Day 13 – Sunday, November 13: Southern Border crossing into Israel, Red Sea, Timnah, Machtesh Ramon, Tel Aviv
Today was our last day of the tour. We crossed back over to Israel and enjoyed a more leisurely day that included travel and a few sites. The weather was very nice again, with full sun and highs around 80. We read Obadiah 1 (about a condemning word about Edom) as we left the Bedouin camp at Wadi Rum.
Rabin Southern Border Crossing
It took about 50 minutes to arrive at the border crossing. Located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, we cross from Aqaba, Jordan to Elat, Israel. The border here is named after the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The border crossing was extremely easy and quick, only taking no more than 30 minutes!
Coral Beach/Red Sea
Once we cross, we met Benjamin (our Israeli guide accompanying us for the day) and Shai (our driver). We drove through Elat, Israel’s most southern city, to Coral Beach. Here, we enjoyed the beautiful waters of the Red Sea. The clarity of the water and the color of all kinds of fish was stunning! It was a fun time of swimming and relaxing.
Timnah/Tabernacle Model
From here, we drove north through the Aravah (Rift Valley) to Timnah. In ancient days (13th-12th century BC), this was a copper mine of the Egyptians. We hiked up and over Solomon’s Pillars where we saw a Temple of Hathor (the Egyptian goddess of fertility. We also walk through a full-size replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle. Ariel, a Messianic Jew, offered a teaching on how all aspects of the Tabernacle was fulfilled by Yeshua-Jesus. As we left the site, we read from Hebrews 9.
Machtesh Ramon
Heading northwest now, we drove through the Southern Highlands past a few military areas used by the Israelis (e.g. tank maneuvers are practiced here). Eventually, we drove through the Machtesh Ramon, Israel’s “Grand Canyon.” We made a brief stop on the north rim to gain a wonderful view of this “crater.” This geological phenomena was most likely created as a result of the Noahic flood a few thousand years ago.
“Our last day was today… sort of bitter-sweet. These last almost two weeks of traveling has been amazing. We learned so much, and went to many, many sites that connected us to the Bible. Thanks to Dr. John for sharing his experience and insights for us! It will be hard to leave this land, but know that the adventure of reading the Bible in new ways is just beginning!”
Jaffa
The drive north continued from here. We past the Desert of Zin (Numbers 13, 20) and the Beersheba in the Negev (Genesis 21, 26, 47) on our way through the western Shephelah. We drove past Tel es-Safi (biblical Gath) as we made it to the coastline of the Mediterranean. In Jaffa, we enjoyed another “Farewell Dinner” at a very nice Arab restaurant. Following an excellent mear, most in the group were transported to the Bern Gurion Airport for their flight home. Six in the group were taken to a nearby hotel for overnight before their flight tomorrow morning.
This brings us to the end of this 14 day Israel-Jordan tour. Praise be to God for the wonderful group God gathered and for all of our experiences here in the lands of the Bible!
Day 14 – Monday, November 14: Flight Home
