At the Wailing Wall

We came here to pray and take in the site that is the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall). It was heart-rending to see the Jewish people crying out to God. Paul thought tenderly of his own people and wrote in Romans 10:1: "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved". As I looked at these religious people - some young, some old - I could not help but feel burdened for them. As I finish this blog, the final thought I want to share, of all that I have seen here, is that the people need the Lord. Whether Arabs, Jews, or Gentiles they all come seeking contact with the Living God yet all they experience is dead religion. Pray for Israel and her people that the Good News would sound forth throughout this special place.

The Moment of Destruction

This is remarkable! This is a picture I took as I stood on the same street that Jesus and His disciples travelled upon 2,000 years ago. It runs along the western wall of what used to be the Second Temple. To the right, you can see the western wall and in the middle of the picture you can see a pile of rubble. This is the same western wall that just a short distance further is so famous as a place of prayer. Recently, archaeologists have dug down and uncover this area which was before covered with 18 feet of earth and home atop that. When they reach the rubble, they decided to leave it intact. You see when the Romans sacked the city and then entered the Temple to destroy it, they pushed over the walls above this spot resulting in the rubble you see here. Here it is, the moment of destruction in AD 70.

Hezekiah's Tunnel

We visited the Old City of David which is south of the Temple mount. It was there that they discovered King Hezekiah's tunnel which was dug to bring water from the Gihon Springs down to the Pool of Siloam ( 2 Chron. 32:30). The water runs through it today, cool and refreshing.

In Jerusalem

It has been fast and furious here in Jerusalem! We have seen so much already in Israel and now we're taking in all that there is to take in here (at least it seems that way) in the ancient capital of Israel. What one is immediately stuck with being here is that this is a place of religion. In most places, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are sandwiched next one to one another - in other places they are stacked on top of one another! It is a city filled with tourists, worshippers, and military personnel. At times you will hear church bells. At other times, the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets. Most of the time, what you hear is traffic - sirens, honking, and street noise. What I am enjoying is that history surrounds you on every side in layers. But if you stop for a moment and look at the faces, you are reminded that Jesus walked these streets and this city and loved people in a way far beyond what is natural to us. These people need the true and living God. There are so many substitutes and so many brands of each religion. But people still are missing the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I stood at the place where, according to tradition, Jesus wept over the city. He foresaw its physical destruction and was grieved at its spiritual desolation. Oh to be moved as He was over this city and the souls within it!

Day 7 - Valley of Elah

We stopped briefly at the Valley of Elah on our way up to Jerusalem. This is the legendary place where David met Goliath and slew him. The Scriptures give exact coordinates as to this location in 1 Sam. 17:1-3. In this picture, the view is toward what would be the Israel side of the valley. Do you notice the brook? It runs along this side of the valley. It is the brook and most likely the place where David drew his five smooth stones prior to meeting the Philistine champion in the valley. How amazing to stand at this site and view it today!

Day 6 - The Bedouin Experience

Yes, that is me...in full Arabian gear! We arrived at a bedouin tent where we were greeted with a camel ride through the desert. As always, I got into the act.

Day 6 - Masada

On Monday, we visited the fortress at Masada. It had been originally built by King Herod the Great as a palace away from his palace in Caesarea and in Jerusalem. Later, it was occupied by Jewish rebels and fugitives during what became known as the Bar Kochba rebellion from AD 132-135. Initially the Romans were driven out of Israel only to return determined to wipe out Jewish resistance once and for all. City by city, village by villiage the Romans came and took back the land. The rebels fled here along with some fugitives knowing that the fortress would provide for them during a long seige. Eventually, the Romans came and surrounded the mountain fortress. Within two years they built a seige ramp (which you can see pictured here) which led them up to the gates. The rebels concluded that an horoable death as free men would be better then Roman death and slavery for their families so they all took their own lives. When the Roman army entered Masada, they were left with no plunder and no rebels to execute.

Ancient Beth She'an/Scythopolis

I must say that this site was absolutely one of the most remarkable places I have seen this whole trip up to this point. This site is actually two ancient cities - one build on top of (or rather around) the other. This first city built here was a Canaanite city known as Beth She'an. In the Old Testament, the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were hung on its city gates after they fell in battle (as recorded in 1 Sam. 31). About one thousand years later, the Romans expanded the Greek settlement here known as Scythopolis and it became an opulent jewel of a city advantageously situated in the Jordan Valley. The New Testament records it as one of the cities of the Decapolis (the only one west of the Jordan River). The residents of Scythopolis became rich because of their manufacturing of linen (which became known as the best in the known world of the time). By Jesus' day, it was a luxurious Graeco-Roman city with all the convieneces Rome had to offer: an amphitheatre for gladitoral sport, a hippodrome for chariot racing, a theatre, a bath house, market, multiple pagan temples, etc. It all came to a sudden end, however, when the city was absolutely leveled in a major earthquake which struck in 749 AD. To the left of me, you can see the column that fell to its side and to the right you can clearly see the corinthian capital that sat atop it. Also notice the broken pavement from the main thoroughfare upon which this column fell. Here it is - unchanged since that moment 1,250 years ago!

The Spring of Harod

This morning, we left the beautiful Galilee region and travelled south down the Jordan Valley. On the way, we stopped at the Spring of Harod. This is the place where Gideon had his army whittled down by the Lord to 300 choice men to do battle with the Midianites. The location is precisely described in Judges 7:1 and the story follows in verses 2-25. It is remarkable that this spring remains to this day and in exactly the location as described in the Bible!

From the Golan Heights

This is a photo taken looking eastward from the Golan Heights down into Syria. This was a region taken by Israel during at the end of the Six-Day war in 1967. The Golan Heights remain a territory under dispute between Syria and Israel. Look carefully at the center of this picture and you will see a cluster of white buildings. This is a UN peacekeeping force staioned here to monitor the border.

Day 4 - Dan: The Altar at Dan

We traveled north to the ancient city of Dan today. To my amazement, we were taken to the "high place" of Dan that King Jeroboam built back at the split of the kingdom in the 9th century BC. He set up an altar in Dan (in the far north) and another in Bethel (in the far south) in order to keep the northern tribes from going into the southern kingdom to worship at Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 12:25-33). There was a golden calf here and an altar (as you can see the metal scaffolding in this picture depicts). This was terrible idolatry which the Lord condemned and eventually provoked Him to have the northern kingdom carried off to captivity in 722 BC. I have been preaching through Hosea at church and the prophet mentions this very altar (Hos. 8)! By the way, in the distance behind me is Lebanon.

Day 3 - More from the Sea of Galilee

It is incredible to realize that in the region of the Galilee, Jesus spent about 75% of his earthly ministry. As I looked out over the Galilee this afternoon, I realized that I was looking at the same geographical features that Jesus' eyes looked at. The people he ministered to here, this region where he became famous, were simple, devout, and "good" people. Yet they missed it. They missed Jesus of Nazareth. In the presence of the miracle worker, they lost the miracle who was the Man. It all happened here in the beautiful Galilee.

Day 3 - Sea of Galilee

Well, here I am...sailing on the Galilee! I was so tempted to jump off the side and go for a swim. We took a boat ride over from Magdala in the southwest to Capernaum in the northwest. It took about 45mins.

Day 3 - Magdala, on the Sea of Galilee

We went to a museum this morning that housed a spectacular artifact. This is a photo of a 1st century fishing boat that was discovered in the mud along the shore. This is not a replica - this is the real thing. It is very likely that this boat was in use during Jesus' ministry. Who knows? It may even be THE boat he himself travelled in (though the chances are slim).

Day 3 - Chorazin "The Seat of Moses"

Ou first stop of the day was in Chorazin. Jesus said of this place that because of their failure to repent, even in the face of His wondrous miracle-working, they were to suffer great judgment (see Matt. 11:21). We had the opportunity to tour an ancient synagogue there and in this 4th century Jewish house of worship was the "seat of Moses" (see Matt. 23:1-2). This is where the leader of the synagogue or the guest of honor would be delivered the OT scrolls and would read them and then proceed to expound on their meaning.

Day 2 - Nazareth

Here is a shot of Nazareth. This is where Jesus grew up and at that time it was a village of about 400 people. Today, Nazareth is an Arab community of about 65,000. There is a Jewish community neighboring it (Upper Nazlation in Jesusareth) numbering 35,000. Oh how times have changed. It is up here in the hills and being such a small population in Roman times it was truly a "nowhere" place to be brought up. Little wonder that Nathaniel reacted as he did in John's Gospel when he said remarked to the other disciples, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?!?!"

Day 2 - Megiddo

After Mt Carmel, we drove southward and a little into the Jezreel Valley to reach Megiddo. It is also known as Tel Megiddo or Har Megiddo (where we get "Armageddon"). It is at this site and in the valley where it sits that the famous battle of Armageddon in Rev 16 is to occur. This fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt 25 times! The earliest construction and occupation of the site dates back over 5,000 years. The picture here is of a structure that may be as old as 5,000 years. Look closely and you will see in the center of the photo a very large round platform made of unhewn rock. This was a Canaanite altar constructed in order to conduct worship to Baal.

Day 2 - Still from Mt Carmel..with some friends

There was a platoon of IDF doing some training at the base of Mt Carmel. I couldn't help but get a photo with them.

Day 2 - Mt Carmel

Here I am atop Mt Carmel, perhaps not far from the site where Elijah and the prophets of Baal had a contest...you all know how that turned out. Behind me is the Jezreel Valley as it flows south into Judah. It is this valley where the Battle of Armageddon will take place.

One more from Caesarea

This is really neat! Here I am standing at the ancient Roman aquaduct which carried water from a spring inland, down along the coastline and into Caesarea. The arch I am standing under was constructed just a few years before Jesus' birth under the orders of the king who would try in vain to exterminate Him.

More from Caesarea...

Here is something interesting from Caesarea. The picture here is of a palace that Herod the Great built in this opulent city. The palace was meant to be a special place where Herod could get away from the crowd. He had it build on this reef so it jutted out into the ocean (it must have been spectacular). If you notice, you can see a large rectangular cut out in the reef itself. This was a wading pool that was a central feature of Herod's palace.

Day 1 - Part 2: Caesarea

If you think that you are looking at a picture of me with Chuck Swindoll, you are correct! Chuck and I go way back (jk)! Actually, we ran into Chuck and the "Insights for Living" Holy Land tour when we were in Caesarea. This ancient city built by Herod the Great is a spectacular site! I don't even know where to start in describing the experience there. Anyway, Caesarea filled out a busy and jet-lagged day. At night we stayed in a kibbutz on the coast north of there in the ancient city of Dor.

Day 1 in Israel - Ben Gurion Airport, Joppa, and Tel Aviv

We touched down in Israel very early this morning, at about 5:00am here. Ugh! We are all real tired but we are bravely forging ahead! Driving through the streets of Tel Aviv was enlightening, especially so early in the morning! The breeze off the Mediterrainen was exhilirating! As we stood in Joppa, the site where Jonah departed as he ran from the Lord and where Peter in Acts had his vision on the tanner's roof, I was stuck at how quiet and peaceful - even quaint - the place is today! We have stopped at a coffeeshop and are making our way to Caesarea. More news to come later!

In London!

Wow! That was a cramped flight over from Phoenix to London. We got in later than we thought and so we hustled doen to the "tubes" (London underground) and headed over the the British Museum. We only got to spend about 45min there, though. Still, I took a bunch of pics and it was incredible to see what they had displayed there. Just getting a bite to eat in Heathrow. Hopping on the "redeye" flight to Tel Aviv in one hour. Be back with more from there!