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Israel Study Tour - Lake Almanor Community Church
November 10-21, 2017
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God with us
Mount of Olives
Atop the Mount of Olives, overlooking the many tombs on the hillside, and the beautiful view of Jerusalem, our group sat and listened to Ronen and Pastor Paul teach. Looking towards the temple mount, we read of the near-sacrifice of Isaac on that mountain (Mount Moriah), and of Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We then descended the mountain, and walked through the city to our next destination.
Mount of Olives
Separated from the Eastern Hill (the Temple Mount and the City of David) by the Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has always been an important feature in Jerusalem’s landscape. From the 3rd millennium B.C. until the present, this 2900-foot hill has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city. The two-mile long ridge has three summits each of which has a tower built on it.
Garden of Gethsemane
Here our group listened to Pastor Matt teach, and we read of Christ’s prayer’s to the Father in the garden. We were challenged, as the disciples were challenged, to “Pray that [we] may not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40). We spent a few minutes in prayer, and a couple from our group began to sing “I Come to the Garden.” From there we got back on the bus to drive to Caiaphas’ house.
Caiaphas’ House
There is, under the Church of St. Peter, a dungeon, in which scholars are fairly certain that Jesus was held prisoner. Here we descended into the caves and read Psalm 88, a Psalm that Jesus probably knew and could have been praying during his imprisonment. The portion that struck me as we read in that dark room was this: “You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep” (Psalm 88:6). Here was my Savior taken and tied to the stone.
Herodium
From Jerusalem, we went to Herodium, another one of Herod the Great’s palaces. From the top of the hill, you can see Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Here I imagine Herod receiving the news of the new King in Israel, and of the wise men’s trickery, and looking out from his palace towards Bethlehem, and pointing, shouting the order: “Kill all male children two years old or under!”
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.
Bethlehem
Here we crowded into the Church of the nativity. With our tour guide from Bethlehem, we learned many things about the city, and about the Church building. After waiting in line, and goggling at the beautiful mosaics and icons, I stooped into the cave where Jesus was born. It was a fleeting glance, a quick stoop, a touch of the star in the floor, and I was out. It was not long, but long enough to send a shiver down my spine. Into my mind popped the name Emmanuel, and I thank God that He was, as the name implies, with us, and that He dwells in our hearts today.
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.
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