So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
Ezekiel 11:22-23
What a powerful prophecy!
When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, God’s glory lifted and moved to the Mount of Olives covering it completely.
When Jesus ascended, the cloud of glory took Him, and we see a powerful connection between this prophecy of open vision of God’s glory and Yeshua’s glorious ascension from the same mountain.
On Jesus’ last day on earth as a free man, before He was arrested, He held His last supper, which was in fact a Passover Seder right here on Mount of Olives, during which He taught about the upcoming New Testament.
As Jesus walked around the garden on this very mountain where we stand today, He knelt, prayed, wept and cried out to His Father as His face was covered with sweat and tears as He stood before the journey He was about to embark on and the task He needed to accomplish. He stood right here and remembered us; you and I, and He prayed for us too.
Yeshua’s suffering began long before the cross, His pain was evident in his cries and prayers to God on this very mountain. How symbolic that the very place where Yeshua spent so much time, where he enjoyed and had pleasure and joy, where He taught the Bible, prophesied and had fellowship with his beloved disciples, is also the place where He experienced tremendous pain, heartbreak and suffering at what He had to do.
On this very Mount of Olives, that meant so much to Yeshua they came to arrest Him, take Him to captivity and then brutally crucified Him.
This place is absolutely filled with God’s glory! Every tree, every stone and rock on this hill called Mount of Olives we have the privilege to stand on, reminds us vividly of the glorious message of Yeshua’s life, death and resurrection.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14:4
What an amazing and powerful promise to know Jesus’ feet will stand once again on this very mountain, the Mount of Olives.
And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
Zechariah 14:8
It’s one thing to read about these remarkable phenomenons we will experience, but it takes on a whole new dimension when you’re actually standing on this mountain like you are with us right now as you’re watching this video, and knowing it will split in half at His return!
Just imagine how powerful Jesus’ return will be that it will change the very geology and topography of Jerusalem, nothing will ever be the same. The city as we know it now will be transformed forever at Jesus’ triumphant return.
It’s important to remember Zachariah’s prophecies because when disciples were speaking to Yeshua for the last time before His ascension, they remembered this prophecy, they witnessed Yeshua taken up to heaven, and they knew by this very prophecy that just as He went up, He will also return and set His feet once again on this holy mountain, and the world will never be the same once Yeshua comes back to rule this earth from His city of Jerusalem, the city of the Great King.
Yeshua’s last instructions to His disciples before ascending was: wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit, and then go out into the nations and preach the gospel to every living soul, “…and I will be with you until the end of time.”
He then went up into heaven just as Ezekiel prophesied: “And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.”
Thousands of years later, it feels as though we are coming closer and closer to the day of His return, which is why these prophecies apply to us today, for us to stay alert and vigil.
Praise the Lord for His glory, and for His word that works in our lives today, as we approach the glorious events of Yeshua’s return, which means God is releasing His glory and His blessings over your life, giving you power, authority and instructions how to serve Him, love Him and be ready for His glorious return to Jerusalem to rule over ALL the nations from His holy mountain.
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.