The Hauptmann's: Thurs, Nov 4th

First stop today is Bethsaida which means "House of the Fisherman."

First stop is Bethsaida, the home of Philip, Andrew, and Peter (John 1:44; John 12:21). The gospels tell us Peter is from Bethsaida, not Capernaum where the Catholic church has built a huge structure over a place they claim is Peter's house.

The most impressive remains are the Iron Age gate and a Hellenistic house of the fisherman identified by lead net weights. The Iron age gate would have been at the time of David. King David married Ma'acha, daughter of the King of the Aramaean kingdom of Geshur. Ma'acha was the mother of Absalom. The structures were constructed of basalt with several rooms around an open courtyard. Numerous fishing tools including lead weights, iron anchors, needles, and fishing hooks.

The water level was higher 2000 years ago and would have covered the valley.

Bethsaida was a border town sitting on the area between the two tribes of Manasa and Nephtali.

The healing by Jesus was progressive. Jesus only heals the ones God said to heal. Not everyone is healed-it has to be God's will. It is not always His will to be healed. God uses physical illness to get our attention to repent, sin can cause us to be ill but not all illness is a result of sin. Jesus never used His Divine power unless told in the Spirit. He healed out of compassion. He healed to show His Messiahship. Giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf were thinks only the Messiah could do. Jesus never had a healing or miracle crusade-it was not the focus of His ministry. Those who put on a show as being healers are false prophets. Jesus refused to put on a show Herod. Jesus' miracles show salvation in some way. We are all "blind" or "deaf" in some way. John 5:8-13 "Take your bed up and walk." Jesus says it three times-that is the man's cross-take your cross and sin no more. John 21:3 Unless Jesus shows us where to cast our nets there will be failure.

An idea of what the houses would have looked like.

Quick timeline: 586bc-2nd century bc Babylonian, Persian, Greek rule; 2nd century bc-64 bc Hasmonean; 64 bc-324 ad Roman; 324-636 Byzantine; 636-1099 Arab; 1099-1260 Crusader; 1260-1517 Egyptian Mamluks; 1517-1917 Ottoman; 1917-1948 British Mandate; 1947-1948 War for Independence. In 1888 Zionist pioneers started buying huge parcels of land from the Turks. It's mostly swamps, desert, and rocks. "Arab" is a general term referring to the population of Bedouin, Druze, and chieftains. The Zionists drain the swamps, replant the land, establish an infrastructure. Arabs want jobs, increase rioting, 7 countries attack the Jews, 1949 cease fire. West Bank under Jordan, Gaza under Egypt, Golan under Syria. In 1956 there is a Suez Canal crises, on going problems with Syria, 1964 PLO is formed, again Egypt closes the canal to Israel. Israel considers that an act of war. June 5th 1967 the Six-Day War starts. Ten Arab countries with 547,000 troops against Israel's 100,000. At this time Israel has no US backing. At the end of the six days Israel has captures all of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza strip, the heavily fortified Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank from Jordan. Second Arab humiliation. Thanks to Eli Cohen, Our Man in Damascus, Israel had excellent intelligence.

We are traveling north east through the Golan Heights now. There are ruins scattered throughout Israel-especially in the less populated areas. The Damascus Road, which went off the Via Maris, was the road on which Paul was knocked off his horse. His actual conversion was in Damascus. The Damascus is mostly in Syria and unexcavated. Prophecy in Ezekiel 38 & 39 says millions of Muslims will be all over Europe. The Jews rejected the Messiah-they are waiting for the anti-christ.

There are also the remains of Syrian bases and areas where Syrian troops would shell Israel.

This area has these volcano cones. We are headed to one called Mt. Betal.

When Islam is humiliated the character of their god is at stake. The Koran says Allah will hand the enemy to them but it doesn't. So, after the humiliation of the Six-Day War, Egypt starts amassing forces at the Sinai Peninsula and Syrian at the border of the Golan Heights. The US, USSR, UN all know an Arab coalition is preparing to attack Israel. Israel decides against a preemptive strike so to not be blamed for starting the war. Israel now was dependant upon US support. Henry Kissinger stated if Israel struck first they would not receive so much as a nail. Because of the worlds dependence upon Arab oil the US was the only nation willing to support Israel. The US and USSR worked with Egypt hoping to prevent an attack not wishing the Middle east to become destabilized. On October 6th Egypt and Syria attack on Yom Kippur-a Jewish holy day. On October 9th the Soviets began supplying Egypt and Syria. October 9th Nixon supplies Israel. The Arab forces of 1 mil go against 400,000 Israeli troops. The first week, Egypt and Syria are successful, the second week Israel goes deep into Syria and crosses the Suez Canal advancing south and west into Egypt. October 24th the UN brokers a ceasefire, the Israelis improve their positions encircling Egypt's 3rd army prompting super power tension, a 2nd cease fire is brokered on October 25th. At the conclusion, Israel is within 63 mi of Cairo and 6 mi of Damascus. All glory goes to God.

From the Mt. Bental over look at 1,170 m above sea level we can see Mt. Hermon (3,000m above sea level).

We can see the mountains in Lebanon as well as villages.

In the bible this area is called Bashan which the Israelites conquered from the Amorites. It went from Gilead in the south to Hermon in the north, from the Jordan river on the west to Salcah to the east. It was given to the tribe of Manasseh. Golan, one of its cities became a city of refuge (Joshua 21:27). We can read about the cattle and rich pastures (in Ezekiel 39:18 & Psalms 22:12), the oaks of its forests (Isaiah 2:13, Ezekiel 27:6), the beauty of its plains (Amos 4:1 & Jeremiah 50:19), and rugged majesty of its mountains (Psalm 68:15).

We can also clearly see into Syria. In the Yom Kippur war of 1973, Mt. Bental was the site of one of the largest tank battles in history. The stretch of valley between Mt. Bental and Mt. Hermon became known as the Valley of Tears. The 100 Israeli tanks were reduced to 7 under Syrian fire but the Israelis managed to take down 600 Syrian tanks with Syrian retreating. All glory goes to God.

There is a large disengagement area between the Golan and Syria which is abandoned Syrian villages. About 80,000 Syrians were resettled. The Syrians used landmines so much of the Golan is still heavily mined.

The population of the Heights is mostly Druze and Australian immigrants. It's a cattle area. Fewer than 10% of the Druze in this area have Israeli citizenship. They still regard themselves as Syrian. This is a Druze man. I heard they wear these pants because when their messiah comes the men will have babies...

Next stop is Caesarea Philippi, also known by Banias, Panias and Baal Hermon and Baal Gad in the Old Testament. Panias after the Greek god Pan who was worshiped here. It is at the base of Mt. Harmon making it the logical place for the Transfiguration.

The spring emerged from the large cave which became the center of pagan worship. Beginning in the 3rd century bc, sacrifices were cast into the cave as offerings to Pan. Panias is pronounced Banias in Arabic. In 3 bc, Philip II founded a city here becoming the administrative capital of the area.

Matthew 16:18 "I also say to you that you are Peter (Petros) and on this rock (Petra) I will build my church." The name Peter means pebble or stone, a fragment of a rock-petros in the original Greek (Which is the language of the New Testament). Then Jesus says on this rock-petra-I will build my church. Petra a foundation. Jesus never says He will build His church upon Peter. Why on earth would he build His church upon a sinning man?? God's church is built upon Jesus of course! The Catholic church is built upon a little movable stone-a piece of the real foundation-ultimately a lie. A search throughout scriptures where the Lord is referred to as a rock is very revealing: Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yahweh is an everlasting rock. Peter tells us himself in Ephesians 2:20 "Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." Jesus is the living cornerstone. No where in the bible is there doctrine of one man being in charge of the church of God, a bishop of Rome, one apostle being higher than the others. It was Paul who wrote the Epistles to Rome, not Peter. Constantine pseudo Christianized a pagan Rome-nuns just became vestal virgins. The term "pontifex maximus" dates back to ancient Rome when the patricians (leaders of the republic of Rome) were also leaders of the religions of Rome. Under Cesar most religions were tolerated as long as Caesar was worshiped. Vicar of Christ translated into the Greek is against Christ-anti-Christos. Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy, deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Matthew 15:3 "Why do you transgress the commandments of God because of the traditions of man?" Matthew 15:8-9 "The people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:9 "All too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition." Don't put your trust into a church or religion but only into the Holy Scripture!

Matthew 16:19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." When a Jew became a teacher of the law he received a key to where the sacred books, signifying that they gave him the authority to teach and explain the Scriptures to the people. Keys to the kingdom of heaven means opening the door of faith. Having the keys to the kingdom of heaven means becoming an instrument of opening the door of faith to the world and preach the gospel. The phrase to bind and to loose was often used by the Jews. It meant to prohibit and to permit. To bind a thing was to forbid it, to loose it is to allow it to be done. Thus in this context-whoever is allowed into the church is allowed into heaven. God has ultimate control and nothing can be bound or loosed that God does not first give permission.

Next to the sacred caves is a rocky escarpment with a series of hewn nitches. Statues of Echo and Hermes were placed in these niches.

Herod built a temple here to honor Augustus. Pan-a god pretending to be man, Ceaser-a man pretending to be god, Jesus-fully God and fully man.

We had lunch at a resturant owned by Druze.

Next stop is Tel Dan in the north eastern most corner right on the edge with the Golan Heights on the east and Lebanon right there to the west.

We had an awesome little hike. We could hear running water the whole way up. It was beautiful.

The Dan River which feeds into the Jordan.

Dan is a city in the bible described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel belonging to the tribe of Dan. Dan means "Judge." The area is highly fertile with lush vegetation. Prior to the tribe of Dan, the town was known as Laish and was Canaanite.

It is so beautiful sitting here, the birds, breeze, shade, bright blue cloudless skies.

According to 2 Kings 10:29 and 2 Chronicles 13:8, Jeroboam erected two golden calves as gods in Bethel and Dan. Rehoboam had the arc in Jerusalem but neither son of Solomon was good. The northern kingdom had the numbers, wealth, land but they didn't have God so they fell into idolatry. They tend to go into idolatry when they can't worship the real God. Don't fight to maintain unity. The Catholic church wanted to preserve unity at the expense of truth. Apostate Christianity is unity of insanity not of the Spirit. It becomes about the institution, finances, deeds, property trust. False prophets give you a word, true prophets point to The Word. Must be based on the Bible or it's not truth.

The little white houses in the mountains-that's Lebanon. The Israeli Lebanese conflict is part of a longer and larger Arab Israeli conflict. Lebanon has a very corrupt Christian government. The majority of the population is Shiite. In September 1970 (Black September), Jordan's Hashemite King Hussein moved to quell the militancy Palestinian organizations, thousands of Palestinians died and the PLO plus thousands more Palestinians were expelled into Lebanon. The newly resettled Palestinian forces, led by Yasser Arafat's PLO (more on this later) started cross border raiding into Israel. The retaliatory raids from Israel brought death and destruction to southern Lebanon. The large influx of Muslim Palestinians from Jordan upset the population balance between Lebanon's Christians and Muslims. An uneasy peace had existed since their civil war in the 1950's. By 1975, the tensions had increased with the PLO involved, a bloody civil war erupted. As the Civil War raged on, the PLO continued to attack Israel so Israel started aiding the anti-Muslim forces. By 1978, Israel decided to invade southern Lebanon which was fully controlled by the PLO. The control of the PLO was so dominant, creating a state within a state, it was nicknamed Fatahland. By 1993 the problems were the same-the group was now Hezbollah. When rockets are launched out of southern Lebanon Israel retaliates with a massive attack. The latest was when three Israeli soldiers were killed and two others went missing in 2006-one is a Druze.

Old Canaanite gate believed to be the one Abraham entered when the city was called Laish or La Shem.

This is Nimrod's Fortress, a medieval fortress in the northern Golan Heights on a ridge about 2600' above sea level. The fortress was built 1229 by the nephew of Saladin to pre-empt any attempt on Damascus by the Crusades. After the end of the crusades it fell into disrepair. The Ottoman Turks used it as a prison. It was later abandoned and used by local shepherds.

The city gates.

Kabutz Kfar Blum, supposedly the one Bob Dylan worked at but I can't find any confirmation on that. But I did find that he says he is a true believer of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

Next stop-are you getting tired yet?! It was hot today too-32 C-Tel Hazor. This is a huge tel and only a very small bit of it has been excavated. They haven't even found the outside walls yet. It is the largest tel in Israel-over 200 acres. At its height in the Canaanite period, the city was the entire tel. The Israelites only inhabited the upper city. Hazor is the northern most city on the Via Maris. Joshua completely destroys the pagan Canaanite capital in the north in one swoop.

A six chambered gate identical in size and design to the gate at Megiddo was uncovered. The Israelites built a massive shaft 40 m deep reaching the water table below. It is similar to the one at Megiddo.