Pilgrimage to Israel

The last five Stations of the Via Dolorosa are situated inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church contains, according to traditions dating back to at least the fourth century, the two holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, at a place known as Calvary or Golgotha, and Jesus's empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected. This church has become a shrine, almost to the point of idol worship. Inside, there is a bewildering conglomeration of 30-plus chapels and worship spaces. These are encrusted with the devotional ornamentation of several Christian rites. The main denominations sharing property over parts of the church are the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian Apostolic, and to a lesser degree the Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox.
The history of the churches fighting among themselves for ownership includes fistfights and disputes over who owns the strip of the plaza below the first step up to the entrance of the church. The Immovable Ladder, the small ladder below the top-right window at the church entrance, has remained in the same position since 1854 after a disagreement on who could move it. Of all the Christian holy places, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is probably the most difficult for me to come to terms with. The true meaning of Christ's sacrifice has been turned into a ritualistic and materialistic shrine. The definition of materialistic is one who is focused on objects, ownership and wealth and that summarizes how it felt to me.En savoir plus

The Temple Institute is in the Jewish Quarter. The institute's ultimate goal is to see Israel rebuild the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. They are still waiting for their Old Testament Messiah to come to earth and they reject that Jesus was the Messiah. No pictures were allowed to be taken inside the institute. As part of its ongoing effort to prepare for the future Temple, they have been preparing ritual objects suitable for Temple use. They say each object has been made as written in the Law of the Old Testament. Priests and the High Priest garments are made. Altar clay bricks have been made and built to the minimum size requirements. The altar can be dismantled and quickly moved to the temple where white plaster will be applied. A copper washbasin, copper utensils for meal and grain offerings and silver trumpets have already been made. They say they know where the ark of the covenant is hidden. They say Solomon created secret chambers to hide the ark from invaders. Fearing its capture by the invading Babylonians, King Josiah had it removed from the Holy of Holies, and hidden in a chamber deep beneath the Temple Mount. They will retrieve it when the third Temple is built. They didn't say anything about the third Temple being the dwelling place of God but called it a gathering place for all peoples.
The Menorah is completed and displayed in the public square. It is made of real gold over a skeleton that is not gold. It weighs almost a ton and is n a bulletproof clear enclosure. God gave instructions for the first lampstand (or Menorah in Hebrew) in Exodus 25:31-33 “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 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.”
The lampstand provided light for the priests to do their work since there were no windows in the wilderness tabernacle through which natural light could enter. The almond blossom-shaped cups were filled with olive oil, and wicks were inserted into the oil and lit to provide light. All day and all night, whether anyone was present or not, these seven lamps constantly lit up the glory of the Holy Place as a reminder that God's presence is always with His people.En savoir plus