Turkey Day 6-Grand Mosque, Nicea, Hagia Sophia

     In the morning we went to the Grand Mosque in Bursa. It’s the 5^th largest Mosque in the world. It was built in 1396 to commemorate the Turkish battle with the Tatars. I really really liked it. It was very clean and looked very new. It has been well taken care of.

     After that we drove to Nicea where the famous Nicene Creed was established. In May 325, Constantine called many bishops from around the empire to solidify key doctrines of the church. Such matters that were debated included the divinity of Christ and the nature of the Godhead. Because of the Nicene Creed, the church became more unified and helped propel Christianity into the Middle Ages.

     After Nicea we drove back to Istanbul where we capped off our trip by going to the Hagia Sophia, or the Aya Sophia. It was built by Constantius in 360 and was for many centuries the world’s largest church. Today it’s the 4^th largest. After being destroyed by earthquakes, Justinian finally built it as it stands today. In 1453, Sultan Mehmet II ordered for the building to be converted into a mosque. Then in 1934, Ataturk ordered that it be converted into a museum. There is definitely a lot of wear and tear on the building but was really awesome to be in such a historic building that is so massive.

     Turkey was such an amazing trip. Not only was it absolutely beautiful but it is so historically and religiously significant. It was soooo incredible to learn about. The highlights of the trip in my opinion were going to or passing by the 7 churches of Asia, the Blue Mosque, and the beautiful scenery at Assos. Even though I posted some pictures, they do it no justice as to how magnificent the country is.

Day 6 Pics

Grand Mosque

Grand Mosque

Nicea

Council of Nicea, 325 AD

Hagia Sophia

I am so strong

Constantine and Justinian with the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus

Turkey Day 5-Hierapolis and Bursa

     Day 5 was a long day of driving. In the morning we went to Hierapolis which overlooks Laodicea. Hierapolis is known for its rich minerals and hot springs and nearby Colossae is known for its cold water. Going there helped me realize the letter to the church of Laodicea when they are chastened for being lukewarm in Revelation. Hot water is useable as well as cold water. But lukewarm water is useless and that’s what the members of that congregation were being chastened for. The Lord isn’t telling us to be all the way good or all the way bad. He wants us to be useable so that He can use us to bless His children.

     After Hierapolis we then made the long journey north to Bursa, the first capitol of the Ottoman Empire. On the way we passed by the cities of Philadelphia, Sardis and then we had lunch in Thyatira. In one day we were able to visit or pass by 4 of the 7 churches in Asia as recorded in the Book of Revelation.

     That night in Bursa we had a sacrament meeting in the bar of the hotel. I can honestly say that the thought of having the Lord’s Supper in a bar was a little weird. But when we got there and sang an opening hymn, I came to realize that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). It was a really spiritual meeting. 

Day 5- Hierapolis and Bursa

A couple of studs at some 4th century Byzantine ruins in Hierapolis

The hot springs of Hierapolis, near Laodicea-Revelation 3:14-22

Philadelphia-Revelation 3:7-13

We passed by Sardis-Revelation 3:1-6

Thyatira-Revelation 2:18-29

My roomie and I in Bursa

Turkey Day 4- Ephesus and Miletus

     When speaking of the New Testament, one cannot overestimate the importance of Ephesus. It was the place  where Paul lived for 2 years as a missionary. The book of Ephesians is addressed to the people there. It is also the place where John the Beloved lived and where he wrote 1,2,3 John as well as the Gospel of John. The events and writings that took place there have affected millions of people worldwide in the last 2,000 years.

     Ephesus has been preserved quite well and the famous Census Library is still standing. The best part of Ephesus was going to the huge theatre that seats 25,000 people. Right outside of the theatre there were actors reenacting some gladiatorial games. The Olympic music was blasting and it was a way sweet sight to see. I was so pumped up. The theatre is also the site in Acts 19:26-41 where many artisans and craftsman where mad at Paul for preaching against idol worship. They gathered in the theatre and shouted, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” Diana was the goddess whose temple was located in Ephesus. When we went to the theatre we all sat down and tried to reenact the scene and we all shouted, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” There were lots of tourists around who gave us weird looks. After our reenactment, the 80 of us students went down to the stage area and sang “All Creatures of Our God and King.” After we sang all of the other tourists there clapped for us.

     After Ephesus we drove to Miletus. Miletus is the site where Paul stopped on his third and last missionary journey. He called elders of the church from around the area and had kind of a farewell. He said that it would be the last time that they would see him and they wept sore, and fell on his neck, and kissed him (Acts 20:36-38). To commemorate this event, we sang, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.”

Pics from Day 4

The Celsus Library at Ephesus

Just reading at the biblioteca 

Theatre at Ephesus

"Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Acts 20:28

Toilets

Miletus-Acts 20:17-38

Day 3 Pics

A turkey in Turkey, how fitting

Assos, Acts 20:13-14

Temple of Athena

Riding the tram up to the acropolis of Pergamum

Pergamum, Temple of Trajan, Satan's Seat (Revelation 2:12-17)

Remains of Ascelpion

Turkey Day 3-Pergamum

     On our drive to Pergamum (which was one of the 7 churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation) we stopped at Assos for a brief visit. The apostle Paul stopped here on his way to Miletus. There are no words to describe how beautiful Assos was. It is a small little village on a hill but after hiking to the top we could see the beautiful Aegean Sea as well as the island of Lesbos. I’m a little disappointed that we couldn’t go to Lesbos because I was really looking forward to meeting some Lesbians.

     From a historical standpoint, Assos is most known for the Temple of Athena. There isn’t too much left but the ruins were still fun to see and it is in a great scenic spot.

     After Assos we journeyed south to the place “where Satan dwelleth,” a.k.a. Pergamos. We went to the Acropolis of Pergamos which had the famous Temple of Trajan. This was the place where the seat of Satan dwelleth according to Revelation 2:12-17. It also has a huge amphitheater on a very steep hill. One of my professors who has been an archeologist in the Middle East for decades said that the white stone at Pergamos was the whitest he has ever seen in the Middle East. It gives added meaning to those who read in Revelation that to him that overcometh will be given a “white stone and a new name.”

     After Pergamos we went to the Ascelpion, which is known as the world’s first health center. It was a sanctuary to the God of Medicine, Asclepios.

     The hotel that we stayed at was right along the beach and it was probably the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at.

Pics of Day 2

I think I should win the award for best dressed. I have on scrubs, a Power Rangers shirt and a fanny pack.

Behind me is the traditional site where Hector and Achilles fought each other

The Odeon

The Trojan Horse used in the movie

Canakkale

Turkey Day 2-Troy and Canakkale

     We went to the ruins of Troy and saw all of the ancient and traditional sites of the Trojan War. We saw the traditional sites of the war such as the place where Hector died and the place where Hector and Achilles fought each other. At the Odeon (the little theatre) we acted out parts of the Iliad and I got to be Hector. Even though I got killed, I was still glad to be able to play the role of such a studly guy.

     From a gospel perspective, Troas has a lot of significance. It was here that the apostle Paul received in a vision of a man of Macedonia imploring him to “come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). After that, Paul journeyed to Greece and preached the word there. Perhaps one of the funniest stories in all of scripture happened in Troy, or Troas. On one occasion, Paul, who was a rather long winded speaker, spoke until midnight and continued to talk. One young man, Eutychus, who was sitting in a window, dozed off and fell out of the window. Having fallen three floors to the ground, he was believed to be dead. Paul, however, picked him up and noting that he was still alive, continued with his discussion until dawn, at which time he left from Troas to go to Assos (Acts 20:5-12)

     After we explored Troy we drove to the nearby city of Canakkale which actually has the Trojan Horse that they used in the movie. Cannakkale might be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Our hotel was a 30 second walk from the shore and the water was beautiful. There are also a ton of apartment buildings along the coast which was nice to see. It seems like back home people like to have an exclusive club for beach side property. Well not in Canakkale. There are a good number of buildings right along the coast. 

Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

Sailing along the Bosphorus

A fish

Turkish Delight on a moonlit night

Turkey Day 1-Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Cruise along the Bosphorus

What a day, what a day!! The Blue Mosque is absolutely amazing! I couldn't stop taking pictures and being in awe. We also went to Top Kapi Palace in the morning. It was a palace that was built by Mehmed II in 1460. There was a lot of old clothes on display as well as jewelry and a huge, huge diamond. We saw the case that supposedly has Muhammad’s beard but we missed the case that contains John the Baptist’s head. I think I can say for certain that it wasn't his real head. For lunch we walked through a more residential area and the streets were paved with stones. I really like the feel of some of the areas here. At night we sailed along the Bosphorus and it was so pretty. Istanbul is such a beautiful place and I definitely will want to come back in later years. For dinner I had a fish. Not fish, but a fish. It was ok.

Garden of Gethsemane

The Augusta Victoria Ceiling

Golgotha

Notice the fanny pack

Viewing the landscape of Jerusalem

     Today was such an amazing day. We went to different sights around Jerusalem to get a better look at the Holy land. We went to the tops of different hills and churches and could see as far north as where Ephraim used to be, as far east as Jordan, and as far south as the Dead Sea called the. We went to the Augusta Victoria which is a Lutheran church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. It is one of 3 tours on the Mount of Olives, the other 2 being the tower of the Hebrew University and the other being the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension. At the Augusta Victoria we could see everything all around us. We had to climb 200+ stairs to get to its bell tower.

     Perhaps the biggest thing that surprised me was how small everything is. One reads the Bible and thinks that everything is so huge and spread out but it really is not like that. Bethlehem is so close to Jerusalem. The Old City of Jerusalem was not very big at all. Maybe my perspective is a little bit off because we were at sights where we could see a lot of land, but Jerusalem and its surrounding areas are not as big as I imagined them to be.

     We went to the city of Gideah. It was the place that King Saul built one of his palaces. Stories from Judges 19, 1 Samuel 13 and 1 Samuel 20 all took place there. This was also the place where David played the harp. The ruin that we stood in was built by King Hussein of Jordan in the 20^th century but there are stones that we saw on the bottom that were original stones of Saul.

     As we looked north into the horizon from Gideah, we could see places that were off limits to us because they are controlled by Palestinian forces. But those places have big significance to those who believe in the Bible. We saw Bethel and Ai which is supposedly the sight where Abraham built an alter to the Lord in Genesis 12. Also in that area we could see where Jacob had his dream of the ladder to heaven found in Genesis 28. The best part about that view was that we could see the land of Ephraim in the distance. It was good to see my ancestral grounds.

     The best part of the day was going to the Nebi Samwil. Today is Holocaust Memorial Day and at 10:00 horns from around the city rang to have a moment of silence for those who experienced it. It was a great experience to be in from on the traditional sight where the Prophet Samuel was born and buried and to honor modern Jews as well. The Nebi Samwil was a fortress for King Richard when he was battling Saladdin. It is located just outside of Jerusalem and was used as a place of worship for Richard. He never made it any further into Jerusalem than that. Then it was taken over by Muslims and was converted into a Mosque which stands today. Inside they have a false casket to memorialize Samuel. In the 20^th century, when Israel took over, they converted the basement into a synagogue. So the Nebi Samwil is an ancient Christian fortress that has both a mosque and a synagogue in it. Both the mosque and synagogue have false caskets of Samuel.

     We went to the basement where Jewish men were and they were reading their scriptures and discussing themselves points of doctrine. They were speaking Hebrew so I don’t know what they were saying.  But the head guy started talking to us and spoke to me. He spoke a little bit of English so I could kind of understand him. He then proceeded to put on a phylactery around my left arm and then put a band type thing on my head. I am not too sure what the significance and symbolism is but I will find out. He then told me repeat the prayer that he said as we stood by the coffin of Samuel. I am a little rusty on my Hebrew so I tried really hard to listen to his words and pronounce them the way he said it. After we finished he told me to pray for a good life, for a wife, for children, for prosperity, to be happy, etc. Then he told me that the Messiah was to come very quickly. He said that this is their land that that the Messiah will be coming. It was a really neat experience. As we walked outside my professor told me that they had never invited anyone to do that before so I feel pretty special. I am starting my Judaism class tomorrow so I am looking forward to studying the significance of everything.