Israel Trip - Jerusalem Beauty

We left King David's Tomb, and headed for the Garden of Gethsemane.  I took some photos that show the  diversity and uniqueness of my beloved city, Jerusalem.

The photo above is of an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) soldier.  It is normal for these men and women to be armed, and I think it is one of the beauties of Jerusalem.  Some people are afraid to visit the city because of the violent Arab attacks there.  I felt safe seeing these protectors on duty. Below is a group of IDF soldiers on a tour of the city.

I was struck by the beauty of doors, and here are a couple of photos that show the play of light on stone in the beautiful city of gold.  I love the alcoves and archways, the darkness and light we saw as we made our way through the winding streets.

And cats are everywhere in the Old City.  They seem well fed, don't they?  Isn't that golden Jerusalem stone beautiful? 

We made our way back to the bus, and here are a few photos of the city on the way to the Mount of Olives.

Jerusalem has many hills, as you can see above.

The photos above and below are of a shopping area in the Arab quarter. 

This building has a couple of water storage units on top.  There are many of these in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is unique in that it is home to Christians, Muslims and Jews.  The Garden of Gethsemane is in the Arab quarter of the city.  The Garden sits on a hill, known as the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem's Old City.  The area between is called the Kidron Valley, and is covered with the graves of thousands of Jews.  The white boxes in the forefront of the photo are tombs. According to tradition, when the Messiah comes through this gate, the dead will rise to meet him.  This is why so many graves are on this spot.  Who doesn't want to be first in line, right?

The photo above is a closeup view of the Eastern Gate, also known as the Golden Gate, which leads to the Temple Mount.  I got excited when I saw this.   This gate is a Holy site for all three faiths - Jewish (arrival of the Messiah) and Christian (entrance of Yeshua on Palm Sunday and His second coming) and Muslim (site of future resurrection).  Isn't it amazing that all three faiths believe this?

The gate was built in the 600 - 700 AD over the ruins of the second temple  gate,  and has been sealed since the 1600's.  This is significant because of this Scripture:  

 Ezekiel 44 2: "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the L-RD, the G-d of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut". 

I have chills when I think on this, because my eyes are seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled in this place.   

My next post will be about the Garden of Gethsemane, where Yeshua, the Messiah, prayed the night before He was crucified.  What a blessing I received in that place, both in 1996 on my first trip, and on this trip, too.

I hope you'll come back next week, Gail-Friends. 

Please note --  due to preparations for the upcoming High Holy Days, I will resume posting about my Israel Trip on October 7. 
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