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Israel Study Tour with Deeper Christian
August 19-30, 2019
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Walk in newness of life
We saw many things in Israel today—the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and the tunnels all around it, St. Anne’s Church and the pools of Bethesda, Bethlehem, the Shepherd’s fields, and Herodium. But I didn’t just see those sights, I beheld afresh our Jesus, “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29). Let me explain …
We started the day by going up to the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock now sits. Throughout history this plot of ground has been seen as a sacred place by many different religions and a place to get near to God. And we have a Jesus who calls us not to go to a specific location, but simply to “come to Me” (Matthew 11:28).
When we came down, we went to the Western Wall where many were praying and touching the wall, trying to get close to God. And we have a Jesus who dwells “in our hears through faith” (Ephesians 3:17). We don’t have to go to a Western Wall to be close to God—we have “Christ in you, the Hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
Western Wall
The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of Muslim control of the Temple Mount. Known in recent centuries as the “Wailing Wall,” this was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex. The plaza was created as an area for prayer when Israel captured the Old City in 1967. At times tens of thousands of people gather here for prayer.
Next we went underground to see some of the remains of the retaining wall that the Temple once stood on top of. We saw the amazing architecture of Herod the Great, yet we know that Jesus said, “Destroy this Temple in 3 days and I will raise it up. The Jews then said, ‘It has taken 46 years to build this Temple, and will you raise it up in 3 days?’ But He was speaking about the Temple of His body” (John 2:19-21). And we know that Jesus “was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father [that] we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
Next we went to St. Anne’s church and sang “I Love You, Lord.” We have a Father who doesn’t need to be worshipped “on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (John 4:21), but a Father who is simple seeking “true worshippers [who] will worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23).
We saw the pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath because He is Jehovah Rapha, the LORD our healer who fulfilled “what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’” (Matthew 8:17).
Our next stop was Bethlehem, the little town where “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:18). We also saw the shepherd’s field where the angel declared the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Matthew 2:10). Where they sang “Glory to God in the highest” (Matthew 2:14) because our “Immanuel (which means, God with us)” had arrived (Matthew 1:23).
Bethlehem
Biblical scholars believe Bethlehem, located in the "hill country" of Judah, may be the same as the Biblical Ephrath which means "fertile", as there is a reference to it in the Book of Micah as Bethlehem Ephratah.[17] The Bible also calls it Beth-Lehem Judah,and the New Testament describes it as the "City of David". It is first mentioned in the Bible as the place where the matriarch Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside" (Gen. 48:7). Rachel's Tomb, the traditional grave site, stands at the entrance to Bethlehem. According to the Book of Ruth, the valley to the east is where Ruth of Moab gleaned the fields and returned to town with Naomi. It was the home of Jesse, father of King David of Israel, and the site of David's anointment by the prophet Samuel. It was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his warriors brought him water when he was hiding in the cave of Adullam.
Our last stop was Herodium, Herod’s massive and impressive architectural project made to house his dead body. And we have a Jesus who is “the First and the Last, and the Living One [who] died, and behold [is] alive forevermore and [has] the keys of death and hades” (Revelation 1:17-18). The One of whom “His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).
Herodium
Herodium is 3 miles southeast of Bethlehem and 8 miles south of Jerusalem. Its summit is 2,460 feet above sea level.
Herod built or re-built eleven fortresses. This one he constructed on the location of his victory over Antigonus in 40 BC.
So this was one of our sweet days in Israel. But so much better is our sweet Jesus, our “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), the One who “ will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), the One who “for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2), the One “ who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
Written by Lea Gooch
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Interested in learning about future Israel Study Tours? Our next trip is scheduled for April 2020 and details/registration will be announced early September. Go to deeperchristian.com/israel to sign up for updates and be notified first when the trip officially opens up.
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