Israel

In March/April 2007 Mike and I, along with our good friends Joey and Evelyn, were blessed with the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime and visit Israel and Egypt. Including travel the trip was 13 days. We were able to retrace our Savior's footsteps in Israel, and then pop over to see the pyramids and some great sites in Egypt.

Below are some pics, as well as explanations beneath the pictures - this is the "medium/long" version of our photo tour. You might want to refer back to this this map as I reference the various locations. I have also includes some Bible references in case you want to look up the verses that are related to the sites. Here is a link to the ESV Bible online in case you want to read along: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/

We met our tour guide (Bernice) and bus driver (Joseph) at the airport. We were traveling with a tour company, and 40 other "pilgrims" from the U.S. and Canada.

We flew in to Tel Aviv and then traveled north to Netanya, a beach/resort town on the Mediterranean. We were only here overnight as we started our journey through northern Israel the next day. This is the view from the hotel.

This is the view from the top of Mount Caramel where Elijah challenged the Israelites' pagan gods to prove their power by consuming with fire a sacrifice on an altar. The God of Moses showed himself by not only producing fire, but consuming the altar that had been drenched with water. Of course the nothing happened when the Israelites called to their pagan gods. (1 Kings 18:20-40)



These pictures were taken in a chapel next to the Sea of Galilee. Because Christianity was illegal until the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine in about 325 A.D., we do not find any formal church buildings pre-dating that time. But once Christianity was legal, the Christians began to build chapels at location that the oral tradition had associated with significant events. They recently uncovered this chapel with a mosaic floor depicting a loaf and two fishes - it is believed this is where Jesus multiplied the fish and the loaves to feed the multitudes. (Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 15:32-39)

This is a bunker on the border with Lebanon and the dirt road below is a patrol road. The town in the distance is actually half in Israel and half in Lebanon. It was just near here that two Israeli soldiers were recently abducted by the Lebanese.

A crumbling ancient city gate is just a couple hundred yards away from the bunker. It is made from clay bricks (not the most durable substance), yet dating back to the time of Abraham, nearly 3500 B.C. It is falling apart, so the gate is covered and supported by scaffolding to try to preserve it.

This is a cave at Ceasarea Philippi in northern Israel. In the time of Jesus large temple was built on the rock in front of the opening of this cave, and the water running out of the cave would run red with the blood from the vast quantities of animal sacrifices. It was near here that Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and Jesus told him "on this rock [referring to Peter's faith] I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18)

Archaeologists believe this to be the site of Peter's home in Capernaum. They uncovered a common dwelling that was expanded once to what looked like a meeting room (possibly a house of prayer for the early church), and then it was renovated again into the shape of an octagon. The early church used the octagon as a symbol of a martyr, and this was likely to commemorate Peter, the disciple and martyr. A church has been built over the site, but designed in such a way as to protect, and not touch, the ruins beneath.

We took a boat ride on the sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus walked on water and calmed the storm, and much of his ministry took place on the shores of the Galilee. Our boat crew even threw in a net (on both sides of the boat) but, alas, we caught no fish! (Jesus calms the storm: Matt 8:23; Jesus walks on water: Matt 14:22; Jesus appears after his death and tells the disciples to cast the net on the other side of the boat: John 21:4-8)

This ancient fishing boat, dating back to roughly 25 B.C. to 75 A.D., was found buried in the banks of the Sea of Galilee when a drought receded the water. Because exposure to the air would cause it to crumble, archaeologist spent 9 years and used literally tons of chemicals to preserve it. Jesus and his disciples would have used a boat much like this.

When John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the River Jordan (pictured) the Spirit of God came down like a dove and God spoke "this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17) This commenced Jesus' ministry - he was crucified about 3 years later. In this picture you see people from our tour group preparing to be baptised.

In Qumran in the late 1940s a Bedouin shepherd's goat wandered into a cave high in these hills. The shepherd threw a rock into the cave to persuade the goat to come out, and he heard something shatter; he had broken an ancient clay pot holding a scroll. Hidden in a series of 11 caves were carefully hidden (and often very well preserved) scrolls of the books of the old testament as well as commentaries on the books, dating back to around 100 A.D. Until this finding the earliest copies of the old testament dated back to the 10th century.

Masada was a desert fortress Kind Herod made for himself while he ruled Jerusalem. After Herod's death when the Jews revolted against Roman rule (66 -73 A.D.) the surviving Jews fled Jerusalem and hid here. When defeat was imminent, the Jews committed mass suicide rather than be subject to Roman rule. The modern day Israeli army, as part of their oath of service, still recites "Masada will not fall again."

Here we are, taking a very exciting dip in the Dead Sea! The salt and mineral content of the water is 33% (compared to the ocean at only 3%). It was very strange...it felt almost slimy on the skin, and I was so buoyant I could hardly make my feet touch the bottom!

En Gedi is a patch of life in the desert, where a stream and waterfall make for a beautiful hike. This is where David fled from Saul, and cut off a piece of Saul's garment instead of killing him when he had the opportunity. (1 Samuel 14:1-12)

This is near Jericho, south of Jerusalem in the land where Abraham once lived. (Genesis 13:8-13)

This baby camel is only 16 days old and was just TOO CUTE! Here at "Abraham's Tent" we enjoyed a meal much like they would have eaten in Abraham's time, while sitting on pillows on the floor of a large tent. We even got to wear time-period attire (hence the blue robe), and "Abraham" even let us ride one of his camels!

This was our first view of Jerusalem, and as we drove up on Sunday at dusk we heard the mosques throughout the city calling the people to prayer. Quite a clash of cultures and religions! The Dome of the Rock is the third most sacred sight in Islam; it is the place from which Mohammed was magically transported to Mecca. It is build over the "Holy of Holies," the center and most sacred part of what once was the Jewish temple. The temple was not rebuilt after the Romans destroyed it in 70 A.D. and the Muslims built this structure partly as a symbol of the supremacy of Islam over Judaism and Christianity.

This is part of the original city wall, and one of the main entrances has been closed up. The Muslims believed Jesus was going to try to enter through this gate, so this is there way of keeping him out (and again symbolizing their power). If anyone knows the reference that talks about Jesus coming back through a gate, please let me know - I can't find it!

In the night he was betrayed, here in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pleaded with his Father in prayer to spare him from the suffering he knew he was about to endure on the cross, "Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:32-42) There is now a church at the site.

These olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane date back to the time of Jesus. Olive trees are particularly durable plants, able to survive fire, pests and other harsh conditions, and the early Christians took meticulous care of these trees in memory of their Savior's suffering here.

A church now sits on what is believed to be the site of the High Priest's house (where Jesus was taken for questioning when he we betrayed in the garden), only a short distance from Gethsemane. This prison is actually a pit, and people in the priest's courtyard could look down and see the prisoners. The might explain how Jesus and Peter were able to make eye contact after Peter denied 3 times that he knew Jesus. (Luke 22:54-62)

Behind us is the Wailing Wall, sacred to the Jews because it is part of the original temple wall and is closest to where the Holy of Holies (the center of the temple) once was. Although it is possible for tourists and Muslims to go inside the walled area to walk around the Muslim shrine, Jews typically do not go here since this area (which would have been inside the temple) was originally reserved for only the priests.

A sect of Jews have rebuilt all of the temple vessels, tools, and priestly garmets to the specifications in the Old Testament, in anticipation of Christ's coming (Christians would say his return), which the Jews believe could happen at any time. When he returns the sacrifices would resume, and they wanted to be ready with the proper equipment. Shown above is a menora, about 5 feet high, and made of solid gold.

Because most of the remaining original temple wall is surrounded by a Muslim residential area, (and thus inaccessible to the Jews) the Jews have dug under the homes to create a tunnel exposing the wall.

This is a little Crusader church called "Saint Ann's" next to the baths of Bethesda (where Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath, John 5:2-9). The acoustics here are wonderful, and many "pilgrim" groups choose to sing a song or two. Our group sang "Seek Ye First" in a round, and then we listened to this reformed Dutch group sing "Amazing Grace," and then other groups sang in Italian, Korean, and Nigerian. I was struck that, while the land is rich with history, THIS is what Christ died for - the LIVING church, followers of Christ from all over the world, singing the same message! Although we met many fellow Christian pilgrims Israel is only about 2% Christian.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcur is a very unique site. Various Christian denominations have oversight of different areas of this shrine, so each are decorated according to that religion, and there seems to be no real regulation of the tourist traffic so it is a bit chaotic. Pictured above is the area where they believe Jesus was nailed to the cross. To the left (not pictured) is where they believe the cross stood, and the floor is glass so that you can see the large rock with a deep crack, supposedly caused by the earthquake at Jesus' death. It is hard to believe this noisy, busy tourist site might be the place where our Savior died. (Matthew 27:45-54)

This is a shrine inside of the Church of the Holy Sepulcre that is built over a cave which they believe might be the location of Jesus' tomb. This is only a few feet away from the site of the crucifiction; because Jesus was crucified the afternoon before the Sabbath his disciples needed to find a tomb nearby to bury him quickly.

This is another location where they have found an ancient tomb, which also might be where Jesus was burried. (Luke 24:1-9) Our tour guide told us that archaeologists seem to lean toward the other tomb (in the church) as the actual site of Jesus' burial, but they are not certain.

Bethlehem is only 6 miles outside of Jerusalem, but it is inside the restricted and potentially dangerous West Bank area. The Israeli government has surrounded the West Back with a series of fences and walls in an effort to minimize suicide bombing from the West Bank. Our Israeli tour guide was unable to go with us to Bethlehem so we changed buses outside the gate and were escorted in by a Paletinian Christian guide. In the West Bank we saw some of the worst poverty we saw in all of Israel.

This is inside the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Again the church is managed by multiple Christian denominations, so it has a very eclectic feel. This site, the supposed location of Jesus' birth, is managed by the Greek Orthodox church.

On our way out of Israel we stopped at the Red Sea beach town of Eilat for lunch. The Red Sea is very beautiful, with bright blue water. We could look across the harbor here and see Jordan on the other side.

Israel Summary

It was amazing to see where Jesus lived and conducted his ministry, and to understand the culture and layout of the land a little better. It was also remarkable how much archaeology has unearthed that confirms the history we read in the Bible (both the New and Old Testaments). For whatever reason God chose this humble area of land to stage his plan for redemption.

The religious and cultural tension between the Jews, Muslims, Christian Arabs, and Messianic Jews was very evident, but the Bible doesn't tell us Israel will remain the center of the Christian ministry. Jesus sends the disciples out to the ends of the earth to preach the Gospel. (Matthew 27:18-20) And in Revelation 21 it says:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Egypt

Eight days of our 13 day trip was spent in Israel. The tour company we were traveling with offered a 3 day "extension" to Egypt, and so we figured that since we were so close we just had to do it. Our tour included Sinai, Cairo, and then we added an extra day to go to Luxor to see the "New Kingdom." At this point our brains were rather full from all we had heard in Israel, so you will notice my recollection of the sites (and thus my write-ups) are a little more limited!

Our first stop in Egypt was Sinai. We spent the "night" at a hotel near St. Catherine's monastery at the foot of what is traditionally believed to be Mount Sinai, where Moses received the 10 Commandments. We received a 1AM wake-up call to begin our journey up the mountain so that we could get to the top in time for the sun rise.

This is the view from the top of Mount Sinai...

...and the walk down.

Sinai is a strangely shaped mountain that looks like the top was cut off. There is much discussion surrounding whether this is really the mountain where God spoke to Moses. (Exodus 19:16-20)

The bustling streets of a market in Cairo.

The pyramids! At one time all the pyramids were covered with limestone and capped with gold. Only this pyramid still retains some of the original limestone covering.

We just couldn't resist...

Little did we know that we were visiting Egypt in sand-storm season! Periodically the wind would pick up and we'd all be temporarily blinded.

Showing a little love to the Sphinx! It is believed Napoleon's army is responsible for the broken nose. It was common in Egypt for rulers to break the nose off of the statues of their successor to spite them. Hardly a nose remains in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. (But I doubt Napoleon knew this when his army damaged the Sphinx.)

On the left are our travel-companions, Joey and Evelyn, and then the representative from the tour company who was with us most of the time (Abdul) , our Cairo tour guide, Sherine, and, of course, Mike and Sarah. Egyptian people are particularly kind, gracious, and hospitable - we really enjoyed our time here.

This is Joey and Evelyn's tiny cabin on the sleeper train. We left around 9pm for a night's journey by train to Luxor, 9 hours south of Cairo. We figured we were so close, and didn't know when we would be in Egypt again, so we tried to cram it all in! By God's grace, the logistics went remarkably well.

As soon as we arrived in Luxor we had to hurry to catch our balloon for a sunrise hot air balloon ride.

Here we are, floating over the temple of Ramses III. Since the Pharaohs believed that they were deities in their lifetime, each built a temple so that he could be worshipped. And when he died and was succeeded, the next Pharaoh built his own temple. Ramses III reigned for nearly 60 years, so he had plenty of time to build impressive temples and tombs for himself.

Queen Hatshepsut made herself Pharaoh when her husband (Thutmose II) died and, the rightful heir, was too young to rule. By the recommendation of the priests she painted elaborate murals on the walls of the temple tell a story of how she was descended from the gods so that the people would accept her as their ruler. Behind us is her temple.

We are taking a lunch break with our Luxor tour guide. Mike and he are smoking "water pipes" which is tobacco filtered through flavored or normal water. While they may look suspicious, they are perfectly legal (even in the U.S.) - you can even find shops that offer water pipes in Turkish and Egyptian cafes in Adams Morgan.

The temple at Karnak is the largest temple complex in the world. It was under construction for almost 2000 years (starting in in the 16th century B.C.), with contributions from 30 Pharaohs, so it contains a wealth of archaeological information.

These are felucca boats on the Nile at sunset. Dozens of cruise ships were docked along the Nile, and from the air (in our balloon) we could see that the Nile really does sustain what would otherwise be a desert country.

The Luxor Temple is lit at night and is absolutely beautiful.

EGYPT SUMMARY
At this point in our journey we were absolutely exhausted, but we were very glad we did the Egypt extension AND that we continued on for an additional day in Luxor. It is interesting to think that we know so much about ancient Egyptian life primarily because they focused so much on death and sought to preserved daily life for the afterlife. Our trip to Egypt was a bit of a blur because it was so brief, but we thoroughly enjoyed the people we met, and we saw some amazing sites.