Present day Site of the Ascension of our Lord

Hello dear Christian hearts!  I watched a journey to the Holy Land on television Sunday about all the sites in the Holy Land.  In my ignorance, having never been there, I did not realize that all the places of the Bible are preserved to this day.  That in itself is a miracle.  With all the wars going on in that part of the world, God must truly be present to protect these shrines that document in a tangible way, the life and miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It was like a revelation to me.  So I am sharing just ONE of the sites.  Thanking God and modern technology that though I may never see these sites in person, I can visit vicariously through the media.  Enjoy!

Location of the Ascension (source: Wikipedia believe it or not)

 

The place of the Ascension is not distinctly mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. Luke 24:50 states that the event took place in Bethany while it appears from Acts that it took place on the Mount Olivet (the "Mount of Olives"). After the

The Ascension edicule

 Ascension the apostles are described as returning to Jerusalem from the mount that is called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, within a Sabbath day's journey. Tradition has consecrated this site as the Mount of Ascension.
Before the conversion of Constantine in 312 AD, early Christians honored the Ascension of Christ in a cave on the Mount of Olives. By 384, the place of the Ascension was venerated on the present open site, uphill from the cave.
The Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem today is a Christian and Muslim holy site now believed to mark the place where Jesus ascended into heaven. In the small round church/mosque is a stone imprinted with what some claim to be the very footprints of Jesus.

The Ascension rock, inside the edicule, is said to bear the imprint of Jesus' right foot.

St. Helena erected over the site a basilica called "Eleona Basilica" (elaion in Greek means "olive garden", from elaia "olive tree," and has an oft-mentioned similarity to eleos meaning "mercy") in 392, which was destroyed by the Sassanid Persians in 614. It was rebuilt in the 8th century, destroyed again, but rebuilt a second time by the Crusaders. This final church was also destroyed by Muslims, leaving only the octagonal structure (called a martyrium—"memorial"—or "Edicule") that remains to this day.
The site was ultimately acquired by two emissaries of Saladin in the year 1198 and has remained in the possession of the Islamic Waqf of Jerusalem ever since. The martyrium, though now only bare stone, enshrines the rock said to bear the imprint of the right foot of Christ as he ascended, and is venerated by Catholic Christians as the last point on earth touched by the incarnate Christ. The Crusader building was converted to a mosque but was never used by Muslims since the overwhelming majority of visitors were Christian. As a gesture of compromise and goodwill, Saladin ordered the construction of a second mosque and mihrab two years later next door to the chapel for Muslim worship while Christians continued to visit the main chapel. Though still under the control of the Muslims, this Chapel of the Ascension is currently opened to visitors for a nominal fee.
The Russian Orthodox Church also maintains a Convent of the Ascension on the top of the Mount of Olives.

I hope I have peaked your interest for visiting other pertinent sites from the Bible on line.  Many videos are available containing trips to the Holy Land also, all you need to do is put it in your search line.

Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you are blessed today and every day.  Pray often, take time for quiet reflection with the Lord, He loves spending time with you!