In the last year I travelled to Israel 3 times, including one time with my family. Every time I go, my relationship with God and my knowledge of his Word are deepened. For a message series on the end times and just plain personal interest, I have been digging into books like Daniel, Revelation, Zechariah, Isaiah, and passages such as Matthew 24.
What does the Bible really say about the end times? Will there be a rapture of some sorts? Where will Jesus return? And will he even return? Will there be a millennium?
A few of those questions I answered in this video that I recorded from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The Bible clearly states that Messiah will return on this mountain, which is the same mountain where Jesus ascended from after his resurrection. To my surprise, the video reached over 100k views only two months after I posted it on YouTube!
By the way: I mentioned in the video that I believe that the location of the garden of Eden wasn’t in Iraq or so, but in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount. I picked up that idea somewhere. I got some criticism about that, so I was concerned that wasn’t correct.
During my last trip to Israel, our tour guide mentioned the very same thing. The strongest hint in the text is in Genesis 2:10-14, which mentions four rivers which used to flow out of Eden: the Piston, the Gihon, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Well… the Gihon spring is in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 1:33 and 2 Chronicles 32:30). It’s still a bit of a puzzle with all the other topographical hints in Genesis 2, but the other verses at least put Jerusalem in the realm of possibilities. So I am sticking with my opinion that the Garden of Eden is where now the Temple Mount is, which is the same location where Abraham almost sacrificed his son (Mount Moriah), where King David stopped the plague (the threshing floor of Araunah), and where Solomon built the first temple.
Why do I think that Israel is the center of the world? Check out the video and let me know what you think!
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