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SPECIAL EDITION Volume IV No.15
Nicholas Scrolls May 2009 The
Land where GOD walked as a Man Part Nine Greetings and salutations brethren, friends and neighbors, This is the last part in my
Special Edition series detailing my pilgrimage to the We spent our last full day of the
tour outside the Our first stop was the The path led to a large outdoor
display of a life-like scale model representation of the Old City Jerusalem as
it would have appeared in 44 AD to 69 AD before the Romans sacked the city
destroying the The scale model was constructed
of the same basalt and limestone materials in miniature replication giving it a
very realistic appearance. Of course the real show case was the The elevation of the Shrine of the Book After about an hour of viewing
and photographing this stunning scale replica of As we entered the museum we passed through a replicated
passage of one of the Entering into the main hall under the tear-drop shaped dome above, you see the greatest source of Israeli pride in the exhibit; the entire Scroll of Isaiah wrapped around a very large structure underneath the dome that was fashioned after the shape of a typical dowel used to roll the Scrolls. The main hall was circular and around its perimeter were a number of climate controlled display cases featuring various scroll fragments with their interpretation displayed above in several languages for the benefit of multi-cultural tourists and visitors. Each display case was outfitted with intermittent light timers that would turn on and off briefly limiting the exposure of harmful light upon the fragile Scroll fragments. I had the esteemed opportunity to
visit here on my 2006 tour with Rita Williams, my partner from Cephas Ministry,
Inc. and also take advantage of the first ever North American Tour of the Dead
Sea Scrolls when the Scroll Exhibit made I covered some of this detail of
the Dead Sea Scrolls in Part Two of this series describing our visit to Prior to the discovery of these
scrolls, the oldest known Biblical manuscripts were Masoretic texts which were
carefully preserved by a group of Jewish scholars called Masoretes, which date
back to 900 AD. Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some 670 of the nearly 900
discovered are regarded as “non-biblical” documents that include commentary on
the biblical texts and “rules for
living.” There appears to be no mention anywhere in the scroll fragments of
the birth of Christ even though all the scrolls are dated between 250 BC and 68
AD. What is mentioned among the apocryphal scroll fragments was the belief by
this sect that they were indeed living in the “End Days.” It is my opinion that though the modern scholars have
labeled many of these scrolls to be “non-biblical,”
their opinion is arguably biased because it seems to me that these so-called
non-biblical texts were likely held by the Essenes 2000 years ago to be “sacred texts,” as scripture – as part
of the Bible of their day. Evidence suggests that these people were extremely
devout and zealous for God and had separated from the Rabbinic Jews in Parallels
between the New Testament & the Some of us are aware of the
extraordinary parallel between the 66 canonized books of the Bible and the 66
Books or “chapters” found in Isaiah. The Book of Isaiah clearly indicates a
foretelling of the coming Messiah and of judgment and redemption, not only for
Jews but the Gentiles too. This Book of Isaiah is featured prominently among
all the scrolls found at For instance, Jesus was clearly
upset over the partiality and hypocrisy of the Rabbinical Jews calling them
among many insults, “a brood of vipers.”
The Essenes were also disturbed by the same which is what led to their
separation from the rabbinical priesthood in the first place. They desired to
live out their devotional lives in adherence to the Law and their accepted
customs in strict obedience. They truly believed that this was the path to
eternal salvation. There is no evidence that suggests Jesus ever visited the
Essenes however; we do know that Qumran is in the desert region near where
Jesus was believed to have fasted for 40 days and near where he was believed to
have met up with John the Baptist for his Baptismal in the Jordan River somewhere
north of the Among the many fragments was an account of a man named John who had come from the wilderness and dwelt among them for about two years. It was the Essenes custom to test anyone for a period of time before accepting them into their very closed and protected society. The written account states that just prior to John’s acceptance as a brother into the community; he left as mysteriously as he had appeared. It is believed by some scholars that this account could very well be speaking of John the Baptist since we know John preferred living in the wilderness over dwelling in the cities and towns. Other textual similarities in the
Scroll of Isaiah found at Qumran echoes the New Testament “Messianic
Apocalypse” like those passages that correspond to the gospels of Mathew and
Luke, where Jesus replies to the question of whether He is the Messiah: “Go back and report to John (the Baptist) what you have seen
and heard; the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are
cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the
poor.” These are yet other amazing details which correspond directly to
the New Testament accounts of Jesus having become the promised Messiah. And
surely, these people must have thought at that time that their apocalyptic
views were becoming realized when the Romans likely killed all of them off
while on their way to The Dead Sea Scrolls’ many
parallels with our New Testament show today’s Christians that the earliest form
of Christianity was, in fact, a Jewish Messianic movement and a better
appreciation of the specific ways in which the early church both incorporated
and distanced itself from various aspects of its Jewish heritage. I have
studied the scrolls and the history of Christianity long enough to know that
Christianity is much more an evolution from Judaism than most will admit.
Having been now to Our Jewish brethren before us
suffered greatly at the hands of Egyptians, Arabs and Romans and they still
suffer today by what the Bible calls Gentile races. Supporters of Whether you are from a Jewish lineage or are Gentile in origin, if you are called “Christian” then there is a promise the Word of God delivers you; 2 Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Yad
Vashem - The Ezekiel 37:14 “I
shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your
own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it,
saith the LORD.” We left the Shrine of the Book
and headed for the Isaiah 56:5 “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name (a yad Vashem) that shall not be cut off.” The Yad Vashem is a museum that commemorates the Holocaust martyrs and heroes and was established in 1953 by an act of the Israeli Knesset. This museum has been entrusted with documenting the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust period, preserving the memories and stories of each of the six million victims who perished under one of the world’s most hateful and spiteful of dictators; Adolph Hitler. Through the efforts and passion of dedicated staff and personnel, they impart the legacy of all Holocaust victims for all present and future generations through their archives, library, school, museums and give recognition to righteous saints who were from among other nations who risked their own lives to help Jews escape persecution and the death camps. Located on Har Hazikaron on the
Mount of Remembrance in Yad Vashem houses the largest and most comprehensive repository in the world on materials related to the Holocaust. The archives are comprised of over 68 million pages of documents with more than 300,000 photographs in addition to thousands of film and video taped testimonies of survivors. The Hall of Names is another significant tribute to victims who were once identified with only a number are remembered with respect as is fitting for beloved members of the human race. The “Pages of Testimony” are symbolic gravestones recording the names and biographical data of millions of martyrs lost in the Holocaust. Over 3.2 million names have been computerized, cataloged and compiled from approximately two million pages of witness testimony of friends, relatives and birth records. “Now and forever in the memory of those who rebelled in the camps and
ghettos, fought in the woods, in the underground and with the allied forces,
who braved their way to Eretz Israel and those who died sanctifying the Name of
GOD.” Beginning the tour through the gardens provides a subtle approach and helps to ease you into all that your eyes will see when visiting this museum. The gardens are beautifully kept, the scenery is breath-taking and your mood becomes somber as you walk through and past the different memorials. The Children’s Memorial was one of my favorites. We entered into a very dark cavern and had to hold on to hand rails as we slowly proceeded forward. It took a while for our eyes to adjust to the darkness but this was necessary to visually appreciate what we would behold inside. Hollowed out from an underground cavern with a construct of reflecting mirrors and lighted candles perpetually shining in the darkness, this memorial honors the 1.5 million children that perished during the Holocaust. The reflected candle lights seem to number in the hundreds of thousands and make for quite a somber atmosphere leading you into a tearful and prayerful state as a soft and subtle melody fills the cavern comforting your reflective thoughts. The main building at the site of
Yad Vashem houses the At the end of the main exhibits
you can go into the Hall of Names and even inquire of lost relatives if you
know your family line to have had a Jewish lineage. Everything about the
architectural design of this facility either commemorates or memorializes the
plight of Jews and the persecutions they suffered in the Holocaust. On both my
visits to this museum I took advantage of resting in a dimly lit alcove near
the exit which provided seats for your comfort. On one wall is a continuously
running memoriam with digitized images in black and white the faces of Jews who
lost their lives with their names and or the excerpts from their diary notes at
the bottom of each image. As I sat there watching the changing visual move from
one image to the next, I began to mourn for all these people and the suffering
they underwent. I could not hold back my tears and just began to pray. I prayed
for Most of us were silent and somber
as we departed Yad Vashem and headed for the place where Jesus was crucified
and laid in a tomb outside the It is only fitting that after visiting Yad Vashem, we would end our tour with a final stop to the place where Jesus died, was laid to rest and miraculously resurrected to eternal life that we also might achieve the same after sharing in His life of suffering. Believing Gentiles are fortunate in that we were offered salvation through Christ’s sufferings and have suffered to lesser degrees than God’s own chosen people. Yet, suffering is promised and so it seems that some suffer to greater degrees than others in working out their salvation in fear and trembling, tears and sorrow. God bless all peoples everywhere who suffer for God’s name sake and let it never be said of God’s children that their suffering was or is in vain. Take comfort brethren for GOD is with us. AMEN Entry into the Garden Tomb area
is by appointment and we did not have to wait long before we were allowed to
enter. We walked through quiet gardens with shade trees and benches lining the
park’s pathway. We first gathered on a gazebo-like structure over looking a
rocky faced cliff called Above the precipice is the site where many believe the Romans crucified criminals and its proximity to the tombs below along the same cliff side make it the most probable site where Jesus’ body would have been laid for burial. According to the scriptures this place was outside the City’s walls and its current location best fits this biblical description. We stayed here for a bible study and took pictures before walking back through the garden to the tomb site. Matthew 27:31-37 “And
after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his
own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they
found a man of Mark 15:27-32 “And
with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on
his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, “And he was numbered
with the transgressors.” And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their
heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroys the temple, and builds it in three
days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief
priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others;
himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Mark 15:33-34 “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Mark 15:35-39 “And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calls Elijah. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, “Let alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, “It is finished” and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, whom stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Mary Magdalene and Mary, the
mother of Jesus were witnesses to this event along with many others including
some Gentiles who were likely believers. Even a Roman centurion confessed Jesus
as Lord – “the Son of God,” after seeing what took place. I imagine the
sky darkened with thick clouds. There were likely lightning and peals of
thunder and the earth shook upon his death when the veil that always hung over
the entrance to the Mark 15:42-47 “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marveled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre…” The Tomb There was a small line of people ahead of us waiting to enter the tomb. The tomb was carved right out of solid bedrock and had a very small opening to it forcing one to crouch low as you entered. You could only enter 3 or 4 people at a time and because of the heavy traffic, we were not allowed to stay more than two minutes inside. On the outer face of the rocky precipice to the left of the tomb opening was a hewn sill at the base of the rock face. The sill was engineered to allow a round stone in the shape of a wheel to be rolled into place sealing the tomb entrance. The covering stone was no longer present but by its design and shape, this indeed was a tomb originally built for family members of moderate wealth and stature as Joseph of Arimathaea was said to be. The tomb had two chambers. The small entrance led into what is called a weeping chamber where relatives would gather and mourn their dead. The right side of the tomb was partitioned with short low rock walls between the rooms. There was a low threshold between two grave beds called, “loculus” meaning, burial place. One stone bed (loculus) to the back side of the second chamber was finished and included a carved stone pillow for slightly elevating the head and neck of the deceased. The loculus on the front side of the tomb was not yet quite finished and lacked the stone pillow. Both of these burial beds were recessed as opposed to raised beds. This tomb was still a work in progress and the wall between the two beds was still a rough cut ledge indicating it had not entirely been finished. It is believed that Jesus’ body was laid on the finished loculus. There was also a very small portal window cut in the rock face to the right of the tomb entrance. I am unclear if this was a normal part of a typical tomb’s design or not but what is clear to me is that this was definitely the place where Jesus was laid and from where His body was resurrected. I knew it deep within my heart and soul. I only wish I would have been allowed to spend some time alone in this place in contemplation and prayer. On the inside of the wooden door which now secures the tomb after hours, a sign reads, “He is not here for He is risen.” Mark 16:1-13 “And when the Sabbath was past,
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet
spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the
first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
And they said among themselves, “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door
of the sepulchre?” And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled
away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young
man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were
affrighted. And he saith unto them, “Be
not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of As is typical of mankind, so great was everyone’s unbelief at first. The four gospels give some differing perspective on the resurrection account but in one of my favorite passages Jesus meets with His disciple reclining at the table and pronounces rebuke towards them because of the “hardness of their hearts.” Then He gives his last orders, the orders all true disciples are still obliged to comply with to this day. Mark 16:15-18 and he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” This command, I take as seriously as every one of his other commands because I regard myself as a disciple to Christ more than anything else. He has supplied me with the tools, the heart, drive and compassion to fulfill the great commission but as my brethren who have gone before me will testify, we are mocked and disbelieved almost everywhere we go or are sent; especially among our own (professing Christians). Very few are the true believers for so many are content with mediocrity and many have given up on even making an effort to abstain from sin or avoid temptations. People today are every bit as hard hearted as they were then when Jesus pronounced rebuke against them. His rebuke was not a condemnation but reproof that they may straighten (sanctify) themselves out and get on with the real work at hand. Yes, we’re infirm, yes we’re weak and filled with doubts and plagued with various wants or lusts but Jesus wants us to overcome those hindrances and allow ourselves to be useful to God sanctifying His Name among all Nations and thereby also sanctifying ourselves in the process. The bottom line here brethren is with His gift came duty and responsibility and we are most of all commanded to uphold and maintain His pattern and example proving ourselves to be His disciples and showing the whole world He is the Living GOD. Communion in the Garden Some of you are well aware of my
position in regards to participating in ritual communion services normally
offered at typical Church services. I don’t normally participate because I
refuse to eat, drink or dine with hypocrites and pretenders. But this time I
made an exception to my usual rule of thumb. After having toured the Holy Land
twice with Noah Hutchings and this time also having been baptized in the It is generally taught that one
must have a clear conscience and be clean of unrepentant sin, misgivings or
unresolved issues before he/she decides to participate in a communion service
because the Bible indicates you may become sick if you have not been completely
cleansed in your conscience before God. This is sound advice, especially if
anyone still harbors unforgiveness in their heart. After a long admonition to
the Paul then carries on with his
exhortation discussing things which are proper contrasting them with the
improper. This dialogue leads him to revisit the “Last Supper” account from where the Christian tradition and custom
of communion is derived. It is here where we learn that some become sick, even
die if their consciences are not cleansed prior to partaking communion. 1
Corinthians 11:23-30 “For I have received of the Lord that which
also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was
betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,
“Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you:
this do in remembrance of me.” After
the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For
as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death
till he comes. Wherefore whosoever
shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and
drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body. For this cause many are
weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die).” Now after communion, we casually meandered through the Garden area taking pictures of various curiosities. One such item of interest was a complete stone wine press located on the grounds. The wine press was shaped like a small trough with a reservoir at one end. It was the custom that delegated persons would trod on the grapes in bare feet squishing all the juices from them allowing the juice of the vine to collect in the small reservoir where it would then be collected into stone jars for fermenting. There was also a very large underground cistern used to collect water from natural springs nearby. It was dangerous to enter because of its depth. Still, I got an amazing photograph depicting its enormous size. As Renée and I rested under the
shade trees waiting for members of our group to gather back together, Renée
began complaining of feeling very sick and nauseous. This was rather unexpected
and at first I dismissed it thinking it might be female cramps or something of
that order. By the time we exited the gate to the James 5:14-15 “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” This I did and asked Francis Pickering, the elder widowed man who loved the Lord with all his heart, to assist me in laying hands on Renée and praying for her quick recovery. Francis, being a gentle soul and selfless by nature was more than happy to oblige. A few minutes of shared prayer, petitioning our Lord produced an emotional response from Renée and her stomach slowly began to settle. I discussed with Renée the probability of her still having some unresolved issues and the inherent dangers of unforgiveness. She was quiet the rest of the day pondering those things which I expressed. After boarding our bus to head back to our hotel one final time for our going away banquet, Hela and Noah led the entire group into prayer and thanksgiving praying for several among the group including Renée’s sudden illness. Upon our return to the Olive Tree Hotel, Renée took a brief nap as I carefully packed the rest of our baggage in preparation for our midnight departure. We showered and walked about the hotel grounds before our “last supper” together and took a few more photographs. During dinner, we feasted like there was no tomorrow because we knew this would be the last time we’d enjoy the wonderful Israeli cuisine. I traveled from table to table taking the last opportunity for pictures of all our traveling companions and saying thanks to each of them for their participation and fellowship. Hela accompanied us all the way
to the airport and through customs making sure everyone got on board safely for
their flight home. While in line waiting to go through the first check point, a
female customs official (quite beautiful in appearance) seemed more concerned
about me than anyone else in our group. Three times she stopped by asking me
questions to ascertain who I was and why I was in END Part Nine With all Sincerity and love for the truth and my scattered brethren abroad, Nicholas A. Stivers – a God-fearing disciple, scribe and messenger |