This is a crazy day for our Pilgrims. The desert overlook where Jesus sepnt forty days is a beautiful and majestic place. Jay said the weather is spectacular which makes it even better! On to Masada which, as Chris said below, was one of Herod's palaces. In 70 A.D. when the Romans were invading Jerusalem and taking all of the Jews to be their slaves, a group of JEws headed out of town and climbed up the mountain (in the middle of the desert) to this uninhabited palace/fortress. It was built with some amazing technology to have drinking water, cisterns, and complex systems to sustain a community for an unlimited time. Roman found them out there and struggled to get to them. They ended up building a huge ramp - which took a couple of years at least. The Jews chose not to be taken alive and when the Romans finally gained access, they found all of the Jews dead, by their own hands. They even have found the lots with the names of the last few members of this community - presumably to choose, who would kill whom in the end. The current motto of the Jewish military is - Masada, never again!
Qumran is the caves where they found the scrolls. Apparently it was a shepherd who was going after a sheep who had wandered off who actually found thes scrolls hidden in a cave.
And the Dead Sea is a unique experience. Due to the high salt content, you can't sink - you perpetually float. Last year, a man was showing off by reading a newspaper while floating in the water.
I will post some pics from our trip last year of these sites but I can't wait to see the pics of our guys!
Jay asked me to specifically ask all of you to pray for the group. He feels that because he has such a strong cadre of Christian men, who are already having an amazing God-filled experience, that Satan might be tempted to wreak havoc. Especially because tomorrow begins the time of Jesus with their day starting in Bethlehem.
May God bless our pilgrims, keep them safe and continue to spark their hearts and minds with His special and Holy places.
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