Most of Jesus' ministry was spent in Jewish communities, proclaiming the good news of God's kingdom to the people of Israel. His greater intention, though, was for His Jewish followers to bring this message to the Gentile world around them, a worl... MORE
Unable to stand their suffering under a cruel Pharaoh any longer, the Israelites cried out to God. He heard them and initiated his plan to deliver his people, not only from their physical bondage but from slavery to Egypt's story. In this lesson, ... MORE
In Deuteronomy, God tells Israel that He led them into the desert in order to train and test them, so that He might know what was in their hearts. He still does this for His people today, leading us through experiences to reveal the depths of our ... MORE
God desired a people who would partner with Him in "making space" to reveal Himself to a broken world. The detailed patterns and plans for the tabernacle not only illustrated the kind of care and devotion He wanted to display to His peop... MORE
John the Baptist focused his life entirely on preparing the Jewish people for the coming of Jesus. His ministry still holds enormous meaning for us today, and there is much we can learn from his understanding of how to prepare for the arrival of M... MORE
The heat and intensity of the sun in the desert can be scorching, often without any guarantee of relief. Yet whenever God led His people there, He promised to provide exactly what they needed to make it through each day. In this lesson, wander the... MORE
In the beginning, God created magnificent beauty and order out of absolute chaos, "tohu vebohu," in Hebrew. When humanity rebelled, the world began a long progression of slipping back into that chaos. Yet God wasn't finished; He decided... MORE
The majority of Jesus’ ministry was done in places like the town of Capernaum, among a people who loved to debate and discuss Torah in the synagogue. They didn’t always agree with each other, but their emphasis was on how to ... MORE
The Jews of Jesus’ day lived in homes meant to house an entire extended family, with several rooms situated around a common courtyard. A family’s home in that patriarchal society was known as a “beth ab,” which means, &ldqu... MORE
When the disciples arrived with Jesus in Jerusalem, they marveled at the unbelievable beauty of the Lord’s temple. According to the Bible, the original temple built by Solomon was also absolutely stunning. And yet, in both cases it wasn't en... MORE
This aerial view shows the remains of Capernaum, a small village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee ("Capernaum" comes from the Hebrew Kfar Nahum, which means "Nahum's Village"). Jesus chose this place as the hub of hi...
Temple Sacrifices
The people of ancient Israel made sacrifices to God in the temple. These sacrifices, which involved the shedding of blood (the pouring out of the animal's life), symbolized the atonement made for the people's sins.According to Go...
- Sardis stood in the middle of the Hermus River Valley, just over fifty miles east of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now the country of Turkey. The main east-west trade route came through this valley.- On a spur of Mount Tmolus, on the north si...
This stream is one of several that run out of the cliff at Caesarea Philippi. Originally, the springs ran from the cave known as the Grotto of Pan. The presence of a religious cult here is probably due to these springs of fresh water.Peter's confe...
These niches originally held statues of the pagan gods worshipped at Caesarea Philippi. The largest is actually an artificial cave that leads to a niche in the cliff itself. This niche apparently held a statue of Pan. Above it is another niche wit...
Against the cliff and in the large cave on the left, in the third century BC, was a cult center to the fertility god Pan. This center probably was built to compete with the high place at Dan, about three miles away.The presence of the spring formi...
The reconstructed platform, or podium, near the cave at Caesarea Philippi was originally the base of a temple either to the Roman emperor Augustus or to Pan (or possibly both). The entrance to the Grotto (or cave) of Pan is seen to the left of the...
En Gedi is the home of desert goats known as ibex. These heavy- horned males and graceful does graze on the sparse grasses in the surrounding desert.
The only available water for miles around is the spring of En Gedi. This photograph doesn?t exact...
En Gedi is the home of desert goats known as ibex. These heavy- horned males and graceful does graze on the sparse grasses in the surrounding desert.The only available water for miles around is the spring of En Gedi. This photograph doesn?t exactl...
The result living water is clearly seen. The barren wilderness on the background contrasts sharply with the lush growth produced by the water. The sudden appearance of water brings like out of the barrenness of the desert.Many Bible passages descr...
Means "righteous ones." Wealthy Jewish aristocracy, claiming descent and authority from the high priest Zadok. Oversaw Temple; theology based on the first five books of the Bible; did not believe that God interfered in human lives or in ...
A person from the country of Samaria (part of Palestine). The Samaritans were hated by the Jews because they had married non-Jews. They also worshiped God differently from the Jews. But Jesus showed his love for the Samaritans by going to them and...
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