To Armageddon and points in between

A 7.00 am departure to beat rush hour traffic down through Tel Aviv to Caesarea Maritima, the Roman capital which was built by King Herod the Great (who wanted to kill the baby Jesus). It was from there that Pontius Pilate governed this part of the world – he only went up to Jerusalem when there was a big festival. It was also from here that St Paul was sent to Rome to be tried by Caesar. We then visited the nearby Roman aquaduct which brought water to the city from the Crocodile River.

Can you work out Pilate's name on the inscription found at the Praetorium at Caesarea Maritima?

Looking down the Roman hippodrome where chariots were raced. At the end of the bay is a citadel/fortress, mosque and the southern breakwater of the ancient port.

A deacon's sarcophagus at Caesarea Maritima... sarcophagus means "flesh eater" - after a year it was open and the bones buried. 

Then it was the climb up to Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah slew the prophets of Baal but of more interest to us it was where the Carmelite Order was founded. Carmel overlooks the Jezreel Valley where many an ancient battle was fought… even today it has military significance with Israeli jet aircraft noisily operating from there!

The prophet Elijah

The very simple chapel at Mount Carmel

Looking over the Plains of Jezreel... Mount Tabor (the mountain of the Transfiguration) is the small hill in the centre and the Israeli air force base slightly below and to its right. This is the closest Steve has got to doing any plane spotting in Israel!

Final stop for the day was Tel Megiddo. A tel is an archaeological site where a settlement of one age is built on top of the destroyed settlement below, much like a chocolate cake with several layers. Here they have identified 25 layers! Tel Megiddo also overlooks Armageddon where the battle at the end of the world is foretold be...

Meggido's cultic area used from the 4th century BC!

The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east.  And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.  These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.  (‘See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.’) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon (Revelation 16:12-16)

The world didn't end while we were there so we headed to Nazareth where we stayed the night.