Lesson 7.1

As the gospel of Jesus spread across a Gentile world unfamiliar with the teachings and culture of the Jews, the early church faced an interesting challenge %u2013 meeting different cultures in their own context to demonstrate the redeeming power o...

Lesson 8.1

The exodus from Egypt was a metaphor for God's greater redemption story, the restoration of shalom from the chaos of the evil one. His purpose was to invite Israel into a greater story than the one of their bondage, eventually unveiling a plan of ...

Lesson 9.1

When the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, the Promised Land awaited them, but first God led them into the desert. The time they spent there would not only get them out of Egypt geographically, but would also remove its influence from thei...

Lesson 10.1

When the tabernacle was established among the Israelites, God came and lived among His people. Its design, construction, and function revealed much of His character, which proved to be completely unlike that of any gods the people had ever known. ...

Lesson 11.1

At times, God chose to use the harsh reality of life in the desert near the Promised Land as a practical teaching tool to mold and shape His people. The Essenes went willingly into this wasteland to allow Him to do just that: to teach them His wor...

Lesson 12.1

In the Bible, the desert is an image of great hardship and suffering, signifying the impossibility of survival without access to basic resources. God often led His people through desert places, using the barrenness of the land as opportunities to ...

Lesson 13.1

When the Israelites left Egypt and began their journey with God to the Promised Land, how much did they know of their past history? Some, like Moses' parents, seemed to have retained a knowledge and faith in the God of their fathers, but the Bible...

Lesson 14.1

Jesus left heaven to be born in a filthy shepherd’s stable, as if to say, “I’ll leave heaven to enter the brokenness of your world.” Much of His teaching ministry, though, took place in a very different sort ...

15.1

Followers of Jesus believe that the Bible contains the inspired revelation of the Creator of the universe. “Gospel” is the word that’s often used – the good news that God is redeeming a broken world through His So...

16.1

The people of the Bible lived in temple-building cultures. Temples provided pagan gods with a place to live, keeping them close to the people who worshiped them. Even Israel did the same – first Solomon, then Nehemiah and Zerubbabel, and eve...

Lesson 1.2

Lesson 2.2

Lesson 3.2

Lesson 4.2

Lesson 5.2

Lesson 6.2

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...

Lesson 7.2

After meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road, Paul dedicated the rest of his life to sharing the gospel with anyone and everyone. He soon became one of the major leaders in the early church, focusing much of his effort on reaching out to the Gentiles....

Lesson 8.2

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, ...

Lesson 9.2

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 ...

Lesson 10.2

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...

Lesson 11.2

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...

Lesson 12.2

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...

Lesson 13.2

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...

Lesson 14.2

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 ...

The City of Dan

LocationThe city of Dan, originally called Laish, is located in northern Israel. To the east are the remarkable slopes of Mount Hermon, and the city of Caesarea Phillippi. About 30 miles south of Dan lays the Sea of Galilee.ArchaeologyArcheologist...

The Cult of Asclepius

Asclepius, the god who healed with moving water, was said to be the son of god Apollo and a woman named Coronis. His symbol was the snake, and he was known as the god of life because the snake seemingly resurrects itself (sheds its skin and is bor...

The Entrance to the Water Shaft on Tel Megiddo

The water source for Megiddo was a spring at the base of the hill on which this strategic city was built. From its early history through the time of Solomon, the people reached the water by walking through a small postern gate and into a gallery (...

The Essene Water Channel

The Essenes created catch basins just west of their community where the runoff from the rain in the Judea Wilderness cascaded over the cliff. They dug more than 100 feet of tunnel through solid rock to bring water to the foot of the cliff; from th...

The Fortress Masada

The plateau Masada is located in the remote Judean desert. Because this desert was bordered by the more fertile mountain ridge of the land of Israel, Masada was close to more hospitable areas.The attraction of the location for Herod was that he co...

The Garden Tomb

Just north of the Damascus Gate, the main northern entrance to Jerusalem, is a beautiful garden located against the side of a rocky cliff. It has been a place of interest to many Christian visitors because it is remarkably similar to the Bible's d...

The Gate at Dan

Just past the entrance to the gate at Dan, a large stone extends into the street. Just beyond it, along the wall, archaeologists uncovered a cultic high place containing five standing stones. Just beyond and to the left of the large stones, agains...

The Gate Chamber at Megiddo

Only part of this chamber was left standing after the city was destroyed following the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom in the eighth century BC. The street (foreground) was removed by archaeologists after they discovered an earlier gate ...

The Great Altar of Zeus

Around 250 BC, the people of Pergamum won a great victory against the Galatians. In memory of that event, they built a great altar to Zeus, who was considered to be king of the gods, life-giver, the lord of all, the creator of all; titles that bel...

The Harbor

These ruins are of harbors built after the time of Herod. His harbor, which was built on concrete foundations in the sea, is no longer visible, although the base of the breakwater still exists beneath the water. This spectacular accomplishment bro...

The Herod Family

Herod the Great* Died in 4 BC* Effective administrator, cruel, supported by Rome* Visited by wise men, killed Bethlehem babies* Greatest builder the ancient Near East ever knew* Had 10 wives, including Cleopatra, Miriam, and MalthacePhilip* Son of...

The Herod Family Tomb

The Herod Family TombThe tomb to the west of Jerusalem was at one time thought to be the burial place of the Herod family. Later research indicated that it was not Herod's tomb. It is noted for the "rolling stone" still in place next to ...

The Herodion's Lower Palace

The lower palace, viewed from the height of the upper fortress, is massive. The pool with its island is most impressive in the wilderness. The remains of the colonnaded garden are clear. On the lower right are the excavations of the lower palace b...

The Herodion's Pool

The pool of the Herodion was one of the largest in the ancient world. It is 10 feet deep, 140 feet long, and 200 feet wide. Herod typically built as if he could defeat nature. Since the Herodion is located in the desolate Judea Wilderness, Herod c...

The High Place and Altar at Dan

The high place at Dan, in northern Israel, dates to 920 BC, when Israel was divided into the northern (Israel) and the southern (Judah) kingdoms.The high place measured 62 feet square and was surrounded by a wall. On top of the high place were bui...

The High Place at Dan

Five standing stones (or masseboth) were found in the high place of the gate at Dan. This high place is similar to the ones Josiah destroyed in his reform (2 Kings 23:8) because they were used in the fertility rites of the culture. Standing stones...

The History of Jerusalem

2,000 BC- God sends Abraham to the area of Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac.1,000 BC- David captures Jerusalem, names it the City of David, and makes it his capital.950 BC- Solomon spends seven years building the temple, then spends thirty years bu...

The Holy of Holies of the Temple at Arad

The Holy of Holies was reached by climbing two steps. This provided the symbolism of going up to God that is so central to the biblical idea of worship.In this small room were two standing stones. Scholars debate whether these stones represented t...

The Holy Place of the Temple at Arad

This room was the priests' court, which contained several key elements of the worship of Yahweh.Unseen just inside the opening is a stone bench, and across from the bench are the two incense altars at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. The bench ...

The Jewish Revolts

The Jewish RevoltsJewish people of Jesus' day had a passionate desire for freedom from the domination of the pagan Romans and the oppressive Herod dynasty that had ruled them for many years. Revolt seethed continuously, mostly underground, for mor...

The Jordan Valley from Belvoir

Belvoir is located on the western side of the Jordan Valley. It is in a group of hills knows as the Issachar Plateau just north of Beth Shean. This photograph is of the Jordan Valley looking northeast. Down in the valley, the channel where the Jor...

The Judge's Platform

Just through the entrance of the gate, archaeologists reconstructed a canopy over the platform on which the ruler of the city sat. To the right, along the stone wall, is a bench possibly where the elders of the city sat. Note the decorative stones...

The Latest Technology

Before 1200 BC, bronze was the metal in the Near East. Scholars believe that the technology of the ancient world was not advanced enough to heat metal to the temperature needed to melt iron and work it. The melting point of iron is 1,550 degrees C...

The Lord is my Shepherd

The WildernessWe may not want to face the wilderness, but the "rocks" of life are the very places where God often brings sweetness into our lives.Rugged wilderness covers much of Israel. The two most prominent deserts are the Judea Wilde...