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
Some of the dangers in the desert are slow to develop: the build-up of scorching heat from the sun, the slow evaporation of streams, the depletion of food supplies. Others are more sudden; the flash floods of desert wadis can come out of nowhere, ... 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
The covenant at Sinai is often thought of as a wedding between God and His people, between God and the bride He chose for Himself. This became the picture of God's redemptive plan for humankind, fully realized in Jesus' death and resurrection. In ... MORE
After their escape from the might of Egypt, the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the desert of Sinai. But were they really wandering? The Bible says that God led them like a flock, like sheep through the desert with a pillar of cloud by d... MORE
After His resurrection, Jesus spent about 40 days with His followers in Jerusalem and back in the Galilee region, where they had received much of their training. He explained that after His ascension to heaven, He would send them a ... MORE
There is only one man whom God sends back to Sinai after Moses and the Israelites finished their time there: the prophet Elijah. God's interactions with Moses and Elijah on this mountain not only reveal His character, but also foreshadow the plan ... MORE
Fertility Cults of CanaanOnly recently have scholars begun to unravel the complex religious rituals of Israel's Canaanite neighbors. Much of our knowledge of the origins and character of these fertility cults remains tentative and widely debated. ...
The CityAncient Beth Shemesh guarded the Sorek Valley of Israel's Shephelah; a place where the pagans and the Israelites often interacted.Beth Shemesh stands in Israel's Shephelah;foothills lying between the coastal plain and Judea Mountains. Seve...
Israel and Edom: Nations in ConflictJacob and Esau, the grandsons of Abraham, were to be fathers of nations in conflict. Esau (the older) ultimately would serve Jacob, and Jacob's people would be stronger than Esau?s people. Esau's descendents wer...
Why Did God Choose Elijah? It's easy to think that Elijah was morally or spiritually superior to us, but he wasn't. Elijah needed correction, encouragement, and the knowledge that other believers were standing against Baal as well.God uses ordin...
The Jerusalem of David's time, located on a narrow strip of land (Mount Moriah), was about ten acres in size and populated by approximately 1,500 people. The city was naturally defended by the Kidron Valley to the east and the Tyropean Valley to t...
Followed the original line dating from Solomon's days. The main feature in the wall, the Eastern Gate (see above), was the original eastern entrance to the Temple Mount. At one point, the walls of the temple rose more than 225 feet above the botto...
Esau's descendants. Edom means "red" and the Edomites lived in the mountains to the east and south of the Dead Sea. Because of Edom's attacks on Judah, God promised to take revenge on the Edomites.
Land and civilization south and west of Israel that flourished along the banks of the Nile River. During the time of Moses, home to enslaved Jews. Part of the Roman Empire during the first century. Throughout the Bible, Egypt was economically depe...
One of the first prophets; name literally means "Yahweh is God." On Mount Carmel, Elijah confronted the pagan prophets and challenged the Israelites to stop wavering between faith in Yahweh and Baal.
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