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Israel Study Tour with Faith Chapel Billings
April 17-29, 2017
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The real story is much more exciting!
Who doesn’t want to see Jerusalem? To view the Golden Dome – the place where Solomon built the first Tabernacle for God – now occupied by Muslim influence in Israel owned Jerusalem, is certainly a sight to behold. We passed through Israeli safety check points to be able to visit the Wailing Wall – the area closest to the beloved location of the Holiest location of the Hebrew faith – the place where the Arc of the Covenant was located – the Holy of Holies.
My first understanding of the Arc of the Covenant (can I be honest?) was the Indiana Jones version of “Raiders of the Lost Arc”. Well, that version is sensational, but the real story is much more exciting. In Old Testament time, previous to the sacrifice of the perfect lamb, the presence of God resided in a box covered with gold and made to precise measurements. As Christians of a resurrected God, we believe God now resides in us – which made our trip to the Oldest Synagogue on earth very different from the many Jewish believers around us.
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.
We arrived at the Temple Mount to hear the joyous celebration of a Jewish Bar mitzvah, toured over 3,000 years of unbelievable stone masonry architecture, and visited the praying site of the many devout seekers of God’s presence and protection. We placed our written prayers in the Wailing Wall as believers have done for over 200 years, (the Wailing Wall has a 24/7 live feed camera to show people praying – did you see us?) toured the original foundations of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and then headed out of town. Within just a few miles we drove through Bethlehem and on to visit the fortress of Herodium.
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.
Remember Herod is the bad guy in the biblical story just after Jesus is born. Herod built several amazing structures that cause us to pause and consider the abilities of construction at that time. At the excavation site we were able to climb a few flights of stairs and if the visibility had been better, we could have seen the Dead Sea. Israel is a very small country indeed!
From Herodium we drove the short distance to Bethlehem. We were starting to stir – very exciting to consider a visit to the lowly but holy birthplace of our Lord and Savior. We visited the Church of the Nativity where half the church recognizes the Greek Orthodox customs and the recent addition represents the Catholic Church. This was my first visit to a Greek Orthodox church and it was beyond beautiful. The flooring of the original church, a mosaic tile, was visible and reconstruction of the church was actively underway. This is the place where Jesus was born and also where the bible was first translated into Latin and then into the many translations we now know. Thank you St Jerome!
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.
We traveled back to our VERY nice hotel in Jerusalem, Dan Hotel of Jerusalem, and marveled at how we could have had yet another amazing day with our Faith Chapel family. Each day seems better than the next, our group is certainly bonding. We are grateful to God for this opportunity to be here. This trip is far better than I had expected. Big shout out to our incredible tour guide/bible teacher RONEN, and amazing and safe bus driver MEIR.
Thank you for praying for us – we will be home soon.
Michael & Jodie Hart
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