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Here are the notes I took on my Israel study tour.  I was on this tour in December of 1997 and January of 1998.  We had a very knowledgeable tour guide and I was excited to learn a lot - this was my first trip to Israel.

God bless you and enjoy reading my notes!

12/31

Tetrarch Herod Antipas built Tiberias in Christ's time.

Hebron - place where the Patriarchs were buried.

Sefed - a place of Jewish mysticism (kabalah)

4 Holy Cities to Jews:

Tiberias, Hebron, Jerusalem and Sefed

70 A.D. - end of the temple period

mysticism - getting closer to God through secrets hidden in the Old Testament

Kibbutz - a farming village (280 in Israel), sort of a commune. Includes 2 % of the population. They practice Jewish religion devotedly.

-- Israel's planted forests are growing.

-- Absalom's reference to death in a tree implies that there were more trees or forests then.

-- Manasseh got forest in their allotment of land.

-- Turks cut down forests.

Israel is the only land-bridge between Africa and Asia.

Mt. Tabor is in lower Galilee.

The transfiguration takes place here and is recorded in all 4 gospels.

Barak defeated the Canaanites here.

Jail (Ya el) drove a tent stake through a Canaanite's head at the foot of Mt. Tabor.

Endor -- Saul saw a witch.

Jezreel Valley, in Nain, Jesus raised a person.

The Holy Land is the 5^th gospel.

Hill of Moreh -- Judges -- the story of Gideon where God sent many of soldiers home instead of battle.

Afula is in the heart of the Jezreel Valley.

Megiddo -- Revelation 16:16 -- Armageddon

Greek from of 2 words in Hebrew.

Jezreel means "God will sow".

Biblical Babylonia and Assyria is present day Iraq.

Mesopotamia is the land between the rivers. The fertile crescent was the route of Abraham.

Dothan Valley -- thrown by brothers to Midianites going to Egypt following the Southern Pass or "Via Mares".

Hazor was the largest Old Testament city.

Megiddo is on a tel. There's a ramp and front gate. Ahab's stables. Access to water by a deep shaft and tunnel. Megiddo has about 25 layers of remains or strata. Pottery and such helps for dating.

Megiddo gate is over 3,500 years old!

Ruth and Boaz. Boaz negotiates at the gates "within". Basically a court and witnesses were here.

Abraham did business here after Sarah's death in Genesis 23:4-20. "Middle Eastern bargaining" meant "hearing" and "gates" made it a legal deal. Abraham paid full price for full title of her grave.

There's stones and cedar beams here like Solomon's.

Tuk Moses #3 went up a valley in 1468 B.C. to attack Canaanites through the gate.

930-970 B.C. is Solomon's gate.

The Canaanites built a temple and altar here 4-5000 years ago.

Gilead can be seen through the altar view at Megiddo. Elijah was there.

References in 2 Kings 23:28, 2 Chronicles 35:17-25, Revelation 16:16.

This is the future site of the world-wide final battle.

Megiddo, Hazor, Gezer are Solomon's 3 main administration or chariot centers.

-- Ahab's stables are here, not Solomon's stables.

-- The Assyrians were the super-powers of the time. Ahab had a huge chariot army.

-- There's a feeding trough here that must have been very similar to Jesus' manger.

Caesarea -- Israel's largest energy plant; coal and oil only, no nuclear.

1^st century B.C. and A.D. -- no Old Testament references. Pagan Romans moved in and Herod became a ruthless leader of the Galilee. Hews hated Herod and thought he had no right to be king. He ruled from 37-4 B.C. He was named "Herod the Great" because of the numerous buildings he left.

Octavian = Augustus Caesar

Herod joins Augustus.

"Keep the country quiet" and "keep the taxes coming in" was the Roman philosophy.

-- It took 12 years to build Caesarea for Caesar. This beach location is called Caesarea Maritima. Pontias Pilate is one of the most vicious Roman rulers. He ransacked the temple treasury.

There is a Roman theater in Caesarea.

The conversion of Cornelius and Paul's imprisonment was most likely here.

Acts 10:24 -- perhaps mile from the coast.

The "Gentile Pentecost in Caesarea.

Acts 24:22 -- Caesarea became the origin of Gentile Christianity.

-- Paul was in prison here as a Roman citizen. He went over the head of this governor and appealed to Rome. This was eventually his undoing.

Tarsus is present day Turkey.

-- Paul speaks to King Agrippa (grandson of Herod). "In such short time, do you think to make me a Christian" OR "you almost make me a Christian". This event could have been in the stadium in Caesarea.

-- Herod Agrippa I died here.

Mount Carmel

-- Ahab marries Jezebel. She brings Baal back into the country. The word Baal means Lord.

Baalzebub = Lord of the Flies.

Obadiah meets Elijah here.

1 Kings 18

Elijah and God show who is Lord. Baal cannot be found. The sacrifice Elijah makes to God is accepted by Him and burned up by fire from Heaven, even after it is doused with water.

Like God had the army of Gideon have troops go home to show a huge miracle, He had Elijah put water on the sacrifice.

Oral law was transferred down and was just legalistic laws that expounded and added to the Bible.

Talmud: majority of rabbis approved something for the Talmudic law and it became the precedent.

The Talmud was written around 400 in Tiberias. It's the handbook for Orthodox Jews today.

-- basalt rock is brown/black

Mount of Beatitudes

Olive trees are here (olive oil). 80% of what Jesus did was in this area. Matthew 5. Jesus went up a mountain and spoke to His disciples. 5:14 - the city on a hill comparison. 7:14 - the multitudes are addressed as He was speaking to His disciples. Jesus is the gate. 7:28-8:1, the multitudes followed Him.

Saducees took a literal approach to the Old Testament. They didn't believe in the resurrection. Jesus didn't have a problem with the Pharisee's theology, just their hypocrisy (** this is questionable and of course dependent on their theology).

Tabigha is adjacent to the Multiplication of loaves and fishes site where 5,000 + were fed.

John 21 -- 1 to 2 weeks after the resurrection, Jesus comes to Peter here and restores him.

The Church of the Primacy of Peter is nearby. There are warm springs here and it makes the water offshore warmer. Fishing was good here and modern fisherman say the same thing today.

Capernaum

Jesus spoke Hebrew and Aramaic.

The 6 pointed star became the Jew's symbol after the 7 sided candelabra.

There's a 4^th century synagogue here. Coins were found underneath it from just before this period.

-- Jesus read the Torah in the synagogue and the rabbis still do. They read the exact same thing. They didn't necessarily sing hymns and pray.

Synagogues generally face Jerusalem, however this one does not. Possible earlier dating for this synagogue.

Synagogues are typically built on top of synagogues, too. Oil press is here.

Gethsemane was at the foot of the Mt. of Olives.

All oil in this period was olive oil. Fishing, farming and making olive oil were big jobs.

Bet She'an and theater

Saul and Jonathan were killed near here and their bodies were hung in Bet She'an.

Scythopolis -- Greek construction is here. A tel is here, too.

The theater was uncovered around 1967 and everything else was about 15 years later.

Matthew 4

Decapolis - a league of 10 cities and minority Jewish population.

This was a hidden Christian site.

Amman = Philadelphia, Jerash = Gerasa, west of Jordan, this city Scythopolis was a major city in Jesus' time and it was right on the major roads.

-- The theater contained twice as meany people as the one in Caesarea and built circa 2^nd century A.D. From this time until 400 years later, pagan people lived here.

300 years after Christ's death, Constantine moves in and Christianity is introduced in Rome (Byzantine).

There was a Byzantine "health club" here on 1-2 acres.

"Picadilly Circus" was an entire city with streets and such. They kept most of the same structures, except the pagan temple.

In 640 the Arabs came and disposed of some things. 749 A.D. there was a major earthquake which destroyed many columns and structures.

Gilgal

Joshua camped here. "Roll away" or "roll away the sin of Israel."

There's about 20,000 people in the Palestinian rule.

Jericho is the oldest city in the world.

Mount of Temptation is where Satan tempted Jesus (overlooking Jericho).

The walls of Jericho fell for Joshua and his army.

Sycamore trees here are different than in US. Amos and Zachaeus' tree is in/near Jericho.

Jericho was Herod's winter home and he died here.

Moab is next to Jericho at the top of the Dead Sea. Ruth was a Moabite.

Samaritan parable point of reference was the way point between Jericho and Jerusalem.

Samaritans and Jews did not get along. Samaritans were part Jewish, but intermarried with pagans in their exile and were not accepted by Jews.

Jerusalem

"Up to Jerusalem". Ascent Psalms. Jerusalem is about 2,600 feet high.

Jerusalem wilderness saw people that were either 1) fleeing (Ahab, Maccabees, etc) or 2) had a spiritual experience (Jesus, John the Baptist).

Jerusalem was won by David in 1000 B.C. It had been occupied by the Jebusites, a pagan people.

The temple was built by Herod.

Mount of Olives

The Russian church of Ascension is here.

Old City and Kidron Valley is to the west.

Things we can see from here: Dome of the Rock (where the old Jewish temple was), tower (mosque where the old fortress was), church of the Holy Sepulchure (possible site of Jesus' crucifixion and tomb, behind the Dome of the Rock), Black Dome (Jewish corner), Armenian corner (since 5^th century), Moslem quarter is biggest and to the right of the Dome of the Rock.

The last supper was inside the walls, but now outside.

-- Jaffa gate has 3 flags on top of it and is on the far side. Jerusalem is totally under Israeli rule. They annexed East Jerusalem.

The City of David is the street area on the left side of the wall.

Jesus sleeps in Bethany (home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus). Jesus went up here as He prophesied Jerusalem's destruction.

Mt. Zion was the site for the Passover meal. Jesus was held over night at Caiphus' house on Mt. Zion.

Oldest cemetary on Mount of Olives because the dead will be resurrected and this cemetery may be the 1^st according to tradition.

Garden of Gethsemane

Olive oil press here. These olive trees could be 2000+ years old.

"Shoot will come from (David, Jesse)". Shoots came from olive trees. The Bible has several references to them along with other agricultural references. Luke 22:39-54.

Bethlehem

Jesus' birth site was in a grotto/cave. Now there is a 14 pointed golden star with a Latin inscription where Jesus' actual birthplace is located (according to tradition).