Last Post

This ends our trip (for now) to Israel.  I'm not sure we will be back until our Father gathers us back... we'll see.  It has been life altering.  It has been sad, difficult at times; a range of emotion from indignation to grief to all encompassing hope for our future, but all with a purpose.  YHVH has been so merciful to show us the setting and backdrop of human ideology at the time of our Savior.  It is no different today.

We're headed for a much needed "veg out" session at the pool before boarding a flight back at midnight tonight.  I don't look forward to it, although I'm ready to get home.

Thank you for coming along and sharing in our journey.  I hope we made the bible come alive and I hope your walk with YHVH will never be the same.

Agape to all......

marilyn

Joppa or "yoffa"

I've been trying to learn Hebrew and it's not easy.  P's are F's and B's are V's.....but not all the time.  There are no J's, only Y's.  In trying to understand some of these words or places, it is always interesting to see how language has developed or been altered.

Joppa (as we read in the bible) is where Jonah tried to escape YHVH.  He knew he was supposed to go to Ninevah but he did not want his assignment.  I think in hindsight, he might have chosen differently.

This ancient city (4000 years old) sits right next to Tel Aviv.  It is a quaint little village now, filled with restaurants, artist's wares, little souvenir shops and flea markets.

This is also the city where Peter was staying when he had his vision.  YHVH showed Peter that his man-made law is wrong.  No man is "unclean" but that all should hear the gospel and be given a choice just as YHVH had declared long ago.  Peter then traveled with 3 men who came to find him, up the coast to Caesarea where Cornelius, a gentile lived.  And thus we have a whole household of gentiles who became "Israel" and grafted in as scripture declares.

Eph 2:11  Therefore remember that formerly, you who are gentiles by birth12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.13 But now in Messiah Yeshua you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.


Rom 11:17 you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root.

Num 15:15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the gentile residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the gentile shall be the same before YHVH:16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the gentile residing among you.

Caesarea......or as they say it here "kaSARia"

Definitely our new favorite place.  Caesarea sits right on the water where the cool breeze sweeps through this little city.  Wow, those people knew how to enjoy the fruit of our Father's creation.  I've never been so captivated by a scene as I was standing on the Med in the ruins of Herod's structures.  

Archeologists are not entirely sure Herod built these but they date to his time of rule.  We saw a theatre, an amphitheater, aqueduct, bath house, palace with swimming pool, all sorts of dwellings, all dating back to 10BC.

The pool and shopping area at the end are recent.

Tel Aviv

We arrived in Tel Aviv this morning.  It sits right on the Mediterranean Sea.  What a breathtaking view.

Leaving Jerusalem

The tables have been turned over and now it's time to grieve.  We're leaving today for a couple of days on the Med.  It will be sad.  We have loved our vacation but our Father has shown us many things.  He has shown us a glimpse of culture and thought going on in 1st century and in earlier times.  We either serve YHVH or we are serving another regardless what we say.  

This vision has been eye opening.  It has caused me to be more bold and more urgent to reason the scriptures.  The truth is in there.  It's whether or not we have eyes to see it.

Mat 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.39 For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’


Jerusalem is full of idolatry.  The people of God lust after their own rabbis.  Men's commands take higher priority over our Father's commands.  We are all adulterous, who have followed traditions instead of Torah.  This grieves our Father greatly and is the reason the people of God were vomited from the land to begin with.  But things have not changed.  And here, it is not just a religion that some people follow.  Here it is an ideology that a country follows as evidenced by both hotels that we have stayed in while in Jerusalem.  Pray for Jerusalem.....but not for worldly peace.  Pray for the peace that comes from above.  The peace that can only be gained in repentance; returning to our Father.

Deut 30 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever YHVH your God disperses you among the nations, 2 and when you and your children return to YHVH your God and obey Him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then YHVH your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where He scattered you. 4 Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there YHVH your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. 6  YHVH your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. 7  YHVH your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 You will again obey YHVH and follow all His commands I am giving you today. 9 Then YHVH your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. YHVH will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as He delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey YHVH your God and keep His commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Upper Room

Bret and I went looking for the tomb of King David.  Supposedly, it is the same place as the Upper Room where the Last Supper took place as well as the Disciples' experience on the Day of Pentecost. What was unusual, was that the tomb of King David, a large concrete slab, is controlled by the Jews and the Upper Room by the Christians and there is a church......surprise, surprise. 

Last year, we saw the news reports that the Pope would be given a seat in this Upper Room.  Online, the pictures show this is in the church built on the site.  But what is disturbing is that this upper room is modern (sheetrock walls) and elevated up modern stairs, however, the city 2000 years ago was many feet lower than where we walk today.  According to some, close to 20 feet lower and many conquerers have simply built on top each time.  It just didn't all make sense.

When we went into the tomb area, Bret had to put on a kippah (little jewish round cap) and I had to go around to a back entrance for women.  pppppffffffff......what baloney!

Upon leaving that area, we climbed the stairs (modern) into what they claim is the Upper Room.

All of this is just outside the Old City walls on the southwest corner.  

But......................the first day we were here in Jerusalem, we remember stumbling upon a small dwelling in the Jewish quarter of the Old City that also claimed to be the Upper Room.  So we went on a hunt to find it again.  Of course a gaudy Catholic church, small this time, marks the spot.  We listened to an Armenian woman tell us all about the church and then she started telling us about the miracles that the small statue (she called it an icon) of Mary had performed.  What???? Oh no....not this nonsense again.  

We were polite and listened until she claimed that putting the idol under a sick boy's pillow had healed him.  I couldn't stand it any longer.  I quoted for her the first two commandments.  "Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me" and "Thou shalt not make any graven images".  I said that I mean no disrespect but it is an abomination to the Lord, what she is saying and doing.  At that point, a tour group came in and she simply pointed the way to the Upper Room.

Funny how this one actually does make more since.  It is inside the city walls.  It is down a flight of stairs which probably 2 centuries ago would've been a 2nd level and it was very very old.  The lady claimed this was the home of Mark's mother.  Who knows.........

You've Got to be Kidding Me!!!!!

Today, we stumbled upon another Catholic church....not surprising.  But this church claims to have the crypt of Mary.  They claim she lived in the basement and died here after Yeshua rose.  Of course, the church had mosaics of Mary, statues of Mary, paintings of Mary and all kinds of veneration of Mary.  But nothing takes the cake like what we saw in the crypt.