Interesting places in the Holy City
On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her,
I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.
All who try to move it will injure themselves.
Zechariah 12:3
I have had the privilege of going to the Holy Land twice. To walk in the same cities, towns, and even exact locations that Jesus once did, was a very humbling and awe-inspiring experience, particularly in Jerusalem. On both occasions, our Christian tour group went through Hezekiah’s Tunnel in the Holy City. If you are claustrophobic, this is not an experience for you. Some areas get as narrow as two feet wide and less than four feet high. Depending on how high the water level is at the time of your journey, this can get a little interesting!
This 1,700+ foot tunnel was chiseled out by hand to connect the Gihon Spring with the Pool of Siloam (2 Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32:30). Solomon was anointed King at Gihon by Nathan the prophet (1 Kings 1:38). The Pool of Siloam should be familiar to you. Jesus spit on dirt and made mud, putting it on a blind man’s eyes. He then told the man to wash in the pool and he was healed (John 9). These are but a few of the many sites in Jerusalem.
My family and I were recently in Washington D.C. While we were in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, we watched a 3D IMAX documentary about Jerusalem. It stated that the reason this ancient city was so appealing to people for millennia was because of its precious resource – water.
This city is first mentioned as Salem in Genesis 14:18. It is also where David purchased land on Mount Moriah to build an altar to God (2 Samuel 24:18-24). It later became the site of the First and Second Temples. Centuries later, this same piece of real estate was claimed by the Muslims as one of their holy sites. For many more centuries up to the present, the battle has raged for God’s Holy Land and City. What an incredible place it still is today.
Despite the seemingly unending instability in the Middle East, I highly recommend a pilgrimage to Israel and Jerusalem. It is amazing to walk where Jesus walked. The Bible will come even more alive to you. If you can’t make this journey, there are still many quality DVD and online series that have been produced.
John reminds us of a future Jerusalem that we will all enjoy:
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Revelation 21:2