Sad and Happy Return from Holy Land

We left Tel Aviv at 1 a.m. on Friday moring, which would have been appx, 7 p.m. Thursay night here.  10 hour flight to JFK arriving at 7 a.m.  Then customs, Altanta, Nashville and a numing ride hope with a wonderful sister. 

It is hard to describe the feeling of leaving such a fanstastic place and returning to yet another fantastic place.  Home really is.  It can't be beat to see your son, family, Sunday school class, church members; and, what seems at first more importantly, one's bed.  Heaven.


I plan to continue my blog and add alot more information and pictures now that time will allow.  I hope to have my staff help me with downloading video, copying the minisermons of Pastor Lon and teach me how to attach those to upcoming posts.

Great to be back and thanks for your interst and prayers

Rick Lamkin

3rd Last Day

this is where Jesus stood at sthe edge of the shore and spoke to the 4000 before the loaves and fishe

chruch of the Beatitues

2nd effort of last day

Lots of Sinai

We all think Mt. Sinai is a single mountain but that assumption is incorrect.  Sinai is a range of mountains and within the range is the Mountain of Moses, as it is called here.  And what a mountaiin it is.  We had to battle customs at the Egyptian border for well over an hour to finally clear, get on our Egyptian buses and proceed along the Gulf of Aqaba until we turned into the \mountains and ultimately up to Sinai.  Along the way it was pointed out that the Israelites wandered thru the plains for all those years.  We saw what appeared to be free range camels everywhere with no owner or responsible person in sight for miles and miles.  Herd of goats who apparently herd themselves.  And of course, a lot, alot and even more mountains.

We had an Egyptian bus, driver, guide and securty agent assigned to each bus and the latter had a big gun. Maybe to ward off thiefs of the big rocks which were everywhere.  Certainly, the herd of over weight, mostly maturing (hmmmm!!!) white americans posed no particular risk..

anyway, St. Catherines Cathedrial sets at the base of the Mountian of Moses. Pretty impressive in it's own right.  and then we get ready to head up the mountain of some 8000 feet.  There were camel jockey, seriously, with their animal and it seems every single one assumed this flacid faces/bodied American need to be on the back of their camel.  The animal didnt showany particular interest in me or anything else for that matter other than his food, his cud, and the occassional dropping of little camel balls which we all did our best to avoid during our mile or more up the mountain. 

I can say Moses' mountain does look differenct from any of the other.  1/2 up the mountain the color changes completely from the standard red rock to this dark blue/black color.  Of course, we all know, don't we in Exodus 24:1 + Moses, Aaron, his sons and the 70 elders met God up the mountain a distance and then Moses went on up.   Well we know God was in the mountain and that is a fact,  I don't know for sure but surely i beleive the change in color came in play there somewhere.

So, enough from me for tonight.  I will attach some photos and try to catch up some tomorrow.  We have our first day off in anticipation of leaving Eliat at 5 p.m. and Tel Aviv for JFK 1 a.m. Friday local time

I am pretty sure this camel is saying a short prayer thinking his boss might talk me into getting on.. he wins, i dont.

not it but close

more tomorrow

good night pilgrim

ral

for some reason i am missing photos of my camels.. one was named joe for no better reason, i must go back over my pictures of the day to see what i did.  I cant even find Moses moutain and i took several of those

always promoting MSU

pretty stark mountains, not Moses'

ral

Mt. Sinai and beyond 10/27/10

Good day friends,

It is 5:22 a,m, in Israel as I begin typing this post.  I learned last night (bedtime here) that most of my post were going to "draft post" and not getting posted.  Technoboy here still has much to learn. For those who might be intersted, I plann to continue providing post upon my return with both short summaries, bible versers; and, more importantly photos of he many sites we have visited and Pastor Lon has provided abbrevisted, yet verym very effecive sermons on the location and biblcal import of same,. 

I hope, eventually, to have a 40 minute power point/dvd which i can share with Sunday school classes or other groups of my Bible Walk..  This wont happpen quickly but i hope by the holidays to have something put together.

ral

so here are more photos and short text.  i just pray they get thru

The beginning of our 1-1/2 walk down the Roman Road to the base of Petra,, most amazing carvings from ancient times. This was in the land of Moab 

Jordanian mountains nearr  Petra,, where Jesus will gather with the remnant before heading to Jerusalem for the final balltle with the Satan  Micah 2:11-12

Okay.  Must be off to Moses' mountain,  YEAH!!!Rick Lamnkin

ral

Jerusalem Photos of sunrise

BETTER

this is the first photo at appx 5:45 A.M. ON 10/25/10

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS OR THE PREVIOUS ARE PHOTOS OF BUT I WAS HOPING FOR AN AWAKEND JERUSALEM

Houston do we have a problem?

This are carving at the bottom of the mountain in Petra, Jordan.  Quite unbelievable!!!!

Pilgrim

Good Morning Jerusalem - Sunrise- Mt. of Olives,

What a way to begin the last day in Jerusalem.  Our wake up was 6 a.m.  I called the desk for a 5:30 wakeup since i wanted to see the sunrise over this City of God.  So the Lord and I woke up at 4:50 and i set here awaiting the sun to rise over East Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Temple Mount and the rest of the city.

For those who know me, I am not typically without words.  Well, this morning I could only praise God, be humbled by his Goodness and Grace and grateful I have been so blessed to come to the Holy Land a 2nd time but more importantly this time with Pastor Lon Solomon.  I am overwhelmed and you will be to if you ever have the opportunity to visit here on a pilgrimige.  I can't imagine there being a more down to earth, caring, Man of God who works any harder than Pastor Lon and his Israeli contact Monte.  Monte, like most of our guides is a Christian, having accepted Christ as his Saviour, after guiding Lon's groups thru the entire Holy Land over the past 17 years.

Okay, for now I will shut up and hope the photos i am trying to attach come thru. 


I hope to continue posting for a long time and it will take a month at least to try to do justice to my experiences here. I also have video of many, many of the sites we visited and a long video of Sunday just letting it record the sights and sounds of Old Jerusalem.

God Bless You today and every day.

Ricky Lamkin

Full Day at the Temple Mount

Good day to you friends,

Again, events are happening so quickly i cannot keep up the posts I want to send.  Yesterday I simply was unable to provide info on the Garden Tomb, Garden of Gethsemane or the Church of All Nations which is the location of the rock on which Jesus actually prayed just before he was arrested. The apostles, Peter, James and John, as I recall were napping in the Garden some 50 yards from where Jesus sweated like blood of what he was about to experience.


So, I plan to provide information and photos of those sites when time allows even if it is after return to the U.S. on Friday of this week. Keeping up with days is a challenge over here.

Anyway, today we visited the Temple Mounts, were able to see the Eastern Gate from the inside, visit St. Anne's church which is the location of the church of Mary's mother, the only Crusader church in existence which was used by the Muslems after they defeated the Crusaders; the Upper Room, King David's tomb, the Hula Steps where Peter healed the cripple man, the Bethesida Springs, and on and on.

So for today it is photos. As my friend Gary Garth said, photos do alot more than text sometimes, or something like that. I hope you enjoy

ral

Sunrise in Jersusalem

I keep loosing post so enough said. Here is photos of Sunrise this Monday October 25, 2010

INCREDIBLE

Ok Pilgrims,, I dont know really how the photo of me at St. Anne's Church got in there but I started and finsihed with the best photo of the sunrise over the City of David,

Have a Blessed Day

Ricky A. Lamkin

lost blog of temple mount, etc

ok between tonight and in the a.m. i will find my abbreviated post from today,'


instead you get photos

ok i tried, to tired and early rise for Qumran, Dead Sea and Masada  and   En Gedi

4 major archaeological treasurers of Israel

So in addition to the engraved silver ammulates with the insription of Number 6:23 there is also housed what is known as the Tel Dan stele which is the only mention in the world of King David other than the bible.  This was found in the remains of an Assyrian King and thus proves King David's army fought in the Northern portion of Israel, acutally the North east region agains an Assyrian King.  Next was the actual ossuary of Caiaphas, the high priest who condemned Jesus and the original Pontius Pilate stone from Caesarea where he lived permanently. As before, he was needed in Jerusalem 3 times per year when those stiff necked, rebellious Jews were having their high holidays such as the big one, Passover.

I am attempting to attach relevant photographs. I was able to take a couple of pictures when the muesum guards told us they would look the other way for a proper consideration.  But this one bleach blonde tiger was unrelenting as a bird dog on a quail.  She wouldnt even allow us to video tape the ossuary, or the Pilate Stone.  However, due to modern marvels of he cell phone camera they items were captured but won't be displayed until someone with much more technical savvy gets ahold of my phone and this laptop

enjoy

This is a photo of an acutal clay jar which was found in the caves of Qumran

Photo taken inside the Israeli museum of the acutal ad run in the New York Times depicting the sale of 4 Dead Sea Scrolls

Photo of the Military official and the antiquities  expert at the site of the caves

your guess is as good as mine

typical clay jar found in caves which preserved the scrolls

ral

More Israeli Museum, Tomb and Garden

In May 1948, the United Nations voted to recognize Israel as a nation and provided it's suggested borders. The buildup to the vote found Great Brittian terrible mad at the leaders of the new State of Israel and it basically did all it could to support the Arabs by sharing intelligence, munitions and even giving that entitly control over some of it's areas. 

Israel had only a toe hold in the land but they were thrilled to finally be recognized as a state since 70 A.D. when the Roman army literally flattened Jerusalem and drove the Jews from the land as had been sought by many nations and Kings since the time of Joshua.

Within 1 or 2 days of the formation of the State of Israel, a shepard discovered near Qumran the most incredible archeological find in the history of the world.  Ultimately, many of the artifacts ended up in the Israeli Museum.  What is significant was the display of iron clad proof that the Holy Bible is real, the prophecy of Christ was true and was fulfilled at the single moment in time when they all came together.

So, the 4 items of most significant importance are located in the museum.    As in my last post, the oldest written biblical quotation  in existence, from 650 B.C. was found which conclusively proves the Old Testament is as accurate today as when it was written. Of course, the Scroll of the Book of Isaiah is the drop dead certainly of the validity of the word of God.  Next, in the museum is the

Saturday in the Israeli Museum, Garden Tomb and Garden of Gethsemane--Whew!!!

Good morning friends in America,

I am frightened that this posting actually seems to work.  I trust it does.  After a night at the Leondardo Hotel in Jerusalem, we head out to the Israeli Museum. Until 2 months ago all that was available to be viewed was the Dead Sea Scrolls and the replica of the Old City from the days of King Herod, etc.  Now the entire museum is open to the public and even Lon had not been thru it although he had studied it's contents before our arrival.

So we arrive about 9:15 and their are 3 tours booked to get in this morning. Of course, Lon and his local Israeli tour operator, Monty, has it greased where we get in first because we are lined up first.  Lon gives us about 15 minutes of introduction and facts to consider which will be available to us when we have completed the tour.

there are 4 items in the museum which provide evidence which can be defended of the existence and factual history of the bible.  Likely in an incorrect order are sivler amulates engraved with priest pray found in Numbers 6:23 whhich is the oldest inscription of bible verse ever found dating to 600 b.c.

top of the Israeli museum

this is a replica of the City of David which was a very small portion of what became the old city under King Solomon since King David was not allowed to build the City of the Lord.

Here is photo of me at the exact model of the old city of Jerusalem which is the first stop at the museum

This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and no one will get to see them but we get to see an exact replica which was photographed by a world reknown photographer before the schools began their wayward journey thru many countries and interst groups before being bought under cover of a gentile after an ad appeared in the New York Times.  The Israeli antiquities people had the lookout for any of the scrolls and when the ad appeared a Jewish man, who looked caucasion presented himself as Mr. Green and paid $250,000.00 in the late 40s or early 50s, which was a chunk of change then to get them most important biblical find since the time of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus,  See the scroll of the book of Isaiah was completely intact and it dated to the 600s b.c. and you all know prophecy of Christ in that book. So, i am attaching some photos of the artifacts from the muesum and hope they explain much of what i can't properly describe.

JERUSALEM ON A SATURDAY MORNING

10.23.10

When I consider gratitde and good fortune, how can I take another breath than be humbled to wake up and look out my balcony onto Jerusalem. Whle my room does not face the old city, which would be about more than one could stand, I am overlooking the most important city in the world.  I have read that if one does a word search of major cities, the name Jerusalem will occur many times more freguently than any other major city in the world. New York, London, Paris, or otherwise. 

This is the is the naval of the world.Jerusalam is the touchtone of faith and has been since before time began.  I have read the legends of monorheism all provide before there was time, there was water, and a darkness covered the deep. A piece of land emerged out of the water.   That land is the Rock, and the rock is here.  Legend has it that Adam is buried here, Abraham came to sacrifice Issac here, Solomon built here, the Holy Spirit dwelled herer, Jesus prayer here. More importantly, God sent his son to die her, to be buried, resurrected here and ascended into Heaven from here.

It is said God issued his first ray of light here from the Rock. The ray pierced the darkness and filled this glorious land with light.  The light here seems to fit that description since it has a softness to it here at 5:30 in the morning.

I read here in Jerusalem one feels more alive, more yourself.  Clearly, Jerusalem has a calling to it.  Like before, it seems on these pilgrimages I am wrapped in a Spiritual Cocoon which gets more comfortable each and every day.

So today in Jerusalem.  The Jews have been say "Next year in Jerusalem" since being hauled away in 586 b.c. that next year they will return.  I am so grateful to have again returned. I hope the day will come when you can return. Until then, to those who are interested, I do my best to make these post, now that i finally can, and pray i can convey the spirit and magnitism of his wonderful city.

Your in Christ

Ricky A. Lamkin

Mount of Olives

We arrived in Jerusalem about 3 p.m. this afternoon.  This is a photo of me and Pastor Lon Solomon.  What a wonderful blessing it has been to be on this pilgrimage with him.  He is the pastor of the McLean Bible Church in McClean, Virginia.  After his devotional, which i hope i can share you upon my return since i videoed it but am clueless how to download a video i will wait until my capable and able staff can help. This man is simply amazing as Mrs. Burkeen told me time and time again.  She and her sister have been on many pilgrimages with Pastor Lon and they cannot get enough of this Godly man.  I am the guy with the belly and shinning head.

A bit out of order but making progress. Thank you Ashley Winkler you have the patience of Job.

Temple Mount from Mt. of Olives

The back of the Church of All Nations which set just beside the Garden of Gethsemane which we visit on Saturday.  The other church in the distance is the Greek Orthodox Church.

The bottom of this is the Kidron Valley.  From the Mt. of Olives to the Walls of Jerusalem is less than 2 miles and maybe more like 1 mile.  There is a group of us who plan to walk from the Mt of Olives to the Walls of the Old City on Saturday.  Don't worry mom, there were hundreds of people doing it today and there is Israeli security everywhere both in uniform and more importantly in plain clothers.

The Eastern (Golden) Gate which has been sealed since the 1400s when the Muslims conquered the city and began building Mosques in place of the Jewish and Christian sites. To compound the insult, they built a Muslim cemetary directly before the gate and it has been used as such ever since.  I dont thnk that will both Jesus much when the Father decides it is time for his arrival.  Since the Father is the only one who knows,.

This was the pool at our hotel in Tiberas

This is the final real test of my alleged technical abilites since my wonderful staff must leave for the weekend.