Day 06 - Beth She'an, Megiddo & Caesarea Maritima

What a great day! We started the day on the shores of the Sea of Galilee with our daily devotion and reading of the Sh'ma. Mike Slayden shared the power of "the greatest sermon in human history." At the heart of the Sermon on the Mount was the truth that our righteousness begins at the end of ourselves. When we realize our spiritual bankruptcy we can begin to experience the Kingdom of God.

Next, we visited Beth She'an. This city is found in many places in scripture. One of those places was when it was controlled by the Philistines. When Saul died on Mount Gilboa, they brought his body to Beth She'an and displayed his body on the city wall to commemorate the victory over the Israelites. We then visited the ancient city of Scytholoplis that was located there during the reign of the Roman Empire. This city was one of the largest cities in the region and had up to 80,000 people at its peak. It was amazing to see the many different areas of the city, including the bathhouse, the gymnasium, and the theatre.

Our next stop was Megiddo. This city dates back to 4000 BC and represents 26 layers of civilization. This is a place of battles as it lies in a prime spot in the Jezreel Valley. Mike also taught that it is the place of the last battle mentioned in Revelation. It is Har Megiddo or also known as Armageddon.

Our last spot for the day was Caesarea Maritima. This was a city that Herod built from scratch. It was a huge city and a very large port that brought in trade from all over the world. We were able to stand on the spot that once stood Herod's palace. This palace was one of the largest in its day. It is possibly where Herod spent most of his time. Biblically speaking, Caesarea was central to many biblical stories, including where Paul was imprisoned before being sent to Rome. Brad led a devotion in a spot that possibly was the very spot that Paul was being held during this transitional time.

We finished the day by entering Jerusalem and spending our first night there. We will be here the rest of our trip, seeing and experiencing the stories we have read for so many years in our Bibles.

This trip has been amazing in every sense of the word. Being able to experience it with our church family and the body of Christ has made it an unforgettable experience!

Mark & Mary Ford

(The above video was from yesterday on the Galilee)