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Israel Study Tour
October 20 - November 1, 2019
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The Bible comes alive when you’re in Israel!
Our last day in Israel began with the most perfect morning with a teaching on MOUNT OF OLIVES! And there, while reading the word of God, we had a beautiful view of the Temple Mount.
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.
We then spend time in the Garden of Gethsemane - the name ‘Gad Shemen’ in Hebrew means olive press. We learned earlier on the trip how an olive press crushes olives to make drops of oil. The Bible prophesies in the Old Testament the Messiah will be “crushed for our transgressions.” And hundreds of years later, Jesus prayed in the Garden of the Olive Press, His spirit crushed as He knew the suffering awaiting Him!
Gethsemane
Gethsemane (Greek: Γεθσημανή, Gethsemane; Hebrew: גת שמנים, Gat Shmanim; Gaḏ Šmānê, lit. "oil press") is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, most famous as the place where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept the night before Jesus' crucifixion.
Walking further through Jerusalem, our entire group came inside St. Anna church, built to honor Mary’s mother, where we sang Amazing Grace for a small crowd. Nearby is the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man that was crippled for 38 years! The land of Israel is such a testament to God’s mighty hand and His miracles!
We then walked down Via Dolorosa to Church of the Holy Sepulchre...
And the final spot of our sojourning was at the Southern Wall. As we sat on the Southern Steps, the Old and New Testaments connected once again in an amazing way as we read through Acts 2 and Exodus 32.
Southern Steps
An enormous flight of steps leads to the Southern Wall from the south. They were excavated after 1967 by archaeologist Benjamin Mazar and are the northernmost extension of the Jerusalem pilgrim road leading from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount via the Double Gate and the Triple Gate, collectively called the Huldah Gates. These are the steps that Jesus of Nazareth[2][3] and other Jews of his era walked up to approach the Temple, especially on the great pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. [2] The stairs that lead to the double gate are intact and "well-preserved."[4] The steps that lead to the triple gate were mostly destroyed.[4] / The risers are low, a mere 7 to 10 inches high, and each step is 12 to 35 inches deep, forcing the ascending pilgrims to walk with a stately, deliberate tread.[2] The pilgrims entered the temple precincts through the double and triple gates still visible in the Southern Wall.[5][2] Together, the double and triple gates are known as the Hulda Gates, after the prophetess Huldah.[2]
The Bible comes alive when you’re in Israel!
Our eyes have been opened to so many details in His Word that we’ve never seen before!
What an incredible journey.
The final post for the blog will follow soon...
Spoiler alert: Cuyahoga Valley Church is planning a trip to Israel in 2022!!!
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