Jerusalem's famous Wailing Wall
There are three nations we want to visit within the next 10 years of our marriage, all with the purpose of learning from their rich historical significance. These nations are Israel, Turkey and Greece.
Israel is the birthplace of Christianity, where Jesus ministered, appointed and raised His disciples. And eventually, it’s where the Gospel spread out to the four corners of the world.
My wife and I are fascinated with historical sites. And Israel is a place filled with historical places to visit.
Just last week, I was talking with a friend of mine from another Christian church, who went on a study tour of Israel five years ago.
She talked about their journey to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Lord; she also shared her experience eating what Israelis now claim as the “St. Peter’s Fish” (though she discovered that fish was actually Israel’s version of tilapia).
It’s fun listening to her share her stories and experiences traveling from Egypt and on to Jerusalem, where her study tour took her to various historical places in the “Holy land”.
However, it’s completely different to see what I would only read in the Bible or some history books.
Meantime, Turkey is another historical city to discover because of its rich historical and cultural heritage.
The Seven Churches in the book of Revelation are all found in Turkey (which used to be known as Asia Minor).
It’s a different experience to see the various Christian churches established thousands of years ago, their eventual decline and what lessons we could learn from them.
Remains of Athens, Greece's Parthenon
And finally, the third nation–Greece, considered to be the cradle of the Western Civilization.
It’s where Alexander the Great was born, nurtured, taught by the great philosopher Aristotle before eventually succeeding his father Philip, who was assassinated during his reign.
Alexander the Great was considered by historians as the greatest commander ever, who was said to have never lost a single battle in his military career.
But aside contributing Alexander the Great to world history, Greece was also the birthplace of among others, democracy, the Olympic Games, Western philosophy (remember Aristotle and Socrates?) and literature, major math and scientific principles.
There–our “dream nations” for the next 10 years. What about you? What’s your “dream nation”?
Photo Sources: http://christophermattix.files.wordpress.com
http://pathwaysofhistory.com