Joel Thornton

A common sense conservative.

Israel and the Steps of Jesus

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Israel is rapidly becoming one of my favorite destinations. It is not that hard to do, because Israel is a land that anyone who grew up in Sunday School has heard all the stories of ancient Israel—it is a part of our DNA. The first time I traveled to Israel was almost a year ago as I write this blog. I was full of anticipation because I love to travel, especially some place new. When we landed in Tel Aviv I was filled with excitement, but I had no idea what a magical time awaited me. I found Israel to be inviting. It was everything I had imagined and more. Everyone I knew who had ever been to Israel had told me that it was like nothing you could imagine. I did not believe them, thinking they were just talking in hyperbole. Little did I know they were right.

As a disclaimer: this is a steps of Jesus tour, so you should be prepared for a lot of walking, up hills, down hills, up stairs and down stairs. Israel does not make a lot of accommodations for the handicapped, so there is literally no wheel chair access to many of the sights we will be seeing. Likewise, there are no elevators or escalators either.

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Dispatches from Israel, number one

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Hello, my name is Matthew Finstein, I’m a registered tour guide here in the land of Israel. I’m working exclusively with Joel and P33 Adventures right here in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel.

I cannot wait to welcome you and your families to this wonderful land, especially in this time of year, the beautiful scenery, the beautiful flowers, the wonderful atmosphere, the air which surrounds this holy land.

Right now Israel is closed because of COVID-19, but we will soon be open for business. Over the next few days I’m filming with Sar-El, right here in Jerusalem, some videos that show the beauty of this land.

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The Garden Tomb, a Brief Moment Forever Etched in History

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            Imagine walking into the tomb that is possibly the tomb Jesus walked out of when he was raised from the dead! You cannot imagine the emotion, the vibrant life you feel standing there, contemplating the moment of the resurrection and everything that has followed it. This is one of the pivotal points of all human history. This simple site is one of the most touching sites in all of Israel. We typically end our tours here because it gives you plenty to take home.

            While in the Garden Tomb you will see a site that could well be the hill where Jesus was crucified. You will have communion with your travel companions as this is a place of contemplation. Take a few minutes and sit overlooking the tomb. Relive the history that is found here. Imagine what has led us to this point, a gruesome crucifixion that is forever marked in history. The fear and anxiety of his followers in the days leading up to the crucifixion. The agony of seeing Jesus dead. The horror of burying your friend.

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Megiddo, Israel, Guardian of the Valley of Armageddon

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            Tel Megiddo stands over the Valley of Armageddon in northern Israel. This Tel, meaning hill, is not a naturally occurring hill, but rather was made through the building of cities across 28 civilizations with the last city dating back to before the time of Jesus. What that means is that looking through Tel Megiddo we get a snapshot of what life was like in 28 different cultures from Antiquity. What an amazing opportunity to better understand how folks lived thousands of years ago!

            Tel Megiddo is amazing because it was one of the fortified cities that was built by King Solomon to protect the unified kingdom of Israel that he had inherited from his father, King David. When walking along the top of the Tel you can also see the floor of part of the Palace of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. You can also walk over the area where King Ahab’s horses were kept. They were on the Tel for military purposes, the King was never far from his calvary.

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Safety in Israel

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 Obviously, until we are passed COVID-19 nobody is going to Israel. So, this information is for when those days are behind us, which they soon will be.

As we promote our Israel trips, I have a lot of people rightly concerned about their safety if they travel to Israel with us. I have been in Israel the last three years and I can start by telling you that tourists are extremely safe in Israel.

The first thing to remember is that the bombs exploding on buses and in restaurants in Israel were all before the walls were built, walls that are doing a remarkable job of keeping terrorist from the Palestinian Controlled Territories out of Israel. The bombings have stopped.

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