Today we traveled to En . It was a great trip. There are numerous biblical references to this oasis in the middle of the desert across from the Dead Sea.
It is most note able for the fact that David and his mighty men hid there while being hunted down by Saul.
What a beautiful place! Waterfalls, ferns, birds, wildlife, cool gentle breezes and all sorts of vegetation.
Solomon includes En Gedi in the Song of Solomon (1.14) "My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En-Gedi." Ezekiel, speaking of the millennium reign of Jesus Christ, speaks of a river running from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, obviously making the Dead Sea alive, fresh, and full of fish. "Fisherman will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets."
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Zwi Gafni, Tour Guide Extroidinaire
In 1988 I went to Israel for the first time. I was part of the Valley Stream Church of the Nazarene tour group. My good friend, Art Alexander, invited me to join him. It was life changing!
Our tour guide was a Zwi Gafni. He had grown up on a Kibbutz, been a farmer and was a retired Israeli Colonel. The man was in love with his country. He would keep us out on the daily jaunts until the sun set. We came back to the hotel each night after dark.
When I was in Israel for this unusual trip of which I have been blogging about in recent posts I contacted him.
Sunday Evening, June 12, 1994, we reconnected. He was leading a tour and was in Jerusalem. He came by our hotel and had dinner with us. It was real good to see him again!
After dinner he took us up to the top of Mount Scopus, which sits next to the Mount of Olives. The view and the sounds of Jerusalem at night are incredible! That scene and the sounds are in my mind today, 18 years later.
He fought in the 1948 Wsr of Independence, the1956, 1967 (Six Day War), the 1973 Yom Kippur War and
the 1982 War.
After we came down from Mount Scopus he dropped us off at this Middle East Restaurant. He said it was his favorite in all of Israel. The food was the best we had on the whole trip.
Across from us was this party of six people talking about the peace process. It turned out to be the ambassadors for Syria and Jordan along with a dignitary from Israel and their wives. It was quite a day.
Our tour guide was a Zwi Gafni. He had grown up on a Kibbutz, been a farmer and was a retired Israeli Colonel. The man was in love with his country. He would keep us out on the daily jaunts until the sun set. We came back to the hotel each night after dark.
When I was in Israel for this unusual trip of which I have been blogging about in recent posts I contacted him.
Sunday Evening, June 12, 1994, we reconnected. He was leading a tour and was in Jerusalem. He came by our hotel and had dinner with us. It was real good to see him again!
After dinner he took us up to the top of Mount Scopus, which sits next to the Mount of Olives. The view and the sounds of Jerusalem at night are incredible! That scene and the sounds are in my mind today, 18 years later.
He fought in the 1948 Wsr of Independence, the1956, 1967 (Six Day War), the 1973 Yom Kippur War and
the 1982 War.
After we came down from Mount Scopus he dropped us off at this Middle East Restaurant. He said it was his favorite in all of Israel. The food was the best we had on the whole trip.
Across from us was this party of six people talking about the peace process. It turned out to be the ambassadors for Syria and Jordan along with a dignitary from Israel and their wives. It was quite a day.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
To the Wall and Beyond
On our way to the Wall, we stopped by Ophel where ruins from the Byzantine and Crusader period are. Some, including the stairs which led up to the temple of Jesus' time. Again we walked up those stairs, which Jesus himself probably walked on!
Some observations from the Wall:
1. There was a young man blowing a shofar real loud.
2. There was a guy dressed up depicting King David.
3. A person calling from the Minnerett.
4. A bunch of Orthodox young men dancing around in a circle shouting, "mesheach!" (Messiah) With the death if Rabbi Schnersen the Jerusalem Post had as its secondary headline: No Obvious Successor In Sight"
, "!
Some observations from the Wall:
1. There was a young man blowing a shofar real loud.
2. There was a guy dressed up depicting King David.
3. A person calling from the Minnerett.
4. A bunch of Orthodox young men dancing around in a circle shouting, "mesheach!" (Messiah) With the death if Rabbi Schnersen the Jerusalem Post had as its secondary headline: No Obvious Successor In Sight"
, "!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
To The Gate called Beautiful
When we got to the Golden Gate we read from the Gospel concerning The Triumphal Entry accounts and then from Ezekiel where he prophesies concerning the Millennium and Jesus coming through this gate.
The view from here is spectacular! You can look right over the Mount of Olives. I got right up the Golden Gate and put my hand on it. I had to climb to get to it. As we looked over to the Tombs of the Prophets we saw an Orthodox Jewish Funeral. The men were climbing all around the tombs, looking in them. We walked around the southeastern corner of the wall where Satan tempted Jesus to cast Himself off. We looked over the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemene.
From there we went to Wall to pray. Now approaching evening, it was time for the service back home to begin. I prayed for the church.
The view from here is spectacular! You can look right over the Mount of Olives. I got right up the Golden Gate and put my hand on it. I had to climb to get to it. As we looked over to the Tombs of the Prophets we saw an Orthodox Jewish Funeral. The men were climbing all around the tombs, looking in them. We walked around the southeastern corner of the wall where Satan tempted Jesus to cast Himself off. We looked over the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemene.
From there we went to Wall to pray. Now approaching evening, it was time for the service back home to begin. I prayed for the church.
Continuing Our trek Around The City of Jerusalem
From Solomon's Quarries we continued to the Golden Gate and the Pinnacle of the Temple. Stopping on the way at St. Stephen's Gate, where we each got a bottle of cold water (1.5 liters). It was thirst quenching! I never have experienced thirst like this before. It is more of an inner thirst than just my mouth being dry. In John7.37-39, we read these words:"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,"If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." Being in Israel helps you experience the background of things that are written in the Word of God.
Friday, August 10, 2012
The Lord's Day (continued)
Heading over to Solomon's Quarries we came to Zedekiah's Cave. On the way to the Damascus Gate there was a lot of commotion. Like no other city I have ever been to, Jerusalem casts a mood or a sense within of great emotions . It would if it was uninhabitted today just because of its history! Conquered 40 times, destroyed 21 times, it is a city of peace and war. Add to it the religious mix, the fact that Jesus Himself entered it, died there, was buried and rose from the dead there and went back into heaven on a mountain which sits across from it and suddenly great emotions well up when it is seen, even from a distance.
Then add to the current religious mix and prophecy yet to be fulfilled and there is even more emotion. Think of all the other men of the Bible who are associated with it.
Back to the commotion we felt. Everything was suddenly tense. We came to this spot where a load of fruit was knocked down and laying on the ground. It was all over the street. We looked up and there were soldiers with their guns out pointing as they scanned the the area. When we got out the Damascus Gate there was even more tension in the air. The Israeli soldiers had arrested an Arab man as all the Arab people just stared and sort of froze. Some shouted at the soldiers. It was a little unnerving. Unlike an arrest in New York City, the majority of the people who watched were angry with arrest.
From there we turned right out of the Damascus Gate and went right into the caves and quarries. Every time we thought we were coming to the end of the quarry, it would open wide again. It is believed that this was where Solomon had the stone quarried (I Kings 6.1-7) and where Zedekiah's hid when the Babylonians were conquering the city.
Then add to the current religious mix and prophecy yet to be fulfilled and there is even more emotion. Think of all the other men of the Bible who are associated with it.
Back to the commotion we felt. Everything was suddenly tense. We came to this spot where a load of fruit was knocked down and laying on the ground. It was all over the street. We looked up and there were soldiers with their guns out pointing as they scanned the the area. When we got out the Damascus Gate there was even more tension in the air. The Israeli soldiers had arrested an Arab man as all the Arab people just stared and sort of froze. Some shouted at the soldiers. It was a little unnerving. Unlike an arrest in New York City, the majority of the people who watched were angry with arrest.
From there we turned right out of the Damascus Gate and went right into the caves and quarries. Every time we thought we were coming to the end of the quarry, it would open wide again. It is believed that this was where Solomon had the stone quarried (I Kings 6.1-7) and where Zedekiah's hid when the Babylonians were conquering the city.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
August Observations
I watered the gardens extensively this morning. With temperatures moderating it is easy to forget about this basic need. Gardeners tend to do well at the beginning, then slack off when the need is not as apparent. Don't let this happen in your backyard!
In fact I loaded the tomatoes with another dose of horse manure tea today. There is all kinds of new groth taking place and I want to maximize the moment, which will be over soon enough.
In fact I loaded the tomatoes with another dose of horse manure tea today. There is all kinds of new groth taking place and I want to maximize the moment, which will be over soon enough.
Soon
Just got back from vacation. I will get back to posting my journal soon. It is amazing how once you place your feet on the soil of the Holyland, you have it in your heart forever. This is expressed by David in the Psalms of Ascents... "Our feet are standing in your gates o Jerusalem."
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