Just before we went to Gethsemane, we drove to a scenic overlook at the Mt. of Olives and took a group photo overlooking the ‘Old City’, Mt. Moriah (where the Temple mount is located), and scores of other important sites. As we looked down on the ancient city below, we saw a gate in the wall beneath the Temple Mount, sealed up with stone blocks and mortar. This was an attempt by a rule centuries ago to prevent the return of Christ because it had been prophesied in Ezekiel that the Messiah would return through the Eastern gate (also known as the Golden or Beautiful Gate). We pondered what that moment will be like when Christ indeed does return and enters through that gate—and how no one or nothing will be able to stand against him as he fulfills prophesy and heralds in his millennial reign!
It was sheer chaos getting to the Gethsemane—there are so many tourists here to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel. If there is a question in anyone’s mind about Israel being too dangerous for the world to visit—it’s certainly not keeping tourists away! Tour groups are here in what must be record numbers! But despite all the throngs of people, we were able to find a quiet place in the olive gardens of Gethsemane and enjoy a time to reflect on Scripture, pray, and meditate on the events of Jesus’ final hours before his arrest and execution. The Fransicans have built a church in the middle of one olive garden in the area to commemorate Christ’s night of prayer. We briefly toured the church, then ate lunch at a nearby kibbutz.
Next, we drove across Jerusalem to the Israeli Museum. We were able to walk through collections of century old Israeli artifacts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was a very important moment for us all—to actually see the scrolls preserved for the world to see was so validating to our faith and moving to our hearts. God’s faithfulness to allow these scrolls to be discovered and protected for so many years is an amazing story (I won’t go into all the details here, but you really must read about it for yourself!). Next to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is a detailed model of biblical Jerusalem. The creators of this site had recreated the city of Jerusalem as it existed during the time of Christ. Everything was built to scale—even according to the elevation of the land—just on a much smaller scale (approximately 50:1). It was so helpful to see the entire city, spread out in a way that we could take it all in at once.
Our last stop for the day was at a site many believe was the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial—the Garden Tomb. The traditional site where many believe these events happened is now housed under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in the Jerusalem’s Old City. At any rate, it was a wonderful visit and our guide (Ken) explained why many believe that this is the actual site where Christ died. He reminded us that wherever it all occurred, either way, both tombs are empty!
We came back to the hotel and some of us walked down to Ben-Yehuda Street—a local open air mall that’s really just a closed off street. The Sabbath was just ending and so people were coming out to socialize and shops & restaurants were opening up—at 8:30 at night! We enjoyed just walking the streets and taking in the local flavor of the city. Continue to pray for us—for our safety, our energy, our witness to the unsaved among us and to the Israelis and Palestinians that we encounter each day.
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