Tuesday

Tel Hazor

Tel Hazor is another Biblical Tel (hill) like Tel Megiddo.  Hazor was one of the most important Canaanite cities and the archeological remains are the biggest and best in Israel.  Hazor is old!  You can find references to it in Joshua 11:1-5, 11:10-13, Judges 4, 1 Kings 9:15, and II Kings 15:29.  It is amazing reading these verses now with a much more concrete idea of where and what they are talking about!  Previously, I just skimmed over these city names because I had no idea where they were, but now they're real.  So, that is quite a blessing!  This is a category 1.

Oil Press at Hazor


Sign about Oil Press



Caesarea Philippi

We journeyed to Golan Heigths (our first occupied territory) so that we could see Caesarea Philippi which is where the ruins of the Temple of Pan are located.

Temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi


Caesarea Philippi is where Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is, Matthew 16:13, Mark 8:27, & Luke 9:18.  This is also where Jesus healed the woman (from Paneas) who had been bleeding for 12 years: Luke: 8:43, Mark 5:23, & Matthew 9:20.  This is a category 1.

We then walked an amazing hiking trail.  I honestly thought I was in the flint hills of Oklahoma or Arkansas on a hiking trail.  I had to pinch myself because it didn't feel like the Israel my mind had formed.  Our hike ended at the Paneas spring which is one of three contributers to the Jordan River.  This is also when we saw a lot of signs for Lebanon and were only miles from Lebanon I believe.

Paneas Spring - 1 of 3 sources of the Jordan River


We then drove farther northwest until we were at the border crossing to Syria.  We stopped and could see out into Syria for miles.  It was pretty cold so everyone got off the bus and then right back in.  I was the last one back in the bus because I really wanted to just go step in Syria to say hi, but that didn't happen.  It was really interesting because we could take pictures of Syria, but we could not turn around and take pictures of all of the Israel military defense satellites and such  on the hill behind us.

Picture of Golan Heights and Syria border (the little town in the middle of the pic is the border)


Kursi

We then went to Kursi National Park which is the traditional place where Jesus healed the 2 demon possessed men and the demons go into nearby pigs who drive them into the Sea of Galilee where they drown: Matthew 8:28-34.  That's a lot of possible bacon...

Kursi National Park


Jordan River

Our final stop of the day was the Jordan River which is the river in which Jesus was baptized by John: Matthew 3:5-6, Mark 1:5, Luke 3:3, and John 1:28.  The traditional place where Jesus was baptized is actually in Bethabara, Jordan.  So, we didn't go there; however, the place where we were is a very popular place to come and be baptized in the Jordan as well.  I believe it is much easier to come to this spot in Israel then the spot in Jordan.  There were pictures of Benny Henn and John Haggee baptizing people there.  There were also plenty of people in the baptismal pool next to us getting baptized.  We were all loud and screaming because the water was cold on our feet...imagine being dunked in it.  Any who, it was very weird.  It was a very holy place, but had been turned into six flags over Jesus...

Video of me in the Jordan:


Me in the Jordan:


They have Mark 1:9-11 in hundreds of languages all over the Jordan Baptism Tourist Stop


My 3 studied languages: Latin, Greek, Hebrew