DAY EIGHT OVERVIEW
• Written by Michael Rast •
Yes, we’re still here! On the 8th day of our study tour of the Promised Land I still find myself thinking that we have only just arrived, and that with only one day on the ground remaining we have so much in this land that we can still discover and learn about!
This morning we start the day off with a short devotional from Nathan Johnson in the gardens of the Ramat Rachel Kibbutz before climbing on the bus once more for another full day.
For the first stop of the day our amazing driver Eli pilots us in a 60-seater bus along streets that I’d be wary of taking my car thru, right to the Old City, the City of David.
Here we see some brand new excavations and, even more exciting, we find ancient “postage stamps” bearing the names of two people clearly mentioned in Jeremiah: clear evidence that the Bible is accurate, and not passed down orally through many generations.
From there we continue on to Hezekiah’s water tunnels under Jerusalem, mentioned in 2 Chronicles 32. Here Dan, our Hebrew guide, gives us a historical background of the whole area, including how Hezekiah managed to complete this daunting task in roughly a year.
The highlight of the day was easily sloshing our way along this tunnel, in water varying from ankle-deep to over knee-depth, for around a half mile. The last stretch we shut off our lights and in complete darkness felt our way out into the light coming from the end: the Pool of Siloam.
To finish off the morning we take a seat on the southern steps of the Temple Mount and while looking at the Mount of Olives on our left, Nathan again gives us Biblical context and just really brings everything so far together in a way that I had never thought of it before.
After another great lunch organized by Eli, we take a walk through the Israel Museum. This place is massive, and it’s tough to walk past so many interesting things, but Dan guides us right to the pertinent displays. Here we see several artifacts that have been recovered from the places we have visited so far on the trip, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and a magnificent 1:50 scale of the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time.
To round off the day we go next to Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Museum. It’s a very sobering experience walking through this museum dedicated solely to the greatest mass genocide in recent history.
The sites we have visited so far are interesting of themselves, but with the historical perspective from Dan they come alive. And then Nathan brings in the crowning touch to bring it all home spiritually in a meaningful way to each and every one of us gathered here.
Interested in learning about future Deeper Christian Israel Study Tours? Our next trip is scheduled for April 2020 and details/registration will be announced early September. Go to deeperChristian.com/Israel to sign up for details/updates and to be notified first when the trip officially opens up.