Garden of the Empty Tomb

The Garden Tomb was our final tour.  The Place of the Skull is still visible, but the “eyes” are full of weeds, and there is a bus terminal below it.  Most likely, the garden was originally a vineyard, but now it is a lovely tranquil spot, just outside the walls of old Jerusalem, near the Damascus Gate, hence named as there begins the famed Road to Damascus.  A British foundation owns and maintains the property.

The Empty Tomb

After seeing the tomb, we gathered in a shady section of the garden for our final group worship.  We sang a few songs, and Joel said a few words; though it seemed there wasn’t much left to be said.  After a brief sermon on the death and resurrection of Christ, a few steps from where both occurred, we shared a communion service.

As I pack for home, my eyes are moist, my mind is spinning; happy, sad, fulfilled…

Still thirsty.

I am carrying a part of Israel home with me in my heart, but a part of my soul will always remain in Israel.

Psalm 134:  1 Behold, bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord, who serve by night in the house of the Lord!  2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord.  3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth. 

Epicenter Conference Discussion Panel
from left: Joel Rosenberg, Hanna Shahin, Dr. Erez Soref, Shmuel Aweida, Joe Focht

Today was a full day at Joel’s annual conference, which focused on using God’s Word to bring about change in our leaders, nations, and the world at large.  In light of the tumultuous situation present throughout the Middle East, it is obvious that prophecies are being fulfilled.  Therefore, it is important to focus on bringing about change and peace by bringing the Word of God to as many people in the region, and the world, as possible.

The guests comprised two Christian Arabs, one Messianic Jew, and one American pastor.  The most interesting aspect of this panel, is that while the three Israelis testified to the advancement of the Word among Jews and Arabs in Israel and North Africa, the American pastor lamented the decline in the moral and spiritual fibre in the USA, and that it was increasingly difficult to reach the younger generation.

The advances in technology and other visual media (smartphones, internet) is being used by Satan in the U.S. to distract young people from the Way; while satellite communications in the Middle East have been a boon to Christian organisations, enabling them to reach millions of believers (and potential believers) who either can’t read, or don’t have access to the Bible, a church or fellowship.

Joel (who came to Christ before his parents did) related a touching personal story of his teen years; how he was doing all the Christian “stuff,” had all the bells, whistles and activities, but still felt so empty and distant from God.  He was disheartened that he wasn’t reaping the glory of the Spirit-filled life–to the point of total frustration asking, “Why? Why?”  Then one day, in his room, God answered him:  “Have you been spending time with Me in prayer?  Have you been spending time in My Word?”

God and His Word are there, for everyone.  But only when we read the Bible and get down on our knees, is the line of communication opened.

2 Kings 22:19 …because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke … I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD.

Today was a more relaxed day, as we look forward to tomorrow’s Epicenter Conference.  We entered the Old City through the Lion’s Gate, and the Church of St. Anne is just inside.

Church of St. Anne

Though not as ornate as some we have seen, it has beautiful vaulted ceilings that provide it with magnificent acoustics.  Our bus group of about 40 was in there alone, and when we sang Amazing Grace in timid voices, it sounded like Heaven’s Choir itself was singing!

Just a few meters from this church are some ruins of old Old Jerusalem, including the Pool of Bethesda mentioned in John Chapter 5.  The morning light and deep shadows make it difficult to see, but if you click for the full sized image you can see more clearly.  The pool was actually very deep, and way down under that arch is the bottom of the pool.

The Pool of Bethesda

Street Sign in the Muslim Quarter

We begin walking the Via Dolorosa:  the route Christ followed as he carried the cross to Golgotha.  There are churches built upon every “station” of the route—largely based on Catholic tradition.  Scripturally speaking, much of what goes on in Jerusalem isn’t exactly “kosher”, shall we say.  Often, what is stated as fact is based on heresay and folklore.  The church of the Holy Sepulchre is a good example of that.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

It is deemed to be the location of the final 5 “stations of the cross” including where Jesus was buried.  While there is also the Garden Tomb, outside the walls of Jerusalem, that is more in line with what the Bible describes as the location of the crucifixion and burial.

A stop at the Israel Museum allowed us to view an amazing model of Old Jerusalem, as

Israel Museum (That’s not an iPod in my ear in all these photos; it’s a radio that keeps us in contact with our guide)

well as fragments of the original Dead Sea Scrolls.  The full set of originals is kept in a vault, but they have reproduced them for viewing in an effective way.

We finished our day with more than two hours at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum.  It is incomprehensible to me that all this took place; and even once all the nations knew about it, they were too busy to stop it.  How many times can humanity say “Never Again?”  It happened ‘again’ in Guatemala just 30 years ago.  It is happening in Syria as we speak.  And the Arab Middle-East wants nothing more than to be rid of Israel entirely.  The last phase of the museum was the Children’s Memorial:  A completely black, dome shaped room of myriad glass panels and nothing but one and a half million points of light peering out of the darkness.

O my Lord, O my soul…

A long hot day in the Negev was steeped in history. We visited Qumran, viewing (from some distance) the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.  Further along, a cable car takes us up to the top of Masada. This natural fortress upon which Herod built yet another palace in his paranoic fancy, was later occupied by the last remnant of Jewish rebels who tragically all committed suicide, rather than become slaves to the Romans.

Boarding the cable car for the quick lift to the summit of Masada

Another famous site, Ein Gedi, is the area where David snuck into the cave and cut the

Ein Gedi

corner off of King Saul’s cloak.  Seeing the desolation of this area, and experiencing the heat, gives one an entirely new appreciation for the people of Biblical times.  If they needed to cross this desert, they walked.  The extremely lucky may have had a camel.  When coming upon an oasis after a day’s walk, an animal immediately rushes in to swim and drink.  Whereas, a man first praises God for the water.

Mesmerizing blue of the Dead Sea

Our last stop is a beach on the Dead Sea, for a float at the lowest point on the planet earth: 1,348 feet (411 meters) below sea level.  The mineral rich water was bath-warm as the air temperature must have been 110F degrees (43C) in the shade, and no shade!  Then we smeared ourselves with the gooey black mud, for a full-body purification before showering off and returning to Jerusalem.  Even the group leaders are getting tired, as we were dismissed right after dinner this evening, without the usual talking and sharing.  That was fine with me!

Twists and turns in the Jewish Quarter

What a great day.  I went out on my own to have a more restful day and just BE in Jerusalem.  I wandered the streets, supported the local economy (I went shopping), and just soaked it in.  I spent most of the day in the Jewish Quarter, straying occasionally into the Armenian; and a few feet into the Arab area, but the shop owners there were too aggressive for my taste.

I returned to the St. Peter in Gallicanu church because I had to see it again.  The entire interior is painted like a canvas.  Got this great photo of the ceiling. In the dungeon there is a bronze statue of Jesus on his knees with his hands tied, that brought tears to my eyes.

Inside the dome of the St. Peter in Gallicanu church

There is an area called The Cardo, that was the primary street of Jerusalem in its day, about 20 feet below the current street level–each “rebuilding” of the cities is done atop the  ruin of the previous version; each new city higher than the last.  There is a row of columns remaining, and a mural depicting what life was like in that location in the glory of Jerusalem.  (FYI:  You can click on any of these photos to see a full sized version)

Mural of The Cardo in its glory

There are even a few stones  remaining of the original street.  I walked over all of them, just in case my feet may touch the same spot where Jesus’ sandals touched.

My “Door Number One!”

I ate another schwarma for lunch (with a Diet Coke, of course), and continued to wander the labyrinth of winding walkways.  I turned a corner and saw this door.  No idea where it leads, but it is by far the most beautiful in the Jewish Quarter.

The Dan Jerusalem hotel is the nicest of them all; I’m glad we are here for the rest of the week.  There are many single women about my age on the tour.  The majority of the group is retirement age couples, but a few younger families and a couple of single men in their 20-30s.  I am totally impressed with the management of the tour; the busses always leave on time, with everyone on board.  Everyone seems to have a sense of community and the necessity for being punctual.  Of course, they DID tell us the first evening that on the back of our name tags is the phone number we need to call if we get “left behind.”  Wow, if that wouldn’t motivate a Christian group to conform, what would??

We had teaching here this morning, on the steps outside the Southern Wall.

The southern wall of the Temple Mount

The energy of Christ among the group is palpable at times, and very moving.  It’s like Sunday morning, all week long– all our brothers and sisters from church being a part of our daily family, every day.  I guess that’s what God’s Kingdom will be like.  Imagine!!

For the gals in Fridays Women’s group, here is the photo you’ve been waiting for!! (Wish you were here, too)

Stepping up!

Oh, and my memorization of James is now complete.  Beth would be so proud of me, no?

Inside the Church of “St. Peter in Gallicantu”

One of the most beautiful sights is the church built upon the spot where Peter denied Jesus three times.

I visited the Wailing Wall, and while I was pressing my little prayer paper into one of the cracks, I was anointed by a bird on the ledge up above…gratefully, I was wearing my hat!

This was the first day we had “local food” for lunch.  I had schwarma (sp?); much like gyros or doner kebab:  meat cooked on a big skewer and sliced off onto a fluffy pita, with humus and fried potatoes. Yum.

We have arrived in Jerusalem; Halleluja!

Another long day, but worth it.  Tomorrow we start touring within the Old City.

We spent the morning in Capernaum, on the shore of Galilee, where Jesus lived during His three-year ministry.  We occupied the Synagogue where Jesus taught, for our own hour of worship and teaching before visiting the Mount of the Sermon, further along the Sea.

The synagogue where Jesus taught

The entire area was filled with an amazingly intense, bright white light, and most of my photos came out with nothing but light.  I kept shooting over and over and couldn’t capture anything but light.  I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my camera; the indoor shots were OK.  The sun was still low as it was 8.00am, but there were virtually no shadows.  I went to the shore to get a photo of Galilee and it came out like this:

A Bright Light

At the Sermon on the Mount location the same thing was happening.  Any image with sun in it came out intensely white.  I was getting frustrated but remembered the issue with my battery charger from the first day.  Something told me to put the camera in the bag and grasp the moment.  We had a half hour to sit alone for “reflection.”  I sat on a large rock to read Jesus’ Sermon.

I read this and wept…

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Yesterday was absolutely brutal. From the start of breakfast to the end of dinner, it was a 14 hour day–all of us jet-lagged and with only a few hours of sleep.  The group was tense and quiet.  I was thinking this is torture, not a spiritual journey!

A valley green with kibbutzes

Today, on the other hand, was much more relaxed and fun.  Our bus was the “late bus” (ie: 3 minutes) the entire day, but we didn’t care.  Our personal guide has a great sense of humour, but still keeps everyone hustling.  The group loosened up, even though some still only had a few hours of sleep under our belt; for me it was about four.  Beautiful, sunny day; and only about 85F/30C atop the Golan Heights where we spent most of the day.  Much of the hills are desert-like, but there are some volcanoes that provide rich soil for vineyards (which are plentiful), and the vast, fertile valleys are intensely green with kibbutzes producing just about everything.

First stop was at a kibbutz an hour’s drive from our hotel.  Primarily a restroom stop (our

The Valley of Tears;
half mile to my right, is Syria

busses have Wi-Fi, and bone-chilling A/C, but no toilets); and while half were in line for that, the rest of us were in the little cafe / shop, snapping up fresh fruit and wine produced there, as well as souvenirs and Israel Defence Forces T-shirts that say things like:  “America, don’t worry… Israel is behind you.”  Then we continued to a high spot in the Golan overlooking the “Valley of Tears” (after the Yom Kippur War), a mere half-mile from the Syrian border, for a teaching by Joel on the prophecy regarding Damascus in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49.  It was a beautiful location, and a great experience.

Lunch was at yet another kibbutz, with a lovely hotel / restaurant.  They are preparing fabulous meals for us here… huge buffets, that most are saying are kin to those on a cruise ship.

Strategic lookout atop Mt. Bental in the Golan Heights

The highlight of the whole day, however, was the amazing historical knowledge and teaching of our guide on the bus as we traveled from site to site.  Most of the guides are Jews, not Christians; which really makes it even more interesting. We also visited Ceasarea Philippi, where Jesus passed by a cave on His way to Galilee, and the Banais Waterfalls before heading up to an even higher point in the Golan, called Kofii anan.  This also overlooks the Valley of Tears, but was about 5 miles from the Syrian border.

I’m sure this will come as no surprise to those who know me well, but my (obsessive) preparation has really paid off.  I have all the “equipment” I need; the shoes are totally

comfortable; and kudos to Giovanni for the physical training!  I expect I’m carrying at least 15 pounds of gear when I’m fully-loaded with backpack, camera, etc., and though there is sweat; it is from the heat, not from the exertion.  Gracias hermano!

Layers of settlements over the centuries have created a small mountain at Megiddo

We stopped at Ceasarea by the Sea this morning where Peter met Cornelius, had lunch at Megiddo (the site of Armageddon), and spent some worship time with a church atop Mt. Carmel before swinging through Haifa and ending up in Galilee.  What a day… There actually is a McDonald’s restaurant near the base of the mount of Megiddo.  Well, when the armies of the world unite for the final battle at Armageddon, they will need to eat, after all!  Fortunately we were treated to a lovely lunch of delicious local food.

No time yet for spiritual reflection of the day.  More tomorrow!