Holy Land Study Tour with Dexter United Methodist Church

December 5-16, 2022

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Day 07 - Temple Mount, Western Wall, Rabbinic Tunnels, Herodium, & Bethlehem

As I’ve read the Bible throughly from cover to cover in the past, I’ve been fascinated to see the physical locations of where the stories took place. Today, at the Temple Mount area, we were amazed to see the possible place where God’s temple may have existed according to great scholars and biblical information. 

 

Many of us spent private prayer time today at the Western wall of the Temple (which is actually the retaining wall of the Temple Mount and not the actual wall of God’s Holy Temple).  What a privilege to be that close to where His temple was back in the day. 

 

Today, we recognized more ancient synagogues by its specific characteristic we’ve learned about and more cisterns and bath houses as we journeyed through more excavated city sites.  They’ve become so common in our tour that I heard a comment in one of the underground tunnels, “Is this yet another big hole?"

 

My favorite place of today’s journey was Bethlehem. I was very privileged to be in the area where Christ was born but to be there on my birthday (today) was extra special. The bus load of friends, new and old, made sure to make my day special in several ways. Thanks, all! 

 

Overall, I’ve been amazed at how close many of the biblical locations are in proximity to each other. Many times, we could see from one place to another when we were high enough. I look forward to reading through the Bible in 2023 and recognizing many of the locations seen on our tour. I’ll be able to picture those areas as if I were back on the sites. The reading will become more real than every before.  

 

To be in the Holy Land is like reading a fairy tale then actually visiting its many palaces and learning about their surroundings. On our tour we've seen many sites mentioned in the Bible, heard many stories and inevitably we find ourselves in awe of actually being in the very locations as many Bible heroes have been. 

 

Thank you God and Tim for arranging for me to come on this tour.  You are both very loving and generous!

 

Sharon

 

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