TOUR OF EGYPT AND
THE HOLYLAND AREA
Sharm El Sheikh
TOUR OF EGYPT AND
THE HOLYLAND AREA
Sharm El Sheikh
We board our Cruise ship and continue West to the Red Sea. We proceed North to the Suez Canal and are given a map of the Exodus Route which we are passing on the right Our destination is Cairo Egypt, the center of the most advanced civilization on earth for a period of three thousand years. Egypt is the only Arab country to have entered into a Peace Agreement with Israel. We then fly to Sharm El Sheikh, the jumping off point for tours of Mount Sinai. Sharm el Sheikh is situated on the Southern tip of the Sinai peninsula, Egypt. With the Red Sea on one side and the mountains of Mount Sinai on the other. The hearty will hike to the top along Moses' path. Others can choose the two hour camel ride. It will reduce the walking to one hour making the climb to the top much easier. Just to think that centuries ago Moses walked the same path!
The Climb up Mount Sinai
The Monastery of St. Catherine
The monastery at the base of Jebel Musa preserves the tradition from the Byzantine period of identifying this as Mount Sinai. Named after a saint who was martyred in Egypt in 307 A.D., the monastery has a library with the second finest collection of manuscripts in the world (after the Vatican), including 3,500 manuscripts and 2,000 scrolls. Most of these are in Greek and were copied by the monks of this monastery. In 1844, the German scholar Friedrich von Tischendorf discovered Codex Sinaiticus here, one of the earliest copies of the Bible (4th century A.D.).
Map of the Exodus Route1. Rameses: Israel was thrust out of Egypt (Ex. 12; Num. 33:5).
2. Succoth: After the Hebrews left this first campsite, the Lord attended them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:20-22).
3. Pi-hahiroth: Israel passed through the Red Sea (Ex. 14; Num. 33:8).
4. Marah: The Lord healed the waters of Marah (Ex. 15:23-26).
5. Elim: Israel camped by 12 springs (Ex. 15:27).
6. Wilderness of Sin: The Lord sent manna and quail to feed Israel (Ex. 16).
7. Rephidim: Israel fought with Amalek (Ex. 17:8-16).
8. Mount Sinai: (Mount Horeb or Jebel Musa) The Lord revealed the Ten Commandments (Ex. 19-20).
9. Sinai Wilderness: Israel constructed the tabernacle (Ex. 25-30).
10. Wilderness Camps: Seventy elders were called to help Moses govern the people (Num. 11:16-17).
11. Ezion-geber: Israel passed through the lands of Esau and Ammon in peace (Deut. 2).
12. Kadesh-barnea: Moses sent spies into the promised land; Israel rebelled and failed to enter the land; Kadesh served as the main camp of Israel for many years (Num. 13:1-3, 17-33; 14; 32:8; Deut. 2:14).
13. Eastern Wilderness: Israel avoided conflict with Edom and Moab (Num. 20:14-21; 22-24).
14. Arnon River: Israel destroyed the Canaanites who fought against them (Deut. 2:24-37).
15. Mount Nebo: Moses viewed the promised land (Deut. 34:1-4). Moses delivered his last three sermons (Deut. 1-32).
16. Plains of Moab: The Lord told Israel to divide the land and dispossess the inhabitants (Num. 33:50-56).
17. Jordan River: Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. Near Gilgal, stones from the bottom of the Jordan River were placed as a monument of Jordan; waters being divided (Josh. 3-5).
18. Jericho: The children of Israel possessed and destroyed the city (Josh. 6).
Cairo EgyptThe great pyramid of Giza (shown on the right) is the only surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is the was built by the pharaoh Khufu, in the Old Kingdom, 188 years before the Flood in 2500 BC It was built with 2 million blocks weighing 2.5 to 60 tons each and soars nearly 500 feet into the air. The Muslim General Saladin, had earlier stripped the pyramid of it's fine white limestone casing and used it for building in Cairo. During our visit the Egyptians were restoring it.
Entering the River of Life
Port City of AshdodWe continue East past the Gaza Strip to the Western entrance of the River of Life at the deepwater port of Ashdod. The River is 3 miles wide in places and originates at the Magnificent Palace of the King of Kings. The River of Life flows South 6 1/2 miles where it divides. The western portion, which we are cruising on, flows west to the Mediterranean. The eastern portion flows east to the Dead Sea causing it to rise 600 feet to the approximate level of the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan will rise also. The Best Fishing Tournaments in the world will be held along the Dead Sea! "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south." (Zechariah 14:4) the Lord will descend to the Mount of Olives, to the place He left from nearly 2000 years ago. As He does, an earthquake will cause the Mount of Olives to split in half forming a deep valley that runs to the Mediterranean in the west and to the Dead Sea in the east. I've been told that on a geological survey map you can see the fault line and trace the path of the coming earthquake. It will run straight through the current Temple Mount just west of the Mount of Olives, causing rubble from the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aksa Mosque and much of the Old City to disappear into the bottom of this valley....According to Ezekiel, the water that will fill this newly formed valley will create a mighty river originating under the New Millennial Temple, located a few miles to the north. A growing number of scholars have come to believe that the Millennial Temple will be built just north of Jerusalem, and not on the current Temple Mount.
In his vision, Ezekiel saw the water flowing from beneath the south side of the New Millennial Temple and Zechariah shows it doing so on the day of the Lord's return. Since the earthquake will probably have buried the current Temple Mount earlier in the same day, it's easy to see how this all fits together. In any case, when the cascading water reaches this valley, half flows east into the Dead Sea and half flow west into the Mediterranean. The geological institute in Tel Aviv discovered a major fault line running right through the Mount of Olives. It takes a line from the Mount Olives over to the Kidron valley all the way into the valley of Hinnom . The fault line follows the Kidron Brook which empties into the Dead Sea
Fishing on the Dead SeaThe Millennial Temple
The Millennial temple: "As described in Ezekiel (40:5 to 42:20), the outer dimensions of the temple complex form a square, 875 feet (500 cubits) across and in length. The temple faces east, as did the tabernacle and the temples of Solomon and of the Exile. The south, east, and north sides have an outer wall. Thirty rooms were also built on the second and third levels. The temple itself projects from inside the western wall, It has outer courts on three sides :south, east, and north, 175 feet in width. The very first features of the Millennial Temple described are the walls and gates (Ezekiel 40:5-37). The gates are complex security devices that must be passed by authorized persons only in order to enter the inner and outer courts (Ezekiel 40:5-16 20-37). Numerous cherubim adorn the temple (Ezekiel 41:17-20, 25). In the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) a purpose of cherubim was to keep persons out of unauthorized areas.
The Temple area sets inside a huge magnificent park called "the Sacred Area" which measures 43,750 by 35,000 feet or 8.3 by 6.6 miles. whose southern entrance lies at Jerusalem.
As our cruise ship arrives at the Holyland, it is the start of the Feast of Tabernacles and all Jerusalem is full of joy and anticipation as the Parade of the Nations is scheduled to begin the next day. ..... Each year during the 1000 year Millennial reign of Jesus the Messiah, the Kings and rulers of the family of Nations will be required to present themselves at Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles and bring a (Birthday) present for Jesus. ....Zecheriah 14:17,18
The docks are jammed with hundreds of cruise ships and our ship has delegations from several nations bearing gifts for the King of Kings.
The Knesset - The Israeli ParliamentThe passengers depart for various tours of Jerusalem, including a visit to Israel's governing body where the Twelve Apostles judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Other trips include the Shrine of the Book and the Model of Old Jerusalem. Some prefer a day trip to the huge magnificent park called "the Sacred Area".
The Shrine of the BookThe Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum is home to the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest manuscripts of the Bible in the world. Ever since their discovery in 1947, the Scrolls have excited much interest among scholars and laymen alike. The Shrine of the Book aims to promote educational activities related to the topic of the Scrolls and to bring these invaluable manuscripts closer to the general public. The program, "Secret of the Desert: The Motif of the Desert in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls" uniqueness lies in the fact that this is the first time that the subject of the Dead Sea Scrolls in being taught in High Schools together with a museum experience. A Guided tour of the Shrine of the Book is accompanied by a lecture in the field of Bible, Second Temple period history, Judaism, or another topic of choice. The tour also includes a visit to the Museum's Judaica galleries, with a focus on the development of the synagogue. The tour is meant for teachers and students from Israel and abroad. Its aim is to strengthen Jewish knowledge.
Model of the Second Temple in Old Jerusalem
