The Old City of Jerusalem contains eight individual entrances, or gates, seven of which can be accessed. Golden Gate (aka East Gate) has been sealed shut for nearly 500 years and faces the Mount of Olives. The other seven are named in a clockwise pattern: Dung Gate, Zion Gate, Jaffa Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod’s Gate, and Lion Gate. Each gate accesses a different section or quarter of the city: Jewish, Armenian, Christian and Muslim (or Arab). The city is open to visitors 24 hours a day, as the Western Wall is a popular spot with tourists and the Jewish population visit there at all hours for prayer and teaching.
Damascus Gate on the North side of the Old City provides access to the Arab Quarter. The Garden Tomb and Zedekiah’s Cave is nearby. When buses and trains stop running on the Sabbath, transportation is readily available here.
Jaffa Gate provides accesss to the Christian Quarter on the western side of the city. The affluent Mamilla mall with shops and dining is located immediately beyond this popular gate.
This is the Dung Gate, located on the southern wall of the Old City. The Western Wall is immediately inside this gate. Turn left on the road outside the gate to the Mount of Olives.
On the eastern wall of the Old City, Golden Gate was sealed shut in 1541 by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. Across the Kidron Valley, this double gate directly faces the Mount of Olives. According to Zechariah 14:4 (KJV), Jesus will return to this place, not far from where He ascended into Heaven, when He soon comes to reign in glory. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
At Jaffa Gate yesterday, I had the honor of evangelizing with my friends James and Paul, two wonderful men of God with massive hearts for the unsaved. With their booming voices, many heard their words of warning to repent and come to know and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. My role was mostly one of watching and learning, although I occasionally had the opportunity to speak with an individual who had questions about Yeshua. I witnessed my friends being spat upon and was amazed at their calm acceptance. Their answer to the perpetrator was that Jesus Himself had endured the same treatment, that he was loved, and that their only desire was for one of salvation. I was also pleasantly surprised at the number of folks passing through the square that indicated they were saved and professed their love for us and our Savior. These were people from all walks of life, race and religion.
I’ll be honest, it got a little uncomfortable for me as the crowd gathered and anger mounted. The gentleman wearing the tie was not happy with the message James was bringing. He repeatedly told him to shut up and leave the area. The man in the white shirt and white kippa was livid, as evidenced by his body language. When you share the Gospel to the Jews in Israel, many of them have a knee-jerk negative reaction. They are raised from a young age to hate Jesus Christ and are simply reacting to what they have been taught. They generally read only the first five books of the Bible (Torah) and are not allowed to read the New Testament. They consider it idolatry to worship any god but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob so the message of salvation through Yeshua or Jesus Christ is considered blasphemy. The good news is that Jews, Hindus, Muslims and people from all the nations are coming to know redemption through our Savior in these tumultuous last days.
OUR FATHER LOVES US AND WANTS US WITH HIM FOR ETERNITY!
God’s Word is clear that He wishes none of His children to perish for lack of knowledge of His saving Grace. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 KJV
IF YOUR HOUSE WAS ON FIRE WOULD YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU?
Furthermore, it is incumbent upon us to preach the Gospel to those who have no knowledge of God’s Word and Yeshua’s saving blood. Keep in mind, there will be many capable of listening to the threats of the Law and to the promises of the gospel with utter indifference and unconcern.
DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER- YOU ARE LOVED!
Ezekiel 33:7-9 King James Version (KJV)
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
It is so important to share with others the hope that is in us as a born-again believer in Jesus (Yeshua). This is surely the last generation and time is short- the fields are ripe for harvest. Is there anyone who would argue that the world is more wicked than ever before? If He came back for His bride, the body of Christ (US!), six years ago, I would not have made it to Heaven. Rather I would have faced an eternity of separation from Him… People, this is a matter of eternal life and death! Please consider carefully before discounting the message in this post. If you have questions or need prayer, please leave a comment. I am happy to tell anyone what happened to me and how my life changed when I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. Peace, love and joy to all!
We are reading J Bernis’s Book A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days with Brown’s Our Hands are Stained with Blood as a resource to go with. It’s no wonder the Jews want nothing to do with the “Christian Jesus.” Praying for Jewish and Christian eyes and hearts to be opened!
It is good to read your news and we miss you. Please be careful.
I re-read this piece and wanted to merely add that one of the reasons Jews are so vehement against Jesus, is that the Church for millennia persecuted the Jews, not only Catholics in Europe and through the Shoa (Holocaust). This was during a time of great modernity. Jesus (Yeshua) was made into a Gentile after the Romans destroyed the second temple and some of the founding fathers of modern Christianity (not the first believers) destroyed customs and/or forbade Jews to keep their biblical feasts, customs and culture. They changed the Jewish calendar and adopted pagan feasts on top of remembrance of the birth and death of Jesus. Almost all traces of the Jewish calendar and customs of the Jewish roots were destroyed and so this is still fresh in the memory of modern day Jews, regardless of whether or not they are religious in general terms. To approach these people with a preaching attitude is to miss what they do know about the G-d of Israel and the Torah. I don’t believe they are all told the same information, but it is is a very delicate and difficult balance to maintain. Imagine being in Spain for example or Portugal in the 15th century and being burned if you did not convert to Catholicism.
Rabbi Don Goldstein recommends a great book Our Hands are Stained with Blood by Michael Brown to truly understand why Jews are so distrustful of “Christians” Very eye opening!