Weekly Picture from Israel 180117

Pictures from Israel

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+Israel © MEA-20180124 (PF319) Historical Israel -Herod’s Temple

Historical Israel -Herod’s Temple

On the eastern edge of Jerusalem, just west of Gethsemane and northwest of the Kidron Valley, sat the Temple of Herod. Literature states that the outer walls formed a rough rectangle, 500 feet long by 100 feet wide, slightly narrower on the south than the north, and slightly tilted to the northwest. Archaeological evidence has the dimensions closer to 1,550 feet by 1000 feet. On the far northwest corner sat Antonia Fortress, the home of the temple garrison that stayed alert for disturbances in the temple—disturbances that could gain the governor unwanted attention from Rome.

This 50:1 scale model, covering nearly one acre, shows ancient Jerusalem and the Temple at its peak, meticulously recreating its topography and architectural character in 66 CE, the year in which the Great Revolt against the Romans broke out, leading to the destruction of the Temple and the city in the year 70 CE. The model, a Jerusalem cultural landmark, was originally built at the initiative of Holyland Hotel owner Hans Kroch in memory of his son Jacob, who fell in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. The model includes a replica of the Herodian Temple. [To get an aerial view of this picture, cover over the man at the top of the picture with your thumb and look at the picture again.]

The model was opened to the public in 1966, immediately becoming a popular attraction and educational site for Israelis and tourists alike. In 2006 the model was transferred to the Israel Museum campus, where it offers a concrete illustration of the period documented in the Dead Sea Scrolls, when Rabbinic Judaism took shape and Christianity was born. Providing a vivid context for the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls and for many contemporaneous archaeological artefacts displayed throughout the Museum, the Model Illustrates one of the most formative periods in the history of the Jewish people, and bears a deep connection to the symbols of modern statehood that surround the Museum campus. In preparation for the move, the model was sawn into 1,000 pieces and later reassembled. The Holyland Hotel spent $3.5 million on the move.

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Weekly Picture from Israel 180110

Pictures from Israel

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+Israel © MEA 20180110 (JS244)-Historical Sites in Israel -Golden Gate

Historical Sites in Israel: The 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.

When 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).

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.