Tag: Bible
-
The Rainbow A Sign of the Noahic Covenant
After the great flood, God spoke to Noah and his sons as well as all living things, promising by covenant to never again destroy the world by water: “And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; Read more
-
Genesis: A Quick Overview
Genesis is Latin meaning “generation, birth, and origin.” The original Hebrew title of the Book of Genesis is the first word of the book, berasheet, meaning “In the beginning.” The Book of Genesis begins with the creation story. A common modern error is to try applying modern science to the Genesis account. God does not Read more
-
Paul was Taught and Baptized at Ananias House, Damascus
Ananias House (a.k.a. Chapel of Saint Ananias, and Hanania Church), is located in Damascus, Syria. It is near the east Old City wall and about 500 feet/153 meters north of the “Street Called Straight” (Acts 9:11). It belongs to the Syriac Maronite Church and is traditionally the remains of the house of Ananias. Archeological excavations Read more
-
Mount Hermon: The Probable Mount of Transfiguration
Today the mount is divided by three countries, Syria, Israel, and Lebanon. Mount Hermon is 9,232 feet/2,814 meters high in Syria (the Israeli part is 7,300 feet), in the extreme northeast of the Holy Land, being the southern point of a range of mountains called the Anti-Lebanon. It is by far the highest mountain in the Read more
-
The Valleys of Jerusalem: Part 3 The Tyropoean Valley
The Tyropoean Valley was the western border valley of Old Testament Jerusalem/The City of David, and was the central valley in New Testament Jerusalem. In New Testament times it separated the original City of David and the Temple Mount with the newer and wealthier section of Jerusalem on Mount Zion. The valley is not named Read more
-
The Valleys of Jerusalem: Part 2 The Hinnom Valley
The Hinnom Valley (Hinnom in Hebrew means “hell”). It was in this valley that, in the 8th century BC, Canaanites and Jews sacrificed their children to the fiery god Molech, burning them alive. The current academic thought is that Molech/Moloch/Molok/Milcom idol worship began in Phoenicia. Nevertheless, Molech worship appeared in several locations across the southern Read more
-
The Valleys of Jerusalem: Part 1, the Kidron (Cedron) Valley
There are three valleys in and around ancient Jerusalem, namely the Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoean. I will discus each in a separate post. Kidron Valley The Kidron Valley is also spelt Cedron Valley, and also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12). The other two valleys run into the Kidron and then the Kidron Read more
-
The Jordan River
The Jordan is famous for being the site of events in the Old and New Testaments. I will review the major events below. Today it demarcates a large segment of the border between the countries of Israel and Jordan. (Incidentally, the modern political chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” refers Read more
-
The Book of Revelation from Patmos Island
The Apostle John had been ministering the gospel to the people in what the Romans termed Asia (modern day Turkey) before he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos (in modern day Greece). This probably happened during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD). Banishment was a common form of Roman punishment at Read more
-
The Decapolis Cities of the New Testament Era
Deca-polis means ten-cities. These cities were autonomous in their local affairs, but under Rome for all other matters. They were all known to be strongholds of Hellenistic/Greek culture in the Middle East. All but one of the cities, Scythopolis, were located east of the Jordan River. The 10 cities were: Scythopolis (Old Testament Beth-Shean/Beth-Shan), Hippos, Read more