My trip to Israel

Download video here.

November 23, 2019

We landed in Tel Aviv and drove to Jaffa (which is Joppa in the scriptures) to enjoy the sunset over the Mediterranean sea.

“They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.”
Ezra 3:7 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

November 24, 2019

The second day included strolling down the shoreline from our hotel in Tel Aviv to Joppa again.

This time to visit the house of Simon the tanner who housed the apostle, Peter.

“Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.”
Acts 10:32 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

The remainder of the day was spent with our first visit going up to Jerusalem.

“And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.”
1 Kings 11:36 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.”
Psalms 51:18 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Matthew 23:37-39 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

November 25, 2019

This day was spent going up north from Tel Aviv.

Our first stop was Caesarea.

“Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.”
Acts 9:30 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,”
Acts 10:1 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

I also got the chance to fly my drone.

Afterwards, we continued further north to Haifa near mount Carmel.

“Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.”
1 Kings 18:19 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

While in the north of Israel, we headed over east to Nazareth and enjoyed the sunset.

“And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 2:23 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

We also saw mount Tabor in the background, the traditional place thought to be the mount of transfiguration.

“And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?”
Judges 4:6 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

Afterward, we headed back up to Jerusalem for the night at King Solomon hotel near the old city.

November 26, 2019

My favorite part of the trip was the sunrise in Jerusalem from the mount of Olives.

“And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.”
2 Samuel 15:30 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”
Zechariah 14:4 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

Then I went to visit the garden of Gethsemane.

Then I made it down into the valley of decision. The valley of Jehoshaphat.

“I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”
Joel 3:2 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.”
Joel 3:14

Then we made it through Lion’s gate on the east of the old city of Jerusalem, the traditional place thought to be where my brother Stephen was martyred.

Once inside the old city of Jerusalem, I made my way through to temple mount which in the scriptures is mount Moriah while passing the pool of Bethseda.

“Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.”
John 5:2 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
2 Chronicles 3:1 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

After having the privilege to ascend to the holy mount, we walked over to the place thought to be by many deceived people the place where the Lord was crucified and was buried, the church of the holy sepulcher.

I then made it back to my car rental back on the top of the mount of Olives.

Afterward, we made it to the garden tomb outside the city walls which looks to be (by the scriptures) the true place where the Lord was crucified and buried.

“And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:”
John 19:17 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”
Luke 23:33 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.”
Mark 15:46 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
Matthew 28:6 King James Bible (Pure Cambridge Edition)

Two final spots remained. The underground tunnels of the western wall and King David’s tomb in the city of David which is below the place that is thought to be where the last supper occurred.