Israel Biblical Sites Bible Companion

By Dr. Todd M. Fink

The Holy Land is much more than places and historical artifacts; it’s an experience . . .  an experience that is spiritual in nature for those with eyes to see. This book is designed to give you eyes to see what most people don't. It uncovers the riches and treasures of the Holy Land, so you can experience and be transformed by it

• Language: English
• Publisher: Todd Fink
• Release date: Aug 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781944601324

Book preview

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, God deserves all the credit and glory for this book. He gave the desire, resources, time, strength, perseverance, and the ability to write it.

Secondly, for some unexplainable reason, God has filled the hearts of my wife and I with a deep desire to help people see the context of where the Bible took place. Of course, we know this desire is none other than God’s sovereign work and grace. It’s been a rich joy to have a small part in working with God’s grace to provide this book.

What you as a reader find useful in this book, please give the glory and credit to God. What you find that is not useful or to your liking, please place the blame on the author.

Thirdly, I would like to thank my lovely wife, Letsy, for doing much of the research on the secondary Other Sites of Interest at the end of each section of the book. Significant time and effort were spent investigating these places.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my son, Joel, for helping with formatting, layout, and proofreading. He was a real trooper, and his contribution was invaluable.

My prayer is that God might use this book in your life to deepen your faith, your understanding of who God is, and how He has used the land of Israel and its people to communicate His eternal message to the world.

Israel: Land of the Bible

The Bible is not a fairy tale written in an unknown time, in an unreal place, and with unreal people. On the contrary, the Bible was written in real-time, in a real place, and with real people. The better we understand the context of the time, place, and people of the Bible, the better we will understand the Bible itself. In other words, by understanding the world of the Bible better, we can understand the words of the Bible better.

For a person of faith whose beliefs are engrained in the Bible, there is no place on earth like the Holy Land. In this narrow strip of land that connects the three major continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe, God sovereignly placed the land of Israel. It lies on the crossroads of the world and has affected virtually every civilization on earth.

From its barren hills and fertile plains, a message went out from a tethered and worn prophet that still applies today: . . . and many peoples shall come, and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem’ (Isaiah 2:3–4).

Located on a tiny land bridge between Africa and Asia, there were few travel options between the two continents except through Israel. Therefore, whoever wanted to trade between the two continents, or control the known world, had to conquer and control Israel. For this reason, there have been more wars and conflicts in Israel than in any other country on earth. God positioned Israel in this unique location so He could influence the world and be on Center Stage. In so doing, God’s message of who He is, and His message of salvation and hope, is reaching the entire world.

For nearly 2,000 years, pilgrims of faith have come from all over the world to visit and experience the Holy Land, the land of their spiritual heritage. With Bibles in hand, these pilgrims have walked where Jesus walked and prayed in the places He preached and prayed. For Christians, there is just simply no place like Israel. As we traverse and experience the Holy Land, the better we understand Israel's land, places, and people. This great privilege allows us to better understand God’s message written to us on the holy pages of Scripture, and as a result, live lives that glorify and fulfill God’s purpose for our existence.

This book is divided into five main sections:

1. Jerusalem Sites

2. Sea of Galilee Sites 

3. Northern Israel Sites

4. Central Israel Sites

5. Southern Israel Sites

Each section is arranged in alphabetical order for your convenience.

Jerusalem Sites

Jerusalem Overview

Jerusalem Overview Location (Medium) (Small)

Location

1. Jerusalem is in the central part of Israel about 33 miles (53 km.) east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea.

2. It’s situated at an altitude of 2,600 ft. (800 m.) above sea level and is one of the highest cities in Israel.

3. It’s located on a mountain that is well protected. For this reason, it was hard to capture by enemy forces.

4. Jerusalem rests primarily upon bedrock, so everything was well preserved.

5. Jerusalem is the Old Testament, Mount Moriah.

Historical Background

1. Jerusalem means City of Peace.

2. It’s mentioned over 500 times in the Bible.

3. It’s first mentioned as the city in which King Melchizedek, King of Salem (Jerusalem), lived (Gen. 14:17). Melchizedek was a figure of Christ as he had neither beginning of days or end of life.

Hebrews 7:1: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

4. Jerusalem is the special dwelling place of God on this earth.

Psalms 76:2: His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.

Psalm 135:21: Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.

5. In Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, that Abraham was to offer Isaac, his firstborn son to God, on the very place the temple would later be built.

Genesis 22:2: Then God said, Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.

6. Jerusalem was partially conquered by the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land.

7. Jerusalem was then later fully conquered by King David.

8. King David purchased the original Temple Mount in Jerusalem from Araunah when it was just a threshing floor. He purchased it to build an altar to the Lord.

9. Afterward, King David set up his throne in Jerusalem, and it became the ruling center of Israel from then on.

10. King Solomon then built the Temple in 960 AD on the exact location where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac. This exact location was also the very threshing floor that King David had purchased.

2 Chronicles 3:1: Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father, David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.

11. At the dedication of the temple Solomon built, the temple was so filled with the glory of God that the priest had to withdraw and suspend their dedication service.

1 Kings 8:10–11: When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.

12. Jerusalem became the center of worship in Israel.

13. The kings of Israel reigned from Jerusalem.

14. The prophets of Israel spoke and ministered in Jerusalem.

15. Unfortunately, the first temple built by Solomon was destroyed in 586 BC by Babylon because of God’s judgment on Israel for their disobedience to Him.

16. The altar and foundation of the second temple were built by Zerubbabel in 535 BC.

17. The construction of the second temple was completed in 515 BC.

Ezra 6:3: In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.

18. Nehemiah then arrived to rebuild the city and walls of Jerusalem in 445 BC.

Nehemiah 2:17: Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."

19. The Temple Mount Platform was then later enlarged tremendously by King Herod in 19 BC.

20. On top of the Temple Mount Platform (and over the existing second temple, which was later removed), King Herod built a new massive temple was built by King Herod in 19 BC and was made more beautiful than any before it.

21. It was at this temple built by Herod that Christ and the disciples would minister.

22. Jesus was circumcised at the temple in Jerusalem after being born in Bethlehem.

23. Magi from the east came to visit Jerusalem to witness the birth of Jesus, the Messiah King.

Matthew 2:1: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.

24. Scripture records that Jesus appeared in Jerusalem at the age of 12, and His parents visited there regularly.

25. At the temple in Jerusalem is the place where Christ was tempted by the Devil to throw himself down headlong.

26. Christ visited and ministered in Jerusalem at least 10 times during His ministry years.

27. Christ died on the Cross in Jerusalem.

Matthew 16:21: From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

28. Christ ascended to heaven in Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

29. Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit happened in Jerusalem.

30. The Early Church was born in Jerusalem.

Acts 2:1, 5–6, 41: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

31. The Apostle Paul grew up in Jerusalem under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He probably sat at the Southern Stairs (Rabbi’s Stairs), learning from Gamaliel.

32. Stephen was martyred in Jerusalem as recounted in Acts 7.

33. Unfortunately, Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans due to Christ’s judgment on it for the Jew’s rejection of Him as their Messiah.

34. It was destroyed again in 132 AD in the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Later, Hadrian rebuilt and renamed it Aelia Capitolina. 

35. It was later conquered by Muslims in 636 AD.

36. In 691 AD, the Dome of the Rock was built where the temple once stood.

37. It was captured by the Crusaders in 1099 AD.

38. It was re-captured by the Muslims in 1187 AD.

39. It was ruled by the Mamluks in 1291 AD.

40. It was ruled by the Ottomans in 1516 AD.

41. Most of the walls and gates of Jerusalem that exist today were built around 1537 AD. 

42. The nation of Israel was supernaturally re-gathered after almost 2,000 years of being scattered and became a nation again in 1948.

43. Christ will return to Jerusalem in power and great glory on the Mount of Olives at the end of the Great Tribulation Period.

44. The final judgment at the end of the Great Tribulation takes place in Jerusalem in the Kidron Valley.

45. Christ will reign for 1,000 years from Jerusalem after the Great Tribulation Period.

46. There will be a New Jerusalem that will be the center of the new heavens and new earth for eternity.

Places of Interest

1. Temple Mount

2. Western Wall

3. Southern Stairs

4. Church of the Holy Sepulchre

5. Kidron Valley

6. Garden of Gethsemane

7. Triumphal Entry

8. Mount of Olives

9. City of David

Faith Lesson from Jerusalem

1. Jerusalem has played a key role as the center of God’s dwelling place and ministry on this earth.

2. It will be the place Christ returns to in power and great glory at the end of the Great Tribulation Period. Believers will return with Him at this event. Will you be coming with him in glory or be judged by Him when He comes?

3. Christ will reign in Jerusalem over all the earth during the Millennial Reign. Will you be among those who reign with Him?

4. There will be a New Jerusalem created by God which will be His new eternal dwelling place on the new earth. Those who are followers of Christ will have the privilege of living in or visiting this new city forever. Are you saved, and will you be in heaven where the New Jerusalem will be?

Journal/Notes:

Jerusalem Sites Overview

Summary of all the Biblical Sites and Their Locations

1. Mount of Olives

2. Bethphage

• Beginning of the Triumphal Entry.

3. Chapel of Ascension

• Place from which Christ ascended to heaven and will return to in power and great glory at the end of the Great Tribulation.

4. Pater Noster Church

• Place Christ taught the Lord’s Prayer.

5. Tombs of the Prophets

• Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

6. Triumphal Entry Pathway

• The road Christ descended on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before His crucifixion on Friday.

7. Church of Dominus Flevit

• Place Christ wept over Jerusalem on the Triumphal Entry and prophesied her future destruction.

8. Church of Mary Magdalene

• Christ cast out seven demons from Mary, and she became a passionate follower of Christ.

9. Garden of Gethsemane – Church of All Nations

10. Tomb of Mary (mother of Jesus)

11. Kidron Valley (Valley of Jehoshaphat)

• Place Christ will gather the nations in judgment at the end of the Tribulation Period, and their blood will flow to the depth of a horse’s bridle down toward the Dead Sea and beyond.

12. Temple Mount

• It was enlarged by Herod the Great. It’s the size of 35 football fields (35 acres, 14 hectares).

• The original temple was located exactly where the Dome of the Rock is today.

• Place the prophets ministered.

• The glory of the Lord filled the temple here.

• Place Christ ministered.

• Place the apostles ministered.

• Place the early church met.

• The Antonia Fortress was located just north of the Temple Mount.

13. Dome of the Rock (not a mosque but a shrine)

14. Western Wall

• It was part of the original wall of the Temple Mount Herod built.

• It existed during the time of Christ.

• It is the closest place (for a large gathering) to the original temple where the Jews pray.

15. Pool of Bethesda - St. Anne Church

• A lame man was healed here after waiting 38 years.

16. Via Dolorosa (painful path)

• It’s the believed path Christ took on the way to the Cross.

• It has 14 stations.

17. Gordon’s Garden Tomb - Golgotha

18. Church of the Holy Sepulchre

19. Absalom’s Tomb

20. Southern Stairs

• Place Christ taught His disciples.

• Likely location of Pentecost.

21. City of David

22. David’s Palace

23. Gihon Spring

24. Wall repaired by Nehemiah

25. Pool of Siloam

26. Hinnom Valley

• Gehenna – Idea of hell and eternal burning.

27. House of Caiaphas

• Place Peter denied Christ.

• Place Christ was condemned before Ananias and Caiaphas the high priest.

28. Tomb of David

29. The Upper Room

30. Herod’s Palace – Later, it would become Pilate’s Palace

31. Citadel of David

Gates of Jerusalem

1. Eastern Gate (Golden Gate, Shushan Gate)

• Gate Christ regularly entered on His way to the temple from the Mount of Olives.

• Peter and James healed a lame man after entering this gate.

• Closed by Ottoman Turkish Muslims in 1541 AD.

2. Lions Gate (Stephen’s Gate)

3. Herod’s Gate

4. Damascus Gate

5. New Gate

6. Jaffa Gate

7. Zion Gate

8. Dung Gate

Jerusalem Old City Map (Medium)

Antonia Fortress

Location

1. The Antonia Fortress was located just outside the Temple Mount area on its northwestern side.

2. Today, Umariya Elementary School and a convent of the Sisters of Zion lie atop its ruins.

3. Some of the ruins of the Antonia Fortress can be accessed through the Convent of the Sisters of Zion.

4. Tradition places the Antonia Fortress as the beginning point of the Via Dolorosa (painful path). 

Historical Background

1. The Antonia Fortress was a military headquarters and barracks built by Herod the Great in 19 BC to protect the Temple Mount area and the city of Jerusalem. It was named after Herod’s patron, Mark Antony.

2. Some believe Jesus appeared before Pilate here and was condemned to death by crucifixion.

3. Others believe that Pilate’s Headquarters, also called Pilate’s Palace or Praetorium, was the place Christ appeared before Pilate. It’s located on the northern side of Jerusalem, just south of the Jaffa Gate. The evidence points strongly in favor of this location as the place of Christ’s trial and condemnation.

4. Some believe that the Antonia Fortress encompassed all the current Temple Mount and that the original temple and Temple Mount were in the City of David. However, Scripture clearly states that at the dedication of the temple that Solomon built, in 2 Chronicles 5, that the Ark of the covenant was brought, "out of the City of David" to the temple. "Then Solomon assembled to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the City of David, which is Zion" (2 Chron. 5:2).

If the Ark was brought out of the City of David to the temple, then the temple couldn't have been in the City of David. There is also overwhelming historical and archaeological evidence, and the writings of the famous Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, that contradict the belief that the Antonia Fortress encompassed all the Temple Mount.

Evidence that the Temple Mount was not the Antonia Fortress.

1. Contrary to what some say, the current Temple Mount existed long before the Romans arrived. The Temple Mount foundation, or platform, was first built by Solomon. Then Hezekiah enlarged it. Later, its foundations were repaired during the time of Zerubbabel when the second temple was built. We see evidence of this in the ancient stones around the Eastern Gate. They date back to the time of Solomon, Hezekiah, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah.

2. Later, in around 141 BC, the Hasmoneans built an extension to the southern end of the Temple Mount. This can be seen in the Eastern Wall, where the bend in the wall exists. Thus, there is a change in stone styles from earlier periods to the Hasmonean period.

3. Then, in around 19 BC, Herod the Great began to enlarge the Temple Mount Platform. He would double the size of what it was during the Hasmonean period. This can be seen in the Eastern Wall as well, where there is a seam in the wall. The stone styles change from Hasmonean to Herodian. Josephus confirms this: Accordingly, in the fifteenth year of his reign [23-22 BC], Herod rebuilt the temple, and encompassed a piece of land about it with a wall, which land was twice as large as that before enclosed. The expenses he laid out upon it were vastly large also, and the riches about it were unspeakable (Wars of the Jews, Bk 1, Ch. 21, Sect. 401).

Therefore, the current Temple Mount existed long before the Romans arrived and was not expanded to be a Roman Fort.

4. There are also no historical records that a Roman Legion was stationed in Jerusalem before 66–67 AD. At this time, the Jews had revolted and recaptured Jerusalem from Roman control. The 10th Roman Legion was then moved to Jerusalem to conquer it. This was a fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy. The city was destroyed and conquered in 70 AD.

5. Facts about the 10th Roman Legion.

• It was founded in around 41 or 40 BC. It was also called the X Fretensis or Legio X.

• It was never stationed in Jerusalem until it arrived to overthrow the Jewish rebellion that had taken place wherein the Jews overtook the Roman Soldiers who were in Jerusalem and regained control. It was the 10th Roman Legion, led by Vespasian, that would win the battle to recapture Jerusalem from the Jews in 70 AD.

• From 67 onward, X Fretensis fought in the war against the Jews. It was commanded by Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, the father of the future emperor. The supreme commander of the Roman forces in Judaea was general Vespasian, who was to become emperor during the civil war that broke out after the suicide of Nero in 68 AD.

• After the conclusion of the Jewish revolt in around 73 AD, Legio X was garrisoned at Jerusalem. Their main camp was positioned on the Western Hill, located in the southern half of the old city, now leveled of all former buildings. The camp of the Tenth was built using the surviving portions of the walls of Herod the Great's palace, demolished by order of Titus. The camp was at the end of the cardo maximus of Aelia Capitolina (Pace, H. Geva, The Camp of the Tenth Legion in Jerusalem: An Archaeological Reconsideration, IEJ 34, 1984, pp. 247-249).

6. Josephus clearly describes and clarifies that the Antonia Fortress was destroyed by the Romans when they conquered and tore down the temple in 70 AD: Titus now ordered the troops that were with him to raze the foundations of Antonia and to prepare an easy ascent [into the Temple Mount] for the whole army (Wars Ch. 6, Sect 93). Meanwhile, the rest of the Roman army, having in seven days overthrown the foundations of Antonia, had prepared a broad ascent to the Temple (Wars Ch. 6, Sect. 149).

It is vital to understand that when Josephus wrote this, it was in 70 AD, more than 70 years after Herod enlarged the Temple Mount Platform. Also, the Tenth Roman Legion never was stationed in Jerusalem until after it was conquered in 70 AD. So, the idea that the current Temple Mount Platform was built for the Tenth Roman Legion is entirely false.

7. If the Antonia was destroyed in seven days, it reveals that it wasn’t that big. Also, it was destroyed, so there is no way the current Temple Mount could be the Antonia Fortress.

Places of Interest

1. Ecce Homo Arch (behold the man)

2. Convent of the Sisters of Zion

3. Pavement stones with Roman carved games on them.

4. Pavement stones with carved grooves.

5. Temple Mount

Antonia Fortress in the Bible

1. The Antonia Fortress is the believed place where the Via Dolorosa begins.

Tradition places the Antonia Fortress as the beginning place of the Via Dolorosa. However, the site with the best evidence for being the beginning place of the Via Dolorosa is Pilate’s Palace, located just south of the Jaffa Gate.

Antonia Fortress during the time of Christ

2. Paul addressed an angry mob from the Antonia Fortress.

Acts 21:27–40: When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him [Paul] in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place. 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 When he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; 36 for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, Away with him! 37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, May I say something to you? And he said, Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness? 39 But Paul said, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people. 40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect.

Original stone floor of the Antonia Fortress

Faith Lesson from the Antonia Fortress

1. Paul suffered at the Antonia Fortress for his faith. Are we willing to boldly proclaim our faith and suffer as a result if necessary?

2. Paul shared his testimony often. Do we have our testimony memorized, and do we share it when talking to others about God?

Journal/Notes:

Chapel of the Ascension: Ascension and Return of Christ

Location

1. The Chapel of the Ascension sits at the highest place on the Mount of Olives.

2. Near the Ascension Chapel is the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, built in 1870, which is another traditional site of the ascension. It is located near a tall tower in the village of A-Tur.

Historical Background

1. Early Christians soon memorialized this place after Christ’s resurrection.

2. In 384 AD, a pilgrim named Egeria found two footprints embedded in a rock that she claimed were those of Christ when He ascended to heaven.

3. Constantine's mother, Helena, had a church built here as a memorial chapel at the end of the 4th century.

4. This chapel was rebuilt in the 7th century.

5. It was again rebuilt by the Crusaders around 1100 AD.

6. In 1198 AD, the chapel was destroyed by Saladin under Ottoman Muslim conquest, and a mosque was built on its site. However, part of the original chapel was left intact. The bases of the columns can be seen today.

7. At this time, since the chapel was primarily used by Christians, a mosque was built during the Ottoman period on the south side of the compound, and the chapel was converted into a Muslim shrine.

8. Today, both Christians and Muslims visit this place, and it’s open to all.

9. Because it’s the highest place on the Mount of Olives, it’s the believed place from where Christ ascended back to heaven.

10. It’s also the believed place where Christ will return to earth at His second coming.

Places of Interest

1. Chapel of the Ascension

2. Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension

3. Mount of Olives

4. Old City Jerusalem

Location of the Chapel of Ascension in the Bible

1. Christ ascended back to heaven from the top of the Mount of Olives.

Acts 1:6–12: So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? 7 He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

2. The return of Christ to earth will be one of the greatest culminating events in Scripture.

Zechariah 14:4: On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.

3. Every being that has ever been created will see Christ’s return.

Revelation 1:7: Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

4. Christ’s return conquers and flips all evil powers into submission to Him.

Revelation 19:15: From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

5. Christ coming will be in extreme power and great glory.

Matthew 24:29–31: Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Revelation 6:12–17: When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?

6. Believers and angels will return with Christ in power and great glory as well.

Revelation 19:11–15: Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

Mount of Olives

7. Christ will judge the nations and separate the sheep (believers) from the goats (unbelievers).

Revelation 14:17–20: Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe. 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia [200 miles or 300 km].

8. The judgment of unbelievers will be severe.

Zechariah 14:12: And this shall be the plague with which the

Lord

will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

Faith Lesson from the Location of the Chapel of the Ascension

1. Christ proved to be God in ascending in a glorified body back to heaven. Do we believe Jesus is God?

2. Every being that has ever been created will see Christ’s return in power and great glory.

3. Christ’s return conquers and flips all evil powers into submission to Him.

4. Christ coming will be in extreme power and great glory.

5. Christ will physically return to the Mount of Olives.

6. Believers and angels will return with Christ in power and great glory as well.

7. Christ will judge the nations and separate the sheep from the goats.

Chapel of the Ascension – Jerusalem in the background

8. Are we living a devoted life to Christ and serving Him?

9. Are we living a life that is watchful and ready?

10. Will we be among those who come with Christ at His return or those whom Christ judges?

Journal/Notes:

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Location

1. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located about 450 yards (415 m.) west of the Temple Mount.

2. It was located outside the city walls during the time of Christ.

3. It’s the believed place where Christ was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead.

4. It’s the ending place to the Via Dolorosa path, and the last 5 stations are located at it.

5. It’s visited by over a million people every year.

Historical Background

1. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the most important holy site in Christianity and is visited by over one million pilgrims every year.

2. The place of Calvary was once a stone quarry that supplied stone for the building of the temple and so forth. During the time of Christ, there was a gate to Jerusalem called the Gennath Gate, which means garden gate. This gate has been discovered in recent times. It is in a little different location than the Jerusalem model, as the model was built before the gate was discovered. Josephus makes mention of this gate in his historical writings as well. There was a road that passed by the stone quarry for travelers entering and leaving Jerusalem. Because the quarry had fallen out of use many years before Christ, it slowly developed into a garden with a cistern and pool of water nearby. Some of the rock was left, and upon it, the Romans crucified people. This rock can be seen in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre today. It was an ideal place because it was just outside the city and located on a well-traveled road. The Romans crucified people in the most visible places possible, so all would learn what would happen to them if they disobeyed Roman laws. There were also tombs in the rock faces that were used for burials.

Scripture states in John 19:20 that the place of crucifixion was near the city of Jerusalem, so this place fits the biblical narrative well: Therefore, many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.

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Entrance to the church

Substantial remains of the First Wall have been found in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. In these latter excavations, the remains of the Gennath (Garden) Gate and the beginning of what is believed to be the Second Wall have been found, just where Josephus described them as being (cf. War 5.146).

The name Garden Gate indicates that a garden must have been located nearby. Excavations below the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer show that this area used to be an ancient quarry, which was later abandoned. The excavators believe that the area was then filled with good soil, presumably to turn the ugly quarry remains into a beautiful garden.

An additional area by the rock quarry became a cistern as the city developed.

From the Gospels, we know that Jesus was crucified in a place called Calvary and buried in a garden that was in the same place as Joseph of Arimathea's tomb. The front wall of the tomb faced east so the early morning sun could illuminate it. According to Hebrews 13:12, Jesus was crucified outside the city.

Some people have a problem that the place of crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus are so close together in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. However, John 19:41 states: Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So, Scripture clearly indicates that the crucifixion and tomb were nearby to each other.

3. According to tradition, the early Christian community of Jerusalem worshiped at this site of the crucifixion from the time of the resurrection until 135 AD, when Emperor Hadrian destroyed and rebuilt Jerusalem. Visiting the burial sites of rabbis was a common practice that is even done to this day by the Jews. So, there is no doubt the early Christians would have visited the place where Christ died and rose again as well. There was no one like Jesus, so His followers knew exactly where Golgotha was and venerated it. There is no way this spot would have been lost or forgotten by them.

For example, shortly after the resurrection of Christ, the Upper Room was converted into a church, and the apse (which is a half-round circle with a dome shape) pointed toward the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection place of Christ. This gives significant evidence that this place was venerated and visited early on after Christ's resurrection. Because this place was so important, the apse of the Upper Room Church pointed toward it and not the temple.

Another interesting fact is that there are also burial tombs in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that date to the time of Christ. They are of the type that were used from about 37 BC to around 70 AD. These tombs clearly indicate that this area had tombs and was outside the City of Jerusalem during the time of Christ, as regular people were not buried within the city.

4. About 10 years after the crucifixion of Christ, a wall was built by King Agrippa I that enclosed the area of Christ's execution and burial within the city. This accounts for why the Holy Sepulchre is located inside the Old City walls of Jerusalem today.

5. The next major event that affected the site of the crucifixion and tomb of Christ was a major Jewish rebellion against the Romans called the Bar Kokhba revolt in around 132 AD. Because of the revolt, the Roman Emperor Hadrian destroyed much of Jerusalem and changed its orientation. He renamed the city Aelia Capitolina, and the country of Israel to Palestine, which was a Philistine name. His desire was to erase the Jewish connection to the land because of the Jew's continual rebellions and uprisings. He constructed a main street that ran north and south called the Cardo Maximus (which means heart, or center of). He also desecrated the place of the crucifixion and resurrection that the early Christians had venerated, and in its place, he built a large platform that filled in the quarry and had upon it a large temple dedicated to Jupiter and Aphrodite, an ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, identified with Venus by the Romans. Hadrian was so intent on destroying any connection to the land by the Jews and the Christians that he buried all the evidence of the crucifixion and tomb of Christ under a platform that housed his large temple to Jupiter and Venus. Hadrian laid out the new City of Jerusalem so that the major streets led to his temple to Jupiter and Venus, which again were over the remains of the crucifixion and tomb of Christ.

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Hadrian’s Temple to Jupiter & Venus

Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea, Israel, who lived from 260 to 339 AD, gave a chronological account of the development of Early Christianity from the 1st century to the 4th. He was an eyewitness to some of the events Hadrian did and wrote down what he saw. Regarding the desecration of the crucifixion and tomb of Christ, Eusebius says: The Romans brought a quantity of earth from a distance with much labor and covered the entire spot and buried it. Then having raised this to a moderate height, they paved it with stone. What he described was the raised platform Hadrian built, upon which he erected his temple to Jupiter and Venus. This platform had retaining walls around it, of which some can still be seen inside the Church today. Also, some of the stairs leading up to the temple of Hadrian can be seen today in the lower part of the church to the east.

Eusebius goes on to say that: The monument of his most holy passions so long ago buried beneath the ground. Here he is describing the place of the crucifixion and tomb of Christ that were buried. Hadrian also minted a coin depicting the temple he built upon Golgotha. The temple of Hadrian would remain in place for another 200 years or so until the time of the Roman Emperor, Constantine.

6. In 313 AD, a major change happened in the Roman Empire when Constantine legalized Christianity. Later, because his mother was so passionate about Christ, she made a trip to the Holy Land to build churches over the main events of Christ’s life. She built the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives (currently known as the Pater Noster Church), the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Roman Emperor Constantine had the temple Hadrian had erected to Jupiter and Venus demolished to make way for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the process of the demolition, the tomb and crucifixion site of Jesus were uncovered once again, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was erected. Additionally, Constantine's mother, Helena, is claimed to have discovered the relic of the Cross of Jesus at this time as well. The church was dedicated in 335 AD.

7. Now let's see what Jerome says about the fact that Hadrian’s temple was located on the top of the crucifixion and tomb site of Christ. Jerome lived from 347 to 420 AD. In about 389 AD, he established a monastery at Bethlehem and translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin. Bethlehem is very close to Jerusalem, so Jerome was an eyewitness to what he wrote. 

Here's what Jerome tells us: From the time of Hadrian to the reign of Constantine, the spot which had witnessed the resurrection was occupied by a figure of Jupiter while on the rock where the cross had stood a marble statue of Venus was set up by the heathen and became an object of worship. The original persecutors indeed suppose that by polluting our holy places, they would deprive us of our faith in the passion and in the resurrection. So Jerome confirms that from the time of Hadrian to Constantine, the temple Hadrian built was located on top of Golgotha.

So, in the place where Christ died for the sins of humanity, Hadrian set up a temple to false gods who promoted deep immoral sins. What a contrast.

8. Eusebius, whom we referred to earlier, describes the destruction of Hadrian's temple by Constantine: As soon as his [Constantine's] commands were given, these engines of deceit were cast down from their proud eminence to the very ground and the dwelling places of error with the statues and the evil spirits which they represented were overthrown and utterly destroyed. Nor did the emperor’s zeal stop here, but he gave further orders that the materials of what was thus destroyed, both stone and timber, should be removed and thrown as far from the spot as possible, and this command also was speedily executed.

Eusebius continues: The emperor, however, was not satisfied with having proceeded thus far, once more fired with holy adjure he directed that the ground itself should be dug up to come to a considerable depth and the soil which had been polluted by the foul impurities of demon worship transported to a far distant place. This also was accomplished without delay, and as soon as the original surface of the ground beneath the covering of the earth appeared, immediately the venerable and Holy Monument of our Savior's resurrection was discovered. Then indeed did the most holy cave [referring to the tomb] present a faithful similitude of his return to life and that after lying buried in darkness, it again emerged to light and afforded to all who came to witness a sight a clear and visible proof of the wonders of which that spot had once been seen, a testimony to the resurrection of the Savior clearer than any voice could give.

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Eusebius then speaks about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that Constantine built: Accordingly, on the very spot which witnessed the Savior's suffering, a new Jerusalem was constructed where at the side opposite to the Sepulchre [Jesus's tomb] which was the eastern side, the church itself was erected, a noble work rising to a vast height and a great extent in length and breadth.

Eusebius now describes the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Constantine: Thereupon the Emperor issued sacred edicts, and when he had provided an abundant supply of all the things required for the project, he gave orders that a House of Prayer worthy of God should be erected round about the cave of salvation [he is speaking about the tomb], and on a scale of rich and imperial costliness to be greater than anything else that had been built on earth. So Constantine built a large mausoleum over the place of the tomb. A mausoleum is a structure designed for burial or entombment