Jerusalem of Gold

On Monday, February 23rd, we had a quick trip up to the Syrian border to bless the soldiers there at one of the outposts. Those pictures will be posted next week. We returned to Jerusalem by mid-afternoon. I had a call from a friend to meet for dinner in The Old City which is just a short walk from Christian Friends of Israel main office. The timing of my walk was very good for photos. The sun was just setting on the walls of The Old City displaying this beautiful golden color. Hence, one of the nicknames for Jerusalem is "Jerusalem of Gold".

Here is a photo of The Old City walls where the sunset was missing.

At the beginning of my walk down Jaffa Street towards The Old City, this old statue sits atop one of the buildings. If my Roman Numerals are correct, that says 1831. Whoever made the statue knew the Book of Daniel where Daniel has a dream and visions of four world empires. The "lion with eagle's wings" represented Babylon. Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings... Daniel 7:2-4.

This tiled map is on a wall at Safra Square where the Jerusalem City offices are located. It is a replica of an ancient map showing that Jerusalem is the link between three continents; Europe, Asia, and Africa. God Almighty Himself chose Jerusalem to be the "center of the earth" and the place for His Holy Name to dwell. Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel. II Chronicles 6:6.

The steeple of the Lutheran Church appearing over the outside walls.

The direction that I am headed toward the Jaffa Gate.

Palm trees that line the sidewalk outside the walls.





Jaffa Gate in the distance.

In the late 19th Century, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Princess Augusta Victoria entered Jerusalem thru the Jaffa Gate. Today the German Hospital and guest house on the Mount of Olives is still known as Augusta Victoria.

During World War I, it was British forces that conqueored the Ottoman Turks who controlled the land in this area. Rather than fight within the walls of old Jerusalem, the Ottoman Turks withdrew to the north to fight there. British General Sir Edmund Allenby dismounted his horse and walked into Jerusalem thru the Jaffa Gate.

This is named David's Tower but I believe it was actually one of Herod's palaces.

In the center of this wall you can see strategic openings for defense of the city. The openings were probably created for bows and arrows but would also work for guns. The Old City walls contain a significant number of such port holes.

Trying to show the size of the walls.

A former entrance at the Jaffa Gate which has been closed somewhere in history.

Sunset from the Jaffa Gate Plaza area.

Looking inside Jaffa Gate with a "defensive position" for battle.

This old sign has seen a lot of changes.

King David Hotel from the Jaffa Gate.

Sunset with the King David Hotel on the left and construction cranes.

Ditto.

Jerusalem is a city of 700,000 and does have traffic jams like any other city.

Inside The Old City.

The Imperial Hotel is one of the older hotels in The Old City.

The mounted police entering The Old City. Always a busy atmosphere.

Earlier in the afternoon as we returned from the Golan Heights and the Syrian border, we made a pit stop by Jericho. This camel obviously had a hard day of giving tourists a ride.

Signs of Spring; Sderot Visits

Today, Saturday, February 21st, we are enjoying a much needed rain shower in Jerusaelm. All of Israel is in need of rain. May the Lord bless His Land with an abundance of rain during the next few days. Rain can be withheld as one of God's judgments. "Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you. Deuteronomy 11:17. Jerusalem is beginning to experience an early spring. It is a beautiful sight when the almond trees begin to blossom. Almighty God Himself chose the almond blossom as the design for the lampstand in the tabernacle and temple. Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower--so for six branches going out from the lampstand; and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. Exodus 35:32-34.

And on the lampstand were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. Exodus 37:20.

Chances are the Heavenly Lampstands may also be designed after the almond blossom. It is a great comfort for us to know that the Lord Jesus walks among the Lampstands and is still in control of all things in Heaven and on earth. " ... The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands ... Revelation 2:1.

These photos are from the courtyard of my apartment complex in the German Colony neighborhood of Jerusalem.

I remember seeing this flower down in the desert at Sde Boker.







One of the neighborhood stray cats wondering what in the world I am doing.

Just outside my front window.

The geraniums on my balcony have a lot of new growth and should really blossom for spring. I still don't know anything about flowers. I just let the Lord Jesus take care of them.

On the inside of my patio.

My good friends, Merlin and Margaret, bought me this olive tree plant last May when it was just a little twig. Three years of growth first; then the olives of the fourth year belong to God (first fruits); then I can eat the olives in the fifth year. 'When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. 'But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD.'In the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you; I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:23-25.

On my patio.

This one too.

Still on my patio.

Outside my living room window that slides open so I can water the flowers. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:12.

Here we are breaking for lunch in Sderot on Thursday, February 5th. Dividing up into two teams that day, we were able to visit nine distraught families. Being the driver, I do know the "roundabouts" (traffic circles) in Sderot, just one kilometer from Gaza. Christian Friends of Israel is the appropriate name of the ministry. Starting with me, the countries represented are US; England; Ukraine/Israel; South Africa; and Bulgaria.

The young man leaning on the cane was thrust against a brick wall when a kassam rocket landed near the post office one day in Sderot. Being unable to work right now plus extra medical bills has caused a financial burdern. CFI was able to help.

This is the bomb shelter in one of the poorer apartment buildings that we visited on Tuesday, February 17th. We were a team of only three on this day but still visited seven families.

After blessing this young girl and her mother with some food coupons, she continued to wave until we drove away. In addition to the coupons, they were excited that someone cared enough to sit down and listen to the problems they face.

As we were leaving the apartment of his grandma, I taught this young man how to shake hands. His grandma was singing to him as they followed us to the car. Many times the families do not want us to leave. It is such a privilege to serve the Lord. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat;... Matthew 25:35.

This lady shared one of her experiences during the Gaza Conflict with us. Her apartment is on the top floor of a small hill in Sderot. You can almost see Gaza from there. One day she is looking at the television when a kassam rocket was launched toward Sderot. She looked out her window and could see the smoke trail of the same kassam that she was seeing on television. The television camera had to be setup near her house. We defintely prayed for her protection. You can see that she insisted that we have some tea with her.

This couples apartment was damaged when a kassam landed in the street nearby and the force of the blast broke all their windows and even damaged the door. The lady of the house was fixing dinner in the kitchen at the time of the blast. Once again, they insisted on being kind to strangers. You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 22:21.

This young mother of four lives next to the open fields between Sderot and Gaza. May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor. Psalm 72:4.

Senator John Kerry was in Sderot two days after our visits this week. Like all politicians, he had his picture taken in front of the "kassam rocket" museum at Sderot's Police Station. President Obama stood here last July. They should take the time to visit some of the residents of Sderot.

After our visits this Tuesday, on the highway from Sderot to Ashkelon, God graciously blessed us with a double rainbow.I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth."It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud,and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. Genesis 9:13-15.

"When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." Genesis 9:16.