Shalom Y'all

Today, like others, was a spectacular experience. We began at the Temple Mount where we learned much of the history of the location and the various nations that have controlled it. Mt. Moriah, the rock top which the Dome of the Rock is built over, is believed to be the site where Abraham obediently tried to sacrifice Isaac and was stopped and given a ram in Isaac's place. The other explanation for the holiness of the site involved the prophet Mohammed and the rock falling out of the sky and landing on the top of Mt. Moriah, making it the 3rd most holy site in the Muslim faith.



No one outside of the Muslim faith is allowed in the Mosque on The Dome of the Rock, so we had to content ourselves with taking pictures of the outside of the building.

The Temple used to be built over the same rock, which resided in the Holy of Holies. Jews believe that while the Ark of the Covenant has disappeared, the Holy of Holies which houses the earthly presence of God and is fatal for anyone to enter except the High Priest once a year, is still somewhere on Mt. Moriah hence; Jewish people do not visit on the Temple Mount, lest they step onto the area of the most Holy.

We left the Temple Mount and walked down to the Western Wall, where most of us prayed, at the wall, and learned about it's significance both spiritually and politically to the Jews. It is considered the most a holy place on earth for them in as much as the Western Wall is the closest they can get to the Ark of the Covenant. The cracks between the blocks are filled with prayers written on small pieces of paper and left there to commemorate the prayers.

We finished with our prayers then walked around the South end of the Temple Mount Retaining wall, past the City of David and sat on the ancient steps up to the Temple. This is one of the places it is known that Jesus actually walked. He walked up the very steps we sat on and entered the gates above where we sat and listened to our guide Julie.



You can see the three arched gates that have been filled in the next picture. This is the entry gate that Jesus used when He entered the Temple Mount, We genuinely "Walked today where Jesus walked", and I don't mind telling you we "felt His presence there".

We left the Temple Mount area and drove across town to Visit Yad Va Shem, the Holocaust museum, where we all were particularly moved by all we saw and wondered to each other, how is it possible for men to be so depraved they could author that kind of evil? The Children's Memorial is especially moving as the names of the 1 1/2 million children's names, ages and country of origen are read one after another in perpetuity.





Lunch was at a great Falafel joint in Julie's neighborhood where some had Falafels, some Shwarmas and some went next door for pizzas. The food was great and we all typically ate too much and loved every minute of it.

Our last stop of the day was the Shrine of the Book in the Israel Museum, where we saw a scale model of Ancient Jerusalem and then went into the museum to see Dead Sea Scrolls, including the complete scroll of Isaiah ( a copy), discovered at Qumran and displayed in a beautiful museum.


Upon leaving the museum, some went back to the hotel for a welcome afternoon rest, some stayed at the museum and the rest hung out in the Old City of Jerusalem and enjoyed the ambiance of the Old City and shopped. Did I mention we went shopping? The city looks much like it must have looked 2000 years ago when Jesus may have walked among the very shops we frequented this afternoon.





Tomorrow finds us starting out on the Mount of Olives, walking the Via Dolorosa to the sites of Christ's crucifixion and ending the day with Communion in the Garden Tomb.

Your prayers were answered, we're all pretty rested and healthy and looking forward to another great day.

Lord Bless you

Doug