Feature Story_Following the Footsteps of the Lord (3)
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March 17, 2019 |
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On the Mount of Transfiguration
mentioned in Matt. 17. Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to pray. Jesus was transfigured into a spiritual body and had a deep spiritual conversation with Moses and Elijah. Peter saw this and said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" Mount of Transfiguration stands 588m from the sea level. The space at the top area has a much bigger area than that needed to hold just 3 tabernacles. The mountain let us feel the spiritual lights, voices, and energy of the time of Jesus.
Megiddo, Reminding Of Armageddon
The pilgrims came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and stopped by Megiddo and Caesarea before they arrived at Jerusalem. Megiddo was a gateway place that connected Syria and Egypt, and for this reason it was the site of many wars. Revelation 16:16 prophesies Megiddo will be the final battleground of Armageddon. Joshua conquered the west of Jordan River around 1,230 BC along with the Megiddo fortress. It flourished during the reign of King Solomon but was turned to ruins in the invasion of Assyria in 723 BC.
Caesarea and Jerusalem
Caesarea is a port city located on the coast of the Mediterranean. The port, water lines, an amphitheater, temples and palaces made of marble remain to this day.
The archaeologists found a memorial stone in Caesarea which has a clear inscription that says "Pontius Pilate Governor of Judea". It is the evidence that Pilate, who issued death sentence to Jesus, stayed in Caesarea. In Acts chapter 10 is a record of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was stationed in Caesarea. He invited apostle Peter to his house and listened to the word of God, and he and his household and his friends received the Holy Spirit and other tongues, as well as baptism. Jerusalem gave us an overall shadowy feeling when we arrived there. It is a place where we could feel the tears of Jesus that He shed for Jerusalem. We felt like we could hear the mourning of Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary at the time of Jesus's crucifixion. The pilgrims saw many orthodox Jews on every street of Jerusalem. Their attire was all black including their hats.
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