Day 10- Mt. Carmel

View from Mt. Carmel

Today I took a bus from Joppa to Mt. Carmel, about an hour and a half away. It was a beautiful ride along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Mt. Carmel lies on the passage way of the International Highway, Via Maris. This road that I traveled on today has had significant travel upon it. Mt. Carmel acted as a barrier for those trying to get through to the Jezreel Valley. As I climbed to the top of the mountain, I could see beautiful, lush green land and a sea of blue water. It was beautiful. The biggest thing to happen on Mt. Carmel Biblically is the challenge presented by Elijah. The challenge was against Baal and Elijah said, "You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel" 1 Kings 18:18-19.

Day 9-Mediterranean Sea

Jaffa/Joppa

I left Jerusalem and now I am headed to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Tel Aviv. The first stop in Tel Aviv is the Bible Museum. This museum included paintings and sculptures, manuscripts, maps, photos and geographical history of the Bible. After the Museum, I went down the Mediterranean Sea.  This sea was spoken of throughout scripture, usually referred to as the "the sea" or "the great sea." While driving along the coast line, I stopped in Jaffa. The city of Jaffa, known as Joppa in the scripture, is joined with Tel Aviv and was one of the main sea ports for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. "And we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them in rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem" 2 Chronicles 2:16.

Day 8- Jerusalem

Ruins of King's Palace

Hezekiah's Tunnel

Today we arrived in Jerusalem, the City of David. "David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him" 2 Samuel 5:6-10. Jerusalem was significant in the life of David. Here, David established the capital for united Israel. One of the historical sites I visited in Jerusalem was the remains of what is thought to be the king's palace. Mt. Zion, which looks over the City of David, was the next stop on the trip. King David was buried on Mt. Zion.  One of the coolest things in Jerusalem, or should I say under Jerusalem, is Hezekiah's Tunnel. This 1750 ft long tunnel is one of the greatest engineering pieces of that time. The tunnel was used to bring water into the city. "As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city..." 2 Kings 20:20.

Day 7- Jericho

Excavation sites in Jericho

Day seven started off early with heading north toward the Dead Sea and on into Israel. The stop of the day was Jericho. Jericho is significant in Biblical times for the place where the Israelites returned and the city in which Joshua fought in battle and destroyed the city. While in Jericho, I was able to visit some of the Archaeological sites. Jericho is one of the most excavated cities.  Archaeologist, Sellin, Watzinger and Kenyon have discovered the remains of what could possibly the wall that Joshua destroyed after he marched around the city seven times. 

Day 6- Amman and Mt. Nebo

Amman, Jordan



View From Mt. Nebo

 Today I am headed to Amman, the capital and largest city of Jordan.  Amman is one of the oldest cities and was known as Rabbath Amman in the Old Testament. It is here where King David army battled against the Ammonites and captured the city. "Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and captured the royal city" 2 Samuel 12:26.  After visiting the old city of Amman, I took a bus to Madaba which is the city where the earliest Holy Land map was found.  From Amman I traveled to Mt. Nebo in the Moab valley. Mt Nebo stands tall in West Jordan and overlooks the Jordan Valley and onto the Dead Sea. According to the Bible, God gave Moses the Promised Land that He promised to deliver Moses and the Israelites to. "Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab" Deuteronomy 34:1-6.

Day 5- King's Highway

I am now in Jordan and headed north on the King's Highway. The King's Highway was a route of importance to the area of Transjordan that connected Damascus to Elath to Midian. The King's Highway is first mentioned in the Bible as the route Moses indented to follow (Numbers 20:17).  The highway winds through biblical lands and into the Ammonites' kingdom. The next stop along the King's Highway is Petra. Petra is an ancient city that has huge archaeological significance in history. Petra, the city built into the rocks, is mentioned in the Bible when mentioning Isaac, Esau, and Jacob. In Petra I got to ride a horse form the visitor's center to the entrance of Petra.

Day 4 Eilat and Aqaba

 Eilate

Today we left Mt. Sinai and headed north to the Red Sea, toward the city of Eilat, the southernmost city of Israel. The city borders two countries, Jordan on the East and Egypt to the south and west.   Eilat was a port town and was a location on major trade routes along the Red Sea. For over 3000 years, Eilat has been an important city. Moses and the Israelites passed through here (Deut. 2:8) and King Solomon made it a major port city (1 Kings 9:26-28). I visited tourist attractions along the bay of Eilate before we continued on to the Gulf of Aqaba nearby.  The Gulf of Aqaba is another location that many archaeologist believe was the place if the parting of the Red Sea. We listened to Archaeologists speak of recent findings in the 1970s of Ron Wyatt. These discoveries included chariot wheels that date back to 1400 BCE. We crossed the sea and are now in the city of Aqaba, Jordan.