Our first stop of the day was close to the hotel. We boarded the bus, everyone in their adopted seat, full on anticipation for a great day. The first stop must have been a favorite of Jesus during His earthly life. He spent much time here. We immediately noticed a camel and a donkey at our drop off point. The locals enticed the group members to have a photograph taken with either of the animals – a simple was for them to make a little money. We had some takers but not to many. This is also the location where we had our group picture taken with the city of Jerusalem in the background. The only problem with the group picture is the gentleman that was taking it did not give much, if any, warning that he was about to take it. Some members of the group, including Cathy, were not looking in the direction of the camera. Too bad – it would have been a nice memento to have. We have it but do you think there is any way that Cathy is going to put that photo on display?Mount of Olives
The 2 mile long Mount of Olives is a flattened ridge series located just a few hundred yards (meters) east of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It rises over 200 feet (60 meters) above the Kidron Valley which separates those two very significant places.
The Mount of Olives was the place where numerous events of Bible History occurred. Many of the most important people of the Bible walked upon it sooner or later.In the Old Testament King David fled over the Mount of Olives to escape from Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15:30). After King Solomon became corrupt, he built pagan "high places" there (1 Kings 11:7). Later, King Josiah destroyed Solomon's idolatrous altars, by which time it had become known as the Hill of Corruption (2 Kings 23:13-14). Ezekiel had his vision of The Lord and the flying cherubim above it (Ezekiel 11:22-23). The people gathered olive branches there for the first Feast of Tabernacles after their return from The Babylonian Exile (Nehemiah 8:15).
In the New Testament Jesus regularly went up onto the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39). He often traveled over it on His way to Bethany to visit His friend Lazarus. His famous Olivet prophecy is named after it (Matthew 24:1-51). The Triumphal Entry of Jesus riding on a Donkey and her colt into Jerusalem took place over and down the Mount of Olives (Luke 19:28-44). Jesus prayed with His disciples there just before His arrest That Fateful Night (Luke 22:39-46). Jesus was arrested there, during which Peter struck the servant of the high priest with a sword and cut off his ear (Luke 22:49-51). Jesus appeared to the disciples on the Mount of Olives after His Resurrection, and He ascended into heaven from there (Acts 1:1-12).After some time for photos and viewing all of Jerusalem, we slowly walked down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Garden of Gethsemane
Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden. Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be precisely determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and two thousand years old. It is unlikely that these trees were here in the time of Christ because of the report that the Romans cut down all the trees in the area in their siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
The Church of All Nations, also known as the Church of the Agony or the Basilica of the Agony, is a Roman Catholic church located on Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, next to the Garden of Gethsemane. It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before the night of his arrest. We sat on the front steps as Pastor Rick led us in devotions.The chapel was built from 1919 to 1924 using funds from many different countries (hence the title). The symbols of each country are incorporated into the glass of the ceiling, each in a separate, small dome. The front of the church is a facade supported by a row of pillars. Above is a modern mosaic depicting Jesus Christ symbolically as the link between God and humanity. The bubbled-dome roof, thick pillars, and mosaic give the church a Byzantine look architecturally. The architect of the building was Antonio Barluzzi.
The current church rests on the foundations of two earlier ones - a 12th century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345 and a 4th century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by an earthquake in 746.
The church is currently operated by the Franciscans; an open altar in the garden is used by the Anglican community on Holy Thursday.
After devotions, and a few minutes for photos, we were back on the bus. I don’t believe that the next stop was part of the offficial itinerary. Since our guide, Rimon, is so well connected, he was able to get us into the Holocaust museum on very short notice.
Holocaust Museum
As you enter the museum, inscribed in rock is Isaiah 56:5:
I will give them—within the walls of my house—
a memorial and a name
far greater than sons and daughters could give.
For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
It will never disappear!
The new Holocaust History Museum occupies over 4,200 square meters, mainly underground. Both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, it presents the story of the Shoah from a unique Jewish perspective, emphasizing the experiences of the individual victims through original artifacts, survivor testimonies and personal possessions.
Its 180 meters – long linear structure in the form of a spike cuts through the mountain with its uppermost edge – a skylight – protruding through the mountain ridge. Galleries portraying the complexity of the Jewish situation during those terrible years branch off this spike-like shaft, and the exit emerges dramatically out of the mountainside, affording a view of the valley below. Unique settings, spaces with varying heights, and different degrees of light accentuate focal points of the unfolding narrative.
At the end of the Museum’s historical narrative is the Hall of Names—a repository for the Pages of Testimony of millions of Holocaust victims, a memorial to those who perished. You enter in the center of a circular room with walls extending high above your head and covered with shelves. On the shelves are numbered books containing bibliographies of every Holocaust victim.
From the Hall of Names, visitors will continue on to the epilogue and from there to the balcony opening to a panoramic view of Jerusalem
As you exit the museum, inscribed in rock is Ezekiel 37:14:
I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return
home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord,
have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
It was a very somber experience – a museum that needed to be seen but only so we don’t forget and can never let it happen again.
Church of the Nativity
Getting from the bus into the church reminded us of the gauntlet we experienced in Turkey. Many locals, mostly men and young boys, were doing their best to make us part with our money. In some cases they were selling post cards that were 6-7 years old. We made it into the Church. Rimon was chomping at the bit and the history lesson began. OK – get your learning hats on – here we go.
The Church of the Nativity is the oldest church in the Holy Land still in use, commemorating the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Since St. Helena is believed to have built the Church of the Nativity, there are others who believe that it was the Emperor Constantine who ordered the construction of monumental churches to honor the three principal events of Jesus' life.
The construction began in 326 AD, and with the aid of the locals' traditions who believed that the cave in which Jesus Christ was born was at the end of the village, the architects were able to construct the shape of the cave according to architectural and devotional requirements. The cave was encased by an octagonal structure forming the sanctuary of the basilica, which stretched away to the west in five aisles divided by four rows of monolithic columns.
The Church was rich with mosaics, frescoes, marbles, and a silver manger replacing the original clay manger.
The present Church was built during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian. In 529, the Samaritans revolted, and the Church of the Nativity was badly damaged. The Patriarch of Jerusalem sent St. Sabas to Justinian for help, and the architect sent by the Emperor demolished the church and built the current one. New soil covered the mosaic floor built in 326, and a new pavement was laid at a higher level. When the Crusaders came in the 12th Century, they built a cloister and monastery around the north side of the Church.
Yet another restoration project took place between 1165 and 1169, in coordination between the Byzantine Empire and the Frankish Kingdom. The reparations took place all over the Church, covering many of the walls and the floors with marble; mosaic and mother-of-pearl. The cedar wood roof was covered with lead; the Grotto walls were laid with marble and mosaic covered the walls in the Grotto, and the two entrances received their present form.
The facade of the Church of the Nativity is encircled by the high walls of the three convents: the Franciscan on the northeast side, the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox, on the southeast side. The facade had three doors, two of which are walled up. The present low entrance which leads into the narthex was made at the beginning of the 16th century, in order to prevent the entrance of horses into the building. The narthex is divided into three compartments, and a single wooden door gives access to the interior.
The Basilica is a rectangle 53.9m long, the nave is 26.2m wide, and the transept is 35.82m. Entering the Church, one can notice 4 rows of pillars, 44 in total, 6 meters high, and made of the white-veined red stone of the country. The white marble capitals are in debased Corinthian style and bear in the center of the abacus a rosette with an ornate Greek cross.
The remnants of the octagonal building which covered the Grotto of the Nativity can still be seen in the Armenian Chapel. The Armenian Alter in the northern transept is known as the Alter of the Kings, due to tradition, that it is the site were the Magi Magdalene dismounted.
In the eastern part, there are pieces of walls and steps which were part of the staircase leading from the center of the Basilica down to the Grotto. Two doors lead out of the transept: one to the Church of St. Catherine, and the second to the Greek convent. The Church of St. George, on the left, is used by the Anglicans for carol service on Christmas Eve. Two flights of steps from two sides lead down to the Grotto and meet at the Alter of the Nativity, the site where Jesus is said to have been born. The floor beneath the Alter is incased in white marble, where, fitted into the paving, shines a 14 pointed Silver Star marking the exact spot surrounded by the Latin inscription: HICDE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS EST . 1717 . (Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary). Of the 15 lamps burning around the recess, six belong to the Greeks, 5 to the Armenians and four to the Latins.
The Manger is situated on the north side of the Grotto, and opposite the Manger, an Alter is dedicated to the Wise Men who came to Bethlehem from the East under the guidance of a star bearing gifts to Baby Jesus.The Grotto is rectangular in shape: length is 12.3m, and the breadth is 3.15m. Light in the Grotto is supplied by 53 lamps, 19 of which belong to the Latins. The floor and walls are covered with nine slabs of marble, and the side walls are covered with fire proof amianthus, which belongs to the Franciscans.
A mouth of a cistern can be seen at the end of the Grotto of the Nativity, and a door leading to a few chapels, the key of which belongs with the Franciscans. It was the Franciscans, who in 1470, dug out this passage in order to have access to the Grotto from the Church of St. Catherine. Excavations done between 1962 and 1964 by Father Farina, a Franciscan, proved that the grottos were occupied between 700 and 787 BC, and occupied again at the time of Christ till the year 333 AD. Father Farina found 35 tombs, and legend has it that Christians desired to be buried next to the holy place where Jesus was born.
The first chapel is dedicated to St. Joseph, in memory of the vision he had when an Angel came to him and told him to take the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus to Egypt to flee Herod's executions. The second chapel is dedicated to the Holy Innocents, the children and infants whose lives were taken by Herod in search of Christ.
Taking a left in the passageway, we find the tomb of St. Eusebius of Cremona, successor of St. Jerome, and superior of the Monastery. The common tombs of Saints Paula and Eustochium are in a room on the left, and opposite these tombs, there is the tomb of St. Jerome, whose remains are now in Rome. The last Chapel is that of St. Jerome, where he lived and worked.
Ascending from the grottos up a staircase, we end up in the Church of St. Catherine, built by the Franciscans in 1882 to replace a smaller medieval chapel of the canons of St. Augustine. St. Catherine of Alexandria is a saint about whom nothing is known before the 8th Century. There are no historical foundations and her personality is a mystery, and yet, on November 25, there is a feast honoring her.
Leaving the Church, there is a cloister that was restored in 1948 and 1949, and is above the remains of the walls of St. Jerome's monastery. To the west of the cloister, there is the cistern of St. Helen, and visitor can see the remains of the Constantinian and Justinian walls. At the south end of the cloister, there is a door that leads to the bell tower and the chapel built by the Crusaders. Leaving the cloister we end up at the Casa Nova, a Franciscan property.
As we were leaving the church and heading for the bus, a man asked Shannon, “Are you looking for a rich husband?” Shannon said “no, but thanks.” The man shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
Now you know everything you ever wanted to know about the Church of the Nativity and more. The touring for the day was complete and we had another opportunity for shopping. We were going to the National Diamond Center in Bethlehem.
National Diamond Center
If you remember, Israel has built a wall around Bethlehem and entry and exit from the city is controlled by the Israeli army. Before we were allowed entry into the city, an Israeli guard boarded the bus and checked all our passports. He was a very small soldier, maybe 18 or 19 years old, but he had a very real weapon. While he was checking our passports, another soldier was outside checking the luggage compartment of the bus. Eventually we entered the city and traveled to the National Diamond Center. Cathy and Shannon checked out the jewelry, tried on a few rings and made believe like they might buy something. I think a couple of group members bought something, gold chains and maybe a necklace, but no one at the Diamond Center got rich from our group. Shannon’s favorite was a large purple amethyst ring with a measly asking price of $6,000.
Kings of Kings Church
We were told we were going to attend the Sunday evening service at church, however, you would have never known it when we got off the bus. We walked through a security screener, much like those at the airport, into the street level floor of a shopping mall. The church was located on the interior of the mall but had no visible signage on the outside. Once inside, we realized the church was quite large. Pastor Wayne Hilsden introduced our group and another from Colorado to the congregation. The worship part of the service was terrific –part in English and part in Hebrew. There was such a release of emotion to finally be in Church after such intense touring for the past two weeks and singing:
How marvelous, How wonderful
And my song shall ever be
How marvelous, How wonderful
Is my Savior’s love for me
We’ve received the ‘history’ behind all the sites that we have visited. Some history about how this Church was established follows. It's called the pavilion, was dedicated in late 2004, and is a state of the art facility, located in the heart of Jerusalem and the new home of King of Kings Assembly pastored by Wayne Hilsden. Pastor Hilsden said, "It's not just a building, but it actually declares that we believe in the restoration of Israel. What we did is take a dilapidated, broken down ruin and began to restore it."
In 2002, inside the building, instead of hearing singing, we’d have heard construction sounds. The physical restoration took place in a city known to Christians around the world for its tremendous spiritual warfare and its enormous biblical significance since Jerusalem is the city the Bible says Jesus will come back to and where He will establish His Kingdom.
The ground-breaking project took 22 months to transform an abandoned movie theater - the largest in Jerusalem - into one of the most technologically advanced facilities in Israel. The architecture even includes a ceiling meant to look like a prayer shawl. Pastor Hilsden calls the project a physical reflection of a spiritual truth. He said, further, "The restoration will also be a spiritual restoration. It's not only a restoration of the Land, but a restoration to the Lord."
While King of Kings met in a rented facility for years, now the pavilion will be the spiritual home for hundreds of people living in Jerusalem and is meant to serve the body of Messiah within Israel and around the world. The financial commitment posed a huge challenge, but support came from around the world, for what Pastor Hilsden calls a "miracle in the making.”
Hilsden added, "We've had an incredible response from people who have said, how can I help? They've helped us very significantly. To pray for us. Give towards us, and we've seen miracle after miracle after miracle, to see this vision become a reality."
During this season of congregational prayer, the Scripture verse, Psalm 27:5 became a powerful theme. It says: "For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the secret place of His tabernacle shall He hide me. He shall set me high upon a rock." We looked at the building but we heard musical worship of God. Hilsden believes joy and worship make up the heart of the pavilion. He hopes as a worship center it will reflect Jerusalem's biblical past, present and future. "The place where David worshipped. The place where Yeshua (Jesus) came and showed us the Father, whom we worship. Jerusalem is the place where He's coming back and where we'll gather around His Throne and worship."
Pastor Rick and Cathy were introduced to the congregation. Cathy spoke about the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can raise any dead aspect of your life – the crowd responded so well. Pastor Rick was the guest speaker for the evening and preached a wonderful message – Belong, Believe and Behave. We are to love people and give them a sense of belonging. Once they believe the change in behavior will follow. After the service ended, we were given a tour of the Prayer Tower.
The Prayer Tower is the entire 14th floor of the building in which the Church is located. The tower is manned with people who pray 24 hours each day. The stated goal is to make the Jerusalem Pavilion Prayer Tower a place of devoted Prayer without ceasing (Isaiah 62:7, 1. Tim. 5:17) - until all Israel is saved (Rom. 11:26) and unending Worship (Psalms 27:4) in preparation for the day, when He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:7). There is an unobstructed view of Jerusalem from the Tower – a wonderful view from 14 stories above the Church which resides on Jaffa Street – the largest street in West Jerusalem. I’ve provided the website for the church. Take a look at the website – the church is certainly worthy of our support: http://www.kkcj.org/news/the-jerusalem-praise-experience
After viewing the Prayer Tower, we boarded the bus and traveled back to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Tomorrow is the last day of the tour – lots to see and so little time.
No comments:
Post a Comment