The Jewish roots of Christianity

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Bible teaching with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy and the Jewish roots of Christianity

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Episode: “The Zion Gate”
The Zion Gate, leading to the Jewish and Armenian Quarter of the Old City, has seen its share of military action and was a focal point in the history of the modern Zionist movement. Guests include Shimon Gibson and Gate expert Tamar Hayardeni. David Parsons, from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), explains the eschatological (End Times) connection between Jews and Christians.
Series: “Jerusalem: Ancient Gates, Future Glory”
Myles and Katharine delve into the historical and spiritual significance of each Gate in the Old City wall of Jerusalem. Enjoy the music of Marty Goetz during this eight-part series.

Caption transcript for Jerusalem: Ancient Gates, Future Glory — “The Zion Gate” (2/8)

  • 00:01 On this program we're going to learn about the Zion Gate.
  • 00:04 I'm standing here.
  • 00:05 You can see the bullet holes above
  • 00:07 and the Mezuzah behind me.
  • 00:08 The conflict of the Jewish people returning to the land
  • 00:12 and God's goodness in opening up the gates of Jerusalem.
  • 00:23 ♪ My heart was glad when they said to me ♪
  • 00:30 ♪ Let us go up, let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 00:38 ♪ Our feet will stand in the house of the Lord ♪
  • 00:44 ♪ Yes let us go up, let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 00:55 ♪ the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 01:03 Shalom, and welcome to our program. I'm Myles Weiss
  • 01:05 and I'm Katharine Weiss.
  • 01:06 Welcome back to our series in Jerusalem
  • 01:09 Ancient Gates and Future Glory.
  • 01:12 This is really exciting.
  • 01:14 We get to bring the gates of Jerusalem to you.
  • 01:16 Last week we looked at the Dung Gate,
  • 01:18 the one that enters into the Western Wall.
  • 01:20 This week the Zion Gate.
  • 01:21 The Zion Gate...it's such an important gate.
  • 01:24 It's where the Israeli IDF went in and took back
  • 01:28 the holiest place to the Jewish people, the Western Wall.
  • 01:32 They entered in through the Zion Gate.
  • 01:35 So on the outside of the Zion Gate
  • 01:37 you will literally see bullet holes left there
  • 01:39 to remind them of the bitterness of the loss,
  • 01:44 but of the victory at the same time.
  • 01:46 And on one side you'll see a Mezuzah,
  • 01:48 which is God's signpost to us.
  • 01:51 And it's His command for us to put this Mezuzah on our door and on our gates
  • 01:56 to remind us to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and might
  • 02:00 and to teach our children the way when we rise up and when we sit down.
  • 02:04 That's well said.
  • 02:05 And we enjoy doing that with our children.
  • 02:06 Absolutely.
  • 02:08 They're grown men now, but still it's always important to pass on
  • 02:10 the legacy of what God is building in your family and through your family.
  • 02:14 Yes.
  • 02:16 Well our guests today, we have Shimon Gibson the archaeologist.
  • 02:18 His book, "The Final Days of Jesus; the Archaeological Evidence"
  • 02:22 verifies through the dirt, through the rocks,
  • 02:25 through the science of it that in fact the Word is true.
  • 02:28 We knew that.
  • 02:30 And David Parsons from the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.
  • 02:33 The great spokesman, the media director for the international work
  • 02:36 and just a real heart for Israel and for the church at large.
  • 02:41 And special music by Marty Goetz, Psalmist,
  • 02:44 Messianic leader, musician and a good friend of our ministry.
  • 02:48 So without any further ado,
  • 02:50 let's go to the Zion Gate and see what we can learn.
  • 02:52 We'll see you there.
  • 03:04 We're here in Jerusalem.
  • 03:06 Behind me is the Mt of Olives.
  • 03:08 To my right, the Zion Gate
  • 03:11 Psalm 87 verse 2 tells us,
  • 03:14 [speaking Hebrew]
  • 03:18 The Lord loves the gates of Zion.
  • 03:21 How much more so right here at the Zion Gate.
  • 03:24 And you can see behind me that this gate was won by a hard fought battle
  • 03:29 Absolutely, Jerusalem was known as Zion When David took this City
  • 03:34 and also when the Israelites took back the City in 1967.
  • 03:39 The Israelites came and took back the City of our LORD through this Gate.
  • 03:43 And behind me you can see bullet holes.
  • 03:48 The bullet holes remind us
  • 03:49 that there's always a battle over Zion, which means "signpost"
  • 03:53 and there's always a battle for the Word of God and the truth of the Word.
  • 03:57 Not only is Jerusalem the desire of all nations
  • 04:00 you can see that there's conflict in this nation.
  • 04:03 God says that we're not to hold our peace;
  • 04:07 give Him rest till He makes Jerusalem...Zion a praise in the all the world.
  • 04:13 Right now those two things aren't matching,
  • 04:17 but that is why God has called us as "watchmen on the wall"
  • 04:20 to stand and to make up that hedge and to pray for His will to be done in this earth.
  • 04:26 Katharine's referring to Isaiah 62
  • 04:28 which calls us to be watchmen on the wall
  • 04:31 and we really need to be that way.
  • 04:32 The Zionist movement began in 1891 back in Europe in Austria
  • 04:36 when Nathan Birnbaum wrote a story about it in the news
  • 04:40 and then Herzl picked it up in 1895 and wrote "Der Judenstaat"
  • 04:44 calling for a Jewish homeland.
  • 04:46 And well, we've had a homeland.
  • 04:47 We've been here forever.
  • 04:49 In fact, when David named this "Zion" it was 3,000 years ago.
  • 04:53 We've been here that long.
  • 04:55 Myles, I'd like to just read that scripture.
  • 04:57 It's Isaiah 22:6 and it says,
  • 05:01 I've set watchmen on thy walls, O Jerusalem
  • 05:04 which shall never hold their peace day or night.
  • 05:07 They shall make mention of the LORD
  • 05:09 and be not silent.
  • 05:11 And that's what we need to do as God's watchmen on the wall
  • 05:15 is to not hold our peace
  • 05:17 but to stand with the people, the land and the plan that He has for this nation.
  • 05:24 Right now within this Gate there are people who are praying
  • 05:27 for the "one new man" to arise in Israel
  • 05:30 for Jew and Gentile
  • 05:31 for Jews and Arabs
  • 05:32 to worship the LORD together.
  • 05:34 And that is being contested.
  • 05:35 But the Zion Gate speaks to us about the future also of Israel
  • 05:39 because God is calling us to be here with Him.
  • 05:43 He's going to touch down near here on the Mount of Olives.
  • 05:46 He's going to come through the Eastern Gate
  • 05:47 and we're going to see Him.
  • 05:49 He's going to rule and reign from Zion for 1,000 years.
  • 05:52 And we're looking forward to that day.
  • 06:02 Our offer on this program
  • 06:04 The DVD "Acts Then and Now, the Story Continues"
  • 06:09 In this series viewers will walk in the footsteps of Jesus and His Apostles
  • 06:13 and journey with the Gospel from Jerusalem to Ephesus, to Corinth and Athens.
  • 06:19 Myles and Katharine interview key leaders in the Body of Messiah
  • 06:23 regarding the glorious affect of Yeshua on contemporary Israel and the world.
  • 06:29 8 programs on two DVDs
  • 06:32 Call 1-800-WONDERS and ask for "Acts Then and Now"
  • 06:40 Hello, I'm Wayne Fournier
  • 06:42 and I've been a supporter of Zola Levitt Ministries for many years.
  • 06:46 If you see this outreach as worthy of your financial support
  • 06:50 Please call us at 1-800-WONDERS
  • 06:53 Visit us online at levitt.com
  • 06:56 Or write to us at ZOLA Box 12268, Dallas, TX 75225
  • 07:04 We depend on your financial sustenance.
  • 07:08 Thank you
  • 07:11 We're coming through the Zion Gate
  • 07:13 You can see life is teaming everywhere in this area,
  • 07:15 cars are coming through.
  • 07:17 This is a living city.
  • 07:19 And it's appropriate that the Zion Gate leads to the Jewish Quarter,
  • 07:22 also to the Armenian Quarter,
  • 07:24 two of the four Quarters of the Old City.
  • 07:26 Zion Gate...Zion
  • 07:29 That word is so maligned in our day.
  • 07:31 It's hard to believe that it still has the meaning that David meant it to have.
  • 07:36 The Arabs have contested whether there has ever been a Jewish presence here.
  • 07:40 And in a fit of humor that only God could provide
  • 07:42 they actually called this gate "Bab an-Nabi Daud"
  • 07:45 the "Gate of David the Prophet".
  • 07:48 So they were acknowledging that David, King David, Yeshua's great, great...grandfather
  • 07:53 was here in this place.
  • 07:55 in fact he built this city 3,000 years ago and it still stands.
  • 08:00 We need to be praying for the people that live inside this gate.
  • 08:04 We need to be praying for the Jewish people in the Jewish Quarter.
  • 08:07 We need to be praying for the religious.
  • 08:10 We need to be praying for the believers in this land as well.
  • 08:13 We need to call on the LORD for wisdom.
  • 08:15 And that's what's needed in this hour.
  • 08:17 There's a great push back against the Zionist movement.
  • 08:21 In fact that word has become so negative
  • 08:23 on college campuses in America for example
  • 08:26 and around the world.
  • 08:28 But its always been in the heart of God to lift up Zion,
  • 08:31 to bless Zion.
  • 08:33 The word "Zion" means "signpost"
  • 08:35 and this place, this city, this Jewish restored homeland
  • 08:40 is a signpost that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who is Israel
  • 08:45 is alive and well and that His Word will stand forever.
  • 08:50 And that's really what's contested here.
  • 08:52 The contest is between the Word of God and the rest of the world
  • 08:56 In fact the Word is elevated here in the very existence of Zion.
  • 09:01 We also need to be praying about the church
  • 09:03 that believers around the world
  • 09:05 would come through the replacement theology that has overtaken it
  • 09:09 that says that there is no place for Israel
  • 09:11 there is no reality to ethnic Israel
  • 09:14 and that the church has replaced it
  • 09:16 when in fact Israel is called
  • 09:19 and the gifts and callings are without repentance.
  • 09:22 In fact God has never "uncalled" Israel.
  • 09:25 And that what is seen here.
  • 09:28 In the Zion Gate we see the reality of the restoration of Israel
  • 09:31 the restoration of the Jewish people
  • 09:33 and the calling of the Jewish people back to our homeland
  • 09:36 where God promises that He will sprinkle clean water on us.
  • 09:41 And we're seeing that happen with the first fruits of Zion
  • 09:44 the Messianic movement.
  • 09:46 We're seeing that as believers are rising throughout this Land.
  • 09:49 20 years ago every believer knew everyone else in this Land.
  • 09:53 And now they estimate that there are about 15,000.
  • 09:57 Let's pray that the Body of Messiah continues to grow in Zion.
  • 10:08 The Zion Gate really speaks about the return to Zion,
  • 10:11 the going up to Zion,
  • 10:13 the re-establishment of the Israel State of Zion in our modern era doesn't it?
  • 10:18 Yes, you know the scripture talks about that blessed are you
  • 10:21 whose feet have made...
  • 10:23 are set to make pilgrimage and to go within the gates.
  • 10:28 In Lamentations 1:4
  • 10:32 it talks about that literally the road was in mourning because the gates were closed
  • 10:37 and the people could not go up to keep the feasts or the festivals.
  • 10:40 But that is not the day in which we're in now.
  • 10:43 We're in the time of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy
  • 10:47 when they are flowing up to Mount Zion, the City of our God.
  • 10:53 Yes, in fact the nations are joining in.
  • 10:55 The Jewish people are coming up to keep the feasts as always.
  • 10:58 But now the nations are joining in
  • 11:00 and it's a pre-cursor for the future and the millennial kingdom
  • 11:03 when at the time of Tabernacles, Sukkot
  • 11:06 That the entire world will come up to keep the feasts with the Jewish people.
  • 11:10 It's no wonder that Deuteronomy 6:9 tells us
  • 11:13 (speaking Hebrew)
  • 11:17 Write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.
  • 11:21 It's a physical writing but it's a spiritual writing as well.
  • 11:24 We are to keep this Word in us.
  • 11:26 And I like it how that you post it by your eyes
  • 11:30 so its a visual reminder of God
  • 11:33 and His call on us to love Him
  • 11:35 and to love Him with all of our heart.
  • 11:37 And then to pass that on to our children which we love to do.
  • 11:40 Well let's go to Jerusalem now.
  • 11:42 We're going to hear from Shimon Gibson and he's going to speak to us about the Zion Gate.
  • 11:49 The Zion Gate is located on the traditional Mount Zion on the southern side of the Old City.
  • 11:55 And the gate itself dates from the time of Suleiman the Magnificent mid 16th century.
  • 12:01 It's built under the remains of a medieval tower
  • 12:04 a...apparently from the beginning of the 13th century.
  • 12:08 Archaeological excavations revealed part of that original gate.
  • 12:12 There are perhaps earlier gates there
  • 12:14 but none have been excavated to date.
  • 12:18 The gate itself led out of the Old City to the area of the summit of Mount Zion
  • 12:25 on which there are a number of places connected to scripture.
  • 12:29 One of them is the place of the tomb of King David.
  • 12:33 The other is the traditional place of the Last Supper.
  • 12:38 These are located at the Summit.
  • 12:41 I'm actually standing here within an archaeological excavation just below Zion Gate.
  • 12:47 And in this area according to tradition you had the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest
  • 12:55 Who saw Jesus and deliberated about what to do about Him
  • 13:00 prior to Him being taken to the Critorium
  • 13:03 for a trial in front of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilot.
  • 13:08 Now these excavations have revealed palatial buildings dating from the 1st century.
  • 13:15 The people who lived here were apparently priestly families
  • 13:19 who are associated with some of these well known priests of that period and time.
  • 13:26 And archaeological excavations have revealed some amazing finds dating back to that time.
  • 13:34 (Myles speaking)
  • 13:36 Tourists love to pass through the gates of this remarkable Old City.
  • 13:40 It's like walking through a time tunnel back to the period of Biblical prophets and kings.
  • 13:45 We talked to one of the tour guides, Tamar,
  • 13:47 whose family has lived in this area for 10 generations.
  • 13:53 Tamar thank you for being with us.
  • 13:55 I know that you are an expert on the gates.
  • 13:56 Could you say something about the importance of the discovery of these gates
  • 14:00 relative to the Aliyah and people coming back to Israel?
  • 14:03 Well its a gate.
  • 14:04 Let's start with that.
  • 14:06 The fact that this is an entrance to the Old City
  • 14:09 in a way it gives a feeling of an entrance, a new life .
  • 14:14 And that's something that I always feel when I come to the Old City.
  • 14:17 I always ask myself which gate am I going to choose?
  • 14:21 And that reminds me of my grandfather Yitzhak
  • 14:24 who used to say that whenever you entered the Old City
  • 14:27 always make sure that your first step is taken with your right foot.
  • 14:32 Wow
  • 14:33 And I think it symbolizes the Aliyah, immigration,
  • 14:36 Jews coming to the land of Israel opening a new life starting with the right foot.
  • 14:42 And it also explains the mezuzah on the inside of the right hand of the gate.
  • 14:45 That tells you where the exit and the entrance is exactly
  • 14:48 so you know where to take the...
  • 14:50 Someone told me that the 3 valleys draw a picture of a Shin throughout Jerusalem,
  • 14:55 that Jerusalem is the mezuzah of the LORD.
  • 14:57 That's true.
  • 14:59 The Shin is the letter that starts the word "Shaddai"
  • 15:03 which is one of the Names of God.
  • 15:05 I think that it emphasizes the fact that He guards us and takes care of us.
  • 15:10 So when you have been studying the gates
  • 15:12 is there something that struck you the first time,
  • 15:14 an early impression,
  • 15:16 or what captivated you about this?
  • 15:17 Hmmm...first of all the differences.
  • 15:20 I mean at first site they look all the same
  • 15:21 but when you get into little details you are like, hey,
  • 15:24 Jaffa Gate goes that way
  • 15:26 but then Zion Gate goes to the other
  • 15:28 not speaking of Damascus Gate which goes both ways.
  • 15:31 and there is New Gate and the Dung Gate which you can go straight into the City.
  • 15:37 So the names are different
  • 15:40 you can't even think of paralleling the Lion's Gate to the Dung Gate, right?
  • 15:46 There's something very unique in each one of them.
  • 15:49 Thank you very much.
  • 15:58 For insightful perspectives on Israel and Bible prophecy
  • 16:02 Ask for our free monthly newsletter, the Levitt Letter.
  • 16:06 At levitt.com you can read the newsletter,
  • 16:09 watch the TV program
  • 16:12 or visit our online store,
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  • 16:18 Come with us on a tour of Israel or Petra
  • 16:21 or a cruise to Greece and Ephesus.
  • 16:24 Please contact us for more information.
  • 16:29 Myles and I would love to host you on our next tour
  • 16:32 so you could come see these ancient gates for yourself.
  • 16:35 They are really something to behold.
  • 16:38 They really are.
  • 16:39 There's nothing like being in the Land and seeing the gates, seeing the entire Land
  • 16:42 how God comes alive.
  • 16:44 The scriptures come alive.
  • 16:45 It's a wonderful experience.
  • 16:47 You know whatever it would be
  • 16:49 if you come on a trip
  • 16:50 or you just keep staying in contact
  • 16:51 we love hearing from you
  • 16:53 either FaceBook or go directly to our website and you can order the newsletter at levitt.com
  • 17:02 and you can stay up to date with the current events that are happening in the world now.
  • 17:06 You know we meet so many amazing people as we travel the Land,
  • 17:10 as we lead tours and do these interviews
  • 17:13 but one of my favorite interviews is always with David Parsons
  • 17:17 the Executive Media Director for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.
  • 17:22 David has a heart for Israel and for the Zionist movement
  • 17:26 the best of the Zionist movement
  • 17:28 that just comes alive when he speaks
  • 17:30 and so I've been moved to tears moments when we've had time with him before.
  • 17:35 Let's go to my interview with David Parsons right now.
  • 17:39 David thank you for being with us.
  • 17:41 We've been teaching on the Zion Gate...all the gates
  • 17:43 but just coming through the Zion Gate
  • 17:45 one cannot help but think about Sha'ar Zion The Gates of Zion
  • 17:49 and the modern Zionist movement.
  • 17:52 Tell us a little bit about the work here
  • 17:54 and what your view is of the growth in the Zionist movement.
  • 17:58 Well the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem
  • 18:01 is the ongoing legacy movement among evangelical Christians for centuries now.
  • 18:08 The Christian Zionist movement pre-dates the Jewish political Zionist Movement
  • 18:13 that's about 110 years old now.
  • 18:16 Pre-dates by even several centuries
  • 18:18 Christians who openly preached
  • 18:21 and promoted the return of the Jews back to the Land.
  • 18:24 All the Zionist leaders like Herzl, Rothchild, trying to bring Jews back here.
  • 18:29 They all had Christian leaders who befriended them.
  • 18:32 You had others who helped establish the Land.
  • 18:36 Christians helped them learn how to farm again,
  • 18:38 how to fight and defend themselves again, like Windgate or Patterson.
  • 18:42 And then you had rescuers of Jews;
  • 18:45 Christians who helped rescue them; helped them to come here.
  • 18:49 And in modern times ministries like the Christian Embassy has been...
  • 18:52 we've been helping with the actual physical return of Jews back to the Land
  • 18:56 what's called "Aliyah".
  • 18:58 And our ministry itself has helped over 115,000 Jews
  • 19:01 come back from the former Soviet Union
  • 19:04 now Jews from the West
  • 19:06 from Ethiopia
  • 19:08 and most recently the Bnei Menasha from India.
  • 19:11 And this is quite a legacy.
  • 19:14 But the prophets like Isaiah promise that when God would set His hand a second time
  • 19:20 to bring the Jews back from all the lands where He had scattered them
  • 19:25 that there would be Gentiles involved.
  • 19:27 So even the Jewish people recognize these are the Gentiles that He would beckon to
  • 19:32 to carry us on their arms
  • 19:33 and be foster fathers and nursing mothers to them in the return.
  • 19:39 David, speaking of the modern Zionist movement, the Christian Zionist movement
  • 19:42 you've been here for 17 years this round.
  • 19:45 I think you've seen this go from a trickle and maybe a fringe movement
  • 19:51 to a mainstream movement which is now a flood.
  • 19:57 I think denominations are being weighed in the balances at this point.
  • 20:00 Yes, the Christian Embassy has been here since 1980.
  • 20:03 I've been coming to Israel since 1982
  • 20:06 and so over the past 3 or 4 decades I think we've seen Christian interest in Israel
  • 20:13 grow from what could have been considered a fringe movement.
  • 20:18 People on the edge of the evangelical movement too were interested in Israel,
  • 20:22 interested in Hebraic roots, the Jewishness of Jesus,
  • 20:25 Davidic worship, Hebraic worship.
  • 20:28 Some people might have looked on it one or two generations ago and questioned it.
  • 20:36 But now its really moved to mainstream.
  • 20:38 There's hardly a prominent Christian ministry out there whether it's large or small
  • 20:43 that doesn't have to include Israel as part of its ministry.
  • 20:47 And it's either because it's already in the heart of the minister itself
  • 20:52 or the people are demanding it.
  • 20:55 You know people want the richness of the fatness of the root as Paul calls it.
  • 21:01 And to understand not only the truths we can get from understanding the culture
  • 21:07 the Jewish culture of Jesus or such but also the prophetic implications for our day.
  • 21:12 Right, we are moving from sentiment and the accoutrement,
  • 21:17 we're moving into a substantive view of this connection
  • 21:20 and it seems to have something to do with the coming of the LORD, doesn't it?
  • 21:23 I think so and I think that what we're witnessing
  • 21:26 God is providing and building
  • 21:29 a 24/7 worldwide global prayer support network for this nation for what's ahead.
  • 21:36 That alone is very important
  • 21:38 but also visiting the country
  • 21:40 supporting Aliyah,
  • 21:42 supporting projects here
  • 21:43 so much we can be doing in our day to play our role in these end times.
  • 21:46 Well thank you... thank you very much David.
  • 21:52 ♪ My heart was glad when they said to me ♪
  • 21:58 ♪ Let us go up, ♪
  • 22:02 ♪ Let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 22:07 ♪ Our feet will stand in the House of the LORD ♪
  • 22:14 ♪ So let us go up ♪
  • 22:16 ♪ Let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 22:21 ♪ And we'll say Peace be within your walls ♪
  • 22:25 ♪ And with all who delight in them ♪
  • 22:28 ♪ And we'll say Peace be within your Gates ♪
  • 22:33 ♪ The Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 22:36 ♪ And we'll say Peace be within your walls ♪
  • 22:41 ♪ And with all who delight in them ♪
  • 22:44 ♪ For we know that's where His Praise awaits ♪
  • 22:49 ♪ So let us go up, ♪
  • 22:51 ♪ Let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 22:56 ♪ Let us go up, ♪
  • 22:59 ♪ Let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 23:04 ♪ Yes, let us go up, ♪
  • 23:07 ♪ Let us go up to the Gates of Jerusalem ♪
  • 23:15 ♪ The Gates of Jerusalem ♪♪
  • 23:23 That was Marty Goetz, Psalmist, Messianic musician
  • 23:26 with another beautiful song about the place that we love so much.
  • 23:30 There's nothing like singing the scripture
  • 23:32 and letting it just come all the way in to your spirit.
  • 23:34 Music is a spirit.
  • 23:36 It comes and it either brings us up, brings us across, or brings us down.
  • 23:39 And that music was very elevating.
  • 23:41 Speaking of elevation
  • 23:43 I was thinking about the verse that you were looking at before
  • 23:45 that this whole idea of the City of David and Mount Zion
  • 23:48 and the Zion Gate that leads in to it
  • 23:51 Right Myles, you know I love this scripture
  • 23:54 and Psalms 48 it says,
  • 23:56 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
  • 23:59 in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.
  • 24:04 And it talks about that this City is the joy of the whole earth.
  • 24:09 Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north the City of the Great King?
  • 24:15 Yes, Mount Zion associated with the great king, King David
  • 24:19 and the Great King to come David's greater Son, Yeshua.
  • 24:22 You know what's amazing to me
  • 24:24 is that we've come into today in this program through the Zion Gate
  • 24:27 and learned about Shah'ar Zion, the Zion Gate
  • 24:30 There's all this contention about the word Zionism
  • 24:33 Right
  • 24:34 It's been so co-opted and so changed when it's this
  • 24:37 beautiful thing on the heart of God to restore the Jewish people
  • 24:41 to elevate the whole neighborhood if everyone
  • 24:43 would realize what God is doing there.
  • 24:45 But think about this, even in Arabic, the Arabs call this area
  • 24:49 Bab a Naveed Daud, the Gate of the Prophet David.
  • 24:54 So on one hand contesting that the Jewish people have ever been there...
  • 24:58 There was no Holocaust. There was no Jewish presence.
  • 25:01 There was no temple. There have never been any Jews there.
  • 25:03 A lie.
  • 25:05 On the other hand calling this gate the Gate of the Prophet David.
  • 25:08 Right.
  • 25:09 Understanding.
  • 25:10 Well Zion, it speaks of a people, a place and a promise.
  • 25:14 Yes, yes. That's good.
  • 25:16 Yeah
  • 25:17 It does. It's Sion in modern Hebrew it's Sion - Zion.
  • 25:20 Sion means signpost.
  • 25:22 Right
  • 25:23 And that's what this is. And this gate leads us into this incredible area
  • 25:26 and the story of God's restoration, which is really
  • 25:29 what this is all about. God is restoring the Jewish people
  • 25:32 to their land. He's restoring the Jewish people to our Messiah.
  • 25:36 Right
  • 25:37 He's offering an opening to the entire world to come in and celebrate His goodness
  • 25:42 together with Israel.
  • 25:44 Isn't it just like our God to leave these signposts in the earth
  • 25:47 Yes
  • 25:48 That I Am that I Am and no one can just take Him away.
  • 25:52 They can't just say... They can't just wipe out 3,000 years of history.
  • 25:55 Exactly, that's good.
  • 25:57 David was actually... He made Jerusalem Zion.
  • 26:00 He made it the capital of Israel 3,000 years ago.
  • 26:04 Right
  • 26:05 Exactly
  • 26:06 Jerusalem is the most holy of holy places in the whole world.
  • 26:11 It is the place where the bible is alive.
  • 26:14 It is a place where the bible talks about.
  • 26:15 And it's where Jesus was from. Where He did His ministry
  • 26:18 and where He will return again.
  • 26:19 Yes
  • 26:20 And no wonder it's contested.
  • 26:21 Yes
  • 26:22 No wonder the enemy does not like the word Zion
  • 26:25 Right
  • 26:26 or the Jewish people for that matter.
  • 26:28 That's another reason why I'm so grateful for people like
  • 26:30 David Parsons and some of the other Christian Zionists that we meet that are so dedicated.
  • 26:34 They understand. They love the Arab people.
  • 26:37 They invite the Arab peoples in, but they understand that God has
  • 26:40 built this, created it, and gifted it, and now is making
  • 26:44 an invitation if only the world would respond.
  • 26:47 And I want to thank you for your gifts of funds that let us stay on the air
  • 26:51 and keep these messages coming to you about the importance of
  • 26:55 Zion and about the importance of biblical, prophetic history.
  • 26:59 Absolutely so.
  • 27:01 For over 30 years you've been hearing on this program
  • 27:04 this final phrase. We say it every time from Psalm 122 verse 6
  • 27:08 And 30 years ago, over 30 years ago Zola started saying it.
  • 27:12 We believe in it as well. We want you to remember...
  • 27:15 Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim
  • 27:18 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
  • 27:23 Our monthly newsletter, the Levitt Letter, is free and
  • 27:25 full of insightful articles and news commentary from a Messianic perspective.
  • 27:29 Visit levitt.com to find our newsletter, along with current
  • 27:34 and past programs, our television schedule, and much more.

Episodes in this series

  1. The Dung Gate
  2. The Zion Gate
  3. The Jaffa Gate
  4. The New Gate
  5. The Damascus Gate
  6. Herod’s Gate
  7. Lions Gate
  8. The Eastern Gate

Guest organizations and links