From Stone to Flesh - Ruach Ministries Int'l
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Shalom Y’all, Psalm 122 instructs us to ask (pray) for the peace of Jerusalem, do we still need to do this? I would say now more than ever we need to do this! So much that is happening in the world today (and in prophecy) is tied to Israel! Unfortunately, many do not see the importance of blessing Israel or the people of Israel. This week, we explore why we should bless Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
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the things that you were called to, life in the kingdom, know that it's not just about you. And the Father has called you into this path to live a life for him and his kingdom, to walk in his ways. But also, as you're doing this, you're helping to pave a way for the next generation behind you to follow. You're making a way for others to see you. And Ravesh, I will set it well. You know, follow me as I follow Mosheach, right? So these are all things that we need to keep in mind. And as we go through the Torah, there's so much of the Torah that says, and you shall teach it to your children. Why? Because it's important that the next generation is not lost. It's important that we are teaching it to our children. How do we teach it to our children? Yes, we need to sit down with them. Yes, we need to instruct them and read them in the scriptures and explain these things to them. But how we live speaks volumes. We can say anything, but again, we go back to that faith and belief issue. We can say anything but how we live it out speaks louder than our words. So we need to teach it to the next generation, how? By instruction, and by being an example. One of those ways we can do that is to speak of the things that are close to the father's heart. And Yeshua spoke of the father and walking in his ways a lot. You know, he did not come to contradict the word that we've already been given. He came to show us how to properly live it out where we have missed it. But yet, we are being called into the heart of the father and learning how to walk with him. And in that, are we holding close to our heart the things that he holds close to his? You know, in Jeremiah, there's a scripture that testifies of something that Yahweh says he is going to do with all his heart and soul. And it is the only time in the entirety of scripture that it is said that Yahweh is going to do something with all his heart and soul. You know what it is? Return the people of Israel to Israel. Bring them back to their land, establish them and plant them. Guys, that's what he's calling us. He's calling us to be established in him, in his ways. And today, you know, a lot of people look to Israel, look to Jerusalem, and dare I say, a lot of people are just apathetic. Many people have no opinion. One way or the other about Israel. And many people look towards Israel as kind of like meh. But here's the thing. Yahweh says throughout the scripture over and again, Israel is important. It is his people. And it is a land that he has set apart as holy. It's a land that he has set apart for his people. And guys, if you want to know what's happening in the world, kind of look how the attitude of the world is towards Israel. And I kind of tell you the state of the world, because again, do we have to have close up to our heart what the Father has close to? Even we even say, if you're Shabbat Psalm 122, Sha'alu Shalom Jerusalem, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Sha'alu doesn't literally mean pray. Literally means to ask. And it's not in a suggestive form. The way that it's written, it's literally telling you to ask for the peace of Jerusalem. Now, who do we ask what we ask him? So the implication is prayer. Literally, it tells us to ask for the peace of Jerusalem. So what are some things we can say in this? We're going to start off with Psalm 122, and then we're going to kind of go to other places in the scripture to talk about Jerusalem. Why it's important. It's some other things that you may or may not know about the area or the region, the things around there. We'll talk about Abraham and how Abraham had an experience with Jerusalem. Really? Yeah, he did. I'll show you where, I'll show you how. Using the scripture, I'll show you. And there's some other things we want to bring out, all right? So you ready to jump into it? All right, let's do that. Let's go to Psalm 122, verses 1 through 9. It's all there is there. Psalm 122. It says a song of ascent. What was the song of ascent normally for? What does it mean someone was to ascend? That they were going up, going up to where? Up to Jerusalem. They were going up to worship, okay? And like we've said before, guys, if you've ever been to Jerusalem, you understand you're going up to Jerusalem, no matter what direction you're going, you're going up to Jerusalem, right? Every direction is up. Even if you're going down, you're going up, or at least it feels like, right? Do you ever go there? If you haven't been there, you need to go there. And if you do, make sure you wear hiking shoes, all right? So a song of ascent, what is a song that's going up? This is a song of praise and prayer as you're going into worship. It says a song of ascent of David. I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go to the house of Adonai. That is a, we can kind of stop there and think about it. If we say, come, let us go to the house of Adonai. How does that sit within you? Is that, is that bring out joy? Is that bring out life? Does that bring excitement or say, come, let's go to the house of Adonai. And it's like, I have to. Where is it joy? You know, is it joyful? We want to go and we want to worship Yahweh. This is what we're looking at. Come, let every joist. When he said, let's come and go to the house of Adonai. Our feet are standing in your gates, Yerushalayim. That's the place where he established, a place where his name to dwell, a place that is there. Yerushalayim is a city joined together. Again, we're talking about unity. We're talking about coming in. We're talking about strength together, is a city that is joined together. There the tribes go up, the tribes of Adonai, as a testimony to Israel, praise the name of Adonai. For there are thrones for judgment are set up on the thrones of the house of David. This was a place of unity. Even saying this, guys, shalim, Yerushalayim, shalim means it's the root for peace, right? Shalom, shalom. It's the same root words here we're talking about. So peace means something that is whole and complete, to make it whole. Peace doesn't mean absence of turmoil. Peace means, and even in the midst of turmoil, you're settled, you are whole at peace. That's what the Father is calling us through. So even here, it says there, the thrones for judgment are set up because this is the place that all the tribes will come together, a place where all Israel would look toward, for justice, for judgment, for life, and for dedications and declarations, and just life in general, where even the Scripture says, let it start, and Yerushalayim go into all the earth, right? So this is what we're looking in, and when Yeshua came, where did He go, you know, from Yerushalayim to the midst of the earth. All right, verse six. Shalom, shalom, Yerushalayim pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May those who love you be at peace. How many of you guys want to be at peace? Well, here's one thing that we can learn from. What does it say? May those who love you be at peace. Again, this really isn't a suggestion, guys. This is the heart of the Father. As we're seeking what's on His heart, He returns to us. Just that, His heart, His ways. So as we're seeking Him, He will reveal Himself to us. Verse 7, May there be shalom within your walls, quietness within your palaces. We want shalom in our walls, right? We want peace in our homes, we want peace in there, and even in Yerushalayim, may there be peace within your walls, quietness within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and friends, how many of us consider our brothers and friends, our family and friends, and our life impacting them? You know, we have an influence on the people around us, like it or not, and it may be different degrees of influence, but everything around you affects in some way, shape, or form and in different degrees. So how is our life affecting those around us? Are we considering the lives of our brothers and friends? For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say shalom be within you. Why? Because that's not just touching my heart, it's touching their heart and their life as well. And then for the sake of the house of Adonaiyaar, God, I will seek your good. Again, a place where Yahweh had placed His name for all people to come and to seek Him. Then it's not that they cannot pray anywhere. No, you can. You can pray anywhere. Matter of fact, Yahweh is everywhere, right? But there is a place that He established for us to set aside that to go and do that. Now we know the temple doesn't need more. But again, the point is there was a place for all nations and all people to come and to praise and bless Yahweh. Here's another scenario. What about Shabbat? You say, well, we should pray every day. We should bless Yahweh every day. We should seek Him every day. We should do all these things every day. But then why don't we? Why is it, you know, it's like, okay, so Shabbat is that time the set of signs for relationship, for these things. But yet, do we forsake some of these things during the week? You know, so again, it is set apart for this point. It is set apart for us to seek Him and a set apart for that relationship and to build that relation, much like the temple was there as well for these times and seasons. Even the Shilosh Regoleim, the three-foot festivals, right? Whereas those three times a year, they all would go to Jerusalem to worship. So again, these are the things we're looking at. So let's take a look at this really quick. So pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May those who love you be at peace, do you desire peace? Yeah, and all these things. Do we pray for the peace of others? Do we work toward peace? Then the Scripture tell us to do that, to work toward peace. Let's say, I'm not saying you have to compromise. You believe? So I'm saying work toward peace, right? Matthew 5.9 says, "Blessed are who?" The peacemakers. They shall be called sons of James 3.18, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in what? Shalom by those who make Shalom. So we have to seek peace and guys, true peace is only found in Yahweh, right? That's how we can be settled within our life, even when everything else is going on around us. And then, for the sake of my brothers and friends, I say, Shalom be within you. Consider what you always said to Avraham, Genesis 12. "I will bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you, and all the families of your earth will be blessed through you," right? So again, how we bless others affects others and ourselves. And so even in this time, right? We have Avraham, Yitzhak, Yaakov, Yaakov had 12 sons. They were called Israel, right? Jacob's name was changed to Israel, his sons Israel. And this blessing in this covenant was passed on from generation to generation to generation. "I will bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you." What should our response be? Bless. We should bring blessing. We should learn to bless one another. And when we bless one another, Yahweh says he returns blessing to you. Verse 9, for the sake of the husband and I, God, I will seek your good. Consider Isaiah 56. It talks about even the foreigners who joined themselves to Yahweh. So again, even those who are not naturally born of Israel can have a place of covenant with Israel, repentance, and learning to walk with him. And so again, this temple was established as a place in Yerushalim where all could look for the heart of the Father, and they could go and worship together in these places, right? But why Jerusalem? Why not some other place? And when we know that when they went into the land, right, they were in its rhyme, they were there 430 years, right? So the time that promise was given is when the time they came out. So they went into the wilderness and they were there, and then they go, they crossed into the land, and there were places around that they had waited to establish everything. We know that ancient Shiloh, the Mishkin was set up there for a while, right? But ultimately, Jerusalem was there, the place that Yahweh said he chose for all people to do. Why Jerusalem? So let's take a look at a couple things. Deuteronomy 12. Deuteronomy 12 says, "These are the statues, the ordinances that you were to make. Sure to do, in the land that Adonaiya got, and the fathers has given you to possess all the days you were to live on the earth. You must utterly destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess served their God. On the high mountains and on the hills under every green tree, you were to tear down their altar, smash their pillars, burn the ashra, pull the fire, cut down the carved images of their gods. You were to obliterate the name from the place. You were not to act like this toward Adonaiyaar God. He's saying, "When you go into the land, I want you to rid the land and yourself of idolatry." That's what he's getting. When you go into the land, I want you to rid the land of idolatry. I do not want you to stop and to say, "This is how the people who were there serve their gods. I want to learn how to do that so I can serve Yahweh like this." You didn't even say it necessarily so I can serve their gods. It's a matter of you don't learn how they serve their gods and then you do this to Yahweh. So you don't do that. So it's in all the different high places and all the different altars and everything all over the place, but verse 5, what did he say? "You are to seek only the place that Adonaiyaar God chooses from all your tribes to put his name to dwell and there you will come." So that kind of relieves the temptation to kind of just go set up altars anywhere and start sacrificing and to have again the temptation to start sacrificing to something or someone else other than Yahweh. Zacharya 12-9 says, "On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations who come against Jerusalem." What does that tell you? That at some point all nations will come against Jerusalem, right? And so he says that on that day he will destroy all the nations that have come against Jerusalem. And again Psalm 122, 3-5, which we just read verse 22, and Psalm 125-2, "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people from the time forth or forevermore." So that's another example, like the mountains that surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people. That's an example for us, okay? That's a promise that we can look at and say. So that has the mountains surround there, Yahweh is surrounding us that same way, okay? Zacharya 8-3, thus says, "The Lord I have returned to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of where Jerusalem and Jerusalem will be called the faithful city, the mountain, the Lord of hosts, Yahweh Savahot, the holy mountain." So he says again, "I have returned to Zion, he returned into Jerusalem all this." And then consider when the temple was built, the temple was dedicated in Solomon's prayer. Well, where was Solomon's temple built? Jerusalem, okay? And then the prayer that was dedicated. Why is it that there are many who turn towards Jerusalem and pray? It's not because they're worshiping Jerusalem, they're not. And they're not turning toward the east, they're turning toward Jerusalem, okay? Here's something for you. If you're in Israel and you are east of Jerusalem, you're turning west. You're not facing the east, you're facing Jerusalem. But why? Can Yahweh hear you no matter where you are? Yes, yes you can. But why do people choose to turn towards Jerusalem to pray? Is there something against in Scripture? No, there isn't. Again, sometimes we need something in front of us to understand something that's going on in us. Sometimes we need to see something or just have a point of contact for something to hold on to something that we can see to trust what we can't. Sometimes we need that step, right? Well, Jerusalem is one of those things. We look towards Jerusalem and do that. And the big reason for that, the big part of it was Solomon's prayer when the temple was dedicated, he prayed for that. So what was going on here? 1 Kings 8, and if you want to turn to your Scripture, you can't do that. I'm going to read through this, but I don't have the slides for it. I'm going to read through this. King Solomon's prayer is a prayer of dedication in the temple in Jerusalem. So what was the point of it? What was going on? What was his heart towards this? We know that David desired to build the temple, but he couldn't do it. Blood was on his hands. But it was his son, Shlomo, which his name means what? Peace. And the kingdom was built in peace. There was no war when the temple was built. And then it was dedicated in the prayer. What was it? 1 Kings 8, 27. So what got really dwell on earth behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have built? Nevertheless, turn to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication. Adonai, my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you this day. Let your eyes be open toward this house, night and day, toward the place of which you have said, my name shall be there. Listening to the prayer which your servant shall pray toward this place. Again, he's quoting scripture as he's praying, right? Verse 30. So listen to the supplication of your servant, of your people Israel. When they pray toward this place, here in heaven, your dwelling place. And when you hear, forgive. If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, then comes and swears before your altar in this house. Then hear from heaven an act as judge, your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous, giving him according to his righteous. When your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against you, if they turn back to you and confess your name and pray and make supplication to you in this house, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land which you gave to their fathers. When the skies are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, yet if they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel. Teach them the good way in which they should walk and sin rain on your land which you gave to your people as an inheritance. And if there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there be blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar, if their enemies should besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or sickness. When prayer or supplication is made by anyone, by all your people Israel, each knowing the plague of his own heart, when one spreads his hands towards this house, then may you hear from heaven your dwelling place, forgive and act and give to each man according to all his ways as you know his heart to be, for you alone know the hearts of the children of men. And then they will fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers. Moreover concerning the foreigner who is not of your people Israel, when he comes from a distant country because of your name, for they will hear of your great name of your mighty hand and your outstretched arm when he comes to pray toward this house, then may you hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all that the foreigner asks of you. So all the people of the earth may know your name to fear you as your people Israel do and know that this house that I have built is called by your name. When your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you send them and they pray to add an eye toward the city which you have chosen and toward the house which I have built for your name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause. If they sin against you, but there is no man that does not sin and you become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy and their captors carry them away captive to the land of the enemy far off or near yet if they take it to heart in the land which they have been carried captive and they repent and make supplication to you in the land of their captors saying we have sinned, we have committed iniquity and we have acted wickedly and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who carried them into exile and pray to you toward their land that you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen in the house which I have built for your name, then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven your dwelling place maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you as well as all their transgressions that they have transgressed against you and grant them mercy before their captors so they may have mercy on them for they are your people and your inheritance you brought out of Egypt out of the middle of the iron furnace for your eyes have been opened to the supplication of your servant to the supplication of your people Israel listening to them whenever they cry to you for you have set them apart from among all the people of the earth to be your inheritance you spoke by the hand the mush of your servant when you brought out fathers out of Egypt my lord Adonai when Solomon finished praying this entire prayer and petitioned to Adonai he arose from before the altar of Adonai from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread out toward heaven and then he stood and blessed the congregation of Israel with a loud voice saying blessed be Adonai who has given rest to his people Israel according to all that he promised not a single word has failed of all of his good promise which he promised by the hand of Mosheh his servant may Adonai Elohinu be with us as he was with our fathers they not leave us nor forsake us may he incline our hearts to him to walk in all his ways and to keep his mitzvot his statutes and his ordinances he commands our fathers may these words of mine which i have made supplication before Adonai be near Adonai Elohinu day and night so that he may maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel as each day requires may all the people of the earth know that Adonai he is God there is no other let your heart therefore be holy devoted to Adonai Elohinu to walk in his statutes and to keep his commandments as it is today and now the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before Adonai Solomon offered a piece of fellowship offering so Adonai 22,000 oxen 120,000 so the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of Adonai and on the same day the king consecrated in the middle of the court that was before the house of Adonai for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat and the fellowship offering because the bronze altar that was before Adonai was too small to accommodate the burnt offering the grain offering and the fat of the fellowship offering so Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated the festival at that time the great congregation from the entrance of Hamas through the Wadi of Egypt before Adonai Elohinu seven days and then seven more days 14 days in all and on the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart over all the goodness that Adonai has shown to a servant David and all his people Israel wow but here's the thing as he was praying and the dedication in the house did you hear over there multiple times if they turn their hearts toward this house and they pray forgive hear from heaven forgive he's notice the phrase hear from heaven and forgive he's not saying Yahweh you dwell in this house we're keeping you captive in this house you can't leave okay that's not it he's acknowledging Yahweh dwells in heaven but he also dwells in earth and of course the emphasis here as well as he dwells within his people it dwells within you even when we said that to build me a tabernacle right when he gave the instruction to build a tabernacle so that I may dwell among them that word among literally means within so he said build me a tabernacle that I may dwell within them so it's showing us how he dwells with us but now again he's making a place where we can come together in a connection realizing we have that connection with Yahweh but as we're coming together we have that connection with each other as well so there is a focal point for us to hear on earth that we can touch that we can connect to that we can walk on and that we can make that acknowledgement and have that here on the earth now one of these points of connection back to Avraham and Yitzhak they had an encounter in Jerusalem with Yahweh and you may be familiar with the Akheda the binding of Isaac guys the binding of Isaac happened in Jerusalem you may may have not have heard that but I'll show you look Genesis 22 so after these things got tested Avraham and he said to him Avraham and he answered he nanny here I am he said take your son your only son whom you love Yitzhak why would he say that what about Ishmael right uh-huh so notice he's making a differentiation here he's he's he's saying that the promise that I gave to you the covenant that I gave to you all these things are through the one that I promised you Yitzhak right all right and go to the land of Moriah he didn't say just go to Moriah he said the land of Moriah the area of Moriah well the area of Moriah is Jerusalem that is the whole area around there is the area of Moriah and there you would offer him as the burn offering a mountain that I will point out to you now I know another interesting thing I want to point out here is to take your son it's ith b'et ben'echa ith b'en'echa b'en is son and the alaf taf is in there so the alaf taf son guys you know we've talked about this before where we have like this alaf taf it's in there I believe it's showing something regarding the Messiah where he says I'm the first in the last the beginning in the end right I don't believe he would have just revealed this as alpha omega you know why would someone who spoke Hebrew talk to someone who speaks Hebrew in a language other than Hebrew I mean even when Yeshua appeared the wrath Sha'ul and he was on the road and he got knocked off his high horse he made a point to say he spoke to me in Hebrew okay I know this spoke multiple of these guys but I'm saying I'm getting to the point of who else was he speaking to when John was writing all these things down in Revelation who was he right who was he ready to who else was there it was it was it was John and it was Yeshua okay so he's speaking here he says I'm the alaf taf which was at the very beginning of everything so here we have a picture of the alaf taf son your only son at yachidcha remember that word yachid we'll come back to that yachid means unique okay so your only unique son at ith sak alaf taf ith sak now if you go through the story of Yitzhak in the binding of Yitzhak we've in the past we've drawn all the similarities between the shadow of Isaac being a foreshadow of Mashiach and showing us and revealing things that would happen to Yeshua okay so again not a far stretch to see how these things are happening how this is laying out matter of fact you know that in the scripture the very first time the word love is used uh-huh the very first time the word love is used in the scripture is the testimony of here take your son your only son who you the very first time the word love is used in scripture it's used in the context of how much the father loved his son they could John 3 16 right okay so again we talked about the alaf taf that is in there that was in the very beginning and the beginning was the word was with God the word was God is that word that became flesh and called among us right okay back to Genesis 22 he said go and take this your son your only son whom you love Yitzhak and go to the land of Moriah and there you will offer him he will he will lay his life down there and then so they going and on the third day he raised his eyes and he saw the place in a distance guys what an interesting study if you do like third day things in the study it's studying through the scripture right something about that third day right even Yeshua on the third day right and Exodus 3 18 says let us go three days journey to the desert so we can sacrifice to Adonai you realize when when when Moshe first went to Pharaoh he didn't say let us go to the land of Israel he said let us go three days into the wilderness so we can worship Exodus 8 27 we go three days journey worship Exodus 19 11 you're ready against the third day is in the third day Yahweh came down to dwell with them and revealed himself to them on Mount Sinai right all right Hoshias 6 1 3 3 come let us return to Adonai for he has torn but he will heal us he has struck and he will bind our wounds after two days he will revive us and on the third day he will what raise us up and then we will live in his presence so talking to be again about resurrection on the third day all right so he tells them to go to the land of Moria all right the Lechlechah again Lechlechah is back to a very good reminder of Genesis 12 I believe that Yahweh is reminding of him of when he first called him right as that's how he called him in the first place Lechlechah to go to a land that I will show you could this be it could this be the land that he is showing him he says reminder I am calling you out of where you are at and I am going to bring you to this other land well he's setting things up for this other land and even in this area in the area realm of Shechem and he's looking over all this land he's all this land that you see is what I give to you in your dissents and he told him to walk the land many people kind of missed that as well he told Avram to walk the land and he was going to reveal and show him the land that he had set apart for him okay why Moria all right if you take where Avram was and you take where he's going it really is only one path you know it's not like if he's going to go from here to here he's going to go here here here here here it's not like he's catching connecting flights it's straight path you go from here you go to here right so if he's in this place and he's going to that place guys we've stood we've stood in this path and we've looked over this area okay and so you're here you're walking and you go as you're looking upon Jerusalem this is what you would be looking at what I'm showing you here this is what you would be looking at and how would he know that Yahweh would provide for him as he goes to this place this place that he said that I will show you you'll know it when you see it Abraham is what he said you know go and I will show you when you see it you're going to know it how would he know so he goes and he goes up over the mountains and he looks towards Jerusalem and he sees that you would be thinking I don't get it what does he see that I'm not seeing right well let me show you you have Jerusalem and you have the valleys around Jerusalem the valleys around Jerusalem look like that now what does that look like that is the Hebrew letter Sheen as in Shaddai as in how Yahweh revealed himself to Abraham I am El Shaddai and how and how Abraham declared on the mountain after the after all these things transpired with his son he is El Shaddai well here you have it he is El Shaddai and so when he looked and he came and he looked to Jerusalem he saw Shaddai right there there's the place Yahweh is going to see to it he's his strength is there he will provide he's going to make the way and it's all going to happen right there which we have the testimony Genesis 17 1 when Abraham was 99 years old he say he appeared to Abraham said I am El Shaddai welcome my presence and next to the six when Yahweh appeared to Moshe he says I appeared to Abraham Yitzhak and Yaakov as El Shaddai so we have that testimony and there's another connection how you are connected to Jerusalem and the Mounts ready it is within you I show you what is that that's your heart what do you see you see the Hebrew letter Sheen his name is within you he literally dwells with you he has placed his name within you we have his heart he says I will take out the heart of flesh or to the heart of stone and I will give you our spirit what calls you to walk and he gives us of himself he gives us of his life and so Abraham as he goes he went with two others and then he go to this place and then he says says to the men that are with him you guys stop here I and the boy check this out we're going to go there and we're going to worship and then we're going to return to you if he had intention of laying his life down how could he say we are going to return to you because he had to have complete faith that if he laid his life down and the promises through Yitzhak something's going to happen here because if the only way that you always said the promise is going to happen is through this son then even if he were to die God would have to raise him from the dead to fulfill his promise and so he knew something had and that's exactly what happened James 220 says with foolish fellow do you want to be shown that faith is apart from their actions as barren again faith without works right so it wasn't Avraham Lavino Abraham our father declared righteous because of actions when he offered up his son Yitzhak on the altar you see that faith worked with his action that's what I say guys faith goes with action you could say you believe something the word faith and belief is the same word in Hebrew okay so you can say you believe something but if you don't act on that belief it's not convincing so faith and actions go together and so again his faith worked with the actions and by the actions his faith was made complete and the passage of the tenok was fulfilled it says Avraham had faith in God and it was credited to his account as righteousness and he was even called God's friend so you see a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of faith keyword alone see so again because we have faith we do now back to this Genesis 22 7 and 8 so Yitzhak said to his father father he says here I am my son he goes um we got the fire we got the wood are you forgetting something any interesting thing how it is really amazing what he says here he says God will provide for himself the lamb but you want to know the way this reads in Hebrew not just God will provide for himself the lamb literally it reads God will provide himself we're talking prophetically we're talking of things they're gonna have we're talking shadows of what is to come in the life of Yeshua and so Genesis 22 14 so he called the name of that place the Lord will provide you guys know the song Jehovah Jairah right Yahweh Yireh you know Yireh means he will see to it he will provide and that's exactly what happened here in the Yahweh provided everything that he said and then we get to this he said any any any called Avraham called the name Amakom the place he called the name of the place that God will see keep in mind the place as we go take a quick look at Jacob Jacob shows us the importance of the place not just a play the play I'm going to show you how we have this revealed even carved in the hills around Jerusalem take a look so Jacob will work from a sleep you guys know the story he's being exiled because his brother wants to kill him right and mom says uh yeah you need to go away for a while go to my brother get a wife get a job when your brother doesn't want to kill you anymore i'll send for you key phrase mom never sent for him right brother still wanted to kill him but as he's being exiled consider where he's at he was being sent out of the land to draw a dry place and and hahahars where he was going so he went to the dry place haran and and it's and it's all this unsurety in his life and all these things and then he lays down he sets his head on a stone and he does what he has a dream as a dream and in the dream he saw a ladder can i be honest with you a better translation of that heber that's there isn't ladder literally would better be translated as a stairway how many you guys are thinking of the song now got you literally that's what it is he's talking about the stairway and it says that he saw angels ascending and descending going through which we believe again that stairway is a picture of yeshua and how he's again revealing and that's what yeshua told the philip wasn't it again drawing the pictures back in there so what happened so he woke up and he says surely yao is in this place and i did not know it how many times do we go through life where yao is trying to get our attention and we're like oblivious because we're like not looking for it we're we got our our focus somewhere else or attention somewhere else or we're distracted or whatever and then all of a sudden it's like hey talking to you huh huh oh right so this is what he's saying so so surely yao is is in this place bama comb is what he's saying here yaoi bama comb hazze the anohi lo yo deiatee so again makom this place now the interesting thing is makom has been used in a lot of traditional literature for the name of yao way himself testifying that yao way is makom he is the one who is our place he is the one where we find wholeness and unity and where we meet him so wherever we meet him it is that place wherever wherever he reveals himself to us it is the place okay all right so the challenge of homakom is to recognize god in the ordinary and every day do we do that you know the everyday miracles that are all around us do we do that our inclination to be awed only by the extraordinary dolls are senses to the miracles that are all the time i challenge you to kind of stop and look with fresh eye look at the miracles these are the things that we see because we can see yao way revealing himself and even in the mundane things that we may consider mundane how many have heard this expression maybe not so much now but you know it used to be a big thing i have to find myself right no you have to find yao way he will tell you who you are he will tell you as he has created you to be and designed you and fashioned you and molded you he will tell you the plans that he has and as you seek him he will meet you in that place right there okay so psalm 90 verse 1 this is a prayer of moses go back and read it psalm 90 a prayer of moses the man of god lord you have been our what our dwelling place in all generation you have been the place where we dwell again we're talking about relationship where we are living with him and he is living within us and living life in the kingdom showing us how to walk with him and how to walk in his ways right so makom makom is from it's from a root kum kum means to rise so it is makom is a place where something is or ought to be makom is related etymologically to mikayim which means something that sustains and provides existence and guys that is our god he sustains us and provides existence for us in him we live in him we exist we even see that in colossians one twelve to seventeen where he says giving thanks to the father which has made us to be partakers the inheritance of the saints and light who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us unto the kingdom of his dear son in whom we have redemption through his blood and even the forgiveness of sins who in the image of the invisible god the firstborn of every creature for by him were all things what created by him were all things created that are in heaven that are in the air visible and invisible whether they're thrones, dominions, principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him and then check this out verse 17 says and he is before all things and in him all things what consist why doesn't it say exist why does it say consist guys even scientists will tell you whatever created the universe is holding it together well he created the universe he's holding it together it's it is him and it is his word that is calling us and his word going for this created all things it is his word that is keeping everything existing this word consists in the Hebrew going back into the Hebrew in this we know guys the Septuagint the Greek words are related Hebrew words how these things work right so the Hebrew word that is that is used in this place can be used right here for consist is mitzvah what's mitzvah command so literally what he's saying is so all things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things are doing as they were commanded to do in other words he created it and he said this is your function and they're still doing it the only thing that Yahweh created that isn't doing what it's supposed to do is us guys the trees still produce trees grass still grows and everything still as it was function right so this is what we're talking all things consist so in this we have a testimony of his life that he has given even in the areas around here and in the life of Jacob how my comb is as the point where we're getting at right my comb the place let's take a look at that modern Beethel which is where we have a picture of a satellite map of modern Beethel and then you see towards your shalom going down right it's like this is what we'll be looking at see the arrow going down that's towards your shalom right so this is modern Beethel right here kind of hard to see but it's there let's let's take this let's rotate it you know not everything that God does is doing by by our version of has to be north southeast west right so let's rotate this so we can read it so we can see what it says here if you look at this you will see look really close there's a yod hey bob hey in the valleys and in the mountains right there area between Beethel and Jerusalem place where he had put his name look at it pull it up search it satellite images you can see it you can blow it up on your computers you can check it out it's blowing it up a little more to help you to see it see that yod hey bob hey also yow way also if you look here you see yow way also resembles the word yachid what do we learn about yachid take your son et yachidcha you're only see you're olive top yachid is it again the testimony yow way testimony yeshua testimony of the prophecy of the things that are to come and so what happens here Jacob sees this and he says he became afraid he says this place is fearsome that says to be the house of god in the gate of heaven and yachos was the first to make an expression of the house of god says when he was looking in the scripture he is the first one to identify a house for god all right and there he prayed so you could say a house of prayer and that was the testimony that was seen at Isaiah and the testimony of yeshua as well right my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people all nations right so this shows us the concept yow way is to be sought for and looked for wholeheartedly or we might not realize he is here guess what guys wherever you are he is here but there is a place that he established where he had put his Genesis 28 17 so he was afraid and he said I'll fear some of this place this is none other than the house of god this must be the gate of heaven and so again so the idea this is a house for god the gate of heaven is this like a statement a conclusion that he came to is this a prediction of what was to come or is this a statement of faith or a statement of resolve because remember he said yow way if you are with me then when I return to this place I will give you a tithe of everything that I had received because he had nothing he didn't have any he had nothing he could even make an altar there and and and and to and to do something right there for yow way because he had nothing so he said yow way if you are with me then when I come return to this place I will give you a tithe of everything that you've given me so this is what he established so he had to come back to this place to worship all right Isaiah 2 so we'll come to pass in the last days of the mountain of Adonai's house we'll stay in firm as the head of the mountains will be exalted above all the hills so all nations will flow to it and then many people will go say come let us go up to the mountain of Adonai to the house of the god of Jacob the house of the god of Jacob and then he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his past for Torah we'll go forth from Zion and his word of Adonai from Jerusalem again a sub-god of Jacob Jerusalem word all these things fight together so my comb the place this is a place of encounter this is a place where you he met with yow way and this is a return he's declaring a return to where we had the encounter right and this ultimately if we go through the scriptures you see he did do that but look at this Exodus 3 11 Moshe who am I that I should go to Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt and what do yow way tell them you know burning bush thing right what did he tell them I will be with you and this will be the sign that I have sent you when you have brought the people out of Egypt they will serve god on this mountain how would you like to hear something like that yow way I need to know for sure that it's you that ascending me and God says okay you want to sign I'll give you a sign after you've done it after you bring him through here that's your sign you got the faith to do it you want you want the confirmation you'll get it when it's done talk about acting in faith right Genesis 28 15 remember yow way giving the assurances of promises the promise he made to Abraham he made the same promises to Isaac made the same promises to Jacob made the same promises to Israel Genesis 28 15 says I am with you I will watch over you wherever you go and I will bring you back to this land for I will not forsake you until I've done what I promised you so again few places where the place is mentioned Ezekiel 11 17 therefore say thus is that on Iolohim I will gather you from the people collect you out of the countries where you've been scattered I will give you what the land of Israel but says I'm going to gather you from all the countries from all over the world wherever you are I'm going to gather you and bring you back to where the land of Israel you ever wonder why when we read in the book of Revelation it's the new Jerusalem Ezekiel 36 24 I will take you from the nations gather you out of all the countries bring you back to your own land bring you back to where the own land the land that he has promised you Jeremiah 31 23 thus is that on us of Othe God of Israel yet again that we use this expression in the land of Judah and in its cities I will return them from the exiles out on I bless you O dwelling of righteousness O mountain of holiness Jeremiah 3 17 that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of Adonai well that's his throne what good is it if he ate there a throne of Adonai and all the nations will gather to it to Jerusalem in the name of Adonai no longer will they walk according to the stubbornness of their evil heart Isaiah 11 12 he will lift up a banner for the nations what was this Vincent that was lifted up what is this banner that was lifted up was Messiah right he will lift up a banner for the nations and assemble the dispersed of Israel and gather the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth Yeshua said I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that's Isaiah 11 12 in action Zephaniah 320 at that time I will bring you in at that time I will gather you for I will give you renown and glory among all the people of the earth and I will restore your captives before your eyes restore your captives means bring them back to the place that he established so we're talking about a return right so Yaakov he vows to make a return to Macom a return to the place where he had the encounter right how awesome is this place this is none of them the house of God and this is the gate of heaven commentary here Rabbi Eliezer says this what does Isaiah mean when he says that many people will go it's a come let us go to the mountain the god of the house of the god of Jacob why the house of the god of Jacob why not the god of Abraham or Isaac why does why does Isaiah say come let us go to the house of the god of Jacob the answer is this not like Abraham who saw it as a mountain as it is said on this day on the mountain Yahweh is not like Isaac who from this is from a field and Isaac went out to meditate in the field but like Jacob who called that a house and he called the name of that place Beeth El the house of God so is a place a gathering a central gathering place that was given in there that's what the commentary made me a one verse eight so remember the word you commanded your servant Moses saying if you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the people but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them though your outcasts are in the utter most parts of heaven what does that imply that's where they are so they are there from there I will gather them and bring them to the place I have chosen to make my name dwell there for they are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and your strong hand your 2825 thus does alert God when I gather the house of Israel from all the people among whom they are scattered and manifest my holiness in them in the side of the nations what does that mean this means they're going to be in the nations so they're scattered throughout the world and then he's calling them back in calling them back in whole and then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave my servant Jacob 11 16 to 20 therefore say thus says the Lord God although I have cast them a far off among the heathen and I have scattered them among the countries yet I will be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they have come therefore say thus says the Lord God I will even gather you from the people and assemble you out of the countries where you have it scattered and I will give you the land of Israel and they shall come and they shall take away all the detestable things and the abominations from there and I will give them one heart and a new spirit and I will take the stony heart out of flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes keep my ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God that means when we repent and Yahweh gives us himself brings us into a place of covenant he equips us with his spirit and his word so we can walk with him not so that we will walk contrary to him to we're learning to walk in his way which is his heart that he gave to his people as he gave his his Torah to the people he said oh that they would only do this all ways that they would do what to search for him and to walk with him in his ways honor him reverence it what about Yeshua Matthew 23 37 well Jerusalem Jerusalem who what kills the prophets stones those sent to her how often I long to gather your children together as a hen gathers or chicks under wings but you were not willing look your house is left to you desolate for I tell you never see me again until you say Baruch Ababa shem Adonai blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord we're talking about a restoration kind and and don't be so judgmental about the people of Jerusalem and the people of Israel how they treated all the prophets and all the other people because at times we've done some when people come to tell you something that you really don't want to hear how do you know and so he came to Israel and they were hard-hearted and yeah they didn't respond very well but look at this Acts 1 9 3 12 so after saying all this while they were watching he was taken up in a cloud received him out of their sight we know this is after his death burial resurrection right this before his ascension this is what's happening so today we're going they were watching he was taken up in the cloud received him out of their sight while they were staring up into heaven as he went suddenly two men stood with him in white clothing and they said men of Galilee why do you keep standing here staring into heaven this Yeshua who was taken up to you in the heaven he will come the same way as you saw him go and then they return to Jerusalem from where Mount of Olives which is near Jerusalem about day's journey guys if you're standing at the Mount of Olives Jerusalem's right there it's not far it's right there you see it it's right there so here they wear their Mount of Olives and they're saying here Yeshua right here in Mount of Olives Jerusalem's right there and he's ascending he's going up and they say so just as you see him ascending he's going to return so return to where? Zachariah 4 or 14 go back read through the whole thing right but a couple of key scriptures here verse three so Adonai will go forth and fight against the nations as he fights in a day of battle in that day his feet will stand where on the Mount of Olives and who? Adonai all right so he will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives will be split into from the east of the west forming a huge valley half the mountain will move toward the north half toward the south and then Adonai will be king over all the earth and that day Adonai will be achad in his name achad he will be one and so this is we're looking at like the last day's kind of thing aren't we let's just like his return when he comes back and bring restoration to all this so what are we waiting for what are we looking for we're looking to Jerusalem we're looking to the people of Israel to the land of Israel to see what Yahweh is doing there because when we see what Yahweh is doing there we see each day the promises of what he's given to his people all over the rest of the year and his desire to dwell with you guys set your heart set your minds to Yahweh and to love what he loves and ultimately we're waiting for in relation 22 17 to 21 the ruach and the bride say and let the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come let the one who wishes freely take of the water of life what is the water of life the living water i testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book if anyone asks them got glad to him the plagues that are written this book if anyone takes away from the words of this book of the prophecy God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city which are written in the one giving testimony of these things say yes i am coming soon amen bow in the grace of our lord yeshua be with us all amen it's a lot of information to kind of go through and give around but like i said when i started off guys not too many people have any opinion at all about Jerusalem or Israel and as people set apart to Yahweh as a people who Yahweh has set apart and he said that he dwells in us he loves us and we should love what he keep our hearts up nations scripture say all nations will come against Jerusalem where are you going to stand and i like it if our hearts are not set towards Yahweh and ultimately to the restoration of our role in this go and go and be the gentlemen