We arrived in Tel Aviv Airport at approximately 3:45pm (local time).
It was 10:45am (EST) at home when we landed.
Just after we landed, Dr. Gordon Eck introduced me to a young man named Warren. Evidently, Warren and Gordon had sat by one another on the flight and had been talking about the gospel and Jesus for nearly 6 hours on the second leg of our journey from Frankfurt, Germany to Tel Aviv. Dr. Eck said Warren had bowed his head and asked the Lord to save him during the flight. According to Warren, he had just received an assignment yesterday to come to Israel to make a tic-tock video. There are no such things as coincidences with God! When Dr. Eck asked him "if you died today and the Lord were to ask you why he should allow you into heaven, what would he say?" Warren answered to us, "...because Jesus made a full sacrifice on the cross for my sins." Praise the Lord! Please pray for Warren! Dr. Eck and he exchanged contact information so that they could stay in touch.
After going through customs at the Airport, we made our way to our hotel in Netanya, about 30 miles North of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv (Jaffa, Ancient Port City of Joppa)
Our arrival point, was our first stop. Tel Aviv is on the coast of the Mediterranean.
All of the Western boarder of Israel is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, Tel Aviv is the ancient port city of Joppa.
This city was allotted to the tribe of Dan, but they failed to capture it. (Joshua 19:46-47) It's also the chief seaport during the time of King Solomon where cedars from Lebanon were floated down to Joppa, then taken to Jerusalem and used for building the temple. (Joppa was used as a port city to float timber during the time of Ezra as well.-Ezra 3:7) You will remember that Joppa is also where Jonah launched from when he tried to run from God instead of preaching to the Ninevites. So, it was in these Mediterranean waters that the LORD prepared the great fish to swallow Jonah. (Jonah 1:3) Joppa is also the city where Simon Peter raised Dorcas (Tabitha) to life. (Acts 9:36-43) In addition, it was in Joppa, where Peter, while staying in the home of Simon "the tanner" had a vision of eating non-kosher meats and ultimately went and shared the gospel with Cornenelius. (Acts 10)
I couldn't help but see the contrast of one of our me, sharing the gospel while on their way to Joppa, when Jonah, over 2000 years ago, ran from God before he would share a message to the Ninevites.
Tomorrow, we are off to Caesarea and the Sea of Galilee!
Shalom!