• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Joel Thornton

A common sense conservative.

  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Israel and the Steps of Jesus

November 15, 2020 by Joel Thornton

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.

[Read more…] about Israel and the Steps of Jesus

Filed Under: Tour Israel, Tour Planning, Travel planning Tagged With: Banias, Caesarea, Church of the Holy Sepluchre, City of David, Dead Sea, Dead Sea Scrolls, Ein Gedi, Elijah, Garden Tomb, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Masada, Megiddo, Mount of Olives, Mt. Bental, Mt. Carmel, Pontius Pliate, Sea of Galilee, Temple Mount, Western Wall

Dispatches from Israel, number one

May 2, 2020 by Matthew Finstein

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.

[Read more…] about Dispatches from Israel, number one

Filed Under: Tour Israel Tagged With: COVID-19, Israel, Jerusalem, Kidron Valley, Matthew Finstein, Mount of Olives, P33 Adventures, Sar-El, Temple Mount

The City of David, Jerusalem, Israel

April 10, 2020 by Joel Thornton

Just outside the gates of today’s Jerusalem lies the ruins of King David’s Palace and the city of Jerusalem that he ruled over. It is an amazing sight to behold. Enter through the gates directly off of Ma’alot Ir David Street. The gate is easy to identify because it has a harp on the wall, since King David was a harp player of great renown.

A close up of a church

Description automatically generated
The Entrance to the City of David

Once you enter into the City of David you are in an interior courtyard that leads to stairs on the left which will take you up to an overview of the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley. You will have an amazing view of the ancient Jewish Cemetery that sits on the Mount of Olives, just above the Garden of Gethsemane.

From there, go back down to the first floor platform and enjoy the gift shop for the City of David for a few minutes before going underneath the platform to view the foundations and the walls of the Palace of David. This sight is amazing because of what it is. It is also amazing because it was literally dug out from underneath the gift shop that sits just above it. The building was in place when an archaeologist realized there might be something significant underneath it. The archaeologist got permission to dig and man did they find something significant—The Palace of David and the walls of the that Palace!

The Walls of the Palace of David

Spend some time with the Palace. It is almost beyond words to think about standing just over the place where King David spent his private time. After your reflections, walk down the stairs to see the exterior walls of the Palace. These walls are remarkably intact and include several rooms that are believed to either be office of Palace staff or homes for Palace workers. Either way they come complete with a toilet that was used by the inhabitants. Scientists were even able to analyze the remains left at the toilet and tell us something of what the diet of these ancient Israelis was like.

A large stone building with a mountain in the background

Description automatically generated
Matthew Finstein teaching at the Walls of the Palace of David

There are bleachers here for you to sit and look over the walls. Take a few minutes to reflect on these walls from the comfort of the bleachers. Do not, however, take too long because this tour is just getting started. From here you will walk uphill and downhill to the entrance of Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This tunnel was built under the direction of Jewish King Hezekiah for the purpose of bringing water into the city, from underground sources, to prepare for a siege as the Assyrians were known to be headed to Jerusalem to destroy it.

This tunnel was started at two different ends, the beginning at the source of the water and at the end where the water was being diverted to. The two crews worked hard and at the last minute, when they were to join the two tunnels into one tunnel it was discovered that they were perfectly aligned. This is made more spectacular considering that it was built about 2800 years ago!

A person standing in front of a cave

Description automatically generated
Heading into King Hezekiah’s Tunnel

There are two options once you are underground. The Canaanite Tunnel also goes through this area. In this tunnel you can walk on dry ground through cramped tunnels to end up at the same basic location as the other tunnel. The other tunnel is the more adventurous of the two. It is Hezekiah’s Tunnel and is thus filled with water that comes up about to your mid thigh. This tunnel is not as cramped, but it does require you to get fairly wet.

Both tunnels ultimately end up at the famous Pool of Siloam where Jesus instructed the blind man to go wash out his eyes. The blind man was healed, thus a famous pool. It is no longer filled with water and is, in fact, barely excavated due to land disputes for land that literally sits over the pool. The discovery of the Pool was made in 2005.

A group of people walking down a street

Description automatically generated
Pastor Doug and Mike at the Pool of Siloam

This entire trip will take you about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how much time you spend in contemplation along the way. Relax. Slow down. Enjoy the journey!

If you are thinking about traveling and would like some more information, contact me at [email protected]. You can also ask to sign up for our travel newsletter (we are beginning it soon) and to keep up with tours that we are currently planning. We can help you make memories to last a lifetime!

Filed Under: Tour Israel Tagged With: City of David, Garden of Gethsemane, Israel, Jerusalem, King David, King Hezekiah, Matthew Finstein, Mount of Olives, Palace, Palace of David, Pool of Siloam

© 2025 Joel Thornton      Privacy Policy      Comment Policy      Archive      Log in

—  site by DYECASTING  —