Mon, Nov 8

Ron and I headed out early, found an overlook and watched the sunrise over the Judein Mountains.

This area is Mishkenot Sha'ananim. The name was taken from Isaiah 32:18 "My people will abide in "peaceful habitation," in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places." It sits on a hill directly across from Mount Zion and was the first Jewish neighborhood built (1860) outside the walls of the Old City. The neighborhood was paid for by a wealthy Jew from New Orleans. Because it was outside the walls it was open to raids, pillage and the general banditry that was rampant in the region. After the 1948 War the neighborhood fell in a no man's land, many residents had to leave because of sniper attack by Arab Legionnaires.

The Hinnom Valley, Gehenna, has multiple biblical references. Edgar Allan Poe mentions it in "Morella" as does Rudyard Kipling in "Story of Gadsby."

Highlander Ron at Zion Gate.

Here we are at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This site is worshiped as the place where Jesus was crucified and buried-it's horrifying inside. It is run by 6 different denominations (Eastern, Armenian, Ethiopian, Syriac, and Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic) who fight and argue. For instance, A Coptic monk moved his chair to the shade. Ethiopians interpreted it as hostile and 11 ended up in the hospital. One denomination can not enter into anther's area-this has led to neglect of badly needed repairs. Muslims are entrusted with the key to the front door. In the 2nd century it was a temple of Aphrodite, built during Hadrian's reconstruction of Jerusalem. Constantine had his mother raze all Roman temples and build churches on any site associated with Jesus. Helena found the "true cross" and rock cut room and determined this site to be the place where Jesus died and was buried. In 1009 the church was burned down and the rock hacked away by Muslims as a campaign against Christians. In Europe the Christians blamed and attacked the Jews. The church burned down and was again rebuilt in the early 1800's. The ladder below the top right window has been there at least since 1852 (as seen in a photograph) over a disagreement to remove it. I have pictures and will describe the inside tomorrow. There is much evidence on why this could not be the site Jesus was crucified and buried. For one it doesn't fit the biblical description, wasn't outside the Old City's wall, it is west and all tombs are to the east because the wind blew from the west and all the smells would have blown right across the city and Temple Mount.

Ron and I walked back to the hotel via Jaffa Gate. When we walk about early in the mornings we mostly see children going to school. We see power washers out early also keeping the Old City sparkling.

The following pictures are of the Temple Mount. Getting on to the Temple Mount we went through an air port type screening. The Jordanians run security and are in charge of keeping the area maintained. Jordan was basically created to be a Palestinian Nations. But an Arab Hashemite Bedouin King was put in charge of the country and government under the British Mandate. There is a long history of hate and violence between Jordanians and Palestinians. Palestinian is just a modern term referring to any Arab that declined Israeli citizenship. About 57% of the population of Jordan are non-Palestinians who come from powerful Bedouin tribes. After failed agreements to keep armed Palestinians from searching civilian vehicles, walking around armed and in uniform, carrying falsified Jordanian identity papers, and not allowing the Jordanian police force to investigate crimes committed by Palestinians; King Hussein order the army to squash the militancy of Palestinian. About 25,000 were killed and all terrorists Palestinian organizations were expelled. (They went to Lebanon, after inciting a Civil War there the Palestinians were expelled to Tunisia.) Roughly 2 mil. Palestinians live in Jordan. Many Palestinians carry Jordanian passports and enjoy citizenship rights unmatched by other Arab host governments but yet they complain and are claiming "a racist, apartheid state" in Jordan. As recent as yesterday 250 people were injured in violence between rival soccer teams.

The first temple was built on the Temple Mount by Solomon, the son of David, in 957 bc. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 bc. There is evidence of a Hasmonean expansion. about 19 bc, Herod the great further expanded the mount and rebuilt the temple. 10,000 workers were employed to double the size of the mount to 36 acres. The rock was leveled by cutting away rock on the northern side and raising the sloping ground to the south. Huge walls were built and filled in. On top of the mount were porticoes and colonnades. The Romans destroyed the structures in 70 ad and built the Temple of Jupiter. It was torn down by Helena. When the Muslims took over in 610 they turned it into a garbage dump (I'd say that's a long standing issue). In 691 the octagonal Islamic building was built over the site that is believed to be the Jewish Holy of Holies. The Dome was covered in gold in 1992, paid for by the King Jordan. On the southern end of the mount stands the al-Aqsa mosque which was built in 1033 ad. It was originally a small prayer house built in 705 bc. There is an Islamic myth that Muhammad, who died in 632 ad was transported to al-Aqsa the night he died. The Waqf, Islamic overseers, will not allow any archaeological excavations or inspections of the mount. The Waqf has constructed a new underground mosque and tunnels in the attempt to turn every vacant point within the mount into a mosque deliberately committing cultural destruction. Jewish archaeologist sifted through all the earth dumped finding ancient seal, over 4300 coins, Babylonian arrowheads, unique floor slabs used to pave the Temple Mount courts. There are four minarets constructed between 1278 and 1367. Also on the northern end is a Muslim school.

John 2:14-16 "He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. He said, 'Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"The pilgrims had to stop by the stalls of the money changers to exchange their foreign money to the temple shekel. Money was required to purchase the offering, make a free offering to the temple treasure, and pay the yearly temple tax. The system set up by Herod was wrought with fraud. The animals for the sacrifice was also sold. Pilgrims bringing their own would be deemed unacceptable into order to have to purchase from the stalls at the temple. Jesus found the temple courts turned into a den of thievery under the cloak of religion. These men were profiteering on the blood of the lord. Jesus was more concerned with the sin of His people than with the Roman occupation. First Jesus had to purify His house.

The Jews wanted three things-three deceptions prevented them from being ready to accept Jesus. This is much the same of what people today want: A Kingdom now gospel. Jesus refused political dominion. They wanted a Sign and Wonder gospel. People say show me a sign then I will believe. Jesus did it in the quiet-not as a show. Herod wanted a show. They also wanted a Prosperity gospel-just like today. These are the three things Satan used to con the Jews not to be ready. They are the things he tried to tempt Jesus with. They are the same things Satan is conning the church not to be ready for the 2nd coming. This was not Jesus' purpose but it will be in His 2nd coming. When Jesus came across the bridge into the Old City the people expected Him to enter the Fortress of Antonia, they are waving palm branches at Him, and take care of Pilot and the Romans but He instead deals with the money changers and profiteers. The Feast of Tabernacles in September-October is when the Jews wave palm branches and sing Hosanna. (Lev. 23:39-40) "In the fifteenth day of the seventh month...you shall take branches of palm trees...and you shall rejoice before the LORD seven days in the year." The Catholic church doesn't understand the error in this and why it is bad to commemorate this. Waving palm branches was a symbol of resistance to Roman oppression. They were heralding Him as being part of a broader wave of Jewish opposition to the Romans, Not as coming as their true Savior. The movie "the Passion" that highlights the palm waving is done in hope of making a religion acceptable to the Old Roman Empire-an empire religion-the Roman Catholic Church. Jesus was a Jew who came to teach first to the Jews. We believe in the Jewish Messiah. Jesus didn't come to start a new religion or the people who believe in Him didn't start a new religion. We just believe the full message preached to the Jew first then the gentile-from Genesis to Revelation-one book not just the New book. To understand the Bible is to look at it from cover to cover-we must have the Old to understand the New otherwise we take scripture out of context and make it pretext-as the Catholic Church does. Jesus came to die for us all, we are all responsible for His death, not just Jews or the Romans.

Looks pretty satanic....

The sealed east gate or Golden Gate.

This is natural bedrock, possibly where the temple stood looking right, toward the east gate. The Arc wasn't in the 2nd Temple because Jesus was there dwelling with them. He took the form of a servant, He was limited in His body.

Arab quarter-things are not as clean or kept up here.

The streets of the Via Dolorosa were never walked by Jesus, with or without the cross. The current streets follow the line marked out by Hadrian 135 ad but even these are streets are 15-20 below current street level.

We are in the Convent of the Soeurs de Sion built on the site of the Antonia Fortress. There is nothing left of the Antonia Fortress. These rocks were reused by Hadrian. The seat of the Roman governor was in Caesarea Maritima. Pilot, the governor would have occassionally come here. He happened to be in town during the time Jesus was on trial.

The floor is marked for games the Roman soldiers played.

This is Roman age paving, the little channels served to drain off rainwater and carry it to the cistern.

Crucifixion, begun by the Persians, was intended to provide a death that was slow, painful, gruesome, humiliating, and public-out term excruciating out of crucifying. Also crus means cross. The condemned would only carry the crossbeam (75-100 pounds), the whole cross was well over 300 pounds. Romans had a specific place for carrying out executions. Upright posts would be fixed permanently at that place-out side the city's main gate and along the main road-it was a deterrent and for all to see. The nails would have been driven on between the ulna and radius just above the wrists. The legs would have been broken-crurifragium, the legs turned and a nail driven through each heel. After nailing the person to the crossbeam it would have been hoisted into a grove. The person being crucified would have been completely nude. A Roman guard would have carried a sign showing the condemn's crime which would have been nailed to the post above ther person' head. Death could be cause by blood loss, shock, infection, dehydration, asphyxiation, embolism, lungs filling with fluid. Jesus literally died of a broken heart-His burst. Psalm 22:14-17 "I am poured out like water, all My bones are out of joint, My heart is like wax, it has melted within Me...they pierced My hands and My feet, I can count all My bones, they look and stare at Me." The attending Roman guard could only leave the site after the victim had died and would do things to deliberately hasten death-it was meant to mutilate and dishonor the person. A crucified body would have been left to decay. This was the most dishonorable death imaginable. Scourging was used before hand to cause blood loss. Most people did not live through 12 lashings. If they survived 39 the Romans let them go. Jesus survived 39.

This is St. Anne's, a beautiful 12th century Crusader church. It's very plain but acoustically perfect designed for Gregorian chant. It's supposedly over the birthplace of Mary's Mother. That's not like because the pools of Bethesda were built upon a reservoir.

Just below the Fortress of Antonia was a spring fed pool with five colonnades called Bethesda. These were not discovered until the 19th century when repairs were being done on St. Anne's. Archaeologists discovered the remains exactly matching the description in John's gospel. The name comes from the Aramaic beth hesda meaning house of mercy or grace. The cognate hesdo has two opposite meanings-grace and disgrace. This location was seen as a place of disgrace because invalids and a place of grace due to healing. Jesus heals a man who had been lame for 38 years here (John 5:1-9) and tells him to take up his bed and walk. His healing was spiritual as well as physical. Jesus asked the man, "Do you not want to get well?" Thes He says, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." How long will we hold on to problems, battles, weaknesses that God has already won for us? Maybe our battle is a sin, weakness, illness...Jesus doesn't help us live in weakness when we can live in His strength. Live in His healing and accept the changes His healing will make in our lives or continue to live where you are comfortable-sorrow, complaining, people doing for you, crying "poor me."Follow Jesus' direction.

Mt. of Olives.

Mezuzahs are on every door in Israel. They have been outside our hotel rooms on the right side of the door in the upper corner. It comes from Deut 6:9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." A scroll is placed in the case. It's at an angle because they couldn't decide if it was supposed to be vertical or horizontal. When people pass by they touch it and then kiss their fingers that touched it expressing love and respect for God and remind themselves of the scripture within...legalism...so sad.

The City of David is the older neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and a major archaeological site. It is a narrow ridge running south from the Temple Mount. It was a walled city and contained the palace with David lived. The (now filled in) Tyropoeon Valley was on the west, the Hinnom valley to the south, and the Kidron Valley was on the east. Above is the Jebusite city wall.

I headed to Hezekiah's Tunnel which is the area in the wall that pokes out in the right.

First we head down the shaft.

Getting ready to enter-yes, the water is fairly deep at first...and cold!

Starts out a bit murky...

but it was like this-clear and ankle deep but pitch dark and narrow! It was SOO much fun!!

Hezekiah's Tunnel was dug underneath the City of David built about 3800 years ago during the reign of Hezekiah. It is mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20. King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for a siege by the Assyrians. The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. It was designed to be an aqueduct to provide water for the city during the Assyrian siege. Builders started at each end and zig zagged until they crossed.

The inscription explaining how the tunnel was made.

Pool of Siloam. Water was used in purification, pilgrims would use the pools for ritual baths, there was a stepped street (which I accidently deleted and will repost with a bunch of pictures I accidently deleted in today's post) leading to the Temple. The pool sits 70 yards from a Byzantine reconstruction. That pool was previously though to be the Siloam Pool. The majority of the pool sits beneath a yard and the owner will not allow excavations. The pools are in East Jerusalem, mostly Muslim and they are sensitive to excavations because they lose their house and the Jews find more of their ancient heritage.

My spelunking partners!

Jars of clay would have sat in the wells to be filled.

Each shape represents a continent-Europe, Asia, Africa with Israel in the center.

East Jerusalem.

Last stop: the Temple Institute to see all the preparations for the Third Temple.

In the older houses there are these round metal wheels on the wall-they actually are ends to metal rods running through the house to hold the walls together.

This is a gorgeous window in a brand new synagogue.

I totally feel like this Old City is my friend now. I am fairly acquainted with the areas and know my way around. What's interesting is East Jerusalem isn't the safest place for Jews...but we see Muslims walking freely everywhere-they could walk right through the Jewish section and not a word would be said to them, they work in our hotel and are not treated badly.