Day 3 (Part 1): Jaffa-Caesarea Maritma-Mt. Carmel

Day 3!

Friday, January 2, 2015

2 to 7 AM:  Anywhere between two and seven men awoke at the Tel Aviv Hotel...some wandered down to the lobby and/or out along the rocks and boardwalk of the Mediterranean.  Our biological clocks are still catching on to Israel time.

7:30 to 8 AM:  We got on the coach and met our tour guide from Guiding Star.  For the past 50 years Guiding Star has operated tours and pilgrimages.  We quickly found our guide to be a man rich in knowledge, personality, and humor...

8:15 AM:  Arrived to Jaffa once again (Joppa).  Yesterday I mentioned about Joppa's significance in receiving God's provision for allowing the eating of bacon - not only this - BUT Joppa is the place of origin of the Vision that enabled the Gentile Church - that's you and I - to have provision to be incorporated into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (more on that later)...

8:30 AM:  Mass in St. Peter's Church 

St. Peter's - Main Church - Jaffa (Joppa) - After Mass

LOOK-UP:  Acts 9:36-43 to read about Peter in Joppa (raising of Tabitha)  

10 to 11:15 AM:  Explored Caesarea.

BACKGROUND:  Built by Herod the Great, the King of Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus (Mtw 2:1).  Herod the Great was the first ever King not from the Tribe of Judah.  According to the Lord, the king was always to come from Judah until the savior to whom it belonged would come (see Gen 49:10).  This illuminates the angel of the Lord's who told the shepherds on Christmas "for to is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (see Lk 2:11).

Herod was for the most part hated by the Jews.  Nonetheless, he is known as a Great builder.  In fact, his buildings are still here today.  He was the 1st in history to build a port wherever he wanted.  He was the 1st to ever build in water.  His port in Caesarea brought ships and money from all over the world.  He was the 1st to think of bringing water from a distant place to his city.  In fact, his aqueduct was and is one of the "wonders of the universe."

Group listening to the tour guide talking about Herod the Great and Caesarea.

Roman theater built by Herod the Great in Caesarea.

Group receiving a "1 minute" shpeal from tour guide [actual time longer than 1 minute].

Herod the Great's aqueduct to Caesarea.  "Wonder of the Universe."  Brought water from 22 Km away to Caesarea.  Still unexplainable to architects of today.  It only dropped 2.5 cm over the 22 Km span.

Photo in between the aqueduct and the Mediterranean.

Charlie Friebohle.  Somewhere.