Long before I came to know the Lord, I was already fascinated by the mountain of God, Jerusalem as Eden and the archaeology of the City of David.

I did not yet even truly believe in God’s holy mountain, but its secrets had captivated me even so.

• Was there really this place where God came down to meet with man?
• Was there access to the Garden of Eden?
• What are the secrets of God’s Holy Mountain?
• What can we learn from it in our time?

In fact, and here I am revealing a well-kept professional secret… the search for the mysteries of the mountain, including its Lost Ark of the Covenant – energizes even calm, scientific archaeologists (not to mention movie producers)!

As an archaeologist I studied this subject for many years, and it is partly what God used to reveal Himself to me.

In 2001 I started my study into “Jerusalem as Eden” and the archaeology of the City of David. At the time, I only understood the physical world, and therefore I only saw the geography and archeology of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem I was drawn to a great secret about the presence of God. Rabbis called it the place where heaven and earth meet and a place of divine revelation.

Conceptualization by the author.

Eden – a place of God’s presence

In Genesis 2:8-10 we read that the Lord planted a garden in a place called Eden, where he formed Adam and Eve. The name Eden in Hebrew means “God’s delight” implying that God formed mankind to dwell in His presence in his delight since this was place where He spoke with man openly. According to Genesis a river flowed from Eden and branched into four streams, nourishing the world. The second river was the Gihon (Genesis 2:13), the same name of the main spring in Jerusalem to this day.

As an archaeologist I had noticed that Genesis and Revelation went together. In Genesis we read about the exile from Eden, and at the end of the Bible, in Revelation, we read about the restoration of Eden (Revelation 22:1-2). But I did not yet understand its true meaning.

Many archaeologists have seen similarities between Eden and the “Mountain of God” (Jerusalem as Eden, Stager, BAR 26:3, May/June 2000). Scholars believe that there was a garden in the place called Eden and it was on a holy mountain. God’s throne was on the top, and a garden stood halfway up the mountain protected by two winged creatures, where God met man. In the garden stood the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and from God’s throne flowed a river of life. Archaeologists have recognized that both Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion were mountains where God revealed Himself, locations between heaven and earth.

Hezekiahs water tunnel – a type of the river flowing from beneath the altar. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Guetta

Mt. Zion & Eden

Throughout history archaeologists sought for the location of Eden, and I’m not saying it was literally in Jerusalem. But on the mountain of God we see the symbolism of Eden come to life. According to Stager: “There is no place where we see the Mountain of God better than in Jerusalem.” Jewish tradition sees Mt. Zion as the place where order was made, where Adam and Eve are buried and where heaven meets earth.

Where is this Mt. Zion? The original location is the Fortress of Zion in the City of David. II Samuel 5:7 states: “David took the stronghold of Zion: It is the city of David.” The City of David is the southern slope of the Temple Mount. Zion meant highest point or “marked” in Hebrew, or castle in Semitic. In the Middle Bronze Age it was known as Shalem (Shalom, peace, wholeness) where Melchizedek the king of Salem and priest of the most high God met Abraham. Many scholars believe that it was already a holy city at that time. In the Middle Bronze Age it was called Rushalimum (Execration texts) and in the Late Bronze Age Urusalem (el-Amarna Letters). During the time of the Judges it was called Jebus. David conquered Jebus, the fortress of Zion, and it became known as the City of David.

At first Zion was the name for the fortress of Zion in the City of David only. Later it was extended to all of the City of David, and even later also included the Temple Mount. Then Zion became the word used for all Jerusalem and later for all Israel and for all the people of Israel. In the New Testament it is also the name for the spiritual restoration of Eden in our heart and the Kingdom of Heaven. Zion generally refers to the dwelling place of God, the heavenly city… Zion is Eden restored.

According to the Bible, God chose Zion as His dwelling place. Psalm 132:13-14 says: “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His Habitation. This is my resting place forever; Here I dwell for I have desired it.” There are so many scriptures about God’s love for Zion.

Zion represented a spiritual Eden, God’s Holy mountain. On the summit was the Temple, the place between heaven and earth and below it was a river, the Gihon spring. The Tabernacle of David likely stood in the City of David, somewhere above the spring, “In Shalem was set his Tabernacle” (Psalm 76:3). The Ark of the Covenant represented the throne of God and from under it flowed the river of life, just as in Eden. It was a place of open fellowship and worship with the Lord.

Altar stone of Melchizedek sacred place discovered by Eli Shukron above Gihon Spring. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Guetta

When Solomon built the Temple on the threshing floor of Arunah, it also represented a place between heaven and earth, where God met man like in Eden and talked with him. The Temple was decorated like a garden with palm trees, lilies, flowers, lions and pomegranates. It was the place where man came to meet God after being cleansed from his sin through sacrifices, and immersion in water. In the center stood the tree of life, which some believe was the menorah itself, others see the palm tree on the walls as the tree of life. The two pillars at the entrance were the guardians of the garden. The throne of God, the “residing” presence of God, was in the back, where the Ark of the Covenant resided.

From the belly of the mountain of God came the river of life, the Gihon spring, which bubbled up and flowed towards the East to the Siloam pool, and from there to make the desert flourish. Before ascending the mountain the people had to go through water purification. The spring of Gihon, represented the river running from Eden. The Temple needed non-stop PURE water for cleansing all the blood from the sacrifices. In the past, pure “living” water meant natural spring water that bubbled up constantly and kept flowing. It was not allowed to stagnate otherwise it would become impure with rubble and bacteria. It had to keep moving, to stay pure. Gihon literally means in Hebrew “bursting, flowing, gushing.” In the past it was much stronger than now. It gushed up non-stop water out of the ground and always flowed, like a fountain of life.

The water from underneath the Temple flowed eastward through tunnels into the Siloam Pool, which was a Mikveh, with constant running water coming into to it, and also flowing out toward the desert. Israelite men would go there to bathe before climbing the pilgrim steps up to the temple. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…” Psalm 24:3-6.They were physically cleaning their hands before ascending up God’s Holy Hill, making “Aliyah” going up to the Lord. These steps were recently found by archaeologists in the City of David and are currently being prepared for the public to walk on. The steps are a visual representation of walking up the mountain of God and walking up to a type of Garden of Eden where man communed with God.

Site of ancient Pool of Siloam. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Sacrificial Lamb provided on the Mountain

In the City of David, as an archaeologist, I had seen the symbolism of Eden come to life, but I only saw the physical world. It was during Eli Shukron’s excavations of the Melchizedek sacred place above the spring that I discovered the key to going up the mountain of God and the restoration of Eden.

Eli uncovered the sacred place above the spring where the kings of Israel were anointed and an upright stone reminiscent of Jacob’s stone, where God had opened the heavens. It was in use for about a thousand years, from 1700 BC until King Hezekiah, who then carefully buried it to preserve it. There is one upright stone standing between little stones, reminiscent of Jacob’s stone at Bethel, an altar for sacrifice, and an olive press for making anointing oil. The groves in the bedrock are related to the sacrifices.

Archaeologically, it was the place where Abraham met Melchizedek, and there was an altar for sacrifices, just like there was in the Temple. I realized that in the past sacrifices were made to pay a price for sins before going into the presence of God.

In 2012 we were living in the Netherlands and we had allowed a kabbalist into our house. We thought we were learning about God, but instead we discovered witchcraft in our house. I found out the spirit realm was real, and that there were two kingdoms – dark and light. Demons attacked us and would not let go, because there was price to be paid for our sin. It was then that we called upon the name of Yeshua to help us. Yeshua came to us in dreams and He set us free from darkness. I found out Yeshua was alive and had paid the price for our sins with his own life. He was the Lamb of God, that had been sacrificed and by His blood we were set us free. (For the details go to awestruckbyglory.com)

Grooves in floor of the Melchizedek sacred place. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Guetta

As an archaeologist I made the greatest discovery: the secret of going into the presence of God and the Ark of the Covenant. Through the sacrifice of Yeshua, we were washed clean of our sins and could go into the Holy of Holies, and draw near to God, and Eden was restored.

I learned that the physical representation of Zion was like the spiritual, and revealed the road to salvation. Our bodies were the Temple of the Holy Spirit, just as He had promised: “My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Ezekiel 37:27). The Tabernacle and the Temple were a place of meeting, a place between heaven and earth, and a type of Eden, the Ohel Moed: Tent of Meeting. So also, we were the Temple of the Holy Spirit where God’s Shekhina came resting in us.

The symbolism of Eden in Jerusalem had helped me understand what Yeshua had done. But in the past, I had always removed the Lamb out of the picture. Now I learned that the Lamb was the KEY to the presence of God, because he paid the price of punishment of being cut off for sins. On the mountain where Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)… is where That Lamb was slain and through Him came access to the throne of God.

So I unearthed the greatest treasure of Zion… salvation through Yeshua.

Author on recently discovered stairs leading up the mountain of God to the Temple Mount

The River of Life flowing from under the Mountain

But there was another part of the Mountain of God which fascinated me: there was a river of life that flowed out from under the Temple. In Eden and Jerusalem the river flowed constantly from God’s Glory (Rev. 22:1, Psalm 46:4, Ezekiel 47:1, Joel 3:18). People’s bodies can also be a “Temple” for God to dwell in, and John said the river represents the Holy Spirit that one receives when one believes in Yeshua (John 7:37-39). Yeshua said that we can drink from the river and it flows into us.

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water… Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:10, 13-14 )

The river also represents God’s life-giving presence, eternal life, joy, healing. Water is a common symbolic representation of eternal life in Scripture. Isaiah refers to drawing water from the “wells of salvation” with joy (Isaiah 12:3). The river that flowed from Eden foreshadowed salvation and the Holy Spirit going forth into the four corners of the earth. (Rev. 21:6).

On Sukkot during the water ceremony, water was taken from the Siloam pool up to the Temple and poured out over the altar. It was then that Yeshua said:

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37)

Therefore the river came INTO us but it also poured OUT of us. Just like the river of life that flowed from Eden, and from under the Temple, so also we have a river of life flowing out of our belly. The Temple was not just a vertical place, it was also horizontal! When we don’t pass the river on to others it also stagnates, and our “temples” become filled with junk.

The key was that the water must keep flowing. The Holy Spirit wants to flow in and out of us… both vertically and horizontally.

After being delivered from the situation I described above, I visited many congregations and churches and noticed that there were so many lonely people, a lot of division, hurt and condemnation. I saw so many people hungry for the Glory of God, but it didn’t flow any further than their own bodies. The focus was only vertical and it became all about us and our own personal relationship with God.

What was blocking the river? Pride, division, judgement, too much theology, religion, the fear of the supernatural, loss of Jewish roots and much more.

We often forget the second part of Yeshua’s commandment in Matt. 22:36-40 – to love one another. Yeshua then showed us what true love is, by laying his life down for us.

We may love God deeply, but the “river” in us becomes clogged if we don’t share the water with others. If doesn’t flow out of us, we become prideful, and it stops.

According to the Bible, the river comes out of the place of glory… when there is love and unity among believers. Blessing one another and speaking out God’s goodness over each other removes the blockage so God’s Spirit can flow deep and strong, into the dry places, in Israel and beyond (Ezekiel 47).

Henry Sulley’s rendering of Ezekiels Temple as the Mountain of God – 1887. Public domain

The Secrets

I spent years digging for secrets of Jerusalem, both in the dirt of the City of David and on the pages of my Bible. Both in the Bible and in Jerusalem we see the way to the restoration of Eden, salvation, and a river of life flowing out of the throne of God bringing life.

The prophecies of Revelation 22:1 and Ezekiel 47 wait to be fulfilled in the physical in Jerusalem in the future, but they ALSO offer a spiritual reality for today.

Jerusalem as Eden and as the mountain of God, teaches the way to salvation through Yeshua, the way to become a resting place for God’s glory and especially how people can release God’s glory through blessing one another. In Jerusalem we see how the Gihon flows, from under the Temple eastward and makes the valleys bloom. This is both a physical and spiritual concept. When God’s Holy Spirit comes, he wants to flow like a river. To heal the broken hearts and make the desert bloom.

“…on the banks of the river … was the tree of life… and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2)