Thursday, 10-15-09

Our day began with a visit to Caesarea by the Sea, located on the Mediterranean coast, midway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. This complex of ancient structures was originally built by King Herod the Great, who was an ingenious and innovative builder and politician.  Herod was also a prolific builder, leaving his mark in various locations all over Israel.  But at this location, he built a large Roman style theatre, a hippodrome (a stadium for horse and chariot racing), a Roman temple, a Roman palace and bathhouse, plus an aquaduct, and an impressive harbor among other various structures.

         Here's Matt at the Hippodrome:

During the time of Christ, Caesarea became the Roman capital of Palestine, and the Bible tells us that Pontius Pilate, Felix & Festus visited there & perhaps lived there at times. Paul was imprisoned there for 2 years prior to his appeal & journey to Rome. We also know that Cornelius, a Roman officer, was converted to Christianity there, after Peter's missionary visit described in Acts 10. And Philip also lived there. This great city was destroyed by Muslim invasions and was never again rebuilt.

We had a wonderful time of devotion and worship here at the Roman Theatre remembering Paul's boldness in declaring his testimony before the Roman governors, and skillfully defending the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here's a picture of the harbor and the amazing aquaduct:

From there we went to Mt. Carmel, the site where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal.  We read the story from 1 Kings, ch. 18, and viewed the site where this most likely occured.  We also had great views of the Jezreel Valley and Mt. Tabor.  We recalled the story of Gideon and his battle against the Midianites, and what an amazing victory God provided for the Israelites here.  We also recalled that the Jezreel Valley is the site referred to in Revelation as the Valley of Armageddon, where the last great battle will take place.

Overlooking the Jezreel Valley

Next we headed for Tel Megiddo, a mountain of ancient cities layered one upon another.  At least 25 civilizations have been identified in it's layers.  It was located in a very strategic place which connected the major trade routes between the Egyptians & Mesopotamia.  Because of it's location, many battles were fought here, for whomever controlled Megiddo controlled access to all trade along this route. 

We saw evidence of King Solomon's fortification of Megiddo, and of his multiplication of horses & chariots, which went against God's commandments for kings.  We saw the work of King Ahab, in a sophisticated water supply system which conveyed water from the base of the mountain through a hand hewn tunnel system.  This allowed the citizens to obtain water without going outside the city walls.  And we saw evidence of a large pagan altar and temple, which was used for pagan rituals & sacrifices, including human sacrifice. 

Feeding trough for                                                            King Ahab's water shaft

Solomon's horses

We had a devotional time there which included the reading of Psalm 2, and remembering how that God had called Israel to be a "light" to the nations, and how He had abundantly blessed them.  But they rebelled against Him, and chose to succumb to the worldly values around them.  It was a sad commentary and a visual reminder of how we, as Christians, and as a Christian nation, have also been guilty of compromising our values, and of allowing the sacrifice of children through abortion.

All in all, a VERY full day, rich with reminders of God's abundant blessings and grace...