Okay, I’ve gotta pick this up. There are lots of books and websites that can tell you all the Biblical facts about these places.

Mount Carmel was the site of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal and Asherah in 1 Kings 18 during the reign of Ahab in Israel.

But the amazing thing about Mount Carmel was standing atop a Catholic monastery on top of the mountain overlooking the Jezreel valley, the eastern most part of which is called the Valley of Armageddon. Revelation 16 makes clear that this is where the final battle will take place at the end of days. Well, it won’t be much of a battle, per se. Basically, all the foolish self-worshiping powers of the earth will align to do battle with the Creator of the Universe, who spoke galaxies into being with a word. I imagine they’ll pretty much line up and then get wiped out in a moment. The Bible describes that a river of blood the depth of a horse’s bridle will run through the valley I saw today. This is the final battle when Jesus returns to end the tribulation (God’s judgment on the world) and set up His kingdom on earth for a 1,000 year reign of peace prior to the construction of the New Jerusalem. Rock on!

The valley was beautiful too. It’s considered the bread basket of the Middle East. According to our guide, it’s some of the most fertile land in all the world. 70% of the fruits and vegetables grown there are exported all over the world. Israel employs the most sophisticated agricultural techniques in the world there. When Mark Twain saw the swamps and dead cattle there at the turn of the 19th century, he was witnessing the promised land after centuries of neglect. When Israel was reborn in 1948, the Jews drained and began working the land, and today I truly saw why God called it “a land flowing with milk and honey”. It’s a lush paradise in the midst of desert or sea in every direction. Amazing!