That the World May Know

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 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...

The Salt of the Earth

The City of SardisLocated on Mount Tmolus in southern Turkey, the city of Sardis stood at the crossroads of Asia Minor, the most prosperous, powerful, fertile, and pagan province of the entire Roman Empire. First-century Sardis had a unique blend ...

The Time Had Fully Come

Qumran - The SiteThe wilderness community of Qumran served as home for the Essenes, a Jewish sect existing in Jesus' day.Qumran served as a study site for the Essenes, a Jewish sect existing in Jesus' day. Located at the edge of the Judea Wilderne...

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Encyclopedia

The Main Assembly Hall at Qumran

With the Dead Sea to the east of Qumran in the background, we can see the size of the assembly hall. On the right is the kitchen where the food was prepared. The size of the room and its prominence highlight the importance of this sacred meal to t...

The Making of a City

The environment of the Middle East, including Israel, is harsh and mostly unsuitable for settlement. For a location to be habitable, three conditions were needed:1. Fresh Water - Although rainfall is plentiful in some regions of Israel, most rain ...

The Meaning of the Rock

Throughout church history, there has been discussion and debate on exactly what Jesus meant when he said, 'on this rock I will build my church' (Matt. 16:28). The cliff face in Caesarea Philippi that was used for centuries in idol worship provides...

The Promised Land

When the Israelites finally reached the edge of the Promised Land after wandering 40 years in the barren wilderness, they must have been overwhelmed by Canaan's fertility. To North Americans, it does not look particularly lush; but to desert nomad...

The Sea and the Abyss

The Sea of Galilee is beautiful, but its calm, peaceful setting does not present a complete picture of ancient people's feelings toward it: Many biblical images related to the sea had very negative connotations.Jews were not seafarers; they were d...

The Sea of Galilee

Rabbis of ancient times said, "The Lord has created seven seas, but the Sea of Galilee is his delight." Anyone who sees the Sea of Galilee understands this statement: The blue water, set against a green and brown background of surroundin...

The Temple at En Gedi

En Gedi is one of the oases around the Dead Sea. Sodom and Gomorrah would have looked like this oasis. High on the cliff above En Gedi, archaeologists discovered a pagan temple already old at the time of Abraham and Lot. Sodom and Gomorrah probabl...

The Water Tunnel of Megiddo

At the bottom of the vertical shaft, the workers of Megiddo dug a horizontal tunnel nearly 220 feet long, to the cave where the spring was located.Apparently, one crew began in the cave and another one at the bottom of the shaft. The chisel marks ...

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