Israel is a small country with a land area about the size of the US state of Massachusetts, containing a population of about nine million people who are mostly Jewish. The geographic features of Israel have been known since biblical times, including the 9000-foot highest elevation at Mt. Hermon to the lowest point on earth at the Dead Sea some 1400 feet below sea level. But people don’t just travel to Israel to see its land features. Many go because Israel is a sacred country to the more than three billion people on earth who consider themselves to be monotheists. People travel to Israel to experience the Holy Land; the place of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, King David, Elijah, Isaiah, and, most importantly, Jesus of Nazareth.
I am among the millions of modern people who travel to Israel so that I can better understand what is taught in the Bible. I come to Israel with questions: What was the covenant Abraham made with God? What did Isaiah foresee nearly 3000 years ago? What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration? As I walk where the prophets and Jesus walked, I gain a new perspective about these religious questions. The Bible becomes a living text with a modern meaning.
But I also find a better understanding of current world affairs by walking the streets of ancient Jerusalem and encountering the new Mediterranean metropolis of Tel Aviv. Since the nineteenth century, the nations of the world have carefully watched what happens in Israel. To a surprising degree, mankind’s search for peace has its origins in the Middle East. The big question has always been, as Golda Meir, former Israeli Prime Minister, stated, “Can we love our children more than we hate our enemies?”
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I find much to embrace and to ponder in Israel. Why is there a grove dedicated to the prophets of my church in Israel? How did it come to be that the city of Jerusalem encouraged the establishment of a park dedicated to an early Latter-day Saint apostle, right next door to the Garden of Gethsemane? How was it possible for Brigham Young University to build a substantial edifice on some of the most sacred ground in the city of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus, part of the Mount of Olives?
I invite you to bring your questions and come with me to visit the Holy Land from March 5th–14th, 2023. My company, Mo Joe Travel, specializes in unique tours for Latter-day Saint groups and families. The cost for the trip is $4500/person double occupancy in 4-star accommodations with breakfast and dinner included. Together, we will travel through time and walk where the prophets and Jesus walked. We will seek peace and embrace the blessings God has promised his children.
For more information, please visit mojoetravel.com.