Friday, June 10, 2011 Post

My dearest friends,

Greetings to you; grace and peace be multiplied from God our Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.!

I am so falling more in love with him these days of touring through the very land that Jesus walked through and did many, many mighty deeds and miracles! Oh what a heart of compassion and love he had! Oh what care he bestowed on all who would hear and follow him! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! What a Name! What a Savior! Oh, I love him! 

I apologize for being a while in posting! We have been running very hard, fast, and furious; basically Jehu! But oh the sights we have seen. 

Yesterday

I believe yesterday was our best day yet, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Each city that we toured deserves its own post page.

I should begin by posting about the glorious favor from the Father again! We went to Chorazin again, and basically spent a half hour to an hour weeping over it. I plan to devote a full post to it, be sure to check it out when I do. It is definately the most moving city and site that I have been to yet.

From there we went to Tel Dan (Wayne said to tell Dan 'Tsukaw' that he should be there). Oh what a city! It is the place on the North end of the kingdom wher Jereboam set up the idol to keep Israel from going to Jerusalem to worship as God had commanded them to. It was a stronghold that had millions of Israelites destroyed for many years!



 
The Altar (above) The High Place (below)
The altar and the high place are still there! Yes! Still there, though without the idol on it!

Then we went to see the oldest gate known by archeologists. Yes, we saw it.
And it is virtually sure that the Father of our faith walked through it - Abraham! My Lord! How moving it is to walk to it on the very ground he walked on!

Then we went to Ceasarea Philipi! What a city, though very pagan and wicked, built by Herod the Tetrarch who aquitted the Apostle Paul! Amazing handiwork. Again I say; "and we think we have technology!" Nah! More photos later! Try to notice the mitre cuts and bevels on the stone work! Oiyyyy!




We were very tired and hungry then, so we went and had some grilled chicken that was very good.

 But then we closed out the day; we went and climbed the very dear and sacred mountain that we know Jesus climbed many times; Mt. Arbel! I took frame by frame photos that I shall show the home church sometime. But oh it is euphoric! This is Wayne, Rosetta, and Matt making one of the last summits, and then the iron hand rails to navigate across an amazing, heartwrenching cliff that goes straight down for hundreds of feet. (No, it is not photo shopped at all) Oh, what a rush!








Today

Today then we went on another tough and hot day.

First we went to Gamla, the city that James and John, the sons of thunder, came from (it is believed). It is also believed that the Apostle Paul was highly influenced by them. Josephus, the historian was a governor there at one time before he was captured by the Romans. They were a group of Zealots, 9,00 strong, in a city on a high mountain peak that is very difficult to access, even to this day!

Rome tried several times to take it several times, and finally succeeded on the third try by stealthily descending upon it at night while the guards in the tower slept, felled the tower and went in a began to slay the men. Many threw themselves over the cliffs rather than to be captured by Rome. But when the Romans captured those that remained, they threw women, babies, one and all over the cliffs in glee. it is said that blood ran down the cliffs into the water strem enmasse!


We descended down to its level, while passing a group from Indiana and Michigan coming up. When we arrived down, we found a camera left there by that group, so I ran it up to them, reaching them no more than two minutes before their bus left. I was exausted after going back down, touring the city, then climbing it the second time! OK, SO I THINK I DID MY GOOD DEED FOR THE YEAR! Lol!




Listen to this! From there we went to Tel Hazor! Read about Hazor in the Word of God - Joshua 11! Oh, Hallelujah!


Folks, yes, we saw the very place where Joshua walked and burned the Canaanite, Hazorian temple to the ground!!!!! Yes, those rocks are Basalt rocks from Chorazin that take 1300-1400 degrees Celsius to break! The mighty man of God, Joshua, destroyed the city after killing Jabin and the inhabitants, then burned it to the ground! We walked the very ground.Be sure to note the original, 'shattered by the violent heat' Basalt rocks and the still black bricks (tho' it's hard to tell they are bricks because of their age!)





We were very weary again from the intense heat, so we headed back to our motel early today around 4:00 PM.


Cheryl and I had a wonderful time, reading again after missing a few days, in our journey through the bible in 3 months! After that we went and excercised for a few minutes.


It is now 12:06 AM our time. So, Shalom, and God be with you and strengthen your steps for the Kingdom! In Him, Lael


P.S. I don't know why, when I preview the post before I actually post it, I see that it is not how I created it. It must weary from my lengthy post! Sorry!