Jerusalem

In my recent trip to the middle east, I was most fascinated with the old city of Jerusalem. In many of the Bible scriptures, mention is made of "going up to Jerusalem." The "going up" related to the fact that Jerusalem sits at a high elevation on a high hill. My most interesting view of the city was my first one when I was standing on the Mount of Olives looking across the Kidron valley which included the Garden of Gethsemane, looking up at the city of Jerusalem. You will see a picture of this here, but it won't have the impact of seeing it in person, of course. One thing that is noteworthy is that everything is close; it isn't far across the valley to the city. You can see the Dome of the Rock in the center of the city, of the old Jewish temple area, which is occupied by the Muslims now. In the other picture, you can see a more close up picture of the valley containing the Garden of Gethsemane. It is in this garden, or one similar, that Jesus went with His apostles to pray, just before His death.

Next week I hope to be back to our regular Bible lesson. But this week I wanted to show you these pictures of Jerusalem; it is such a fascinating place with so much Bible history. Have a good week!