In ancient times, people craved words of counsel and knowledge from their gods. The city of Didyma in what is now modern-day Turkey functioned as one of three main oracles, places where ordinary people would travel to hear advice and predictions o... 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
The Passover Sedar employs four symbolic cups to help the Jews remember the miraculous ways that God delivered His people from the hand of Pharaoh. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked the Father to take away the cup placed before Him, a "... MORE
Throughout His ministry, Jesus' compassion for sinners and those considered unclean raised the eyebrows of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. God's word warned His people not to touch any unclean thing, and they could not understand why Je... 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
Paul’s missionary journeys were generally marked by conflict. Sometimes, his message clashed with the Jews, who were often skeptical about Jesus or jealous of Paul’s success. Even more often, Paul’s teaching angered the governing... MORE
In Paul’s day, the city of Corinth was known for two things: drunkenness and sexual decadence of all kinds. The word “Corinthian” was even used in Greek plays to describe someone with poor morals or drunken behavior. And yet in 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
THE JOY OF LIVING WATER: JESUS AND THE FEAST OF SUKKOT' With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Isa. 12:3)Water was of great importance to the people of the Bible. They lived in a dry country, completely dependent on the season...
The term rabbi in the time of Jesus did not necessarily refer to a specific office or occupation. That would be true only after the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed (70 AD). Rather, it was a word meaning great one or my master which was applied t...
The Baptism of JesusOne of the greatest events to occur in relationship to the Jordan River was the baptism of Jesus. The gospel accounts tell us that a dove descended from heaven and hovered over the water as Jesus was baptized. A voice from heav...
God's plan for the birth of the Savior unfolds through the people he chooses to be in Jesus' ancestral line.For example, Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, hid two Israelite spies and believed in Yahweh. Because of this, she and her entire family wer...
During his ministry, Jesus demonstrated his authority over the sea and its destructive power. He walked on the stormy water (Mark 6:47-50; Matt. 14:22-33; John 6:16-20). And he calmed the storms on the sea (Mark 4:35-41; Matt. 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-2...
Jewish Feasts
In the Old Testament, God instituted a religious calendar for the Israelites to follow. Within each year, there were seven specified feasts (Lev. 23), four in the spring and three each fall. Through these feasts, the Jewish people ce...
The Revolt Begins
In AD 66, a Gentile in Caesarea offered a pagan sacrifice next to the synagogue's entrance on the Sabbath. Jewish citizens protested, so Jerusalem authorities ended all foreign sacrifices in the temple, including those to Caesar....
Hebrew Yarden, meaning, "the descender." Headwaters are fed by snow melt on Mount Hermon and underground springs; flows into the Dead Sea; where John baptized Jesus. Largest river in Israel.
Jewish historian named Josephus Flavius, author of four major extra-biblical texts of Jewish life and culture. Born to a preistly family about the time of Jesus' death, he died approximately 100 AD; he was a Galilean commander in the First Jewish ...
Region of Israel, named for the tribe of Judah, where Jerusalem was located. Ruled by Herod the Great and later given to his son, Archelaus; then directly under Roman authority. The Judean Temple leadership resisted Jesus' message and ministry.
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