Pastor’s 9 Day VIP Tour To Israel

Pastor’s 9 Day VIP Tour To Israel

November 16 - 24, 2003

Day 1

Pictured Above Day 1 November 16, Depart Knoxville, TN for NYC JFK Airport

Pictured above On board An EL AL 747 Jumbo Jet From NYC To Tel Aviv

Day 2 November 17, 2003

On November 17^th we arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel and
proceeded to Jerusalem for a Welcome Fellowship
at Chazon Yerushalyim. We were treated to an authentic
Jewish meal. After the meal we had a special time of worship
and praise. Oh, what a privilege to be in a house church in Jerusalem
and worship as the apostles and early Christians did

Day 3 November 18,2003

I am standing near the top of the Mount of Olives.
Behind me is the Kidron Valley with Jerusalem on the other side.
Immediately behind me is a Jewish Cemetery.

The group I traveled with is pictured above along with our tour guide

On the western slope of the Mount of Olives a church shaped like an inverted teardrop looks towards Mount Scopus, covered in modern buildings. The church’s name: Dominus Flevit (“the Lord Wept”) recalls the description (Luke 19:41–44) of Jesus standing on the Mount of Olives and prophesying the fate of Jerusalem: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it, saying… for the days shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side… and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation”.

I am standing just outside the Chapel of Dominus Flevit by the
type thorns that were used to make the crown of thorns for Jesus.

Pictured Above Is The Garden of Gethsemane.

Mark 14:32 (KJV) And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane:
and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. ³³And he taketh with him Peter and James and John,
and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; ³⁴And saith unto
them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

This could possibly be the place where Jesus fell down and prayed in the
Garden of Gethsemane. We were privileged to kneel and pray while here.

After leaving the Garden of Gethsemane we proceed to the Southern Wall Excavations.
I am standing just above the street picture on the right. This street was from
the time of Jesus. No doubt He walked along this very street

I am standing on the steps at the Southern Wall that leads up to the Huldah Gates.
These steps were known as the teaching steps during the time of Jesus.
The Mount of Olives is in the background. Our Hebrew guide told us,
“We know Jesus stood on these steps and debated with the scribes
and Pharisees. It was possibly on these steps that Jesus gave a
blistering rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23.

This picture of the Southern Wall was taken from the Mount of Olives.

I am standing on the steps of the Southern Wall known in the time of Jesus as the Teaching Steps.

Above I am in front of the one of the Huldah Gates.

After leaving the Southern Wall Excavations we proceeded to the Western Wall,
also known as the Wailing Wall. This is one of the most sacred and important sites in the world to the Jew.

Back at the Jerusalem Hyatt Hotel after our first full day of touring.
I am setting with fellow ministers after dinner for a time of fellowship and reflection
of the day’s activities. The minister to my right pastors a church in Johnson City, TN.
The other two ministers in the foreground are from Michigan.

Day 4 November 19, 2003

We return to Jerusalem for a morning of free time in the Old city.
We are entering the city at the, “Lion’s Gate”.

We are blessed in a special worship service in a large Catholic Basilica next to the Pool of Bethesda.

Pictured above is the Pool of Bethesda. (St. John Chapter 5)

The Via Dolorosa, Jesus Carried his Cross down this way on his way to Golgotha.

The Pavement Where Jesus Was Beaten And Mocked By The Roman Soldiers Before His Crucifixion.

Pictured Above Is Where The City of David Was Located During Old Testament Times.

Pictured Above Is The Field Of Blood - Matthew 27:3-8 (KJV)

3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. ⁵ And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. ⁶ And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. ⁷ And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. ⁸ Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

Pictured Above "The Valley Of Hinnom"

Hell also translates Gehenna, the Greek form of the Hebrew phrase that means “the vale of Hinnom”—a valley west and south of Jerusalem. In this valley the Canaanites worshiped Baal and the god Molech by sacrificing their children in a fire that burned continuously. Even Ahaz and Manasseh, kings of Judah, were guilty of this terrible, idolatrous practice (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6).

The prophet Jeremiah predicted that God would visit such destruction upon Jerusalem that this valley would be known as the “Valley of Slaughter” (Jer. 7:31–34; 19:2, 6). In his religious reforms, King Josiah put an end to this worship. He defiled the valley in order to make it unfit even for pagan worship (2 Kin. 23:10).

In the time of Jesus the Valley of Hinnom was used as the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Into it were thrown all the filth and garbage of the city, including the dead bodies of animals and executed criminals. To consume all this, fires burned constantly. Maggots worked in the filth. When the wind blew from that direction over the city, its awfulness was quite evident. At night wild dogs howled as they fought over the garbage.

Jesus used this awful scene as a symbol of hell. In effect he said, “Do you want to know what hell is like? Look at Gehenna.” So hell may be described as God’s “cosmic garbage dump.” All that is unfit for heaven will be thrown into hell.

A Dungeon In The House of Caiaphas The High Priest. This Is Probably Where Jesus Spent The Night Before His Crucifixion.

In The Dungeon Looking Back Up At The Hole WhereJesus Would Have Been Lowered Down

Inside the Dungeon Where Jesus Probably Spent The Night Before His Crucifixion.
Our Guide Is Pointing Out To Us A Silhouette On The Wall That Can Not Be Explained.
Even After Trying To Wash It Away, It Still Remains! It Is The Form Of A
Man With His Arms Stretched Out Toward Heaven.

Dungeons In The House Of The High Priest. Peter and Paul Were Probably Kept Here In These Dungeons.

The Statue Represents Peter In His Denial Of The Lord Jesus Christ. It Was In This
Area That He Denied He Even Knew The Lord. (Matthew 26:69)

These Are Probably The Steps Jesus Went Down With His Disciples To
The Garden Of GethsemaneTo Pray Before His Betrayal. He Would Be Led
Back Up These Steps To Face Caiaphais The High Priest Before His Crucifixion.

Behind Me Is Gordon’s Calvary. Some feel That This Is The Place Where Jesus Christ Was Crucified.

The Garden Tomb. This Is Believed To Be Where Jesus Was Possibly
Placed After The Crucifixion. Thank God, It is Empty Today!!

Inside The Empty Garden Tomb.

The Garden Tomb Area. We Were Blessed In A Wonderful Communion Service While Here.

Day 5 November 20, 2003

Life Size Replica Of The Wilderness Tabernacle.

Replica of The Mound Where The Sacrificial Animals Were Slain

Exodus 27:1-2 (KJV)

¹ And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. ² And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

Exodus 30:17-18 (KJV)

¹⁷ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁸ Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

Exodus 30:1-3 (KJV)

¹ And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. ² A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. ³ And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top^a thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

Exodus 25:23-30 (KJV)

²³ Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ²⁴ And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. ²⁵ And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about. ²⁶ And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof. ²⁷ Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table. ²⁸ And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. ²⁹ And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them. ³⁰ And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

Exodus 25:31-37 (KJV)

³¹ And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. ³² And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: ³³ Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. ³⁴ And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. ³⁵ And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick. ³⁶ Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. ³⁷ And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light^b the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.

Exodus 25:10-22 (KJV)

¹⁰ And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ¹¹ And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. ¹² And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. ¹³ And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. ¹⁵ The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶ And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. ¹⁷ And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. ¹⁸ And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. ²⁰ And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. ²¹ And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. ²² And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Caves at Qumran. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in this area. Nearly 900 manuscripts were found in some 25,000 pieces, with many no bigger than a postage stamp. A few scrolls are well preserved, such as the Great Isaiah Scroll found in the cave below. Some of the most ancient versions of the Bible were found in these caves between 1947 and 1956.

EN-GEDI; ENGEDDI An oasis on the western shores of the Dead Sea, named after the copious spring which waters it and mentioned together with the ‘city of Salt’ as part of the territory of Judah (Josh. 15:62). On his flight from Saul David dwelt in the strongholds of En-Gedi (1 Sam. 23:29), also referred to as the wilderness of En-Gedi (1 Sam. 24:1). The battle between Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, and the Ammonites and Moabites began at ‘Hazezon-Tamar which is En-Gedi’ (2 Chr. 20:1 ff.). In antiquity En-Gedi was already known for its aromatic plants: ‘the camphire in the vineyards of En-Gedi’ is mentioned in the Song of Solomon (1:14).

I am standing at En-Gedi with the Dead Sea Behind me.

I’m wading in the Dead Sea above

Because the Dead Sea has several watercourse entrances but no exits, it is indeed a “dead” sea. Although lush vegetation can be found at the mouths of these tributaries, the water itself is very salty. This is because it flows through nitrous soil and is fed by sulphurous springs. With the absence of an outlet, the water from the Dead Sea is left to evaporate, leaving behind most of its minerals. Thus it contains a very large supply of potash, bromine, magnesium chloride, salt, and other minerals. Although the value of these chemicals is enormous, making the Dead Sea the richest mineral deposit on earth, the cost of retrieving these minerals is also high. Potash extraction has been one of the most successful operations. But as technology increases, the interest in “mining” the Dead Sea will also increase.

The salt and mineral content of the Dead Sea constitutes more than twenty-five percent of the water. This compares with about six percent mineral content in the ocean. The specific gravity of the water is greater than that of the human body, making it next to impossible for any person to sink in the Dead Sea.

Day 6 November 21, 2003

Chairlift To Masada

Masada. The fortified cliff casts a dark shadow over the surroundings lit up by the merciless sun of the Judean desert. The shadow accents and sharpens the remains of the magnificent northern palace that Herod built for himself on Masada. From the rounded upper terrace of the palace we can see Ein Gedi and—on a clear day—the plain of Jericho.

Beit Shean National Park houses some of Israel’s most spectacular archaeological finds. The site features a large amphitheater (with a capacity of about 7,000), a Byzantine era colonnaded street, ritual baths, a pottery workshop, a basilica, a Roman temple and much more.

Located on the banks of the Harod stream this city was first established in the fifth century BCE. It served as the military and administrative center of the Egyptian New Kingdom (between the 12th-16th centuries BCE) and is another one of the many sites that were destroyed in 732 BCE by Tiglath Pileser III, King of Assyria.

It was on the walls of Beit Shean that the Philistines hanged the bodies of King Saul and his sons after the crushing defeat on Mt. Gilboa.

Beit Shean National Park

My Water Baptism In Jordan River

Day 7 November 22, 2003

I am kneeling On The Shore Where St. John 21:4-17 Took Place

John 21:4-17 (KJV)

4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. ¹⁶ He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. ¹⁷ He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Capernaum

Jesus made Capernaum his home during the years of his ministry: "Leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum" (Matt 4:13). Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen living in the village. Matthew the tax collector also dwelt here. Capernaum is one of the three cities cursed by Jesus for its lack of faith.

Jesus was confronted by a demoniac while teaching here (Mark 1:21-27)
In Capernaum, Jesus healed the servant of the centurion. This Roman
official was credited with building the synagogue (Luke 7:3).

In this synagogue, Jesus gave a sermon on the bread of life (John 6:35-59).

Situated 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and at the base of Mt. Hermon, Caesarea Philippi is the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. This abundant water supply has made the area very fertile and attractive for religious worship. Numerous temples were built at this city in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Adjacent to the sacred cave is a rocky escarpment with a series of hewn niches. We know that statues of the deity were placed in these niches by depictions of such on coins of the city.

One niche housed a sculpture of Echo, the mountain nymph and Pan’s consort. Another niche housed a statue of Pan’s father, Hermes, son of nymph Maia. Inscriptions in the niches mention those who gave large donations.

Mount Hermon Place of the Transfiguration.

The mountain on which the Transfiguration occurred is neither named nor otherwise indicated by the Gospel writers in such a way as to admit of its positive identification. Mount Tabor, in Galilee, has long been held by tradition as the site, and in the sixth century three churches were erected on its plateau like summit, possibly in commemoration of Peter's desire to make three tabernacles or booths, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Later a monastery was built there. Nevertheless, Mt.Tabor is now rejected by investigators, and Mt. Hermon is generally regarded as the place. Hermon stands near the northerly limits of Israel, just beyond Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus is known to have been a week before the Transfiguration. Mark (9:30) distinctly tells us that after His descent from the mount, Jesus and the apostles departed and went through Galilee. Weight of evidence is in favor of Hermon as the Mount of Transfiguration, though nothing that may be called decisive is known in the matter.