branches and bearing fruit for my people Israel. My people are coming home! Do you see? I’m back again. I’m on your side. You’ll be plowed and planted as before! I’ll see to it that your population grows all over Israel, that the towns fill up with people, that the ruins are rebuilt. I’ll make this place teem with life—human and animal. The country will burst into life, life, and more life, your towns and villages full of people just as in the old days. I’ll treat you better than I ever have. And you’ll realize that I am God. I’ll put people over you—my own people Israel! They’ll take care of you and you’ll be their inheritance. Never again will you be a harsh and unforgiving land to them.

13-15 “‘God, the Master, says: Because you have a reputation of being a land that eats people alive and makes women barren, I’m now telling you that you’ll never eat people alive again nor make women barren. Decree of God, the Master. And I’ll never again let the taunts of outsiders be heard over you nor permit nations to look down on you. You’ll no longer be a land that makes women barren. Decree of God, the Master.’”

16-21 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, when the people of Israel lived in their land, they polluted it by the way they lived. I poured out my anger on them because of the polluted blood they poured out on the ground. And so I got thoroughly angry with them polluting the country with their wanton murders and dirty gods. I kicked them out, exiled them to other countries. I sentenced them according to how they had lived. Wherever they went, they gave me a bad name. People said, ‘These are God’s people, but they got kicked off his land.’ I suffered much pain over my holy reputation, which the people of Israel blackened in every country they entered.

22-23 “Therefore, tell Israel, ‘Message of God, the Master: I’m not doing this for you, Israel. I’m doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you’ve blackened in every country where you’ve gone. I’m going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize who I really am, that I am God, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with their own eyes.

24-28 “‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!

29-30 “‘I’ll pull you out of that stinking pollution. I’ll give personal orders to the wheat fields, telling them to grow bumper crops. I’ll send no more famines. I’ll make sure your fruit trees and field crops flourish. Other nations won’t be able to hold you in contempt again because of famine.

31 “‘And then you’ll think back over your terrible lives—the evil, the shame—and be thoroughly disgusted with yourselves, realizing how badly you’ve lived—all those obscenities you’ve carried out.

32 “‘I’m not doing this for you. Get this through your thick heads! Shame on you. What a mess you made of things, Israel!

33-36 “‘Message of God, the Master: On the day I scrub you clean from all your filthy living, I’ll also make your cities livable. The ruins will be rebuilt. The neglected land will be worked again, no longer overgrown with weeds and thistles, worthless in the eyes of passersby. People will exclaim, “Why, this weed patch has been turned into a Garden of Eden! And the ruined cities, smashed into oblivion, are now thriving!” The nations around you that are still in existence will realize that I, God, rebuild ruins and replant empty waste places. I, God, said so, and I’ll do it.

37-38 “‘Message of God, the Master: Yet again I’m going to do what Israel asks. I’ll increase their population as with a flock of sheep. Like the milling flocks of sheep brought for sacrifices in Jerusalem during the appointed feasts, the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. And they’ll realize that I am God.’” ~The Message

God Against Gog

EZEKIEL 38:1-6 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, confront Gog from the country of Magog, head of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him. Say, ‘God, the Master, says: Be warned, Gog. I am against you, head of Meshech and Tubal. I’m going to turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and drag you off with your whole army, your horses and riders in full armor—all those shields and bucklers and swords—fighting men armed to the teeth! Persia and Cush and Put will be in the ranks, also well-armed, as will Gomer and its army and Beth-togarmah out of the north with its army. Many nations will be with you!

7-9 “‘Get ready to fight, you and the whole company that’s been called out. Take charge and wait for orders. After a long time, you’ll be given your orders. In the distant future you’ll arrive at a country that has recovered from a devastating war. People from many nations will be gathered there on the mountains of Israel, for a long time now a wasteland. These people have been brought back from many countries and now live safe and secure. You’ll rise like a thunderstorm and roll in like clouds and cover the land, you and the massed troops with you.

10-12 “‘Message of God, the Master: At that time you’ll start thinking things over and cook up an evil plot. You’ll say, “I’m going to invade a country without defenses, attack an unsuspecting, carefree people going about their business—no gates to their cities, no locks on their doors. And I’m going to plunder the place, march right in and clean them out, this rebuilt country risen from the ashes, these returned exiles and their booming economy centered down at the navel of the earth.”

13 “‘Sheba and Dedan and Tarshish, traders all out to make a fast buck, will say, “So! You’ve opened a new market for plunder! You’ve brought in your troops to get rich quick!”’

14-16 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy! Tell Gog, ‘A Message from God, the Master: When my people Israel are established securely, will you make your move? Will you come down out of the far north, you and that mob of armies, charging out on your horses like a tidal wave across the land, and invade my people Israel, covering the country like a cloud? When the time’s ripe, I’ll unleash you against my land in such a way that the nations will recognize me, realize that through you, Gog, in full view of the nations, I am putting my holiness on display.

17-22 “‘A Message of God, the Master: Years ago when I spoke through my servants, the prophets of Israel, wasn’t it you I was talking about? Year after year they prophesied that I would bring you against them. And when the day comes, Gog, you will attack that land of Israel. Decree of God, the Master. My raging anger will erupt. Fueled by blazing jealousy, I tell you that then there will be an earthquake that rocks the land of Israel. Fish and birds and wild animals—even ants and beetles!—and every human being will tremble and shake before me. Mountains will disintegrate, terraces will crumble. I’ll order all-out war against you, Gog—Decree of God, the Master—Gog killing Gog on all the mountains of Israel. I’ll deluge Gog with judgment: disease and massacre, torrential rain and hail, volcanic lava pouring down on you and your mobs of troops and people.

23 “‘I’ll show you how great I am, how holy I am. I’ll make myself known all over the world. Then you’ll realize that I am God.’” ~The Message

Walk from the Room of Last Supper to Gethsemane! Through the Kidron Valley!

Premiered Apr 8, 2023

ISRAEL MY CHANNEL

In this video tour, we will see and experience entering the Jaffa Gate, Tower of David, Arminian Quarter, Zion Gate, the room of the Last Supper, Tomb of David, Peter in Gallicantu, Dung Gate, Kidron Valley, Gethsemane, Church of Nations.

So you can see a lot of police, a lot of Army people, and this is because we are in a very tense time in Israel. Someone was shot yesterday. From Lebanon  many Rockets were fired at Israel, it's a tense time right now, and that's why there's so many soldiers, policemen on the streets. Of course this is also the Holiday so a lot of people come to Jerusalem in this particular time...

...So today we're we're gonna go to those different places connected to the Last Supper and crucifixion and you will be able to see how far everything is from each other. So, it's quite a walk actually especially from get some Mana which is on the bottom of Mount of Olives to the Tower of David were supposedly was Herod's Palace and where Jesus was trialed, it's quite a walk. 

So here is the Zion Gate, the gate through which we will go. The gate to which we will go. Again built by Sulaiman the magnificent in the 16th century. And this is from the other side. Now I want you to I want you to look at this gate and you will see holes, destruction. I will tell you in a moment what it's about. It's a reminder,  it's a witness to a big battle that happened here when Israel was attacked by five countries in 1967, the Six Day War started and Israel won with five countries in six days. And of course this time gave the Jewish people for the first time to take control of East Jerusalem, because before that the Jewish people did not control East Jerusalem, and after The Six Day War they were controlling the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, they were even taking control of the Old City. 

Also, those are the bullets that were shot towards this gate, okay, let's go now to this mountain. I mainly want to go here because there is a nice view and I want you to see it, because as I told you the places that are connected with this place our traditional. They are probably not what actually is. So this is a big Lutheran Church that was built here by the Germans. You know every country that came to Jerusalem basically built a church, so you have Russian churches, you have English churches, you have German churches, and that way each country has a piece of land here in Jerusalem. This land belongs to the Lutheran Church so it's a big Church.

Okay guys, now we're gonna walk into the place where traditionally to sell that the last supper was. So what you will see is again Mosaic because it used to be a mosque and now it's like a museum. It's like a place where you come and visit. It's not a church, but it's not also a mosque, so you will see resemblance of that. 

Here's some remains that remind you that it was a mosque and also the the signs over here. Okay, I wasn't there for a long time because my camera doesn't have  good light. When I'm in rooms and there's artificial light I need to change the settings so that's why I didn't spend time much over there. 

This is a place that not a lot of people go too because they don't know you can come here but you can. And suddenly you are on a rooftop, and you have a beautiful view of Jerusalem. So we just went up on a roof of this room which we just were in the room which is called the Room of the Last Supper is where tradition says that the Last Supper happened in the roof below us. So, it used to be a mosque as you can see, here's even a minoret which stayed.

From this roof you can see a very beautiful view of Jerusalem. So, you can see in the distance there is The Mound of Olives, it's nice now with the flag you can see.  Over there is the Kidron Valley and the City of David in that direction. In that direction is the the Hotel King David Hotel. So it's a nice place just to see the Panorama of Jerusalem. It's the people that come to visit those places, do not usually know that you can come here and see the view. So over there you can even see a little bit the Dome of the Rock.

Okay, so the last place we're gonna go here is the traditional place of the burial of David. I will not be talking much when I enter the room because the second synagogue it's an active synagogue, so I just want to go in and not disturb. So, here's the synagogue with me change the settings. 

So,  everybody are in the big tomb and it was there that the Jewish people are here praying next to it. I know this place pretty well because I used to actually work here. I was doing a course in archaeological conservation and we worked on those stones there because before that the stones were covered with cement and it was very bad.

The stone was done by the Jordanians before Israel's independence this territory was controlled by Jordan, and the cement was very bad. Because it's stronger than the stone and when that happens the water starts coming out not from the cement but from the stones. So what we had to do is take out all the cement and create a special mortar instead, so this is what we did here.

Okay, so let's go now. This is this place where you get out. See guys we are still on Mount Zion, but we were there at the roof. I'm just walking around here to see what else is here. It's been a while since I've been here. I want to see because this place wasn't open like this before. 

Here you can see the backside of Mount Zion, wow, this is quite beautiful actually. See with these flowers, so nice, the trees, and wow over there the purple flowers too. This is very beautiful, it's a nice view for a day like this right. Oh, there is somebody reading something next to a tree.

It is possible that the Last Supper was happening somewhere around here, and Jesus was spending the last few moments with his disciples. Ahead of him was a very difficult time, he was to suffer greatly for the cause of all people. And he did that because he loved people so much, that he wanted to sacrifice his own life so  they may have eternal life. 

So, here's an Armenian Church over here. Behind this plant is King David's Hotel, over there. That's New Jerusalem. Okay very nice, very close too. Here is also a cemetery on which Schindler, the famous Schindler. Schindler is buried on Mount Zion. So if you ever are here in the area you can visit that to give a tribute.

We're gonna get out of this complex now and we're gonna go into the direction of The Garden of Gethsemane. This will give you also an idea how far it is all together. Cedar Tree's, how nice. This is the other side of the Church right here, so you can exercise,  workout here, and you can skip rope.

Here this is a different Road, you will see how long of a walk it is from here to the Garden of Gethsemane it takes a while. And of course on the road on the way you have discoveries. This is Jerusalem, wherever you put the shovel we will find something, that's why it's so difficult to build roads here. Once you start building all the archaeologists come and want to see what you found.

So, over there you have the Kidron Valley and downstairs we walked from Mount Zion as it is called. Although again, I have to say, this according to me Mount Zion is always the City of David, and eventually the Temple mount. Although I know that in the Bible the term Zion is used in a more general way. For example the whole Israel can be called Zion or Jerusalem. As a whole can be called Zion, so it doesn't have to be a specific place. But this is funny, in this case, because this is a mountain which is called Mount Zion. 

If we have to point to a mountain, which mountain is Mount Zion, it would have to be the City of David. This is where the history of David started with Jerusalem and we agreed that David took the Fortress of Zion, and where was the Fortress of Zion? In the city of David, we visited it yesterday, and you saw the stones.

Here you can see a lot of Jewish people going to pray, because this is also a way to the Western Wall in that direction, so you can go through this road. See how many people are going to pray. In Judaism you should pray three times, in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening. Sometimes Jewish people combine the two prayers in the evening one also.

Over there you can see a church it's a Roman Catholic Church of Saint Peter in Galicanto from Latin, it means where the rooster crowed. This is the place where Peter denied, Jesus three times. It's that church, right where I'm pointing now. Like a gray Coppola this is where it is, and this is a road to the Western tunnel.

Today, it's still the whole day, it's Passover but also today starts another big holiday which is the Shabbat. Very important in Jewish life. In Jerusalem when Shabbat starts then Jerusalem, the Jewish Jerusalem, is closed. People are in home spending time with their family, this is something very nice.

You can see Jewish people walking with their children, spending time with their whole family. That's a very nice aspect of Shabbat, it gives you peace, you are disconnected from all the mobile phones, from the internet, from YouTube. You have a time just to rest. So here again another perspective on the church of Saint Peter in Galicanto downstairs. 

Over here David and the Kidron Valley is below. This is the proper Mount Zion and here you can already see the Temple Mound. We have not come from this direction yet in my videos, I don't think so I will show you this road, we can view on the City of David. 

You can look also up their walls and go to the Western Wall. There's going to be a gate through which you go through and then you are basically next to the Western Wall Plaza. But today, we're gonna go to the get Samana inn The Garden of Gethsemane, which means The Garden of the Oil Press. 

Alot of things are happening here, a lot of security, a lot of construction work, everything at once. Alot of Holidays, it's a mix. That's the Dome Gate, this is where you would enter to go to the Western Wall, but we are going further down to the valley, we walked this way yesterday, no not yesterday, on the first day of PESA tour. But, I'm doing it again because I want to do all the Christian sites that are connected with the Last Supper Friday Resurrection.

We're gonna do a detour here because I want to go to the Pool of Siloam. Yesterday, I did not go because it was a Holiday, it might be open. We are getting to the Church, this is the South of the Temple mount, and here is the City of David which we visited. 

So now, I will not be talking much about things that are in the City of David. If you are interested in learning more see my other videos. A video from yesterday would be good to see because there I talk more about the Archeology of the importance of the place.

So now we're gonna walk very close to the Arab neighborhood. This is the Sylvan neighborhood. We have some shops here, and this is the Sylvan neighborhood, and we'll walk the Kidron Valley, and get out next to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here in the valley it's very warm, so I think I will end my tour in the Garden of Gethsemane, and tomorrow we will visit the two places that are considered to be the go for Calvaria, the Skull. The Burial side of Jesus and crucifixion and Resurrection.

You can already see where we are, this is South East End of the Temple Mount, this is the City of David where we just were since in this Arab neighborhood here. That's how it looks from the bottom of the valley, I did the video once when I was walking here, but was a while ago, and every time, even it depends when you come in the summer or you go in the spring. Every time it's different, a Supermarket.

An Asian neighborhood, and here you can see you can see the Valley. Those houses are built on a rock scarp and actually in some of them, in some places there are like holes. Those are Asian burial sites. This is of course a very uh problematic place because everything is built here without permits, people build how they like on top they build up build up so in one house a whole generation lives. Some of those houses are very old but nobody knows what is the state of the foundations of those buildings.

So here we are the Kidron Valley. We're at the bottom of the Kidron Valley. This is where we came from, in the distance you can see the Orthodox Church. Here it's the slope of the Kidron Valley. It's like going back in time now 2000 years. It feels like walking in ancient times somewhere.  

Not a lot of people come here, it's very quiet. So you see some caves, over there  the houses are built on ancient caves they are Burial sites. So as we walk here we can also remember the story of Abraham and Melchizedek. Remember Abraham was returning after rescuing his nephew a lot and as he was walking next to Salem, the King approached him and blessed him. It's not Abraham who lesses Melchizedek although he was a legend already but it's Melchizedek who is worshiping the God most high. So perhaps it happened somewhere here when they met. These are also very old burial sites of noble people. You can see where we walked and where we are now.

So, this is where where we get out. This is where the Church of Nations is or to  The Garden of Gethsemane it's salmon. So here is a view on the Golden Gate once again. Here you can see where we came from, this is where we're going.

Thank you! So once again, the View on the Mount of Olives, Kidron Valley. This is the Church of Nations, it will be probably very busy today, because it's The Good Friday. You can already see there's an active mask going on there for a moment we'll be able to then going on there let's see if we can go for a few.

We have been here before in my previous videos, but I just wanted to end here on Friday, because this is the place of the Greatest Suffering. This is the place of the Greatest Suffering of the Messiah when he was suffered that much. So let me get out a little bit because it's very loud. 

There you may not be able to hear me well, you see a person selling next to the church as it was in nation times. Next to the temple people who are selling today, also, people never change Church, Another tradition you also have olive trees here so generally, The Garden of Gethsemane could have been somewhere in this area, because there are olive trees that are very old here. There's a tradition of having olive trees here, so perhaps some are here.

Jesus was suffering in the garden before he was betrayed by Judas. And more of you Church of Nations, let me get out of the way of the group here, this is a better view. So, once again olive trees when Jesus came to Jerusalem on a donkey He was greeted with palm branches and you can see palm trees right now. 

You came from the East from there from the Mount of Olives and entered Jerusalem here on a donkey. Jesus suffered much, guys thank you for your attention. I hope you enjoyed this tour today! I'll see you on our next tour have a great day shalom.