ISRAEL vs Palestine

1. Hello! I guess you could say this blog is my personal opinion about the land of Israel and related issues. I wrote some of this in response to a blog comment and then I expanded it. It is just pretty much what I might say if we were discussing the subject. You may disagree but this is how I see it. Hope you enjoy and feel free to respond.
2. Most of my knowledge is from reading and research but I did have the privilege of visiting Israel back in 2007 and got a chance to talk with some Israelis, Christians, Arabs and even Rabbis.
3. The many slanders against Israel for mistreatment of Christians are incorrect. The Christian population is generally growing but has dropped from persecution in some Muslim controlled areas.
4. Many of the Arabs in Gaza would rather live under Israeli rule than under their own government. They know their lives would improve drastically if they weren’t oppressed by Hamas terrorists.
5. Israel does everything it can do to help the oppressed Arab people under the circumstances. They can’t allow them total freedom because many among them are out to destroy Israel. If Muslim homes are damaged or civilian lives are lost it is because the terrorists use civilians as shields. The Muslims of the Gaza Strip place a low value on this life. They send their children out with bombs strapped to them to kill innocent Israeli citizens because they believe Jihad will insure their eternal salvation. And, they feel justified in blowing up innocent Israeli civilians because their religion requires the killing of unbelievers.
6. Like many others, I sympathize with the general Arab population of Gaza. They are trapped in an oppressive Islamic terrorist stronghold and deceived by a false religion they were born into. Israel is not to blame for that.
7. Israel is not perfect but her humanitarian standards are very high. Read Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef. He shares what life was like under Arafat and how the kindness of the Israelis changed his prejudiced attitude toward them, and how becoming a Jesus follower changed his life entirely.
8. Israelis have suffered throughout history. They have no desire to oppress others but they have a right to their land! Are they the only people in the world unworthy of a homeland? Are Muslims automatically entitled to every square inch of the Middle East?
9. If the Arabs calling themselves "Palestinians" deserve to take the land away from Israel because they are underdogs, why doesn't Israel deserve to keep some land because she is the underdog among the Arab nations? Her land is tiny compared to the surrounding Arab nations.
10. Have you not noticed that every time Israel makes concessions to the "Palestinians" they are viewed as weak and subjected to more attacks?
11. Have you not noticed that the "Palestinians" don't want freedom or a little more land– they simply want Israel wiped off the map? They actually have maps without Israel on them.
12. If the political leadership of Gaza and the West Bank would simply recognize Israel's right to exist and come to the talks desiring to make peace, peace would be attained.
13. Israel is willing to make reasonable concessions but she cannot afford to forsake her own security while she is surrounded by enemies who daily call for her destruction.
14. There are few sources of truth to be found in this world. The Holy Bible, being YEHOVAH's Word, is the main source of truth so I rely on it to lead the way– as “a lamp to the feet and a light to the path.”
15. The Bible reveals the source of the world's hatred of the Jews. They are not hated because they are talented or wealthy and successful, though they are. They are not hated because they rule the world, or drink the blood of Christians, or persecute Arabs, because they don't.
16. They aren't even hated because they crucified Jesus Christ. (A handful of corrupt Jewish leaders falsely accused Jesus and wrongfully condemned Him, but a Roman official and Roman soldiers put him to death.) Jews and Gentiles share that guilt.
17. No, Israelis are hated because Satan, the god of this world, hates Jesus. Satan oppressed the Jews and tried to wipe them out before Jesus was born to stop His birth. And, after Jesus was born, Satan tried to destroy Him. Satan is the one who influenced the Jews to condemn Him and the Romans to kill Him.
18. Satan thought he had won! He thought he'd been promoted from being the god of the world to being THE GOD of the world. (See 1 Cor 2:7-8)
19. But, three days later, Jesus rose again as a Conqueror over death, hell and the grave. Jesus took the keys from Satan and set the captives free (those who had died in faith looking forward to salvation through the blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary).
20. Satan realized his mistake in killing Jesus and continued to persecute the Jews because they are the earthly family of Jesus, YEHOVAH's chosen people. YEHOVAH has not rejected or forsaken Israel.
21. YEHOVAH made many promises to the Jews about their land. He caused them to be scattered around the world because of their sins against Him but He promised to bring them home again in the latter days. And, YEHOVAH fulfilled that promise when Israel became a modern nation in 1948. (Satan used the Arabs to try to keep YEHOVAH's Word from being fulfilled, but He failed!) Israel has been a nation for 70 years now and the prophetic clock of the age is running down.
22. YEHOVAH has promised Israel that a descendant of David will rule the world from Jerusalem. This ruler will be their Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is coming soon! Bless His Holy Name!
23. Today, Israel exists. Jerusalem is her capitol and Israelis await their Messiah.  President Trump has officially recognized Jerusalem as the capitol and moved the American Embassy there. He has also recognized their right to the Golan Heights and they are hoping for his help to build their Third Temple very soon. They still reject Jesus Christ and await another Messiah which we know will be the Anti-Christ. He will desecrate their Third Temple and they will realize they have been deceived again. And, that will open the way for them to finally receive King Jesus! 
24. Satan is still opposing YEHOVAH's plan. He is using the Arab nations to try to take Jerusalem and the land of Israel and to destroy the children of Israel.
25. According to the Holy Bible, Satan and those who follow Him will be destroyed. Those who support Israel will be blessed. Those who oppose her will be cursed.
26. This is not because Jews are better than other peoples. It is simply because YEHOVAH chose Israel as His vessel to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ.
27. Jesus loves everyone and anyone who chooses to believe in YEHOVAH and trust in Jesus for salvation will be saved.
28. "For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life." John 3:16
29. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, I invite you to come to Him. He is as close as the mention of His name. If you sense the Spirit drawing you, reach out to Him in prayer. Jesus is willing and ready to give you forgiveness of sin and eternal life by grace (without works) through faith. He paid for your sin and grants salvation when You put your trust in His finished work on Calvary (death, burial, resurrection) and confess Him with your mouth. Tell somebody and me! God bless you!
30. Back to the Facts about Our Subject.
31. There is no historical land of Palestine and there are no historical Palestinians. So, how can modern Arabs be Palestinians? The name Palestine was created by the British (after the fall of the Ottoman Empire) from the ancient word Philistine.
32. The ancient people known as Philistines were enemies of Israel who lived in the coastal areas (Gaza) of the land of Canaan. The modern Arabs who live in Gaza are not descendants of those Philistines.
33. Modern “Palestinians” are descendants of Abraham and Lot (Ishmael, Midian, Moab, Ammon, and others). This means their roots are actually in Jordan and the Arabian Peninsula, not in Israel. They have adopted the use of "Palestinian" from the name given to the modern land of Israel by the British. They only started claiming this name after Israel became a nation and they wanted to take her land away from her. (All “Palestinians” have a guaranteed right to Jordanian citizenship. They don’t have to stay in Gaza or Israel if they want to leave.)
34. Israel is entitled to her homeland and it does not belong to anyone else. YEHOVAH took the land from the descendants of Canaan because of their extreme idolatry and boundless depravity. And He gave it to Israel in perpetuity. The Jews have a history and continual presence on that land for thousands of years now. There has always been a remnant of the children of Israel living there.
35. If you think Israel has expanded her land, this is not true. In fact, she is living on far less land than YEHOVAH gave her. YEHOVAH describes the boundaries of her land from the Nile to the Euphrates in Genesis 15:18 in the Bible. Modern Israel is much smaller than it should be.
36. If you studied the subject in the Bible you would see that YEHOVAH set her boundaries and specifically told her not to take land from her neighbors that He had given to them. She has not done that. However, her neighbors are currently living on her land and trying to take more of it, which displeases YEHOVAH.
37. What Israel has done for the Middle East is to offer people there the only free country in the region. They have the highest standard of living and offer more opportunities for advancement than any other country. Many Arabs have great paying jobs in Israel and some of those Arabs are from Gaza. The benefits are many but would be much greater if Israel didn't live under the continual threat of destruction by the Arab nations.
38. If the historical facts weren't there I could understand the mistaken ideas in this matter, but history is clear. The world has been led astray by their lack of historical knowledge.
39. The Bible says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." How true!
40. The Promise Land Belongs to Israel!
41. P.S. I use God’s personal Name YEHOVAH to distinguish Him from other so called gods. About 7000 times YEHOVAH is used in the Bible after He told Moses His Memorial Name at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. But, His Name has been replaced with The LORD by the Jewish scribes and modern translators from time immemorial.
42. This was supposedly to protect and honor His Name but in reality it has hidden His Name and caused much confusion. Some today are saying YEHOVAH and Allah are the same God. No! YEHOVAH is “I AM WHO I AM” the Eternally Existing Uncreated One. HE is the ONLY GOD, Creator of all things in heaven and on earth. Other, so called gods, are merely idols: figments of men’s imaginations, demons, fronts for Satan worship, etc.
43. YEHOVAH gave His Name because He wanted us to know Him! At some point in history the scribes began writing only the consonants, YHVH, and refused to say the name out loud. Instead, the said The LORD. After many years it was thought that the vowels were lost and no one knew how to say the true NAME of GOD. Recently, however, research has uncovered many ancient writings with YEHOVAH written out. Praise YEHOVAH! We can once again use His real Name.
44. 
    

God Will Destroy Nations That Come Against Jerusalem

This blog is a combination of several comments I made on another blog about the negative observations made about Netanyahu by French leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, and President Obama. The author of the blog I read approved of the remarks made about Netanyahu.

He said the leaders of the world are "sick of Israel" and he called Israel "evil" and a "scumbag." He accuses Israel: of abusing Muslim and Christian citizens, of stealing land, of building a wall to block humanitarian aid from the Gaza strip and to cut off their water supply, and of dishonorably attacking the activists who were trying to break a blockade of Gaza. He further accuses Israel of cruelty, brutality, injustice, murder, and Nazi behavior (genocide).

I find myself unable to remain silent when faced with blatantly false and defamatory statements. I am sharing my lightly edited responses in the remainder of this blog. Some of my comments have been stated before but truth must be often restated when lies abound.

The accusations being made against Israel are totally false.

If Israel is as bad as is mentioned, there would be no need for a wall in Israel because no Muslim Arabs would even survive there. The truth is that Israel welcomes people of all faiths. Only Islamic countries regularly ban, persecute, and slaughter people of other faiths.

If you haven’t read my article on Israel’s Forever Land, I encourage you to read it.

Israel does not block humanitarian aid to the “Palestinians.” She spends millions helping support them — as we in the USA do. But, there is no appreciation from Muslims, only more attacks. Israel allows humanitarian aid from other countries to go to the Arabs in Gaza. She only tries to keep out additional weapons of destruction for use against Israeli citizens. Any rational country would do that.

The attacks on Netanyahu are shameful. What did he lie about? Sarkozy and Obama should both be ashamed of such juvenile conversation. As world leaders, they are the ones who look bad for talking about Netanyahu behind his back.

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil...” Exodus 23:2

No matter how many nations or their leaders turn against Israel, they are wrong and will not bring her down because she is under God’s protection.

The most powerful Muslim nations surrounding her tried to destroy her in 1948, 1967 and 1973. They failed! Why? Because she is under God’s protection.

Many nations will come against her again in the not too distant future and will bring destruction on themselves. The Bible predicts this situation and the Bible’s predictions never fail!

I am not against Muslim people, or even against the Arabs trying to steal Israel's land. I truly desire their salvation, but it will not happen if they persist in persecuting Israel.

As this debate rages, there are no facts which will convince eyes which refuse to see or ears which refuse to hear. Truth seekers find truth. Truth avoiders surrender themselves to a strong delusion.

The Turkish-led attempt to break through Israel’s blockade was not to deliver humanitarian aid. It was to make Israel look bad in the eyes of the world. And, because of one-sided reporting by the media, it seems they have been successful in painting Israel in a bad light.

Israel offered to assist the liberal activists (blockade runners) in delivering any humanitarian aid they had brought with them. They only boarded the ship to inspect for possible weapons. The Israelis who boarded the ship were brutally attacked with knives and pipes by the prepared activists -- and then blamed for the outcome!

Note:   "U.N. investigation concluded that Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, and thus its intervention to stop a Turkish-led flotilla last year, was legal."  Washingston Post Sep 12, 2011 Entitled: Once Again, Israel Is Scapegoated.

Israel is the Jewel of the Middle East. No other country offers the freedoms she guarantees her population of Jews, Muslims, Christians, etc. Over a million Arabs live peacefully within her borders and have all the rights of citizenship. No Muslim country offers such benefits to non-Muslims.

It's true God cares for the oppressed and God condemns all forms of unrighteous behavior whether one is rich or poor. We do not always see clearly; but, in the end, Jesus will make all things right.

At present, however, the wicked often prosper. God does not bribe people to serve Him by always providing immediate benefits. And, God uses wicked nations to “discipline” His people. This is clearly revealed in the writings of the Old Testament prophets. The prophets lamented when God used nations more wicked than Israel to discipline her. It was hard for them to understand. But, God assured them the wicked nations would not prosper forever and would be punished in due time. And they have been, and will be.

Only a self-deluded world can see Israel as a wicked nation.The entire Middle East doesn’t automatically belong to Muslim Arabs. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed the land was divided and almost all of it was given to the Arab nations. Only a small part of the Jews original land was returned to the Jews and, even at that, they didn’t get it all for free. If anyone had a claim at all and wanted to sell it, the Jews bought the land from them. Otherwise, those living on the land stayed. Arabs were never forced out. No land was stolen from Arabs (falsely calling themselves Palestinians).

The area was a desert wasteland. The Jews who returned labored hard to restore it to a productive condition and, finally, they became a modern nation. The Arabs who lived among them were not asked to leave and many stayed– even when Israel was attacked by her Muslim neighbors in 1948 and 1967. Only about 350,000 Arabs fled the country during the war. It was their choice. And now, when most of the self-made refugees are dead, the Arab world claims that 5 million Arabs should have a Right of Return! Never in the history of the world has such an outrageous claim been made on behalf of refugees.

At least twice as many Jews were forced out of Arab nations in 1948. They fled to Israel and were accepted there. The Arabs who left Israel could have settled in Jordan, which is a “Palestinian” state, or in other Arab nations which are much larger than Israel. The Arab world created the refugee problem just to punish Israel and make her look bad. I am sorry for the problems faced by the “refugees” but they should have been absorbed by the Arab nations long ago. Even King Hussein of Jordan said that was true.

The Jews need a homeland. God gave the land of Israel to them. Trying to make them into the bad guy when all they are trying to do is survive in their own land is injustice on a very large scale. Again, over a million Arabs live peacefully in Israel. If she is so wicked, that would not be the case.

The Bible foretold that God would bring the Jews back to their homeland and He did. The Bible says it is theirs forever and they will never be forced out of it again. God will defend them! The Bible is God's Word and God does not lie. So, those who are trying to destroy Israel cannot win.

See Zechariah 12: 6-9

"In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.  The LORD (YEHOVAH) also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah.  In that day the LORD (YEHOVAH) will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD (YEHOVAH) before them. And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."

If you doubt God's Word, I pray you will open your mind and ask God to give you an understanding of the truth. 

Day 6 and 7: Trip to Israel 2008

We started our day at the Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.

Yad Vashem, on the Mount of Remembrance, is a huge complex which houses the Holocaust History Museum and several memorial sites; such as, the Children's Memorial and the Hall of Remembrance. It also includes The Museum of Holocaust Art, many sculptures, memorial sites such as the Valley of the Communities, a synagogue, archives, a research institute, library, publishing house and an educational center, The International School for Holocaust Studies.

Gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust are honored as the Righteous among the Nations. They receive a certificate, a medal, and have a memorial plaque in the Garden of the Righteous. 23,000 non-Jews had been honored as of 2008. The project continues as stories are submitted.

                                                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashem

"And to them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name (a "yad vashem")... that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 56:5)

                                                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashem

                                          The Hall of Names

                                                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashem

 The Hall of Remembrance with the eternal flame.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashem   

Memorial to the victims of Concentration Camps by Marcelle Swergold 

The Children's Memorial was deeply touching. As you enter the cave-like structure there are pictures of actual children who perished. Then, there is a voice sharing the names and ages of the children who were killed and the light of memorial candles is reflected by a system of mirrors, so that innumerable flames seem to shine in the darkness, in commemoration of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust.

We spent several hours inside the Museum and other memorials and walking the grounds. It was not enough. One could spend the whole week there and barely touch the surface of the information available. There were countless videos of survivors telling their stories. There were hundreds of thousands of documents and pictures and endless memorabilia. And all to good purpose. It leaves a profound impression.

Since I really like jewelry, I was drawn to a diamond and emerald necklace and the story behind it. A wealthy Jewish man had liquidated all his assets and had purchased the necklace in hopes of preserving his ability to support his family once the crisis had passed. He and his wife were both taken to concentration camps. He survived and his wife was incinerated. He donated the necklace to Yad Vashem because wealth meant nothing to him without his wife. Only one heartbreaking story among millions.

     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yad_Vashem_view_of_Jerusalem_valley_by_David_Shankbone.jpg

This is the view of Jerusalem from Yad Vashem. The notable aspect of the picture is the trees. The landscape was almost barren of trees when the Jews returned to Israel. It grows greener by the year.
 

We returned to the Old City of Jerusalem for lunch in a sidewalk cafe. And then we visited the Two Brother’s Store. It was very interesting and I'll talk about them later.

From there we went to the Wailing Wall again. This time we took pictures. I went down into the Women's Section and touched the wall and prayed among the Jewish women. It was akin to praying in the Upper Room. The presence of the Lord is evident in a place where so much prayer is offered up.

 While we were visiting the wall, someone left a backpack unattended in the open area and the bomb squad was called. We had to wait while a robotic machine inspected the backpack and its contents. It was a false alarm but it illustrated how seriously threats are taken in Israel.

                              Then we went through the Rabbi's Tunnel. 



This is an underground tunnel exposing the full length of the Western Wall. While the public portion of the Western Wall is approximately 190 feet long, the majority of its original length, some additional 1500 feet, is hidden underground.

                             This is one of Herod's original columns.

   This plaque in the tunnel marks the spot Rabbi's believe is beneath the Holy of Holies.

The largest stone is about 40 ft long and 4 ft high and estimated to weigh 570 tons (1,140,000 lbs).

We walked the length of the tunnel and went up a stair case and exited onto the Via Dolorosa and went back out of Lion’s Gate to our bus.

The bus then took us to the site of the Garden Tomb and Golgotha.

Stone Sepulcher in the Garden believed to be Joseph's Tomb where Jesus was interred.

        Modern door which replaces the stone which was rolled away.

                             Another exterior view of the tomb.

                             Actual burial stone inside the tomb.


This is an actual stone door but not the door for Joseph's Tomb--which hasn't been found. This one is  too small at about 5 ft diameter. The original stone door was about 12 ft diameter.

                        View of Golgotha from the Garden's edge.

    Another view of Golgotha, located north of the Damascus Gate.

The Garden Curator gave us an historical lecture about the Garden tomb and Golgotha as we gazed at the mountainside. Golgotha was discovered by British General Charles Gordon in 1883. He thought it was the likely site of Golgotha and when the ancient rock hewn tomb was found nearby, it fit the Biblical description and the site was adopted by some as the genuine place of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

The land was purchased in 1892 by an association of believers and has been maintained since that time by a resident Garden Curator. He discussed the differences between those who believe Jesus was buried in the area now known as the Church of the Sepulchre and those who believe Jesus was buried in the Garden Tomb.

An ancient spring fed cistern was uncovered which further confirmed that a garden had been maintained in the area. The garden has been restored and the site has been maintained in a natural state, unlike nearly every other significant site in Israel which has been covered by a church. It was a refreshing change.

They gave us olive wood communion cups and we shared a very special communion time in the Garden, led by Bob McNaul.

As we left the garden, I bought some homemade Bedouin silver bracelets from a Bedouin street merchant for $5.00 each and we headed back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

Just for fun I've decided to share Ishah's Garden Tomb & Golgotha art project for school with you.

Ishah's  "Empty Tomb" creative project for art class at Rhea County Academy 

Ishah's "Golgotha"

Final Day In Israel

Day 7                                                               Free Day.

We got ready and packed our bags. Around noon we started walking to the Old City area.

We walked through the King David Hotel and looked at all the famous signatures on the floor. They had Golda Meir, King Hussein, Pres. Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Hillary Clinton, Jacqueline Onassis, Barbara Streisand, etc.

                                    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel at night 2008

About halfway to our goal a Palestinian taxi driver persuaded us to ride with him. He drove us without fare  and dropped us off at a relative’s store in the Palestinian Quarter of the Old City. We browsed and considered but made no purchase there. Then we continued shopping on our own. I preferred the Jewish quarter because there was no pressure to buy. I bought a star of David necklace for a friend and a Jewish blessing bracelet for myself.

We went back to the Two Brother’s Store I mentioned earlier and talked to the brother who is a Rabbi again. He was very interesting. He reads the New Testament in order to keep the dialogue open between Jews and Christians. Some of his ideas surprised me.

He believes Satan is simply a faithful servant of God.
He believes the book of Daniel has already been fulfilled.
He believes the Messiah will be just a man– anointed by God.
He believes the serpent pushed Eve against the tree to ‘show her’ she would not die if she touched it and he thereby deceived her into believing she could also eat the fruit without ill consequences.
He said the serpent approached Eve because she was the more difficult of the 2 to convince.
He said the serpent knew if he got Eve, Adam would follow.

Those are just tidbits of the conversation. We had a lengthy discussion. Questions and answers were going both ways and it was open and pleasant.

Then we met with some of our group and headed back toward the hotel. Mike and I stopped to buy a Wailing Wall print and caught up with them at a coffee shop for a light lunch. Then we all walked back to the hotel, checked out at 4 p.m. and waited in lobby for the bus until 6 p.m.

Our tour guide took us to eat at a Jerusalem Restaurant and then drove 90 minutes to Tel Aviv and waited 3 hours to fly out. Our bags went through the x-ray machines twice and then we had to open 2 of them. They were concerned about our purchases. They wanted to make sure the items we packed were the ones we picked up in the store– no substitutes that could contain dangerous materials. We assured them that they were and they let us go with all our stuff.

We had an uneventful flight home and landed in Newark around 6:30 a.m. Due to bad weather coming in later in the day, we caught a flight out around 7:30 a.m. to Houston. We then ended up spending the night in Humble, Texas, because of bad weather. And, when we got back to the airport the next day for our 1:10 flight, we got voluntarily bumped because the flight was overweight. They bought our lunch and gave us $500.00 worth of free future flights. Our flight to Knoxville ended up being at 5:20 p.m., so we got home around 11:00 p.m. on the 14^th– Valentine’s Day.

It was a wonderful trip. I'd love to go again. Hope you've been blessed by the trip information and get a chance to go to Israel if you haven't already and want to!

                                                                Israel: God's Country

Day 5: Israel Trip 2008

We started our day again with a delicious breakfast and then headed down to the Old City to walk the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Suffering). There are 14 Stations of the Cross along this walk which mark significant events as Jesus carried the cross. We visited the churches built to commemorate specific events such as the flogging of Jesus (Church of the Flagellation) and the traditional spot where Jesus was condemned to death (Church of the Condemnation and Imposition of the Cross) and the traditional burial site at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Some of these sites are contested, of course, but the walk is informative and well worth it.

We entered the Old City through the Lion's Gate. The gate is about 300 feet from the Via Dolorosa.

There are eight gates into the Old City. The Golden Gate (Eastern Gate/King's Gate) is closed. The other seven gates are usable. They are the New Gate, the Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate,the Lion's Gate, the Dung Gate, Zion Gate and Jaffa Gate or Tower of David).

           Church of the Flagellation stained glass window.

Church of the Flagellation: Crown of thorns in the ceiling.

Stone revered as the site used to wash the body of Jesus when He was removed from the cross. 

             Depiction of removing Jesus' body from the cross.

                               Section of the Via Dolorosa

                      Mary with Jesus at a Station of the Cross

                                          Pool of Bethesda Sign

                                 The Pool of Bethesda

Bethesda means "house of mercy." Water was supplied from a nearby spring. Archaeological digging has confirmed the Bible's description of five porches.

"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked" - John 5:1-9

            We shared a Palestinian bagel near the Damascus Gate.

Our tour bus took us to the Bethlehem wall. Since Bethlehem is under Palestinian control Schlomo could not go with us and our bus couldn't enter. So, we got off of our bus and walked across the border and boarded a Palestinian bus with our new Christian, Palestinian guide, Avraham.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/upyernoz/2877428954/sizes/z/in/photostream/

                               Separation Barrier

Avraham took us to a restaurant for lunch. We had lamb shish-ca-bobs, which tasted great and then headed out to the Fields of Boaz.

I was quite taken with the idea of being in the fields where Ruth may have met Boaz. Nature is so permanent as opposed to all these churches that have been built, destroyed and rebuilt through the years.

The Fields of Boaz, about a mile and a half from Bethlehem, are home to the Shepherd’s Grotto (cave), and The Church of the Shepherd's Field which is shaped like a nomadic tent and has a dome that allows the chapel to be flooded with light to commemorate the Star of Bethlehem.

Mike and the 2009 group entering the Shepherd’s Grotto, a cave which the shepherds who were visited by the angels may have used for shelter in bad weather.


Inside the Shepherd’s Grotto.  Our guide, Avraham practically preached during our visit in 2008.

Avraham spoke 5 languages and was very knowledgeable. He told us all about the historical sites, as Schlomo did, but he also shared his Christian faith. That added a whole new dimension to his talks.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/upyernoz/2876595585/in/photostream/
                    
                The Church of the Shepherd's Field

                     Dome of The Church of the Shepherd's Field

Picture of the shepherds being greeted by a heavenly host, inside The Church of the Shepherd's Field. 

Then we visited the Church of the Nativity. St Justin Martyr identified it as the site of Jesus' birth in the second century. The entrance door was only about 4 feet high. This forces people to humble themselves to enter. The church covers about 36,000 square feet. It houses a number of chapels and several convents of  different ‘denominations.’ It is believed to be the oldest continuously operating Christian church in the world.

   

                                        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity
The Door of Humility: Main Entrance into the Church.

The entrance to the church is a low doorway that has its own legends. One story is that the door was installed by the Muslims during their rule to remind Christians that they were guests in the country and must bow to their hosts. An alternative explanation is that the height of the door was designed to prevent unbelievers from entering the church on horseback. Yet another version holds that it was to protect the Christians from their hostile neighbors.

 http://www.farsinet.com/christmas/nativity_church.html

                                         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity
 Interior of the Church of the Nativity beyond the Door of Humility.

                                       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity

Believed to be the birthplace of Jesus in the cave beneath the church. A 14 point silver star marks the spot.

A newer section of the church is used every year to broadcast Christmas services worldwide.

Finally, we  visited another cave under the church where Jerome lived for 35 years or more translating the scriptures into the Latin Vulgate. Mike commented that he thought I could do that! (Occupy myself for 35 years with some kind of project! :-)  Jerome was also buried there.

From the Church of the Nativity, we went to a local Bethlehem gift shop. Mike got a replica of the Ark of the Covenant carried by priests. I got a 12 stone ephod necklace and a few knickknacks. Then we went back to the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem for the night. Our week was almost over!  It went too fast.