Rev Quek Suan Yew

 

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

Day 9 (Nazareth) – Early in the morning we left Jerusalem for Joppa (Jaffa), a small town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The view of the Sea was spectacular. We went to the "house" of Simon the tanner where Simon Peter lodged and received a vision from God that he was to go to the house of Cornelius, the first Gentile to be saved after the birth of the local church (cf. Acts 10). From there we went to Caesarea, the port city named after Tiberius Caesar whom Herod the Great wanted to please at all costs. It was a magnificent port once upon a time. A video clip depicting the construction and destruction of the port city was screened. It was a sight to behold - the ruins of this once great port city that served as an entrance to the inland of Israel. Paul came to this port city on his way to Jerusalem and he stayed in the house of Philip the evangelist. While Paul was in this house, Agabus the prophet came to warn him that he would be arrested when he goes to Jerusalem by his own people, the Jews. The people in the home of Philip and Luke begged Paul not to go. Paul said that he was not only prepared to go to prison for Christ but also to die for Him. He asked them not to persuade him to do otherwise.

 

From Caesarea, we went to Mount Megiddo to have a view of the valley of Jezreel. This is where the final battle of Armageddon (i.e. Mount Megiddo) will take place in the near future when Christ returns. Mount Megiddo had been conquered and rebuilt over 25 times, according to our guide. This city was very strategic. The one who controlled the city of Megiddo controlled the trade route that linked the northern part with Egypt and all of Africa in the south. Every major super power in that region wanted this mount. It has an all round vantage point of the entire valley and it had a plateau to build a very large fortified city.

 

From Megiddo, we went to Muhraka on Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah presented his sacrifice in his challenge against the 450 Baal prophets of Jezebel. There is a church built on top of this mount. From the roof top of this church we could see the valley of Jezreel from a much higher perspective compared to Megiddo. The place has been taken over by commercialism and superstition.

 

Lesson learned – Standing on top of Mount Megiddo and Mount Carmel and looking down at the largest flat land in all of Israel, the valley of Jezreel, we notice that it could easily contain more than 1 million soldiers. This is where the final battle of man will be held. I stood upon the ashes and dust of the past glories of many super powers, thinking about the future prophecies of God that must surely come to pass. How ought I to live my life before this world ends in flames?

 

Day 10 (Tiberius) – Before we left Nazareth for Tiberius, the coastal city of the Sea of Galilee, we went to Mount Precipice. It is said that Jesus of Nazareth must have come to this mount to play as a boy growing up in the tiny city of Nazareth. From this mount, the view of the valley of Jezreel was most magnificent as it has the highest vantage point compared to Mounts Megiddo and Carmel. The mountains that surround Mt Precipice include Mount Tabor, Gilboa and that Nazareth Ridge where we stood. We went to a village that archaeologists say could very well be the same village that Jesus grew up in. The village was recreated and kept in its original condition. We felt as if we had gone back in time. This was more protestant in flavour than the rest of the many sites that we visited. The guide who brought us around and explained the site is a believer. He said that it is not the place that matters but that we must have a personal relationship with Christ. As we traversed the "village", the guide told us that we were literally walking in the footsteps of Christ. We saw how the people weaved their cotton threads into garments, how cotton pieces were turned into cotton threads using ancient tools, the presence of a synagogue, a donkey grinding olives with a millstone that weighed more than 500 pounds, and the ancient olive press that enabled the people of old to have a first press of olive oil used for offering because it was the best, then the second press of olive oil to be used for cooking, and the third and final press of oil to be used to make soap and others. It was an eye- opener experience.

 

Nazareth: The millstone in the time of Christ. Weight is about 500 pounds.

From Nazareth, we went to Cana where Christ performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. A Byzantine church has been built over the site, which means that the record of the place was clouded by a lot of superstition and idolatry. The culture was explained to us to help us understand the significance of Christ's miracle. If Christ had not intervened, the groom would have been shamed by his failure to provide enough for his guests to drink. From there, we went to an ancient site called Sephoris where the most beautiful mosaic artwork was discovered. The mosaic pieces were amazing. The artists of old must have spent hundreds of hours painstakingly placing the thousands of tiny pieces of multi coloured pieces of mosaic tiles to make these huge carpet-like art pieces on the floors of homes that must have belonged to very wealthy individuals.

 

Lesson learned – The reality of the life of Christ was brought home very vividly when we walked through the "ancient" village of Christ. Many things that we read from Scriptures need not be imagined anymore but can be related to by the real life experiences in Israel including the city of Nazareth. It was a little village and it is no wonder Nathanael said to Philip, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (cf. John 1:46).

Day 11 (Tiberius) – In the morning we visited Tel Dan. The tribe of Dan disobeyed God and despised their allotted portion of the Promised Land. They migrated north and destroyed the people of Laish and took over their city. They renamed the city Dan (cf. Judges 17 & 18). When the divided kingdom began after the reign of Solomon, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the first king of the northern kingdom, built two places of worship and installed golden calves in these two places of worship. Dan was the obvious choice in the north and Bethel was the other in the southern part of the divided kingdom. The year was 930 B.C. The golden calf worship remained in the northern kingdom till her destruction by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. When we visited the site, the residual impact of idolatrous worship was still evident. Whether it was from that period or other nations that occupied the ruins of this once vibrant city is difficult to ascertain and be dogmatic about. From the ruins of the Tel Dan, we had a glimpse of the northern mountain ranges which included Lebanon to the north-west and the Syrian mountains namely the Golan Heights to the north-east. Unlike September 2013, there were no bombing sounds to be heard.

 

Mount Hermon: A view of Galilee region from the top of Mount Hermon. It was breezy and very cold. The view was breathtaking. Thank God there was no snow or else . . . .

We left Tel Dan for Mount Hermon. This was the coldest experience of our pilgrimage. We went up by bus and then via open air twin chair lifts during the last few hundred feet to the top. The mount is 2,814 meters above sea level. Thank God there was no snow because some of us were insufficiently dressed for the cold temperature. The wind that blew at us as we sat in the chair lift up to the top of the mountain cut through our garments like a hot knife through butter. But the view of the surrounding area from the top of Mount Hermon was spectacular. The range of the Mount is large and long. In the middle of winter the entire mountain range would be covered with thick snow (as can see be seen from the internet). When the snow melts in spring, the copious torrent of water would run down the hundreds of valleys and slopes from the top of this amazing mountain range and flow toward the Sea of Galilee. It is no wonder that David compared the goodness and pleasantness of brotherly love with the dew that flows down from Mount Hermon (cf. Psalm 133). The water from Mount Hermon is the life giving source that supplies the Sea of Galilee with all the freshest and coolest water the sea needs in order to water all of the plains of Israel.

 

In the afternoon, we visited Caesarea Philippi, the major town and sacred place during the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Moslem eras. It was also the place where Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah (cf. Matthew 16:13-20).

 

Lesson learned – The richness of the historical perspective Mount Hermon must have been to all those who lived in the Land of Promise from the time of Abraham till today is mind-boggling. Generations come and generations go but the Mount remains strong and sturdy overlooking the people and the plains below her. The enormous size and life-giving properties of the mountain reminds me of how great God is and how He remains constant and good toward man, and His life-giving power though Christ stands true and potent throughout the ages without change. What a wonderful Saviour and God we have!

 

Sea of Galilee: The shore of Galilee from which Christ restored apostle Peter to the ministry in John 21. Peter jumped into the water to meet the Lord.

Day 12 (Tiberius) – The final day in Israel began with an early sunrise service by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, followed by visits to Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes and a boat ride in the Sea of Galilee. This final day was the icing on the pilgrimage cake! The wind was blowing and the waves were beating against the shore as we all sat at the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The young people presented a song item in praise of God and were barely audible above the din of the beating waves and the strong wind. The Scripture text chosen for the short morning exhortation was John 21 where Christ restored Peter at His seventh resurrected appearance. After that, many of us brought out our cameras to capture the sun rising from the waters of the Sea of Galilee. It was a soul searching experience to be so near the sea where Christ did so many of His miracles and taught so many amazing truths!

 

We left for Capernaum after breakfast. Capernaum means "the village of Nahum." As expected, there is a church built on the site. From here, the view of the Sea of Galilee was different. In the morning we touched the water. This view was from high up. We could see the other side of the Sea on this clear day. From the church, we went a very short distance to the slope of the mount where Christ preached the "Sermon on the Mount". Jesus was on the mount and the multitude was below Him. The acoustic was amazing. I was asked to walk up two third of the slope and read the Beatitudes. At first, I read out loud as if I was preaching. Then the pilgrims at the foot of the slope asked me to lower my voice, as if I was speaking to someone no more than 5 feet from me. The pilgrims below said that they could hear me very clearly. When I took a photo of the pilgrims below with the Sea of Galilee as the backdrop, they said they could even hear the camera click. It must have been very easy for Christ to speak to the multitudes below without even raising His voice. He could speak normally and everyone below Him could hear Him clearly.

 

The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was great. The Sea had become calm as opposed to the choppiness in the morning. Thank God for His mercy and provision. Two national anthems were played, Singapore’s and Australia’s. Seagulls visited us in large numbers as a few pilgrims started to throw breadcrumbs into the air. Many of us were amazed that these gulls would fly so low and so close to the boat. Very soon, darkness was before us and we had to return to the hotel to start packing for home.

 

Day 13 (Jordan) – We crossed the border of Israel into Jordan after several hours of waiting and checking. The final site in Jordan was viewed from the coach because of lack of time. We went to see the city of Jaresh which was one of the Decapolis in that region. It is a well preserved city with hundreds of columns, many of which still stand tall and sturdy despite the ravages of the elements and time. We needed to be at the airport in Amman by 2.00 pm latest. Thank God we arrived safely. After six hours of waiting in Dubai, we flew off and arrived back in Singapore on 14 December at around 3.00 pm.

 

Conclusion – This was a most amazing pilgrimage. The presence and providential care of the LORD over all the pilgrims was very evident. He was with His people every step of the way. Visits that were planned for an entire day could be completed in the morning. The reason is that we were usually the first group to arrive on many of the biblical sites. There was no queue at all. This saved us a lot of time and made the visits to the biblical sites very relaxing. There was no need to rush from one site to another. The spiritual experiences were too many to recount. The Christian love, care and concern experienced by all pilgrims was indeed a reflection of Psalm 133. We thank God that almost every night we were able to have our sharing and devotions. We also prayed for one another as well as our loved ones back home.

 

Personally, this second pilgrimage was more meaningful than the first. During the first, I was more moved by feelings that I had been at various places before and at the same time was amazed by the places. The first pilgrimage will always be special because it was my first time in the Promised Land. This second trip of 14 days was more relaxed and we were able to see more and spend more time in each of the places. The meaningful portions of Scriptures and loving brothers and sisters in Christ (albeit from seven different churches) helped make this pilgrimage a very blessed and rich experience. Praise God. Amen.

Personal Testimony of Isaac Koh (Tabernacle BPC)

The boat sailed into the calm waters of the Sea of Galilee, a fitting end to the 13-day hectic but blessed pilgrimage in the Holy Land. It was on the surrounding shores of this lake that the Lord spent a large part of His earthly ministry. As the mountainous landscape came into clearer focus, I felt that urge to replay in my mind the acts the Lord performed at the various locations – preaching the well-loved Sermon on the Mount, feeding the 5000, calming of the storm, walking on the sea, saving sinking Peter, restoring the crestfallen Peter. I imagined how thrilling it would be had I been one of the witnesses of each unfolding event. Then it dawned upon me that we have something better than these imaginations. God has given us His more sure Word whereby we can read repeatedly the records of these events, and the Holy Spirit to assist us, leading us into new insights each time we read them. Indeed the Lord used this pilgrimage to give us a new impetus and understanding when we read God’s Word. God willing, if we can return to the Holy Land in the near future, we should be able to connect more personally to each of these locations and the events that occurred there.As the beautiful landscape continued to unfold, I was led to reflect on the numerous blessings we had received from God. Indeed they are too many to enumerate; occurring in all aspects of this journey.Take, for example, the running of the daily schedule. Many things proceeded smoothly and we were all kept largely well and safe. We were told at the pre-trip briefing to bring umbrellas as rainy weather was expected. But, except for one day, the weather was gloriously fine. And even for the only day when it did rain, it was a light short shower. It would be have been quite challenging for the group had it been raining as we had travelers ranging from 15 months to over 70 years old, with some of the pilgrims having difficulty in walking. On not a few occasions, we were warned of long queues and waiting time at certain sites we were visiting but none of these came to pass. God granted smooth passages throughout, including the underground tunnel at Old Jerusalem. The whole group was even allowed to go in together when by usual procedure we would have to be divided into two groups, with 30 minutes separating the two. This was indeed God’s goodness and answer to our daily start-of-the-day prayer when we acknowledged our dependence on Him. He knew specifically our needs with the wide age range of the travelers and graciously provided. God is in control of everything and He takes a personal interest in each of our lives. How we must learn to trust in His providential care in our lives, through good or bad times.However, on a few occasions there were moments of concern. Once, our bus driver had to brake hard to avoid a car that swerved into our path on the dark and narrow street of Jerusalem. On a few other occasions, some members of the group came down with severe gastric pain. Perhaps God was reminding us to not forget to depend on Him for our daily going out and coming in. Mercifully, God granted quick recovery to these brethren. As God had counseled the Israelites to ‘beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God … lest when thou hast eaten and art full … then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God’ (Deut 8: 11-14), so must we always remember our God and depend on Him, whatever situation we may be in.Then there is also much to thank God for the many lessons gleaned from the sites we visited. Taken as a whole, they afford us a better understanding now as we read the scriptures. But some places hold special meaning. For me, it was at the probable sites of Calvary and the Garden Tomb. First, at Golgotha, I sensed the darkness and agony the Lord Jesus endured when He hung on the tree for us. And walking over a short distance, we came to an empty tomb with this inscription on the door - He is risen; He is not here: (Mark 16:6). I stood there, trying to soak in the joy and triumph of the first Easter Sunday. Christ died and rose for us! We serve a risen Saviour! And to culminate this experience by partaking the Lord’s Supper was doubly meaningful. Remembering the words of the Lord – ‘This is My body, which is broken for you … This cup is the new testament in My blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ (1 Cor 11:24-25) Yea Lord, for all that You have done for us, ‘let us never, never outlive our love for Thee.’Time and space would fail me to detail the blessings of fellowship with and learning from each of the brethren, the sharing each night during debrief which were sincere and uplifting, and more importantly the exhortations from God’s Word by Rev Quek. Indeed it was a privilege to walk where the Lord Jesus had once walked. Let us now continue to do the work that He had done as He enjoins us ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.’ (John 14:12). Amen.

 

Personal Testimony of Benjamin Tan (Calvary Pandan BPC)

I thank God for the opportunity to join 47 other pilgrims on the recent trip to the Holy Land from 1-14 December, led by Rev Quek and Dn Chia. This trip, being the first for my mom and me to Israel, proved to be an eye opener for the both of us, from the sights and sounds we experienced, to the people and cuisines. I thank God for the memories we brought home of the places where Jesus once trod, the spiritual lessons and reminders from these places, as well as the fellowship with other pilgrims.

 

If I were to highlight three key lessons from this trip, the first would be that God watches over His own children. As we travelled from place to place, our Israeli guide, George shared with us nuggets of historical information about how the modern nation of Israel was created, the difficulties she faced in her formative years and how these obstacles were overcome. For example, while passing through areas such as the West Bank and Golan Heights, George explained that these territories came into Israeli possession as a result of the Six Day War in 1967, during which Egypt, Jordan and Syria attacked Israel. While he attributed Israel’s success to factors such as the tenacity of the Israelites, we know that it is ultimately God who delivered Israel and gave them success, to allow them to occupy the Holy Land. Likewise, we experienced God’s grace in protecting and preserving our pilgrim band, keeping us safe from conflict even in areas such as the Temple Mount where the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock are located, and where violence was reported just three weeks before our trip. Even when we visited the Temple Mount, signs of tension were still clearly evident – from shouting scenes between groups of Jews and Muslims, to the heavy police and military presence in the area. Coming from Singapore where safety and security are often taken for granted, these sights reminded me of how it is entirely by God’s grace and mercy that we are kept safe each day. As the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 121:8, "The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." What assurance it is to know that the LORD is our keeper!

 

The second lesson I learnt is that what God ultimately demands of us, His children, is an obedience that stems from an inward conviction of the heart and based on the truth of His Word. In the course of our tour of the Holy Land, we had the opportunity to visit many sites venerated by men, such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the place Christ was reputed to have been born, the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, where the archangel Gabriel was reputed to have appeared to Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem where Christ was said to have trod on His way to Calvary. At many of these locations, we saw statues and images depicting scenes from the Bible, which were useful in giving us an idea of how these scenes could have been like in Jesus’ day. At these sites, Scripture was read to remind us of the biblical context of these incidents, and the spiritual lessons behind them. While I certainly emerged from these visits with a better understanding of the Bible, what use would such understanding be, if it remains head knowledge but does not impact the way I live for Christ? Indeed, the wisdom of Solomon is evident as he concluded in Ecclesiastes 12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

 

The third lesson that I took away from this trip was a greater appreciation of the preciousness of Christ in my life. While visiting the Holocaust Museum at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, I passed a video exhibit showing the testimony of a Jewish man who survived an execution attempt during the Holocaust. He shared that as he stood in the trench awaiting what he thought would be the final gunshot, he heard his grandfather reciting Deuteronomy 6:4 repeatedly, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD". Following suit, he recited the same once, before he fainted in fear, and thus escaped being shot. Watching that testimony, I was struck by how tightly these Jews clung to their faith in the face of death – what more for us, who have knowledge of the truth? That evening by God’s providence, Rev Quek in his exhortation to us touched on the question of what Christ means to us. Indeed, until we surrender our all to Christ and count Him as our all-sufficiency, we will never be able to fully appreciate the goodness of God in being the provider of "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). I pray that as we sojourn as pilgrims on this earth, we will continue to grow in faith, and in the grace and knowledge of Him, that we may be able to say with Paul that "our sufficiency is of God"(2 Corinthians 3:5).