With a little more time and a few pics, I want to give you a more complete report of today’s activity. The buses roll each morning at 7:30, and we began our day at Caesarea by the Sea. In Biblical days, Herod the Great ruled over Israel, and He built palaces all over the place, including Masada (which we will see later) and Caesarea by the Sea.  Unfortunately he did not complete a land survey before building a palace that extended into the Mediterranean. A fault line runs under it and it is now crumbled in the Sea! The Hippodrome, where chariot races were held, also took a hit!  Here’s what is left…

In Caesarea, we were reminded of Peter’s vision in the home of Simon the Tanner in Joppa. God instructed him to go to Caesarea for the purpose of preaching the Gospel and bringing salvation to the Gentiles. Remember that Jesus came first to the Jews…but always had a plan for us, too! Thank God! So, read the re-cap in Acts 11:1-18, then couple it with Romans 11. It will knock your socks off!  The Lord Jesus reaches out to all sinners equally…Jews and Gentiles! What incredible grace!

Another interesting happening in Caesarea was Paul’s trial before Festus prior to being sent to Rome for the last time…to be imprisoned and killed for his testimony. The account of his trial is found in Acts 23:23 through Acts 25. (Pick it up in Acts 25 if you want the short version.) Here is the theater where the trial took place and experts believe this VIP box is where Festus would have sat.

The Bible comes to life here!  Shalom