Another early start. On the bus by 07:30 AM because we were headed to the Temple Mount and there is always a line to get through security. The early bird catches the worm and all that.
The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram esh-Sharif, a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the most important religious sites in the world. It is dominated by the easily recognized Dome of the Rock. Currently it can be reached through eleven gates, ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, with guard posts of Israeli police in the vicinity of each. Trust me, the security is tight.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism because they regard it as the place where God's divine presence is manifested more than in any other place and was the site for the first and second temples built by Solomon and Herod, respectively.
Moreover, the Temple Mount is located on Mount Moriah, the location of Abraham's binding of Isaac.
Among Sunni Muslims, the Mount is considered the third holiest site in Islam, the location of Muhammad's ascent to heaven. The Dome was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world.
Whew, enough background. Let's talk about the experience.
Tight security and bag checks getting in. Also, no bibles are permitted. Women must cover their shoulders and arms down below the elbows and be
covered up to their neck. There can be no touching of men and women while on the Temple Mount and they are definitely watching for this. I saw one foreign couple taking a picture together with their arms around each other and someone came up and threatened to kick them out.
Apparently there is no removal or picking up of anything from the area either. A member of our group (no names to protect the guilty) picked something up (small rock or leaf, not sure) and security confronted this person and made them drop it.
Near the end of our time on the Mount we saw a near riot. On the way to the Temple Mount we passed some Jewish people, mostly younger, singing pro-Israel songs on the path up to the Temple
Mount after security but before entering the Temple Mount (where it is forbidden for the Jews to sing). They were quite loud and stirred up and Hela said they were trying to incite the Palestinians. Well, this group made it up to the Mount and had a large security escort surrounding them. As we were leaving the area we saw an Imam with other Muslims meeting the group. It didn't seem friendly. We left.
The peace here is tenuous. There are both plainclothes security and uniformed security everywhere for a reason.
Anyway, the Temple Mount is a huge, mostly open area dominated by the Dome of the Rock. We walked around it, took a ton of pictures,talked and secretly prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and then left through the northeast corner.
A short walk away was the Pool of Bethesda. We read the passage in John where Jesus healed a man
here and then we went into the nearby Church of St. Anne, a Roman Catholic church.
The Church of St. Anne was built between 1131 and 1138, is located at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa and has extraordinary acoustics. Hela asked for "Find Us Faithful" again and I relented and sang the chorus for her. The sound was phenomenal. Not wanting to stop and also having an earlier conversation about the song "In Christ Alone", Kim and I led the group in that song as well. It was another special moment. At least I thought so until a choir group from Indonesia came up and sang for us. That was simply amazing. I haven't found any video yet of "In Christ Alone" but I do have video of the Indonesian group singing:
From here we started following the Via Dolorosa. Contrary to what you might believe, this road is still used just like any other road in the Old City. It has traffic. It has shops. It has people trying to sell you something all the time, and it has crowds of people.
Our only stop on the Via Dolorosa was at Pilate's Judgement Hall or praetorium, located in the Antonia Fortress. After so many years it is located slightly underground. (Sidenote - This is still confusing, Some stuff is buried and some is still on top. What's up with that?) I was sitting there on top of the stones where Jesus stood, where my Savior was scourged for me, where His blood flowed on the cold hard stones beneath my feet. This location was the beginning of the end in one sense but in another it was the culmination of God's plan for His people's redemption. I cannot help but think of another song, "I'm Doing This For You".
We sang the first verse of "Nothing But the Blood" before leaving and returning to the Via Dolorosa.
Continuing downhill, we transitioned from the Muslim Quarter to the Jewish Quarter and came out
near the Western Wall. We climbed a bunch of stairs (Kim was thrilled) and ended up in the Hurva Square where the group split up to have lunch at various cafes and shops in the vicinity.
After lunch we left the Old City through the Zion Gate noticing the plethora of pock marks from bullets dating to the 1948 conflict. We loaded up on the bus and headed to The Garden Tomb.
The Garden Tomb and nearby Skull Hill (Golgotha) are a more modern interpretation (19th century) of the likely location for the crucifixion and tomb. The traditional site where the death and resurrection of Christ are believed to have occurred is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Not to get into the weeds here but it's hard to argue at least with Skull Hill being a likely location for the crucifixion. Even now the hill looks like part of a skull and it's located near an ancient road and one of the gates to the Old City. Looking at the hill, reading the scriptures, and singing "Wonderful Cross" was a very moving experience.
Next, we moved to the nearby Garden Tomb. It is only 100 yards or so away. It's hard to say if this is "the" tomb but it is a typical tomb of the period including a channel at the entrance for a round stone. We took turns going into the tomb. It is indeed empty.
This area has some secluded areas for gathering and taking communion together. We did that
although we barely fit into the small chapel building. This group of people has been such a blessing on the trip, it was especially sweet to take communion together. After communion we sang the first verse of "He Lives" and the first and last verse of "It Is Well". Did I mention visiting Horatio Spafford's American Colony location and museum one night near our hotel and getting a copy of the original song handwritten by Horatio? Argg. Too much to write.
It felt like the conclusion of a great day but we had one more place to visit, the "City of David" and Hezekiah's Tunnel.
Hezekiah's Tunnel, also known as the Siloam Tunnel, is a water tunnel that was carved underneath
the City of David in Jerusalem and dates from the reign of Hezekiah and corresponds to the waterworks mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20 in the Bible. King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians by "blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon, and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David" (2 Chronicles 32).
The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam and it still
flows with water. It is open for anyone to walk through so about 24 of us did just that. We donned water shoes and headlights and trekked through Hezekiah's Tunnel, a tunnel that was chipped and hacked out of the bedrock almost 3,000 years ago.
So that also was a great end to our adventure, although Kim might not agree. That's for her to say.
But not quite the end.
After supper we all gathered in the hotel one last time. Reggie spoke briefly and we shared highlights and surprises for the trip. I shared some and then Kim and I sang one last song as a farewell to our friends, both old and new. It was difficult to sing. I wanted to look at my friends when singing but every time I looked at one they were crying and I can't cry and sing. Not possible. So we sang and hugged everyone and went to bed - a little sad but a lot full of love for our friends and the ties that bind and mostly for a God that loved us first and continues to love us no matter the broken road.
Sola gratia,
Randy
 |
| The Dome of the Rock |
The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram esh-Sharif, a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the most important religious sites in the world. It is dominated by the easily recognized Dome of the Rock. Currently it can be reached through eleven gates, ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, with guard posts of Israeli police in the vicinity of each. Trust me, the security is tight.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism because they regard it as the place where God's divine presence is manifested more than in any other place and was the site for the first and second temples built by Solomon and Herod, respectively.
 |
| View through one of many archways |
Among Sunni Muslims, the Mount is considered the third holiest site in Islam, the location of Muhammad's ascent to heaven. The Dome was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world.
Whew, enough background. Let's talk about the experience.
Tight security and bag checks getting in. Also, no bibles are permitted. Women must cover their shoulders and arms down below the elbows and be
Apparently there is no removal or picking up of anything from the area either. A member of our group (no names to protect the guilty) picked something up (small rock or leaf, not sure) and security confronted this person and made them drop it.
Near the end of our time on the Mount we saw a near riot. On the way to the Temple Mount we passed some Jewish people, mostly younger, singing pro-Israel songs on the path up to the Temple
 |
| Israeli's with security on the Temple Mount |
The peace here is tenuous. There are both plainclothes security and uniformed security everywhere for a reason.
Anyway, the Temple Mount is a huge, mostly open area dominated by the Dome of the Rock. We walked around it, took a ton of pictures,talked and secretly prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and then left through the northeast corner.
A short walk away was the Pool of Bethesda. We read the passage in John where Jesus healed a man
 |
| Inside The Church of St. Anne |
The Church of St. Anne was built between 1131 and 1138, is located at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa and has extraordinary acoustics. Hela asked for "Find Us Faithful" again and I relented and sang the chorus for her. The sound was phenomenal. Not wanting to stop and also having an earlier conversation about the song "In Christ Alone", Kim and I led the group in that song as well. It was another special moment. At least I thought so until a choir group from Indonesia came up and sang for us. That was simply amazing. I haven't found any video yet of "In Christ Alone" but I do have video of the Indonesian group singing:
From here we started following the Via Dolorosa. Contrary to what you might believe, this road is still used just like any other road in the Old City. It has traffic. It has shops. It has people trying to sell you something all the time, and it has crowds of people.
 |
| Pilate's Judgement Hall |
I stood there as they tried Him for crimes He hadn't done
No one else believed it, but I just knew He was the one
I slid back into the crowd, trying to go unseen
But when Pilot cried out, "Beat him", He pointed straight to me
My friends, they all cheered me as I took the whip in hand
Placing stripes upon the back of this guiltless Man
The way He turned and looked at me from my mind I can't erase
And I'll never forget the look on His face
He said, "I'm doing this for you
And I will still love you when you're through
I'm doing this for you"
Though it took me by surprise when I saw love in His eyes
He said, "I'm doing this for you"
We sang the first verse of "Nothing But the Blood" before leaving and returning to the Via Dolorosa.
Continuing downhill, we transitioned from the Muslim Quarter to the Jewish Quarter and came out
 |
| Via Dolorosa |
After lunch we left the Old City through the Zion Gate noticing the plethora of pock marks from bullets dating to the 1948 conflict. We loaded up on the bus and headed to The Garden Tomb.
The Garden Tomb and nearby Skull Hill (Golgotha) are a more modern interpretation (19th century) of the likely location for the crucifixion and tomb. The traditional site where the death and resurrection of Christ are believed to have occurred is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Not to get into the weeds here but it's hard to argue at least with Skull Hill being a likely location for the crucifixion. Even now the hill looks like part of a skull and it's located near an ancient road and one of the gates to the Old City. Looking at the hill, reading the scriptures, and singing "Wonderful Cross" was a very moving experience.
 |
| Old photo showing the Damascus Road in the foreground and Skull Hill just left of center (find the 2 eyes) |
Next, we moved to the nearby Garden Tomb. It is only 100 yards or so away. It's hard to say if this is "the" tomb but it is a typical tomb of the period including a channel at the entrance for a round stone. We took turns going into the tomb. It is indeed empty.
This area has some secluded areas for gathering and taking communion together. We did that
 |
| Communion in the small chapel |
It felt like the conclusion of a great day but we had one more place to visit, the "City of David" and Hezekiah's Tunnel.
Hezekiah's Tunnel, also known as the Siloam Tunnel, is a water tunnel that was carved underneath
 |
| Going through Hezekiah's Tunnel |
The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam and it still
 |
| Inscription in Hezekiah's Tunnel |
So that also was a great end to our adventure, although Kim might not agree. That's for her to say.
But not quite the end.
After supper we all gathered in the hotel one last time. Reggie spoke briefly and we shared highlights and surprises for the trip. I shared some and then Kim and I sang one last song as a farewell to our friends, both old and new. It was difficult to sing. I wanted to look at my friends when singing but every time I looked at one they were crying and I can't cry and sing. Not possible. So we sang and hugged everyone and went to bed - a little sad but a lot full of love for our friends and the ties that bind and mostly for a God that loved us first and continues to love us no matter the broken road.
God be with you till we meet again
By His counsels guide uphold you
With His sheep securely fold you
God be with you till we meet again
God be with you till we meet again
'Neath His wings securely hide you
Daily manna still provide you
God be with you till we meet again
Till we meet, till we meet
Till we meet at Jesus' feet
Till we meet, till we meet
God be with you till we meet again
Randy
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