The Roman road in Aphek (Antipatris), Israel.
Rutted rock roads. Broken stone walls. Gutted block buildings. Do you sense a theme developing? When everything is sorted out, the roads, walls, and buildings were not constructed simultaneously. If I got all of my facts correct, in the photo, the building and fortress walls are from the Turkish Period (1517—1918 AD), and the road dates to the Roman Period (63 BC—326 AD).
Of most importance to our study of the Biblical account is the Roman road. That road was there in Antipatris (Old Testament Aphek) when Paul was transported from Jerusalem to Caesarea under protection by the State (Acts 23:31). This was the first step in Paul’s government financed journey to Rome.
Do you think Paul completely understood what God was doing then? Probably not. God used every available means to get Paul to Rome (where he could preach the Gospel). Think about it for a moment. Who and what was involved in getting Paul from Jerusalem to Antipatris? My list is incomplete. Surveyors. Geologists. Engineers. Money. Architects. Stone masons. Carpenters. A lot of time. Roads. The right time. Conspiracy theory. Nephew. Detectives. Secret Agents. Homeland Security. Taxes. Governor. Secretary. Traveling documents. Captains. Soldiers. Orders. Chariot makers and mechanics. Charioteers. Animal trainers. Animals. Supply coordinators. Chefs. Guides. Just in time. What about the way history unfolded before Herod the Great rebuilt Aphek and renamed it after his father Antipatris? All this to move one man less than fifty miles? Mind-boggling doesn’t begin to scratch the surface.
Do we completely understand what God is doing now? Definitely not. I suppose that alone should give us some comfort in these uncertain times. However, we can be confident of this: God is going to accomplish His will. Except in a few instances, God is going to use all that He has allowed man to create and regulate, whether we want Him to do so, or not.
Explore