Trembling Anticipation

“We’re going to the Holy Land!” was what a colleague told me one day in the second half of 2015, after a Pastors’ meetinghousep of our church, CCBC (or Calvary Charismatic Baptist Church for long 😊). That was what our General Overseer, Evangelist Francis Sarpong, had arranged for late September to early October. Excitement. Here’s why.

 One of my favourite verses in the Bible is John 1:14. Here, in that one verse, is revealed the true identity of the Person whose I am and whom I love and serve. It tells us what every person ought to know about the origin and nature of the Man of Galilee, the Carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus Christ. It says right there that He is more than just another good man. “More than a Carpenter”, according to Christian apologist Josh McDowell. Much, much more. He is the “Express image” of the Father, declares the New Testament Book of Hebrews, in chapter 1, verse 3 (Wesley NT). In the words of one ancient Prophet, this Man’s “origins are from of old, from ancient times”. (Micah 5:2). Or, as another Prophet put it in foretelling His birth, “To us a child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6; my emphasis). The child was born at a point in time, some 2000 years ago, but the Son who was “given”, existed before that glorious event in Bethlehem. He is Immanuel, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:17; Matthew 1:23). He is “The God who is there”, to borrow from Dr Carson. Deity in the flesh. The writer of the letter to the Philippians makes it clear that this Man, in His very essence, is God (See Philippians 2:5-6). In Him, in bodily form, dwells “all the fullness of the Deity”, says Colossians 2:9.

My favourite translation of John 1:14 is “And the Word was made flesh, and tabernacled among us…” (Wesley New Testament). “Tabernacled”! Fixed His temporary tent of clay on this wretched earth, allowing men to behold His glory, “glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”. Wow. Or, as Wuest’s expanded translation puts it, “And the Word, entering a new mode of existence, became flesh, and lived in a tent among us…” He existed long before He arrived, via a virgin’s birth canal, as a Baby in Bethlehem.

 You, of course remember that Tabernacle Moses built during Israel’s trip from Egypt to the Promised Land (Exodus 26). It was a wooden structure overlaid with gold. And it housed something awesome – the very Presence of God Himself! God had said to Moses: “…Make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8).

 In the same way that the gold-plated wooden tabernacle housed the very Presence of God, so, according to John, flesh now “housed” Deity in the Person of the Word that became flesh and “tabernacled among us”! Awesome! God dwelt in a tent in Moses’ time. He dwelt in a human body in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth in the New Testament. There’s so much to ponder there!

 When this God decided to pitch His temporary Tent of Clay in the world He created, He chose to do so in the Land of Israel. How exciting, then, to go to the one place on earth where His feet trod! The very place where Almighty God became a helpless Infant, where the Ancient of Days became a Baby, where the scarcely-believable coming together of God and man took place, where absolute purity met and blotted out the seemingly indelible stain of man’s sin, where immortal God came clothed as mortal man, where Divinity and humanity merged!  Here, the God-Man “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:38). Here, the Immortal died – and came back to life to reign forevermore! And here, love paid the price and “mercy refused to let me die”, to borrow the words of the song!

Come with me as we follow in the Master’s earthly footsteps!

THE TOUR BEGINS (AND THE BIBLE COMES ALIVE!)

DAY 1 (27 Sept 2015) – Dead Sea, Mount of Temptation and then Feast of Tabernacles

What a packed day! Due to a two hour delay at Luton airport, we landed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv having lost valuable touring time.

For that reason, we left our stuff in the bus, taking only a few essentials, and went straight into the tour.

We went swimming in – or rather floating  on – the Dead Sea, in En-Gedi. The Dead Sea, at some 1300 feet below sea level, is the lowest place on planet earth. Its extreme salinity (over 33%), means no living creatures can survive there, hence its name; however, that same salinity also ensures such natural buoyancy that even people from my wife’s part of the world can “swim” in it – no skill is needed to stay afloat! The mud here is so rich in minerals that it is used in many health and beauty products.

We passed by the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-31), and Aijalon where Joshua commanded the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12) on our way to the Mount of Temptation (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), in Jericho in the Palestinian Territories.

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ight, we went straight to the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem’s celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles – see videos below.

DAY 2: (28 Sep 2015) Nazareth, Cana, Bethlehem, Mt of Transfiguration

 We set off @ 9:45am Israel time from our Bethlehem base and proceeded to pick our Israeli  Tour Guide. Bethlehem, by way of explanation, is in the Palestinian Territories, under Palestinian Authority control.

We passed by the dividing wall on our way.

 Having picked up our guide Jakob, Jacob or simply Jake, we headed for Nazareth. We passed by the spot where Israel crossed the Jordan after going round in circles in the desert for 40 years due to unbelief after ten of the twelve spies brought a bad report (Read the full account in Numbers 13). Jakob made a powerful observation here: yes they could not go in because of disobedience, but the most potent reason was because the slave mentality from their Egypt days was still there! “You don’t build a new nation with people who are still slaves in their minds – you do so with a free people”. Word.

 We drove along the border with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. And to our left, we passed Mt Gilboa. Gilboa, you’ll remember, is where King Saul and his sons, including Jonathan, died fighting the Philistines…(1 Samuel 31).

 Then we passed by the hill of Moreh with its spring of Harod where Gideon brought his troops to whittle the army down to 300, before going on to defeat the Midianites. – Judges 7

Then Nazareth! The Lord grew up here! (See Luke 4:16). 1st stop: “Mount of Precipice” (not the most imaginative name, admittedly – who gave it that name? 😀😀) Here, the people of Nazareth took the Lord, intending to throw Him off for His “Physician, heal thyself” message as recorded in Luke 4. The height and steepness of the hill, together with its rocky nature would ensure that not a lot of anyone would be the same after being thrown off it!

We made our way to the Church of Annunciation, commemorating the angel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary to announce that a Baby would be born to her (see Luke 1:26-38). Next to it is the Church of St Joseph, built on the ruins of what is believed to be Jesus’ family home.

 When you think of the modern, beautiful city of Nazareth, think gridlock 😊😛

 Still, we squeezed in a visit to Cana where Jesus turned water to wine – or rather the church built in commemoration of that miracle (John chapter 2). A thriving Wine industry ensures that this miracle will not be forgotten anytime soon.

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Then on we went to Mount Tabor, believed to be the Mount of Transfiguration! There is a fascinating story about Barak, the Prophetess Deborah, Sisera the Canaanite army commander and Jabin his boss, the Canaanite king. The setting was, of course, Mount Tabor. Read all about it in Judges chapter 4.

Wow! High up in the air, it could not be reached by coach so we parked our Tour Bus and packed into taxis for a hair-raising ride up loads of hair-pin bends to the church sitting atop the mountain. Awesome experience as we visited the two “Tabernacles” adjoining the church, “one for Elijah, one for Moses”. (Matthew 17:1-8). Peter, finally, got his wish!!! Listen as Jakob explains:

 Back to our Bethlehem base we went, to rest our weary limbs. Our spirits, by sharp contrast, were super-charged. The Lord Jesus pitched His temporary Tent of Clay in this part of the world He created! (John 1:14), and it’s amazing to be walking where He walked!

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DAY 3 (29 Sep 2015) Sea of Galilee, Mt of Beatitudes, River Jordan and the Arena for the Feast of Tabernacles

We set off around 8:20.

A brief stop to change money into the local shekel. Never seen a man convert so much money as accurately and as fast as the Palestinian gentleman who came on the bus to do business selling us souvenirs 😀

Today’s trip was filled with prayer and praise to Him who “was made flesh, and tabernacled among us” in the land where He chose to pitch His temporary Tent of Clay! It was electrifying on our tour bus.

We stopped over and went into a booth where Jakob, our Israeli guide, gave us an in-depth teaching on the history and significance of the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-44). He explained how it is celebrated in modern Israel.

Then we set off again, passing by the Golan Heights, the border between 3 countries – Israel, Syria and Jordan. Continuing, we caught sight of the source of the River  Jordan, and then, to our right, the awesome sight that is the Sea of Galilee, also known as Tiberias.

The Lord was here, post-resurrection, with a miracle for the tired and discouraged disciples (John 21). Then, after cooking a meal for them, He gave Peter a chance to revoke his three denials with three positive confessions of love. Jakob explained that Israel gets some 30% of its fresh water from here, and that it is actually a lake, a vast one at that. In the Words of Jacob after his Bethel dream in Genesis 28:17, “How awesome is this place!” The Master’s feet passed here, He sailed on this body of waster, and walked on the surrounding ground. In His earthly footsteps! Onward and upward. He, still, is Lord!!!

And so we arrived at the Mount of Beatitudes, right next to the Sea of Galilee! This was the nerve centre of the Lord’s ministry, where He performed some awesome miracles, chose His disciples, and taught. From here, His fame spread! In His footsteps!!!

To the village of Gennasaret we went, for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, aka the Sea of Tiberias. We piled into a boat.

Then Bishop Francis preached a message, and the Spirit of Prayer descended! We prayed as we cruised on the sea Jesus sailed on.

After an hour’s cruise, we set off for the Jordan River. Here, almost everyone in the party got baptised in the River Jordan. Then we sat down to lunch prepared with fish from the Jordan River. After a spot of shopping, we were on our horses again. Destination: The Arena, to join the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.

We heard speeches by the President of the State of Israel in person, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu via video link and a word by Bishop John Francis of Ruach Ministries, South London based on 2 Samuel 9:1: “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness?” What a word! Short, concise and powerful.

Plus, what a day of Prayer it had been!

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DAY 4 (30 Sept 2015) Holocaust Museum, Garden of Gethsemane, The Old City, the Upper Room, the Wailing Wall, Calvary & the Garden Tomb (Empty, Hallelujah!)

Another day, another demonstration of His Love and care. We set off again, around 8:30 am.

We made our way straight to the Holocaust Museum. I’d never seen our usually cheerful, jovial Jewish guide so emotional as he explained about what to expect in the museum. He explained that he wouldn’t be able to guide us through the museum but would meet us on the other side…he lost family members in the holocaust…

In printed word, pictures, videos and audio, the story of the holocaust came to life. The inhumanity of man to man…

What will linger longest in the memory is what we experienced in the Children’s Museum. It was all dark, illuminated only by the candles lit in memory of the children. Then there were these quiet, haunting voices that never stop calling out the names of the children and their ages…

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We then made our way to the Garden of Gethsemane, passing the Mt of Olives in the process. Awesome to think the King was here!!! We spent some time inside the Church of Gethsemane praying and meditating.

From there, we visited the Upper Room where the Holy Spirit first descended on the disciples (Acts chapter 2). Here was where the Lord held the Last Supper and also instituted the Holy Communion (Luke 22:14-20; Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). We spent time praying before going to visit the nearby tomb of King David.

Then we went through the famous Jaffa Gates, and then on to the Wailing Wall, aka the Western Wall, to pray. From there we went to Mt Calvary, where our Lord was crucified (Luke 23:33, KJV) and then to the nearby Garden Tomb. What a profound experience! In the words of the song,

"One day they left Him alone in the garden,
One day He rested,
From suffering free.
Angels came down
O'er His Tomb to keep vigil.
Glorious Saviour!
This Jesus is mine!"

 Well might we let the chorus resound:

"Living He loved me,
Dying He saved me,
Buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever.
One day He's coming 
O, glorious day!"

The tomb is empty!

Hallelujah! Our King reigns!!!

A very hectic day, but I know nobody in the group who would swap the experience for anything else!

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DAY 5 (1 October 2015) Jerusalem March, and back to the Old City through the Jaffa Gates

We eventually re-scheduled a planned shopping trip. At around 12:20pm, we set off to join the Jerusalem March.

It was exuberant, it was colourful, and it was beautiful, the Jerusalem March. The long stretch of road was lined with Jewish people appreciative of the outpouring of love and support for Israel as the nations descended on Jerusalem to pray for her peace. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem…” (Psalm 122:6).

When we got to the end of the route, we piled into a shuttle and wound our way up through the Jaffa Gate where we did a spot of shopping…another hectic day with a lot of walking and our feet hurt. We’d have it no other way, however!

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DAY 6 (2 Oct 2015) Gethsemane (again), the Shepherds’ Field, Church of Nativity.

We set off at 8:20am.

We made our way straight to the Garden of Gethsemane where we spent time praying it out. It’s virtually impossible for a child of God to come into the place where the Lord uttered those immortal words of ultimate submission: “…not My will, but Thine..” (Matthew 26:39) and not be touched by the weight of what the Lord has accomplished for us!

From there we wound our way to sites in Bethlehem:

The Shepherds’ Field, where the Shepherds received the angelic news of the Saviour’s birth (Luke 2:8-14). We spent time praying in the church and grounds.

We moved on to the Church of Nativity and spent quite some time there, due partly to the crowds. We prayed here too. Prayer, prayer, prayer – and I’m loving it 😊

We took some group photos outside the church and then made our weary way back to the coach.

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DAY 7 (3 Oct 2015) FINAL DAY OF THE TOUR – Mt Carmel, Mt of Olives

We were in the coach at 9 and set off soon thereafter. We went all the way to Mount Carmel, the place of Elijah’s showdown with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Spectacular views from high up there of vast areas of the valley below – including toward the plains of Megiddo where the final war, the Battle of Armageddon, will be fought – (Revelation 16:16).

Below, in the distance, is the Kishon River Valley where Elijah slaughtered the 450 prophets of Baal  plus 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:40).

We spent some time praying.

Our God still answers by fire!!!

From there we went to the range of mountains belonging to the Mount of Olives, specifically Mount Scopus where we viewed the Temple Mount and other important landmarks. Our Guide Jakob explained things in great detail.

Here again, we prayed it out.

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We will be back in 2017! Join us if you can.

FINAL WORD!