It's Monday January 22, 2018 and following breakfast we were on the road at 7:45 am. Our first stop was the Tel Dan Nature Reserve (click). Within the park are the headwaters of the Dan River which in turn is one of three tributaries of the Jordan River. It contributes the most water to the flow of the Jordan River. Within the park are found the gushing springs of the Dan River at it's beginning.
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| Our Group of 31 just in front of the Dan River headwaters. |
The ancient city of Tel Dan (click) is also located within the park. The city of Dan has a 5000 year history. Prior to being occupied by the tribe of Dan, the city was known as Laish. The tribe of Dan brutally defeated the city, razing it and then rebuilding their own on top of the ruins.
Archaeologists have excavated and reconstructed the entrance gate to Laish also known as the Abraham gate because of its dating to the Canaanite period. A cover has been constructed over the site in order to better protect and preserve the site.
We now traveled to Banias (click), also known as Caesarea Philippi in the time of Jesus. Today it is a large rock face with a large cave and running
spring water at the base which is the third source flowing into the Jordan River. The spring initially gushed from the cave and the Temple of Pan
stood in front of it. At the rear of the temple in the cave there was an abyss
that was used for human sacrifices. The victim would be thrown into the
hole. However an earthquake moved the stream further down and away and at
the same time greatly reducing its flow.
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| The large cave is behind the building on the left |
Interesting to note that in the time of the Temple Dan it was believed that the cave at the rear was where the spirits entered and exited hades, the dwelling place of the dead. The cave was seen as the gateway to hades. Seeing the rock here and the cave gives a whole new dimension in understanding Jesus’ words.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus goes on to say: “that
you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it.” In the New Testament, Hades is the realm of the dead, and
here in verse 18 Hades is represented as a mighty city with its gates
representing its power.
Jesus came here to call his
disciples to challenge the gates of Hades. Jesus stood
here and
said he would build his church on "this rock" and the Gates of
Hades would not overcome it.
It is clear that Jesus was declaring that death has no power
to hold God's people captive. Its gates are not strong enough to overpower and
keep imprisoned the church of God! Watch the video I recorded at this location by clicking here.
From Banais we travelled to the Golan Heights stopping to eat lunch in the Druze (click) town of Mas'ade (click).
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| Facing north to Mount Hermon in the background. |
Further on we were able to stop at Bental (click) a former military outpost overlooking Syria with a vantage point of 1165 meters above sea level. From this location the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would watch the border. The site had built bunkers into the mount for ammunition storage and protection from attack. It offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding areas especially Syria.
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| Facing east towards Syria. |
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| A Picture with some IDF on site. Can you spot them with their guns strapped over their shoulder? |
As we continued through the Golan Heights returning to our hotel in Tieberius we saw several IDF field exercises taking place and took a moment to take pictures with tanks at a memorial site.
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| This is a Israeli Merkava MK I which is no longer in use. They now use 3rd and 4th generation Merkavas. |
