Israel - Day 8 and the Trip Home

Well, the trip is now over.  It was an amazing experience.  I am sorry that I wasn't able to post yesterday.  We got on the bus early in the morning, visited several sites during the day and then went to the airport in Tel Aviv and boarded our flight home.  I am posting today from Canton, Ohio.  I decided to stop here to be with Shelley, because her brother, Scott is very near death.  We hope to be home for services Sunday, but right now, we aren't sure.  Let me tell you about our final day.

We began our day at the Lion's Gate.  Outside of this gate is where Stephen, Christianity's first martyr, was stoned.  This is also the gate through which Jesus rode on Palm Sunday to the jubilant adulation of the crowds. 

Our next stop was the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had lain beside the pool for 38 years, sick of the palsy.  There are ruins there from several different structures throughout the centuries.

Next we went to St. Anne's Church, a Crusader Church that is one of the most well-preserved buildings from that time.  The reason is that the Muslims put a school in the building so it did not get destroyed.  It is an amazing example of Medieval architecture and the acoustics were amazing.  We sang Amazing Grace and it was one of the most beautiful things that I've ever been a part of.  Wonderful!

Next we made a visit to the Southern Steps of the Temple.  Many of the sites are traditional sites where they have just estimated where certain events might have taken place.  But at the Southern Steps, we know that we are standing at the very spot where Jesus stood, walking on the very stones that He walked on.  It was there that He proclaimed that if they tore down the Temple, He would rebuild it in three days, signifying His resurrection.  Unfortunately, my batteries went dead and I didn't get pictures of the Southern Steps. I will get some from other members of the group and add them here later.  On our way to the Via Dolorosa, we bought a Jerusalem Bagel (wonderful, by the way) and we re-enacted the feeding of the 5,000. :0)

The next few sites were somewhat confusing.  The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church have so corrupted the places and events of the crucifixion and resurrection that it is difficult to see the real story through all the paganistic ritualism.  The Catholic Church has concocted twelve stations of the cross, describing twelve distinct events that they say happened on the way to the cross.  Many of these have no basis in Scripture whatsoever, and others are incredible superstitions that have been developed down through the years.  For instance, three of the stations are places along the road where they say that Jesus stumbled and fell.  The first of these has a place in the wall where they say Jesus placed His hand when He fell. (See the picture below)

The "Lithostrotos" is an area where supposedly, Jesus was held while He awaited trial.  This area is more realistic and even includes markings in the floor where the soldiers played their game, mocking Him as King. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the site where the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, as well as a few others, say that Christ was crucified and buried.  There is very little about this place that matches what the Scriptures say and very little evidence that this is where the events actually happened.  But the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox have created a ritualistic site for worship of the place and the stones, etc. surrounding the event. They have been so competitive in their bickering over the site that in the 12th century the emperor gave the key to the door of the church to two Muslim families for safe keeping.  Since then, these two families and their descendants have opened the doors in the morning and closed them at night.    It is one of the most blatantly idolatrous places that we saw at any time during our trip.  Long lines of people waiting to kiss the stone upon which the blood of Christ fell from the cross, or the slab upon which His body lay.  All surrounded by images and statues and burning candles.  It was oppressive to my spirit and I couldn't stay there for long.

This was followed by an almost exactly opposite experience, as we went to the Garden Tomb, outside the walls of the Old City.  As we entered, our guide shared the major Scriptural evidences why this site was more likely to be the actual site of Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.  First, the Scriptures say that it took place outside the walls of the city.  Second, they say that he was crucified at a place called the place of the skull.  This site is located next to a hill with those exact features. (See below)

The bottom portion of the skull is somewhat obscured by the undergrowth and the level of the street that is several feet higher than it would have been in Jesus' day.  The scriptures also say that the tomb was located in a garden that was owned by a very rich man, Joseph of Arimathea.  In this garden, there is a cistern, cut from the rock, that would hold thousands of gallons of water for use in the garden.  Only a very rich man could have afforded such a project.  The tomb itself fits the descriptions given in Scripture as well, giving us a pretty strong argument for this being the very tomb from which Christ arose.

I am happy to tell you that the tomb is empty,  He is not there!  He has risen, as He said!  Hallelujah!

This would have been a wonderful place to end our tour, but I had asked Tali to take us to a place where we might be able to see Bethlehem.  What we saw was a sad testimony to the tension in the Holy Land today.

If we wanted to go to Bethlehem, we would have to get off of our bus and walk through a security checkpoint.  Then we would have to board a Palestinian bus that would take us through Bethlehem and back to the checkpoint, where we could board our bus again. 

The wall above is the security wall that Israel has had to build to stop terrorist bombers from freely entering Jerusalem for their attacks.  It is a sad thing to see, but a strong reminder of the fact that we need to faithfully pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

After Bethlehem, we had supper in an Arab village called Abu-Gosh.  The food was amazing!  Then we headed to the airport where we said goodbye to Tali and Abi.  The two of them had become a part of our family and we hated to say good bye.

I am very thankful to God and to Rivers of Life, especially Joe and Brenda Nowlin, for the opportunity to be a part of their very first Pastor's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  It has been a wonderful time and I am ready to get home and put into practice the things that God challenged my heart with over here.

Israel - Day 8

We spent our day today down around the Dead Sea.  We started out at Masada, Herod's fortress where, in 66 A.D., Jewish rebels took their own lives rather than surrender to slavery under the Roman legions.  After a long seige, the Romans had built a ramp almost to the top, so I thought we would be able to take the bus pretty close to the ruins.  WRONG!  We had to ride a cable car up to the top.

Anyone who knows me and my Scriptural aversion to heights, (There is spiritual wickedness in high places) :0) knows that this wasn't an easy climb for me.  There are now distinct markings in the support pole of the cable car where I gripped it on the way up and on the way down.

I did make it to the top however, and it was definitely worth it.  The view of the Dead Sea and the Judaean Desert  from atop Masada is amazing.  I also enjoyed seeing how elaborate Herod's palaces on top of the mountain were.  There were ruins of a bath house and sauna similar to the ones that we saw at Beit She'an.  However, this one had been restored a little more fully so that we could see how it actually worked when in use. (See the picture below)

The water would run under the floor and through a passage under a furnace outside that heated it to steaming.  The vapor would travel up through the holes in the tile on the walls and fill the room with steam.  It was really a very elaborate system.

All of today's locations were in the middle of the Judaean Desert, a dry and desolate wilderness.  That made our next stop all the more amazing.  Tali told us that we would have a "short 20 minute hike, up to En-Gedi."  This turned into an adventure as we climbed up the side of a mountain to a beautiful, lush green oasis. It was, as we would say in the Ozarks, "at the head of the holler," and a world away from the desolation that we had just come from. 

En-Gedi is where David hid in a cave and cut off the hem of Saul's garment rather than kill him when Saul was pursuing him through the wilderness.  There were caves all around and it was easy to see why David would have hidden here.  As we headed down, we could see the Dead Sea through the rift of the valley.  From a distance it looks very much like the Galilee.  From here, there is very little indication that it is bitter, caustic and lifeless.

As we left En-Gedi, we saw a beautiful specimen of an ibex, standing on his hind legs and eating fruit from a tree.  I'm sure Chelsea's boss, Jim J., who is a big game hunter, would love to have this one stuffed and standing in his office.

Our next stop was Qumran, where in 1947, a shepherd boy, looking for a lost sheep tossed a rock into a cave and heard it make a hollow echoing sound as it hit a clay pot.  Upon investigation, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered that confirmed the preservation of God's Word throughout the centuries.

The Essenes were a monastic community that had fled to the desert to escape the corruption of Jewish life in Jerusalem.  Some people believe that John the Baptist was at least heavily influenced by their teachings.  There are many similarities between his message and the writings of the Essenes that we saw at Qumran.  They called for a life of purity and the pursuit of an intimate, inward relationship with God.  It may be time for a few Christians to start a movement aimed at purifying our lives so that the Holy Spirit can work in and through us without the restraints that our inward sins of pride, unforgiveness, and bitterness place upon Him.

We ended our day with a dip in the Dead Sea.  Water flows into the Dead Sea from several sources, but since it has no outlet, it evaporates, leaving a heavy concentration of salts and minerals.  It is 33% saltier than any other body of water on earth and as a result, when you wade out into it, you float on top of the water.  It is a surreal experience.  There are some pretty good spiritual applications here, but it is late and so I will leave them to your own study and personal devotions. 

Tomorrow is our last day here. We go to the Via Delarosa, Gordon's Garden tomb, the Southern Steps of the Temple, and Antonio's Fortress.  Then we head to Tel Aviv, where we board our flight home.  Pray for us.  It will be a long and grueling day.

I can't wait to get home and see how God uses the lessons that He has taught me here.  It really has been a wonderful trip, one that I will never forget.

Our bus driver, Abi, told me a joke today.  He said a preacher and a bus driver both died and went to heaven.  When the bus driver received his reward, he was given one of the highest places.  When the preacher was given his reward, he found himself just below the bus driver.  He thought that this was unfair, so he complained to Saint Peter.  The Apostle explained, "Whenever you would preach, everyone went to sleep, but when the bus driver drove, everyone was praying."  Abi's jokes are corny enough to qualify him as a Baptist preacher.

Israel - Day 7

Yad Vashem


Today, we shed a different kind of tears. For six days, our hearts have overflowed with joy and appreciation for the opportunity that God has given us to be here and walk where Jesus walked, to stand on the Mount of Olives, or ride in a boat on the Galilee. Tears of joy, overflowing emotions, and unexplainable passion, all because of what God has done through the centuries in this very place.
But today was different. Today, we shed tears of horror, sorrow, mourning, and shame. Among a few other sites, we visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. Yad Vashem comes from Isaiah 56, where God promised His people a place of remembrance and a name. Despite all of their best efforts, there are still almost a million and a half of the victims of the holocaust who have not been identified. Their families and friends died along side them and they have no one to tell their story, or to cry for their loss. Inside the Museum, you are not allowed to take pictures, so for the most part, I will have to rely on my ability to describe the indescribable.

We began with a walk through the Children’s Memorial, honoring the 1.5 million children that died in the Holocaust. Outside, the standing stones hold a special significance.  They are white, signifying the innocence of those who died.  They are broken off, at many different levels, signifying that they died in the midst of life.   As you walked through the dark room, lights, like stars, appeared in the darkness. Quietly and reverently the names and homelands of the children who died are being read aloud 24 hours a day. It is said that it takes four years to make it through the entire list.
Once inside the Museum, our tour began with a film depicting the life of the Jews in Europe before Hitler came to power. They had assimilated into the culture and, especially in Germany, had become leading members of society. When Hitler ascended to a place of leadership in Germany, he needed a scapegoat for the social and economic ills leftover from the loss of World War I, so he chose the Jews. The Museum tells the story of the rapid rise of institutional anti-Semitism throughout Europe and the eventual ‘solution’ that Hitler and his henchmen came up with.   The thing that burdened me more than anything else was the cowardly silence of Christian nations around the world, while Hitler systematically exterminated family after family of God's chosen people.
The Museum also recognizes the valor of those who rose up against the evil and oppression of Hitler's advances.  Leaders in the Ghetto uprisings, those in the death camps who worked to save others from the gas chambers, and freedom fighters who battled to win Israel a homeland.  There is a tower outside the Museum that honors "those who fought to sanctify the name of the Lord."

The piece of property that the Museum is situated on has 120,000 trees that have been planted in honor of individuals known as the "Righteous Among the Nations." These were people who were not Jews, saved at least one Jewish life and did not receive money in return.  There is a quote at the base of one of these trees that says, "I know that when I stand before God on Judgment Day, I shall not be asked the question posed to Cain.  Where were you when your brother's blood was crying out to God?"

The burden of my heart throughout this experience has been, If I  have remained silent while Satan has dragged people around me into a smoking, flaming pit, am I any better than those who averted their eyes and allowed the Holocaust to take place?  When I stand before God, will He consider me one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" who have served others, "pulling them out of the fire...?"

Other Events of the Day

We walked through the Rabbi's Tunnel that runs underground along the Western Wall.  We saw the huge stones that were used to lay the foundation of the Temple Mount.  The smallest of the stones weighed over 2.5 tons.  The largest stone, pictured here on the left was 12'x45'x18' and weighed over 600 tons.  I took this picture standing at one end of the stone and Tony, the farthest person visible, in the red shirt, stood at the other end.  It boggles the mind to think of how they were able to move these stones into place. 

The stones were beveled and each level was set back about 1/3 of an inch.  It shows amazing archetectural prowess and much of the technology cannot be copied today.

Next, we visited the governmental buildings in Jerusalem where the Supreme Court of Israel and the Kinesset, Israel's ruling body are housed.  Outside of this area is a Menorah that was given to the nation of Israel by the British Parliament, depicting significant scenes in Israel's history.

Next we visited the Shrine of the Book which displays the findings of the Qumran caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.  The building is made in the shape of one of the covers to the jars that the scrolls were found in.

I didn't see the sign at the entrance that said that you couldn't take pictures, so I got several good shots before this little guy came up to me yelling, "No Pictures!! No Pictures!"  He looked at me pretty hard and I think he was considering whether he could wrestle my iPhone away from me or not, but he just shook his finger at me and went on.  I felt bad, but not bad enough to not show you the pictures. :0)

At the same site as the Shrine of the Book they have a model of what Jerusalem would have looked like during the Second Temple Period (The time of Christ).  It was fascinating seeing all of the details of the Temple in the heighth of its glory.  It really puts several of the other sites that we have visited into perspective.

We ended the day in the Valley of Elah, where David met Goliath.  Our guide said that we were going to re-enact the battle, and for some reason, she wouldn't let me play David.  So by the time we went back to the bus, my head was killing me again.  Seriously, I was able to pick up five smooth stones from the brook and I plan to put them on my desk for the next time I have to face a giant.

It has been an amazing day.  Tomorrow, we head down to the Dead Sea for a swim, ...uhhh or a float.  Then we will head to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  We will also go to En-gedi, where Saul pursued David and also Masada.  It should be a very interesting day.

Our time here is drawing to a close.  My life has been changed forever.  I hope that I can come close to sharing the lessons that I have learned when I get home.  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Israel - Day 6

We spent the day today in the City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and the Old City. It was so amazing that it is hard to pick out a few things to talk about. The City of David is where it all began. It was the first Jewish portion of the city that was built after David conquered it from the Jebusites. So much of what we see can be directly linked to the time of David and Solomon. We walked through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which was dug to insure the ability of the city to have access to water even during an enemy siege. The tunnel is over 1200 meters long and filled with about two feet of water. At several places it is little more than four feet high, so my 6’3 had a little trouble getting through. But it was an amazing experience descending from inside the city and coming out at the Pool of Siloam. It was also excellent exercise. I worked up a good sweat, but I’m not sure if it was from the activity or the claustrophobia. After the Tunnel, we visited the traditional sights of Caiaphas’ house where the Jewish council held a kangaroo court to try Jesus and Peter denied Him three times while warming himself by the fire.

The Pool of Siloam

See John 9

From the terrace outside Caiaphas’ house, we looked southwest to see a hill that is known as the ‘Hill of Evil Counsel.” It is purported that this is where the Jewish leaders hatched their plot against Jesus and did their dealings with Judas. In a show of God’s sense of humor, today that hill houses the headquarters of the United Nations in Israel.

We were able to visit the traditional site of the Tomb of David. Thanks to my head, the doorway is now a Byzantine arch instead of its once flat lintel. I didn’t realize that the Hebrews were such short people. Ouch!!!

We visited the Cardo, which was the city center where the people did their marketing, etc.  This was a reconstruction that has been done at the level that would have been present during the time of Jesus.  It was pretty amazing to see.

We also visited the traditional site of the Upper Room where Jesus shared the last supper with His disciples and where later the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost. It was a surreal experience standing in that room and singing “Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me…”

We ended the day with a visit to the Western Wall of the Temple mount, also known as the Wailing Wall. This is the spot closest to where the Holy of Holies sat and it is very sacred to the Jews. They approach the wall, touch it and pour out their prayers to God. When they leave, they stuff written prayers into the crevices of the wall, hoping that God will hear and answer their prayers. As I stood by the wall praying, I asked the Lord to open their eyes to the love of their God that was expressed to them by sending His Son, and that He would turn their hearts to their Messiah.

Our guide, Tali, is a pretty interesting lady. She is a vegetarian and she loves cats. She takes cat food with her in her backpack and when we go to sites where there are hungry strays, she feeds them. I have found that she does not have much of a sense of humor when it comes to my jokes about animals, cats especially. So, if I don’t make it home, it may be that Tali has contacted one of her friends in the Massad and remedied her frustration. :0)

Israel - Day 5

Let us go up to Jerusalem! Today is the day that we left the Galilee and headed up to Jerusalem.  Our first stop was the Well of Harod, where Gideon learned God's math principles of addition by subtraction. Each of the preachers on the trip took a picture dipping the water from the spring and lapping it like a dog, as those who God chose to use to defeat the Midianites.  It was only after the fact that our guide said, "You didn't really drink that water did you????"  So, for the next several hours the three of us who actually drank from the spring wondered if we might eventually suffer from Midianite's revenge.

We stopped for lunch, just north of the Dead Sea and after our falafel break, we stepped out into the parking lot and rode a camel.  By the time we were finished, the camel was breathing harder than I was at the end of my 5k.  I rode an elephant when I was in Thailand so I thought I needed to ride a camel in Israel.

After we had lunch, it became evident that we were 'going up to Jerusalem.' The city is higher than most of the surrounding area.  It is in a pretty desolate area, but as we continued on we knew that we were getting close to Jerusalem.  We entered a tunnel and the bus driver started playing the song, "The Holy City," over the loud speaker.  When we came out of the tunnel, the Temple Mount is clearly visible and the feeling was overwhelming.  I was in tears as I saw the familiar scene that we all recognize as the city of Jerusalem.  I was given the opportunity to speak to the group on the Mount of Olives.  I spoke about the last thing that Jesus told His disciples.  As soon as He had given them the Great Commission in Acts 1:8, while they were watching, He ascended into heaven.  They stood there gazing up into heaven and the angels peeked back through the door and said, "What are you waiting for?  Didn't you hear Him? Get busy!"  When you look at the city, you can see the starting point, but God sent us to the ends of the earth. 

Our day ended with a visit to the Garden of Gethsemene.  There are olive trees there that are reported to be 2000 years old.  Our guide said that they have confirmed that several are at least 800 years old.  The interesting thing that we noticed about the trees was that the trunk of the tree was old and dry, but that the new shoots came from the inside of the trunk.  This is an amazing illustration of the new life that comes through knowing Christ.  The new growth begins on the inside before it ever springs to the surface.  The work of God in the life of a person begins in the heart and springs forth with new life, and the new shoots are where the fruit is.

Tonight, a few of us walked up the street to a coffee shop where they have free internet and spent a couple hours fellowshipping and discussing the things that God has been teaching us on this trip.  Tomorrow, we will walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel and the City of David.  Later in the day we will go to the site of the upper room, where the Holy Spirit fell upon them, empowering them to fulfill the Commission that he gave them on the mount.

This trip has been amazing, but nothing has overwhelmed me like the opportunity to speak the words of Christ on the Mount of Olives.  The signs of the times indicate that it won't be long until we will all see the Mount of Olives together as we follow Him back in victory, riding on a white horse.  I think that will be even better than a camel.

Israel - Day 4

Ok, so how does each day get better and better?  We started the day today up on the Golan Heights.  This is probably the most fought over piece of ground in Israel other than Jerusalem.  But it is a beautiful place.  It is full of storks and everywhere you look there are fences that say, "Danger - Land Mines."  They let their cattle graze out in those mine fields.  I hear that is where Kung Pow Beef comes from. :0)

After the Golan Heights, we went to Caesarea-Philippi.  This is the place where Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was and Peter made his declaration.  There is a large cave there that is called the 'gates of Pan."  It is most likely what Jesus was referring to when he said that the 'gates of hell' would not prevail against His church.

Next we went to Tel Dan.  It is an amazing place where they have uncovered a city gate from the time of Abraham.  This is also the site where Jeroboam set up the false altar that became the center of idolatrous worship for the nation of Israel.  The discovery here indicates that the Canaanites began using the arch long before the Romans did.  We saw the river that runs down from Mount Hermon and feeds into the Sea of Galilee.  I wish I had more time to tell you all about it.

We had lunch at a neat little fish restaurant, where I broke one of my two cardinal rules of eating.  1. I don't eat anything I can't lift, and 2. I don't eat anything that still has a face.  Other than that, I'll eat just about anything.  Today, I broke rule number two.  But it was pretty good.

Tomorrow we head up to Jerusalem.  I will get to preach on the Mount of Olives. I am very excited about this wonderful opportunity.  The trip is now half over.  It will only get better from here.

Oh, by the way, my daughter Chelsea has decided to go on an 11 month, 11 country missions trip.  Go to her blog  chels4china.blogspot.com and find out about it.

Israel - Day 3

Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee

Wow! I need to come up with some new words.  This day was amazing!  Every aspect of the day was eye-opening and powerfully emotional.  We started out day at the Dental Clinic in Biet She'an, trying to minister to those that minister to the needy here in Israel.  We had a fun morning, painting the building, the fence, and each other.  We also left our mark on the neighboring school since the kids playing soccer at recess kicked the ball up against the fence several times, getting fresh paint on the ball.

The foreman for the job was a little man named Josi. He didn't speak any English, but he was very expressive in letting me know how he wanted me to paint.  I got the impression that Josi was not too impressed with the quality of laborers that we had brought him for the job.  But it didn't take me too long to win him over.

After the Dental Clinic we went to the ruins at Biet She'an.  It is one of the most extensive archeological digs in the area.  It was an amazing place with an ampatheatre, a bathhouse, with a tile mosaic floor and a sauna and water heating system that rivaled anything that modern technology can produce.  I could have spent all day there, but we had several other stops to make.

Our next stop was a Baptism in the Jordan River. It was a really neat experience to take a symbolic dip in the river where Jesus was baptized along with the other members of our group. It was not Scriptural baptism, that has already been taken care of in my life, but it was a public declaration of my faith in Christ and my dedication to living a life of obedience to Him. It was a blessing.

Later in the day, I had the opportunity to share a devotion on the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It was really special to me to be able to teach on the Sermon on the Mount at almost the exact spot that Jesus had first spoken these words that are so familiar to us.

We finished our day with dinner together and our bus driver, Abi, prayed the prayer of dedication, welcoming Shabot, in the way that observant Jewish families were doing all over the country. Our guide, Tali, is a Messianic Jew, but I have not heard if Avi is also a believer, but the singing of the prayer and all that went with it was a very special addition to our time together.

Well, my time is almost up so I must fly. More tomorrow.