This morning we began by ascending the Mt. of Olives. This is the place where Yeshua prophesied about the destruction of the temple, explained to His disciples the signs of His coming and of the end of the age, ascended back into heaven, and it is the place where He will stand when He returns to establish His Kingship in Jerusalem. The Mountain overlooks a valley and has a perfect view of the Temple Mount and much of the Old City.
We continued on to the Garden of Gethsamene where Yeshua pleaded with the Father to take the cup from Him if there was any other way. The pressure upon the Son of Man was so intense that as He prayed in this very place he began to sweat blood and needed an angel to strengthen Him that He might pray more earnestly. Despite the intensity of dying for the sins of mankind Yeshua submitted to the will of the Father and now thanks to that decision He made at this place in that moment in time nearly two millennia ago, we can have eternal life.
Next we made our way to the Church of St. Anne's which is dedicated to the preservation of the pool of Bethesda where Yeshua healed the man on the Sabbath, commanding him to take up his mat and walk. We entered in the Church after this and decided to test the acoustics of the high ceilings. This was profound. It felt as if we had entered into heaven and were singing before the Throne of God with the angels. There are also a few women in our group with very anointed voices, one being Sharrae, that made the experience all the more holy.
Following this experience we journeyed to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where many believe Yeshua was raised from the dead. This was a very interesting experience not only because of the significance of the site but to see the competition amongst different sects to own different parts of the Church. The next morning we would return here for Mass which was an incredible experience.
We continued on to another site where other Christians believe it to be the site of the Resurrection. As we browsed through the Garden Tomb the shalom (divine peace) seemed to rest everywhere we went. We had a very knowledgeable and Spirit filled tour guide that reminded us the important issue is not which place Christ was raised from, but that we serve a risen Lord! When we arrived at the tomb where He was believed to have been raised from, we piled into the tomb and some of us began to sing to the Lord. The Presence of God could be readily felt and it was a beautiful moment seeing how the Holy Spirit was ministering to each person individually. Some people were weeping, others had their faces on the ground, others were overcome with reverence, and others just sang to God.
After this we had some time to meander around the Old City and we began to hit the shops and bargaining with the Arabs hardcore. Later that night John Winchester and I returned as I had some unfinished business in finding the right kafiya (Arabic scarves). Once we arrived at the Yafo (Jaffa) Gate I immediately spotted some beautiful unique Saudi kafiyas we hadn't seen anywhere else. John was especially impressed by them being the kafiya expert he is, that he hadn't seen any like this before. After getting our dazzling kafiyas, we had dinner and visited with the owner who was an Israeli Arab Christian and heard some interesting insights and opinions. We then met the rest of our group for a spectacular light show that displayed the history of Jerusalem and its conquerors without any words. There is something very special about this city and the whole world knows it, whether or not they have eyes to see what it is.
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