At 6pm (EST), 23 of us flew out of Philadelphia, to Tel Aviv, Israel through Frankfurt, Germany. I am typing this update somewhere over the Atlantic at about 30,000 feet.
For anyone who would like to join us virtually for this 15-day trip, "Welcome!" I will post a blog update here at least once-a-day with pictures of the locations we visited, their Biblical significance along with a brief devotional.
We are going to the "Promised Land." God promised Abraham this land in Genesis 12:5-7.
I prefer calling it the promised land rather than the holy land. My reasoning is that there is nothing particularly "holy" about the land, per se. In the Old Testament we have the record of how God uniquely dwelled with His people Israel in the Promised Land. But now, He dwells uniquely in His people rather than in a specific geographic location. (John 4)
Also, calling Israel "the Holy Land" can be a little confusing, in my opinion. It can give the impression that we should think of Israel superstitiously or sentimentally more than historically and Biblically. We begin to think that God's presence is more real in Israel than in other locations. For instance, perhaps thinking of Israel as the Holy Land would cause us to believe that the waters of the Jordan are mystically superior to the plain 'ole water in our church baptistry. Our approach is going to be different. We are eager to see the historical locations that are written about in Scripture where so many key events took place that are essential to our faith.
Christianity is an historical faith. It is not a "cunningly made-up fable," but actual events that took place in space and time.
Hope you can follow along.
Here is our Itinerary:
Saturday, February 4th: Overnight Flight to Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Sunday, February 5th: Arrive in Israel and walk along the coast of the Mediterranean.
Monday, February 6th: Caesarea, Mount Caramel, Megiddo, Nazareth
Tuesday, February 7th: Mt. Arbel, Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Kursi, and Sea of Galilee Tour
Wednesday, February 8th: Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights, Baptism Site, Magdala
Thursday, February 9th: Gideon Spring, Beit-Shan, Bethany, Dead Sea
Friday, February 10th: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Abraham's Tent, Jerusalem
Saturday, February 11th: Shiloh, Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Southern Steps
Sunday, February 12th: Temple Mount, Pool of Bethesda, St. Ann's Church, Antonia Fortress, Church of Holy Sepulcher, Israel Museum
Monday, February 13th: Elah Valley, City of David, Wailing Wall, Rabbinic Tunnels, Garden Tomb
Tuesday, February 14th: Beersheba, Arad, Tabernacle
Wednesday, February 15th: Eilat
Thursday, February 16th: Petra
Friday, February 17th: Machaerus, Madaba, Mount Nebo, Amman
Saturday, February 18th: Return to EBBC