Mexico

Today we departed from Merida, and stopped at Chichen Itza to check out the ancient ruins.

This is quite a grand Temple. Daniel and I climbed the 92 steps to the top. It had four stairways on all four sides with a common step on the top totalling 365 steps, which is equivalent to our solar year. All of these pyramids that we have examined thus far had an altar at its base for sacrifice with a temple on top. Hear the word of the Lord, "Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses (this Hebrew word bayith is also translated temple) of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt" (2 Kings 17:29).

The nations when they were scattered at Babel brought with them this religion and built for themselves cities that were centered around these temples. These were really little colonies of Babel, and they are found throughout the whole earth. The rebels at Babel, in defiance to God's command to go and fill the earth, said "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4). The tower at Babel was truely the prototype for all other pyramids around the world.

This is an observatory at the Chitchen Itza site. They observed the movements of the planets and thought they were gods. Israel fell to this same wicked religion. "Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger" (2Kings 17:14-17). They worshipped the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:23). "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee" (Nehimiah 9:6).

Here they are shown offering human sacrifice.

They would stretch their victims over an altar such as this. Unlike the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, these were victims, but Jesus said, he came "to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). "I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father" (John 10:15-17). After he offered up one sacrifice for sins forever, He rose again triumphantly over the grave.

Altar.

We see who is really behind their religion.

There were apparently some stone masons with great ability among their numbers.

There were hundreds of these butterflys on the last few days of our travels.

After somewhat of a time trying to find a campground, we found a little campground with no power. We have now passed from the state of Yucatan and entered the state of Quintana Roo.

Goodmorning.

The Carribean Sea.

We looked for another campground the following day and some American's we met on the beach recommended Solimann's Campground where we spent two days.

We had an opportunity to do some snorkeling in the bay that is protected by the 2nd largest reef in the world. Dan and I rented a kayak and paddled out to the reef where we took 27 pictures on one of those disposable underwater camera's.

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life...And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind...And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas... And the evening and the morning were the fifth day" (Genesis 1:20-23).

"For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Psalm 135:5-7).

"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee" (Nehemiah 9:6).

One thing we noticed is that we are way more boyant in salt water than in Lake Winnipeg back home. It is very difficult to stay at the bottom to observe many of the creatures down there.

We found a monkey in the tree.

The catch of the day.

I kid you not, every campground we have been to has a rooster that starts crowing at about 5AM. I caught this culprit this morning.

You do not want to get this fellow angry. That is an uzi he is holding. There are lots of military personnel around. They are spending a great portion of their energies trying to curb the cocaine trade. The owner of Solimann's Campground said the authorities found a yawl with three 200hp motors on the back that was just left abandon, likely by druglords who are transporting their cocaine from Columbia, through Mexico and into the USA.

We checked out the ruins at Tulum. Again, before every temple (house of the high places) there was an altar for sacrifice. This is a phenonemon that is found worldwide. It infected Israel until the time came that rightous Josiah destroyed these places in Samaria. "And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel" (2Kings 23:19).

Tulum ruins. Directly behind this ruin is the Carribean Sea.

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Our Mexican Field Trip 2005

Day 12: Mayan Riviera