A Spiritual Adventure in Israel

Israel Tour Joppa

Tim Moore: It was here at this place on a day similar to this when Peter came up to the roof. Why’d he come to the roof? To feel a cool breeze, yeah, to pray, to do what y’all are looking forward to doing, take a nap maybe, but to feel the cool breeze. It was on the roof of a building, not unlike some of these, and the home of the very lowliest man in Joppa, that the Lord said to Peter, “Now, I’ve got another job for you.” And He sent him to the north to actually reach further down in the spiritual pecking order according to Jewish understanding, to a Gentile, and to do what with Cornelius? To share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because the Lord didn’t come for the elevated and the proud, He came for the humble and the lowly, and He humbled Himself. And so, again, this theme of coming down, our great God and Savior came down, down, down to even the lowliest of us so that we can be lifted up. And as He was raised up on the cross, as He was raised up from the grave and as He has been raised up to the heights of Heaven, to the right side of God, the Father, we too are promised that we’ll be raised up. He condescended to come to save you, and to save you.

From start to finish, our tour is unapologetically evangelistic, even as we focus on God’s prophetic Word.

We call our pilgrimage the Footsteps of Jesus Tour because we focus on where Jesus walked and ministered and where He fulfilled His prophetic promises. But some of those promises were fulfilled before and after His ministry on the earth, and some of them are being fulfilled even today.

We have another type of tour we call the Battle for Israel Tour. In this, we visit battle sites from the Old Testament, the New Testament era, the modern era, and even spiritual and future battle sites, demonstrating the providence of God as He has protected His chosen people all through the years and is bringing all His prophetic promises to pass right now.

Tel Aviv

Well, as we go to Joppa, we realize that it is important not only in the narrative of Jonah and the building of the Temple in the Old Testament and as an important site for the spread of the Gospel in the New Testament, but we linger in Tel Aviv for another reason altogether.

It is one of the most important modern sites because it contains a concrete structure that once housed a mayor and now stands as Israel’s Independence Hall. It is at this location where David Ben-Gurion read the proclamation declaring the modern state of Israel in 1948. Most Christians alive in 1948 did not realize they were witnessing the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, from God’s rhetorical at question to Isaiah about bringing forth a nation in one day in Isaiah 66 to Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, the Bible offered repeated prophetic promises that the nation of Israel would be regathered and reestablished in the End Times.

And so in this nondescript house in Tel Aviv, the new old city that was founded in 1909, that promise was fulfilled. Again, this is why we linger in Tel Aviv and why we visit the home of Meir Dizengoff, the city’s first mayor. You can almost feel the joy that filled Jewish hearts around the world in 1948 as Israel was born. As Psalm 118:23 says, “This too is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Caesarea Maritime

Moving up the coast, our pilgrims visit another important site. Documented in Acts 23 through 26, Caesarea Maritima played a major role as the Gospel began to spread far and wide.

Uncovered as a major archeological site, this seaside ruin is as breathtaking in its scale as it is beautiful. You can easily envision Paul being brought to this quintessential Roman fortress city to be held for many months. You can walk on the stones that once housed the palace where Felix and Festus would’ve heard Paul’s testimony and see the Hippodrome where athletes and chariots would’ve competed to the cheers of Roman crowds.

There are tremendous spiritual insights to be gained from standing where Paul stood and considering the power and might of the Roman Empire he sought it to evangelize.

Mount Carmel

Picking up speed our pilgrims travel further up the Mediterranean coast following the ancient Roman Via Maris or way of the sea that connected Egypt and Lebanon and Assyria. It becomes easy to understand the strategic importance of the little sliver of territory called Canaan by Abraham and his immediate offspring but promised to his descendants forever.

Abraham’s descendants finally gained possession of the Promised Land after God called Moses to lead them out of captivity in Egypt. Because of their rebellion and disobedience, however, they were condemned to wander in their wilderness for 40 years. Even then though, God proved Himself as their faithful protector and provider.

Under Joshua’s leadership, the children of Israel moved into the land and then before he died, Joshua challenged them to choose who they would serve, the true and living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or the false gods of the Canaanites. The people responded with resounding conviction that they would serve the LORD.

But just a few generations later, the people had strayed grievously, so much so that by the time Elijah the prophet offered them the same choice, he was met with resounding silence. It was on Mount Carmel that Elijah presented that choice as he threw down a challenge to the prophets of Baal.

You know the rest of the story, the prophets of Baal carried on all day crying out to their false God and even cutting themselves in a ridiculous manner. Elijah actually mocked them, saying, “Call out louder, maybe your God is asleep.” Finally, as the day grew long, Elijah gathered stones, placed wood on an altar, placed a sacrifice on that altar and then covered it with water. He cried out quietly, “Lord, show yourself and demonstrate your power.” And sure enough, fire fell from Heaven. Folks, we stand on the very site there on Mount Carmel where God demonstrated as the people responded, “He is Lord.”

Nazareth Village

Well, traveling further up the coast, our pilgrims visit other sites on their way to Galilee. One of the crowd favorites is the Nazareth Village, a working farm that replicates the life in the time of Jesus. Nazareth Village has even discovered a watch tower and a wine press that were likely used when Jesus lived in the vicinity. It is very possible that Jesus Himself, along with His parents, would’ve visited this very site to stamp grapes and to celebrate God’s provision even as wine was produced.

Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee is another highlight for every pilgrim to Israel. Most Americans are surprised at how small the sea of Galilee actually is. You can easily see across the small lake from one end to the other. It wouldn’t be bigger than a pond here in Texas, but it is along the shoreline of Galilee that Jesus spent most of His ministry and performed most His miracles. We try to visit all the primary sites around Galilee, but over the years, new sites continue to pop up.

Magdala

In just the years I’ve been leading pilgrimage trips to Israel, the site at Magdala has been discovered and opened. This of course is the place where Mary Magdalene was from.

Again, Magdala was a site where there was much wealth, and Mary Magdalene herself was a woman of some means, even though she had a past that she was sometimes ashamed of. This is a new archeological site that was stumbled upon when the Catholic Church decided to erect a new resort hotel. But the significance of this city where Mayor Magdalene was from is obvious.

One of the proofs of the Bible’s authenticity is its treatment of women. Written at a time when women were not even considered valid witnesses in a court of law, God’s word gives full credit to the role of women. Several women were among Jesus’ most dedicated followers. In fact, women were present at and even after His crucifixion, when most of His disciples had fled from His side. And women were the first witnesses to see the empty tomb, and in Mary’s case, the first to meet the risen Savior. That is why I typically ask a lady among our group to share a testimony about our great God and Savior at this important site.

Wendy Howard: Can you imagine the feelings of these women? They’ve seen the greatest event in all of history. And they come to tell, supposedly, these people that love them and that they love and have been following along with for over three years, and they thought they were speaking nonsense, and that just goes to the testimony there. But here is Jesus in John 20:15-18, “And Jesus said to her,” this is Mary, “‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned, and she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni” which means teacher.

Mount of Beatitudes

There are many other sites we visit in the region of Galilee, including Capernaum or Kfar Nahum, what was Jesus’ northern headquarters, if you will, His adopted home city there along the shore of the sea of Galilee, and Chorazin where He was able to heal people. And we have a special service where we pray for the healing of those with us and those related to pilgrims. But moving up the hill from Magdala, we come to another site where the Bible says thousands gathered to hear the Lord. The Mount of Beatitudes is a gently sloping hill that overlooks the northeast corner of the sea of Galilee. Even today it’s surrounded by farms and crops that testify to the kind of people who lived in the region 2000 years ago, fishermen near the sea of Galilee and farmers in the surrounding hills.

Many of Jesus parables were pulled from the life experience of His listeners in that day and age. He spoke to fishermen of becoming fishers of men. He spoke to farmers about sowing seed. And given the volcanic nature of the area with more rocks than any western farmer would want to deal with, His reference to some seed falling on the rock and others on the path and some on the good ground would’ve resonated dramatically with His listeners.

Some of them were drawn by His miracles and on the Mount of Beatitudes He did not disappoint. Even when the disciples insisted they did not have enough food to feed the gathered thousands. Jesus demonstrated His authority over time, space, and matter.

I’ll read from Matthew 14-13, “Now, when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself, And when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.” From what cities? From all the cities here on this shoreline that we’ve talked about clamoring to go where Jesus was. Mark 6:33, “The people saw them going, Jesus and His disciples, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities and got there ahead of them.” Skipping to Luke 9:12-14, “Now, the day was ending, and the 12 came and said to Him, ‘Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging, get something to eat, for we are here in a desperate place.'”

How could they have gone to a desolate place? Excuse me. They were up in the foothills in the hills, where they were away from the cities, the people had come to be near Jesus, and now it’s getting evening time, and they didn’t have anything to eat. But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about 5,000 men. So if there were 5,000 men, you can expect there well over 10 to 15,000 people with women and children gathered there. And He said to the disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about 50 each,” and they all had them sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to Heaven, He blessed them and broke them and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the pieces, or before the people, and they all ate and were satisfied. And the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up and 12 baskets were filled.

Evening Fellowship

Many pilgrims wonder what we’ll eat while we’re in Israel, and I can assure you that the bountiful meals we enjoy today consist of bread and fish and many other Israeli delicacies. Every evening though after dinner, our groups enjoy gathering together to reflect on the experiences of the day and dig deeper into the spiritual insights offered. Sometimes there’s just too much to share at a given site and we want to maximize the time we’re able to enjoy each place.

We used our word of the day, which was for those of you all who came in just a few minutes late, what was the word of the day? Boker Tov. It sounds like broken toe, but it’s boker tov. And then what’s the good evening? Erev Tov. Erev Tov. We’ve already learned Shalom, you’ve learned Sabba, you’ve learned Sababa, you’ve learned Sa. And yesterday’s word was Shalom. So now you’re picking up some Hebrew, you could pass in certain places.

We typically travel to Israel in the late spring or the fall, when the weather is absolutely beautiful. And whenever possible, we like to meet outside to enjoy the beautiful Israeli evenings and to look out on the same hills that Jesus saw. I want to do a brief review even before I introduce our very, very special guest about some of the things that we experienced today. We thought it would be fun to give you a time-lapse view of the lengthening shadows as the sun sets over Galilee. Before darkness envelops the land, I’d like you to meet Dan and Meg Price. As often as we can, we invite special guests like Avi Mizrahi, Baruch Korman, and even Amir Tsarfati to describe what it’s like to live and work in Israel. Dan and Meg are dedicated to sharing the Gospel with the Druze and the Jews.

Dan Price: Again, we weren’t expecting to ever live in Israel. As Meg said, we thought we were going to be in Jordan for a really long time. We thought we were supposed to be in Syria, but then we had to go to Jordan instead. And so we would take trips over here periodically when people came to visit us in Jordan, and it wasn’t that far, so we would come over here. As Meg said, we made seven trips, and that was unexpected. But in one of those trips, we met with someone who was actually working with the Druze at that time. He had been here for 40 years, here in Israel working with the Druze. And I asked him in that meeting, I said, “How many people, how many Druze have come to belief in that period of time in 40 years?” And he said this many, and he said, “And I’m certain of this many.”

Tim Moore: Sadly, Dan and Meg would tell you that there is much darkness covering the land of Israel today. Just as only two Druze came to trust in Jesus Christ during the forty-year ministry of their predecessor, many Israelis also remain either adamantly secular or at least resistant to the Gospel. Thankfully, that has begun to change just in the last months as Israelis realize that only the Lord could have protected them from the onslaught of attacks from Iran, from Hezbollah, and yes, from Hamas. Their hearts are being opened like never before to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And thanks to the efforts of faithful servants like Dan and Meg Price, the light of Christ is shining brightly in the darkness.

Our pilgrims make a point to express their love to every Israeli Jew we meet. I have to tell you that some of those evening gatherings are particularly memorable. In 2016, 2 of our pilgrims were married in a beautiful ceremony that blended Christian and Jewish elements.

Jerusalem

After two full and busy days in the Galilee, sometimes including a trip up to the Golan Heights and including the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River, we make our way to Jerusalem. That means driving south down the Jordan River Valley and then ascending almost 4,000 feet. During that time, we visit other sites, including Megiddo, the place where we refer to as Har Megiddo, the surrounding valley. We also visit Beit She’an, another Roman city that was destroyed in a massive earthquake and that became a site for Christians to live among the ruins. There are so many important sites in Jerusalem that we’ll have to devote another full episode of Christ in Prophecy, or maybe two or three that cover them all, but there is one that is my favorite.

Mount of Olives

But this is my favorite place I think in all of Israel. As much as I love the other sites, I love coming here. And why? Because of what happened in this place and what you see in front of you and what we anticipate happening in this place. So let’s go back to get to the future.

As I said, traveling up to Jerusalem always thrills my heart because I can imagine Jesus and His disciples walking up where we ride by bus to reach the city that God loves. The first place that we come to as we enter Jerusalem from the east is the Mount of Olives.

Gethsemane

Pilgrims also love to visit the place where Jesus went with three of His closest disciples to pray the night before His crucifixion. We of course know that Gethsemane translates into “oil press,” and it was here in an olive grove we call a garden that Jesus sweated great drops of blood as He contemplated being pressed as the perfect sacrifice, a Lamb of God provided to cover the sins of mankind.

We spend time in a private section of this garden and we allow our pilgrims to scatter out and pray, as Jesus did, seeking to find Him in that beautiful quiet place.

Garden Tomb

One of the last stops on our pilgrimage is a place that represents the end of Jesus earthly ministry. It is where his footsteps ceased for three days. All those scholars still argue about the exact spot where Jesus was crucified and buried. The garden tomb offers a beautiful and representative place, and quite possibly the exact location where our Savior died, where He was buried, and where He rose again. It’s quite the contrast from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is dark and foreboding. This beautiful garden tomb is evocative again of the exact type of tomb where we know Jesus was laid.

There is nothing quite like looking upon the skull-shaped hillside peering into that tomb cut into solid rock and configured exactly as the Bible describes and then partaking of communion along with brothers and sisters of Christ who have become like a family.

And let me say that we do become like a family of God as we travel through the Promised Land. I’ve held Pilgrims testify that they feel closer to their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ on that tour than even their own friends and family at home. What better way to end a journey following in the footsteps of Jesus literally and figuratively? What better way to reflect on what He accomplished and declared finished at Calvary and to contemplate His promise to come again in the same manner that disciples watched Him ascend into Heaven?

Testimonials

Tim Moore: Well, it’s one thing to look at pictures, here teaching, and read the biblical account, it’s another to go and experience the Holy Land personally to either see for yourself or to send one on your behalf to go and then come back and tell you all they experienced. Listen as one of the pilgrims from our last journey shares his pilgrimage experience. Here we are after a week and a half in Israel in May of 2022. And what a busy week and a half it’s been, and I’m with my new good friend Jay Cash.

Jay, you and Jane have been here with us for a week and a half. What was your takeaway from your time in Israel?

Jay Cash: Well, I think, Tim, the biggest takeaway for me was to be able now to see the Bible in a completely different way. Beforehand, it was a book that I was reading, but things were black and white, places were just places. But now I’ve been to those places, and I’ve been able to spend time where Jesus spent time and walk where He walked. So it now brings a whole new experience to how I read the Bible.

Tim Moore: In recent years, we’ve created a program called the Millennial Kingdom Scholarship, where we pick and send two or three young people every pilgrimage to learn what the Lord is doing in their day and age and to be able to come home and share with their peers at their churches and through their ministries. And so to demonstrate the power of sending a young person to be your feet and eyes and ears and to come home motivated to share a newfound passion for the word of God and His prophetic promises and also an eager anticipation of Jesus soon return, listen to Sarah Miriam Moore testify about what a pilgrimage meant to her.

Miriam, why did you want to come to Israel?

Sarah Miriam Moore: It’s been on my bucket list for a very long time to come. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do all throughout high school just to see where Jesus walked and to bring the Bible to life and see the actual sites. And yeah, I’ve wanted to do it for a very long time.

Tim Moore: What would you go home and tell another young person who says, “Ah, do I really need to go to Israel to experience the Bible? Can’t I just read”?

Sarah Miriam Moore: I think that why you can get a lot from reading, obviously. I think going and experiencing the places in real life brings what you’re reading to life, because now I’ll go home and I can actually picture these places. It’s not something I’ve made up in my mind, I know what they look like, I know what it was like, the environment, the culture at the time. And I would definitely say it’s worth it to make the trip out and go.

Tim Moore: We visit many other sites in and around Jerusalem. Yes, of course, we go to Masada, where Jews made a last stand against the Roman Empire in the 1st Century. We also go to the Dead Sea, and we visit the Upper Room, and the House of Caiaphas, where Jesus was taken after He was betrayed and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. During our free day, many pilgrims ask me to take them to the Temple Mount, and if it’s open, I always do so. We know that someday soon, the Messiah whose footsteps echoed off the same stones we walk upon today will return to reign from the Temple Mount above the Western Wall Plaza. But we’ll end this episode of Christ in Prophecy at the place Jews considered to be the holiest site in Jerusalem, and Israel, and therefore the world, the Western Wall.

Western Wall

Tim Moore: Officially designated as an outdoor synagogue, the Western Wall represents the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people. Far away and impossible to visit for thousands of years by most of the diaspora, it was off-limits to Jews from the War of Independence until the miraculous liberation of Jerusalem’s old city during the Six-Day War. Today, it is a favorite meeting place for Jews and Gentiles alike who want to honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Well, I’ve come here to the Western Wall Plaza on this beautiful day in May to join the many Jewish worshipers who gather here at this outdoor synagogue. They come to be closest to the presence they think of the Shekinah Glory of God as it was manifest back during the period of the Temple. But we come here not because we think this is a special place, but because we know the Shekinah Glory of God has already been manifest in the person of Jesus Christ.

And yet, we respect this Jewish tradition, we love to come to this place, indeed, I love to come to Israel and Jerusalem. If you’ve not already considered making a pilgrimage to this place, to the Holy Land, to see all that God has done in the past, all that He’s doing, even in the present, how He is fulfilling Bible prophecy before our very eyes, then I invite you to join me to walk where Jesus walked and to draw closer to the One who is the manifest person of the Lord God Almighty. Come and join us here in Israel.

Won’t you consider coming with us this year to Jerusalem?

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