Well, hello everybody. It's so good to be back with you today. I'm going to tell you right now, today's daily devotional is going to be a hodgepodge of a lot of different things. We had a full day today, started out at Caesarea, ended up after that going to, where'd we go next, Kyle? Went to Caesarea, then we went to Mount Carmel, which was amazing. Then we, yeah, Kyle Simms says, hello. He's my roomie. Then we went to Mount Carmel, did and saw a lot of amazing things. Now there's going to be snippets here. Towards the end, there's going to be, hopefully the last video that you see that will come into this thing, will be just of some men from our group singing in the chapel to St. Mary Magdalene. And the acoustics were just amazing. I know it was recorded on an iPhone and hopefully my voice didn't come through too loud, but spectacular stuff. Today was an absolute treat. So I hope that you enjoy and please forgive the shoddy camera work. I'm not able to record with the iPad. I do it with the phone and transfer it. And yeah, I'm doing the best that I can. I'm not a professional videographer, but I hope that you enjoy this time. Thank you so much. Well, hello everybody. It is a beautiful day at Caesarea Maritim or Caesarea Maritime. Maybe you'll recognize that term. Here we go. Hopefully you can see this and hopefully you can hear me because it is rather windy out here, but that's the Mediterranean Sea and this is Caesarea. What you are looking at, oh, I hope that it's not too windy and that you only hear the wind. What you're looking at is the ruins of the hippodome and the great circus at Caesarea. The circus being where people were killed, where there was human entertainment, the hippodrome being where there were horse races and that sort of thing. And where I am walking to now with you is the palace of Herod the Great, who ruled from 4 BC, or ruled, excuse me, prior to 4 BC, died around 4 BC. And if you recognize that name, Herod the Great is the one who organized the temple rebuilding, but also Herod the Great is the one who was in power when Jesus was born. Now, where I'm taking you to, fascinatingly enough, if you're here on Sunday mornings, you'll know that we recently were in Revelation 10 with the angel with one foot on the sea and one foot on the dry land. It's fascinating, Herod, the great who was not even really an Israelite, he was an Edomite, married into Judaism. I think he killed five of his wives and 17 of his sons due to paranoia over them taking over. But his palace was everything that you can see around me. right here, and so this is the dry land, and this is the sea. That was his swimming pool right down here, and his palace extended out over the sea because he figured out how to make concrete. He employed 20,000 masons, but he also had 70,000 Jewish slaves. Yes, that's true. The king of the Jews had Jewish slaves. Here's an example of one of the Roman wells where they would bring in fresh water. They would also throw people down in there. They had a fondness for that. But not only is this an important place because this is where Herod lived, y'all, this is also where Pontius Pilate lived. Now, for a long time, people questioned that idea because they said, oh, there's no proof of that anywhere. But around 100 years ago, in an archaeological dig, they found what I'm about to take you to right now. You see, there's the palace back there. All of this would have been the palace. Everything around me is palace. However, right here, You can see, you see the P-I-L-A-T-E primarium. This is where we are documented that Pontius Pilate actually lived here as well. So, when you read about Paul the Apostle, for instance, being arrested at Caesarea and being tried, he would have been tried right here where we are. somewhere right here where the palace actually was. Y'all, in terms of importance, even the word important, something of import, it's because of the word port, that's where shipping took place. Caesarea was the most wealthy city on earth and Herod the Great was actually the wealthiest man on earth when he lived here. Most ports, the biggest port on earth had room for 60 boats. He functioned or he built this port to function with 120 slots for boats. Rome at that time that was the center of the world had around 27,000 residents. Caesarea had 55,000. And it was built with sanitation in mind, bringing in clean drinking water, all that kind of stuff. Now, where I'm at, as you can see, is just in front of where the palace would have been. You can see all sorts of things down here, like wells. Over here, right where we're at, is considered the place where Paul would have been held. Most likely Peter would have been held here too because Peter was brought here before he was shipped back to Rome to be executed for his faith. But y'all, to say that this is an important area, This isn't just where Paul was arrested and put through a trial. It's not just that we see that. We see really the cradle of the Roman Empire. Arguably, as if not more important than Rome, because realize that where we're standing, where I'm standing right now, is pretty much the center of Europe and Africa and Asia in terms of trade, in terms of culture, in terms of education, in terms of knowledge. And y'all, to say that this was an important city is just putting it so incredibly mildly. But also something else happened here, something else really important. And yes, I'm standing on a 2,500-year-old mosaic right here, and you can just walk around. Interestingly enough, there are very, very few people here comparatively. Our guide just said that there's only around 7% of the tourists that would normally be here. I don't know if you've heard, but things have been kind of tricky in Jerusalem and in Israel lately, but nevertheless. This place is so important to this story that I'm taking you through right now because, remember yesterday we were at Simon the Tanner's house in Joppa, which we would pronounce Joppa from God's word, also where Jonah went to escape the Lord's calling. It would be there that representatives from the centurion Cornelius would come and find Peter. Cornelius was told, hey, he's staying at Simon the Tanner's house. So Cornelius sent his representatives to find Peter in Jaffa. They brought Peter right here. And the reason that this is so important is y'all, it's not just this vision that Peter had that changes dietary laws and Jewish ritual. It's this engrafting of the Gentiles. Cornelius and his household really are the very first Gentile family that comes in to Christianity. where God's covenant expands to all tribes and tongues and nations. It's where the engrafting takes place. But also what's fascinating is this, when you read Acts chapter 10, which I hope to record a little bit later today, and I'll read some of that again, you see that the same language is used there for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit that you see also in Acts chapter two. So the idea is that God pours out his Holy Spirit on Peter and the Apostles, and then Peter comes here with that same Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is poured out on the household of Cornelius, which we don't know exactly where Cornelius would have lived in Caesarea, but we do know this. When he and his household were baptized, most likely it was right behind me here in the Mediterranean Sea. Now, one of the hallmarks of the Protestant Reformation is that we don't believe in sacred places or spaces. However, I must say to be here and to truly walk in the footsteps of where Peter would have walked, where Paul would have walked, where we know that Pontius Pilate lived here Certainly not during the Passover. There's some controversy over that. They say, wait a second, Jesus was tried before Pontius Pilate. Does that mean Jesus came here? No. During the Passover, Pontius Pilate most certainly would have been in Jerusalem. Remember, the Passover celebrates Israel's freedom being delivered from slavery in Egypt. They were under Roman bondage at the time. You better believe that Pontius Pilate, whose main job was to keep things quiet and keep the trade routes open, You better believe that that joker would have been living in Jerusalem during the Passover. However, that doesn't mean that Paul didn't come here. We know this is where Paul was arrested in 58 AD. We know this is where Peter came before they shipped him back to Rome to be executed. Now, was this the very entrance that they went through? I don't know. That's what the argument is. We don't have absolute explicit proof that this was the holding cell, and what I showed you before was the holding cell, but there's pretty good reason to think that it was. And y'all, though we don't believe in sacred spaces, that sort of thing, to be here and to see these things firsthand, it's just really remarkable. Yet again, oh, let me climb up here. Yet again, I want to encourage you to get your Bibles and read from the book of Acts chapter 10. And also, have some perspective as we consider how the Lord works. It's just phenomenal to be in a place like this that is the center of so much culture, that is the center of how the Lord really shaped the world. Arguably, in its time, the most important venue, for instance, for the performing arts is where I'm walking right now. You can see the old walls, original, when Caesarea was built. Behind me here, you can see all sorts of sarcophagi, or it's actually in front of me. This was burial chambers. You can see in the back here the theater that seats 4,000 people, and they added enough space for another 1,000 people to come. If you were anybody at all This is where you would perform. And even to this day in Israel, this is considered the absolute height of stardom to come here. But all of that being said, to be in this cradle of what would develop into Western civilization, to see how the Lord has worked here over the generations, how it would be Roman, quasi-Jewish because it was built by Herod the Great, but he built it with Rome in mind. That's why it's named Caesarea after Caesar, right? But then to see how later it would convert to Christianity. Here's an example of the cross being carved in the columns when it was claimed for Christianity. Later, of course, the Byzantine would come, and it wouldn't be until after 600 AD that Byzantine would finally conquer everything here. The Roman Empire supposedly fell at the end of the 400s, but they remained Romans here in this place. But to be here and to see these things that I've spent really the majority of my life reading about, trying to understand, It's a surreal thing and it's a very powerful moment. So let me encourage you today, get your Bibles, read from Acts chapter 10, read later about Paul being arrested. Read what took place here. What an amazing place. Let me pray for us. Father, we thank you so much for this time that you've given to us and I pray your blessings on everyone who finds this devotional. May they be blessed in the same measure that I've been blessed by being in this place. Thank you for your faithfulness throughout the generations. and I pray it all in Christ's name. Amen. Well, I'd like to thank you all for being a part of this time. Maybe I'll be able to record some more later. I hope that I will, because I'm going to Mount Carmel next. We'll see. Take care. Well, hello everybody again. I'm glad to be back with you. Hopefully this comes through well and you can actually hear me. It's very windy up here. As you can see, I'm up rather high. Now, you may be wondering where I am. There's lots of biblical passages that you can point to for this place. The most popular, of course, is 1 Kings 18, because I'm on Mount Carmel, where Elijah called down fire from God, supposedly right here on this spot. It's fascinating. Over this way, you can see there's a lot of people up here, a lot of different tours, but over that-a-way is Nazareth. Over that-a-way, that-a-way is Jerusalem. But up here on Mount Carmel, I would encourage you to read 1 Kings chapter 18 sometime, because what you find is really quite remarkable. It's this story of the prophets of Baal, and it's really fascinating, the links between Old Testament idolatry and modern-day Islam. As the Jewish people call Baal the Baal, They refer to it as Ba'allah, right? And of course we know that Islam worships the god Allah. They don't say there's only one God. They only say there's one God. His name is Allah. But nevertheless, right behind me and right up here is thought to be where Elijah, and this is a passed down oral tradition, I'm definitely on Mount Carmel. I say Mount Carmel, but they say Carmel. But this is where it all took place, where Ahab was king of Israel. Ahab, of course, very wicked king. Jezebel, his wife, even to this day, that name carries a certain connotation with it. But this is where Elijah squared off against the prophets of Baal or the prophets of Baal. And it's fascinating, if you look up the Islamic holy day, Ashura, we read in the Old Testament about the Asherah poles, there's a direct link between Islam and Ashura. If you recall, read 1 Kings 18, when the prophets of Baal call on their god to bring down fire, he doesn't listen. Elijah kind of mocks him and says, well, maybe he's asleep, maybe he's off somewhere else. And so they start beating themselves and cutting themselves. Google sometime, though, if you're a kid, don't do this because it's really disgusting and bloody. But Google, Ashura, Iran, they just had a festival in New York. It's an Islamic holy day where they beat themselves, self-flagellation, right? But that's exactly what the prophets did right out here behind me, the prophets of Baal. And then, of course, Elijah comes up. He has them soak the altar three times with water. The significance, of course, is that it hadn't rained for three years. They were pouring out their very lives on that altar. And then Elijah prayed and fire from heaven came down and consumed not only the offering, but consumed those prophets of Baal as well. And it's fascinating because it's one of the most important prophetic things that took place in the Old Testament. There's a plane going over. In fact, To this day, they leave a space open for Elijah at their Passover meals. pray for them that they would turn to Jesus Christ, who is the real one that has come, their Messiah. But nevertheless, this is where all of this took place. I'm standing beside a church that was built here on top of Mount Carmel. And to say that this is a moving area is just putting it mildly. Again, hopefully the sound of this is okay. Hopefully everything comes through well, given the jets and the people and the wind and all these sorts of things. But I'm gonna walk down with you now and show you the garden that has been uh planted on top and it's uh it's just a beautiful place um in many ways that fulfills the prophecy of balloons in the desert but excuse me as i walk through pardon me sorry about this car here we go this is where mount carmel opens up and you can see the beautiful garden that they have planted here, all sorts of blooms. With my group, we had a wonderful worship service just now, right over to my right, over here. And this, of course, is the monument that has been built, and it shows Elijah, of course, slaying the prophets of Baal as well. And y'all, this is a phenomenal place. Once again, Caesarea It was really fascinating. I'm going to Magdala next, where Mary Magdalene was from. But to be here in this place, there are no words to describe the weight and the significance of this, where here, God was called upon to prove his name valid. He was called upon to show himself to be the almighty God. All of Israel's children were here, and then they confessed that Jehovah is almighty. So what a wonderful place, what a wonderful reminder of who our God is. Can you hear me? Very, very quickly, I wanted to come to you from this place as well. I am in Magdala right now, which is where Mary Magdalene was from, hence the name Mary Magdalene. And the fascinating thing about here is not only where she was from, but also is the synagogue that was uncovered in 2009, which is right in front of me. right over here. I hope that you can actually hear me. This is important because this was the synagogue where Jairus was the ruler. Jesus was rejected, came back across the lake, and he came to raise Jairus' daughter from the dead. But it was on his way here to this synagogue that the woman with blood, the woman with the bleeding issue, touched Jesus. Right here in this place So when we read about Jesus teaching in the synagogue and Magdalene when we read about Mary Magdalene's reaction This is the synagogue where all of these things took place You'll notice in the middle the stone The floor is raised up. That is where Jesus laid out the scroll of Isaiah to teach from. Right there. Right there. Again, remarkable stuff. So, I showed you that 2018 was the official opening of Dorothea. Even if it was not completed, they still had a project to build a nice beach and very fancy restaurants on the beach. Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia