Galilee: Saturday 3/28

As we headed north our first stop was at Aphek. This is where the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant after they beat the Israelites in battle. The battle took place in 1104 BC and this is where the Philistines had set up their camp. They were moving north of Israel threatening to conquer it by taking this strategic place along the International Highway, so Israel had to defend herself by going to battle. The exodus happened three hundred years before this and the Philistines knew about the supernatural things of the Israelite God and they were a little unsure about the battle, but by the outcome of the battle the Israelites learned they could not manipulate or put Him in a box.

We then went to Caesarea where Herod the Great had built a great city in 22-10 BC. In Acts 10 Cornelius sent for Peter to come from Joppa. Cornelius was a centurion from the Italian Cohort and was a strong believer. Acts 12 tells us that Herod Agrippa I killed James and imprisoned Peter; it was here that Herod Agrippa I was eaten by worms. They could kill and imprison whoever they wanted, but the Roman Empire could not stop the spread of the gospel because it was God doing the work. Paul was also brought here for two years and gave his testimony before Felix, Festus, Herod Agrippa II, and Bernice (Acts 23-26). Festus did not understand why there was such a problem because, from his viewpoint, the Jews and Paul were arguing about a dead person. The city has a palace that juts out on a point. During its prime the city was a major harbor city which was manmade, but as time has worn on it has been dilapidated. There is also a theatre and a stadium. A stadium is a certain distance and they would have all types of races in it. The city has been used by all civilizations from the Roman period. There are mosaics from the Byzantine period that have scripture. One that we say was from Romans 13, which said in Greek, “If you desire to not fear the government, do good”.

From Caesarea we went to Mount Carmel where Elijah had his infamous standoff with the prophets of Baal. It was a good place to have it because it was a neutral place so not one side could have any ground of complaint. The standoff is described in 1 Kings 18, and we see that Baal is a figment of human imagination. People, for many years, thought he was real, but Baal is not worshipped anymore, YHWH is. YHWH has stood the test of time; He always has and always will. We can learn from this that our idolatry/earthly possessions will pass away—it is YHWH who lasts.