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History of Israel – Jerusalem’s Golden Gate
The Old City of Jerusalem is surrounded by a wall containing eight major gates. The Eastern Gate, facing the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley, is unique in that it was sealed shut by the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent in 1540-41 A.D. who believed that sealing up the Golden Gate would prevent the coming Jewish Messiah from gaining entrance to Jerusalem to rule and reign.
The Eastern Gate of Jerusalem is also called the Golden Gate or the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:2). In Hebrew, it is Sha’ar Harahamim, the “Gate of Mercy.” It is currently the oldest gate in the Old City, (6th or 7th century A.D.) built on top of the original ancient Golden Gate which may date back to the time of Nehemiah.
Yeshua used this gate when entering Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It’s the sealing of Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate that has caused many students of prophecy to sit up and take notice. The book of Ezekiel contains several references to a gate that faces east. In Ezekiel 10:18-19, the prophet sees the glory of the Lord leave the Temple through:
“They paused at the entrance to the east gate of Adonai’s house”; “Next, the glory of Adonai rose from within the city and stood over the mountain which is on the east side of the city” (Ezekiel 11:23). Later, Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord return to the temple via “the gate facing east” (Ezekiel 43:1-5).
Some interpret these passages in Ezekiel as references to the Messiah. The glory of the Lord coming into the temple is the triumphal entry (Ezekiel 43:2; Matthew 21:1–11).
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Pictures from Israel
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History of Israel –Ancient Nabatean city of Mamshit
Mamshit, or its Arab name Mamshit-Kurnub, or even Mampsis to the Greeks, is located on hills above the Mamshit River gorge in the Negev Desert adjacent to the Dead Sea. The setting of Mamshit, against the soft desert hills and azure sky, is spectacular. Some buildings have been reconstructed which show what the city looked like in the first century B.C.E.
Historically, Mamshit was an important trade-centre on the popular incense and spices road, which connected the east (Yemen and Oman) through Arabia via the Nabatean capital city Petra, and on to the port cities on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as Eilat, Beer-Sheva, Hebron and Jerusalem.
During its history, Mamshit city has been ruled by ancient Nabatean, Roman and Byzantine empires and before this, Nabatean history goes back thousands of years, starting close to the time when the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar who, in 586 B.C.E. captured Jerusalem and exiled most of the Jewish people. When the Nabateans (who were originally a nomadic people from the Arabian Peninsula), took over Mamshit, they established stations and fortresses along this trade route. However, they were conquered by the Romans who built a wall around the city, which remained intact until the late fourth century C.E. After them, the Byzantines occupied the city for three centuries and built many structures including two churches which continued to be used until the Arab conquest. From that time, Mamshit fell into disrepair and virtually ceased to exist. In 1936 the British Mandatory government built a police station over the ruins of an ancient Nabataean building on one of the highest parts of Mamshit, as well as establishing the Desert Mounted Police to supervise Beduins and Jews in the northern Negev.
Mamshit is the best restored in the Negev Desert, which is carefully maintained by Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The city area itself is small enough to walk around in about an hour—a tourist’s delight.
Among the ruins were many large wealthy homes. One is a 1,600 square-metre house, with courtyards, stairways and stables, showing the individual wealth of its owner, who for reasons unknown, left behind (for the archaeologists to find), some 10,500 silver coins dated between 222 and 275 C.E.
Israel © MEA-20180523 (J442) History of Israel -Nabatean city of Mamshit
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Pictures from Israel
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Interesting Israel -Columbarium at Masada
This interesting ‘honeycomb’ structure on top of the ancient fortress of Masada, could be mistaken for a brick wall to let air and light enter a dwelling. However, it is actually a columbarium, a name derived from the Latin ‘columba’ meaning dove. Historically, doves and pigeons were used for communicating to the outside world and of course, as a food source for residents and soldiers living on Masada’s summit. As well as doves which provided fresh meat and eggs, Masada’s isolated and elevated location required many more storerooms for essential dry-goods.
Such was the case when, in about 37-34 B.C.E., King Herod the Great was deposed and fled from Jerusalem to Masada, where he built his palace fortress on Masada’s summit along with 29 elongated storerooms. Archaeologists have discovered remains of clay pots used to store food, where some of the clay containers have retained their labels bearing names like fish, beans, dried figs, meat and fig cake.
Herod’s luxurious mountain top retreat was home to up to 100 people at any one time, who all needed to be fed. About a hundred years later, in 67 A.D. Jewish Sicarii rebels in the First Jewish-Roman War, took the summit of Masada as their retreat from the Romans who had left many supplies which managed to sustain approximately 960 people for almost two years.
Israel © MEA-20180516 (PF720) Interesting Israel -Columbarium at Masada
Copyright exists in all the material on this website and is owned by Messianic Education Australia Ltd. unless otherwise explicitly stated. This copyright extends to the images, logos, layout and presentation styles as well as the text material.
