The first time I traveled to Israel, I landed in the afternoon,
which is the best plan, in my opinion.
It allows your biological clock to set itself for the new time zone
because, if you are like me, sleeping on the plane is fitful at best. Therefore, when you land and travel to the
hotel, it is time for dinner and then an early retirement. This has always set me up for being refreshed
and ready to go the next morning with no jet lag.
On that first trip, we were approaching Jerusalem at sunset. We climbed the road leading up to the city
and as we neared, there were places we could catch glimpses of it. It was the
most amazing sight, and a very overwhelming experience to see the City dressed
in her gold raiment peeking in and out of the trees and sides of the mountain
as we got closer and closer; until finally, she appeared in all her glory.
The city is made up of buildings constructed of pale
limestone, so when the sun sets, the stones become a radiant gold color. I was overwhelmed to observe the City of Gold that the Bible
speaks of. I don’t know what I
envisioned in my mind as I read those words in the Bible. I guess I thought it was a figure of speech:
but, not at all. It is a very real
phenomenon, and a very moving one for anyone with a love for what God loves. He often portrays in the natural what is true
in the spiritual.
Jerusalem
is called the great and holy City, the bride of the Lamb in Revelation 21:9 and
the city was of pure gold in Rev. 21:18.
Catching a glimpse of that City; that Bride in her beauty, and feeling
the passion of God for that place, was a very new experience for me. I couldn’t stop the tears that were cascading
down my face. There was a flood of
emotion as I realized that God had paid my way because He wanted me to experience
what He loves and share it with me.
In my five trips to Israel,
that was the only time so far, that I have arrived in Israel at that hour of day, and proceeded to Jerusalem. The other times I have gone to a different
city first, so have not had the same experience again. I sometimes feel sorry for those who travel
up to Jerusalem
in the morning or afternoon instead of early evening. I actually thought the tour company we
traveled with, planned the first trip to give each of us that experience, but I
guess it was just a special thing that God sometimes schedules and shares with
a few people for whatever sovereign reasons He has for those things.
I will always remember and cherish that first
experience. There is nothing like seeing
Jerusalem for the
first time, with the fire of God on it, and the Bridal beauty displayed for all
to enjoy. I am very grateful He decided
to share that with me.
