Here, Oh Israel

Here, Oh Israel
Steve Meehan

We were nervously approaching the Israeli border; clearance to cross into their airspace had not yet been approved. The last thing we wanted was to wind up on the business end of a couple of F-16s. As small as the country is and as many enemies as the Jewish State has, they can take no chances and have very little time to react to any would-be aggressive intrusions by a hostile threat.

We had received the proper diplomatic code to enter Israeli airspace on the ground in Aqaba, Jordan before firing up our engines and we had studied the briefing card on how to successfully cross into their country – complete with three separate questions and the three very specific answers to validate who we were and to authenticate that we had gone through the required steps necessary to cross over before the Israeli ATC controllers would grant us permission to enter from the Jordanian side of the border. But still no reply from the authorities on whether we were cleared to enter or not.

As we were flying north towards Amman, with the Dead Sea now coming into view off our left, the excitement of re-visiting Israel after a 29-year lapse since my first visit, was only tempered by our tension at making sure we had gone through the proper channels and that we had leapt through the correct hoops to gain proper clearance into the country. Even the Jordanian controllers were concerned about whether or not we were in contact with their Israeli counterparts and if we had been cleared to enter. We assured them that we were working on it. I was starting to feel like what Moses must have experienced; I can view Israel from on high from this side of the Jordan, but we’ll be denied entry into the Promised Land at the last minute.

Finally, as we were abeam the ancient city of Jericho, the perky sounding female Israeli ATC controller contacted us and said “okay, you are cleared to enter!”. The diplomatic clearance code was correct, but we were a little astonished that we were not asked any of the three possible questions to validate us, with the three, and only three correct answers that they would acknowledge. All four of us had studied those responses and we were prepared for the inflight interrogation. Nonetheless, we were now headed westward and flying across the Israeli border!

Like I had mentioned, it had been 29 years since the last time my wife and I took a week-long tour of the country. This was a last-minute schedule change for me and my crew, and since it was the last flight on my schedule before heading home, I was already making plans to extend my stay here and revisit the Holy Land and most of the places of interest that are highlighted in the Scriptures. I took it as a blessing from the Lord that this trip was a last-minute add-on to my schedule and that my normally scheduled 12 days off period would commence once I commercialed home from Tel Aviv. Why not take advantage of this opportunity to reacquaint myself with the homeland of the Jews and the place where our Lord lived among His people and went to the cross for our sins?

My excitement level was piqued; I was getting a bit giddy and while flying over the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), I started looking south to see if I could spot the city of Jerusalem, with the unmistakable view of the golden dome atop the Dome of the Rock to pinpoint the Temple Mount area.

I’ve been flying internationally now for 38 years, so the once excitement of visiting a new country or revisiting one that I have spent time in before has somewhat worn off but coming back to Israel really whetted my appetite to quickly get on the ground and to rediscover all the biblical sites of the places we know from reading scripture. Plus, the timing was perfect, in that, Palm Sunday and the Holy Week were nearing, so I would be able to visit the places that Jesus walked during His Passion Week.

We landed at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, so the first night in Israel was going to be spent at a hotel in downtown Tel Aviv. Normally, I would have hightailed it up Route 1 to get up to Jerusalem as quick as possible to again see that glorious city – and especially the Old City with all its charm – but, instead, I planned to visit some outlying areas first, to see some new sights and to slowly build up the anticipation of revisiting the capital city of Israel and the soon future home of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

So, while the other guys were making plans to go home, I took a nap after our long day of flying, then decided to check out the streets of Tel Aviv and then to make plans on where and when to visit while here.

The first time I visited Israel in 1989, my wife and I didn’t bother spending any time in the city of Tel Aviv. We only had a week to tour, so most of the time was spent in Jerusalem, and taking organized tours in and out of the city, to various places throughout the country – Bethlehem, Jericho, the Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, etc.

Tel Aviv is a typical bustling, metropolitan city. Not much in the way of biblical significance occurred here in the city proper and I discovered that the word “Tel” is a word used to convey, that over time, city upon city, was constructed upon this site by various conquerors and civilizations. Since I had slept for most of the day, I began a walking trek of the city in the evening, in search of a bite to eat and to make my way to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Upon walking along the shoreline of the Med southward, I did come to the ancient seaport of Jaffa, which does have some history behind it and some biblical moorings. It was from here that Jonah tried to elude God, when he was commanded to go to Nineveh to persuade them to repent or face the wrath of God. From this port, he set sail and encountered a strange seafood meal – himself!

There is a cartoonish looking sculpture within this seaport of a bronze smiling whale that recalls the story of Jonah being swallowed alive by a great fish and having spent three days and three nights in the belly of this fish before being expelled somewhere along the seashore. Jesus used this biblical account of Jonah to later give a sign to those who had asked for a sign from Him, when He told them that He would give them the sign of Jonah and spend three days and three nights in the belly of the Earth before His resurrection.

Jaffa, or Joppa, as it was called in scripture, is also the seaport, where the huge cedars of Lebanon were sailed down to and then transported up into the Judean hills to construct the Temple of Solomon’s time. It was also from there where the Apostle Peter had the vision of the sheet descending from Heaven, that contained all manner of beasts that were, up until that time, unclean to eat, and from where he was to travel to meet Cornelius, a Gentile, and to present the gospel to him.

Jaffa is a very interesting little city to visit, especially the older seaport section. It still retains a lot of the Muslim influence from the Ottoman period. I must admit, my only negative experience of the trip while walking amongst the huge Arab population of Israel was a brief encounter I had while walking through the streets of Jaffa at a little after 1:00 in the morning.

I was heading back towards the hotel and ventured by this fruit smoothie shop that was still open and three mid-twenty-year-old Arabs were in the shop talking. I looked in as I’m walking by, smiled and as I got a little way past the store, I got pelted from behind by two limes that hit the back of my neck. Okay, I thought, that was interesting and continued walking like nothing had happened. Maybe they were listening to the old song “you put the lime in the coconut” and were acting upon it by chucking limes at my head; I don’t know. At least it wasn’t a cantaloupe. But again, the walk-by liming was the only bad encounter I had amongst the “other” locals, non-Jews, and I never had any concerns about my safety while touring the country.

So, after my hiking tour of the city, with the highlight being the ancient seaport of Jaffa, I headed back to my company-paid for hotel room and got a little more rest. Then, it was back to Ben Gurion airport later that morning to pick up my rental car. I thought I was getting a good deal from Orbitz: $94 for a compact car for 10 days, if I decided to stay that long. The problem was, I declined the insurance coverage from Orbitz, but was told that due to Israeli law, I had to have proof of insurance either from the credit card company (which I didn’t have) or my own personal insurance coverage – which I did have but the rental company wouldn’t accept it.

So, I ended up paying $22 more a day for the car. Alright, no big deal; I seldom come here anyway, and my hotel rooms are going to be free, courtesy of all the nights I spend in hotels because of my job, I’ll go ahead and pay the extra fee – I had no choice anyway. I wasn’t going to say “no” because of that, and head home. I was already given free transportation into Israel via my job and the Reward Nights in the Crowne Plaza Hotels that I would use would mean that I wouldn’t spend a dime on lodging while there. The extra fee on the car was not a deal breaker.

Since I was going to use my Reward Nights for the stay, I had to plan my trip around availability. The hotel that I was going to use in Jerusalem was not available for that first night of my touring, so I decided to head north to see the regions of northern Israel and spend the night in Haifa.

Haifa is another seaport, much larger and busier than that of Jaffa. Another bonus of using the Reward Nights was that the Crowne Plaza has a lounge room where you can get a free breakfast in the morning and a light meal in the afternoon. So, the only expense so far, was going to be the rental car and fuel, thank you Lord!

The following morning from Haifa, I wanted to drive as far north as I could within Israel, to see, if I could, some of the Lebanese border and what all was taking place up there. My adventurous side was kicking in, and I wanted to see if I could spot any of the presence of Hezbollah, behind enemy lines. With all the arsenal of rockets that the enemy has amassed up there, it is only a matter of time until they lob them into the Jewish State. My bet is it will be soon after the Rapture.

Nothing of course was visible from my vantage point, just yards away from Lebanon. No doubt that Israel is keeping extremely close tabs on any movement from that region and is making all preparations for that eventuality. I did see a patrol boat out in the waters just off the coast. Aerial surveillance and other monitors are working around the clock in that hotspot to safeguard the northern front as much as possible.

I next drove eastward along the service roads that hugged the border and wanted also to check out the Golan Heights area. Last time in Israel, since all the touring was done by different tour groups, I wasn’t able to see some of the country that is far more accessible by car. Plus, my wife probably wouldn’t have been too keen to see inside Lebanon, Syria, Jordan or the Gaza Strip. I know when we took a tour of Ireland in 1988, a year before we visited Israel, she was less than thrilled when I decided to drive up into Northern Ireland to look around. Come on honey, it will be fun and interesting!

Driving into the town of Kiryat Shemona, I first saw some of the remnants of the equipment used in the surprise attack of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when the surrounding Arab/Muslim nations launched an aerial and ground assault invasion on Israel. There are three tanks – one painted red, one painted blue and the other painted yellow (I don’t know the significance of the colors) – sitting in a small memorial park, just as you enter the downtown section of Kiryat Shemona up in northeastern Israel, close to the Golan Heights.

Later, as I was driving south along this frontier between first Syria and then Jordan, they have all along this area in what they call “the Valley of Tears”, other mementoes of that sneak attack that happened 35 years ago now. Broken down tanks left in fields, and other items like mortar launchers, supply trucks, troop carriers and other memorabilia left in their tracks, seemingly endlessly dot the landscape as you traverse the miles of this highly strategic area between the good guys and the bad guys.

There are also a couple of places where you can pull over off the road and listen to an audio presentation of the attack and view some of the military equipment left behind and out in the fields where they saw action. Very somber, very interesting and one place has photographs of the young Jewish men who sacrificed their lives in the safeguarding of their country. It is really moving to drive through there and see those things and then to also realize how small the nation of Israel is and how extremely difficult it can be to defend themselves against the much larger populations of the hostile countries that surround their borders.

After spending the whole day driving from Haifa along the Lebanese border, then southward along the Syrian front, I finally pointed the car towards Jerusalem, where I had reservations for the next two nights. I wanted to stay longer in the capital city, but since the weekend was approaching, there would be no rooms available at the inn. Huh, where have I heard that before?

Ah, Jerusalem, the glorious city! So much history there, so many bible stories took place there, such extreme significance there for the Jewish people. Words fail to describe the beauty of the city, the events that took place there and how meaningful it is, not only to the Chosen People but to God and Our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot help but be excited when you walk through the Old City section or even up on the Temple Mount area. It is mindboggling to contemplate as you walk its streets, to realize how many biblical characters walked throughout this city and along its paths, including the patriarchs, the Apostles, and of course, Our Lord Jesus.

I wanted to completely soak it all in and see as much as possible as I could in the short time that I was going to be there. Since Palm Sunday was coming up in a couple of days, I wanted to enter the Old City of Jerusalem from the same direction that Jesus did when He made His Triumphal entry into the City.

I walked the couple of miles from where the hotel was located on the western side of the Old City, then around it, and up into the Mount of Olives. Another hugely significant area mentioned in the Bible, as it was where Jesus ascended into Heaven and where He will eventually physically return to Earth at His Second Coming, which could be in as little as seven years from now.

After having walked up to a high point of the Mount to take in a view over the Kidron Valley and into the Temple Mount area, I had for the first time being back in 29 years had seen the Islamic Dome of the Rock, which confirmed to me that, yes, indeed, I am in Jerusalem and that is where the first two Temples stood – the first being Solomon’s Temple and the second one that was referred to as Herod’s Temple, and the one that stood during Jesus’ time on Earth.

Walking down the Mount, I came to the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane. Traditional, because we don’t know for sure, but it is certainly more than possible that this is the site where Jesus went to pray to the Father, along with His disciples, moments before he was betrayed and led to His crucifixion.

For brevity’s sake, I must limit my words on walking through these areas, recalling the biblical accounts of what took place in these sites and the emotions felt when visiting these places; otherwise, the article will become too lengthy. So, I apologize in advance for cutting off some of the experiences and the commentary.

From Gethsemane, I hiked down through the Kidron Valley, which is really a huge cemetery area. Gravesites and monuments line the entire floor of the valley. From there, I headed up to the Old City wall and saw the sealed Eastern (Golden) Gate that Jesus will go through when He returns at His Second Coming.

I got up as close as I could to the gate and made a short video, pointing the camera first up to the Mount of Olives and giving the commentary, that when Jesus returns, He will set down on the Mount of Olives, traverse across this Kidron Valley, and then pointing the camera up to the Golden Gate, described how Jesus will enter into Jerusalem, right through this sealed wall. How awesome it was to be right there, where it will all happen!

A few days later, on Palm Sunday, thousands of Christians from all over the world, descended along probably the same path that Jesus took to come into the City on His Triumphal Entry. They started from a church in Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, descended through the Garden of Gethsemane area, down into the Kidron Valley, then up the hill and into Jerusalem via the Lion’s Gate, which is a little further south than the sealed Golden (Eastern) Gate. I don’t know if Jesus used the now sealed Eastern Gate when He entered the City, nor do I know when the gate became sealed. He may have used the Lion’s Gate also, but I do not know.

As I said, thousands of Christians, from many different denominations and varied ethnicities partook in this procession to commemorate what Christ had done when He entered the City and presented Himself to the people. A lot of palm branches were waved, a lot of singing ensued and a joyous throng were coming into the Old City via the Lion’s Gate, which was just yards from me. Very cool to be there to witness this celebration; right where it all happened 2000 years ago.

It was a huge pedestrian jam and it took a while for the gate area to be cleared again. The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way in this parade, was at the very end of all these worshippers coming up into the city, was a Roman Catholic contingent of people, and I don’t know if he was a bishop or what he role he played, but he was waving at the crowd like we were all lined up and waiting to see him coming through the gate. As a former Roman Catholic, I was gritting my teeth.

Some other person in the procession got as offended as I was, and in his native tongue, turned around and confronted this guy. No idea what he said, but I can imagine he was feeling as sideways as I was. The people weren’t there to see this guy and wave to him, but they were all there to follow in the footsteps of Christ. This other gentleman had to be constrained, and I’m thinking, I’m with you man, I don’t care for what this guy is doing either. He was kind of acting like a Santa Claus at the tail end of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

And speaking of Roman Catholicism, my next stop inside the Old City was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the Crusaders came in and after “liberating” the city of Jerusalem from the Islamists, built numerous “Christian” churches on sites that tradition says major biblical events occurred. Rome contends that Jesus was crucified and entombed on the site where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands, but I don’t believe that is true. The church is a very splendid structure, with many different sub-rooms and elaborate furnishings, but like most things Catholic, it is steeped in idolatry: worshipping the supposed site where Christ was crucified and people lining up, kneeling down and kissing the supposed site where Jesus’ body lay for the three days after His resurrection.

My only goal in going in there was to deposit in various places throughout this structure gospel tracts that highlighted the differences between the false teachings of Roman Catholicism versus true Biblical Christianity. I think I left a couple of dozen and I pray that the Lord used that small number of tracts to reach a handful of the thousands that visit those sites on a daily basis. I came out of that organization because of a tract that I had discovered many years ago, and I only wish that I would have had more of them to leave in there and had Catholics discover them.

I am not sure why Rome had chosen that place to build that church to commemorate the death and burial of Jesus, as that site is clearly within the confines of the old city of Jerusalem. My understanding of the Bible and the way the Jews of old had put to death criminals, was to do it outside the city limits, beyond the gates of the city.

Just outside the Damascus gate, the one to the south of the old city, and the gate that lead to the road that headed up to Damascus – the same road that Paul had met the Lord Jesus Christ in his conversion – is where Golgotha is located, the place of the skull, that the bible refers to as the location where Christ was crucified. And it fits! Meaning, it is outside the city limit, the place does look like a skull and is/was the perfect place for an execution. It was on a heavily travelled road, and all passersby would see this grisly site of a crucifixion and would take fair warning not to step outside the boundaries of Roman law.

The garden tomb is also nearby, where supposedly Joseph of Arimethea, took the body of Jesus and laid Him in this rock hewn tomb, where no man had lain before, and was sealed with a huge stone. That tomb is just a short distance away from Golgotha; just steps away. Those two sites seem far more apropos to the locations cited in the Word of God.

I also learned while revisiting those two sites, that unlike the traditional paintings that we see of Jesus being crucified high on a hill, and maybe on top of this Golgotha skull-like hill, that more than likely, the skull area was the backdrop of this crucifixion site and that Jesus and others were actually crucified at ground level, so that people walking by would be at almost eye level with these evildoers and see and hear these people gasping for breath and hear the pains of their agony – a far more persuasive means to detract others from crossing the authorities rule.

I’m fairly convinced that these two sites are the actual places where the Lord was crucified and entombed, versus what Rome built inside the City walls. They seem more in line with the biblical account of what took place here. But then again, God doesn’t want us worshipping these sites; He wants us to worship Him in spirit and truth, and not the places where Jesus died and was buried. Our worship should be reserved alone for the Lord; any other worship directed away from the Lord would be idolatry.

Coming out of the RCC, I’m all too familiar with the trappings of worshipping something other than the Lord. I did, however, while in the Garden Tomb, alone inside there and looking at the place where Jesus body may have laid for three days, offered up a prayer to Him to thank Him for going to the cross for me and paying for my sins. It was neat to be in there and thinking that quite possibly Jesus was here after His death on the cross, but it is far more exhilarating to know that because of what He did on that cross, just a few short yards away from this location, that He made it possible for a sinner like me to escape Hell and be with Him in eternity.

While visiting the Old City, I also went up on the Temple Mount twice. I had visited the Temple Mount also 29 years before, and it still quite unbelievable to walk around on that edifice and to know that the two Temples stood here, and that a third Temple will soon be erected on the same site.

I don’t understand the logic of those who claim that the Temples may have stood somewhere else. This is Mt. Moriah, where Abraham was told to come, and in order to test his faith, to sacrifice his son Isaac. That very rock, the pinnacle of Mt. Moriah, lies underneath the Dome of the Rock. I wanted so desperately to be able to walk into that Islamic sanctuary to a false God, just to see that slab of rock. Off limits, though, to all non-Muslims. I positioned myself then, close to the front door of the building, to try to get a glimpse of the stone. No luck, though, as they have a partition just inside that does not allow for a view of the rock.

That spot has to be where the first two Temples stood. If I was the devil, I would have also had a building erected there to a false god in order to thwart any future attempts at building a Third Temple. But even he must know that during the Tribulation, that a Third Temple will be built up here and that his man the antichrist – when indwelt by Satan himself – will walk into that Temple and proclaim to be God and demand worship.

The Jews supposedly refer to the rock under the Dome as the foundation rock of the world. I’d be willing to bet that that rock was located within the Holy of Holies. That rock, when Isaac asked his father Abraham where the sacrifice was and Abraham responded by saying the Lord would provide a sacrifice, has to be where the ram whose horns were caught in a thicket, was sacrificed on that spot, and where countless other bulls and goats where sacrificed ritually by the high priest, for the forgiveness of sins. And not too far from that spot, just outside the Damascus gate, is where God’s own unblemished Lamb was sacrificed for the sins of the whole world. The Lord did indeed provide a sacrifice for the remission of sins – Himself!

I ended spending a total of about 5 days walking around the Old City; I could not get enough of it. What a labyrinth it is inside those walls, where the Old City is divided up into the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. It is so cool how there are narrow stairs leading everywhere, small alleys shooting off the main thoroughfares, and just a mish-mash of small shops, small homes, back alley passageways shooting off in all directions. I was convinced that I would get a message on my phone for the built-in map that GPS does not work in the Old City, as the city could not be properly navigated! It is abuzz with activity and has endless charm.

And you couldn’t feel safer! Young Israeli’s walking throughout the city, and the country for that matter, armed with their weapons. They have mandatory service for a couple of years, and so you see them everywhere.

I also toured the ancient city of Megiddo, where the future war of Armageddon will take place along the huge, expansive Jezreel valley. Took a drive around the Sea of Galilee and visited the ancient town and now ruins of Capernaum. Close by is the where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, where he met Peter and Andrew, James and John the fishermen, and they followed after Jesus. Jesus also calmed the storm out on the Sea of Galilee and walked on those waters to His disciples boat.

Sorry, I’m racing through this to wrap it up. I actually should have made this a two-part article as there was just too much to see and too little space to contain it all in one essay.

I briefly stopped at Magdala along the lake, where Mary Magdalene hailed from, and who had sevens demons cast out of her by Jesus. Drove up to Mt. Tabor, who some claim, may have been where Jesus took Peter, James and John, and was transfigured before them and where Moses and Elijah appeared also with Christ. So, Moses did eventually make it into the Promised Land, and those two men – one represents the Law, the other represents the Prophets – maybe the two witnesses who will be alive and present in Jerusalem for three and a half years during the Tribulation. Moses get a second visit into Israel after having only ventured as far as Mt. Nebo after the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, then the Sinai wilderness experience.

I also drove along the Gaza Strip. I drove the length of it, down to Egypt, maybe exactly a week before the current problems arose and they had the uprisings. Didn’t see any of that and it seemed very calm the day I went driving along it.

Quickly took a tour of the Dead Sea and the En Gedi resort area. My first time there, I did the tourist thing of covering myself with the black Dead Sea mud, then hopped into the sea to wash it off. Due to the high salt content, one’s buoyancy in the water is unbelievable. Just don’t let that water splash into your eyes; all that salt, really burns! In the future, when Jesus rules and reigns from Jerusalem, that Dead Sea will be transformed into a living sea or lake. It is 1300 below sea level there, but a whole new fishing industry will thrive there during the 1000-year millennial reign of Christ.

I saw a sign along the road down there that pointed to a landmark called Lot’s Wife. The biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah tells us that she looked back while fleeing from the city and turned into a pillar of salt. I pulled over to see what it was about but never saw what the sign was describing as Lot’s Wife.

My 10 days in Israel went by very fast. I saw a lot of the country and got to intermingle with a lot of its people. I really love the country and its citizens. I am forever thankful to the Lord for their role in our Christian faith. The Bible is replete with examples of the Jews and how they were blessed of the Lord when they closely followed Him and how they were cursed by Him when they served other gods and turned their back on Him.

They gave us the Bible, the patriarchs, and of course, more importantly, Our Lord and Savior came from their ranks. From a human perspective, it is unfathomable how much they are hated. They are just people, like you and me; no different. All the hatred leveled against them can only be from a satanic source. Nothing else can explain it.

It would seem to me that that is almost a litmus test if one indeed is a true follower of Jesus, is, what their feelings are towards the Jews. If they despise them, then maybe they aren’t a true Christian after all. I know I love the country and the people, and maybe that did come from the Lord when I accepted Him as my Savior. I don’t remember having any animosity towards them before that, but as an ignorant kid growing up in southern California, used to laugh a little at a “Jew” joke, not really knowing why I was laughing at it. Of course, I used to hear Polish jokes as well, but never really understood what the humor was about or why those people were being made fun of.

But, I watch a lot of these documentaries and movies about the second world war and the plight of the Jews during those horrible years. It just seems unbelievable how much hatred was directed their way by the Nazis and Germans, and now in our day, by mostly the folks of the Islamic faith. Why are they hated so much? It doesn’t make sense from a pure human, physical perspective. Again, it can only be a hatred that comes from the pit of hell and those who hate the real God.

I can’t wait to see that all turned around during the Millennium. They will be a favored people. People will want to cozy up to them and lead them into Israel to see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I also, by the way, took a tour of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. I got there a little bit late in the afternoon, so I had to rush through most of the exhibits. Really sobering to read and listen to the videos.

I hope we as Christians are lifting those people up. They need our support and prayers. I’m so thankful to the Lord that we have a president now who supports and blesses Israel, after the previous scoundrel we had in office for eight long years who absolutely loathed the Jews, the Nation of Israel, and its leader Benjamin Netanyahu. I wish we could expunge him and his record from the country’s legacy, and hopefully Mr. Trump will continue to bless the Jewish people and the country of Israel.

The Church will soon be gone, and the only true friends that that nation has will be out of here. They will still have the Lord of course, but the entire world will hate them and their existence. It will certainly be a Time of Jacob’s Troubles.

Let us continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.” Psalm 122

Also, partner with or support those ministries that are reaching out to the Jews with the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Who knows, maybe these ministries will be instrumental on reaching those who will become part of the 144,000 evangelists from the 12 tribes of Israel. Some of the ones that I have donated to include the Jews for Jesus; Zola Levitt ministries; Bridges for Peace; Trumpet of Salvation to Israel (although lately, my checks have been returned, so not sure what is going on with them). If there are any other good ones that you know about, please pass on to me and I will certainly donate to their cause.

I loved visiting Israel. I love Israel and love the Jewish people. I hope this article was a blessing to you. I know it was all about me and my visit, but I was interested in trying to convey to you how special the Land is, how great the people are, what a truly spectacular past they have had and we know their stories through our searching of scripture and what a glorious future they will experience when Jesus comes back a second time and sets up his throne in the glorious city of Jerusalem and King David will be His vice regent!

GOD BLESS ISRAEL!

“But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David, to be over my people Israel” – 2 Chronicles 6:6

“Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen” – Isaiah 44:1

“For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure” – Psalm 135:4

“But thou Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend” – Isaiah 41:8

“I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant…” – Psalm 89:3

“O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen” — Psalm 105:6

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