!!!Erev Tov!!! (Good Evening!)

     I left America at 1:30pm and arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel at 6:45am (local time).  We wasted no time and quickly got acquainted with our tour guide Shlomo and were on our way.  We stopped and got some coffee before leaving the airport and went straight to touring.  First impressions...this looks just like American airports and American Highways except the lanes are about 2 feet smaller.  The driving feels like New York and the locals are always in a hurry for some reason.  The weather is a bit off at the moment.  We experienced constant 25mile per hour winds yesterday and slight rain.  It nearly knocked me over a couple times.

     Our first stop was Joppa!  Joppa has some significant stories in the Bible.  Jonah left from the port of Joppa heading towards Tarshish (modern day Spain) instead of heading to Ninevah (the complete opposite direction).  We saw the port and it looks like a modern port.  Then we went to the place where Peter came to after healing a crippled man and raising Tabitha from the dead.  Peter stayed with Simon the Tanner and they are pretty sure that his house was within a quarter mile of this seaside location (Acts 9).  Peter was a real man too!  Not a mythical character.  We then went to the hotel to catch up on sleep and wonder around Joppa for lunch.  I did both!  This picture attached is a picture of my first Israeli meal. Its a falafel.  It is a much fun to eat as it is to say.  Its fried chick peas with some other stuff...it’s good and apparently healthy.  That night the hotel provided our dinner and, let me tell you, they know how to feed people.  The buffet was huge and delicious: meats, veggies, soups, salads, peppers, and a slew of desserts.  I ate like a king and felt like a huge glutton afterwards, but slept great that night.  I was awakened twice that night with a strong impression to pray...so I prayed and it was awesome.

    The next morning we packed up and went about 10 miles south to Caesarea.  This is further along in the Acts of the Apostles.  Chapter 10 tells about Peter’s vision of the sheet full of animals, clean and unclean.  This is significant for you and me who are not Jewish.  This is how God tells his Apostle to begin preaching and converting the Gentiles.  Peter then converted and baptized Cornelius, a Centurion in the Roman army.  The plan of God reconciling all of His people back to Him took another step forward here!

     Next we went to Megiddo!  I know what you are thinking...where?!?  That’s what I said until I got there.  Megiddo is a city that is one of the most significantly strategic bases that Solomon built during his 40 years of peace and blessings from God.  Solomon was quite the brilliant man and he was real to!  This fort was at the intersection of the major international highways of the land at that time.  It overlooks and controls the Valley of Jezrel (Valley of Armageddon).  This is a huge valley that is said (depending on your interpretation of Revelation) to host the final battle of Heaven here on Earth in which Jesus will defeat the Anti-Christ and his armies.  This Valley can fit millions of people on it...it’s huge.  So many battles have been fought on this valley from Josiah and Deborah to World War II.  Now it is just farm lands.  Megiddo is a historical digging site that has 25 different levels of forts and altars built on top of each other.  Two pictures shown are a large gate that Solomon built looong ago and then an altar that pagans used to sacrifice animals and humans on even longer ago.  Solomon conquered and built over the other god’s altars and town.  The water system was awesome as well, I will tell you about that in person.

Finally, we went to Nazareth where we walked in the old streets and buildings that the Son of God more than likely walked on.  For those of you who haven’t been to Nazareth, it’s a real place and Jesus was a real person.  I didn’t feel anything special as we began to tour the city.  The city looks like a 21st century city on a mountainside.  It’s cool.  In Jesus’ time there was said to be 50 families or so living on the main street.  There are much much more now.  The main feeling I got was that of the Anti-Christ.  

     The Muslim influence is sweeping across Israel and is attacking all ways of life, the airways, mosques everywhere, and bringing oppression on the young men and women.   The radical Muslims are said to either convert you or kill you.  They shine a green light on their mosques if they have this radical influence.  We saw many green mosques on our trip already.  Church, we are in a spiritual and physical war that is slowly killing and polluting the TRUTH about Christ and His message.  We have to begin to pray, fast, worship, and live aggressively for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to prevail in this generation today.  Muslims pray 5 times a day and these prayers are broadcasted trough the land on loud speakers.  The Gospel of Truth needs to be talked about in our conversations, dreamt about while we sleep, spread to those without it, and lived out with strengthening faith and passion that would have others see it and desire it over everything else.  God’s message of love and peace is that good.  Do you believe that?  The extent to how deeply you believe is the extent to how faithfully you will live it out.  It’s time to redefine our relationship with God and draw even closer to Him.

   Lastly, I was reminded of whom stands supreme over all physical and spiritual things.  I got to see the two mountains that significant events happen on them.  On Mount Carmel, the Divinity of God was proven and the false reality of other gods was defeated (1 Kings 18:16-46).  Then on Mount Herman, the possible location where Jesus’ transfiguration took place, 3 apostles saw Jesus transform into His spiritual body.   These two events prove the physical and spiritual power of the God we serve and His son Jesus who is our Savior.  Who can stand against Him?!? Nobody.

     The trip is going great!!!  I am finally getting to know my group a little better.  I got rest and tomorrow I am going to the Jordan River and the Galilee Sea.  These are where Jesus spent a lot of His time and performed many of His miracles.  Pray and intercede for me and the Church of Jesus Christ here in Israel!!  Talk to you tomorrow!!

Hope you are enjoying this!! 

!! Shalom !!