The Bible records 4,000 years of human history before Jesus took on flesh and stepped out of eternity into our physical world. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of a Disciple Daily tour of Israel is that we explore the Hebrew Scriptures as the foundation of the four accounts of Jesus’ life and the Book of Acts.
You are invited to experience the land of the Bible through the eyes of our 2023 study group. The images and videos on this page are yours to use, free of charge.
Yalla, Let’s Go!
Day 1 & 2 – Go Forth!
Following the Lord’s scattering of mankind at the Tower of Babel, nations were formed around language groups. The ancient travel routes running through Canaan connected the world powers of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Four-thousand years ago, God instructed Abraham to leave his country, relatives, and the house where he grew up to follow Him into Canaan, the land we know today as Israel (Genesis 12:1-3). God’s purpose? Via Abraham, God would bless the entire world through his descendant, Jesus!
Yesterday, we left the people we love back home to make a similar journey. Today we arrived in Israel. We know the Lord is orchestrating this adventure. He has ordained that we “Come & See.”
The Big Idea
Disciples of Jesus must “go” where He leads.
Day 3 – In the Beginning…
Jesus’ story has no beginning or ending. Jesus has always existed. The stories of Jesus in the New Testament do not stand alone. The last of the four accounts of Jesus’ life was written by John, the “beloved” disciple. The introduction of John (John 1:1-18) is like a hinge, connecting the world of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to the New Testament. The Bible is one connected story that leads people to Jesus, the Messiah. Our tour follows the route of the entire story of the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation.
This morning, we left 21st Century Tel Aviv en route to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Like those who traveled these ancient roads before us, we explored their twists and turns. Along the way, we stood atop Tel Azeka, occupied by the Philistines who watched their champion lose his head to a shepherd from Bethlehem. Everyone added “biblical archeologist” to their resumé at Tel Maresha. Excavating the basement workshops built on the ruins of a Second Temple community, our group unearthed pottery that had not been touched for over 2,200 years. The Bell Caves of Bet Guvrin was the perfect setting for an impromptu afternoon concert by Shlomo Ben Asher, our amazing guide and friend. Gladiatorial games were held in the Guvrin amphitheater. The last stop of the day was at Tel Lachish. The destruction of Lachish signaled the beginning of the end for Judah during the 400-year Divided Kingdom period.
The BeerSheva Leonardo Hotel hosted welcomed us with smiling faces and open arms at the end of our first touring day. The rooms were clean and spacious. The food was great, and the conversation around the table glorified the Lord.
The Big Idea
Most Christians know some important Bible stories. Some more than others. Assembling those stories in a way that leads people to Jesus is another matter. Putting them all together is like assembling one of those huge jigsaw puzzles. It will never come together if you don’t have a strategy for assembling the puzzle. Knowing a few disconnected Bible stories is better than nothing. But not much.
Day 4 – I Will Bless You
As is The Fellowship’s practice, we began the day reading His Word. Today we read Genesis 15:1-17 – 22:24. Then we headed to Tel Sheva, a settlement built long before Abraham arrived in Canaan around 2000 B.C. Tel Sheva has an extensive cistern system to preserve water brought into the city during the short rainy season. Another water feature is a hand-dug, 250-foot-deep well outside the city walls. This is possibly the well where Abraham made his oath with Abimelech.
We then boarded our bus to head further south into the Negev. Our next stop was Mitzpe Ramon and the Makhtesh Crater, the most extensive geographical feature of its kind, an erosion cirque. Geologists believe it was formed when the center of the area fell due to erosion of the deeper landmass. Back on the bus, the road headed south through the crater to the Aravah and a kibbutz known for its dairy products. Yotvata specializes in making the best ice cream in the Promised Land.
Traveling south through the Negev and Aravah, one gains a new depth of thought about the Israelite wandering in the desert for 40 years. Continuing to Timnah, we heard about the area’s rich copper deposits first mined by the Egyptians. The highlight of Timnah National Park is a full-sized replica of the Wilderness Tabernacle. Our guide at the Tabernacle reminded us that the purpose of God is often revealed in the details. Every aspect of the Tabernacle points to Jesus, with the imagery and symbolism pointing to the eventual removal of our sin by Messiah’s atoning blood.
Late in the afternoon, we crossed the border between Israel and Jordan. Our guide, a Muslim background Jesus follower, welcomed us to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. En route to Wadi Rum, we discovered the history of the Arab nations that were created by Western governments shortly after World War 1. We slept in Bedouin tents under desert skies. What an adventure!
The Big Idea
Today’s journey through the region of Israel’s wandering reminded us that God’s blessing of His people is assured not because of their faithfulness to Him but rather by His faithfulness to them. They are the recipients of His unconditional blessing of a nation, a land, and a seed that blesses Jews and Gentiles alike.
Day 5 – Wandering & Exile
Last night, blowing sand limited our view of the landscape from Aqaba to Wadi Rum. That’s what happens in the desert. We could not fully appreciate our surroundings at Sunset Camp. The rising sun revealed a crystalline view of this picturesque area.
The biblical kingdom of Edom extended from Wadi Rum to the north of Petra. It was established by Esau, who was red at birth, and Isaac’s son, the seller of his birthright for a bowl of red stew. “Edom” means “red.” Red sandstone mountains towering over continuously moving red sand of the desert floor were stunning.
Following a sumptuous breakfast prepared by our Bedouin hosts, the team boarded open-topped jeeps for an up-close exploration of Wadi Rum. Check out the video and pictures of Day 5. As you can see, the area is completely barren, with little surface water and little to no vegetation. Without a doubt, Moses led Israel through Wadi Rum during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. The magnitude of Israel’s survival here is staggering. Think of the amount of food and water needed to sustain Over 2,500,000 people daily!
Stories of Israel’s journeys in the wilderness circulated among the city-states west of the mountains of Edom, beyond the Jordan River. It is no wonder that the inhabitants of the Promised Land during those years were terrified by the people that God had chosen as His possession among all the world’s nations. All they had to do was look at how Yahweh protected and provided for them. No one could stand against Him.
In the Bible, we often discover that past events are a prologue to the future. Driven by fear rather than faith, Israel refused to enter the “land flowing with milk and honey” following the report of the twelve spies. Ten of them swayed the multitude, and the result was that Israel would wander for forty years, one year for every day the spies were in The Land. Unfortunately, Israel has still not learned her lesson. Our next stop tells a story that is still ahead of us.
Petra lies north of Wadi Rum, hidden in the mountains of Edom. Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. The Nabateans collected goods from India and China and delivered them to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where they traded with wealthy sea merchants and became rich. They carved their capital out of sandstone cliffs to create a city of unparalleled beauty. It was an expansive city almost completely hidden from its enemies.
The high walls of the mountain canyons protected Petra’s inhabitants from hostile armies. In the end, the Nabateans of Petra did not fall in battle. They disappeared from history as they assimilated into the sedentary lifestyles of those they traded with. Hmmm. Maybe there is a lesson there?
The Bible states that the Jewish people will continue to reject their Messiah, the One who died for all people 2,000 years ago. Once again, their propensity to walk by sight rather than faith will lead to a frantic exile from the Promised Land. This exile will occur three and a half years into a period identified as the Tribulation. For the remainder of the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” the Jews who survive their demonic global persecution will be protected in a stronghold deep within the mountains of Edom.
The Big Idea: Petra and the Sequence Of End-Time Events
At the time of the Rapture, every follower of Jesus will be “taken up” to be where He is forever. At that moment, no believers in Yeshua will remain on earth.
The subsequent seven-year period is known as the Tribulation. Halfway through the Tribulation (3 1/2 years), the Anti-Christ will declare himself God in Jerusalem’s newly built Tribulation Temple. Jewish people will be horrified as renewed persecution breaks out. Two-thirds of all the Jewish people in the world will be killed over the next 3 1/2 years. The latter half of the Tribulation is known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Those future Jewish Jesus followers will flee to the mountains of Petra as the Scriptures prophesied and as Jesus directed in Matthew 24:16.
This part of the tour bookends the storyline of almost the entire Bible. Over the last two days, we surveyed the region of Israel’s wilderness wandering. At Petra, some of the events of the latter half of the Tribulation will precede Jesus’ establishment of His Messianic Kingdom. See Revelation19:1-20:6. Where will Jesus collect and redeem the surviving Remnant of Israel? Petra is the place!
Why Petra?
We believe this is where the remnant of Israel will be supernaturally sheltered from the wrath of the Anti-Christ during the second half of the Tribulation (Time of Jacob’s Trouble). While modern Bible translations are not explicit on the exact location, we think Petra is the place.
Four passages shed light on this matter. The first is Matthew 24:16. Jesus instructs His Jewish believers to flee to the mountains during the Tribulation. Second, according to Revelation 12:6, the mountains have a sheltering place prepared for them. Isaiah 33:16 identifies the location as being high and in a very secure location. It will be a place where water is easily available.
So far, we know that the refuge will be:
in the mountains,
a place prepared in advance,
a place that is high, rocky, and defensible,
and where there is plenty of water.
One final passage further identifies Petra as a likely possibility. It is Micah 2:12. “I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; like a flock in the midst of its pasture.”
The word translated as “the fold” in most modern translations is בָּצְרָה (Bozrah). In ancient times, Bozrah was an actual city. Bozrah means “fortified place.” In some cases, older translations like the King James Version are preferable. They rightly identify where the Remnant of Israel will be sheltered. Bozrah was situated near Mt. Seir in a rocky, desolate, and mountainous area of Edom. Several very respected Bible scholars, including Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, have identified the city once known as Bozrah as the area now known as Petra.
