First 2 full days in Jerusalem

This is the oldest part of the wall around the Old City. The larger blocks of stone at the lower left hand corner are the only original portion of the wall built by King Herod, the smaller blocks were placed by Suleman the Great about 400 AD.


Greetings from the Holy City Jerusalem! I am so thankful for Scott Schweitzer loaning his usb cable to me so that I could finally upload my pictures!

It has been an amazing journey thus far.......we arrived in Jerusalem on Tuesday, February 1st. Our first day went as follows:

Stop #1 was the Mount of Olives which is located east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. It is higher than the Old City and offers the most incredible views of it! It is also the location of the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery.

2/7 Caesarea by the Sea

Our last biblical stop for the day was Caesarea by the Sea, on the Mediterranean coast midway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. The city was built by Herod the Great and became the capital of the Roman government. The apostle Paul was on trial here, imprisoned and then sent to Rome. It is also the location of Cornelius the Righteous, the first gentile convert, opening the door of the gospel to non-Jews.

The top photo shows the remains of the huge arena, where chariot races and horse races took place 2000 years ago. The lower photo is of the Roman theater.

2/7 Megiddo

Megiddo (which means Armageddon)is the most famous battlefield of all time. The fortress was once a royal city of canaanites, the king of which was slain by Joshua (Joshua 12:21; 17:11). During Solomon's reign, Megiddo was an important defense post of his kingdom. Remains have been found here revealing that Solomon's stables were able to care for 450 horses and 150 chariots.

Revelation 16 speaks of the final battle where all nations will gather in the Valley of Armageddon for the final war. This is when God brings the curtain down on our enemy and there will be thre greatest victory of all time!!!

From Megiddo, you can view Mt. Tabor, where Christ's transfiguration occured as well as Mt. Gilboa, where King Saul met his fate (another shout out to my David bible study girls!)

2/7 Sea of Galilee

Today we were blessed to share a boat ride out over the Sea of Galilee, just like Christ did some 2000 years ago. It was very windy, which reminded us of the time that the disciples were afraid of the storm. The views were fantatic as we gazed on the areas where Jesus spent most of His three years in ministry.

Governor Huckabee preached a wonderful message and we took communion in the boat. It was deeply moving to share in the Holy Sacrament with such a wonderful group of friends, floating on the very waters that our Lord commanded to be still.....

2/7 Jordan River

Here, our wonderful new friend, Fred Kay, is baptized in the Jordan.





We moved on to the Jordan River, which winds down into boeth the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. This river has witnessed many miracles of God's powers. Three times in history its waters have been miraculously stopped (Joshua 1:2). John the Baptist ministered to the mulitudes here and he also baptized our Saviour in the Jordan as well.

2/6 Caesarea Phillipi

We started off the morning at the base of Mt. Hermon, at Caesarea Phillipi. This is probably the furthest north that Jesus traveled. It was originally named Panais because it was the center of the pagan worship of the Greek god Pan. It is significant to note that this was the place that Jesus asked His disciples "Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (Matthew 16 and Mark 8).




This photo shows the indentation in the mountain that was known as the "Gates of Hell" which was where the pagans sacrificed animals and dumped them into the water springs within the mountain.

2/6 Caesarea Phillipi

Caesarea Phillipi is situated at the base of Mt. Hermon, NE of the Sea of Galilee. It was originally called Panais because it was the center of worship of the pagan fertility God Pan. These pagans sacrificed goats and other animals into the "Gates of Hell" which was the source of the water supply that eventually flows into the Sea of Galilee. Governor Huckabee spoke to us here about how we are to be the spiritual conquerors and not the spiritual defenders. We are the little rocks and He is the cornerstone. The church is not to "sit still" but the "advance" the gospel. He encouraged us to be warriors of the faith and to use our every available moment for the Kingdom of Christ.