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Throughout church history, there has been discussion and debate on exactly what Jesus meant when he said, 'on this rock I will build my church' (Matt. 16:28). The cliff face in Caesarea Philippi that was used for centuries in idol worship provides yet another metaphor for the 'rock' Jesus mentioned. In this setting, the 'rock' can mean the 'rock' of pagan values and dead idolatry that was so prominent in Caesarea Philippi. Jesus, then, was saying that his church would replace those values.
Two other viewpoints within the traditional understanding of the meaning of the 'rock' are:
1) The 'rock' is the confession of Peter that is Christ (i.e., Christ, the Son of the living God, is the foundation of the church. See Acts 4:10-11 and 1 Cor. 3:10-15).2) The 'rock' is Peter, whose confession on behalf of the other disciples encouraged the truth that Jesus is Messiah.
The Mount of Olives is 2,650 feet above sea level. The ridge is two miles long. Beyond the Mount of Olives is the Judea Wilderness. The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would come from the east through the wilderness and would enter Jerusalem. Jesus took this route in his triumphal entry. The Mount of Olives may be the location for his return as well.' The cemetery on the western slope is an ancient one, though itis still used for Jewish burials. Some of the tombs along the bottom of the ridge were already old in Jesus' time. Part of the reason Jewish people are buried here is the belief that the valley in the foreground, the Kidron, is also the Valley of Jehosophat (Joel 3:2, 12), where the final judgment before the Lord will take place. The olive grove on the left is part of the traditional Garden of Gethsemane. Whether this or some other place was the actual location of Gethsemane and the garden (the Bible mentions "Gethsemane" and "the garden," but not' "the Garden of Gethsemane"), the location was definitely on the slope of this mountain. Probably the entire ridge was covered with olives in the first century. The small dome of the Dominus Flevit ("Lord Wept") Church can be seen in this photograph. To the right of it is a walled road. Tradition holds that Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem happened on this road. When he reached the area of the church, he stopped to weep over the city. The exact location of this event is not given in the Scriptures, but this road does portray what the actual path looked like, and the church is in a location where the view of Jerusalem is spectacular. If not here, wherever Jesus did stop to weep, the location must have been similar.
This gate was filled in 3,500 years ago, during an ancient "urban renewal." You can still see the stone pavement leading to the gate. Note the mud brick arch over the supported entrance. Just inside the entrance are the gate chambers typical of Middle Eastern gates. The whole structure is under a roof, to protect it from the elements. Archaeologists believe this gate, built around 1800 BC, was there when Abraham visited the area during his rescue of Lot (Gen. 14:14).
This view is from the northwest looking southeast across the New City. Jerusalem expanded to the north in Jesus' time, to the area in the foreground called the New City. The wall in the center is the second wall, and the area inside it is the business district. In the distance, the Temple Mount is clearly visible.The four massive towers of the Antonia are on the front right of the Temple Mount. Jesus may have faced Pilate here. The Mount extends behind and to the left of the Antonia. The marble Temple is obvious. The royal stoa can be seen on the far side of the Temple Mount.
Jesus was probably crucified in this section of the city. There are two traditional locations: The first location, which has superior historical and archaeological evidence, is just outside the second wall near Herod's Palace (not clearly visible here). To its left was an abandoned quarry (a place of execution and a location for tombs), and there were gardens nearby. Currently, the Catholic Church of the Holy Sepulchre occupies this site.
The second location is just outside the gate in the second wall (front right foreground in the photograph). Currently, the Protestant garden tomb, which is much closer in appearance to the actual place described in the Bible, occupies this site. Today this location is called the Damascus Gate. (It was called the Towers Gate in Jesus' time.)
The exact location of Jesus' crucifixion is not important. What is important is the fact that he was crucified outside the city and near busy roads.
This land is at the northern edge of the Israelite wandering. Clearly, the people of Israel could not have survived without God's provision. They had to learn to depend on him. The small shrubs that grow here were called broom trees and frequently enter the biblical story (Gen. 21:15-16; 1 Kings 19:3%u20145). The burning bush may have been one of these trees (Ex. 3).
This photograph displays the sharp contrast between the barrenness of the wilderness and the fertility of the oasis of Jericho. The lushness of Sodom and Gomorrah against the desolate plain would have appeared this way to Lot.
Altar of sacrifice: It measures 4.5 feet high and 7.5 feet square, the same dimensions as the altar of the tabernacle. It is made of unworked stones, just as God commanded. A large stone on top provided a place for the sacrifice to be made. Archaeologists originally found a plastered channel on top of the altar to catch blood and direct it to the edge of the altar, where it could be collected. Some scholars believe that there was a metal rack on the stone to hold the meat of the sacrifice. If so, it has not survived.The ancient structure provides the most basic elements of our relationship with God. Because of our sins, we are made right with God through the shedding of blood. Because of God's forgiveness, we "offer" our lives as sacrifices to him.
Bronze Sea: According to God's instructions for the tabernacle and Solomon?s construction of the temple, the Bronze Sea was to stand in the outer court. This basin symbolized the removal of the ceremonial uncleanness before the sacrifice was offered, and the forgiveness resulting from the sacrifice itself. The Bronze Sea was not found at Arad. Possibly, it was made of metal and therefore too valuable to bury with the temple.
There are numerous biblical accounts of those who came from a sinful past, chose a personal relationship with God through Jesus, and went on to become powerful instruments in sharing the message of Jesus. God reveals the depth of his forgiveness by choosing ordinary people, sinners, to carry out his plans.
God Used a ProstituteAlthough Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, she protected two Israelite spies from the king of Jericho. Because of her faith and what she had done to save the spies, she and her family were saved from death. She put her faith in God, gave birth to Boaz, and became part of the ancestry of Jesus the Messiah (Josh. 2:1-15; 6:22-25; Matt. 1:5a).
He Chose a MurdererDavid saw Bathsheba (Uriah's wife) bathing and invited her to his palace, where they had sexual relations. When she became pregnant, David had Uriah killed. But God worked in David's heart and he eventually repented of his sin. God also allowed David to become a great king, and chose both David and Bathsheba to be part of Jesus ancestry (2 Sam. 11:1-5, 14-17; Matt. 1:6).
God values all people that come to him, regardless of a sinful past. And he even uses those people as part of his great salvation plan.
The Old Testament frequently mentions the Philistines, a pagan people who clashed with God's children in the Promised Land. The Bible itself provides many interesting facts about Philistine culture, and archaeological discoveries have added to our understanding of these ancient people.
History: The Philistines sailed from the Aegean world (Greece) and settled along the coast of Palestine about 1100 BC, about the time the Israelites entered the Promised Land from the east. Philistines developed a sophisticated culture that centered around various city states.
Location: The five main Philistine cities:Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Gath,were located near the Via Maris trade route, which went through the coastal plain. Because of their strategic location, the Philistines dominated world trade and greatly influenced other nations.
Industry: The Philistines had an elaborate olive pressing industry. At Ekron alone, about 200 installations produced olive oil ?perhaps more than 1,000 tons (which is more than the amount produced today)! They were also famous for their iron-making skills.
Military Might: Philistine soldiers were quite tall, clean-shaven, and wore breastplates and small kilts. The soldiers carried small shields and fought with straight swords and spears.
Artistic Skill: Philistines created intricate pottery with red and black geometric designs on white backgrounds.
Religion: Philistine religion was both sophisticated and immoral. The people built carefully planned temples in Gaza, Ashdod, and Beth Shean. Dagon, their main god, was thought to be the god of grain. Ashtoreth, believed to be his mistress, was associated with war and fertility. Philistines at Ekron worshiped Baal-Zebul, thought to be Dagon's son.
While excavating the theater in 1961, archaeologists discovered this stone, which was being used as a step in a small stairway. When they had uncovered it, they found that it was in secondary use.Originally, it had been the dedication stone for a temple that had stood nearby. The first line of writing on the stone ends with the name of the temple:Tiberieum, named after the emperor Tiberius. Line two gives the name of the one who dedicated the temple: Pontius Pilatus-Pontias Pilate. The third line gives his title: prefect of Judea. The fourth line is unreadable but probably indicated that he dedicated the temple.
Since Pilate was in office from approximately AD 26-36, and Jesus was crucified by Pilate around AD 30, the stone was placed around the time of, if not during, the ministry of Jesus. In this temple, people offered their allegiance to the "divine" Tiberius. Ironically, Pilate met the real King of the universe, but did not realize it.
This aerial view looks north over the fertile plain of Gennesaret. The road follows the route of the biblical Way of the Sea (Matt. 4:12-17). The modern-day Kibbutz Ginnosar is not far from what was Gennesaret in Jesus' time.In the distance along the northern shore, the remains of Capernaum are barely visible as small white buildings. Somewhere on the tree-lined slopes of the hills at the end of the lake is the location where the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and the feeding of the five thousand (Matt. 14:13-21) took place. Across the sea to the right (not visible) are the hills of the Decapolis 'today's Golan Heights.
When the Israelites finally reached the edge of the Promised Land after wandering 40 years in the barren wilderness, they must have been overwhelmed by Canaan's fertility. To North Americans, it does not look particularly lush; but to desert nomads, it was paradise.These modern-day Bedouins are camped where the wilderness meets farm country, just as the Israelites did centuries ago. At God's command, the Israelite nomads forced the Canaanite farmers out of the Promised Land.
The struggle over water continues today, as desert people try to push onto farmland. To alleviate the conflict, the State of Israel pipes water into the desert to provide for the nomads there.
This neatly arranged row of marble and basalt columns was part of a basilica church during the period after Jesus' time. The floor of the church was made of colored marble tiles arranged in geometric designs. This church was in Kursi, near Susita.
In AD 747, an earthquake toppled many of these columns. Though this church was built after Jesus' time on earth, the beauty of these columns and their white marble bases and capitals testify to both the glory of the pagan Decapolis and the impact Jesus' ministry had in this region. It is possible that seeing the demon-possessed men become healed may have contributed to the conversion of these formerly pagan people.
The roads leading to Jerusalem through the Judea Wilderness traverse some barren, desolate, and rugged areas. This path following a wadi is one such trail. Seeing this path can help us understand the parable Jesus told of a man who went down to Jericho and was beaten by robbers (Luke 10:30).
This photograph can also help us picture Jesus' final walk from Jericho, where he healed Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) and visited Zacchaeus,to Jerusalem, along a path that like this one.
Jesus had been tempted in this wilderness before (Matt. 4:1-11). It must have been a difficult walk for him, knowing that a horrible death lay ahead of him, and that, if he chose to, he could easily escape into the safety of the wilderness nearby. His pain and despair probably deepened at the sound of his disciples arguing about who would be number one when they reached Jerusalem. We should be eternally grateful when we realize that Jesus made that hot, difficult journey because of his great love for us.
The Sea of Galilee is beautiful, but its calm, peaceful setting does not present a complete picture of ancient people's feelings toward it: Many biblical images related to the sea had very negative connotations.
Jews were not seafarers; they were desert nomads. They rarely controlled the seacoast. Their father, Abraham, was a shepherd in the Negev. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before settling in the Promised Land. And even great King David spent his childhood caring for sheep in the wilderness around Bethlehem. To the Israelites, the sea probably appeared alien and threatening; They were not at home there. And ancient cultural stories depicted the sea as a monstrous beast and a place where Baal would battle with Yam, the sea god.
Not surprisingly, scripture writers also used sea imagery in a negative way. For example, Gen. 1:2 describes the beginning of the world as watery chaos, a primeval sea, from which God brought order. The earth, God's masterly creation, rested on the sea (Ps. 24:1-2), and his great power controlled it (Ps. 104:5-9).
In the Bible, the flooding waters of the sea became a tool of God's judgment (Gen. 6-7; Ex. 14) for the whole earth and for those who opposed God's people. Jonah was thrown into the depths because he turned his back on God (Jonah 2:3-6), but when he remembered God, he was rescued (Jonah 2:6-7). The Psalms describe the sea as a dangerous place (30:1; 69:1-3). Only God could control the sea and the evil it symbolized (Ps. 65:5-7; 77:19; 89:9; 93:3-4; Ex. 14-15; Isa. 51:10).
The sea was also the home of the terrible dragon, Leviathan, which came to symbolize the pagan nations opposing Israel (Isa.17:12; 27:1; 51:9-10). Daniel's description of the great sea beasts and the terror they spread is based on the image of the sea as the home of evil, a chaos that only God can control (Dan. 7:2-7).
Rabbis of ancient times said, "The Lord has created seven seas, but the Sea of Galilee is his delight." Anyone who sees the Sea of Galilee understands this statement: The blue water, set against a green and brown background of surrounding mountains, creates a lovely scene. This freshwater lake is the largest in Israel, and many place it among the world's most beautiful lakes.
The Bible does not tell us why God chose this place as the location for Jesus' ministry, but as Creator, he certainly appreciated its beauty. Here God sent his Son with the message that the kingdom of God was at hand. The sea and its fishermen provided images that Jesus used to explain his kingdom and his followers' role in it. And the sea also gave him opportunities to demonstrate that he was truly God.
Jesus spent most of his short ministry near or on the Sea of Galilee. As walk along the shore, we will better understand Jesus' message and ministry.
The Seeds of Revolt
The Seeds
After the Romans began their occupation of Judea in 64 BC, the Jews became divided on how to respond.
The religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees, believed the Messiah would come from the Jewish people and make Israel a great, free nation. They condemned Rome's access and viewed Romans as oppressors punishing God's people for their unfaithfulness to the Torah.
The Sadducees and secular leaders decided to cooperate with the Romans, who gave them various special privileges (John 11:49-50).
The Zealots proclaimed revolution to be God's solution to Roman oppression (Acts 5:37).
The Essenes waited for the Messiah to lead a violent overthrow of the Romans and their Jewish supporters, while the Herodions (nonreligious Jews who supported Herod) were completely satisfied with Herod's dynasty (Matt. 22:16).
The Sparks
The Jews were motivated to revolt by a number of different factors. After Herod Agrippa I died, the Romans appointed a series of increasingly cruel, corrupt governors to rule over the Jews, causing confusion, hatred, and division.
The paganism of Rome's culture offended the Jews, and the Jewish priests, who became more dependent on Roman security and support, became more corrupt. Priests and their followers also began fighting each other in the streets.
During feast days, especially Passover, nationalistic tensions escalated, causing Rome to increase its military presence. Wanting to serve God in their own way, the Jews longed for freedom.
Although Jesus warned his followers not to participate in military methods of bringing his kingdom, some Jewish people decided to seek out salvation through political and military might. Their actions brought about the Jewish Revolts and ultimately led to their destruction.
Shephelah is a Hebrew word meaning "low" and is usually translated "lowlands" or "foothills." The term refers to a twelve to fifteen-mile wide region in Judea, comprised of foothills that are located between the coastal plain to the west and the Judea Mountains to the east.
In ancient times, the four valleys of the Shephelah functioned as corridors between the mountains, where the Israelites lived, and the coastal plain dominated by the Philistines. They served as a place of contact'sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent, where the Philistines and Israelites often interacted.
In each of the Shephelah valleys, prominent cities developed. The Aijalon, the northernmost valley, was guarded by Tel Gezer. The Sorek and Elah valleys were guarded by Beth Shemesh and Azekah, respectively. And to the south, the city of Lachish stood over the Lachish Valley.
These valleys, and the strategic cities that overlooked them, were the location of many Old Testament battles. In the Shephelah, a godly culture and a pagan culture met, and whoever won control of the area was able to shape the culture of that region.
Today, the Shephelah symbolizes the places where God's values meet the pagan practices of the world. Like the Israelites, we have a choice: to withdraw to the "mountains" or to be on the front line, to confront the secular values of our world, and with God's blessing, to gain control of the "coastal plain" in our neighborhoods, cities, country, and the world.
Located on the second floor, this typical loft provided sleeping space for the family. The bed is a wooden frame with rope stretched over it. The mat over the bed provided some additional comfort. In poorer families, people often slept on mats on the floor. If people traveled, their mats could be taken along. The walls are plastered with a mixture of mud and straw.
This storeroom was where the occupants kept their all-important farming tools. Most families needed to provide their own food. Small gardens, vineyards with grapes and olive trees, and some small livestock provided most of their diet.Hanging on the wall is a wooden plow; the iron point is on the floor below. The plow was pulled by donkey or ox over the small fields used for growing grain.
En Gedi is one of the oases around the Dead Sea. Sodom and Gomorrah would have looked like this oasis. High on the cliff above En Gedi, archaeologists discovered a pagan temple already old at the time of Abraham and Lot. Sodom and Gomorrah probably weren't far from here. Perhaps the people of those sinful cities worshiped the gods of En Gedi. Perhaps they worshiped in this temple. The temple reminds us that the fertility of Sodom and Gomorrah involved more than what first met the eye. Behind that fertility was a pagan lifestyle.There was a main courtyard and a circular structure that were probably used for cultic purposes. The main building is the broad room shown in the picture. Along the lower edge, archaeologists found animal bones, ashes, and pottery fragments, suggesting the location of an altar. A clay statuette of a bull was also found here. Archaeologists concluded that this temple was likely the sanctuary for inhabitants of the region.
God despised the Canaanite high places where pagan worship was carried out. His orders to the Israelites were to destroy them. Yet God communicated with his people through their culture. He allowed them to establish high places where he could meet with them. Moses met God on Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. Joshua went to Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim to renew the Israelites' covenant with God. Jesus introduced the law of his kingdom in a sermon on a mountain.
The most significant high place in Israel used by God was the Temple Mount at Jerusalem. God instructed David to purchase the site as the location for the temple, which Solomon later built. The Babylonians destroyed this temple in 586 BC, but Zerubbabel built another one on the site nearly a century later.
The massive walls seen in the photograph were made by Herod the Great when he began enlarging the area for the temple in 20 BC. According to the Bible, his project was so complex; it was still being built during Jesus' time. It was finally completed approximately AD 60, only 10 years before it was destroyed again, this time by the Romans in AD 70.
The valley in the foreground is the Tyropean Valley. The Kidron Valley, which formed the eastern border of the city of Jerusalem, is off the picutre to the right of the Temple Mount. The city itself was to the left of the temple platform.
We must follow God's example and communicate the gospel in terms our culture understands and by means it can relate to. But we must be careful to first remove any secular values or meanings in the process.
Located on the main street between the theater and a sacred pool, this forty-by-sixty-foot temple was dedicated to the supposed god of light, Apollo. The entrance faced west and was approached by a broad flight of stairs.
Beneath the Temple of Apollo is the Plutonium; the cave that people believed led to the underworld. Pluto (or Hades, as the Greeks called him), was viewed as the god of the underworld and supposedly came and went via the opening to the cave, which was next to the temple.
The Plutonium played an important role in the culture of that day. Strabo, a Roman writer, described the fenced plaza in front of the cave opening where ceremonies took place. No doubt the consequences of entering the cave had much to do with its importance. All animals and most people, except the priests of the gods, died instantly if they entered it and breathed its poisonous gases. No one knows how the priests survived?perhaps they held their breath or had an unknown source of fresh air. Even today poisonous gases seep out of the cave, so its entrance is blocked by a fence to protect the unwary.
Built on the slope of the hill south of Ephesus and extending into the center of the city, this prominent temple could be seen from nearly everywhere in Ephesus, including the land and harbor entrances. The Ephesians, who built it to honor their emperor in order to gain the greatest benefits from him, pressured other Ephesians and the province of Asia Minor to declare the emperor "Lord and God."
Huge columns more than thirty-five feet high supported the two-hundred-by-three-hundred-foot podium on which the temple of Domitian rested. One unusual feature is that these columns had carvings that represented various deities. Apparently the Ephesians designed the podium this way in order to declare that the emperor was supported by all the world's gods and that he was the culmination of all deity, the final lord of heaven and earth, the god of gods.
Although not large, the forty-by-sixty-foot temple had four columns in the front and a row of columns around the outside (eight in front and back, thirteen on the sides). A large marble altar stood on a raised platform and had a U-shaped colonnade around it with the open end facing the temple. On altars such as this one, the people were required to sprinkle incense to declare that Caesar was lord.
A statue of what is believed to be Domitian stood near the temple and altar. Based on the huge arm and head that have been excavated, researchers believe the statue was twenty-seven feet tall. After Domitian died, he was discredited by the Roman senate, and the temple was rededicated to his beloved father, Vespian, who was emperor from AD 69-79. Today, the ruins reveal the emperor's great earthly glory and also declare the futility of denying the lordship of the God of the Bible.
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