Israel In Depth - Real Life Church

April 21 - May 1, 2015

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This is Not the End

Today is the last day here in Jerusalem. This was a very powerful and emotional day for me.

Our day began at the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a beautiful church and a garden where Jesus prayed to his father for a different ending, but the result was “Father, your will be done” (Matthew 26:36). We all took some time to meditate, pray, and remember what happened at this place. The thought of what was to come next brought tears to my eyes as it always does.

The next stop was the Mount of Olives. This is the place were Jesus began his final walk through Jerusalem and ascended into heaven. The view at this point was amazing! You could see all of Jerusalem including the Dome of the Rock. It was a picture-perfect moment.

Mount of Olives

Separated from the Eastern Hill (the Temple Mount and the City of David) by the Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has always been an important feature in Jerusalem’s landscape. From the 3rd millennium B.C. until the present, this 2900-foot hill has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city. The two-mile long ridge has three summits each of which has a tower built on it.

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From here we headed over to the Southern Steps, which are uneven so you can’t just run up them. The message here is “you have to take your time, one step at a time.” The Southern Steps are located at the Temple Mount were Jesus healed a man born blind. “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” John 9:5. We then walked through the ruins to the marketplace imagining what it looked like back when Jesus walked through on his way to Jerusalem. There was an Arch doorway with a staircase that led to Temple.

We next entered the gate to the City of David. Here we see the remains of King David’s Palace, a family house with four rooms, and a walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the option was to hike through the narrow and dark tunnel with running water or through the upper tunnel that was dry. This hike ended at the Siloam (Shiloah) Pool, where Jesus sent the blind man for purification.

From here we walked through the marketplace in the Muslim Quarter, toward the Garden Tomb, a possible location where it is believed Jesus was crucified, laid to rest, and rose from the dead. Embedded in the rock face nearby appears to be two eyes and a nose that looks like a skull, an area referred to as Golgotha otherwise known as Skull Hill where it is said Jesus was crucified (Mark 15:22). The Garden is beautiful and very serene. After viewing the tomb, we took a moment to remember that Jesus died for us. There was a sign on the door of the tomb that said, “He is not here, he has risen.” He has risen indeed. Again, this brought tears to my eyes.

The final location was the Holocaust History Museum, where the story of the attempted extermination of the Jewish race by Hitler is memorialized. This was a tragic time for the Jewish people. Again, tears ran down my face.

Even though this is the end of an awesome tour of biblical times, Israel will impact my life forever. Thank you Jesus for this great opportunity to “Walk in Your Footsteps.”

Trisha Snyder
Real Life Church - Valencia, CA

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