An Earthquake, the Apocalypse and Jesus' First Sermon

Last night many of our group woke up to our hotel swaying.

It was unsettling, to say the least.

Some of us thought that it was the 60 mph gusts from the Mediterranean.

However, when we gathered for breakfast we heard the terrible news of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria. We are praying for the families who have lost loved ones, as well as for the first responders.

Last night, all of our rooms overlooked "the Great Sea" but we were unable to see the Mediterranean Sea last evening because it was already dark. However, we were amazed by the views this morning! It was raining and very windy today. You will notice that in some of the videos. Thanks for being interested in our trip!

Caesarea:

We traveled north to Caesarea for our first stop.

Caesarea was a harbor city built by Herod the Great in 22 BC in honor of Augustus Caesar. It was the city where the seat of the Roman government was for over 500 years.

It was the home of certain Roman procurators, including Pontius Pilate.

For hundreds of years, unbelieving scholars have attacked the New Testament's inerrancy by saying that people like Pontius Pilate never existed. They accuse the New Testament writers of making them up, "out of thin air." However, in 1961, at the archaeological site of Caesarea, an artifact was found that has since been called "the Pilate Stone." This discovery is very important. It is an authentic, first-century artifact that mentions the name "Pontius Pilatus." (See below.) 

Caesarea was a port city that had a theatre and hosted games every five years. (It was the setting for the historical fiction, Ben Hur.)

Caesarea had some significant events happen that are mentioned in the New Testament, especially in the Book of Acts.

• Peter came and preached to Cornelius, a Roman Centurian, Gentile, after having a vision while staying in Joppa (present-day Tel Aviv). For all of us Gentiles, we should be especially thankful for Caesarea because this was the first mention of the Gospel coming to the Gentiles too! (Acts 10)

• Caesarea is also the place where Herod Agrippa II while orating in the theatre (see below) was struck down by God because he received worship as a god.(Acts 12:19-24)

• The Apostle Paul visited Caesarea at least three times. (Acts 9:30, 18:22; 21:8-16)

• Paul also spent two years in prison here. He made his defense with three powerful speeches before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa II, (Acts 23:23-27:2)

The Hadrianic Aqueduct of Caesarea

The Port of Caesarea had no reliable source of fresh water when construction began by Herod in 22 B.C. So, King Herod the Great commissioned a raised aqueduct to deliver water from the Springs of Shuni (6 miles northeast of Caesarea). For the entirety of the six-mile aqueduct, the decline was only 10 inches! Amazing.

Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel means "vineyard of God." It is a wooded mountain range that is lusciously green year-round. It is most famous for the prophet Elijah's battle with the prophets of Baal during the Divided Kingdom.

• Elijah killed the prophets of Baal at the base of Mount Carmel, at the Brook Kishon.

• Elijah prayed on top of Mount Carmel and announced that the three-and-a-half drought would end. Then he had a foot race (I love this part!) and outran Ahab's chariot from Mount Carmel to Jezreel.

Megiddo

Megiddo lies on the southern end of the Jezreel Valley. The city of Megiddo has a long history and was a military fortress. Archeological digs have discovered over twenty different occupations. Each of them was built on top of the ruins of the one preceding it.

The Canaanites set up their "high places" here for child sacrifice:

The most famous fortress is the one built by Solomon described in I Kings 4:12, 9:15, and 10:26.

It's also where the last good King of Judah, Josiah, was murdered. (II Kings 23:29-30; II Chronicles 35:20-24)

Perhaps Megiddo is most famous for something that hasn't happened yet. The great gathering of armies will take place in the valley below the fortress of Megiddo. This battle will take place just before Christ's return to earth. In Hebrew, Har Megiddo means the "Hill of Megiddo."(Revelation 16:13-16)

Nazareth Village

We finished our first day of touring at the Nazareth Village. Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament and likely only had about 400-500 residents at the time of Christ. The city now has nearly 70,000 residents. The Nazareth Village is where archeologists believe that the vineyards, wood shops, potter's house, olive press, and synagogue were located. The homes were no doubt built on the hill where many of the modern homes are built today. This was probably my favorite place to visit today.

Wine Press

Potter's House

Pottery Furnace

The Synagogue

This replica of the synagogue was my favorite location today. Jesus read from Isaiah and declared that He was the promised Messiah being talked about in that passage. He also reminded these Jews that salvation was not exclusively for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well. They did not respond well to His message.

I go to stand behind the pulpit! :-) Pretty cool!

Join us tomorrow, right here, as we traverse around the Sea of Galilee!

Blessings,

PB