VIII. A Quest for Peace: Kingdom in Israel

(Continued)

A Quest for Peace: Kingdom in Israel

I. Peace City

II. Spiritual Quest

III. America

IV. Community

V. Kibbutz Sasa
VI. Jesus Christ Superstar
VII. Christian
VIII. Kingdom in Israel
  IX. The Second Coming

Evangelicals in Israel believed that Jesus would return in his second coming to Israel. Many believed that he would rapture his chosen into heaven, leaving all others to perish and live in hell for eternity. The community of believers I stayed with after Bethlehem held those beliefs.

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Although I found that difficult to swallow, I have much for which to thank my friends. They introduced me to a serious study of the Bible. They took me to the Jordan Valley, below the Qumran caves, and baptized me in the Jordan River. The Qumran caves had yield a treasure trove of scriptures named the Dead Sea Scrolls that had been written by community of scholars similar to the Essenes. I had been baptized twice before; once as a Catholic, then as a Methodist. This baptism, full body immersion, proved a special experience. I experienced going under as a dead man and springing out as a man of new life. 

From Christmas eve 1972 until Easter 1973 I spent in Eliat, Israel, with my friends who had introduced me to Christianity and witnessing. I worked just enough to buy food and spent the rest of my week witnessing. I lived in a community of international travelers who created shacks from scrap wood on the southern outskirts of Eliat in a desert wadis. I found that time important for my growth and development as a Christian. I read the Bible intensely during those months every morning for hours, then used the rest of the day to witness. 

I have spiritual experiences that profoundly impacted me as well. On one occasion, while praying in the desert, Jesus appeared to me. I had become confident that I knew who Jesus is, that I had a special personal relationship with him. I told me: "You have no idea who I am." That shocked me profoundly, setting me back on my heels spiritually. I began to rethink everything about Jesus and God.

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While living in the wadis community of international travelers and seekers, I drew double attention from the Israeli authorities. First, my evangelical activities earned their notice and, second, they disliked our makeshift community of travelers. We woke one morning to an unceremonious announcement that our community would be leveled. We had little time to remove our few belongings before bulldozers leveled our shacks. 

I received a visit from an Israeli policeman who told me to report to the immigration office, which I did. The immigration office took my passport, gave it back to me saying: "You have one week to leave the country." I suspect that my witnessing activities had finally become too much for their to tolerate. I protested: "Why?" He replied: "If you ask one more time, then you have to leave tomorrow." I knew that God would not permit that unless he had something else that he wanted me to do. So, I began to make preparations to depart Israel.

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Before I set off for Jerusalem, and after that Tel Aviv, I had an disturbing spiritual experience. While in the desert for my morning prayer, I had a vision of my home city, Seattle, engulfed in flames. I envisioned that I set off for my death. Be that what it may, I felt compelled to go the way my vision pointed me.

I booked my flight out of Tel Aviv for Nice, France, for the Easter, April 22nd. I arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday, April 18th and caught the candle light procession from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem by thousands of faithful Thursday before dawn. Saturday I traveled to Tel Aviv and caught my flight to Nice on Easter Sunday. I left Israel the same way I arrived, by jet. The Israel chapter of my quest for peace concluded.