Where it all began

Sunday morning in Israel we visited where it all began. Not Bethlehem, nor Jerusalem – those destinations will come. This morning we were at the start of “our” belief – Caeserea. The “our” that I'm referring to is anyone who is a Christian, but not Jewish. For the first 10 to 15 years of Christianity is was only a movement within the Jews, those who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the waited for Messiah. They did not stop being Jews, but now they had “the rest of the story.” It was an act of the Spirit, that sent Peter (a prominent disciple and church leader) to Caeserea to the house of a Gentile. Take time to check read the story in Acts 10 http://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/acts/10.html Peter went against what he should do as a Jew (never be in the house or eat with a Gentile), followed God's spirit, and shared the message of hope with Cornelius. The Spirit of God moved, and it became clear this wasn't just a message for the Jews – it is for the rest of us. For everyone – we read this amazing story from Acts 10 in the amphitheater built in the time of Christ – overlooking the Mediterranean Sea – surrounded by the ruins of this once great city

Caeserea (named after Caesar) was conceived and built by Herod the Great in the decades before the birth of Jesus. In fact, this port city was created virtually from scratch in only 12 years. They made breaker walls, a full port, storage facilities, Roman temple, Palace which was ultimately used by Pilate (who hated to spend time in Jerusalem, but loved Caeserea), main street, massive bath house, and a 13 mile long aqueduct, fortified gates, etc – after the Crusades it was abandoned, and in time the ruins were covered. It has only recently been dug up and is now an amazing archeological site. But more than that, it is where the door of following Jesus was first opened to everyone of us outside of the descendants of Abraham. A good thing to celebrate on Sunday.

Then for lunch we ended up at McDonalds! Trust me, it is not the same (well the fries are). The entire menu is only in Hebrew characters, the burgers, buns, chicken, etc.. . are all different sizes and shapes, and the green tomato wasn't expected... we were told this would be the only time we would go to McDonalds – so why not. Tomorrow and the rest of the days will be more native.

Then we went to the oldest archeological site here – Magiddo. They estimate that the first civilization on this hill was 3500 BC (or earlier). Hard to explain the depth of history here – very little in terms of dramatic stories which we know, but from this area, with its layer upon layer of civilizations (somewhere between 25 and 35) you look over the valley – Armageddon – the connecting point of many different peoples at many different times. Some estimate that more battles have been fought here than any other location in the world, from ancient times to major warfare in WWI. (it's the common meeting ground from North, South and West) It is also the imagery of the final battle of Armageddon in Revelation (16:16). But from this point surrounding the valley are the places of the Bible. You can clearly see the hill of Nazareth, the trade route where Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, etc... this is where it happened!

Oh, then there is the water supply they created for this city. Digging down some 120 feet, and then carving a tunnel 250' through bedrock to get to a spring outside of the city wall. There were 180 steps down to the botton, and then a tunnel I could walk through without ducking- through solid rock – all done with hand tools – thousands of years ago – AMAZING

Our final stop of the day was Mt Carmel. Remember the story of Elijah challenging Israel to decide who they were going to worship? A show down of power between Elijah and 400+ prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18) It was a great end to the day to read the story together on the Mountain. We then scrambled down a steep rocky trail to an ancient olive orchard, and then back up to the very top for a great view as the sun was setting.

In between these ancient sights, the roads are modern, the shops are plentiful, the cars are a bit smaller, and there is no feeling of insecurity. Since arriving in Israel I have not seen guns, nor tight security. I understand it will be different in Jerusalem where the different religions and cultures rub shoulders, but here on the coast it is life uninterrupted. By the coast it is primarily Jewish, now tonight we are by the sea of Galilee – primarily Israeli citizens who are Muslims.

Good Night!

Dirk