Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

Holy Land Trip – 1-14 December 2014 (Part 1 of 3)

By the grace and mercy of God, 48 of us from seven different churches are able to go to the Holy Land. The youngest is about 18 months old. By the time of the writing of this elder’s page, we have just completed the Jordanian leg of the trip and have embarked on the Israelite leg by crossing the Allenby Bridge that straddles across the River Jordan on 3 December. We left Singapore on 1 December at around 1.00 am. We arrived at Dubai airport at 5.30 am local time. Two hours later, we left Dubai and arrived in Amman at around 9.30 am (Amman is 6 hours behind Singapore). The immigration at Amman was very smooth as a representative from Guiding Star (our Local travel agent) assisted us by collecting all our passports and cleared the immigration for us as we collected our luggage to save time. And we met the pilgrims from Gethsemane BPC led by Rev Das Koshy at the airport. By the time we left the airport it was about 11.00 am. Our Jordanian guide is a Roman Catholic named Samy.

Jordan (Day 1) – The first site we visited was a castle in Karak. It is an impressive structure that was built on the top of a mountain that overlooks the King’s Highway. The one who controlled the castle controlled the trade route linking Africa in the south and many northern nations in the north like Turkey, Syria, Assyria, Babylonian, etc. It was strategically built to defend itself against its enemies with deep wells and a large kitchen that fed 2,000 and cleverly constructed windows to shoot arrows at her enemies down below the mountain. It was an impressive architectural structure designed more for fortification than for comfort. From the Edomites to the Nabateans to the Crusaders to the Turks and the Assyrians and the Greeks who came with their armies to occupy this part of the Land of Promise, all these have done so in vain. After lunch in the vicinity of this castle, we left for Petra. During the three plus hour drive to the southern part of Jordan we saw endless dry desert-like terrain punctuated by adobe like houses with flat roofs. We could not help but feel that we had travelled back in time to the 19th century period where there was no electricity and people lived like nomads moving from place to place without a permanent home. The land was stark and dry, to say the least. Because it is winter, the climate is cool. Life is hard there compared to densely populated Singapore with her many high rise buildings that seem to grow out of the ground. The contrast is very impactful. On the way to our hotel, we stopped by a site known to be the rock that Moses smote when he was supposed to speak to it, located near Petra. But on closer examination of Holy Scriptures we find that the site could not be correct as the place that Moses smote the rock was located in the wilderness of Zin (cf. Numbers 20) weeks before he arrived at the Petra area. We stayed one night in the city of Petra in a very quaint hotel that is more than one hundred years old on the outside but renovated inside with air-conditioned rooms and modern bathroom amenities.

Lesson learned – The carnal man fights and kills for that which perishes. This has not changed in the slightest unless he is born again in Christ and is transformed by God from within. Man will continue to waste his life away by pursuing after mammon which is destroyed by rust, or easily stolen by thieves, or eaten by moth. He has a better chance holding on to a beam of sunlight with his bare hands than to hold on to mammon! Jesus says in John 6:27, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

Day 2 -- We left the quaint hotel for the long and difficult trek into the old city of Petra, reputed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. We arrived at the entrance at around 8.30 am. All of us were dressed ready for the 4 km trek from the entrance to the Basin Restaurant located at the end of the ancient site. The first two kilometres concludes with the spectacular Treasury and the next two kilometres lead to the restaurant where we had our lunch. As the journey took us further and further downhill to the mouth of the entrance of the old Petra we marvelled at the carvings of an ancient civilisation that once thrived but now lies silent and only tourists would come and witness a defunct and dead civilization. As we walked further and further into the narrow gap that opens up into a 1.2 km long cobble-like stone ground with vertical walls on both sides like unending sentries guarding their treasured masters. It is a sight to behold as the sunlight playfully dances around the reddish sand stones that stand tall and narrow in some places and broad in others. Each time we turned a corner a new vista confronted our eyes. The views were more than spectacular as the eyes were not able to capture and retain the beauty of the once proud and great nation of Edom. No camera is good enough and a camera man clever enough to capture what only the eyes could see and the heart could feel. It was as if time stood still. The sight must have been far more spectacular when all the sculptured motifs carved out of the reddish sandstone walls were intact. Its vast man-centred glory leads man onward until he reaches the end of the 1.2 km trek and is greeted by the magnificence of the Treasury which was carved out of the mountain wall. In full height it stands majestically at about 26 meters with a width of 16.49 meters. The reddish colour sparkles in the morning sun giving it a glow that made it look very expensive like a gigantic unpolished gemstone. However, the guide punctured this image by pointing out the many bullet holes made by greedy soldiers who thought that there might be real treasure behind the façade; they shot at it to see if it would burst open. There was nothing but solid sandstone wall.

The next 2 km trail was flanked on both sides by high hills and mountains. Their silent testimonies seem to cry out that they were once a thriving commercial centre. The Roman amphitheatre, carved out of the sandstone rock, was used by many orators, actors and singers to entertain the ancient society that once thought that they were very modern and that their civilization would live forever. There is now deadly silence and only an occasional stray cat would roam by amidst the cacophony of donkeys with their Bedouin masters plying their trade by crying out "5 dollars" repeatedly to transport tourists in and out. We had lunch at the restaurant located at the end of the basin after trekking for about three plus hours. Many tired legs found relief inside the comfortable restaurant that served a delicious Jordanian meal with plentiful vegetables and tasty meats, topped with very sweet desserts. After lunch the stronger and more adventurous went upward to a monastery by climbing up more than 800 steps. They were rewarded with a panoramic view of the Petra mountains. Some said that it was worth the more than two hour ascent and descent; whereas one extremely exhausted pilgrim requested another pilgrim to bury him at the monastery! The 3.00 pm deadline to meet back at the entrance became moot because the last pilgrim returned at around 4.45 pm.

Nearly if not all the pilgrims slept most of the way back to Amman and were very relieved to arrive at the hotel. We lay down to sleep with thankfulness in our hearts to have visited a site that reminded us of the 40 year long march in the wilderness led by Moses.

Lesson learned – No matter how great or powerful the kingdom of man is, it will die and turn into dust. Edom was one such nation whereby she boasted of her might and power due to the grandeur of her fortifications on mountain tops and seemingly invincible location surrounded by natural defence systems. This is what God said of Edom in Jeremiah 49:16, "Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD."

Israel (Day 3) – After breakfast we visited Mount Nebo, where Moses was allowed to see the Promised Land; but he was not allowed to enter it because of his transgression. It was a sight to behold as we saw the Dead Sea, the city of Jericho and the mountain range that spans across the length and breadth of the Dead Sea. This was the mountain range where David hid from King Saul who was obsessed with fighting against the will of God by killing David whom God had appointed to replace him as the next King of Israel. Like many biblical sites, Mount Nebo has also been commercialized into a money making tourist attraction. A monastery was built for pilgrims to visit. Thank God no one knows where God buried the body of Moses; otherwise it would have been a bigger money making venture.

Immediately after that visit, we made our way down a snake-like winding road that brought us across to the Israeli border. As expected, the immigration experience was unique in many ways. We were surprised to find that we were the only ones there when we arrived at the Israeli immigration. Two of the pilgrims had to be body searched; the pastor had his bag swabbed for residue of explosives; others were detained for various reasons, but thank God all 48 of us crossed into Israel after about two hours. We met our Israeli guide named George who is a Coptic Christian originated from Egypt but is now an Israeli citizen. The first visit was to the site of the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. It was a built up area where steps and gazebo-like structures were constructed for those who might want to baptize their people in the Jordan. Many Baptists go there to immerse their people. We did not stay long and in less than 15 minutes left for lunch at a restaurant called Temptation located next to the old site of the city of Jericho. After lunch we walked over to the site where the Tel of Jericho was situated. Many layers of foundations were built one on top of another to elevate the city even higher. It was not a huge city by today’s standards because of the change in warfare. Cities today do not have high walls to defend against their enemies because the weapons of war have changed from swords, spears, shields and arrows to guns, planes, tanks and missiles. But when we looked at the circumference of the city we noticed that it must have been a sight to behold Joshua leading his army to march around quite a sizable city. The circumference of the city was about 600 meters. The city is a permanent reminder of God’s ownership of the Land of Promise and that the people of Israel are only tenants.

Lesson learned – Cities come and go like the seasons. Man-made objects will always fade with the passage of time and through the conquests of other men. There is nothing made by man that will last. They may look spectacular and indestructible when first built. But this is a mirage that has deceived man into pride, arrogance, sin and finally death. Man owns nothing. He never has and never will. All that belongs to us and are in our name today are never ours to own but only ours to use. As believers, we must use them for God’s glory and for the blessing of God’s people. This is the only way we can turn mammon, which in itself is useless and has no eternal value, into something that has eternal value because of Jesus Christ.

Day 4 – The first thing some of us did in the morning was to watch the sunrise above the Dead Sea. After breakfast, most of us "swam" in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The water is 10 times saltier than sea water. The guide told us that if anyone drinks from it, he will die because the body cannot process that high concentration of salt. The water was cold and slimy. All of us could lie in it and did not sink. The water was very salty and a few with minor cuts smarted. Those who shaved felt the sting even though there was no cut. The Dead Sea is known as the Sea that takes and never gives. It takes water from the river Jordan and everything that flows into it dies. The Sea of Galilee in the north is known as the Sea that gives and takes. It takes from the melted snow of Mount Hermon and the springs of Dan and gives out through the mouth of the River Jordan.

From the Dead Sea, we travelled northward to Masada. We took the cable car up. It is a magnificent plateau located at sea level and is about 400 meters above the Dead Sea. The view of the Dead Sea region from Masada was breathtaking. We could see across into Jordan and the mountains of Edom and Moab. No wonder Herod the Great built his entire palace covering the entire top of Masada. Architecturally speaking it was magnificent with many steps linking all the various "play" rooms of Herod, like saunas, baths, bedrooms, etc. From an engineering perspective, the engineers were geniuses. The way they built the enormous structures hanging from the side of the cliffs must have cost the lives of many workers. Water was cleverly diverted into cisterns where they will never run out of fresh water for the king. But what was most memorable was not the beauty of these structures but when they were destroyed. This was the last fortress for about 1,000 "rebel" Jews who fled Jerusalem to make their last stand against the mighty Roman army led by the Roman governor of Judea named Lucius Flavius in AD 70. Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 and it was reported that more than one million died inside the city when it was razed to the ground and the Temple destroyed. The city of Jerusalem was encircled by the Romans until cannibalism was practised inside Jerusalem when they ran out of food and water. Mothers killed their babies and ate them in order to survive. Women were raped and children and men were slaughtered like animals. The city was looted and everything of value was taken. Everything else was destroyed by fire. The heinous nature of this destruction caused the defenders of Masada to choose death rather than to experience the same fate as their Jerusalem brethren. The city of Masada was surrounded by the Roman X Legion and a number of auxiliary units and Jewish prisoners of war totalled some 15,000 troops. Their purpose was to crush the rebels in Masada, no matter how long it took. They built a circumvallation wall and then a siege ramp against the western face of the plateau because it was the lowest point of Masada. This face was only 200 meters whereas the other faces were about 400 meters high. The rebels knew that when the wall was breached, their end was near. On their final night before the Romans marched in the next morning, the Jews asked their men to choose either slavery and the rape of their women, or death. They chose death. The men killed their wives and children. After killing them they drew lots to choose ten men who would then kill all the other men. When only ten men remained, they drew lots again to see who would kill the remaining nine and then the last man was to take his own life. The walls of the fortress of Masada were breached in 73 AD after three years of circumvallation. When the Romans entered the fortress they discovered that the 960 inhabitants had set all the buildings ablaze and committed mass suicide or killed each other. Only two women and five children were found alive. Archaeologists found ten pieces of broken pottery shards with names written on them, believing that this was probably their way of selecting the last ten men. We had lunch at Masada and met up with Rev Das’s group at the restaurant.

From Masada we went to the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a young Bedouin boy looking for his lost sheep. He came to one of the caves in Qumran and threw a stone into the cave hoping to scare the sheep out of the cave. Instead, he heard the sound of broken pottery and the rest is history. We left Qumran for Bethlehem and were rewarded with a glimpse of the spectacular night view of Jerusalem, the city of God. We arrived at Bethlehem for our overnight stay.

Day 5 – In the morning, we visited the Shepherds Field where the birth of Christ was announced to the shepherds who were keeping their flock at night. It was vast and there is supposed to be many such "shepherd’s field." Then a 5 to 10 minute drive led us to the Church of Nativity where Christ was born. The premises of this place has become so idolatrous that it is shocking to the point of revolting. The idolatry was found everywhere, from the outside to the inside of the church. Superstitions abound instead of the Truth of God’s perfect Word. It was sad and very tragic that these sincere men and women would do their utmost to save themselves of their sins by good works when the Saviour had already done it all for them on the cross of Calvary. All they need to do is to believe in Christ with all their heart and salvation would be theirs by God’s grace. Commercialisation and idolatry have replaced the place of the first coming of Christ. The event of Christ’s first coming as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world has been so deviously destroyed and replaced by the evil one. A message of salvation freely offered has been seductively substituted by Satan with Christian idolatry that is purchased with mammon and good works! I was glad to leave that church behind. The feelings that I had were anger and extreme sadness. Satan is indeed a deadly and diabolical Devil who deceives billions.

From there we had lunch and then left Bethlehem for Jerusalem, the city of God. We went to the Mount of Olives, to where Christ ascended into heaven. The view of Jerusalem is very magnificent and caught every pilgrim’s breath away. With the sun setting in the background the view was even more beautiful. This place was no different from the others. It was commercialized but it was not idolatrous. There was a building but none of the idolatry found in the Church of the Nativity. From there we walked a short distance to the Pater Noster Church (i.e. Our Father). In this church we found the Lord’s Prayer written in the languages of the world. Our last stop for the day was the Garden of Gethsemane. This was the most poignant of all. Admittedly there is another idolatrous church known as the Church of All Nations built in that vicinity. In our mind’s eye, we removed all these artificial manmade structures and saw only the Garden filled with olives trees. We all gathered together and read the passage of Matthew 26:36-46. A short message was shared to encourage the pilgrims and also to remind all of us that a stone’s throw away was Jerusalem and Calvary! Jesus cried to His heavenly Father to strengthen him at the Garden so that He could have the strength to endure the sufferings and crucifixion that would soon follow as Christ contemplated the last few hours he had on the earth before His death and resurrection. After prayer we left for our hotel.

Lesson learned – Man is prone to idolatry. Superstition is the fruit of idolatry. The only cure is to know the Truth and the Truth of God will set man free.

In the next few days, we will still be in Jerusalem until 9 December; then we will leave for Nazareth. On the Lord’s Day we will still be in Jerusalem and God willing we plan to have our Lord’s Supper in the Garden of the Tomb of Christ.

To be continued