Sunday, Oct 4 Day 1 Getting Acquainted & Prayer (HOUSING @ GLORIA)
- Opening meeting at Gloria Hotel
- MINISTRY VISIT: worship at Karen Dunham and Living Bread International Church – Lunch, chat, and Jewish Worship Service (Dress for worship service)
- Mount of Olives visit- welcome to Jerusalem
- MINISTRY VISIT: Wall of Life mural
This was a light day – designed to ease us into what will be a very busy week.
I woke up early – 5:00 am, showered, and got ready for the day. Unfortunately, I had a pinched nerve in my neck and could hardly move my head. This was from the plane ride. I took some Advil and while Christine got ready I headed down to breakfast.
Breakfast – We met at 6:30 am for breakfast in the Gloria restaurant. It was a buffet style breakfast (I think all of our meals will be served this way) and it included scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast and a variety of things I just wouldn’t think to eat. I enjoyed what I took but learned a few things about the cultural food. The had cereal but they serve the milk warm and you won’t find ketchup anywhere. Fortunately, the coffee was good – but it is not like America where coffee is everywhere. You can get it with breakfast, but other than that you have to hunt for it.
We had our opening meeting on the third floor of the hotel. What is really neat about this location is that you can go out on the roof and look East toward the Mount of Olives. From the roof you can see part of the Old City, the Dome of the Rock, and the City of David. I will explain what I have learned about some of these sites in a bit. Our meeting was instructional in regards to logistics and some general rules. We went through the Hosanna! study tour guide which is really well put together. It includes our itinerary, site visits, maps, and devotionals. We prayed and then headed out to the Old City.
The Old City as it is today was built by the Turks about 500 years ago. It is divided into four quarters which include, the Christian Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. What is interesting is that the city today is the top layer of many layers (much like a multi-layered cake). The Jerusalem that Jesus knew was destroyed by the Romans in about 78 AD. They then built a city upon the ruins which is probably 20 feet higher than the original and so on. We are staying in the Gloria Hotel which is just inside the Jaffa Gate in the Christian Quarter. We walked North and East through the Christian Quarter to the Damascus Gate. Along the way you walk through narrow paths that you share with mopeds. There is really no level ground – lots of steps and thy have these small brick ramps the mopeds use to go up and down. We stopped and got some fresh warm bread from a bakery. The bread had a liquorish flavor to it which I thought was odd. We exited the Damascus Gate and turned to see what would have been the original Roman Gate about 20 feet lower than the Damascus Gate. From there we headed East into the Jerusalem city about four or five blocks to the Church we were visiting for worship.
Living Bread International Church – Karen Dunham.
- Contact Information – (972) 2 628-2833
- P.O. Box 101 Cantonment, FL 32533 USA.
- P.O. Box 1056, Jerusalem 91006, Israel
- Karendunham7@yahoo.com
- http://www.livingbreadchurch.com
We arrived at the Church and entered others were praying. We joined them in prayer and then helped set-up for the service. This so reminded me of Breakthrough. A women grabbed a guitar and started to sing worship songs we are all familiar with. The worship escalated and before long others were banging on drums, cymbals, and one lady started to blow the shofar. I was literally in Heaven! We worshipped for an hour. Then Pastor Karen Dunham came up and preached about the throne of Grace and how everyone was welcome there. She shared testimony about how God miraculously healed her son Blake which you can read all about in her book. Then, she looked at me and said start banging that drum! Before long, everyone had drums and other instruments and we moved into a level of worship I was yearning for. We did this for about thirty minutes and then she had a Prophet come up and speak about what God had shown him. He had a steady voice and kept repeating “God says” as he prophesied. I really wish I had been prepared for that because I would have loved to record it. After the service I went up and talked with her and told her about how familiar this is to Breakthrough. She invited us to have lunch in the courtyard. She told us about the militants who fire bomb her building and how they have tried to gas her and her team by putting hose through the windows. She shared a story about what happened last year – she was beaten in front of her Church in the street and knocked unconscious. She has many stories like this. Lunch was falafel, veggies, fruit, and juice.
Mount of Olives
The bus picked us up at the Church and we headed to the Mount of Olives. This is the “Mount facing Jerusalem” (1 Kings 11:17) – the ridge running along the east side of Jerusalem, separated from the city walls by a ravine and the Brook of Kidron. Of course, this is the site of many events in the Bible and will be the site of a yet future fulfillment of prophecy.
Teaching regarding the Mount of Olives:
- In the Old Testament, the Mount of Olives is mentioned once in relation to King David. When David’s son Absalom wrested control of Jerusalem, David and his loyal followers fled the city via an eastern route: “David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up” (2 Samuel 15:30). Later, King Solomon used the Mount of Olives for idol worship: “On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites” (1 Kings 11:7). In one of Ezekiel’s visions, the prophet sees the glory of the Lord depart from Jerusalem and come to rest “above the mountain east of it” (Ezekiel 11:23).Jesus made many visits to the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37). In fact, it was “usual” for Him to go there when in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Luke 22:39). Every time Jesus visited Lazarus and Mary and Martha, He was on the Mount of Olives, for their village of Bethany was situated on the eastern slope. The road from Bethany to Jerusalem lay over Olivet.The Bible records Jesus’ visiting the Mount of Olives three times in the last week of His earthly life, and each time something of significance happened. The first visit was to deliver what has come to be known as theOlivet Discourse, recorded in Matthew 24:1—25:46. Parallel passages are found in Mark 13:1–37 and Luke 21:5–36. The content of the Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ response to His disciples’ question “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24—25 primarily concerns the future tribulation period and the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation. The Discourse includes parables about those who wait for the Master’s coming—the wise and faithful servant (Matthew 24:45–51), the five wise virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), and the good servant who uses his resources wisely (Matthew 25:14–30).Jesus’ second visit is what we call the triumphal entry. The donkey Jesus rode that day was found in the area of Bethany and Bethphage, on the east side of the Mount of Olives (Luke 19:29–30). Then, “when he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen” (verse 37). While still on the Mount of Olives, Jesus looked at the vista in front of Him, wept over the city, and pronounced a judgment against it (verses 41–44).
Jesus’ third visit during the week of His passion was on the night He was betrayed. That evening began with the Last Supper in Jerusalem and ended in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. During that last Passover meal, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and then revealed Judas as the betrayer (John 13:1–30). At the conclusion of the meal, Jesus established the New Covenant and instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26–29; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Then He took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane (literally, “Garden of the Oil-press”) located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus prayed in agony as He contemplated the day to come. So overcome by the horror of what He was to experience in the crucifixion the following day that His sweat was “like drops of blood” (Luke 22:44) and God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).
After Jesus prayed, Judas Iscariot arrived with a multitude of soldiers, high priests, Pharisees, and servants to arrest Jesus. Judas identified Jesus by the prearranged signal of a kiss, which he gave to Jesus. Trying to protect Jesus, Peter drew a sword and attacked a man named Malchus, the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed the man’s ear, displaying the miraculous power of God (Luke 22:51). Nevertheless, the mob arrested Jesus and took Him to face trial, while the disciples scattered in fear for their lives.
After the trials, crucifixion, and resurrection, Jesus once again stood on the Mount of Olives. During His final post-resurrection appearance, Jesus led His disciples “out to the vicinity of Bethany, [and] he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 22:50–52). Acts 1:12 specifies that “the vicinity of Bethany” was indeed the Mount of Olives.
Immediately following Jesus’ ascension, two angels told the disciples on the Mount of Olives that “this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). According to the prophet Zechariah, Jesus will return not only in the same way, but to the same place. In a prophecy related to the end times, Zechariah declares, “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (Zechariah 14:4). The very location where David wept in defeat and where Jesus was betrayed and rejected will be the place where Jesus returns in triumph over all His enemies.
We learned a lot about the local culture here as well. We stopped at a look-out that is probably one of the best locations in the area to see the Old City, City of David, Garden of Gethsemane, and the location of the Last Supper. While there, many locals try to sell stuff to the tourists. This is a place where pick-pockets work and then there was this older guy with his sons and his camel. If you didn’t purchase a ride on his camel, you were not allowed to take pictures of his camel. He seemed very offended and called us “American Terrorists”. Anyway, very interesting time.
Wall of Life Mural
From the Mount of Olives we visited the only place in Jerusalem where foreigners can be buried. It is a very small graveyard in the middle of an urban environment called “Alliance Church International Cemetery”. It is operated by the Christian Alliance Church. It dates back to the late 1800’s and only ministry leaders are allowed to be buried there. What makes this place interesting is the “Wall of Life Mural” painted by Artist Patricia Solveson. She started this project in 2009 and calls it “Jerusalem Wall of Life”. The mural depicts the continuous Biblical revelation of God from Genesis through Revelation. The mural wraps around the outer walls, telling the story of the Messiah.
It was the end of a what seemed to be a long day. Actually, it was a light day, but the travel has taken a toll on our energy.
We rested for about an hour (Christine took a nap) and then we had dinner at 6:30. We were honored to sit with Steve and Joan Hudson and got a chance to get to know each other better. Steve and Joan are the leaders of this trip have a very similar story to me and Christine. I will write about that more later – but was intrigued as he knows Tom Mowe a friend of mine from the Twin Cities who is the District Superintendent of the E-Free Church.
The Wailing Wall
After dinner we ventured down to the Wailing Wall. This was the last night of the feast of tabernacles and the city was alive with Jews. Jews celebrating!
The Feast of Tabernacles Teaching:
- The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the three feasts that Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose” (Deuteronomy 16:16). The importance of the Feast of Tabernacles can be seen in how many places it is mentioned in Scripture. In the Bible we see many important events that took place at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. For one thing, it was at this time that Solomon’s Temple was dedicated to the Lord (1 Kings 8:2).It was also at the Feast of Tabernacles that the Israelites, who had returned to rebuild the temple, gathered together to hear Ezra proclaim the Word of God to them (Nehemiah 8). Ezra’s preaching resulted in a great revival as the Israelites confessed their sins and repented of them. It was also during this Feast that Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–39).The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness.
As one of the three feasts that all “native born” male Jews were commanded to participate in, the Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned multiple times in Scripture, sometimes called the Feast of the Ingathering, the Feast to the Lord, or the Feast of Booths (Exodus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:13). As one of the pilgrim feasts (when Jewish males were commanded to go to Jerusalem), it was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple (Deuteronomy 16:16). With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at that time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands upon thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast. During the eight-day period, so many sacrifices were made that it required all twenty-four divisions of priests to be present to assist in the sacrificial duties.
We find God’s instructions for celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23, given at a point in history right after God had delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt. The feast was to be celebrated each year on “the fifteenth day of this seventh month” and was to run for seven days (Leviticus 23:34). Like all feasts, it begins with a “holy convocation” or Sabbath day when the Israelites were to stop working to set aside the day for worshiping God. On each day of the feast they were to offer an “offering made by fire to the Lord” and then after seven days of feasting, again the eighth day was to be “a holy convocation” when they were to cease from work and offer another sacrifice to God (Leviticus 23). Lasting eight days, the Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a Sabbath day of rest. During the eight days of the feast, the Israelites would dwell in booths or tabernacles that were made from the branches of trees (Leviticus 23:40–42).
The Feast of Tabernacles, like all the feasts, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. Of course, the feasts are also significant in that they foreshadow the work and actions of the coming Messiah. Much of Jesus’ public ministry took place in conjunction with the Holy Feasts set forth by God.
The three pilgrim feasts where all Jewish males were commanded to “appear before the Lord in the place he chooses” are each very important in regards to the life of Christ and His work of redemption. We know with certainty that the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are symbolic of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Likewise, we know that Pentecost, which marked the beginning of the Feast of Weeks, was the time of Jesus’ bodily ascension. And most scholars would agree that the Feast of Tabernacles is symbolic of Christ’s Second Coming when He will establish His earthly kingdom.
There are also some who believe that it was likely during the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus was born. While we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, most scholars acknowledge that this tradition was begun in the fourth century AD by the Roman Catholic Church and that the exact day of Jesus’ birth is unknown. Some of the evidence that Jesus might have been born earlier in the year during the Feast of the Tabernacles includes the fact that it would be unlikely for shepherds to still be in the field with their sheep in December, which is in the middle of the winter, but it would have been likely they were in the fields tending sheep at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. The strong possibility that Jesus was born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles is also seen in the words John wrote in John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word John chose to speak of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word tabernacle, which simply means to “dwell in a tent.”
Some believe it is very likely that John intentionally used this word to associate the first coming of Christ with the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ came in the flesh to dwell among us for a temporary time when He was born in the manger, and He is coming again to dwell us among us as Lord of Lords. While it cannot be established with certainty that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles, some believe there is a strong possibility the Feast of Tabernacles not only looks forward to His second coming but also reflects back on His first coming.
The Feast of Tabernacles begins and ends with a special Sabbath day of rest. During the days of the feast all native Israelites were “to dwell in booths” to remind them that God delivered them out of the “land of Egypt” and to look forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would deliver His people from the bondage of sin. This feast, like all of the feasts of Israel, consistently reminded the Jews and should remind Christians as well that God has promised to deliver His people from the bondage of sin and deliver them from their enemies. Part of God’s deliverance for the Israelites was His provision and protection of them for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, cut off from the Promised Land. The same holds true for Christians today. God protects us and provides for us as we go through life in the wilderness of this world. While our hearts long for the Promised Land (heaven) and to be in the presence of God, He preserves us in this world as we await the world to come and the redemption that will come when Jesus Christ returns again to “tabernacle” or dwell among us in bodily form.
As we arrived, we were required to go through security. From there, the women had to go to the designated area as did men. You were not allowed to go into the area unless you had a head covering. Fortunately, I had a hat on. So, I went in and approached this wall with reverence. I prayed that I would not be stopped and I wasn’t. As I touched the wall, I prayed that the Lord would release His anointing and that every Jew who touched it going forward would receive that anointing and come to know Jesus as their Savior. I kissed the wall and sealed the prayer. Then I sat down next to two younger jews (early twenties) and asked them questions. Their names are Sammy and Mushae Cushion. They told me about the different head coverings and that they represented where the Jews come from.
Back to bed by 9:30 pm.
Below is the the agenda for today (I wrote this early in the morning – I awoke at 3:00 am)
Monday, Oct 5 Day 2 Preparation Period & Ministry Foundations (HOUSING @ GLORIA)
- No modesty clothes all day. (Wear clothes for a hot day walking in wilderness)
- Herodium
- Jordan River (people being baptized need to bring shorts or swimsuit (guys) to change into at baptism site; NOTE TO GALS – Be careful for shirts that could become see-through in the water)
- Dead Sea swim at Kalia Beach
- Walk Wadi Qelt – From St George Monastery to New Testament Jericho
- New Testament Jericho
Pursuing Breakthrough 