Dual Travelers : Israel Day 2

We were up and out of our hotel by 8:00 am.....can I say I didn't want to roll out of the bed quite yet. But once up and with a bit of breakfast I was ready to go! Michael could barely contain his excitement for our day to begin.

Here are a few pics of our travel to Caesarea by the Sea

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

First Stop Caesarea-where the gospel was preached to the Gentiles for the first time, this is where the Roman Centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter and became the first gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10:24-48) and where Paul was tried by Festus (Acts 25:6-12). It was also the ancient Roman capital of Palestine.

We saw the ruins of the coastal city including King Herod’s palace and the hippodrome which was the arena for chariot races. We also saw the aqueducts which brought in water for 10 miles. Then we sat in the Theater which could seat over 20,000 people and was made of all stone.

From there we drove through the Jezreel Valley to Megiddo, one of Solomon’s fortified cities (1 Kings 9:15-19, 10:26-27, Chron. 1:14-17). We saw remnants of his palace. We explored the water source, an underground spring, by walking down 187 steps following the passage then walked up 77 steps on the other side to get out. WOW, what a workout!

We had a view to the Valley of Armageddon, the site of many wars. It is believed that the end times Armageddon will be fought there as well (Rev. 16:16). Inspiration for this vision seems to have been drawn from the prophet Zechariah, who describes such a battle in the “valley of Mediggon” (Zech. 12:11).

We then visited Zippori which is located in the western Lower Galilee. “Why is it called Zippori?” because it is perched on top of the mountain like a bird. We sat in the Roman Theater which contained some 4,500 stone seats. We could see Nazareth on the other side. It is believed Jesus walked from Nazareth (a half days walk) to the theater area probably to work. He was known as a carpenter but was probably more of a craftsman. There wasn’t a lot of woodworking in those days, mostly stone work. We sat there, Pastor Drew shared some words with us and then we sang songs of worship.

The remains of a city were discovered here. They include streets, public buildings, dwellings, a synagogue, and churches mainly dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods. A fortress and a church from the Crusader period were discovered as well.

During the excavations here archeologists have found some of the most magnificent mosaics ever discovered in Israel, including one known as “The Mona Lisa of Israel”.

This was also the home city of Joachim and Anna, and the birthplace of Mary, mother of Jesus.

Next stop-Cana, “Church of the Wedding” (John 2:1-11)

This is where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning the water into wine.

The Franciscan Wedding Church is small and fronted by a courtyard. The façade has angel figures and is flanked by two bell towers. The church has 2 levels. The upper level has a chapel surmounted by a simple dome. The lower has a chapel and small museum with artifacts from the site including a large cistern. The ruins of ancient Cana are on top of a small hill above the plain. The local shop sells “Wedding Wine”.

We arrived at our 2^nd hotel, The Leonardo! We had dinner and then one of the most beautiful night’s sleep, beside the Sea of Galilee!! Wow….

Our first stop was Caesarea which was built by Herod the Great in 20 BC. It was the capital of the Roman province of Judea and the residents of its governors including Pontius Pilate. More importantly this was the site of the gospel being preached to the Gentiles for the first time by Simon Peter.

Roman amphitheater the acoustics were amazing

Joseph our guide giving us the history

Check out the fisherman fishing in the Mediterranean right by the ruins of King Herod's palace

Roman toilets made out houses seem very modern. Freida was a sport letting us take her picture!

Crusader built structure in the Gothic style.

Aqueducts running along the beach

Then we were off and driving through the Jezreel Valley site of many of wars talked about int he Old Testament. The book of Revelation tells us this will be the site of the battle of Armageddon.

Now we are off to Megiddo, one of Solomon's fortified cities to explore the ruins.

Carmelita in the tunnel that led to the spring that provided water to the city without going outside to be exposed to anyone

Next stop Sepphoris. The city was called Sepphoris from the word tzippori, a variant of the Hebrew word for bird, tsippor, perhaps because it is "perched on the top of a mountain, like a bird" . It has been suggested that Jesus, while living in Nazareth, may have worked as a craftsman at Sepphoris, where, during his youth 'the largest restoration project' of his time took place. Archaeological investigations at the site have led to numerous debates about the influence of this town on Jesus, and shed light on differences within Galilean society.

The inhabitants of Sepphoris did not join the Great Jewish Revolt against Roman rule of 66 CE.