Parkwood Baptist Church

Today we left the land of the Ammonites and Moabites and headed south of the Dead Sea to the land of Edom. Unlike Ammon and Moab who descended from Lot…Edom was from Jacob’s brother Esau. Esau had rough red features which seemed to match the land, rocky and barren. We noted that Edom welcomed some nomadic traders, the Nabateans, who in time suddenly turned on them and forced them out.
This seems to confirm Obadiah’s prophesy against Edom, “All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you” (Obadiah 7).

We moved to the southern point of Edom called Petra, meaning “rock” as was Peter. The place suddenly appears through a crevice in the rocks and is a well preserved series of temples and graves. There is little direct mention of this in the Scriptures but many scholars cite possible references to indicate Petra will be a major meeting place when Christ returns.

Keep praying! More later!
Paul Hopler

A lot has has happened since the last installment and it involves a lot of traveling. After visiting the Elah valley where David killed Goliath we visited two possible places where Jesus met with the disciples traveling on the Emmaus road. The town of Emmaus has been lost so the only hints are from the Bible. As the story goes Jesus appears to two sad disciples who are walking to Emmaus from Jerusalem (Luke 24). They do not recognize them but He proceeds to tell them using the Scripture that Messiah was supposed to die and rise again. They stop for the evening and Jesus agrees to eat with them. As soon as He breaks the bread they recognize Him and He disappears.

One of these spots is an Arab town called Abu Gosh. Here the Parkwood disciples met for a last meal as a total group. We had a great meal and celebrated our experience so far. Then, 5 of the group got on the road to Tel Aviv to fly home and 18 headed back to Jerusalem.

Those of us who went back to Jerusalem woke early in the morning, which was still Thursday night for you at home, and got on the road again headed north to the boarder crossing into Jordan. We crossed the Jordan River into the eastern Holy Land from Israel. We were immediately in the area of the decapolis (10 Roman cities) mentioned in the Bible. This is the area where Jesus sent the man who He had freed from the demons (sent them into the swine). We visited the city of Gerasa which Luke 8:26 calls the region of the Gerasenes. Biblical archeologists feel there is evidence that they are the same place. At any rate, we did see hoe Jesus taught in this area.

We then arrived in the ancient city of Amman which was originally founded by the descendants of Lot. God would not let the Israelites conquer this portion of land although they continued to have border disputes into the time of the Judges and Kings. The were a thorn in Israel’s side until they were defeated by the Babylonians. In Zephaniah 2:8, 9 they are condemned by God because of their rebellion against God and His people. Needless to say, the people living in Amman today do not trace their roots back to Lot.

May God bless and keep the part of our group safe that is headed back to Virginia and may He continue to reveal Himself to those here in the land of Jordan!

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Today we will go to the valley of Elah which is where young David killed Goliath. We will stand at the brook where he took the stones. This place is where David declared, “You come to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts…that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).
David took 5 stones but he only needed one. God was with him and we know what happened. David was a shepherd and had a shepherd’s weapon. King Saul tried to make him something he wasn’t with armor and sword but God uses who we are and what we have to bring victory over the challenges that come our way. When you trust the Lord and put what you have in His hands you will He will always deliver a knock out punch!

Today we will also visit a museum in the city and see the actual Dead Sea scrolls. Another knock out punch from another shepherd boy in the Judean Wilderness. When he was looking for a lost sheep he threw a stone into a cave he thought the sheep might be in so he could scare it out. When he did he heard a smash and knew that sheep didn’t go smash : )
As you read earlier his young shepherd boy made a monumental discovery and delivered a knock out blow to the skeptical Goliaths of this age.

Two shepherd boys…two stones…two knock out punches!

Our God is amazing!

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We went from the peaceful setting of the Essences in Qumran to the military fortress built by Herod the Great at Masada. It was taken by the Jews during the rebellion against Rome in 70ad. That year the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and over 600 Jewish men, women and children took refuge in this mountain fortress. The Romans sent legions into the dessert to capture the rebels and put an end to the uprising. But because of the strategic location and the tenacity of the Jews this became a long siege. When the Romans finally breeched the walls the Jews agreed to kill themselves rather than die at the hands of the Romans. Better to die freemen than to live as slaves. So the Romans burst into the city only to find everyone dead.
There have been several movies made about this tragic event in history and the Jews still use the story to inspire a commitment to the nation. There is a certain respect that arises for that kind of resolve. To love something enough to die for it. For the Jews at Masada it was their nation and their freedom. What is it for is as the people of God?
At the very same time this was happening the newly formed Christian church was being persecuted. Some were burned at the stake. Some were crucified. Some were fed to the lions. They were also called to make a decision. Were they willing to die for what they believed?
Yes they were.
As we read the Bible we can find the same inspiration that the Jewish nation finds at Masada. In the Book of Hebrews we are given a small list (chap. 11) and then we are challenged: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such.a cloud is witnesses, let us lay aside every encumbrance and sin…and let us run the race that is set before us…”.

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Today we are traveling to the lowest place on the earth, the Dead Sea. Our guide, Isaac, said that when we are asked “How low can you go?” We can answer, “We’ve been there!” : )

On the way we went to the site in the Wilderness of Judea where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. It is also the place where Joshua and the nation of
Israel entered the promised land to conquer Jericho. It is where Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan and Elijah was taken up in the fiery chariot.

To get here we came down the Jericho road and saw Jericho was is the oldest and lowest city that’s still occupied on the earth. Both Babel and Ninevah are just piles of rubble. It is a Palestinian town today. We also came through the Judea Wilderness where Jesus spent 40 days during His temptation.
We left that section of the Jordan river and went to Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a bedoin shepherd boy looking for a lost sheep. It was the greatest archeological find in recent years concerning The Scriptures. A complete copy of the Book of Isaiah 2500 years old was found and it matched word for word the contemporary Hebrew version of the Bible. This was significant because it dispelled the idea that the Scripture has changed through the centuries as it was copied.

Now off to Masada!

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No…not those stones : )

Today we began the day early by traveling to Bethlehem which is where…well, you know. What you may not know is that it is under Palestinian control. That means that our Israeli guide, Isaac, had to get off the bus and a Palestinian guide got on. We had to go through a checkpoint located in a wall covered with barbed wire to get into the town where our Lord was born. Another reminder of our need for a Savior.

Our new guide was a Christian and shared some things that will change the way we link of Bethlehem forever. The Church of the Nativity is built over what is thought to be the place where Jesus was born. This church survived when most of the churches in Israel were destroyed by occupying forces. History tells us that during one of the darkest times in Israeli history the Persians had taken the country and were killing all Christians and destroying all churches. Many Christians had gathered in the church for safety when the opposing forces arrived. The Persians surrounded the church and started to destroy the building with the people in it. Then it got quiet and the invaders left. They had seen a mosaic on the outside of the church depicting the three wise men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. The wise men were Persian. The ruthless invaders spared the church in respect for the three in the picture. The people were saved and the church in Bethlehem was the only one left standing in Israel.

This is also the place where Jerome translated the Scriptures into Latin and the Latin Vulgate became the first Bible. So…in the town where the Word became flesh…the Word became print!

We also saw the fields where the shepherds were watching the sheep that first Christmas. We learned that these fields just a short way from Jerusalem were where they raised the sacrificial lambs for the Passover ceremonies. The special “sacrificial” lambs were kept holy (clean and pure) from birth by wrapping their feet in cloths so they would not touch the ground. What a wonderful place to be.

After leaving Bethlehem we went to the garden tomb. We were able to celebrate the Lord’s Supper there and the fact that we have a living God. Our guide at the tomb said that there is no other place where so many people come to see absolutely nothing…”He is not here, He has risen just as He said”.
In the last 24 hrs we have heard a similar theme that needs to be shared. The stones don’t matter! Don’t worry about the stones. The Scriptures tell us that the biggest worry the women had on that Sunday morning was who would move the stone…they didn’t have to.
Our guide in Palestine said “it is not the stones that are sacred. It is that they point us to Him”. Isaac, our guide at the wailing wall said, “it is not the stones of Herod’s temple that we worship”.
The stones are not sacred but they are significant. As we were reminded today…”you will never celebrate Christmas again without thinking about this time in Bethlehem. It will broaden your appreciation of what happen here every time you read the Bible.”

Thanks again Parkwood family for your prayers and encouragement!

Keep praying! More Later!