Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
I hope to visit this blessed site one day before I leave this earth = The location of where Christ's feet will stand when He returns.
Those who have, say the sight of the Jewish cemetery built for ages as they await the resurrection with a front row view, is overpowering to the human soul.

"Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.
For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.
In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
Zechariah 14:1-4



You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle.
For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.
And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter
Zechariah 14:5-5

This is how the Son will replace the sun as the Light of the World.
And where the separating of the sheep and goats will occur.
Lord, help us realize we are Your sheep and You are our Shepherd.

Blessings,
Mark

Amen

Been there! Was totally worth the ticket price! Just do it Mark you’ll never regret it. Shines a whole new light on the Word.

Was there in 2013. Great trip but will never again go with a group. Would rather see and experience a few things well, than a lot of things haphazardly.

Thanks Mark. I plan to go one day too.

Thanks...

"...and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished..."

Who says the Bible doesn't express approval of rape?

In today's civilized, secular society, rape by soldiers is considered a war crime.

Jim

The Maccabean Wars began when the Seleucids captured Jerusalem, plundered the city and its temple, killed many people, and took women and children captive in fulfillment of vs. 1-2. Zechariah 14:2 says that “all the nations” were to be gathered to fight against Jerusalem. In explicit fulfillment of Zechariah 14:2, 2 Maccabees says that the Seleucid army that attacked the Maccabees during the Maccabean Wars consisted of Gentiles from “all the nations” (2 Maccabees 8:9). Zechariah 14:4 predicts that the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west. Confirmation of the fulfillment of this verse is found in the fact that the Mt. of Olives is split in two.

Just saying.

Cat daddy and 653 are right.

Mark, I can't count how many quiet times I've had with that view. I never got tired of it. Just below the graves sits the Garden of Gethsemane. To the left of the corner of the temple wall (the pinnacle) sits the city of David. If you go with a group you'll spend most nights in a hotel in Jerusalem. Seriously, make the investment and go. To see the Bible come to life is priceless.

If I can come up with the cash I'd go again in a heartbeat.

Thank you all for the comments. It is appreciated.

Blessings,
Mark

So when Christ returns, will YOU be one of the plunderers and rapists? Or is it the angels who do that stuff?

Jim

What happened to you, Mark?

Am I being "legalistic" again?

I just want to know this:

If you are part of Christ's holy host at the end of times, and He instructs you to sack Jerusalem and rape its women, will you pitch in and do your part with glee?

Or would conscience give you pause?

Jim

James,
With all due respect and humility, the fact that you ask me (or another person) in an online forum such things is beneath an answer. You'll say I'm dodging and I'm prepared for your rebuke. It doesn't really matter what I answer anyway, you're not here for discussion, you're here to show who has the right answer.

I'm sticking with the God-man, hypo-static union, never been done before or since, resurrection from a decayed body state, in front of over 500 witnesses Lord.

And to call me to answer if I would rape someone given the order to do so, tells me plainly my pearls stay in my pocket in this case.
I will still ask the Almighty to heal the blind, give ears to the deaf, and make the lame walk.

Blessings,
Mark

How would you interpret the words YOU posted?

It's harder pinning down a minister than it is another lawyer! lol

Keep your pearls, I don't want them. Nice of you to imply I'm a swine though.

Jim

I don't feel like giving you a Zechariah Bible lesson at present. Or Daniel. Or Revelation.

When he get back from your lunch, and you're not busy, and you have a minute, ask God.
It's you that always has the questions (not really) and it's His story so He'd be the best One to ask IMO.

Blessings,
Mark

Mark, I just don't believe Zechariah is part of a good Book. Rape sure sounds like the devil's work to me.

You can do handstands trying to rationalize Zechariah, but it still says what it says. A despot leading an army could easily rely on those words to justify rape and plunder for his troops. And many have.

In this case, we have to rely on secular humanism to determine rape is wrong. Hmm, maybe humanism ain't so bad after all.



Jim

Ok.

I'm curious: does it say anywhere in the Bible that rape is wrong?

This isn't a hypothetical question. Some white slaveowners used these passages to justify turning their slaves into sex toys.

Jim

Raphael Warnock says he's a man of faith also. He's not from the fruit that is evident.
Not according to orthodox doctrine of the Christian faith he's not. He's got faith, but it's not orthodox Christianity.
Why do you ask about people who use drugs, sex, faith, bullets, baseball bats, knives, or any other methodology to "do their bidding."
Sin. Men's hearts. Greed, Lust, Power, Sloth, Pride..... sin, sin, sin?

I don't answer for other people's sins. I answer only for mine. You'd have to ask others.
Or ask you about you.
Many don't like Christians for one simple fact.
When we have an issue, we look at our own hearts as we gaze up. We don't first ask the government because we answer to God.
He is Lord. Some say WDC is their lord. Ok. Some say I'm my own lord. Fine.
It's pretty humble stuff James if you understood it well.

Why would I continue to ask you about lawyers who do bad things to clients and have YOU explain that to me? What? Why? How?
You have a sociological assessment of God and you are judging God by man.
I don't and I can't speak to those who did or didn't do this, that, and the other.

Maybe CINO? Christian in name only?

Blessings,
Mark

I'll take that as a no.

Mark, every time I start feeling neutral about the Bible, someone goes and quotes what it says.

It's modern secularism that proscribes rape, not the Good Book. As we both know (I assume), in Zechariah's time (whether or not he was a real individual) rape was considered part of warfare. Even to those who wrote the Bible. But times have changed. We now have secular humanism to help with morality.

One of the reasons I'm skeptical the Bible is divinely inspired is because it is never ahead of its time. No real testable, unambiguous predictions. No prediction of human flight or the United Nations. In fact the idea of a UN is contrary to Bible predictions, no? No mention of rape being evil.


Jim