The last thing I expected to see at Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Philippi is known for being the place in Matthew 16 where Peter says to Jesus, "You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God".

In this region is this mountain and cave where the headwaters of the Hermon Stream (from Mount Hermon) flow out of the ground and form part of the headwaters of the Jordan River. 

What I learned on this visit there, that differs from my tour in 2017, is that while Peter said this to Jesus in this area, it's unlikely he said it right here at this cave. 

Why?

Because it's a place of pagan idolatry, and Jews would not have gone there. Jesus didn't need to—everyone know about this place, this rock. His play on words, "Upon this rock I will build my church" still makes sense whether or not Jesus was standing there. 

While today the cave is closed up (though still deep), back in the day, this is where the water flowed from—just like the spring where Gideon's men drank. It's was so deep they couldn't find the bottom, and it was believed that this was the gate to the underworld.

Next to this cave were temples to the pagan god Pan. People worshipped here, did vile acts, and sacrifices were made in this stream. This site says that children were thrown in; we know for a fact that goats were too. If the goats sank, then the sacrifice was accepted.

In 749 AD, the same earthquake that destroyed Beit She'an, Susita, and so many other places in Israel, also destroyed this place. At that point, the cave was closed in and the springs found a place farther south to stream from the rock.

The last time I visited this site, this is basically all I saw, along with more statues/pillars. So I was unprepared for the latest excavations:

It turns out that Augustus Caesar gave this town to Herod, who turned around and built a marble temple for Caesar in front of the cave. About 5 centuries later, a church was built right over those ruins.

Something that is very common in Israel that is that any place where it's documented that Jesus said or did something, the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, or another liturgical church came later and built a church there. So, I guess it shouldn't be that surprising—but I was only here 5 years ago and those ruins had not been excavated then! So that definitely shocked me.

It's also surprising to me, to see a church here at a place of pagan worship, even if Jesus did say that statement nearby (or right there). But, there you go... can't argue with proven fact. 

What do you think of this?

Where Gideon's men drank from the spring

There's nothing like a cool drink on a hot day!

Unless you're Gideon, and the way your army of 10,000 men drank from the spring means that all but 300 of them have to go home. 

Gideon was nervous about going to battle against the joined forces of the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern armies (120,000 soldiers), and he wanted as many men in his army as possible. Completely understandable. 

(the view from the opposite mountain)

But God wanted to show that He was the victor.

So he whittled down Gideon's army bit by bit, until this final test, here, at Ein Harod (not Herod).

This is the actual place where Gideon's men drank (Judges 6-8). The water comes up from the cave. While a fence blocks the entrance of humans, you can see where it comes out. 

The water is so clear that you can see the bottom.

Today, this place is a national park where people can come and play in the springs, camp, and enjoy the beauty of the Jezreel Valley.

Gideon's army would have camped on top of the mountain and came down to drink at the spring.

After visiting this site, I watched Sergio and Rhoda's video about this place. At the end, they point out something really cool: the water in this spring comes an underground water resevoir underneath the ancient cities of Nablus and Jenin in the West Bank. Gideon's hometown of Ophrah (not Oprah, haha) is in the same area.

They also found a photo of this place from over a 100 years ago, and it gives a better idea of how 10,000 men could have gathered and drank from here:

They also noted the lack of trees in the photo... so all of the ones present in today's time (photo above) have grown in the last century. WOW!

And, in case you were wondering... no, I didn't drink from the springs, haha. :)

The newest discoveries in Israel

Did you hear about this?

A 3,100-year-old piece of pottery with an inked inscription was found in July. What's so amazing, other than its age, is what it said: Jerubbaal. This was the alternate name of Gideon (Judges 7). WOW!!!

If that isn't enough, these 2,000-year-old coins were also found: 

Found in the West Bank, one coins date back to the Jewish revolt against the Romans in the 1st century. One coin was from 67 AD, and the second, from 70 years later (2nd century). The second coin, along with broken pottery also found, is from the Bar Kochba revolt. The location of the find is also significant, because it means there was a Jewish settlement in an area previously believed to have been destroyed after the Great Revolt years earlier and not re-settled.

That is SO COOL!!!!

The View from Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel, where God sent down fire and consumed the altar of the prophets fo Baal, is actually not 1 mountain. It's a series of mountains surrounding a beautiful valley... a valley where a future battle is still to be fought.

Nearby is Megiddo, one of three identical cities Solomon built.

The valley and mountains of Carmel are lush, green, beautiful, and full of history.

On one end, you can see Mount Gilead, where Gideon won his battle in Judges 6-8 (above), Mount Gilboa where Saul died in 1 Samuel 31, and Mount Tabor, where Deborah won her battle after Jael drove a spoke into the enemy general's head (Judges 4:17-24; 5:24-37).