- [Emily] This week, onChristian World News,

a hunt for the Ark of the Covenant.

Go deep beneath the walls of Jerusalem

to explore the mysteryof this legendary icon.

Plus, a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

Years of drought threatened to destroy

where Jesus walked onwater, but miraculous rain

is breathing new lifeinto the biblical lake.

And tour the Upper Room through a new lens

as state-of-the-art technologyuncovers Jesus' last hours.

(epic music)

Welcome to this specialInside Israel edition

of Christian World News from Jerusalem.

I'm Emily Jones.

Tourism to the Holy Land isvirtually nonexistent right now

due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since you can't come to Israel,

we are bringing Israel to you.

Our journey begins here in Jerusalem

with a search for the Ark of the Covenant.

Legends have placed theArk in faraway places

like Ethiopia or Ireland,

but CBN's Chris Mitchellspoke with one researcher

who believes the Ark

might be a lot closer than people think.

- [Chris] Researcher and authorHarry Moskoff took CBN News

through the Western Wall Tunnels,

up to the ramparts of the Temple Mount,

and into the chambers surroundingJudaism's holiest site.

His book, The ARK Report,chronicles his two-decade quest

to find the legendary icon.

- [Harry] So here we are,approaching three arches.

- [Chris] He says one theory is that

it was taken out of the temple

and carried to Jericho 18 miles away.

- It says, in Jeremiah,that some of the vessels

in the temple were exited,escaped as it were,

through this area at thedestruction of the first temple.

- [Chris] But Moskoff took us to the spot

where he believes the Ark lies.

- This particular sectionof the Western Wall

is really fascinating, actually,

because this stone is 570 tons.

- [Chris] Moskoff believes a key clue

lies behind this giant rock

and says high-tech search toolsgive credence to his theory.

- Two years ago, there were tests done

by the University ofNebraska, solar tests, etc,

using electromagnetic waves,

and they actually foundwhat's called a storage space

across from here.

So, actually, there was a purpose

for putting this giant stone,this massive slab, here.

One of the reasons, in my opinion,

is to protect whateverit is on the other side.

And, according to my theory,

the Ark actually wasburied by King Josiah,

I think it was 568 BC,

in back of these boulders,these massive stones.

- [Chris] In fact,underneath the Temple Mount

lie dozens of undergroundtunnels and chambers.

- Back then, 150 yearsago, Charles Warren went in

and actually did a survey.

Nothing's really been done.

For political purposes,obviously, unfortunately--

- Since then?- Since then, no one's

been allowed to evenput a shovel or nothing.

But, basically, they were the ones

that surveyed the whole area

and they were the ones whopicked out the tunnels, etc.

They couldn't find the Ark but (chuckles).

- (chuckles) Maybe it wasn't time.

Warren, a British explorer,documented those tunnels

at the request of Queen Victoria,

just one of many throughouthistory looking for the Ark.

- When people like the Crusadersand the Knights Templar,

even the Palestine Exploration Fund,

which was originallycommissioned by Queen Victoria,

came over the centuriesto look for the Ark.

What they were looking for wasa golden box with the staves,

but what they really shouldbe looking for is a room.

They could've been rightup against the wall

and on the other sideof the wall is the Ark.

- [Chris] Moskoff says theoriginal Holy of Holies

had another chamber directly below it.

- Actually, in the blueprintitself, of the first temple,

a chamber should bebuilt exactly the same,

Holy of Holies, exactlythe same level of holiness

as the one right above it.

It was set up right from the beginning

to house the Ark with thegolden floor and everything.

- [Chris] That's how Solomonbuilt it, constructed,

so the Ark itself could go down.

- [Harry] Right, it could go down.

- Do you feel like there'sa time when the Ark itself,

when the time is right, will be revealed?

- I do, timing is incredibly important,

incredibly significant.

Obviously, it's agroundbreaking, game-changing,

biblical type of discovery.

My personal opinion isthat, when it does happen,

it won't be in a clandestine way,

where we're seeking through these tunnels,

you know what I mean,

and we're bringing it outunder cover of darkness.

It'll be a great occasion,it'll help bring the Messiah.

It'll be something that allnations will really rejoice in.

- [Chris] Moskoff creditsIndiana Jones and the Lost Ark

for the renewed interest.

- There are some things they got right

about the power of the Ark, etc,

and its destructive forces

shouldn't get into the wrong hands,

and it knows where it is, so to speak.

And so it became a thing,

"what is the Ark of the Covenant,

"what is that, oh yeah,"

and put it into the face of the public

and maybe that was its best success.

I loved it, personally.

It's Hollywood.

- What do you think is the main takeaway

people need to know aboutthe Ark of the Covenant?

- It's a real thing justlike it did 2700 years ago.

It still exists today.

It's got the broken tablets

that Moses crashed downthere at Mount Sinai

and the second tablets.

It really does exist.

We're really gonna see it,hopefully in our lifetime.

Again, it is a catalystfor the Messiah to come.

- [Chris] Until it is revealed,

the Ark of the Covenant, builtby Moses in the wilderness,

will continue to fascinate the world.

Chris Mitchell, CBN News,

the Western Wall Tunnels, Jerusalem.

- The city of David holds one of the most

important archeologicalfinds in recent months.

Researchers uncovered thevery path Jesus Himself

walked on as He and other Jews

made their way to theTemple in ancient Jerusalem.

Here's Chris Mitchell once again.

- [Chris] They call itthe biblical superhighway:

the pilgrim's path that led

to the Jewish Temple in ancient times.

- The places and events and the peoples

that make Jerusalem Jerusalem,

for Christians, for Jews.

It all happened here in the city of David.

This is where the beatingheart of Jerusalem is.

We're talking about the Pool of Siloam,

we're talking about MountMoriah, the Temple Mount,

we're talking about the City of David.

The pilgrimage roadlinks them all together.

- For Jews in ancient days,

their pilgrimage beganhere at the Pool of Siloam.

It's a mikvah or ritual bath.

It's the size of twoOlympic swimming pools.

They would purify themselves here

before going up to theTemple Mount to worship God.

- The historian Josephus says

that 2,000 years ago, onthe pilgrimage festivals,

there would've been morethan two million people

going up on pilgrimage.

That's a lot of people who need to bathe.

- [Chris] The pool is also where Jesus

healed the blind man asrecounted in the book of John.

Its location was hidden by a road

until 15 years ago, when a sewage leak led

to excavations, the discoveryof the pool, and much more.

- The archeologists, whenthey find the Pool of Siloam,

so they understand, if that's the pool

and they know where the Templestood on the Temple Mount

some 2,000 years ago, thesame Temple Mount as today.

- Zeev Orenstein with theCity of David Foundation says

archeologists wonderedhow the pilgrims traveled

from the pool to the Temple Mount.

- So the archeologistswidened the excavation

and we are standing on thevery answer to that question.

We are standing atop theancient pilgrimage road.

- These are the stones thatJesus would've walked on

on His way up to the Temple.

And now the significance of the excavation

of the pilgrimage road isthat, for the first time

in 2,000 years, visitorswill be able to walk

all the way from the Pool ofSiloam up to the Western Wall.

- The word in the Bible, the Hebrew words,

is (in foreign language).

Now what we understand that to mean

is it's a spiritual ascent.

You're going up to theTemple, going to Jerusalem.

It's a very holy place.

But, Chris, when you're in the place

where the Bible happened,

the words of the Bible come to life

because, as we're walking right now,

and I'm sure you can feelit, we're walking uphill.

- [Chris] And it was more than that.

- This would've been like Times Square.

You would've had onboth sides of the road.

And keep in mind, theroad is about three, four,

five times wider thanwhat we see over here.

You would've had shops, stalls,

along both sides of the road.

This is the center of Jerusalem

from a spiritual perspective,from a communal perspective,

also from a commerce perspective.

- According to the IsraelAntiquities Authority,

the road took 10 years to build

from 20 to 30 AD and wasconstructed by Pontius Pilate.

- One of the major issues of Jerusalem

is that it's a living city.

All the layers for thearcheological layers

are built on top of one another

and the modern living quarters

and everything is built on topof the archeological layers.

- [Chris] Excavation manager Ari Levy says

uncovering the road is amajor engineering feat.

- We have modern neighborhoodjust above our heads

and we don't want it to collapse.

After each meter that we take out,

each meter of soil, we enter an arch

like a construction like this.

This supports the entire weightof what we have above us.

- [Chris] Along the road,you can see many places

where the road remains intact

and others where it's destroyed,given its violent history.

- We know that the Romans,they destroyed Jerusalem,

and if you would findeverything perfectly intact,

well, it wouldn't seemlike much of a destruction.

- [Chris] Among the discovered treasures

are small coins minted duringthe great Jewish Revolt

before the Romans destroyed the Temple

and Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Scholars often wonder whythe Jews made worthless coins

instead of weapons.

Orenstein has the answer.

- Jews of Jerusalemunderstood that the Romans

were likely going to destroy the city,

but they also believedthat, one day in the future,

their descendants wouldreturn and find these coins.

And they would know what theirancestors lived and died for:

for a free Jerusalem.

And here we are, nearly 2,000 years later,

standing along the verysame pilgrimage road

here in the City of David,

in Jerusalem, the capital ofthe Jewish state of Israel.

- [Chris] Half of the pilgrimage road

will open soon to the public

and, within a few years, all the way

from the Pool of Siloamto the Western Wall.

That will give visitorsa first-hand experience

of what it was like to worshipGod in the time of Jesus.

- [Emily] Coming up onChristian World News:

for years, the Sea ofGalilee was shrinking

because of severe drought.

See how miraculous rain hastransformed this biblical lake.

- I don't know if therehas ever been a time

when our nation and theworld needed a miracle

more than we do right now.

- [Announcer] Get PatRobertson's latest DVD:

Do You Need a Miracle.

In this DVD, you'll discover

God's awesome power at work today,

featuring incredible truestories of divine intervention.

- God showed up and He worked miracles.

- Different doctors would come in.

It's like, wow, you're a miracle.

- I knew God had restored him.

- I've also gathered teachings

that they will beespecially helpful to you

of what we're facing today,

why it's so important tobelieve God and build our faith.

And this program is goingto help you do just that.

- [Announcer] Conquer fear,find hope, and be encouraged.

Get Do You Need a Miracle,

yours when you become a CBN partner.

Call now, 1-800-700-7000,or go to cbn.com.

Available now.

- [Efrem] I'm Efrem Grahamand this is Studio 5.

Cruise with me as Idiscover the good things

happening in the world of music, sports,

television, and movies.

- I heard Ryan Coogler wasgonna be directing the film.

I knew that somethingspecial was gonna happen.

- [Efrem] We'll chat with artists

at the forefront of entertainmentand explore the connection

between popular culture and faith.

- I asked my pastor, I said, well,

does that mean I'msupposed to be a preacher?

He says no, you already have a pulpit.

- [Announcer] Watch Studio5 Wednesday night at 9:30.

- [Announcer] As the worldwatches from the outside--

- It's a big diplomatic tug ofwar here in the Middle East.

- [Announcer] Go inside thestory with Jerusalem Dateline.

- Israeli archeologists aretalking about a discovery

that could change the thinkingabout the Temple Mount.

- [Announcer] Join CBN JerusalemBureau Chief Chris Mitchell

and get the biblical perspective

on the events shaping the world.

- It's what starts in Israel,

then ends up going to other places.

- [Announcer] Watch Jersualem Dateline

Friday night at 9:30 onthe CBN News Channel.

- Welcome back to this special program.

Since tourists can't visitthe Holy Land right now,

we're giving you a virtual tour.

When people come to Israel,

they love to take a boatride on the Sea of Galilee

where Jesus walked on water.

For years, the lake hasbeen dangerously low,

but thanks to an unusually rainy winter,

it's now nearly bursting at the seams.

Take a look.

- [Chris] For the first time in 20 years,

the Sea of Galilee is nearly full.

- It's very good for all ofus around the Sea of Galilee,

for the agriculture, for the farmers,

for the tourists, for everybody.

- The rise in the Sea of Galilee

in the past two years has been remarkable.

After nearly five years of drought,

it's risen nearly 18 feet in 2019 and 2020

and expected to rise even more

after the snow meltson nearby Mount Hermon.

- Every time I see a full lake,

it's like I wanna sing,I wanna cry out of joy,

and I keep amazed by the grace of God.

- [Chris] Israel has hadmore years of drought

than rainy years.

- During the five droughted years,

we had a very severe problemwith the Sea of Galilee

and we stopped almost completely

pumping from the Sea of Galilee.

We wanted really torecover the Sea of Galilee

as much as possible.

- [Chris] The lake used to be one of three

of Israel's main sourcesof drinking water.

Then years of little rain,coupled with growing demand,

prompted Israel to take other action.

- Israel is closing thegap with the salination,

with recycling water, with conservation,

technologies, education, whatever we can.

- [Chris] Last summer, theshoreline looked like this.

It had been dry so long,trees grew along the banks.

Now they're underwater.

Each year, about a milliontourists visit this biblical lake

or Kinneret as it's calledin Hebrew, but not this year.

- Unfortunately, becauseof the virus, it's empty,

and it's this time of theyear we expect it to be

filled with many tourists,with many Israelis.

- [Chris] Even Israelis weren'tallowed to visit the shore

until restrictions began to be lifted.

In March, just before the travel ban,

CBN News spoke with a tourguide and a visitor here.

- It's the first time that I came back

to the Sea of Galileesince it has risen so far.

And I haven't seen it like this in years.

- It's an amazing privilegeto be where Jesus was

and to go especially on a boat

and watch the sunset over the place

that I read in Scriptures so much about.

- [Chris] The lake iscurrently less than five inches

from the red line full marker,

but the rainy season isover until next October,

and each summer, the water level drops

by four to five feet from evaporation.

Israelis are already praying

for another rainy winter next year

and hoping that touristsreturn to enjoy it.

- Our next stop is thenorthern shore of Galilee

where researchers think they've uncovered

biblical Bethsaida, the hometown

of the disciples Andrew and Philip.

Julie Stall has that story.

- [Julie] Archeologists work in Israel

to peel back layers tounravel mysteries of the past.

That's what happened at this site

now believed to be biblical Bethsaida.

- We are on the northern shore

of the Kinneret lake, Sea of Galilee,

a site called, in Arabic, el-Araj,

or in Hebrew, Beit Habek.

This site was known sincethe end of the 19th century

as an ancient site, andone of the three candidates

to identify Bethsaida.

- For years, archeologists have searched

for biblical Bethsaida,

the home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.

There were several candidates,

but ironically, this Romanbath could hold the key.

- And the bathhouse is something

that leads us to somethingthat we are within

some kind of a city,

and although the dig here is very small,

it immediately hinted us

that we are in a verygood place to suggest

that we discovered the city of Julias.

- [Julie] Kinneret Collegearcheologist Dr. Mordechai Aviam

leads the excavations here.- What is the city of Julius?

Well, we're talking about Bethsaida.

Josephus Flavius, the Jewishhistorian in the first century,

tells us that King Philip,the son of Herod the Great,

who ruled from here to theGolan, towards Damascus,

ruled this area, decided toupgrade the village of Bethsaida

and to make it a polisby the name of Julius.

- [Julie] Scholarsbelieve that it was near

the fishing village of Bethsaida

where Jesus fed the five thousand

with five loaves and two fish.

Aviam said it's clear

that there's a Roman layer at the site.

- Also, two coins were discovered.

One of them is a silvercoin of Emperor Nero

from the year 65 to 66, first century.

- [Julie] According to Aviam,

remains of what appears tohave been a Byzantine church

are also significant.

- There is a document from a visitor

from the end of the seventh century AD,

a Christian pilgrim, who says that,

after he left Capernaum,he arrived to Bethsaida

and there is a church for theapostles Peter and Andrew.

So, for the Christians,in the sixth, seventh,

eighth century, it wasstill called Bethsaida,

but if we would succeedin proving scientifically

that this is the place ofJulius, therefore Bethsaida,

I think it can be developedinto an interesting site

for people who areinterested in being near,

close, in, the placewhere the apostles lived.

- [Julie] Julie Stall, CBNNews, The Galilee, Israel.

- [Emily] Coming up onChristian World News:

state-of-the-art 3D technologyis unraveling the history

of one of the most sacredplaces in Jerusalem.

When we come back.

- [Announcer] It's about the competition.

- I kind of put that pressure on myself

and I think people had expectations.

- [Announcer] It's about overcoming.

- We use this phrase all the time:

keep chopping, keep practicing hard.

- [Announcer] It's aboutgoing the distance.

- I think, as a father,it's my job to lead,

just to be the best husbandand father I can be.

- [Announcer] Watch Going the Distance

with Shawn Brown Saturday night at 7:30

on the CBN News Channel.

- Orphan's Promise is committed

to loving and serving at-risk children,

to helping keep families together,

and to creating opportunities

for strong and sustainablecommunities around the world.

We're working in over 60countries around the world

and, with your help, we can do even more.

There's an old African proverb I love

that says, "if you wannarun fast, run alone,

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At Orphan's Promise, we want to run far

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But we don't wanna go alone.

We're out to change the world

one child, one family,one community at a time.

Will you join us?

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(child laughing)

- [Announcer] Discoverthe faithfulness of God

in this timely DVD from Pat Robertson:

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Watch true stories of people experiencing

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Call now, 1-800-700-7000,or go to cbn.com.

- Welcome back to Christian World News.

The next stop in our virtual tour

is believed to be one ofthe most sacred places

in the New Testament.

Powerful technology is helping uncover

the secrets of the Upper Room.

Take a look.

- The Bible tells us Jesushad a final Passover meal

with His disciples beforegoing to the cross.

The Cenaculum on Mount Zionis the traditional site,

but is this where it really happened?

Christian pilgrims from all over the world

come here to the Upper Room

to remember the LastSupper of Jesus Christ.

Now Israeli archeologists know more

about this site than ever before.

- The Last Supper Room is one of the most

holy places in Jerusalem.

We couldn't conducthere clear and classical

archeological excavation.

- [Chris] So they turned tostate-of-the-art technology

to uncover the Upper Room's secrets.

- Using laser measurement, laser scanning,

and an advanced photography technique,

we managed to create anaccurate 3D model of the place.

We even managed to penetrateinside the ancient stones.

- [Chris] For years, many wondered:

when was the room builtand is it the real place?

- Suddenly, we needed to decipher

signs and symbols from the wall.

Suddenly, we managed to date it

and this wonderful structure

is dating to the crusader period.

- [Chris] Archeologist Amit Reem said

they discovered two biblical symbols

never before seen in the Upper Room.

- [Amit] On the keystone, you could see

the holy lamb, the Agnus Dei.

- [Chris] On anotherkeystone, there's a lion.

- The lion actually isa symbol of King David.

Now we know, according to the Bible,

that Jesus is a descendantof the Davidic dynasty.

- [Chris] Underneath the12th-century crusader church,

there's evidence of a magnificent

fourth-century Byzantine church.

- [Amit] And maybe theByzantine built their church

on much earlier and ancient sacred site.

- [Chris] For many,visiting the Upper Room

is a moving experience.

- It's fantastic, it's like this place

has the power of the presence.

It's like a different note onthe scale of the song of God.

- Being in Israel during this season

and then being in placeslike the Upper Room

just make a huge difference in my faith.

- [Chris] Reem says he's learned one thing

as an archeologist about traditions.

- Here, this ancienttradition, it's broader

because inside them is hidden some truth.

- [Chris] Chris Mitchell, CBN News,

the Upper Room, Jerusalem.

- [Emily] You can follow updates

on news affecting the Holy Land.

Just go to the website: cbnnews.com.

- [Announcer] From Washington, D.C.,

uncompromising stories,interviews, and analysis

from veteran journalists.

David Brody.

- That could be the next stepin this escalating fight.

- [Announcer] Jenna Browder.

- Robert Mueller chosehis words carefully.

- [Announcer] Ben Kennedy.

- Is asking Christiansto get the word out.

- [Announcer] Bringing you thepolitical news that matters.

- Get out and tell the story

of the progress that we'remaking in this country.

- [Announcer] Watch FaithNation weeknights at six

on the CBN News Channel.

- [Announcer] Nutrition, exercise,

essential oils, weight loss, and more.

It's Healthy Living with Laurie Johnson.

- Talk about what's in this.

- [Announcer] Join CBN healthreporter Laurie Johnson

to get the latest information

from today's top health experts.

- This is fantastic.

- [Announcer] Find outwhat you need to know

to live a healthier life.

Watch Healthy LivingTuesday night at 9:30.

- I don't know if therehas ever been a time

when our nation and theworld needed a miracle

more than we do right now.

- [Announcer] Get PatRobertson's latest DVD:

Do You Need a Miracle.

In this DVD, you'll discover

God's awesome power at work today,

featuring incredible truestories of divine intervention.

- God showed up and He worked miracles.

- Different doctors would come in.

It's like, wow, you're a miracle.

- I knew God had restored him.

- I've also gathered teachings

that they will beespecially helpful to you

of what we're facing today,

why it's so important tobelieve God and build our faith.

And this program is goingto help you do just that.

- [Announcer] Conquer fear,find hope, and be encouraged.

Get Do You Need a Miracle,

yours when you become a CBN partner.

Call now, 1-800-700-7000,or go to cbn.com.

Available now.

- Welcome back.

One of the most important moments

for Christian pilgrims in Israel

is when they get baptizedin the same waters

believed to be where Jesus was baptized.

Chris Mitchell gives us a look

at this ancient and special place.

- [Chris] For Christians, beingbaptized in the Jordan River

is a profound spiritual experience.

- Because it's my dreamand Jesus was baptized here

and we were just blessed.

- I feel like I birthed again

because Jesus was baptized here.

- [Chris] The site iscalled Qasr al-Yahud.

Israel developed this sitefor Christian pilgrims

and now about threequarters of a million people

visit here each year.

While there's no proofthis is the exact location

of the baptism of Jesus,it remains a special place.

- I read the Bible, I preach the Bible,

and for us to be here andactually experience it firsthand,

it underscores and affirms

what they hear week after week

as we present God's Word to the people.

- This is the area where some people

believed the prophetElijah ascended into heaven

in a fiery chariot

and where the children of Israel

crossed over the River Jordaninto the Promised Land.

Tour guide Ben DavidKatriel gives two reasons

why this might be the areaJoshua brought the Israelites

on their way to Jericho.

- There are passages on the Jordan,

places that are easier to pass.

That never changes and that's topography.

But, except that, we have Jericho,

that is no argument aboutthe location of Jericho.

- Actually, that is thefirst aliyah that took place

and this is a combination

where the Bible, all thestories in the Bible meet.

- [Chris] Retired General UziDayan says the Jewish people

return here from Egyptmore than 3,000 years ago.

Three millennia later,Jews are still returning

to the land of Israel

where you can see biblicalprophecies come to life.

- This can happen only here.

You can't do that anyother country in the world.

And, if you believe in the book,

so Israel is the best place for that.

- Come, make this part of your plans

'cause this'll enrich your faith

and deepen your devotion to Jesus,

which is what it's all about.

- For many, it's especially meaningful

just before the celebration

of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Chris Mitchell, Qasral-Yahud Baptismal Site,

the Jordan River.

- Thanks for joining us this week.

We invite you to come andtake your own personal tour

of Israel when it's onceagain open to visitors.

Until next week, goodbyeand God bless you.