This morning we woke up and was sad as this was our last day of the tour itself. We have really enjoyed Israel and felt like there was so much to see still. Dewayne was not feeling well and many people were sweet enough to provide some medicine to keep him going. After a great open-buffet breakfast, we met Tito right outside in front of the David Citadel Hotel and walked to our first stop.

On the way, we ran into a Bar Mitzvah celebration for a young man in the streets. There was a ton of dancing, singing, playing of instruments (trumpets, drums, clarinets). People were dressed in their finest dress attire. We crossed the street cutting in-between all the people celebrating. I tried to get a photo, but it was so chaotic that I was unsuccessful. Tito then told us that Bar Mitzvahs were only allowed to happen on Monday, Thursday (which was today) or Sundays.

Stop 1: Western Wall Tunnels

Yesterday, we visited the Western Wall, however, today we were going to make our way through the tunnels that span the Western Wall.

In 19 BCE, King Herod undertook a project to double the area of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by incorporating part of the hill on the Northwest. In order to do so, four retaining walls were constructed, and the Temple Mount was expanded on top of them. These retaining walls remained standing, along with the platform itself, after the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.  Since then much of the area next to the walls became covered and built upon. Part of the Western Wall remained exposed after the destruction of the Temple. Since it was the closest area to the Temple’s Holy of Holies that remained accessible, it became a place of Jewish prayer.

Walking the Via Dolorosa

After being in the tunnels, we then walked out into the sunlight and heat and started walking toward our next stop. Along the way, we took the Via Dolorosa is a processional 18th century route in the Old City of Jerusalem, believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. It starts from the Antonia Fortress west to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (2,000 ft). It is today marked by nine Stations of the Cross; there have been fourteen stations since the late 15th century, with the remaining five stations being inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Stop 2: Saint Anne & Pools of Bethesda

What is unique about the Church of St Anne is that it is the traditional site of the home of Jesus’ grandparents, Anne and Joachim, and the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. It is just north of the Temple Mount, about 160 feet inside St Stephen’s (Lions’ Gate), the church stands in a courtyard with trees, shrubs and flowers. You would never know this place is among the craziness of the Muslim Quarter. The Church of St Anne is known for its amazing acoustics. Outside of the church is where excavations have revealed the actual location site of the Pools of Bethesda, the place where Jesus healed the crippled man. What Tito, our tour guide, told us was that the pools continued underneath the convent.

Our tour group sat down on the wooden pews, and was led by two of our awesome praise team members from our church. The sound inside was amazing!

Now there in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
John 5:2 (NIV)

Stop 3: Via Dolorosa and Nun’s Ascent (Convent of the Sisters of Zion)

After we left Saint Anne’s, Tito told us we were going to lunch in the Christian Quarter of the city, but we would have to walk through the Muslim Quarter to get there. While walking down the streets of Jerusalem, soaking in the colorful culture, we came to the area called the Nun’s Ascent, an ancient street that intersects with the Via Dolorosa. I found it fascinating because of how long and high the steps went, almost like it ran into Heaven.

Apparently, Nun’s Ascent connects with the Convent of the Sisters of Zion (built in 1857) and we went inside to a small place where we sat down on concrete risers. There was barely enough room for everyone to sit. There was a podium at the bottom, like a lecture hall at school. It surprised me when Tito picked up some visual aids (i.e. maps, diagrams, etc.) and then begin to tell us the history of Via Dolorosa, history of the ancient ruins we were about to see in the basement. Apparently the ruins dated back to the Roman occupation of the city.

Lunch in the Christian Quarter

All that walking made us super hungry and I was on the verge of being hangry (hungry + angry). I was relieved when Tito told us we were stopping at this big place called Everest Ramzi. It was a tiny, cramped space, but was air conditioned, and so none of us complained. I didn’t take a photo because it wasn’t much of a place from the outside, but the food was great. I ate falafel balls and drank lemon aide mixed with mint leaves. Tito apparently knew the owner well and they chatted for awhile at a tiny round bistro table near the door. Because the place was so small, our food was prepared a couple of doors down, so the wait staff would come through the front door to bring us our food. It was a little different, but made memories.

Stop 4: Old City Jerusalem Marketplace

After lunch, Tito told us we were going to the Holy Sepulcher, but would be walking through the Old City Marketplace first. There were a ton of people, lots of vendors on the streets selling fresh fruits, goods from China (no kidding), and homemade apparel.

Stop 5: The Holy Sepulcher

After making our way through the streets of the Muslim Quarter, we came to the Christian Quarter. It’s located in the northwestern corner of the Old City, extending from the New Gate in the north, along the western wall of the Old City as far as the Jaffa Gate, along the Jaffa Gate – Western Wall route in the south, bordering on the Jewish and Armenian Quarters, as far as the Damascus Gate in the east, where it borders on the Muslim Quarter. The Christian quarter contains about 40 Christian holy places. Among them is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest places. Most of its residents are Palestinian Christians, despite their dwindling numbers.

The Holy Sepulcher (so massage on the outside), from Christian perspective, contains the two holiest sites in Christianity:

1. The site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, at a place known as Calvary or Golgotha (Matt. 27:33–35; Mark 15:22–25; John 19:17–24), Golgotha, “the place of the skull” has been identified as an area of abandoned stone quarries just outside the city wall of the time.
2. Jesus’s empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected. The tomb is enclosed by a 19th-century shrine called the Aedicula. About 10 years after the crucifixion, a third wall was built that enclosed the area of the execution and burial within the city, and this accounts for the Holy Sepulcher’s location inside the Old City of Jerusalem today. In the bottom photo, the tomb is located to the left where the trees are on the other side of the wall.

Once we got inside the church, a flood of emotions came over me. The beauty of the place was overwhelming. I don’t usually feel emotional much, so the sudden feelings took me off guard. I am still processing these feelings, but the ones I can differentiate right now are awe, love, sadness, confusion, disgust, anger, and pity. I felt the awe and love of Jesus when I saw the area designated to Christianity.

As I started walking around different parts of the church, I saw people worshiping the planets, stars, and false gods, I was confused, then sad and felt pity for the people, but also had disgust for what they were doing. As I walked outside the door of the Holy Sepulcher, I then started to feel more disgust, but mostly anger.

I think the emotion I still feel is anger, but also sadness. If this is the most holy place, built on the place where Jesus was crucified, died at Golgotha, was buried in the tomb and rose from the dead, why are people worshiping other gods on the most sacred, holy, spot in the entire world?! That’s messed up!

On the Way to the Bus – the Jaffa Gate

After we spent some time in the Holy Sepulcher, we then headed out into the streets of Jerusalem and headed for the bus to take us to our next stop of the day. Along the way we passed by the ancient Jaffa Gate. This is the gate where the light show was on display the night before. The gate was built in 1538, as part of the Ottoman wall construction.

Stop 6: The Israel Museum (Model of Jerusalem & Dead Sea Scrolls)

We have been walking a majority of the past couple of days and now we found our bus parked and air conditioner running on a nearby street. We then drove 3.2km (2 mi) west to the Israeli Museum. The parking lot was huge, so I was grateful Eli let us off at the front. Here at the museum, Tito explained we would be seeing a large model of the city of Jerusalem and also the scrolls that were found in Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls). This was the Shrine of the Book portion of the Israel museum. While I wanted to take photos of that portion, that area was strictly forbidden to take photos and there were many people guarding that area.

Stop 7: American Embassy at Jerusalem

After viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls and the model of Jerusalem, we headed back to the bus. I was starting to feel sad because that was our last stop… or so we thought. On the bus heading back to our hotel, Tito mentioned we had one more stop – the American Embassy in Jerusalem. We were all excited since the embassy hasn’t been around but only a year. It is important too… the Embassy is responsible for the extensive US-Israel Bi-lateral relationship.

The Conclusion of Our Israel Tour

On the way back, the atmosphere was quiet. I was thinking about all that we have done with the group. I would assume others were thinking the same things. Tito, however, still talked and mentioned that him and Eli would be taking us to the airport the following day. That’s good. We have all spent so much time together, and it was nice to know we would get to see them one more time before leaving. But why did I feel so sad? ?

Tito told us that we would have a meeting at 5pm tomorrow on the bottom floor of the David Citadel hotel. After that meeting we would be downstairs by 6pm to load our luggage onto the bus. Then we would have our final meal at the hotel (I am really sad now – the food was freakin amazing). Our church was awesome to work with the hotel to let us keep the rooms until early that evening. That meant we could take a shower prior to leaving for the airport. That was a HUGE blessing.

Tomorrow, though, we would get to go anywhere in Jerusalem and do whatever we wanted – our free day. Dewayne and I decided we needed to get some gifts for our friends and family. We also found out that we could visit George and Betty Jackson’s apartment in Jerusalem. George and Betty are the parents of our pastor Allen Jackson.

The next morning, we packed our bags and got them on the bus since we were going to Jerusalem David Citadel that evening. Tito, our guide, told us to wear comfortable clothing since we were going to do some walking and be outside in the heat. Oh my gosh, we were going to Jerusalem today. I am so excited.

Stop 1: Masada National Park

This morning, we went north on Hwy 90 20.7 km (13 mi) north towards Masada, Israel. We followed the Dead Sea for some time and then went west a couple of miles into the desert and we started seeing a large mountain. We were told this was Masada. As I looked more closely, I realized there were structures in tiers on the mountain. I have never seen anything like this.

Masada is located on a cliff isolated in the heart of the desert, a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea and the wild landscapes of the Judean Desert, once a magnificent palace build by Herod (quite the innovator).

During the Great Revolt, the last of the Roman rebels barricaded themselves, turning their desperate war into a symbol of struggle for freedom. Realizing that they wouldn’t survive, the soldiers and their families refused to be held as slaves and so decided to take their own lives and the lives of their families before captured. Each solider killed their own family members, and the ones that were left cast lots on who would be the last one to kill himself with the sword. The lucky one fell on his sword and no one remained in Masada. Such a tragic story and the last strongholds of the Roman Empire.

Stop 2: Ein Gedi Reserve

After Masada and a sunburn from being in the desert, we went north on Hwy 90 21.2 km (13 mi) to Ein Gedi to the reserve there. This is the area with a cave and waterfall, possibly the place where David hid from King Saul in the cave as it is the only source of fresh water near the Dead Sea.

Pastor Allen talked to the entire tour group talking about how we should invite the Holy Spirit in our lives, to experience life with us. Wow. Absolutely!

And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi. After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
1 Samuel 23:29-24:1 (NIV)

Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom,[a] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).
2 Chronicles 20:2 (NIV)

Stop 3: St. George’s Monastery

After seeing Ein Gedi, we made a stop at Saint George’s Monastery on the route to Jerusalem. We went north, passed by Jericho, and went on a winding road towards Wadi Kelt, Israel. We pulled up at an interesting Catholic-like gate. As we got off the bus, we were met up by Bedouins trying to sell us scarves and necklaces. After this we walked down a path in the desert where the views were spectacular. There were rolling hills and deep valleys. All of a sudden, we saw structures built into the rock on the side of the mountains. I was awe struck.

St. George’s Monastery was originally started in the fourth century by a few monks who were looking to immerse themselves in the lifestyles and desert stories of  John the Baptist and Jesus. The monks, and perhaps most notably the hermit John of Thebes, eventually settled on the spot around a cave where it is believed the prophet Elijah was fed by ravens. The upper part of the monastery hosts the cave that Elijah the Prophet sought shelter in, while in the lower part of the monastery, a tomb of a Romanian monk that lived there in the 1960s still holds his well-preserved body.

Arrival in Jerusalem

After seeing St. George’s Monastery (from a distance), we got back onto the bus and headed a short distance west to Jerusalem. On the way, the desert started to disappear and gradually we would see houses on hills. I think these were the suburbs of Jerusalem? We then went into a tunnel and coming out in front of us was Jerusalem. The whole bus was quiet. We just stared. It was a beautiful sight with the golden dome in front of us surrounded by tons of buildings and houses. Hello Jerusalem! I got chills.

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David. 8 On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.[a]” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”
2 Samuel 5:4-8 (NIV)

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do.
John 7:1-3 (NIV)

Stop 4: Vohlin Kollel – The Jewish Cemetery (Mount of Olives)

One of the first things that caught my eye is the enormous amount of stone boxes that lined the hills around us. The buses stopped on the side of the road and we got out and walked around this enormous cemetery. It was explained to us by Tito that the oldest graves were toward the bottom of the hill and the newer ones were near the top. These graves were located on the Mount of Olives. Talk about being close to Jesus.

But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.
2 Samuel 15:30 (NIV)

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Luke 19:41-42 (NIV)

On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
1 Kings 11:7-8 (NIV)

The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.
Ezekiel 11:23 (NIV)

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
Acts 1:9-12 (NIV)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
Matthew 21:1-2, 8-12 (NIV)

Stop 5: Dominus Flevit Church

After this we walked a little bit east to a nearby church called Dominus Flevit. It was built in 1955 to commemorate the Lord’s weeping over Jerusalem, Dominus Flevit features a beautiful view of the city through its distinct chapel window.  Excavations during construction of the church uncovered a number of ossuaries (bone boxes) from the time of Jesus with numerous inscriptions.

Stop 6: Garden of Gethsemane

After this we then walked a short distance NE to the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Garden of Gethsemane is at the bottom of the slope of the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple Mount.  Byzantine, Crusader and a modern church were built successively on the site where it is believed that Jesus prayed to the Father hours before his crucifixion.  The modern Church of All Nations has a beautiful mosaic on its facade (see photo below).

Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden. Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be precisely determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and two thousand years old.  It is unlikely that these trees were here in the time of Christ because of the report that the Romans cut down all the trees in the area in their siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Stop 7: The Garden Tomb and Place of the Skull (Golgotha)

For our last stop of the day, we climbed back onto the bus and headed NW a few minutes to the Garden Tomb. Tito stepped aside and had a guide there give us more detail about the Garden Tomb and Place of the Skull. He showed us an old photo of the Place of the Skull and then we compared to what we saw today. Apparently the nose had fallen off back in the 50’s-60’s.

At this point, Pastor Allen took over and read some scripture from the Bible. We had communion at the Garden Tomb with olive wood cups and crackers.

While officially the Garden Tomb Association only maintains this as a possible site for Christ’s burial, our tour guide that took over for Tito was convinced it’s the real thing due to the large cistern nearby, which proves the area must have been a garden in Jesus’ day.  Also, the guide claimed that marks of Christian respect at the tomb also prove its sanctity.

The David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem

After we visited the Garden Tomb, we got back on the bus and headed SW to the David Citadel hotel where we would stay for the remainder of our trip. Tito told us to be prepared to wear appropriate clothing tomorrow, as we would be visiting some holy places.At the hotel, when we walked in, the air smelled of fragrances and everything was super fancy. The food at dinner was amazing! That evening around bed time, I noticed that Dewayne wasn’t feeling well. He was clearing his throat and complaining how sore his throat was.

I also noticed something else odd. Where did all these flies come from? There wasn’t a way to open our windows and this was the first night we were to stay in this room. I must have counted at least 8 or 9 flies. Weird! How did they get in here?

Spiritual Attack in the Night

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up in a panic when Dewayne threw a pillow at my face. What the heck!?

“Would you stop snoring?!” he yelled at me. I haven’t seen Dewayne this furious! I won’t go on to tell the rest (my feelings were hurt), but it ended up with Dewayne sleeping in tub in the bathroom. Something was wrong. Stupid flies were flying all around me. What it the world?!

While Dewayne was trying the sleep in the tub, I started to cry. I may cry a couple times a year, but this wasn’t just any kind of crying, it was a ‘can’t catch my breath’, ugly, gross crying. I couldn’t stop. The crying came in intense waves. I felt something in the room with me. I thought it was Dewayne, but I didn’t see him. No, there was something else in the room. It felt dark, menacing, evil. I immediately fell flat on my face and started praying to Jesus. I prayed for protection, prayed for healing for both Dewayne and me, and prayed for the evil presence to leave.

I yelled out loud, “You are not invited here! You don’t belong here! Leave and never bother us again!! Jesus has got this!”

I then continued to pray to Jesus again but more quietly. At this point, Dewayne came in room. I guess he heard me yelling (I am sure everyone else on the our floor did too). He let me know he was there by dripping cold water on my neck as I was burning up. Dewayne then went to the window and prayed silently. After what seemed like forever, he came back to bed with me.

Before drifting off to sleep, Dewayne said, “The weirdest thing… I just killed several flies in the bathroom. I’m not sure where they came from.”

On day five of our tour, we started off the day at Mount Bental Lookout. This is a military base located near Merom Golan (Golan Heights). On the way there, our guide, Tito, explained that the land isn’t fertile due to the fact it is volcanic. Occasionally we saw piles of stones out in the fields and asked what those were. Tito told us those are grave markers.

There were Eucalyptus trees planted near some of the abandoned military bunkers. There were also cows in the fields used to detect leftover mines from the previous war, Yon Kippeur (1973).

Stop 1: Mount Bental

Mount Bental has great panoramic views of the Golan and even Syria but also because Mount Bental was the site of a courageous battle fought during Israel’s war for the Golan (Yom Kippeur – 1973). We walked to the top to see spectacular views and then got iced coffee at the cute cafe. There are also bunkers (used to be an old military base) that were open for us to walk in.

Stop 2: Caesarea Philippi

Once done at the Mount Bental Lookout, we headed NE 26 km (16 mi) to Caesarea Philippi (also Hermon Stream Nature Reserve). Caesarea Philippi is the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. Apparently known as Baal Hermon and Baal Gad in the Old Testament period, this site later was named Panias after the Greek god Pan who was worshiped here.  There is no record of Jesus entering the city, but the great confession and the transfiguration both occurred in the vicinity of the city (Matt 16:13), then known as Caesarea Philippi.

Here, we came together as a group (all five of our buses) and Pastor Allen talked a little about that area. Dedicated to god of Pan (fertility), the word panic derived from this place. Pan was described as half goat and half man and is also described as Satan.  Greek placed temples here where there was worship of springs (also known as Paganism). The pagan worshipers thought this place to be the cave or gate to hell. On a happy note, this area may also be the road to Damascus where Paul was converted by Jesus.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
Matthew 16:13

Stop 3: Tel Dan

After visiting Caesarea Philippi, we headed west 5.4 km (3.5 mi) to Tel Dan Nature Reserve. This is an archaeological site of ancient city, first occupied in the neolithic era. Tel Dan means “Judge.” This place is significant for several reasons:

• Headwaters of the Jordan – The largest of four sources of the Jordan River, the Dan Spring emerges at the base of Mt. Hermon next to Tel Dan.
• Middle Bronze Gate – Built about 1800 B.C., this mud brick gate was in use approximately 50 years before it was covered and thus preserved by an earthen rampart.
• Iron Age Gate – This gatehouse was built in the ninth century, probably by Ahab, and is part of a series of gateways discovered.
• Podium for Ruler – This may have been a place for the ruler next to the gate or a place for an idol to be set up.  (2 Samuel 18:4 and 2 Kings 23:8)
• High Place of Jeroboam – Podium was the one that Jeroboam constructed to house the golden calf at Dan. (I Kings 12:25-31).

Stop 4: Arbel Nature Reserve (Cliffs of Arbel)

We hopped back on the bus and was told we would have a little bit of time before our next stop at the Arbel cliffs (Arbel Nature Reserve). We travelled southeast 74 km (46 mi) to Arbel, Israel. On the long trip down, we were exhausted and fell asleep. Even Tito was silent almost the entire way down.

At Mount Arbel there are caves dug into the slopes which were the hideouts for the Jews who fought against the Greeks and Romans. These were extended in the 17th century by the Druze, but the original caves are documented to date back to the Second temple period. At the top, you can see as far as the Golan Heights, and Israel’s tallest peak at Mount Hermon.

It was a little bit of a climb to the top, but totally worth it. The views were spectacular and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.