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Today
was a powerful day! We started the day on the Mount of Olives where Jesus
preached to His disciples and ascended to heaven. Pastor Ferrell taught us from
Matthew 21 regarding the passage where after healing a blind man, Christ came
to the Mount of Olives to make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Pastor
Ferrell pointed out that Christ’s entry on a colt through the Eastern Gate was
prophesied to the exact day – 483 years ago – in Daniel 9:25 and Zechariah
9:9. The stage had been set…all was
ready – except the people of Israel.
Even though they welcomed Him in with “Hosanna” (from Psalm 118), they
would not receive Him as Messiah and Christ said that they missed their day of
visitation in Luke 19:41-44 when He wept over the city and the people. Even the priests that day of Palm Sunday were
reading Psalm 24 in the synagogue, “Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them
up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of
Glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory!” Christ was in complete
control of it all and told those who rebuked Him and His disciples that even
the rocks would cry out if they remained silent! This was a powerful and moving time for all
of us as we considered how privileged we are to have been the wild olive branch
of Gentiles to be grafted in to Christ through faith in His finished work on
the cross. We also pondered how Christ
will be coming back and will touch down on the Mount of Olives and come through
the Eastern Gate once again!
Upon leaving the Mount of Olives, we came to
the Garden of Gethsemane, which was at the foot of the Mount of Olives. This is where Christ and
His disciples came after the Last Supper in the Upper Room. Conscious of the temptations surrounding them
all, Jesus urged his disciples to pray. Then he withdrew by himself and prayed
that, if possible, the cup of suffering and wrath (Is. 51:22; Mk. 10:38), which
lay ahead of him, might be avoided. Nevertheless, as an obedient Son, Christ
put Himself freely at his Father’s disposal. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve refused to
submit themselves to the Father and sin and death entered the world. Hear in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ
submits Himself to the Father and then He will take our sin and defeat death
for us!
After the Garden, we had the opportunity to
visit Stephen’s Gate, where Stephen was stoned nearby in Acts 7. We also go to visit St. Anne’s church and
sing hymns in front of a large group of people that were gathered inside. We sang “How Great Thou Art” and Amazing
Grace My Chains Are Gone.” This was a
wonderful privilege! We then toured the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the Catholics believe Jesus was crucified
and buried. This was very depressing
scene to see religion in all of its ugliness, working your way to heaven by
seeking to please God on your own merits.
The rest of our day was spent touring the
city of David, also known as Bethlehem.
We went to the shepherds’ fields, nearby where the angels came to
announce the birth of Christ. We also
got to tour the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born and where Jerome
translated the Scriptures into the Latin Vulgate.
Tomorrow we will have a big day ahead of us,
beginning with a hike through Hezekiah’s tunnel in the Old City! Thank you for your prayers for us as we
continue to walk in the footsteps of Christ for the next few days.
Pastor Stephen
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