Upcoming Bible Land Travel Opportunities

Are you interested in taking a guided tour of the Bible Lands? I can offer two suggestions. April 15-26, 2013 - Israel - Led by Ferrell Jenkins Traveling to Israel is often "the trip of a lifetime" for Bible students. I have been lucky enough to take this tour twice (the first in the Spring of 2010 and the second in the Fall of 2012). Mr. Jenkins has lead over 35 tours of Israel and has spent a lifetime studying the land. You'll visit the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, the Jezreel Valley, the Wilderness of Judea, the Shephelah as well as many other sites. A trip to Israel is one that you will never forget. You can see Mr. Jenkins' website for more details.

May 13-24, 2013 - Turkey - Led by Leon Mauldin I have to admit, I have never taken this tour, but I know many people that have been to Turkey and I know many people that have been on Mr. Mauldin's tours. In both cases, they speak very highly of the Turkey and tours led by Mr. Mauldin. Obviously, a trip to Turkey is on my Bucket List. On this tour, you'll visit Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Izmir, Pergamum and many other places. You can contact Leon Mauldin for more details.

Is it possible to understand the Bible without traveling to the Bible lands? Yes, definitely. But traveling to the Bible lands helps you understand the Bible stories even better.

Jesus Stayed in Bethany

Robert D. Kaplan wrote an article on September 7, 2012 in the Wall Street Journal Online entitled "Geography Strikes Back". He started the article by saying: "If you want to know what Russia, China or Iran will do next, don't read their newspapers or ask what our spies have dug up - consult a map. Geography can reveal as much about a government's aims as its secret councils. More than ideology or domestic politics, what fundamentally defines a state is its place on the globe. Maps capture the key facts of history, culture and natural resources. With upheaval in the Middle East and a tumultuous political transition in China, look to geography to make sense of it all."

I completely agree. The same applies to many of the Bible stories that we read. We frequently read stories about people in the Bible traveling from one place to another, but going by a non-direct route. Why did they take that route? Well, check a map. You'll probably find the answer.

As you read through the Gospels, you'll notice that when Jesus visits Jerusalem, he frequently spends the night in Bethany as opposed to staying in the city. Why did He do that? Well, I can think of two reasons. The first reason is fairly obvious…He had good friends that lived in Bethany and He wanted to spend time with them. Mary, Martha and Lazarus frequently opened their home to Jesus when He was in the area.

The second reason isn't as obvious, but I think it is significant. Numerous times in Jesus' ministry, He would take advantage of opportunities to get away from the crowds (Matthew 14:23, 26:39, Mark 6:46, etc). In John 11, we read the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus. In the midst of that story, in verse 18, we are told that Bethany is approximately 2 miles from Jerusalem. While two miles isn't that far, it was far enough for Jesus to get away from the crowds of Jerusalem.

But, we can learn more about His choice to stay in Bethany by looking at a map. In this case, a topographical map. If you look at a map, you'll notice that Jerusalem is located due west of the Mount of Olives. And, Bethany is located on the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. So, for Jesus to travel from Jerusalem to Bethany, He would have had to leave the city, cross the Kidron Valley, climb the top of the Mount of Olives, cross the top of the mount and then descend down to the town. It was the perfect place for Jesus to stay. He would have been close to Jerusalem, but since Bethany faces the east, probably could not even see Jerusalem from Bethany.

Israel - Seeing is Believing

One question about travel to Israel that I often get asked concerns safety. When people hear the words "the Middle East", they often have visual images that they see in the 15 second clips on the news. Consequently, those images are of deserts, violence, terrorists, riots, etc. As is usually the case, you can't always get a complete picture by only seeing 15 second sound bites. Earlier today, Todd Bolen provide a link to a promotional Israel video. The video has a good combination of historical, cultural, religious and modern images of Israel. I encourage you to watch it.

I've been busy lately and haven't been posting as much as I would like. However, that will change soon.

HT: Todd Bolen

Turning Your Back To God

When Jeroboam became the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, he was faced with a problem. His people wanted to worship God and in doing so, they would have to travel back to Jerusalem, which was now inside the southern kingdom of Judah. Jeroboam knew that allowing the citizens of Israel to return to Jerusalem would result in them not returning to his kingdom. In 1 Kings 12:26-27 we read,

And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.

Why was Jeroboam so worried about his people returning to Jerusalem? Well, it has to do with the people's perception of Jerusalem at that time. Look back at the previous verse. It says that the "house of the Lord" was at Jerusalem. We can also get another idea by reading 1 Kings 14:21:

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there.

Jerusalem was the city that God had chosen to put His name. It is where Solomon built a large temple to the Lord. In the minds of the nation of Israel, Jerusalem was the center of their religion and consequently, the center of their world.

So what did Jeroboam do? Well, he made small changes to their religious practices. He changed the feast days. He allowed non-Levites to become priests. He also built places of worship in the northern and southern extremities of his kingdom so they could "conveniently" worship without having to travel back to Jerusalem. One he built at Dan and the other he built at Bethel. The picture attached to this blog post is of the remains of the high place that Jeroboam built at Dan. Jeroboam built a golden calf and placed it on this platform for the people of Israel to worship (1 Kings 12:28-33).

But, when you visit this site, another idea comes to mind. When Daniel was taken away in to Babylonian captivity, the scriptures mention that he prayed three times a day looking out a window which faced Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10). Why did he do that? Well, he understood the importance of the city. Jeroboam didn't want the people of his nation to even think about Jerusalem. Therefore, this place of worship was built so that the worshippers would face north…away from Jerusalem.

How can I know that for sure that this was Jeroboam's intention? Well, honestly, I can't. At least not with the information that I currently have. But, it is an interesting thing to consider. It would be nice if we could find the accompanying site in Bethel. Is that place of worship also facing away from Jerusalem? We will just have to wait to find out. Excavations are ongoing at a couple of prospective sites in Israel.

Regardless, we know that the northern kingdom of Israel never followed God again. Their entire existence consisted of one king after another which drove them away from God.

What lesson can we learn about this place of worship in Dan? Well, we know that if you practice religion out of convenience, you'll soon compromise what you know to be right. And finally, turning your back to God will only lead to destruction.

2012 Israel Trip Favorite Picture - Part II

Today I'm continuing the series of favorite pictures that I took while on my trip to Israel in September. Today's picture is of the remains of the inner harbor at Caesarea Maritima. Between 22-9 BC, Herod the Great constructed a huge harbor in the coastal, Roman administrative city of Caesarea. When it was built, it was the largest artificial harbor built in the open sea, enclosing around 100,000 square meters. It consisted to two parts, and outer harbor and an inner harbor. The inner harbor was for smaller boats, which granted passengers transportation to the larger boats in the outer harbor.

The picture that I have attached is of the smaller, inner harbor. For centuries, this entire area was covered in dirt and has only recently been excavated. The grassy area is where the water would have been during the first century. On top of the large platform to the left is where Herod built one of the three large temples which he dedicated to Caesar Augustus. (The other two are in the region of Caesarea Philippi and Samaria.) You can imagine the travelers at that time coming into the harbor and looking up at that large temple just before they disembarked. If you look closely where the stones and grass meet, you can still see the steps that travelers would have used to get on and off the boats.

Looking at this picture, you can't help but think of all the people that probably walked along that harbor. This is the city where Cornelius lived (Acts 10). This is also the city where Philip lived (Acts 21). No doubt, both of them would have come down here during their lives. In addition, the Apostle Paul used this port a number of times in his travels. He probably used this port during his second and third missionary journeys. And, after being a prisoner for two years in the pratorium in Caesarea, Paul left from here on his journey to Rome (Acts 27:1,2).

I wonder what Paul was thinking about as he walked on this harbor before he left for Rome? Was he excited? Was he scared? It was probably a little of both. But, he knew that he was doing what he was meant to do.

Lost Emails

For those of you who keep up with my blog through email, I must apologize. Recently, there has been a bug in the plugin that I use and consequently, the emails were not being sent out as they should. But, the plugin has just been updated, so hopefully the bug has been corrected. However, if you would like to be automatically updated when I do post something, I would invite you like our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ExploringBibleLands), or follow us on Twitter (@xplorbiblelands).

In the meantime, here are links to the posts that you may have missed:

• September 29, 2012 - 2012 Israel Trip Favorite Picture - Part I
• October 1, 2012 - Zondervan Atlas of the Bible
• October 2, 2012 - History of the Temple Mount

I also added a new page on the Kidron Valley.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words of encouragement. I hope that this site will help you in your personal Bible study.

History of the Temple Mount

Spread out over two trips to Israel, I have spent about ten days in and around Jerusalem. During the time walking around the city, I have tried to understand what I can about the city. However, that is a difficult task. Jerusalem has so much history and has changed so much over the millennia that it makes visualizing the city during different periods of time difficult at best. Yesterday, Leen Ritmeyer wrote a very interesting article about the history of the Temple Mount. It is a perfect example of displaying how hard it is to learn the geographical history of Jerusalem. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try. Because understanding the lands of the Bible helps us to understand the Bible itself.

NOTE: The attached picture was taken from the Mount of Olives. It shows the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount with the Al-Asqa mosque in the background.

Zondervan Atlas of the Bible

If anyone needs me over the next few weeks, I'll be reading.

Over the last few months, I've been eyeing the latest edition of the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible by Carl Rasmussen. About two weeks ago, I learned that it was on sale for an incredible price of $20. I quickly snatched it up and it arrived in the mail on Saturday.

Wow. What a fantastic book. If you are a fan of Biblical geography and enjoy maps, pictures and detailed descriptions, then you'll love this book. I can't wait to dig into it.

If you are interested in getting the book, Amazon has the hardback version on sale for $26.39.

2012 Israel Trip Favorite Picture - Part I

In an earlier post, I spoke about my favorite picture from my first trip to Israel in 2010. I've labeled this post "Part I" because I actually have a few pictures that are my favorites from this most recent trip. I'll talk about those in some later posts. This first picture was not chosen because of it composition or it's ability to retell a Biblical story. I chose it because of what I had to do to get it. En Rogel is mentioned a few times in the Bible, but is mostly known as the location of Adonijah's feast in 1 Kings 1. As David was getting old, one of his sons, Adonijah took it upon himself to appoint himself as the successor to David. Adonijah rounded up a number of officials and threw a feast at En Rogel. When Nathan the prophet heard about it, he and Bathsheba approached David and told him what was happening. David immediately arranged for Solomon to be appointed king in a ceremony at the Gihon Spring, which is only a few hundred yards away from En Rogel.

Later, En Rogel is mentioned as one of the locations marking the border between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. It is located near the confluence of the Kidron and Hinnom Valleys south of the original City of David.

The location of En Rogel is not easy to get to. However, I knew that we would be close to it when we visited the Pool of Siloam. As we exited the area of the Pool, I was disappointed because of some nearby road construction. They had some of the area blocked off and a large temporary fence was blocking the view. The fence consisted of a three foot high concrete barrier with a four foot high sheet metal fence on top of it. I was able to figure out a way to climb upon the concrete barrier by jumping up and simultaneously grabbing hold of the top of the sheet metal. As I jumped up onto it, I think I said a quick prayer hoping that the top of the sheet metal wasn't razor sharp. (The last thing that I wanted to do was slice my hand open. My wife would not approve of this activity.) Luckily, the sheet metal was thick which allowed me to pull myself up. Once I regained my balance, I leaned over the fence and I could see location at the bottom of the hill. I pulled my camera around me and snapped off a couple of pictures. As I was about to jump down, I turned around to see our Tour Leader holding up his camera, requesting that I take a couple of pictures for him.

Consequently, this is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. Sometimes you have to do what you've got to do to get the picture you want.

Psalm 63

King David was a great writer.  We are blessed in that we have a number of his writings in the form of psalms.  David often found himself away from the major cities which allowed him time to meditate on God and what He had done for him. In many Bibles, subtitles are ascribed to many of the psalms. While one could offer arguments about the validity of the subtitles, more often than not, they are accepted (by tradition) as being authentic. Psalm 63 is one of the psalms that has a subtitle. It reads, "A Psalm of David when he was in the Wilderness of Judah". Reading that, you are forced to wonder what the Wilderness of Judah is like.

The Wilderness of Judah lies to the west of the Jordan River and Dead Sea and climbs into the central mountain range. It is very arid, and in some locations only a few inches of rain fall each year. I took the attached picture a little over a week ago as we were traveling down the western edge of the Dead Sea. While you often see small shrubs, it has very sparse vegetation.

Now, let's look back at Psalm 63. As you read through it, try to keep in mind the picture and notice the obvious references to the environment in which he was in.

PSALM 63

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Once again, understanding the lands of the Bible help you to understand the writings in the Bible.

2012 Israel Trip - Day Eleven

Well, the trip has quickly come to an end. Our flight was scheduled to leave around midnight on Friday night, so when we got up on Friday morning, we knew that it was going to be a very, very long day. However, we don't want to waste our time over here. With that being said, we kept our visiting down to seeing areas and sites that we could drive to. Or, at the least, get to from a very short walk. Today is a great day of the trip because we drive through the Shephelah. The Shephelah is a region of the country between the central mountain range and the coastal region. Our first stop was a Beth-Shemesh, where the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel. It is also the area of Samson.

We then drove through the Valley of Elah. I have to admit, I love driving through that valley. If you open up your Bible and read the story of David and Goliath, the entire valley becomes alive. It's amazing to see the geographic accuracy of the Bible.

We visited many other sites in the area and finally ended up back in Joppa. The port of Joppa is where Jonah tried to flee from God and where Solomon received the cedars from Lebanon to use in the construction of the temple in Jerusalem.

After dinner, we made our way to the airport to head home. It was another wonderful trip. I realize that it is not possible for every single Christian to go to the Bible lands. I've been lucky enough to make the trip to Israel twice. Even though the trip is over, I'm going to continue to place posts on the blog as well as update and add pages to this site. To be notified of the updates, be sure to like us on Facebook.

I hope that you enjoyed the notes about the trip and let me know if you have any questions!

2012 Israel Trip - Day Ten

Today was a short day. This is our last full day (sort of) in Israel. Therefore, we cut the day short so that we could all come back to the hotel and get packed up for the flight to the United States tomorrow night. We started our day with a surprise visit to Nabi Samuel. It is a location north of the city of Jerusalem in which you can view the land of Benjamin. The view was magnificent and helped us to better understand the land which was given to the Israelites by God.

From there, we went to the Israel Museum. This was of particular interest to me for a number of reasons. And, those reasons can be mapped to different parts of the museum.

Jerusalem Model - There is a huge model of the city of Jerusalem in the First Century. Everything that we have learned over the last several days can be molded into a practical understanding by looking at the model. Last time I was at the Israel Museum, we arrived at the model about 10 minutes before closing. Therefore, we barely had time to fully understand it and take all of the pictures that we needed. Numerous times since my last visit I wished I had more pictures of this model. I remedied that today. I'm sure that I will realize later that I missed some angles, but I took dozens and dozens of pictures that I hope to use in Bible classes.

Shrine of the Book - This is where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. Earlier in the trip, we visited Qumran, which is where they were found. Now, we get the chance to actually see some of them. It is very interesting.

Main Hall - The last time I was here, the Main Hall was under renovation, therefore, we were not able to go in. This time, not only were we able to go in, but we were able to take pictures (which had not been allowed until a couple of months ago). The museum is very well laid out. Like all museums, we could have spent days there, however, we didn't have that much time. We quickly hit the "high spots", allowing ourselves to see some artifacts that we had discussed earlier in the trip. Anybody that comes over here should make it a point to spend some time at this museum.

Our day ended with a trip to the Garden Tomb. For years, some people thought that this was the actual tomb of Jesus. Due to other evidence, most have backed off of that claim now. However, it does allow us to see a good example of an Iron Age tomb.

Tomorrow will be an exciting day because we will spend most of the time driving through the Shephelah. Our flight is due to leave Israel late tomorrow night and arrive in the United States Saturday morning. I'll do my best to post something while I'm waiting to board the flight tomorrow night. If I don't get the chance, I'll post something as soon as I can upon returning home.

2012 Israel Trip - Day Nine

Today, we spent the whole day in the Old City. Anytime you spend time in the Old City, you have to keep reminding yourself of where you are and what the city looked like during Biblical times. That is not easy to do. Even if you just allow yourself to be immersed in all of the cultures you are surrounded by, it is a day that you will not forget. We started the day earlier than usual because we wanted to get on the Temple Mount as soon as we could. Muslims are in control of the Temple Mount and visitors are only allowed on the platform during certain times of the week. Once we made it on the Temple Mount, you are reminded of so many Bible stories. This is where Solomon first built a temple to God. Centuries later, Herod the Great expanded the Temple Mount and rebuilt the temple. This is where Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers. This is where Paul and John healed a blind man as he sat by the gate called Beautiful. This is where Peter preached the sermon in Acts 2. What a great way to start your day.

We exited the Temple Mount and walked the roads of the Old City along the Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa is the path that Jesus walked as he was led from Pilate to Golgotha. It is a very interesting walk, but of course if rooted more in tradition rather than actual history.

The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This ancient church was originally built in the 3rd Century and traditionally stands above the locations of Golgotha and the tomb. There are many interesting things about the building itself, but also it is very sad. You see many things that would not be appropriate among people that call themselves followers of Jesus. With that being said, I believe that the church actually sits on the original location. In that case, it is interesting.

After lunch, we walked through the Christian and Jewish Quarters and ended up at the infamous Western Wall. As is always the case, there were hundreds of Jewish people praying at the wall. This is the closest that they can get to the original location of the temple. We saw many men and women praying and also a couple of school classes conducting their sessions. Even though I may not agree with everything that they believe spiritually, there is a lot that I can learn from their dedication to what they do believe.

Our final stop of the day was at the southern end of the Temple Mount where we sat on the original First Century steps that led to the temple. It is very humbling to think that I was walking up the same steps that Jesus walked up on many occasions.

As you can tell, it was another great day. Tomorrow, we visit the Israel Museum, which is now allowing photographs!

Until then...

2012 Israel Trip - Day Eight

Today was spent in an around the Dead Sea in the Wilderness of Judea.  We had a surprise visit this morning at Qasr al-Yahud, which is near the traditional location of the baptism of Jesus.  In the Gospels, we read that John was baptizing at "Bethany beyond the Jordan".  So, John was actually baptizing at a location on the other side of the Jordan River.  However, this is as close as we can get without going into the country of Jordan.  Due to irrigation and water control, the river at this point is very narrow compared to what it was in Biblical times. We then traveled down to the vacation home of Herod the Great, Masada.  The history of Masada is something that every person should study.  Consequently, I won't go into that now and leave that to your personal study.  Masada is never mentioned by name in the Bible, however it might have been referenced.  The word "masada" means fortress.  While in the area, the scriptures mention that David visited a fortress on three different occasions.  In addition, David mentions a fortress in four of his psalms.  So, it is highly possible that David visited here.  I had one other interesting experience at Masada, which I'll discuss later.

From there, we traveled north for a brief stop at En Gedi (where David hid while he was being pursued by Saul), Qumran (the location of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and Jericho.  I've been to Jericho twice and it is one of the highlights of my trip.  The tel that we visit is from Old Testament Jericho (New Testament Jericho was in a slightly different location).  From that tel, you can see the size of the city, so you know exactly how far the Israelites marched as they circled the city for seven days.  You can also envision Rahab, who built her house on the wall of the city.  She could look out her window and see the Israelites as the encamped in the plains of Moab across the Jordan River.  It is a fascinating place.

Tomorrow is an early day.  We have to leave the hotel at 7:00am in order to be in the Old City in time to enter the Temple Mount by 7:30.  So, I'll need to get to bed soon.

However, back to Masada.  I'm an amateur hiker.  I really enjoy hiking in the Smokies and have hiked many miles there.  At Masada, you have two choices to get to the top.  The first choice is a tram lift that will take you to the top in about 3 minutes.  The second is the traditional route (the same route that the people of the time would have used) via the "Snake Path".  The trail is only 2 kilometers long, but it climbs over 350 meters in that distance.  (I'll leave it as a math exercise for you to figure out how steep that is.)  There were about 10 others in the group that wanted to hike the Snake Path, so I thought that I would give it a shot.  Well, I made it.  However, it wasn't a complete success.  When we left, the temperature was about 30 degrees Celcius (another math exercise for you) with no clouds (rain rarely falls here) and very little wind (we are at the lowest place on earth).  I made the trip up okay, but soon after arriving at the top, I started to get tingling feelings in my fingers.  Since that is one of the first signs of heat exhaustion, I knew that I needed to take care of myself quickly.  I took the first tram back to the visitor's center and immediately bought a coke.  I sat down in the cool air and began to recover.  Our outstanding tour guide, Elie, and could see that I was doing better, but thought that I needed something else.  He disappeared and came back with a Gatorade.  I drank it and immediately started feeling better.  So, here is what I learned from today:  if you decide to hike the Snake Trail, you'll need at least two bottles of water, not just one.  (And, let's keep this between us.  There is no need to let Tabatha it.)

Until tomorrow….

2012 Israel Trip - Day Seven

This morning started out on top of the Mount of Olives. For anyone that has been to Jerusalem, the view from the Mount of Olives is something that you will never forget. This morning was no exception. When I woke up this morning, there was some clouds in the air and I thought that our view would be obscured. However, within 30 minutes of the sun coming up, the clouds burned off and it was crystal clear from up on top. We took our typical group picture which you will probably see on Ferrell Jenkins' blog. We traveled down off the top of the hill and down to the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane. It is interesting to look up at the East Gate and envision Judas and the men with him traveling down the hill with torches and spears to arrest Jesus. Standing there, you realize how close all of these places are. No doubt, Jesus could hear the men leaving the city and coming down to arrest Him. He could have had plenty of time to run, but He didn't.  And for that, I am thankful.

Going into the modern city of Jerusalem, we visited the ancient city of David. It is very interesting to walk around the ruins, see the ancient walls of the city and to see the Gihon Spring. From there, we walked through the Caananite Tunnel, which carried water from the Gihon Spring to other parts of the city during that time. Our tour ended by looking at the excavations of the Pool of Siloam. This is one of my favorite places. Mostly because I love the story in John 9 of Jesus' compassion in healing the blind man at that pool.

The afternoon was spent down in the Bethlehem area. Even though Bethlehem is only 6 miles from Jerusalem, it is within West Bank territory and difficult to get to. We made a stop by the Church of the Nativity, which is the traditional location of the birthplace of Jesus.

We had one final surprise stop at the Herodium just south of Bethlehem. We were not able to tour the Herodium (which is on my bucket list), but we were able to drive up to it and take pictures.

All in all, another great day in Israel. It's quickly coming to an end, but we still have a lot to cover. Tomorrow we head south and go to Masada, En Gedi, Qumran and Jericho.

2012 Israel Trip - Day Six

Today is Sunday, which is always a special day. However, when you wake up on a Sunday morning by the Sea of Galilee and end it in Jerusalem, it makes is an extra special day. After spending a period of time in worship, we loaded the bus and headed south and away from the Sea of Galilee. The Galilee area is a very special place and I hated to leave it. (I guess I'll just have to come back.) Our first stop was at Bet-She'an, an ancient city that guarded the southeastern end of the Jezreel Valley. The ruins at Bet-She'an are extremely impressive. It reminded me of the ruins at Jerash, Jordan, which I visited two years ago. There are ruins from several different periods including Roman and Canaanite. The view from the top of the ancient tel looking over the Roman ruins is not one that I'll ever forget. (I also won't forget how hot it was and the taste of the Magnum bar I had at the end of the tour.)

From there we traveled to the Spring of Harod. This is the location where Gideon narrowed down his army to 300 men to fight the Midianites who were camped across the valley at the base of the Hill of Moreh. This is one of my favorite places because it puts on display how accurate the Bible is with regards to geographical descriptions and locations. You can see the entire story laid out in front of you. It is incredible.

At Jezreel, we were able to see the excavations taking place and the wonderful view of the Jezreel Valley below. We were also reminded that Phil Roberts, a man who many of us admired so greatly, spent many hours at Jezreel.

From there we turned south and were able to travel across the mountains of Samaria. Since most of Samaria is in the West Bank, travel through that area is not always possible. However, at this time, the situation is peaceful which provided us a rare opportunity. I was amazed. I never realized hour mountainous Samaria was. We were able to visit the city of Samaria as well as spend time at Jacob's Well in Nabulus.

Soon thereafter, we arrived safely in Jerusalem where we checked into a wonderful hotel. Our day tomorrow starts off on top of the Mount of Olives. I can't wait.

2012 Israel Trip - Day Five

This morning started off with a beautiful sunrise on the Sea of Galilee. Our hotel rooms all have windows that face east overlooking the sea. It was a great way to start the day. After breakfast, we headed for the delayed boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Actually, our misfortune from yesterday was a blessing this morning. Yesterday morning featured some haze along the lake, but today was crystal clear. It was a perfect day for viewing the sites. Our boat ride lasted about two hours. We were able to see Tiberias, Magdala, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha and the Cove of the Sower. You can learn so much about the stories in the Gospels by actually being out on the sea. The same sea that Jesus calmed by speaking to it. The same sea that Jesus walked on to meet with his disciples. And, the same sea in which he instructed some local fishermen to go against everything they knew about fishing and cast their nets on the other side of the boat.

We got off the boat at Ginnesor and visited a museum which contains an ancient boat from the first century AD. About 30 years ago, the Galilee region suffered a drought and water level dropped considerably revealing an ancient boat. The boat was dug out, protected and placed in the museum for us to enjoy. Again, it allows us to see the type of boats that were used during Jesus' time.

From there we made multiple stops:

1) Magdala Archaeological Dig Site - Recently, they have discovered remains of the city of Magdala. The city is not mentioned in the Bible, but we do know of one of its residents. Remember Mary Magdaline? A better translation of her "name" is Mary from Magdala.

2) Mount of Beatitudes - This is the traditional location of where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Honestly, it is probably not the exact location, but it is in the vicinity of where that even occurred.

3) Capernaum - The ruins of this city lies along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. During the first century, it was a thriving fishing community. Jesus spent much of his ministry in and around the Capernaum area. From the shore, you can envision the disciples heading out across the sea in their boat.

4) Chorazim - We drove by the ruins in ancient Chorazim. This is one of the cities that Jesus condemned due to their unbelief.

5) Bethsaida - We toured the site of ancient Bethsaida. Honestly, there is considerable questions about the validity of the site. Obviously, there is an ancient city here, but whether or not it is Bethsaida is the question.

We made our way around the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee finishing up by looking at the ruins of ancient Tiberias. Tomorrow morning, after worship, we will leave the Galilee region and head south toward Jerusalem.

2012 Israel Trip - Day Four

Well, today got off to a strange start…but, as always, everything works out in the end. We were originally scheduled to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. However, there was no boat at the dock at 8:30. So, our tour guide called the rental company and there was a miscommunication on the date. They had us scheduled for tomorrow morning. No matter. With only about a million things to see and do in Israel, we just shuffled our schedule a bit, loaded the bus and headed out. We spent the entire day north of the Galilee region. Our first start was at the city of Hazor (it is pronounced "hot-sore"). Hazor is only mentioned a few times in the Bible, but it was a very important city. When the Israelites came into the land, Joshua conquered the city as it was one of the most important cities at that time. Later, Solomon built huge walls at Hazor to protect it. Many of these walls (including parts of the gate) are visible today. By standing on the tel, you can easily see the geographical importance of the city.

From Hazor, we made a brief stop at Abel Beth-Maacah. If you consider yourself a Bible student and don't recognize the name, don't feel bad. It's only mentioned a couple of times, most notably in 2 Samuel 20. Go back and read the story again. (Warning: The story doesn't end well for Sheba.) The location of this city has been known for years, but they have just started initial excavations of the tel this year. I mentioned this in an earlier blog post.

Our next stop was an unexpected bonus. In the First Century BC, Herod the Great erected three temples to Augustus. The first one was at Caesarea Maritima. The second was at Samaria. The third was near Paneion. For years, it was thought that this temple was located at the traditional location of Caesarea Philippi. However, recent excavations at Omrit has cast doubt on that. At Omrit (which is located about three miles from Caeserea Philippi), they have found the ruins of a Roman temple that is similar to the ruins at Caesarea Maritima and Samaria. The site is located along a VERY SKINNY single lane road that a regular car could barely navigate. However, our expert bus driver, Fawzi, was determined. After a few minutes and several near misses of trees, etc, the site was within view. It was fantastic to see it and help us to better understand the time of the first century.

From Omrit, we went to Dan. The city of Dan was originally called Laish until the Danites conquered the city after the conquest. The Danites were originally given land along the Mediterranean coast, but due to their neighbors (Philistines), they decided to relocate to Laish, which they renamed Dan. Dan became a very powerful city in Solomon's time. By the time of the Divided Kingdom, Jeroboam constructed a "high place" so that the nation of Israel could come here to worship the false god Baal. Archaeologists have found the "high place" and I have included a picture of the steps leading up to it.

Our next stop was at Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus asked his disciples "…but who do you say that I am?" Peter famously answered, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". Ferrell Jenkins spoke to us about the importance of Jesus asking his disciples this question at this location. Seeing the area helps you to understand the true meaning of the conversation.

On our way back to the Galilee area, we drove back through the Golan Heights which is now under Israeli control since the Six-Day War in 1967. For much of the ride, you were right on the border of Syria. How close were we? Well, check out the picture. At one of our stops, I was able to take a picture of a Syrian flag flying in one of their cities.

Finally, we made a brief stop by the Jordan River just north of where it flows into the Sea of Galilee.

Overall, it was a great day. Our boat ride has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning, so we'll try to enjoy that tomorrow. Until then…Shalom.

BONUS: As I understand it, the Third Grade at Athens Bible School is following my blog and mentioning the places I mention in their Bible Class. I thought that I would throw in a bonus picture for all of them. Being in another country is really interesting. You have to deal with different languages, different customs and a different way of life. However, occasionally, you come across something that reminds you at home. That happened at lunch today. We stopped by a familiar restaurant. From the picture, can you guess where we stopped?

2012 Israel Trip - Day Three

Well, our first full day in Israel was a complete success. We left Netanya at 8:00AM and drove north toward Caesarea Maritima. Caesarea was a very large and important city in the first century. Among other things, it is the home of Cornelius. Cornelius was a just man and after seeing a vision, asked his men to go to Joppa and look for Peter. Having landed yesterday in Tel Aviv (which is adjacent to Joppa), we have traveled the same route that those men took so long ago. The ruins at Caesarea Maritima are impressive. You can see the theater, the location of Herod's palace, the hippodrome as well as many other sites. It enables you to get a great perspective of this city and makes you appreciate the Scriptures even more. As you know, Paul was imprisoned in Herod's palace for a period of two years awaiting trial. From the excavations, we know that the palace was immediately adjacent to the hippodrome. So, imagine Paul sitting in his room listening to the cheers of thousands of people as they enjoyed the activities in the hippodrome, knowing that he could not go out and watch. That is something that isn't mentioned in scripture, but becomes evident when you see the city for yourself. From Caesarea Maritima, we went up into the Carmel Mountain Range and visited the traditional site of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Again, the geographical references mentioned in Scripture come to light when you visit the site. From the top, you can see the area where all of the Israelite people would have watched. You can see the Kishon Brook in the valley below where the prophets were killed. And, you can see the Mediterranean Sea where the young man with Elijah reported seeing the small cloud which eventually developed into a large rainstorm.

We continued on to Megiddo, which has ruins dating back several thousand years. We walked through the gate which was constructed during the reign of Solomon. And, we walked down the deep tunnel that was constructed by King Ahab to securely get water into the city. From the tel of Megiddo, you have an unforgettable view of the Jezreel Valley, where many famous battles have been fought over the millennia. You can clearly see why the city of Megiddo was so important during ancient times.

We ended our day by driving through Nazareth (where Jesus grew up), Cana (where Jesus performed his first miracle) and saw the tel of Gath-hepher (the birthplace of Jonah). We finally arrived in the city of Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Tomorrow starts off with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The same sea where Peter, Andrew, James and John used to fish. And the same sea that Jesus calmed during a terrible storm. What a great way to start the day.

For those of you who are interested in following other blogs from people on this same trip, here are the links to their blogs:

• Ferrell Jenkins
• Steven Braman
• Trent and Rebekah Dutton

2012 Israel Trip - Day One & Two

Wow…what a day. Or has it been two days? Anyway…overseas travel is always interesting. I left the house at 6:15AM Central Time on Tuesday, and I am writing this at 8:15PM Israeli Time on Wednesday. I'll let someone else do the math to figure out how long it was, I'm a bit too tired. But, between those two times I had a one hour flight from Huntsville to Atlanta, a two hour flight from Atlanta to New York and a ten hour flight from New York to Tel Aviv. And I'm glad to say that my luggage made the same exact trip. But, it is great to be back in the land of Israel. I have only been here for a few hours, but I've already learned so much more. This is going to be an exciting ten days and I can't wait to get it started early tomorrow morning.

We are staying tonight in the city of Netanya, which is along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, just north of Joppa. Joppa is associated with many stories in the Bible, including the story of Jonah. Jonah tried to flee God by boarding a ship at the port of Joppa.

I took tonight's picture a few minutes after we checked into our hotel. The sun was just setting on the horizon. Seeing this, it made me think more about Jonah. After he boarded that boat, I wonder if his view of the Mediterranean sunset looked just like this. Knowing the local climate, it probably did. He probably went to sleep that first night on the boat thinking that he had been successful. Of course, we know that he was not.

Tomorrow is a big day. We will start the day at Caesarea Maritima, where Paul spent two years in prison. Then we move on to Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth and end up at the Sea of Galilee. The same sea where Jesus walked on the water. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning.

But, before I can do that, I must get some much needed sleep. Until tomorrow….