Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

Holy Land Trip – 1-14 December 2014 (Part 2 of 3)

Day 6 (Jerusalem)– The Sabbath Day in Jerusalem was truly an experience to behold. The ultra-Orthodox Jews, if they could get their way according to our guide, would cordon off the entire city so that no cars, buses or taxies are allowed on the roads. However, they could not. So only certain areas in Jerusalem where the ultra-Orthodox Jews’ quarters are located were cordoned off by temporary barriers. We were told that any vehicle that accidently transgresses and disobeys their cordons would be stoned with eggs and other projectiles. Their Sabbath Day begins from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. To Christian pilgrims, Saturday is an ordinary day. The roads were nearly void of traffic which made travel quite easy.

We visited the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book where a 1:50 scale model of the old city of Jerusalem in the time of Christ was constructed. The main building is the renovated second Temple that Herod commissioned to please the Jews. The model covers an area of 4,000 meter square. It was moved from the Holy Land hotel Bayit Vegan to its present site in 2006. The move cost 3.6 million US dollars and required the model to be cut up into 1,000 pieces and re-assembled at the new site. The details of the renovated Temple were amazing. There is the pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the lame man. The topography and the relationships of the surrounding buildings to the Temple mount that Herod constructed are extremely realistic. The scale of 1:50 is perfect whereby it is large enough to see close-up and small enough to have a good overview. What is lacking is a realistic scale for comparison. I wish they had placed people inside some parts of the modelled city to bring it down to a human perspective. Knowing that it is a 1:50 scale is theoretical which requires a good imagination to know how large and great the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were. Including human figures in the model will immediately provide a realistic scale of the immensity and grandeur of the Temple. Herod was truly a builder of magnificent buildings in his day. The Temple was very grand and large and Christ’s disciples were very proud of it. They pointed it out to Christ in Matthew 24 thinking that He would be impressed with it too. But Christ was not the least impressed, for He said to them in Matthew 24:2, "And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." [I would have preferred a model Solomon’s Temple.]

The next visit was to the Upper Room where Christ had the Last Supper with His disciples before His betrayal and crucifixion. Once again this had become another tourist attraction. It was filled with people taking photos and some having devotion in the room.

The final visit of the day was to the palace or home of the high priest Caiaphas who tried the Lord Jesus Christ. It was also supposed to be the location where Peter denied the Lord three times before the cock crowed. Our guide said that according to tradition, Christ was put inside a pit in Caiaphas’ palace after the trial before he was handed over to Pilate. But upon the examination of Holy Scripture (cf. John 18) we see that there is no such record. From Caiaphas’ house, Christ was brought straight to Pilate's house on Friday and then Christ was crucified on that same day and gave up His ghost that afternoon at 3.00 pm. Christ's dead body was taken down from the cross and was buried on that same Friday. On the palace grounds is a statue of Peter and a cockerel portraying his denial.

Lesson learned– In a pilgrimage, the events are more significant than the places. These places, including the city of Jerusalem, have long history and much great significance. To Abraham it was Jerusalem that Melchizedek came from. To King David it was his first capital city. To Peter it was the place where he denied the Lord three times. All believers have their places of spiritual encounter with God. The places help spark these precious and significant memorable experiences with God. We need more of them.

Day 7 (Jerusalem)– We were supposed to have our morning service at the hotel before we visited the underground tunnel beneath the wailing or Western wall of the city of Jerusalem. However, the visit time assigned to us was 7.20 am. This was booked six months ago. We needed to leave the hotel before 6.45 am to make it there on time. If we missed our time slot, we would not be able to go on the tour. Thus we decided to have an evening service which became more memorable especially after the day's visit. Thank God that when we arrived at the security check point (we were told not to carry any big bags or backpacks to facilitate quick security check), there was no queue. We were the first group. Thank God for His providential care. Instead of dividing 45 of us into two groups (William and Lynette did not join us because baby Michael was sick) and because of the solemnity in some parts of the underground tunnel, we were given permission to go as one group. The tour lasted about an hour plus.

The wailing or western wall has a long history that goes back to at least the time of Christ. When we entered the courtyard of the western wall, we saw the segregation of the men and women in "prayer." They sincerely believe that their prayers have greater potency when they touch the wall as they pray. Thousands of slips of paper (supposedly with prayer requests written on them) are thrown or tucked inside the crevices of the wall. Some of the Jews would rock back and forth as they pray. This was their way of showing to God that they were approaching Him with all their heart, soul, strength and mind. The rocking can become very intense at times. The Jews wear phylacteries that contain the Word of God on their forehead and arms. After spending a short time at the wailing wall, we went down the tunnel beneath the wall. It was well lit and there was no longer any construction going on as opposed to last September when I was there. The parts of the tunnel which the Jews believed to be underneath the Holy Place and most Holy Place had become places of prayer and solemnity. Many Jewish ladies sat meditating and reading Scriptures.

After the tour of the tunnel, we went up to the Temple Mount where the Mosque of Omar is located. Our guide said that Jews were not allowed up there just in case they stepped on the site where the Holy Place and most Holy Place of the original Solomonic Temple were located. This is a place for the Arabs. The Mosque with her gold encrusted dome was a sight to behold, gleaming brightly from the rays of the winter sun. As we gathered to take a group photo in front of the Mosque, we heard loud chanting and shouting in Arabic somewhere below the Mount. The groups of armed Israeli soldiers who were stationed in various parts of the Temple Mount suddenly disappeared from our view. Our guide told us to take the photos quickly and to move off. However, the gateway that led us out of the Temple Mount was exactly where the loud shouting came from. This meant that all 45 of us had to walk past these groups of shouting Arabs. As we walked past them, we heard more loud shouting. As we made our way toward the Via Dolorosa, we had to walk past two groups of young Arabs and Jews. They were teenagers who were shouting at one another in their own language. What shocked me was that some of our pilgrims took out their hand phones and videotaped them was they walked past. I was wondering if our pilgrims were oblivious to what was going on or simply very brave! Thank God all of us went by them safely. As the shouting receded, our concentration turned to the Via Dolorosa.

Via Dolorosa means "the way of suffering" which refers to Christ’s journey to Calvary bearing the cross. It was uphill and then downhill all the way. Even without the cross on our shoulders it was a difficult walk; how much more for Christ who had to carry it after being beaten and scourged by Pilate. Mark 15:21 reveals to us that Simon a Cyrenian was compelled to carry the cross for Christ. What an honour and privilege bestowed upon him.

By the grace and mercies of God, we finished our entire day's programme in one morning because we did not have to queue at all, being the first group to arrive. After lunch, we went to Yad Vashem which was originally scheduled for Day 8. Yad Vashem comes from the phrase taken from Isaiah 56:5, translated in the KJV as "a place and a name." It is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust established in 1953. It was a very sombre experience. How could human beings commit such indescribable atrocities to other human beings? The answer lies in God's truth. Mankind is totally depraved and is in great need to be saved from their sins. Without the mercies and grace of God in our lives as His children, we are also capable of committing such atrocities as Yad Vashem vividly reminds all who visit the memorial.

Lessons learned– All believers have their own cross to bear. When we suffer for Christ, carrying the cross, is it not similar to what Simon did for Christ? It is no wonder that when we suffer for Christ's sake, it is Christ who is being persecuted, from Christ's perspective. This was what Christ charged Saul with when Saul was on his way to persecute more Christians in Damascus (cf. Acts 26:14). Yad Vashem reveals how much man needs Christ and God's love. Without Him this world is doomed. Man has to admit with his whole heart that he deserves death and hell and his ultimate place of punishment. That is why man can only cry to God for mercy in deepest humility and turn to Christ as his Lord and Saviour!

Day 8 (Jerusalem)– The first thing we did on our final day in Jerusalem was to tread the cold water in Hezekiah's tunnel. At my last trip I walked the dry tunnel which was torturous in the September heat. This was the tunnel that King Hezekiah commanded his men to construct to divert the water from Gihon Spring into the city of Jerusalem during the siege of Jerusalem by King Sennacherib of Assyria (cf. 2Chronicles 32:2-4, 30). It was indeed an engineering feat to carve this long tunnel (533 meters) out of stone to bring the water to the pool of Siloam. The tunnel was pitched dark and it would be a dangerous walk without torch lights to guide us. A few sections of the tunnel were so narrow that I had to walk sideways. Other parts were so low that we had to bend. For the most part, the wintery cold water in the tunnel was only ankle deep. The walk lasted about 50 minutes.

We visited the city of David on our final day in Jerusalem. King David established Jerusalem as his new capital city when all Israel came to him and asked him to be their king after the death of King Saul's son. David was the king of Judah for 7.5 years before he became the king of Israel for 33 years. This was a brilliant move by David. He had to solve two dilemmas. The first was to choose a capital city acceptable to both groups, the tribe of Judah who stood by David and the other 11 tribes that sided King Saul and his son. The second was to choose a new general to take charge of his new united army. David could not use the old capital city in Judah; neither could he take one of the cities that belonged to the other 11 tribes, for obvious reasons. David wisely opted for a neutral city that was occupied by the Jebusites at that time. This would immediately solve the first problem. No tribe could say that David was unfair. The second issue was resolved as well when David ruled that the general who conquered the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites would be made the chief general of David's united army.

Lesson learned– God will do His part and man must also do his. God's sovereignty does not negate or diminish human responsibility. When a Christian is backed to a corner he must pray for wisdom to do God's will and to see the hand of God in leading him out of the difficult situations. Hezekiah prayed to God for help but he also ordered his men to build the tunnel. David prayed for wisdom and he ordered the conquest of the city of Jerusalem.

To be continued.

Personal Testimony by Doris (Sydney BP Church)

My mom had always thought of visiting the Holy Land ever since my late aunt shared her experience of such a trip many years ago. So the thoughts were rekindled when Max and Moy, a couple from church, shared their experience with us when they returned from one organized by FEBC last year. Subsequently, Victor and Ruth, who had gone on several trips before, told us that Calvary Pandan would be organizing one towards the end of 2014 and that we should consider going.

The only hesitation at that point in time was whether we were physically fit to do so. Nevertheless, with their encouragement we indicated our interest and Victor kept me updated with the developments each time he returned from Singapore. I also gave notice to my employers so that my leave could be approved well ahead of time.

But in July this year, when news of the conflict between Israel and Palestine was all over the media, a new concern started emerging in our minds. Well meaning friends and relatives asked if we were still going ahead with our travel plans as some other churches were cancelling their trips. My youngest brother, who is a not a believer, chided me and commented, "It is not the way to test your faith". I must admit that we were quite shaken by the news each day; but I was reminded of Psalm 91:5-7. I asked mom what she thought and she said we would go by faith and not think too much into it and to allow our confidence to be swayed. I prayed that God would grant wisdom to our organizers to make the right decision about whether to go ahead as planned. Subsequently, news pertaining to the events happening in Israel was foremost in our minds and the reality of the trip did not sink in until our departure to Singapore on 21 December.

We are very thankful that the trip did finally materialize and that the blessed experience that we have gained will definitely help us to better understand and appreciate our salvation even more.

Truly we have much to thank God for His protection and providence. Firstly, I was worried when I caught the flu just the day before the start of the trip but both mom (who caught it from me thereafter) and I recovered amazingly fast (normally it would take a week or two). Secondly, we had the physical strength each day to walk through so many places. Mom would normally need to sit down and rest after walking short distances as her legs would start to ache. To be honest I was ever so worried that due to the uneven terrain and sometimes uphill walking, coupled with the fact that she was constantly worried about lagging behind, she might push herself too hard and that not only her legs but her heart would not be able to take it.

God’s protective hand was also evident when mom was spared from any injury, not even a strained muscle when she slipped and fell while walking on quite a steep slope downhill. We were commenting how it would have been very slippery and dangerous just days before when it had rained heavily, when all of a sudden she fell; but as she had her right hand on the rail and I was holding her left hand, she landed quite gently on her bottom.

I am especially thankful for the support of brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the trip who were always ready to help and even taking photos of us. We do apologize to the brothers who purposefully walked behind us to make sure that we were not lost and did not miss out on some of the onsite commentaries.

My only regret is that I did not know more about the Bible so as to appreciate the trip even more. Thus, I would encourage those who are planning to go to learn more of the Word.