The Best Day in Israel!

We moved on to Bethlehem. The viewed the tiny town from the distance because the Palestinians ruled the town and it was too dangerous for us to go into the town. Separating us and Bethlehem was a field; the very same filed that the shepherds were abiding keeping watch over their flocks by night when the angels came to tell them of Jesus’ birth. This filed is also the place where David slew the lion and bear and where he wrote many of the Psalms found in the Bible. It was a very special place to visit and gaze upon and imagine Christ’s birth.

We moved on to the Mount of Olives. Here, we looked over the Kidron Valley over to Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock sits. The Eastern Gate is closed off and it will “fold” open when Jesus returns to take His own. The Muslim’s do not believe in walking through graveyards. So, they have placed graves all around the eastern side of Temple Mount in hopes to prevent the Lord from keeping His promise of walking through the Eastern Gate.

The Muslim’s think that the Dome of the Rock sits where the Ark of the Covenant had sat. But the Bible says the Ark lined up with the Eastern Gate…the Dome of the Rock does not. There is, however, a small place called the Dome of the Spirits that does line up with the Gate. This small dome is unmarked and the bedrock is not cut into tiles like the ones around it. Temple Mount is thirty-six acres of solid rock and it is the most sought after piece of land in the world. Here is where Adam and Eve were created. Here is where Abraham was going to sacrifice Issac. Here is where the third temple will be built. Here is where Jesus will descend onto the Mount of Olives and walk through the Kidron Valley, through the Eastern Gate and into the Temple to rule are reign on the earth for a thousand years.

We walked all around on Temple Mount. There was “the eye of a needle;” a big door with a little door on the side. We walked through a very narrow hallway that ran along the whole Western Wall underneath Old City Jerusalem.

Next, we visited the Temple Treasures and personally saw the items that they have ready for the third temple; unfortunately, we were not permitted to take pictures. We did go to see the Menorah that was outside behind bullet proof glass.

Then, we visited the Holocaust Museum and again, we were not permitted to take pictures. Here, we walked through a dark room that was lit by “hundreds” of candles. Names and ages of children rang through the speakers in several different languages. Chills ran down my spine as the path got smaller and smaller as we walked. Then, when we reached the end of the passage, it opened up wide and gave a view of Jerusalem. This path symbolized how Hitler was choking the Jews near extinction but in the end Hitler lost and today the Jews are thriving. The “hundreds” of candles was an optical illusion of only five candles with the aid of some mirrors symbolizing their fight for life. We walked through the museum, all the while, names and ages of children rattling off. There was a round room of books upon books of all the names of the people that died in the Holocaust; a very done chilling place to just stare at.. Our tour guide did come with us because it was too much for her to bear. By the end, everybody was quiet, pondering on how cruel man can be to another man.

Onto Calvary! We saw the skull mentioned in to Bible. Unfortunately, where the cross stood is now a bus parking lot. Beside Calvary was a garden and a tomb just like it is described in the Bible. We walked into the tomb and well, I cannot describe the feeling. It was too much to take in. You could feel it! This was the place where Jesus Christ triumphed over death. This is where Satan lost. This is what makes Jesus Christ the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the One and Only Christ. This was the main reason I came to Israel, to find the tomb empty…

For our last evening in Israel, we walked down the streets of Jerusalem, past soldiers with their guns over their shoulders, past beggars, and past people who we had grown to love. We walked to the market where we bartered for most of our souvenirs. It was a neat experience and something I kind of wished we did in America.

That evening, we sat around the dinner table. The topic of our conversation was of prophecy and the places we had been. In all, my faith grew, new friends were discovered and a love for a country that has so much more coming for its future…

 Bethlehem

 Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives

 The Menorah. After the temple is built we will never see it again.

 The Western Wall. Men on the left. Women on the right.

 The Dome of the Rock. Built in 695 AD

 The Dome of the Spirits.

 The "eye of the needle"

 Calvary

 The tomb. The stone that rolled away was lost in an earth quake, thus the stones to the right.

Need I say more?