More Journeying & Jerusalem
We always love it when Don and Cindy Martz join us. They always offer pictures and scripture that bring the Bible to life, and this week was no exception! We saw and learned so much!!!
We kicked off this week by learning about the Divided Kingdom. It was the northern kingdom (Israel - Jeroboam) verses the southern kingdom (Judah - Rehoboam).
The northern kingdom had 19 kings, all of which were evil in God’s sight… The south had 20 kings, only eight were good, and the rest were bad. During this time, the northern kingdom was rebellious…
“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.” ~ 1 Kings 12:28-29
One of the MANY archeological finds that proves the Bible to be true is the uncovering of an altar believed to be one used by Jeroboam in the worship of the golden calf. They have placed a large metal frame to show the size of the altar - where the golden calf once stood.
Evil from that day was also evident in the Caesarea Philippi (modern day Banias). Here, you will find what what was called Sanctuary of Pan… It was also known as the Gate of Hell.
In Greek mythology, it was believed that their gods would come down to earth to have their way with human women. The gates are where they said the gods would go…
Pan was the Greek god of fertility.
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus is speaking to his disciples in this very place. In verse 18, Jesus says, “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Two big take-aways from this passage…
Note, the church was born until Pentecost in Acts 2.
Jesus used specific locations when He was giving powerful messages.
They were in a boat when Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ~ Matthew 4:19
There were in the town that made milestones when Jesus said, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.” ~ Luke 17:2
Next, Cindy took us to the Tel Dan Nature Reserve… the place where David was when he wrote Psalm 42.
You can see the streams he talks about in
Psalm 42:1 ~
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
and the waterfalls he was referencing in
Psalm 42:7 ~
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
The next stop Don and Cindy took us was Golan Heights - mountains of Israel. From here, you can see borders - a reminder of how close other nations are. Cindy then went into details about what we can expect according to prophecy in the book of Ezekiel.
Israel will be attacked on multiple fronts: Turkey, Russia, the ‘stans, Iran, Sudan, and Libya.
Ezekiel 38:6, 15 tell us they will come from the far north. What is the nation located to the extreme north of Israel? Russia… they would have to go south, through Ukraine (and Turkey) to attack Israel (which does not seem to out of sorts for modern-day Russia), but God will send a supernatural, force of nature.
You can learn more about this from the book, “The Middle East Meltdown,” by Andy Woods.
You can also listen to Andy Wood’s sermon series on Ezekiel 38 and 39 and the Gog/Magog War, online via YouTube or Sugarland Bible Church.
We were then taken to Jerusalem.
First, they showed us the Western Wall/Wailing Wall. This is a place for prayer… prayers are even placed in cracks of the wall. Men must cover their heads to approach the wall and women can be seen swaying and rocking to help focus on prayers. People do not turn to walk away, but they instead walk backwards, keeping their faces facing the wall.
We then saw the Dome of the Rock.
This location, is significant because it is what was named Mount Moriah in the Old Testament… This is the exact place where Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac. This is the place where Solomon built his first temple. It is also the place where Herod’s temple destroyed by Romans in 70AD.
We then learned about Hezekiah's tunnel.
This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. ~ 2 Chronicles 32:30
Water from this tunnel ended in the Pool of Siloam (Jesus had the blind man wash his eyes for healing). This pool was important for the three to four million first century Jews who would wash in the pool before making 1/3 of a mile hike, up the hill, to the temple (where the dome now stands).
To close out this week’s adventure, we saw the very rocky hills of Bethlehem (where David watched over his flock and where the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus.
Did you know… the manger would have more likely been made of stone - not wood?
Additional scripture we read/referenced this morning included:
2 Kings 17
Ezekiel 36, 38, 39
John 9:7-9
Luke 2:6-7,11
We are so thankful to the Martz’s who are helping us get a glimpse of Israel - because we might never get to experience it for ourselves. They are making this journey so real to us!
The next time Don and Cindy will be joining us is the conclusion of this series. We have some homework that will helps us prepare and be ready to learn what connection Jonah has with Simon the Tanner… We can read Acts 9:43-10:48 and the Book of Jonah.
