Israel Trip - Day 10

SITES WE VISITED/SAW TODAY:
Sea of Galilee
Interesting is how important this water is to the local culture,

 but how little tourism really takes place here. Evidently, there is a layer of salt water at the bottom of the lake but it is held in place by the amount of the fresh water (go figure?) above it. There is concern that if too much fresh water is taken from Galilee, that the salt water will mix with the fresh and make the entire lake useless for irrigation, drinking, etc.

Gadarenes / Gerasenes
I caught a glimpse of the area where it is believed that Jesus cast out Legion from the man from the Gadarenes. I could have spent a 1/2 day there contemplating that story on location.

Jordan River
We saw this river on our way to Dan. It is indeed a disappointment when you see it now as opposed to what it had to have been in the days of the crossing by the Israelites in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is more like a stream than river now.

Dan
This is the location of the beginning of the Jordan River.

Banias / Temple of Pan
What an amazing place to see. T

rue, pagan worship - still ruins, etc. of the cult worship that took place here.

Caesarea Philippi

Sea of Galilee lunch
We stopped to have a fish lunch at restaurant by the Sea of Galilee. The fish that is most common to the lake is the Tilapia. This is funny to me because I had grown up in Hawaii with the understanding that Tilapia was a bottom-feeder, a garbage fish, and was good only for bait for catching crabs. However, it was quite tasty and provided quite a lot of meat.

Capernaum (Kfar Nahum)

Mount of Beatitudes
We stopped for some time to meditate on the Mount of Beatitudes on the Sermon of the Mount. It’s very possible that Jesus preached His famous sermon here, but more importantly, it’s necessary to apply that sermon to our lives!

Cruise on Sea of Galilee
Here are some shots taken from the boat that took us onto the Sea of Galilee just before sunset. It felt good to be on the water again. It brings back memories of my teen years in Washington state when we took trips on our boat throughout the Puget Sound. From the lake, you can see so many places where Jesus ministered and traveled.

Israel Trip - Day 9

These are some more places that we visited today.

Qumran Cave
We stopped here to view the Essene community site where many copies of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) were made. This is also the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. The scrolls are also called the Judean Desert Scrolls, or the Qumran Scrolls. The largest piece of the scrolls is from the book of Isaiah, but it wasn’t on display here.

Bet-Shean
In this city, we saw one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world. Check out the photos below. This is the city where King Saul’s body and his sons bodies were hanged after they committed suicide on Mount Gilboa rather than be captured by Philistines.

Mount Gilboa
From the mountainside, it is possible to see most of the Jezreel Valley, Beti-Shean, Mount Tabor, the foothills of the Gilead Mountains, the end of the Ammon Mountains and Mount Moreh. Again, I was struck with the proximity of these places. As well, the area of Samaria was just over the hilltop from where we stood.

Jezreel Valley
What a huge valley! Not to mention the thousands of years of battles that have been fought here! Being a key connection in the mid-East, it only makes sense that strategic control is an issue for this valley.

Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is also known as Lake Gennaseret, the Tiberias Sea, and Chinnereth .

Israel Trip - Day 8

Today we covered a lot of ground.

We started with a trip to Masada.
        This is a fortress that Herod the Great built as a strategic location for a “final stand” if absolutely necessary. It is an unbelievable architectural feat! He even had a sauna/steam room that had in-floor heating!
        Herod’s palace was amazing. Three tiers on the mountainside with an incredible view and protective measures!
        There are amazing aqueducts to catch water from the mountains and used to funnel the water to Masada.

Revisited En-Gedi (See Day 3 for more on this)
   

     There were tons of students visiting the falls - we literally waited in line on the path for 10 - 15 minutes to get up to the falls!        It’s really nice to have Linda present in all of this - s

o often, I have the privilege of seeing some amazing things like this and she’s home with the kids and all and misses it. Not to mention that in a few says we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary! WOO HOO!!!

Burger King - Israeli style!
        We stopped at “The lowest Burger King on the earth!” for lunch today.       

 
Dead Sea swim
As you can see, we kicked back for an hour or so at the Dead Sea this afternoon. I took my tray, cup and latest copy of Relevant 

magazine and spent a little time just floating around on the Dead Sea. The Sea is 30+% salt, so floating comes EXTREMELY easily. It is actually very comfortable to float in position that I call the “fishing line bobber.” If you have ever used one of those red-and-white plastic bobbers, you know exactly what I mean.





After a few minutes in the hot tub/jacuzzi, and ice dip, I took a 4 mile run @ -450 meters below sea level with 3 brothers and a sister from South Africa.

Israel Trip - Day 7

Another full day at GYI!

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
We visited the Holocaust Museum. It’s a long, triangular building that ends with an incredible view of Israel. Check out this pic!


CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
In the children’s museum, they used 5 candles and many, many mirrors to create millions of reflections of the candles. The museum is dark except for the reflections of the candles - what a gorgeous effect! As you walk in the darkness trying to take in the millions of Jewish children who were killed in the Holocaust, a woman’s voice reads the names and ages and countries of the children that are recorded as being murdered in the holocaust. It is an awe-inspiring experience. I tried to find a photo or postcard of this, but, so far, no progress.

BET SHEMESHWe stopped briefly in Bet Shemesh, where David’s victory over Goliath is believed to have taken place. Again, I am struck with how much history has been packed into such a small geographical area.
We moved on to our next place which I believe was called Bet Guvrim. There we saw a functional, antique olive press and learned how crucial the olive tree is to the existence of Israel. It is used for oil (cooking, lighting, anointing, cleaning & more), fruit for eating, and much more. We also saw the Bell Caves. These are caves that were created by digging a small hole and then after entering the hole, digging out the underside of the area wider and wider. It’s easier to see than to explain.

Finally, we stopped to see a strange cave with “pigeon holes” all over the walls. That is exactly what they were - Pigeon holes. Pigeons were raised for eating, creating fertilizer, feathers and more. Check it out.

Here is a pic of a mustard seed from the mustard plant. It is indeed a small seed and the mustard plant - evidently - grows quite large and quickly.

We finished the day with a drive to the Dead Sea where we stayed for 2 nights. Here’s a shot from our hotel room.

Israel Trip - Day 6

Highlight of the Day - Linda arrived!

What powerful day this was!

CAIAPHAS’ HOUSE
We visited a location very near Caiaphas’ house where you can see the Kidron Valley and Hinnom Valley (also known as Gehenna Valley or “Hell”) come together. Again, I was struck with how close together so much of the Biblical accounts are in a geographical consideration!

We walked around the corner and met in the court of the house of the High Priest Caiaphas. After recounting the account of Jesus’ arrest and the fact that he was brought to Caiaphas, we went into the “basement” of the house to see a “facility” that very likely was a prison of sorts and where, very possibly, Jesus may have spent the night waiting to appear before the Sanhedrin and Pilate.

There are steps leading up to the house’s courtyard that have been dated to be about 2000 years old. It is, therefore, very possible that Jesus Himself walked up those steps just after His arrest. Sobering. To think that this very spot is where Jesus began the horrendous journey to His crucifixion - my heart broke and the tears flowed. I am responsible for His arrest, His false accusations, His trials and mocking and beatings and so much more, including nailing Him to that cross! Forgive me, Lord Jesus.

GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
Ach. What a tremendous place to meditate on our Lord! From all possible considerations, it is very likely that where we were today is very close - if not the actual location - to where Jesus prayed, sweat drops of blood, and cried out to His Father, “If this cup can pass by me, let it be. However, not my will be done, but Yours!

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for not giving up and walking away from Your mission. Thank You for following through and being faithful - for our sakes!!!

THE GARDEN TOMB
Our first stop was to see a site that is considered the be the actual location of Gogoltha, Calvary. It’s interesting that just over the edge of the hill is a bus terminal. An interesting thought shared by one of the guys was that Jesus’ death took place amidst the hustle & bustle of everyday normal life and the fact that the bus terminal is so closely located to Gogoltha is totally understandable. It was not necessarily a special spot, but more a spot for trash, etc.

It was almost too much to go here on the same day that we visited the other sites. My heart grieves for sending You, my Savior, to the cross, the grave and separation from Your Father. I am so sorry for all of that. But I’m also so grateful for the fact that You did it! Thank You!

We celebrated communion with 2 other groups from our conference after having the privilege to enter the tomb that is considered by many to be Joseph of Arimithea’s tomb that was used to house Jesus’ body for the 3 days leading to His resurrection.

MOUNT OF OLIVES
Dann Spader had prepared a 45-minute message to deliver on the Mount of Olives. I’m not sure if you can tell from the pictures, but we were freezing up there almost the second we exited the busses. The wind was howling up the hillside and contained enough “iciness” that it felt like it was from the arctic circle. We shivered through Dann’s 15-minute 45-minute message rejoicing each time he said, “I won’t read the passage, I’ll tell you what it says.”

During part of his message, as he explained that Jesus was going to return, a man stepped forward from behind Dann and told him his name was:“Jesus”. We finished off the evening by watching the sunset over Jerusalem.

Israel Trip - Day 5

WOW!

How can I summarize all that I experienced today!

THE RABBINICAL/WALL TUNNEL
We got up early to catch a 6:45am bus to go to a tunnel called the Rabbinical or Wall Tunnel. It is a tunnel that has been excavated underneath the Muslim Quarter that runs along the temple retaining wall - almost along the bottom of the wall, but still as high as 30 meters higher than the foundation. As we passed along this corridor, there were Jewish women praying in one spot which is suspected to be one of the spots closest to the Holy of Holies.

We returned for the morning session where Mark Edwards challenged us with the story of the feeding of the 5,000. I’ll never look at that story the same way again - partly due to Mark’s talk and partly due to being here in Israel.

AFRICAN BREAK-OUT
Following the morning session, we had break-outs where different regions from the world shared what is happening in their areas. I attended the African break-out and was surprised to discover that almost 85% of the paradigm shifts needed in Africa regarding Christianity were applicable to Central Europe’s situation.

Africa’s 14 paradigm shifts were mentioned to be:
WIN
1. move from isolationism to engaging the culture
2. from denominationalism to kingdom
3. from attracting a crowd to seeking the lost
BUILD
4. from exclusive clubs to authentic communities
5. from benefits to the costs (Matt. 16:24-25)
6. from preaching to itching ears to imparting the truth
7. from running programs to building relationships
8. from legalism to life (Matt. 11:28-30)
EQUIP
9. from seminar training to mentoring leaders
10. from one minister to body ministry
MULTIPLY
11. from celebrity-focused to sainthood demonstrated
12. from bureaucratic hierarchies to servant-leadership
13. from occupation to calling
14. from title-holders to responsible ministers (Matt. 23: )

We ended the break-outs, dashed to the busses, ate lunch on the bus during the 15 minute drive to the Old City and stood in line (we happened to be among the first folks in line) to go up onto the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is and where the Temple originally was located. It is the largest man-made platform in the world (they say) and covers 32 acres!

THE TEMPLE MOUNT
We visited another site on the Temple Mount (also called Mount Zion) where some scholars believe the Holy of Holies was located.

One of the striking images there took place right where we were receiving some “education” about the Dome of the Rock and more. Just a couple of meters from us were perhaps 12-14 young boys who were being led in proper Islamic worship by an older man. As their religion teaches, they faced the mosque that also exists on the Temple Mount, but the sad thing is that they were facing away from the location where the Holy of Holies is believed to have been located.

THE TEMPLE COURT
We had the privilege of standing for a moment in an area in the Temple Court where it is very, very likely that the early church met for worship, prayer & teaching. What an incredible blessing to be able to think that I stood in the very spot where the Church of Jesus Christ was founded!

We also walked down along the east side of the area where the Beautiful Gate was located (though no one really knows where it actually was) and then around to where St. Anne’s church is and where the pool of Bethesda is located. The church has some of the most incredible acoustics I have ever heard in my life. We sang a couple of songs and you would have thought that a professional choir was performing!

THE POOL OF BETHESDA
The Pool of Bethesda was a sobering site. To answer the question (with regards to sinful habits or struggles that have invaded my life) that Jesus posed to the man who for 38 years was afflicted by illness, “Do you want to be healed?” was a sobering moment.

From the Pool of Bethesda, we walked along the Via Dolorosa where Jesus supposedly carried His cross on His way to Calvary/Golgotha for His crucifixion.

We took a shopping break and Jon & I headed to the Holy Rock Cafe for a Turkish coffee & a sweet that was made from pistachio nuts & honey. Both were fabulous!

We returned to the Western Wall for more observation of the Jewish cultural & religious experience.

Israel Trip - Day 4

This was an incredible day!

MOUNT OF OLIVES
We piled into our busses (5 of them!) and headed up the Mount of Olives for a quick overview of J

erusalem and a group photo (all 250 of us!). I was again struck with the proximity of everything in Jerusalem - Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Kidron Valley, the Temple, Pool of Bethesda, 

and so much more.

HERODIAN
This is an amazing architectural feat. I’m going to attach a file that is much better at explaining more about that. The thing that was so amazing to me was how close it is to Bethlehem. In that, it is totally understandable why Herod would 

be so threatened by a “new” king that is revealed in his neighborhood. It’s so incredible to stand on the location of the Herodian and look across the valley to Bethlehem and the outlying areas where the shepherds (David included) tended their sheep.
BETHLEHEMWe ate lunch at a surprising place today. There is a building in Bethlehem that - from the outside - appears to be clos

ed - not quite abandoned, but definitely closed. W

e pulled into the parking lot (all 5 busses) and were instructed to enter the “closed-looking” building. As we entered, I saw one of the most beautiful hotel foyers I have ever seen! And huge! They sat all 250 of us at long tables and had us fed in short time! We started off with pita bread and humus, and chopped tomatoes, onions, etc to eat with the bread. The main course was chicken and rice and salad.
A Palestinian Christian gave his testimony about how he came to Christ. He lived in the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem on the 8th station (as seen below in the photo), but grew up a total atheist. He came to know Christ, studied in the USA at Wheaton College (I think, I’m not sure) and has returned to serve

 in Bethlehem as a believing Christian Palestinian. Now THAT challenges my faith, my political beliefs and more!


PALESTINIAN WALL
It seems surreal to see this wall here in

 Jerusalem after having lived in a former Communist country for so many years. It seems to me that the political leaders here could have

 learned from the mistakes of Communism. One one hand, I cannot understand this. On the other hand, when I consider the corrupt heart of man, it makes total sense - yet is still very sad.

JERUSALEM SCALE MODEL
These are photos of a 1/50th scale model of the city of Jerusalem as it existed in 66 A.D. What an unbelievable treat and work of art! I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

South side view of Jerusalem


West side view

Close-up of the Inner Court & door to the Holy of Holies


DEAD SEA SCROLLS
We were running out of time, but I still had the brief opportunity to see portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls that are on display near the Jerusalem model. Amazing to see scraps of scrolls that were written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born!