We loved Galilee, but today we are driving south along the Jordan border to Jerusalem. After checking out of our room and having our last meal here, we boarded our green bus to leave Tiberius, one of four holy cities. We heard the story of Rachel, the righteous woman, who is honored still today for encouraging her illiterate rabbi husband to learn to read so he could read the Bible. He did and became a great rabbi who was eventually tortured to death by the Romans.
Beth Shean -- an amazing place!! This is a Roman/Byzantine town which has been preserved. It is one of the 10 Decapolis, all pagan cities. The others are all in Jordan. We took lots of pictures here. We had a taping with Perry Stone on prophecy when cosmos, prophecy, and politics come together. The area is being excavated. We walked through the huge, but ancient bath house and through the cardo-shopping area lined with columns. We saw toilets lined up in a room next to the baths, one after another, side by side, hewn out of stone. It doesn't look like they got much privacy there! We stood in the temple where sacrifices were made to Dionysus. There was lots of marble everywhere and huge columns. We could see where a great earthquake had destroyed the city because the columns were still lying in the positions they fell in centuries ago!!
After leaving there, we drove past the Gilboa Mountains where Saul's sons died in battle. Jonathan did not return. David cursed the Gilboas. One part is still called Mt. Saul; it is still bald. The rest of Gilboa has been planted. We continued driving into the desert, going south and on through the West Bank, near Jericho which is under Palestinian control.
We stopped at a Jordan River baptismal area that was just outside Jericho. This was probably the area where Jesus came out of the wilderness and was baptised by John. Then he went into the wilderness. This area is completely different from Galilee. Gary & I both put our hands into the water here. It is Sunday and we are where Jesus was baptised! Wow! The country of Jordan was about 100 feet away. Israeli soldiers are on our side of the Jordan River, and Jordanian soldiers are on the other. It is very peaceful here.
Qumran was next. Wow!!! This is the site where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. It overlooks the Dead Sea close to the north shore. This area is well below sea level. We saw and walked through the community of excavated buildings: houses, baths, ritual baths, cisterns, and the whole mountain rage at the Dead Sea where the caves are located. We saw the fourth cave discovered. It was an amazingly beautiful place. Bedouins were the first to discover a scroll. Thousands have been discovered since and are yet to be found.
Then we drove to the Dead Sea. Gary & I both swan/floated in it! It was a hoot! Such fun! The shore was full of salty chunks and sand, but the sea floor was slimy mud. They suggested that people crawl out to swim so that we wouldn't fall and get salt water in our eyes, noses, and mouths. However, we tried to walk out anyway, only to slip, slide, and sink every other step. We covered our skin with mud, supposedly great for the skin, and washed it off just in time to slither our way out and back to the showers (which I didn't get to take because the bus was to leave right away). I had worn Gary's shorts and my t-shirt. Quite a site, I am sure. These items and Gary's trunks were the only items I needed to wash while on this whole trip.
Last, we drove on to Jerusalem along the Jericho Road. The mountains we went through were high and harsh. Many, many Bedouin were squatting in these mountains. They have been here for centuries. They came from Saudi Arabia for grazing land. Their houses are just tents, made of plastic tarps or any kind of covering they can find. They often allow their animals to sleep in their tents if the weather is cold. We saw people with their herds of goats or sheep.
Then we saw Jerusalem! There were lots of mountains with buildings all over them, literally hanging off the sides. As we continued up into the city, the song "Jerusalem" was playing, preparing us for what was coming. The Spirit of the Lord filled our bus. A beautiful sunset shone as we gathered at the Hebrew University. We shared bread and salt for safe passage. This was communion, just as the ancient Jews celebrated it when they traveled here to Jerusalem for the three feasts. We had an awesome view of the city with beautiful clouds and the sun in the west. We thanked God for allowing us to be here in the heart of the country and city that He smiles upon.
We headed to our new hotel, the Olive Tree. There is a 2000-year-old Olive Tree in one of the dining rooms. This hotel is lovely. Again, we ate wonderful food which was beautifully prepared and presented.
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