If I could go back in time and observe one location on the whole face of the earth, it would be the place pictured above.
I'm pretty confident about some of what I would see - the building of the al-Aqsa Mosque (shown above) sometime around 700 AD. I'd see two temples built and destroyed - Solomon's and Herod's. I'd see Jesus teach in the courts of one of those temples. There would probably be a small church there in the 5th century, built by Emperor Constantine's mother. Maybe even a temple to Jupiter in between Solomon's and Herod's temples.
But there are people that believe I would see a lot more. Would I see Abraham climb that mount with Isaac - or Ishmael? Some would tell me I would watch Mohammed ascend into heaven from this spot. Some would even tell me that, if I went back far enough, I would see God himself shape Adam out of clay from this hill - and then rest from his creative labors on the seventh day.
Isn't it amazing, though, that out of all the 500 million square kilometers of surface area on this planet, three of the world's major religions claim this one hill as the epicenter of their faith? I will never forget walking on that hill and pondering what the dirt beneath my feet had seen.
We are in a new series at our church called, "The Star, the Cross, and the Crescent." It should be a great series, but somehow I wonder if we can communicate the depth of the mystery and amazing power of that place and the religions it represents.
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