A Journey to Israel – Day 8 – Jerusalem & Bethlehem

By Grace Valley Christian Center on Feb 9th, 2015 06:59 AM

This post was contributed by Ms. Kathy Heien:

Our first stop was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, which has long been a very important location in the history of Israel. Judaism and Islam both lay claim to the site. Built over a rock, it’s the site of Solomon’s temple that was destroyed in 586 BC. Jews regard it as the place where God chose the divine presence to rest, and where Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to the Lord’s command. Now there is a Muslim shrine on the location: the Dome of the Rock.

We continued on to the Zion Gate, which leads from Mount Zion. It is one of the eight gates in the walls of the Old City, and it leads to the Jewish Quarter. Traditionally the Old City has been divided into four quarters: the Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim Quarters.

We saw a wonderful statue of King David playing the harp. 1 Samuel 16:23 tells how David’s harp playing provided relief to Saul when an evil spirit tormented him. We also saw what is alleged to be David’s tomb on Mt. Zion, a site of questionable authenticity. Directly above the tomb of David is the Upper Room (or Last Supper Room), a second story room that is traditionally held to be the site of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. The present room cannot be authentic, having been built in the 14th Century, but it possibly stands over or near the original site of the Last Supper.

We also went to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), part of the reconstruction of the temple by Herod the Great. Although his temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, a portion of the walls still remain.

Next, we went on to Herodium, south of Jerusalem. Herod the Great built a palace-fortress that he dedicated to himself. Located on a hill shaped like a truncated cone, it was a circular fortress, including an elaborate palace, surrounded by a wall with towers on top of the hill, and not far from that, a group of royal buildings around a large pool.

Our next stop was Bethlehem. Located in the West Bank, and therefore under control of Palestinians, our tour guide, Ezra, who is Jewish, was not allowed to go there with us. We stopped at a checkpoint for entering the city. Our guide left us there and a different guide joined us for the afternoon. We saw the Shepherds’ Field in which the birth of Jesus was announced by the angels. Whether or not this site is authentic, there are wonderful views of the countryside. One can easily visualize sheep grazing and shepherds watching over them. From there we went into a cave, which was common at the time of Christ. There was typically an area in the back for livestock, so they wouldn’t escape. Some say that Jesus was born in a cave, not a stable, so the story of his sleeping in an animal trough would be reasonable.

We went to the Church of the Nativity, said to be built over the birthplace of Christ. It is the oldest church in the Holy Land, and also one of the oldest in the world. Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian churches share custody of the church, each with their own part. A blackened 14-point silver star marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

We had a very full day, but much of what we saw made the Bible become alive and personal. Seeing these places in person left quite an impression.

Temple Mount: