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 ... 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
The Lord defied the gods of Egypt with mighty displays of power so that Israel, Egypt, Pharaoh, and ultimately the entire world would see the strength of the one and only God. Pharaoh hardened his heart, but the Israelites responded to the power o... MORE
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... MORE
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 ... MORE
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... MORE
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 ... 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
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 Province of Asia MinorThe remains of the towns and villages of Galilee give evidence to the simple lifestyle of the Jewish people of the first century. Few were wealthy but most were hardworking people living comfortable lives as extended fami...
Rabbi and TalmidimThe people of Galilee were the most religious Jews in the world in the time of Jesus. This is quite contrary to the common view that the Galileans were simple, uneducated peasants from an isolated area. This perspective is probab...
God's covenant with Abraham demonstrated the promise of God. He declared his commitment to the Israelites by walking the bloodpath to make a covenant with Abraham and his descendants.The table of the Ten Commandments sealed the relationship betwee...
After the rainy season and floods have passed, pools of water remain in the wadis, providing life to wilderness inhabitants.This pool in Wadi Zin in the Negev is a beautiful illustration of the still waters to which the shepherd guides his sheep. ...
Qumran served as a study site for the Essenes, a Jewish sect existing in Jesus' day. Located at the edge of the Judea Wilderness, Qumran was an isolated community. The Essenes could live out their beliefs in separation from other religious groups ...
The second commandment forbade making images. Hellenistic culture glorified the human form. These two world views clashed in the days of Herod as he tried (and largely succeeded) to mold his kingdom into a Hellenistic one. He imported great number...
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...
- 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...
Here, archaeologists have found a basin for preparing clay, a base for a potter's wheel, and two kilns. The clay jars, which helped to preserve the Dead Sea Scrolls for nearly two thousand years, were probably made here.
A small community near the northern end of the Dead Sea, inhabited from 130 BC to AD 70, probably by the Essenes. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found near this settlement.
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