Many servants of God arrange tours to the "holy land" in the land of Israel for the people of God promising spiritual blessings through such visits. Many years ago I dealt with this doctrine and warned the servants of God concerned. In this article, I deal with this pernicious doctrine that strikes at the very roots of our Christian faith. "Believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father, Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him..." (John 4:21-23). It is seen very clearly from the above words of Jesus Christ that we are no longer required to visit the "holy land' for the purpose of worship. True worshippers are required to worship God in spirit and in truth. Jesus in you "is greater than the temple" (or any monuments in His memory) (Matt.12:6). Merely seeing the places of birth, crucifixion, burial and resurrection would pale into insignificance in the context of our faith in His birth, crucifixion, etc. The truth of gospel is more important than the places of gospel.
I can see the works of the Holy Ghost, not in the "holy land' where people flock to be blessed by sight, and not by faith, and where Jesus is still not accepted as the Lord and the Messiah. Nor can I see the works of the Holy Ghost or feel His presence or anointing in the places where He was crucified, buried and resurrected from the dead. "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (Lk 24:5). But I can see the works of the Holy Ghost amongst the places not reached by the gospel in India or Africa through the signs and wonders performed by the evangelists in the Name of Jesus Christ, or amongst the congregations of believers where they worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
Apostle Thomas came all the way from the 'holy land' to India, and manifested the works of the Holy Ghost in our nation, whereas some servants of God were leading the people of God from India or other nations to the holy land. Can the believers who visit the holy land increase their faith or understand the Scriptures through such monuments? Should the monuments preserved in memory of Jesus take the place of the written word of God? No. God forbid. The Word of God has to be understood through the anointing of the Holy Spirit (I Jn.2:27).
Then what purpose is to be served by undertaking such trips? Is it to know more of Jesus by physically walking over the places treaded by His feet or by physically praying in the garden of Gethsemane? No. We are not worthy to walk over those places, and to pray in the garden of Gethsemane. We, the bride, should not take the place of the only begotten son of God, the heavenly Bridegroom. In our spiritual life, we are required to take our crosses and follow Him.
Nowhere in the Acts of apostles or in the biographies of the servants of God who entered glory can we see that they led the children of God to the monuments in the holy land. It is quite against the New Testament doctrines.
Let us meditate on John 5:33 to 39, and see the four-fold witness to Jesus Christ. Verses 33-35 speak of witness by men (John Baptist); verse 36 speaks of witness by the works – greater than that of John; verses 37-38 speak of witness by the Father and verse 39 speaks of witness by the Scriptures. No 'holy monuments' testify to Christ Jesus.
We, the children of God redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, should not give importance to the historical evidence concerning the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. By giving such importance to the historical evidence, we relegate to the background and even dishonor the work of God and the Holy Ghost. Though the empty tomb of Jesus bears testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, this testimony is meant for unbelievers or historians or Bible scholars who conduct archeological researches and discoveries, and not for those engaged in the ministry of evangelism and revival.
For believers, the indwelling Holy Spirit who was sent by the Father after the ascension of the Son of God bears witness in their spirit to the resurrection of Jesus. Secondly, the Scriptures including the gospels, the epistles written by the apostles and the book of Revelation bear witness to the truth of resurrection.
Historical evidence may not be cent percent true. But the word of God is cent percent true. It is also possible that the archeological evidence was tampered with to some extent by human or natural elements during the course of the past thousands of years.
Visiting the holy land is like searching for the shadow or the image of the object which is already in our possession and then knowing about the object through its image or shadow.
There are many guides in Jerusalem to tell the visiting tourists about the significance of the places mentioned in the Bible. We are not in the category of tourists to be taught by some guides about the Biblical truths. In other words, we should not want to know of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through mere evidence or through the mouth of tourist guides. Does not this act of ours amount to mocking of our loving Heavenly Father who had sent the Holy Ghost, the Comforter to be in us and to teach and guide us?
We should not identify ourselves with the company of tourists who are of the world which "by wisdom knew not God" (I Cor.1:21). We are not to be led by "the wisdom of the world" (I Cor.26:6) and "we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God" (I Cor.2:12)
If we call the earthly Israel/Jerusalem as the 'holy land', and visit the same, then we will be deliberately trampling under our feet the 'holy land'. Let not God judge us through our own words. Similarly, if it is treated as the 'holy land', then we should not make it a picnic spot. The Israeli Government which has not yet accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah has made the 'holy land' as a tourist centre, and the people of God should not frequent the 'holy land' merely as tourists. Let not God judge us.
By calling these monuments 'holy', we grieve and deny the Holy Ghost by our very act. 'Holiness' is an attribute of the Spirit of God which should not be attached to any places on this earth. "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" cried Isaiah, the prophet (Is.6:3). The whole earth, and not merely any particular place in Israel, is full of His glory. Only the place where God dwells is holy, and the same is called 'holy place' (Is.57:15). Under the New Covenant, we are the temple of the Holy Ghost which is holy (I Cor.3:16-17).
As New Testament priests, we have come "unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," (Heb.12:22-24). Leaving behind the reality of the heavenly Jerusalem where we have already come through Jesus Christ, we should not attach significance to the earthly Jerusalem, because you have not come "unto the mount that might be touched……" After reaching the heavenly Jerusalem, we are still groping in the dark, searching for the earthly monuments or the shadow of the Old Testament. "…after that ye have known God or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Gal.4:9).
Let us also read the apostolic doctrines in the epistles. Paul says in II Cor.4:18 and 5:7:
"..We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal…."
" For we walk by faith and not by sight…"
God's money is to be spent in God's ways and for God's purposes. Spending God's money for purposes other than evangelism and revival, and exhorting God's people to visit the 'holy land' just for academic purposes may be lawful but are not expedient.
(Job Anbalagan)