I have not been to Israel, yet. My pastor did. He went to Israel, the biblical Holy Land of God, with his family in May this year. They joined the local tour group Pilgrim Tours together with international tourists. I think it was the 15 days package known as "The Exodus" touring from Egypt, to Jordan & finally Israel. How exciting! I wish I can go too. I wonder why it was not in my plan to tour Israel on my honeymoon(we went to Europe instead)... probably due to the security. But I believe it is safe, many went and came back still in one piece. At least for my pastor :)
Anyway, thank God for the internet! I did a search on Israel tours and found many nice sites where people post their tour experiences on YouTube, Apple.Mac, etc, and by looking at the pictures they took and videos they taped, it was as good as "Been there. Done that." haha.
Going through the itinerary, they would have an early morning walk up Mt. Moses, pastor said only his daughter who is physically capable climbed Mt. Sinai, while he and his wife went by bus. I wonder how on earth did they make it by bus? Any way I found this video clip "Walking down Mt Sinai in Egypt". I would love to go for the hike! Right near the end of the video is the St. Catherine's Monastery, claimed to be built around the area of Moses' Burning Bush. Pastor said some of the tourist tried to grab some bushes for souvenir, oh man....
After which it was followed by a short ride to the Red Sea. I found this very very very interesting link on the finding of The Red Sea Crossing... They even found Chariot Wheels, human and horse bones at the crossing site in the Sea. From the link I also saw this fascinating documentary on Sodom & Gomorrah where the ash and brimstone remain from when God destroy the cities. Good readings!
I went through the itinerary day by day and search the internet for the places, I was like touring Israel by the World Wide Web instead, haha. I finally found this photo album of Rev. Neal's 2006 Pilgrimage to Israel which has all the pictures of the places :
- Caesarea - where Gentiles first heard the Good News from Peter and were baptized.
- Mt. Carmel - where Elijah challenged King Ahab and the prophets of Baal.
- Megiddo - the Armageddon Battlefield, where archaeologists have unearthed 20 levels of civilization.
- Nazareth - the boyhood home of Jesus.
- Sea of Galilee - where the Disciples worked as fishermen, where Jesus walked on water, and where our Lord "calmed the stormy sea." A relaxing cruise brings to life the experiences of Jesus and the fishermen disciples.
- Capernaum - Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on the sabbath days. In Capernaum also, Jesus healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil and healed a fever in Simon Peter. See ruins of an ancient synagogue and Peter’s home.
- Caesarea Philippi - where Peter made his confession of Jesus as the Messiah.
- Mount of Beatitudes - the multiplication of 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Traditional site of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount."
- Jordan River Baptism Site - This site is believed by some to be the actual site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
- Beth Sheanthe - most magnificent archeological site in Israel.
- Jerusalem, the City of God - overview shots, taken from different places around and within and above the city.
- Garden of Gethsemane - Gethsemane was the garden where Jesus watched, prayed, and suffered for the sins of the world the night before he was crucified. It was also where Christ was betrayed by the disciple Judas Iscariot.
- Caiaphas' House - where Jesus was beaten and spit upon.
- The Via Dolorosa - According to one tradition, this path is the way Jesus took from Pilate's Court through Jerusalem and up to Golgatha.
- Garden Tomb - The alternative site for the crucifixion and burial of Jesus.
- The Western Wall - The Western Wall is the Temple Mount retaining wall that dates from the time of the Jewish Second Temple (515 BCE - 70 AD). It is the only part that remains from the Second Temple.
Thank you soooooooooooooo much Rev. Neal for all those nice pictures you took and posted with descriptions and notes! I really appreciate your effort! May God bless you!
Looking at some of the pictures, I find that some traditional sites are being idolized and "shrinified", like Bethlehem: The Church of the Nativity... True enough, when Pastor came back from the trip, he did commented that it was quite eerie seeing those places, he even had goose-pimples when he went in there! I think some of the places are just set up for tourism-sake. But of course, my Lord did walked the streets of Jerusalem. If I were to tour Israel, it would be more for the scenery and archeological sites.
And of course, the Dead Sea! How can I forget the lowest place on earth. I would love to splotch those mineral-rich mud all over my body and float on the sea with a newspaper in my hands ;)
I would also like to start the tour from Cairo, Egypt, where I can see the wonders of the ancient world, the pyramid Cheops with an original height of 496 feet! The Sphinx and tour the Egyptian Museum, location of Tutankhamen's treasures and ancient remains. Gee...good stuff. Got to be prepared for the heat though, pastor said he was almost "chao tah" (burnt) standing under the hot blazing sun for hours listening to the tour guide, haha.
I'd like to see PETRA too. Found a video clip on it :) Pastor said he walked the longest, to and fro, just to see it and it was SO hot and thirsty that he need to "ration" the mineral water just so to wet the lips! Well, still got to go see it for myself. Maybe would bring more $$ for a camel ride there.
Pastor's wife commented that going from Egypt, to Jordan and finally into Israel, she could literally see that the Promise Land which God gave to His people is really a "Land flowing with milk and honey." So much greenery compared to the dry and deserted land...
I wanna go to Israel! I wanna journey through the Bible while touring the actual biblical sites in Israel. Going to the land where Abraham, David, Jesus and His disciples lived, it will definately be a life changing experience!! Yes, Holy Land Tour! Until then... I will be happy to do just this :
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