During their forty years of testing in the desert, God continued to teach and shape the Israelite nation. By the time they entered the Promised Land, a new generation had formed, a people who obeyed and trusted God with all their heart, soul, and ... MORE
Sheep and shepherds were so much a part of the Biblical world, it's no wonder Jesus uses the imagery as a metaphor in several of His teachings. The shepherds of His day knew every one of the animals in their flock by sight and spent their lives pr... MORE
The Colosseum in Rome is famous for many reasons, not least of which because it was built by the spoils of war from the destruction of Jerusalem, the military defeat of the Jews. In the Roman world, it was assumed that if Caesar was... MORE
Jesus came with a unique message, preaching to the Jewish people that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). But from the beginning, there was another king who hates the shalom that God creates and loves life’... MORE
When the time came for God to choose a people, He didn’t pick the strongest kingdom He could find. He chose the weak, the nobodies – a family that would become the nation of Israel. God rescued them from Egypt and brought them into the... MORE
Over and over in the Bible, God used the image of fire to illustrate His power, holiness, and passionate love for His people. The fire on Mount Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments was just such a display of power, highlighting the holin... MORE
Interestingly, when God chose a person to lead His people out of Egypt by the power of His word, He chose Moses, a man with a speech impediment. In this lesson, consider the implications of allowing His strength to work in weakness as you discover... MORE
In the story of God making Himself known to His people, Passover is a foundational element. As the continuation of this redemptive process, the Lord's Supper finds its most profound meaning when taken in the context of Passover imagery. In this le... MORE
Of all the parables Jesus told, the one we call "The Prodigal Son" is possibly the most famous. In the story, a younger son demands his inheritance from his father and leaves the family behind, taking his riches to a far country. The imp... MORE
It was customary in the Roman world to consider the emperor a divine being. New emperors would claim this status because they believed that when the previous ruler died, he would ascend to heaven to be seated among the gods, making ... MORE
At one point during his ministry, the Apostle Paul was at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He was accused by some Jews of bringing a Gentile into the courts where only Jews were allowed. He hadn’t, but they thought he did and a riot started. W... MORE
A Great CityLachich guarded the southern approach to Jerusalem. It's impressive ruiins remind us that thousands of people once called this strategic city their home.Once one of Israel's largest cities, Lachish covers an impressive eighteen acres. ...
They Left Their Nets BehindBefore Jesus' time, few Israelites were fishermen. There was only one Hebrew word for fish, and it covered everything from minnows to whales. In Jesus' time, a small, flourishing fishing industry developed around the Sea...
"This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'" Jeremiah 6:16
In the Hebrew to live is to walk! Enoch walked ...
This photograph is taken from the top of the Herodion looking east towards the wilderness. It is striking how the farms seen in the foreground end where the wilderness begins. Going to the wilderness was a short walk for the people of the Bible. V...
More than any other person, Herod the Great was responsible for bringing the theater to Israel.His campaign to make humanistic Hellenism the worldview of his people included building theaters at Caesarea, Jericho, Jerusalem, Samaria, and Sidon. Ma...
2000-1000 BC - Hittite Empire920-586 BC - Divided kingdom of Israel586 BC - Babylonian captivity500 BC - Jews' return from captivity325 BC - Alexander the Great's conquest261 BC - Laodicea founded220 BC - Antiochus settles Jews from Babylon in Asi...
There is an abundant amount of evidence both in Scripture and in the religious practices of the Jews that God carefully planned the timing of Jesus' death and resurrection. The following are just a few examples of God's planning:Prophecies
Prophec...
Most Christians remember Thomas as the doubting disciple who didn't believe the other disciples when they told him they'd seen the risen Jesus (John 20:19%u201425), and who said that he'd only believe if he touched Jesus' sacred hands and side (Jo...
Place where the Israelites sacrificed their children. Based on a Hebrew word meaning "furnace" or "fireplace," the word was altered by Hebrew scribes to mean "shameful thing." It came to apply as well to the cemetery ...
This valley lay between David's City and the Western Hill where the Upper City was located. Hezekiah expanded the city into this valley. The Western Wall of Herod's Gentile Court was located here, as was the Pool of Siloam where Jesus sent a blind...
Tassels. In Numbers 15:38%u201439, God commands the Israelites to wear tassels on their garments as a reminder to them to obey all the commandments. In practice, each tassels came to have five knots (representing Torah), four spaces between the kn...
The highest area in Jerusalem (located on the Western Hill now named Mount Zion). Herod built his palace here, and many wealthy Jews also lived in the upper city. The area was dominated by affluent Hellenists.
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