Israel Study Tour 2011: Conclusion

Students and faculty returned about a month ago from an incredible study tour in the land of Israel. While no description could fully explore the details of this wonderful, annual trip, we wanted to share a perspective from one of the students along with a few pictures. Moody's Israel Study Tour occurs every spring and is open to anyone who is interested, providing available spots. 

“One of the things that impacted me the most during my time in Israel was knowing I was standing where the great biblical characters actually stood. It's not that I didn't believe prior to the trip, but I now can envision and feel the biblical record in a different way. We stood on the cobblestone entry to the ancient city of Dan (Laish). The stones are dated to be 4,000 years old. Well, about 2,000 BC Abraham was rescuing Lot at the city of Dan. Prof. Walt McCord (our tour guide) repeated three times, "Abraham walked on those stones." The Bible comes alive. Similarly, in the ruins of the synagogue in Korazin, we stood by the Moses seat and the spot where scrolls were held. The floor is from the time of Christ. Walt was able to say with confidence, "Jesus stood in that spot, on those stones as he selected the scroll for reading and then he sat in that seat - right there." The Bible is an accurate historical accounting of real people in real places. Seeing might not be believing (because a trip to Israel certainly isn't mandatory for faith), but seeing definitely reinforces and augments the faith.

Another type of learning was to see the Bible and secular history intersect. For instance, we stood on top of Mount Carmel and got shivers recalling the great miracle God performed in support of Elijah's challenge to the false prophets....a fantastic supernatural event. At the same time we're looking down on the Jezreel Valley where every major empire of the ancient world has marched and where Armageddon will commence. Past, future, supernatural, and major human events overlapping in one magnificent spot at our feet!”

- Jeffrey Clark, Israel Study Tour participant 2011