In the Land of Milk and Honey: Temple Mount

We got up earlier then usual

We were waiting at 6.45 in the lineup

^{we looked up to the temple mount}
^{a bridge going up}

after checking our bags we all made it on this bridge

picture through the slats

Looking down at the western wall

I zoomed in a bit

through the gate we actually walk on the temple mount

less then half of the groups make it, we are blessed

It takes a long time before all of us are up

Only the floor is authentic,

The Romans threw everything off the mount

Salomon's colonnade was 3x as high

and would extend to where I am standing

I was amazed to see this truck driving up here
seems like something you wouldn't allow

not many people were up on the mount

Todd tried to orient us to how it used to be

Soldiers are around but not overwhelming

In Jesus time when the people entered the women's court

they would be given white robes and they would go bare feet

I found this group of Jews interesting, didn't expect Jews to be there
most are bare feet

Behind the post on the way up a young lady with a baby

was begging for money

The east side, towards the mount of olives

The dome of the rock

Lots of open space

Already moving on to the North

On the North side there are quite a few trees

This is where Antonia Fortress was

3x as high as the Dome of the rock

same height as the temple

Moving closer to the end of the platform

We went through a passage to the outside wall
there is a Muslim cemetery here

some old Herodian stones in the wall
they are the stones with the embossing on the edges

The Eastern Gate

“This is what Adonai Elohim says: ‘The east gate of the inner courtyard is to be shut on the six working days, but on Shabbat it is to be opened, and on Rosh-Hodesh it is to be opened.

the ancient gate is underneath
that gate would have been open on Passover so the Messiah could come

The possible valley of dry bones

With the hand of Adonai upon me, Adonai carried me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. He had me pass by all around them — there were so many bones lying in the valley, and they were so dry! He asked me, “Human being, can these bones live?” I answered, “Adonai Elohim! Only you know that!” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones! Say to them, ‘Dry bones! Hear what Adonai has to say! To these bones Adonai Elohim says, “I will make breath enter you, and you will live. I will attach ligaments to you, make flesh grow on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you. You will live, and you will know that I am Adonai.”’”

The South East corner of the temple mount

Archeology park

view towards the temple stairs

At the bus we changed in water shoes

We all knew where we were going this time
to many signs
this one warns how deep the water will be
It used to be much higher

Lots of archeological digs here

going down

going down through the city of David

The found clay seals baked in the fire
the scrolls burned but the seals the Bullae got baked
those 51 seals belonged to real people
one of them is in Jeremiah:

It was then that Barukh read from the scroll the words of Yirmeyahu in the house of Adonai, in the chamber of G’maryahu the son of Shafan the secretary, in the upper courtyard, at the entry to the New Gate of Adonai’s house, for all the people to hear.

another in 1 Chronicles

‘Azaryah the son of Hilkiyah

These are very important finds

more down

almost at the spring
claustrophobic people at the front

It was this same Hizkiyahu who blocked the upper outlet of the Gichon Spring and diverted the water straight down on the west side of the City of David.
Hizkiyahu succeeded in all that he did.

Where we got in it was pretty deep

I walked behind Moria

and in front of Marc

So cool to be in this place

It was narrow

sometimes the ceiling was very low

We turned off our flashlights and said these words
through the line

Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;

This is where the 2 tunnel crews met
1 started in the city
the other at the spring
amazing

The end of Hezekiah's tunnel
It was a 45 minute walk very far for claustrophobic people
ask Marc, he walked with Baukje

we came out at this place
It was called the pool of Siloam for a long time
but it isn't

we would regularly see soldiers who were also out on a trip
they are educated on why this place is important

these are the steps of the actual pool of Siloam

but the pool is underneath a Greek orthodox church

We started hiking again, this time in a kind of tunnel going up
look at the nice steps,
these are the steps of accent

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.

That is where the tribes go up—
the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.

later on the nice steps were above us and
we walked in the sewer underneath
they did find human remains in the sewer
from people hiding from the Romans
but the Romans had blocked the entrances