In the Old City and the Land of the Philistines . . .

Monday morning began with a trip to the Old City and a walking tour as our guide taught us about the old wall and pointed out some of the gates. We then moved along to the Pool of Bethesda, where Karen taught us from John 5 about the healing of the man who was crippled for 38 years. We were challenged to think about what is paralyzing us, and where God is telling us to get up and walk with Him. Afterwards, we walked over to Saint Anne's Church and sang hymns with another group of tourists who were there.
Our guide took us over to the Broad Wall excavation site -- a wall that dates back to the first Temple era, from 1000 to 586 B.C. He said that when they began to excavate under the Jewish quarter of the Old City, they found a "walking" museum -- they are just beginning to uncover many more archaeological treasures! We next visited the Temple Institute, which was established in 1988. The purpose of the Institute is to prepare everything for the Third Temple. The Jews want to be ready to rebuild the Temple when their Messiah comes. Sadly, they do not realize that He has come and that His Name is Jesus. It gave me goosebumps to see all that they have made ready and to hear of their plans. We saw the Table of Showbread and the Menorah, both made to the exact specifications that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai as recorded in Exodus. The Jews at the Institute have 72 of the 93 vessels ready for the Temple, and they have begun work on the priests' clothing. After lunch, we visited the Western Wall, perhaps better known as the Wailing Wall. There were many bar mitzvahs being held, as Monday is the traditional day for them. Our day ended with a fascinating tour of the underground tunnels below the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. It was unbelievable how they twist and turn all around, and there was even an aqueduct system under the wall!
After a packed day, we walked from our hotel a few blocks to a restaurant for dinner. Our hotel was preparing for Passover, so they had to get rid of all of their leaven and were unable to prepare a meal for us. We all really enjoyed the restaurant. It was a 3-course meal: appetizers of pita bread with make-your-own fillings of vegetables and sauces, main course of chicken kabobs and a chopped steak type of dish made with lamb, and baklava for dessert. Afterwards, we walked to a very nice avenue of shops and browsed with some of the other people on our tour.
Tuesday morning arrived bright and early, and we headed back to the Old City, this time to the Southern Wall. Haim, our guide, pointed out to us a street that has been excavated and dates back to Jesus' day and Herod's Temple. Jesus prophesied in Mark 13:2 that "not one stone will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down". We saw for ourselves that that was exactly what happened in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed the Temple. Our guide pointed out massive stones that had once been at the very top of the Temple that were now even with the street. Karen gave a powerful lesson on being "living stones" as we sat on the Southern Steps of the Temple. These steps are the very ones which Jesus would have used and are the location of His teachings to the common people of His day.
We then left the Old City and took the bus out to the countryside around Jerusalem. We followed the path of the Ark of the Covenant when it had been stolen by the Philistines as we visited Kiriath Jearim (I Samuel 6:-7) and Beth Shemesh (II Samuel 6). The last teaching time of today was held in the Valley of Elah by the now-dry creekbed where David found his stones to kill Goliath. We then returned to the city for a picnic lunch. Afterwards, it was museum time. We saw a to-scale replica of the city of Jerusaelem at the time of Herod, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Holocaust Museum.
Tonight, we again had dinner at a restaurant and will start out again tomorrow for our last full day of sightseeing in Jerusalem.