# Bible Atlas
# Introduction to Bible Atlas
This is a first year DBI course. It is a survey of Bible Lands and People.
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image-1651029448835-israel-sinai.jpg)
## Course Outline
1. Introduction to Course
2. The Beginning
3. Early Bible Lands & People
4. Currencies, Measurements & Time
5. Biblical Archaeology
6. Relating Bible Lands to Today
7. Journey’s of Abraham
8. Journey's of Jacob & His Family
9. Journey in the Wilderness
10. The Land of Canaan
11. The Law of the Land
12. Minor Conflicts in Canaan
13. Babylonian Empire
14. Grecian Empire
15. Roman Empire
16. Early Spread of the Gospel
17. Holy Land Today
## Course Overview
### Overview - What is Bible Atlas?
Bible Atlas will include the study of such topics as Biblical:
Nations, Persons, Archaeology, Geography, Politics, Measurements.
The people, places and events described in Scripture are not fictitious, but real and can be investigated through secular history, archaeology and cultural nuances as well as the Biblical text.
### Course Purpose - Why do we study Bible Atlas?
We study Bible Atlas because it is the study of the very setting of Scripture. Much confusion concerning Biblical texts can be cleared up with a simple look at context and SETTING. Also, Scripture appears freshly practical and relative to us as we investigate its proper setting. How more inspiring it is to read Paul’s description of himself as a ‘bondservant’ knowing that he was voluntarily imprisoned that he might do the will of his Master! As a Roman citizen Paul had a right to make his appeal to Caesar and he used that privilege that he might have the opportunity to testify before the leader of the world’s greatest empire of Jesus. If Paul had not held fast to that right, he probably would have been merely dismissed by the Roman authorities as a mere nuisance.
Another example of a passage that comes to life when placed in the light of Bible Atlas is John chapter 4. Samaria was normally avoided through a circuitous route east of Jordan by Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee. Jews normally avoided Samaria because of the cultural tensions, but Christ purposely went through it. These details clarify Christ’s declaration that he must needs go through Samaria did directly relate to the need of a little woman and her city and not merely a practical statement of some mandatory traveling route. Also, Jacob’s well where Jesus met with the Samaritan woman is situated with Mount Gerizim in sight. (John 4:20)
### Completing this Course - What do I have to do?
Each lesson is concluded with a set of Study Questions.; these questions should be completed before the start of the next lesson. There will also be sequential Quizzes covering the related Study Questions. There will be some memory of Scripture in this course and other assignments to be completed both in the classroom and at home.# The Beginning
## Introduction
> Psalm 24:1—The earth is the LORD'S …
> Genesis 1:1-2,9-10—In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
## I. The Garden of Eden
### A. God planted a garden eastward in Eden. (Gen. 2:8)
### B. God placed the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Gen. 2:9)
### C. A river ran through Eden and parted into four heads. (Gen. 2:10)
#### 1. Genesis 2:11 Pison (Havilah) There is gold, bdellium and onyx stone
#### 2. Genesis 2:13 Gihon (land of Cush; Cush generally means Ethiopia)
#### 3. Genesis 2:14 Tigris (Hiddekel)
#### 4. Genesis 2:14 Euphrates (Assyria)
The flood was a catastrophic event that brought about dramatic change to the earth’s geography. With this in mind, it is very understandable that we would have difficulty finding every pre-flood marker such as Pison and Gihon. (The Tigris and Euphrates still remain.)
### D. Theories on the missing heads
#### 1. Pison and Gihon disappeared totally
#### 2. The Nile river somehow connected with Tigris and Euphrates once (this theory is weak)
#### 3. Pison and Gihon could be translated "gusher" and "bubbler" and possibly are references to the long forgotten names of the tributaries of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
## II. Out of Eden
### A. Adam and Eve were expelled out of the garden and driven east (Gen. 3:24)
### B. Cain was exiled farther east of Eden to the land of Nod. (Gen. 4:16)
### C. The ark (Noah) landed on the mountains of Ararat. (Gen. 8:4)
## III. Old Testament World
| Seas | Mountains | Rivers |
|---|
| Caspian Sea | Mt Ararat | Araxes |
| Persian Gulf | Zagros | Tigris – Hiddekel |
| Gulf of Suez | Caspian | Euphrates |
| Mediterranean Sea | Lebanon | Orontes |
| Dead Sea | Taurus | Jordan |
| Gulf of Akabah | Mt. Hor | Nile |
| Black Sea | Mt. Hermon | Jabbak River |
| Sea of Galilee | Mt. Sinai | |
| Lake Van | Mt. Carmel | |
| Lake Urumiyeh | Mt. Seir | |
### A. Land of the Mountains
Armenia – the name Armenia is not used in the original scriptures, but is a translation of the word Ararat. The Ark rested on one of its mountains.
Media – (Gen. 10:2) In power in 536 B.C. “Madia”
Persia – Rose to the power under Cyrus the Great.
### B. Land of the Plains
Assyria – In the Hebrew Asshur (Gen. 10:12 ) Nineveh is its capital.
Elam or Lusistan
Mesopotamia – Land between two rivers.
Chaldea – also called Shinar and Babylonia. Greatest city of the east in 536 BC.
Desert of Arabia – Called in scripture “Land of Kedar.”
### C. Lands of the Mediterranean
Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria, Land of Goshen, Phoenicia, Cyprus, Palestine, Edom, Wilderness of Paran, Moab
### D. Capital Cities
- Damascus, Syria
- Tarsus, Asia Minor
- Jerusalem, Palestine
- Rameses, Egypt
- Samaria, Palestine
- Haran, Mesopotamia
- Zidon, Phoenicia
- Babylon, Chaldea
- Tyre, Phoenicia
- Shushan, Elam
- Antioch, Syria
- Nineveh, Assyria
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image13.jpg)
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image14.jpg)# Early Bible Lands and People
## I. Mesopotamia
After the flood, the mass of humanity remained closely together and did not spread out through the earth. This was in direct disobedience to God’s command: be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. (Gen. 9:1)
Noah’s Descendants Gen. 9:1—And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. Gen. 10:1—Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
Gen. 10:8—And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Nimrod was a city builder,(11-14) but his birthplace and his father and mother is not Known.
We find that the goal of this particular settlement was not to fulfill God’s command but to defy God and His Word. From the very beginning, the Babylonians goal was to resist any further scattering of the people over the earth and instead to create a city where the achievement of a united, integrated people that would be centralized and more readily be controlled.
IV. After the flood
Gen 11:1—And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2—And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
Shinar (also translated as Babylonia) Located between the two rivers in Mesopotamia. It had rich agriculture land. The Land of Shinar became known as the world’s first civilization with a network of cities built up of mud brick and stones, it was dominated by approx. 30 Ziggurats made to honor their gods.
V. Description Tower of Babel
In the Bible a spiral shape tower built with brick for stone and slime for mortar, located in the plain of Shinar whose top may reach unto heaven. A tower people started to build to make a name for themselves, causing God to show his anger by making them speak different languages, which led to the collapse of the project and ultimately to the scattering of people across the world. Gen. 11:7—Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8—So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. The purpose for the Tower of Babel was to make a name for them and keep everyone together for a one-world government and one-world false Religion.
If a world-wide god-less empire was allowed to rule the world than God could not raise up a godly people through whom He could send the Promise seed, the savior of the world . In confusing the language and scattering the people, God stopped man’s godless purpose, effort and works and then raised up a Godly people through Abram, by calling him out of Mesopotamia.
Symbol of one-world Government and One-world Religion The land of Shinar was a geographical term for what is today, Iraq known in ancient times as Mesopotamia. Nimrod founded the kingdoms of the land of Shinar. Babylon was the mother of false religions.
Sometime after the flood, Noah’s descendants travelled south-west and congregated in the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers above the Persian Gulf. Genesis calls this the “land of Shinar” or “Babylonia” which is located in southern Mesopotamia. This area would be populated with mud brick structures (especially ziggurats to honor their false gods) and a network of cities. The land of Shinar is modern day Iraq.
> Genesis 11:1,2—And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
## II. Tower of Babel
Led by Nimrod, the people built a tower attempting to reach the heavens. This tower was made of mud for brick and slime for mortar. The purpose of this building was for a symbol of the unity of humanity. It was the earliest attempt at a “one-world government and religion.” Their foolish plans were brought to a complete halt by the intervention of God. God took the language of the world that was one and confounded or mixed it into many languages and scattered the people throughout the earth.
## III. Early Nations of the World
Read Genesis 10:1.
| Shem | | Ham | | Japheth | |
|---|
| Hebrews | Genesis 40:15 | Canaanites | Gen. 10:19 | Greeks | Acts 14:1 |
| Chaldeans | Isa. 23:13 | Egyptians | Ex. 6:13 | Scythians | Col. 3:11 |
| Assyrians | Jer. 50:18 | Philistines | I Sam. 17:4 | Europeans | |
| Persians | Esther 1:19 | Hittites | Neh. 9:8 | | |
| Syrians | I Chr. 19:12 | Amorites | Ex. 3:17 | | |
Shem’s descendants were called Semites. Abraham, David, and Jesus descended from Shem. Ham’s descendants eventually settled in Canaan and Africa. Japheth’s descendants eventually settled mostly in Europe and Asia Minor.
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image2.jpg)
## IV. The Fertile Crescent
The great arc of fertile land stretching from the Nile delta in Lower Egypt north through Palestine and then south and east to the Persian Gulf is called the Fertile Crescent. The intrinsic fertility of this arc of land has made it highly prized among both nomadic and settled agricultural settlers. This same arc represents the major trade routes of the ancient world. It is also along this route that Abraham made his great journey.
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/ancient-egypt.jpg)# Currencies, Measurements and Time
## I. Currencies
A currency is not necessarily coins or paper bills, but is money in any form that is used as a medium of exchange. The earliest forms of currency were pieces of gold or silver that were in an un-minted and un-unified form whose values were determined by the weight of the piece. Around the 7th century B.C. governments used an official stamp to guarantee the weight and purity of a piece of metal, thus the coin was born.
- It would take 6 of the widow’s mites to equal one penny! (Luke 21:2)
- The golden basins that Ezra brought back from Babylon were worth $5,280.00 each. (Ezra 8:27)
- In Jesus’ time you could buy a sparrow for less than a penny. (Matt. 5:26)
| Currency | | Modern Equivalent | Scripture |
|---|
| Dram-a gold coin (Also known as the Persian Daric) | O.T. | $5.28 | I Chron. 29:7 |
| Farthing (1) Gr. Kondrantes-a bronze coin | N.T. | $0.00375 (3/8 of a cent) | Matt. 5:26 |
| Farthing (2) Gr. Assarion-a bronze coin | N.T. | $0.015 (about 3 farthings) | Lk. 12:6 |
| Mite-a copper coin | N.T. | $0.001875 (3/16 of a cent) | Lk. 21:2 |
| Penny (denarius)-a silver coin | N.T. | 2 bread loafs/day’s wage | Matt. 20:9 |
| Piece of Silver (1) Usually a shekel of silver | O.T. | Uncertain, $0.54 | I Sam. 2:36 |
| Piece of Silver (2) Gr. Argurion | N.T. | $0.64 | Matt. 26:15 |
| Piece of Silver (3) Gr. Drachme | N.T. | $0.17 | Lk. 15:8, 9 |
| Tribute Money Gr. Didrachmon- double drachme | N.T. | $0.32 | Matt. 17:24 |
## II. Weights
The balance was a tool used to determine weight. It was an early form of a scale with a beam that was suspended in the middle and had a basket hanging on each side. In one basket they would place the item that was desired to be weighed and in the other basket they would place premade weights of stone or metal of a known amount. They would add or remove the known weights until both sides were equal.
Now a problem that they faced was that one person’s weight may not have been the same in another town or country, and they solved this problem by bringing their own weights with them so they could see if they were receiving a just value. Deuteronomy 25:13 indicates to us that some people had two weights that they carried with them—a lighter weight and a heavier weight—and they tried to trick people by using the different weights to their advantage.
These counterweights of stone and metal did not become common in the near east until the 5th century B.C. Before this time the shekel, which was a balance equal to 320 grains of barley, was used. When metals were introduced as a means of counterweight, the weight of a shekel was fixed at 11.5 grams of silver.
- The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon more than 9,000 pounds of gold (1 Kings 10:10)
- The offering taken up to rebuild the temple contained 12,500 pounds of silver (Ezra 2:69)
- 1/5 of an ounce of silver was collected from every adult male Israelites to build the Tabernacle (Ex. 38:26)
| Weight
|
| Biblical
| Modern Equivalent
| Scripture
|
| Bekah
| O.T.
| 1/2 shekel
| 1/5 ounce (5.7 grams)
| Ex. 38:26
|
| Gerah
| O.T.
| 1/20 shekel
| 1/50 ounce (.6 grams)
| Lev. 27:25
|
| Pound (1) Heb. Maneh
| O.T.
| 100 shekels
| 2 1/2 pound (1.2 kg)
| Erza 2:69
|
| Pound (2) Gr. Litra
| N.T.
| 30 shekels
| 2/5 ounce (11.5 grams)
| John 12:3
|
| Pound (3) Gr. Mina
| N.T.
| 50 shekels
| 1 1/4 pound (.6 kg)
| Lk. 19:13
|
| Shekel
| O.T.
| 2 bekahs
| 2/5 ounce (11.5 grams)
| Ex. 30:13
|
| Talent
|
| 3,000 shekels
| 75-88 lbs. (34-40 kg)
| Ex. 25:39
|
## III. Dry Measure
- On her first day of gleaning Ruth brought home 3/5 of a bushel (Ruth 2:17)
- When the quail fell on the Israelites, every person gathered at least 6 bushels (Num. 11:32)
| Unit
| Biblical
| Modern Equivalent
| Scripture
|
| Cab
| 1/18 ephah
| 1 quart (1 liter)
| 2 Kings 6:25
|
| Bushel
| 4 omers
| 1 peck of ¼ bushel (9 liters)
| Matt. 5:15
|
| Omer
| 1/10 ephah
| 2 quarts (2 liters)
| Ex. 16:16
|
| Ephah \[Bath\]
| 10 omers
| 3/5 bushel (22 liters)
| Ex. 16:36
|
| Cor \[Homer\]
| 10 ephahs
| 6 bushels or 200 quarts (220 liters)
| Isa. 5:10
|
## IV. Liquid Measure
Solomon’s molten sea could hold 12,000 gallons of water (1 Kings 7:26) The drink offering during the Feast of the First-Fruits consisted of 1 quart of wine (Lev. 23:13)
| Unit
| Biblical
| Modern Equivalent
| Scripture
|
| Log
| 1/72 bath
| 1/3 quart (.3 liter)
| Lev. 14:10
|
| Hin
| 1/6 bath
| 1 gallon or 4 quarts (4 liters)
| Ezek. 45:24
|
| Bath
| 6 hins
| 6 gallons (22 liters)
| Ezra 7:22
|
| Firkin
| 10 hins
| 10 gallons (39 liters)
| John 2:6
|
| Cor \[Homer\]
| 10 baths
| 60 gallons (220 liters)
| Ezek. 45:14
|
## V. Length
Linear measure was originally based upon parts of the body, such as the hand, arm or foot. The cubit, which is one of the most used measures of length in the Bible, was the distance from the elbow to the fingertip (about 18 inches), the span is the distance between the extended thumb and the little finger (about 9 inches), and the handbreadth was the width of the hand at the base of the four fingers (about 3 inches).
- Noah’s ark was 450 feet long! That means that it was as long as 1½ football fields (Gen. 6:15)
- Goliath was 9½ feet tall (1 Sam. 17:4)
- Nebuchadnezzar’s idol was 90 feet tall (Dan. 3:1)
| Unit
| Biblical
| Modern Equivalent
| Scripture
|
| Handbreadth
| 1/6 cubit
| 3 inches (8 centimeters)
| Ps. 39:5
|
| Span
| 1/2 cubit
| 9 inches (23 centimeters)
| 1 Sam. 17:4
|
| Cubit
| 2 spans
| 18 inches (.5 meter)
| Judges 3:16
|
| Fathom
| 4 cubits
| 2 yards (2 meters)
| Acts 27:28
|
| Reed Heb. Kaneh
| 6 cubits
| 3 yards (3 meters)
| Ezek. 40:3
|
| Furlong
| 400 cubits
| 1/8 mile (185 meters)
| Rev. 14:20
|
| Mile Gr. Mileon
| 8 furlongs
| 1,620 yards (1.5 kilometers)
| Matt. 5:41
|
## VI. Time
An **hour** was the shortest measurement of time among the ancient peoples. Their hour was not quite like our hour, which is always a fixed time, but was a 12th part of the time from sunrise to sunset, which made their hours constantly change in length as the season of the year changed.
A **watch** was one of units of time that the night was divided into. Old Testament night was divided into three watches while the New Testament night due to Roman influence was divided into four watches.
| N.T. Time
| Aprox. Modern Time
|
| First hour
| 6-7 am
|
| Second hour
| 7-8 am
|
| Third hour
| 8-9 am
|
| Fourth hour
| 9-10 am
|
| Fifth hour
| 10-11 am
|
| Sixth hour
| 11-12 pm
|
| Seventh hour
| 12-1 pm
|
| Eighth hour
| 1-2 pm
|
| Ninth hour
| 2-3 pm
|
| Tenth hour
| 3-4 pm
|
| Eleventh hour
| 4-5 pm
|
| Twelfth hour
| 5-6 pm
|
## JEWISH CALENDAR
| CIVIL
| SACRED
| APROXIMATE EQUIVALENT
| HEBREW
| FESTIVALS
| SEASONS & PRODUCTIONS
|
| 7
| 1
| APRIL
| ABIB/NISON
30 days
| 1 New Moon
14 The Passover
15-21 Unleavened Bread
| Spring rains (Deut. 11:14)/Floods (Josh. 3:15)/ Barley ripe of Jericho
|
| 8
| 2
| MAY
| ZIV/IYYAR
29 days
| 1 New Moon
14 Second Passover
| HARVEST: Barley Harvest (Ruth 1:22)/Wheat Harvest/ SUMMER begins/No rain April to Sept. (I Sam. 12:17)
|
| 9
| 3
| JUNE
| SIVAN 30 days
| 1 New Moon/ 6 Pentecost
|
|
| 10
| 4
| JULY
| TAMMUZ
29 days
| 1 New Moon
17 Fast: taking of Jerusalem
| HOT SEASON: heat increases
|
| 11
| 5
| AUGUST
| AB/AV
30 days
| 1 New Moon
9 Fast: Jerusalem’s destruction
| The streams dry up/ heat intense/ vintage (Lev. 26:5)
|
| 12
| 6
| SEPTEMBER
| ELUL 29 days
| 1 New Moon
| Heat intense (2 Kings 4:19)/ Grape harvest (Num. 13:23)
|
| 1
| 7
| OCTOBER
| ETHANIM/TISHRI
30 days
| 1 New Year, Day of Blowing of Trumpet, Day of Judgment and Memorial (Lev. 29:1)
10 Day of Atonement (Lev. 16)
15 Booths/ 21 (Lev. 23:24)
22 Solemn Assembly
| SEED TIME
Former or early rains begin (Joel 2:23
Plowing and sowing begin
|
| 2
| 8
| NOVEMBER
| BUL/MARCHESRAN 29 days
| 1 New Moon
| Rain continues
Wheat and barley sown
|
| 3
| 9
| DECEMBER
| CHISLEV
30 days
| 1 New Moon
25 Dedication (John 10:22,29)
| WINTER: winter begins/snow on mountains
|
| 4
| 10
| JANUARY
| TEBETH
29 days
| 1 New Moon
10 Fast: Siege of Jerusalem
| Coldest month
Hail and snow (Josh. 10:11)
|
| 5
| 11
| FEBRUARY
| SHEBAT 30 days
| 1 New Moon
| Weather gradually warmer
|
| 6
| 12
| MARCH
| ADAR
29 days
| 1 New Moon/ 13 Fast of Esther
14-15 Purim
| Thunder and hail frequent
Almond tree blossoms
|
| LP YR
| 13
| MARCH/APRIL
| VEADAR/ADAR SHENI
| (same as ADAR)
| INTERCALARY MONTH
|
JEWISH CALENDAR NOTES
1. After the EGYPTIAN EXODUS, the first month was changed from BUL/MARCHESRAN to ABIB/NISON.
2. A new month commenced with the new moon Nu 10:10; Ps 81:3
3. Each new moon was commemorated with feast and sacrifice. Num. 10:10; 28:11; I Sam. 20:5; Ps. 81:3; Isa. 1:14; Hosea 2:11
4. The Civil Day was from sun-set one evening to sun-set the next; for “the evening and the morning were the first day.”
5. NIGHT Watches (Ancient): First till midnight, Middle till 3 a.m., Morning till 6 a.m.
6. NIGHT Watches (New Testament) First-Evening-6 to 9 pm/ Second-Midnight-9 to 12 a.m./ Third-12 to 3 a.m./ Fourth-morning-3 to 6 a.m.
7. DAY (Ancient) Morning to 10 a.m., Heat of day to 2 p.m., Cool of day to 6 p.m.
8. DAY (New Testament) Third Hour-6 to 9 a.m./ Sixth Hour-9 to 12 midday/ Ninth Hour-12 to 3 p.m./ Twelfth Hour-3 to 6 p.m.
9. 360 Natural Days to one prophetic year. Dan. 7:25; 12:7 3.5 Prophetic Years=1,260 natural days; Rev. 12:14
In the history of the Jews, the year was wholly lunar, having alternately a full month of thirty days, and a defective month of twenty-nine days, thus completing their year in three hundred and fifty-four days. As the lunar year, which the Jews followed, is shorter than the solar year by eleven days, the Jewish calendar contains a 13th month, Veadar, introduced 7 times every 19 years. By this means the average length of the year is nearly correct and it keeps the seasons in the proper months.
For more information see The Student Bible Dictionary, Barbour Publishing# Biblical Archaeology
1. Introduction to Archaeology
Up until about 150 years ago, archaeology has been nothing more than treasure hunting. Since then, archaeology has developed into a science. Generally, scientific methods are now applied to archaeology giving it a more mature status as a science.
Even though adventurers for hundreds of years have found things and carried them back home, it is not until recently that great strides have been made in unlocking the secrets of ancient history. Dead languages that were formally great unbreakable codes are now understood. Cuneiform (the written language from the Mesopotamian area) has just been broken in the past 150 years.Egyptian hieroglyphics can be read now, as well.
Archaeology can be likened to piecing together a great puzzle. Every discovered artifact and its related conclusions is a piece having its place in the great puzzle called history. Each conclusion reached will contradict or support earlier or future conclusions, but at the end of the day, all the pieces must be expected to fit. Poor archaeologists will search only for the fantastic and are quick to jump to conclusions that are exciting but lacking in thorough logic. For example, if someone claims they have found the location of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah then that conclusion must harmonize with all other known facts of archaeology or the contradictory conclusions must be rectified.
Because historical knowledge is constantly changing, archaeology demands great patience and honesty. Do not be quick to believe the latest claim of evidence disproving the Bible. Such claims have been made overa and over and in due course each of these claims of Biblical error have eventually been debunked. Professor William F. Albright, archeologist and head of Palestine's American School of Oriental Research,observes,
"The excessive skepticismshown toward the Bible by important historical schools... has been progressively discredited.Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history…. There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicityof Old Testament tradition…. It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference." Nelson Glueck, Jewish archaeologist honored by Time Magazine.
Archaeology is a great testimony to the authenticity of Scripture. Being a book of history, we should be able to find physical evidences of its claims. Biblical archaeology is the search for such evidence. For centuries, critics have ridiculed the Bible for referencing names, places and events not otherwise known. For many years, historians were profoundly convinced there never even existed men such as Belshazzar (king of Babylon), Balaam (prophet whose donkey spoke) or even a literal person named Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels. In the past 150 years, archaeology has produced physical evidences corroborating the Scriptural record concerning these men, Noah’s flood, six day creation, and Biblical cities such as Babylon, Nineveh and Edom and much more. More and more evidence is being discovered that validates the Bible as an historic book. Archaeology helps set the Bible apart from other religious writings as being historic and not merely mythical. In this chapter, we will highlight a few archaeological finds relevant to Scripture.
2. OLD TESTAMENT LANDS
Bible lands are real places which many can still be visited today. The Sea of Galilee, the hill called Golgotha, the wells that Abraham and his descendants dug, and the city of rock of the Edomites that Obadiah prophesied against are more than literary creations, but are actual places. The search of Biblical lands is an exciting adventure that brings another dimension of reality to the Scripture. Let us highlight a few out of thousands of discoveries that testify to the accuracy of the Biblical record.
1. EGYPT
Can we find evidence of Moses and the Hebrew Exodus? Let us consider Moses’ name. Isn’t it ironic that the greatest Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, the man who single-handedly organized the Israelites and led them out of Egypt, has an Egyptian name? And his name is not just any Egyptian name, it’s a religious Egyptian name. The name Moses is related to common Egyptian names like Amenmose, Ramose and Thutmose, which are formed of a god’s name followed by mose. Five of these compound names mean something like "Amen is born" or "Born of Amen" or "The offspring of Ra" or "The child of Thoth." When the name Mose appears by itself, as it occasionally does in Egyptian, it simply means "the Child" or "the Offspring." But in Egyptian, Mose most frequently appears along with the name of a god as part of a compound name. The technical term for a compound name with a divine element is a "theophoric" or "theophorous" name, derived from a Greek word meaning "bearing \[derived from\] a god." (Examples include Samuel, which means "His name is El"; Ishmael,"God hears";Daniel, "God is my judge"; Jehoshaphat, "YHWH has judged"; and Jeremiah, "The one whom YHWH has appointed”.) In Egypt and Israel, theophoric names were used to induce a deity to place a person under his or her protection. A man named Ramose might expect the sun-god Ra to protect and guide him for life. When, in the Bible, Hannah names her son Samuel, she is inviting God to watch over the child.
Semitic Hyksos 1780-1545 BC are written about on many tablets of various cultures.
Hieroglyphics, of fat cows and skinny cows. (Gen. 41:28)
An inscription was found at the first cataracht of the Nile reading “I collected corn…I was watchful in time of sowing. And when famine arose lasting many years, I distributed corn.” Archaeology and the Bible p. 305 “The Nile has not overflowed for a period of seven years…Herbage fails…The storehouses were built…All that was in them has been consumed.” Archeology and the Bible, p.306”
18thDynasty (a plausible placement of Moses in Egyptian chronology)
1. Amose (the moon is born) 1570-1553 BC
2. Amenhotep I. 1553-1532 BC (Ammun is pleased)
3. Tutmose I. 1532-1508 BC (Father of Hatshepsut)
4. Tutmose II. 1508-1504 (Husband of Hatshepsut)
5. Hatshepsut and Tutmose III (Illegitimate son of Tutmose II) Tutmose III was the most powerful Pharoah of all time. Buried in the Red Sea during the Hebrew’s exodus. (writer of the Egyptian book of the dead.)
6. Amenhotep II (son of Tutmose III – was in Syro-Palestine at the time of the Exodus and returned in June 1450 BC)
7. Tutmose IV (Second-born son of Amenhotep II)
MOSES—probably called Hapi-Moses as a reference to the Nile god. Born 1530 BC. Fled 1490 BC. Exodus 17, March 1450. Tutmose III died 17 March 1450 according to the biography of Amenemhab.
Thousands of tablets found at Ebla whch mention Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Isaac, all the Biblical figures, never had they been known except here.
The exodus took place as the Bible said and Egypt covered up the story. So that people wouldn’t pick up the hiccup in Egyptian history, Egyptian hieroglyphics lie.. Egyptians were notorious for only recording their victorious. (i.e., Ramses who fought against the hykso and was defeated details only his past victories.)
Time magazine article of the APIS bull discovery. Israel’s idolatry.
ISIS ad OSIRIS (female/male) Isis conceives as a virgin a Son🡪Horus (The savior of the world) and a Religion of works.
2. NINEVEH
Nineveh,an "exceeding great city", as it is called in the[Book of Jonah](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Jonah&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874964794&usg=AOvVaw0G8-zzn9maBMEj6N_f2nBB), lay on the eastern bank of the[Tigris](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigris&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874965167&usg=AOvVaw1x97ubmrh-irbMnwmOEsL-)in ancient[Assyria](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyria&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874965343&usg=AOvVaw3ADk5W4KrAZnVi7Jd5dkFU), across the river from the modern-day major city of[Mosul](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosul&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874965510&usg=AOvVaw1gm9IkIc6kUyv-K_GwSMF6), in the[Ninawa Governorate](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninawa_Governorate&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874965681&usg=AOvVaw2qENEQGhsH0qR2OgxAm_Kp)of[Iraq](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874965854&usg=AOvVaw1osDYEqIuWFENJbfqoPAR8).
Ancient Nineveh's mound-ruins of Kouyunjik and Nabī Yūnus are located on a level part of the plain near the junction of the Tigris and the Khosr Rivers within an 1,800-acre area circumscribed by a 7.5 mi. brick rampart. This whole extensive space is now one immense area of ruins overlaid in parts by new suburbs of the city of Mosul, Iraq.
Nineveh was an important junction for commercial routes crossing the Tigris. Occupying a central position on the great highway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, thus uniting the East and the West, wealth flowed into it from many sources, so that it became one of the greatest of all the region's ancient cities.
Austen Henry Layard’s,Nineveh and Its Remainsappeared in1849and became an immediate bestseller, remarkable for its lively prose and attempts to use cuneiform inscriptions to interpret Assyrian civilization. He resumed excavations at Nimrud and Nineveh in1849. This time, he had the benefit of much more accurate cuneiform translations byHenry[Rawlinson](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/6442/Henry-Rawlinson.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874966397&usg=AOvVaw3-elm2PKT5lIq139y4UUls)and other scholars, which enabled him to identify the palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh and his siege of biblical Lachish, described in II Kings. He also recovered the royal library of King Assurbanipal at Kuyunjik.
3. CANAAN (PALESTINE)
Ancient Tyre.The prophet Ezekiel foretold the unique destruction of Tyre -- a coastal center of Mediterranean commerce -- centuries before it was fulfilled:pillars of ancient tyre lie in the sea, and new Tyre was rebuilt on an island. (Ezekiel 26:2-5; 19-20)
Edom– Petra (Obadiah 1:3)
The Philistine city,Ekron.(now called TELMiqne): This confirmation of Biblical accuracy was published by the Archaeological Institute of America:"An inscription carved into a limestone slab found a tTELMiqne, 23 miles southwest of Jerusalem, confirms the identification of the site as Ekron, one of the five Philistine capital cities mentioned in the Bible. The inscription is unique because it contains the name of a biblical city and five of its rulers, two of whom arementioned as kings in texts other than the Bible. It also strengthens the identification of Ekron with a city-state recorded in Assyrian textsof the seventh century B.C.(I Samuel 17:52)
In 712 B.C. this city wasconquered by the Assyrian king SargonII. For a short time, beginning in 705 B.C., it came under the control of Hezekiah, king of Judah. In 603 B.C. the city was sacked by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar."
When faced with the overwhelming Assyrian forces, Hezekiah prayed to God for His sovereign intervention. Before the great victory, he encouraged the people in 2 Chronicles 32:7-8.
3. NEW TESTAMENT LOCATIONS
Multitudes of ruins and artifacts remain. Many locations (at least generally speaking) of important Biblical events have been preserved through tradition.
The city of Jerusalem stands many centuries after its Canaanite beginning as Salem. (Gen. 14:18; Hebrews 7:2)
The Pool of Bethesda."...liberal scholars…argued that verses such as John 5:2 had to be wrong, since it refers to "five porches" at the Jerusalem's pool of Bethesda. But more recent excavations verified John's account:"...approximately eight years ago archaeologists discovered underneath what they had previously thought was the earliest level at the site of Bethesda an oldermikveh (pool)which had afifth porticotransecting it! One would hope that at some point the criticswould concede the historical reliability of the biblical narrative."[\[1\]](#bkmrk-%5B1%5D-0)
4. BIBLICAL PERSONS
1. Abraham
The Hebrew language is a hybrid of early Canaanite and Chaldean languages. This affirms the fact that Abraham started in Chaldea and then migrated to Canaan.
The Canaanites were farmers who worked the fertile agricultural lands near their fortified settlements, while the Hebrew shepherds kept to the sparse grazing areas ay from the ‘cities’. Because of this, there was not direct competition between the nomadic Hebrews and the Canaanites at this time.
2. Moses
Moses was trained "in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22). Raised at Pharaoh's court, he would have learned to[write](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/exhibits/diversity/papyrus.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874967813&usg=AOvVaw11Tk00qy_PeCGiPnBl_Ul3)on fragile[papyrus](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebers_papyrus%23Modern_history_of_the_papyrus&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874968009&usg=AOvVaw0nX5TJ-j-OnLCot47QWC-B)as well as clay tablets. The 1988 discovery of the[TELel Amarna](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/israel/el-amarna-letters.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874968230&usg=AOvVaw3hOhIUCd8pvlAFVdZmJAzc)letters shows us that written messages were an important part of Moses' culture:
"...there were about 400 cuneiform tablets discovered at this site which were part of the royal archives of Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) who reigned about 1400 BC. Among them were letters written in Babylonian cuneiform script to these Pharaohs of Egypt by various kings dwelling in the land of Canaan and Syria...written during the time of Moses\[and Joshua\]. They provide the first evidence of theHebrewtribesentering into the land of Canaanin ancient times.”[\[2\]](#bkmrk-%5B2%5D-0)
That last sentence points to the completion of the Biblical[Exodus](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.crossroad.to/Bible_studies/Joshua/contents.htm&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874968730&usg=AOvVaw01t_AHijyMOkg-Kvly4m7X)-- the Israelite journey, led by Moses, out of bondage in Egypt toward the land God had promised them.
3. Belshazzar
In Daniel chapter 5, a Babylonian king by the name of Belshazzar mocks God by throwing a party with articles taken from the Jewish temple. As a result God passes judgment on Belshazzar by taking away his kingdom and dividing it between the Medes and Persians.
Bible critics love to use this story to point out apparent historical errors in the text, trying to disprove the accuracy of the bible.
The first thing they say is that the last King to rule the empire of Babylon before being destroyed by the Medes and Persians, was a man by the name of Nabonidus not Belshazzar.
Secondly, Belshazzar was never a King of Babylon. And third the bible refers to Nebuchadnezzar as the father of Belshazzar, which he wasn't.
But these statements made by the bible critics are full of half truths.
First of all, Belshazzar's name is found in history, and he just happens to be the son of King Nabonidus, making him a crown prince in the kingdom of Babylon. Although some translations of the bible state that Nebuchadnezzar was his father, the Hebrew word for father can also be interpreted into English as meaning grandfather or ancestor. And in fact, Belshazzar was a blood line descendent of Nebuchadnezzar.
The same goes for the fact that the Bible calls Belshazzar a king. Even though historical records do not mention he was a king, the Hebrew word for king can also be interpreted as governor or royal prince. And history records that he was both.
Nabonidus, who ruled the empire of Babylon from 555-538 B.C., mentions his firstborn son Belshazzar on an inscription found in the city of Ur in 1853. The inscription reads: "May it be that I, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, never fail you. And may my firtstborn, Belshazzar, worship you with all his heart."
Another piece of evidence for Belshazzar's reign in the city of Babylon comes from an inscription where he is referred to as the son of Nabonidus and is given authority to rule.
"Putting the camp under the rule of his oldest son, the firstborn. The army of the empire he placed under his command. His hands were now free; He entrusted the authority of the royal throne to him. "
Yet even another piece of evidence comes from a tablet dating back to the seventh year of the reign of Nabonidus, where he is mentioned in the same light as his father: “In regards to the bright star which has appeared, I will undertake to interpret its meaning for the glory of my lord Nabonidus, Babylon’s king, and also for the crown prince, Belshazzar”
What is interesting to note is that on this oath, the man swore by both Nabonidus and Belshazzar. While on oaths dating back to other times, generally only the king is mentioned. This seems to indicate that Belshazzar had a co-reigning authority that was second only to his father throughout all the Empire.
Belshazzar speaking to Daniel in 5:16 indicated that he was the second highest ruler in Babylon and not the first.
We also know that at the time the Medes and Persians captured the Babylon, Nabonidus was not living in the city of Babylon, but was staying in a place called Teima in the northern part of Arabia. Leaving his son back home in charge of governing the city.The text from an artifact known as the Nabonidus chronicle states: Nabonidus, the king stayed in Tema; the crown prince, his officials and the troops were in Akkad.
King Cyrus of Persia also refers to Belshazzar when he conquered Babylon in his writings: "A coward was put in charge as the king of this country . . . With evil intents he did away with the regular offerings to the gods . . . and desecrated the worship of the king of his gods, Marduk."
Cyrus's statement that Belshazzar desecrated the worship of his god Marduk matches very closely to the story in the book of Daniel. Although it wasn't Marduk whose handwriting appeared on the wall, but the one true God of Israel.
According to the Bible, Belshazzar was holding a feast at the time the city of Babylon was run over by the Medes and Persians.
The fall of Babylon as recorded by the ancient historians Herodutus, Berosus and Xenophon verifies this:
"Cyrus then dug a trench and diverted the flow of the Euphrates river into the new channel which led to an existing swamp. The level of the river then dropped to such a level that it became like a stream. His army was then able to take the city by marching through the shallow waters . . . The Babylonians at the time were celebrating intensely at a feast to one of their gods and they were taken totally by surprise."
4. Balaam
In an unprecedented discovery, an ancient text found at Deir Alla, Jordan, in 1967 tells about the activities of a[prophet](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/prophet.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874970538&usg=AOvVaw167xLtuXVwn51QtsuG1_KS)named[Balaam](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/balaam.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874970748&usg=AOvVaw0MZBwOnLL3yPaGGSaTQGTo). Could this be the Balaam of the Old Testament?
The text makes it clear that it is. Three times in the first four lines he is referred to as “[Balaam](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/balaam.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874971079&usg=AOvVaw3pwN_gY0TWxunmtOYom-xg)son of[Beor](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/beor.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874971345&usg=AOvVaw1B8QeZcf4T6T3vtoLTqBHK),” exactly as in the[Bible](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/bible/home.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874971660&usg=AOvVaw2gmt03304ymAdHZiIbe3sD). This represents the first Old Testament[prophet](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/prophet.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874971963&usg=AOvVaw04OeOK6veImwmqBc4Pqj1r)to be dug up in Bible lands—not his[tomb](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/tombs.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874972229&usg=AOvVaw2612ovXRHHpBZtseiQJPYY)or his skeleton, but a text about him. The text also represents the first[prophecy](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/prophecy.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874972523&usg=AOvVaw1Sryqfzu85Xy9LD3ltJdZH)of any scope from the ancient West Semitic world to be found outside the Old Testament, and the first extra-Biblical example of a prophet proclaiming doom to his own people.
Balaam was not an[Israelite](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/israel.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874973051&usg=AOvVaw1d3sNnK9EFqHAiOcAQqYQT). He was hired by[Balak](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/balak.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874973356&usg=AOvVaw1QTejP4iKAssFy6230WFPE),[king](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/king.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874973596&usg=AOvVaw2MLceSV8vW4XwRxsD4ydXX)of[Moab](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/moab.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874973883&usg=AOvVaw3CNg2tROOqjjyB-UP9v8g3), to[curse](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/curse.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874974145&usg=AOvVaw1cbTEkd11p0NwOKh-QPVR9)the Israelites. They were camped on the east side of the[Jordan](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/jordan.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874974608&usg=AOvVaw3HZKe8F91JNRsMZVJQCRmg)river, about to make their historic entry into the promised land. Through God's intervention, Balaam was obliged to[bless](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/bless.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874974935&usg=AOvVaw2RX-tM4hke2RZvxEcmcx5_)the Israelites rather than[curse](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/curse.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874975450&usg=AOvVaw3j_uivT8Yb66dw88q4mBqX)them ([Num 22-24](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.christiananswers.net/bible/num22.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874975720&usg=AOvVaw2-YWlRo6IpHWud4A0tiRdW)).
Luke’s Reference to Syrian Governor:
Facts of the NT can be tested and confirmed by archaeology. Luke describes the census that brought mary and Joseph to Bethlehem as taking place while Corinnus is governor of Syria and during Herod the great rule. Historians formerly looked at that and said, “See you can’t believe Luke. We know that Herod died 4 BCand Corinnus did not rule until 10 years later.” Later, a discovery was made of a coin that proved Corinnus reigned from 11 BC during the reign of Herod. Either there were two Corinnus’ or Corinnus ruled twice. In either case, Luke was right.
- - - - - -
5. TEXTUAL DISCOVERIES
1. Old Testament
The Dead Sea Scrolls verified the accuracy of the formerly discovered texts.
2. New Testament
The first question asked most often in regards to the authenticity of a manuscript is, “Do you have the original?” This is not as destructive a question to the merits of Scripture as most think. As long as there are sufficient manuscript copies to reconstruct the orginal or autographa, authenticity can still be verified. As a matter of fact, no one has originals! With 24,633 surviving manuscripts of the New Testament, we have more evidence to worth with than any of the other ancient works that are undebatably accepted as accurate by most scholars.
Among ancient Greek/Latin literature, the Iliad ranks the closest second to the New Testament in possessing the greatest amount of manuscript testimony. Let us compare them:
| WORK
| WHEN WRITTEN
| EARLIEST COPY
| TIME SPAN
| \# COPIES
|
| Homer (Iliad)
| 900 B.C.
| 400 B.C.
| 500 years
| 643
|
| New Testament
| 40-100 A.D.
| 125 A.D.\*
| 25 years
| 24,000+
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. Controversial Texts
1. Secret Gospel of Mark. In 1935, Morton Smith (author of a book titledJesus the Magician) allegedly found a letter of Clement of Alexandria at the Mar Saba monastery near the city of Jerusalem. There was only one copy of this letter found dated about 1750 and since then the letter and the book it was found in has disappeared. Pictures were taken at two different times of the letter, but the ink and fiber where never subjected to expert scrutiny. The two quotations in the Mar Saba letter out of the secret Gospel of Mark comprise the entirety of what has survived of the supposed gospel. The Secret Gospel of Mark is known only from the references in this letter. The letter claims that the secret Gospel of Mark was produced out of Alexandria, Egypt by Mark himself. (It is necessary to become familiar with the many controversies involving Alexandria and her Gnostic monks to properly judge their authority on Scripture.) Following is a portion of this letter as translated into English by Morton Smith with emphasis added:
As for Mark, then, during Peter's stay in Rome he wrote an account of the Lord's doings, not, however, declaring all of them,nor yet hinting at the secret ones, but selecting what he thought most useful for increasing the faith of those who were being instructed.But when Peter died a martyr, Mark came over to Alexandria, bringing both his own notes and those of Peter, from which he transferred to his former book the things suitable to whatever makes for progress toward knowledge.Thus he composed a more spiritual Gospelfor the use of those who were being perfected.…Thus, in sum, he prepared matters, neither grudgingly nor incautiously, in my opinion, and, dying, he left his composition to the church in 1, verso Alexandria, where it even yet is most carefully guarded, being read only to those who are being initiated into the great mysteries.
1. The Gospel of Judas (another Alexandrian text)
4. Non-Biblical Texts
1. Ebla Tablets
The EBLA TABLETS were written over 4,000 years ago.[\[3\]](#bkmrk-%5B3%5D-0) Dr. Paolo Matthiae, Director of the Italian Archeological Mission in Syria, "hit an archeological jackpot" in 1975. He discovered "the greatest third-millennium \[B.C.\] archive ever unearthed." It included "more than 15,000 cuneiform tablets and fragments" and unveiled a Semitic empire that dominated the Middle East more than four thousand years ago. Its hub was Ebla, where educated scribes filled ancientlibrarieswithwritten recordsof history, people, places and commerce.
The Ebla tablets verified the worship of pagan gods such as Baal, Dagan and Asherah "known previously only from the Bible." They mention the name"Abraham" and "Ur of Chaldees" (the Biblical Abraham's birthplace) as well as other familiar cities and places:
"The names of cities thought to have been founded much later, such asBeirutand Byblos, leap from the tablets.DamascusandGazaare mentioned, as well as two of the Biblical cities of the plain,Sodom and Gomorrah. ... Most intriguing of all are the personal names found on the Ebla tablets. They include Ab-ra-mu (Abraham), E-sa-um (Esau)...."
Destroyed and rebuilt several times, Ebla began its final decline around 1800 B.C. Since new generations settled on top of the old ruins, it left behind a many-layered"TEL"(Looks like a flat-topped hill)which archeologists will continue to explore for years to come.
2. Secular Writers
In his book “The Historical Jesus” Dr. Gary Habermas boasts to have found 39 Ancient Sources that Document the Life of Jesus from outside the Bible including 17 non-Christian sources which together record over a hundred facts concerning Jesus.
2. Christian Writers
Early writers who attested Jesus as the Son of God:
- Clement - Bishop of Rome (30-100 AD)
- Writer of The Epistle of Barnabas (c.70-100 AD)
- Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna (70-100 AD) Student of the Apostle John
- Ignatius – Bishop of Antioch (35-110 AD)
- Ireaeus – Bishop of Lyons (France) (130-200 AD)
- Tertullian – Second Century Apologist (160-220 AD)
- Clement Bishop of Alexandria (150-215 AD)
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[\[1\]](#bkmrk-%5B1%5D)[www.gospeloutreach.net/bible.html](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.gospeloutreach.net/bible.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874988951&usg=AOvVaw0g432sq1po5zuxiaIxk9_r)
[\[2\]](#bkmrk-%5B2%5D)[http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/israel/el-amarna-letters.html](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.bible-history.com/archaeology/israel/el-amarna-letters.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1651030874989415&usg=AOvVaw2YI9zmfBQBYp7DAt84TsM-)
[\[3\]](#bkmrk-%5B3%5D)Howard LaFay, "Ebla: Splendor of an unknown Empire,"National Geographic, December 1978, pp. 735. "The people of the ancient Near East erected their cities on strategic sites with plentiful water. As a result, after destruction at the hands of pillaging armies--and to weaker cities this came as often a once a generation-- the population tended to rebuild on the ruins. Excavating a TEL is like slicing a stack of pancakes; each stratum, with its embedded trove of artifacts, encapsulates history from one catastrophe to the next." (735-736, 740, 754)
# Relating Bible Lands to Today
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/10-nations-listed-in-bible.jpg)
## I. Background Information
### A. CITY?
Most Biblical cities were not really cities but merely little towns. With a few exceptions of course with Damascus and Jerusalem. It is estimated that as much as 95% of Judah during the 1000-587 BC was populated by farmsteads more than cities averaging less than 2.5 acres in size.
### B. TELL?
A “tell” is a hill or mound. Especially in the Middle East, “tell” has to to do with an ancient moun of earth that consists of archaeological remains like ancient cities and towns.
### C. ACCURACY?
How can we accurately pinpoint the location of a place like AI or BEERSHEEBA on a map? Honestly, for those places that have not been continually occupied, it is very difficult to accurately place them on the map. We can hypothesize only by comparing much data discovered from archaeological finds with the traditions of the people who live in the Middle East. We must be cautious each time a new explorer claims to have uncovered some forgotten Biblical city. We must be sure to compare all the evidence together. With that being said, placing Biblical places on a modern map is an exciting study and helps us to relate to times so long ago in a very real and physical way. Consider Eden, for example. Where would it be located on a modern map? There are no GPS coordinates given in the Scripture, but we can make educated guesses based on what is given in Scripture. We suppose “the cradle of humanity” is the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers known as “Mesopotamia”. From the journey of Abram and other early Bible accounts, we can make an educated guess on the whereabouts of Eden being in Southern Mesopotamia.
## II. Some Ancient and Modern Places
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image-1651029156590.png)
### A. ASSYRIA
### B. MOAB
### C. LEBANON
### D. DAMASCUS
### E. JERUSALEM
### F. ACCO
> Jg 1:31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:
(some greek tests replace Ummah with Acco in Joshua 19:30)
> Acts 21:7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.
(Name was changed by….was prominent in the struggle between the selucids of Syria and the Ptolemies of Egypt and it s name was changed during this period . Like Jerusalem & Damascus, Acco is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world. It serves as a prime example of a Biblical city about which we would know very little if it was not for the efforts of archaeologist investigation.
More reading: Arie, Kindler. “Akko, a City of Many Names.” BASOR 231 (1978).
### G. ACHZIV The City of Cemeteries
Mentioned only twice in the Bible Joshua 19:29; Judges 1:31. Located 9 miles north of Acco.
### H. AI (ET-TELL)
If ET-TELL is “AI”, The Conquest of Joshua isn’t. Joshua 7-8. (mention 31 times in the Bible.) All but five of these are found in Joshua 8-12. Twice in Genesis 12:8; 13:3. Once each in Ezra 2;28, Neh. 7:32; and Jer. 49:3.
A lot of questions involving the archaeological finds and the Biblical claims of this place. Could it be the right location but the story of another city imposed upon it? Or simply another ‘Ai’ not not uncovered? This city has been a source of great Mystery and controversy.
Further Reading: Zevit, Ziony. “The Problem of “Ai: New Theory rejects the battle as d e scribed in Bible but explains how story evolved.” BAR 11.2 (1985): 58-69.
### I. ASHDOD Home of the “Ashdoda”
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/the-ashdoda-2.png)
One of the five philistine cities mentioned in the Bible (Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath & Gaza: see John 13:3)
Ashdod is located about ten miles north of Ashkelon some two miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea.
Mentioned 19 times in the Bible; Joshua 11:22; 13:3; 15:46,47 & I Samuel 5:1,3,5,7; 16:17 ; Zechariah 9:6. Amos 1:8; Isaiah 2o:1; Jer. 25:20.
Most important story, in I Samuel 5-6, the capture of the ark of God.
Further reading: Ussishkin, David. “Notes on Megiddo, Gezer, Ashdod, and Tel Batash in the 10th to 9th centures BCE." BASOR 2270278 (1990): 71-91.
### J. DOTHAN
> Ge 37:17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
> Family Bible Notes: Dothan; twelve or fifteen miles north of Shechem.
### K. BEERSHEBA an iron age II Judean town “Museum”
Biblical Beersheba is identified with Tell es-Seba’, a ruin located some 2.5 miles east of the modern Israeli city of Beersheba. In the Bible the name, “Beersheba,” is traced back to two aetiologies associated with the ancesters, Abraham & Isaac (Gen. 21:28-31; 26:33). The name is usually understood to mean “well of seven” or “well of oath.”
### L. MESOPOTAMIA
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/mosul.htm
The territory of modern Iraq is roughly equivalent to that of ancient Mesopotamia, which fostered a succession of early civilizations. The history of Mesopotamia began with the civilization of the Sumerians around 5000 BC in the southern region of Iraq. In 2371 BC, King Sargon Of Akkad asserted control of the region and established the first Assyrian dynasty. The Assyrians ruled the region and expanded its territories to include modern Turkey, Iran, Syria and Israel. The Assyrian empire reigned until the fall of its capital Nineveh (modern day Mosul) in 612 BC.
Mosul is Iraq's third largest city, with approximately 665,000 inhabitants as of 1987. It is situated some 400km north of Baghdad situated on the west bank of Tigris, and close to the ruined Assyrian city of Nineveh.
In approximately 850 BC, King Assurnasirpal II of Assyria chose the city of Nimrud to build his capital city where present day Mosul is located. In approximately 700 BC, King Sennacherib made Nineveh the new capital of Assyria. The mound of Kuyunjik in Mosul is the site of the palaces of King Sennacherib and his grandson Ashurbanipal. Probably built on the site of an earlier Assyrian fortress, Mosul later succeeded Nineveh as the Tigris bridgehead of the road that linked Syria and Anatolia with Persia.
North of Nineveh, Sargon II built a palace far surpassing anything seen before his day. It covered 25 acres (10 hectares) and had nearly 1,000 rooms. Near it stood a seven-story ziggurat temple. Sennacherib put up three magnificent palaces in his capital at Nineveh. The Babylonians had covered their brick walls with glazed brickwork of many colors, but the Assyrians faced theirs with delicately carved slabs of limestone or glowing alabaster. Colossal human-headed winged bulls or lions, carved in alabaster, stood guard outside the main gates of palaces and temples. The Assyrians produced little literature, but in great libraries they preserved copies of Babylonian and Sumerian works. They worshiped the old Babylonian gods but gave their own god, Assur, first place. After the death of Ashurbanipal in 626 BC, Assyria's enemies joined forces. In 612 BC the Babylonians and Medes completely destroyed Nineveh. Six years later the Assyrian Empire collapsed.
By the 8th century AD Mosul had become the principal city of northern Mesopotamia. The city was an important trade center in the Abbasid era, because of its strategic position on the caravan route between India, Persia and the Mediterranean. Mosul's chief export was cotton, and today's word muslin is derived from the name of the city.
The Prophet Younis Mosque is one of most famous mosques in Mosul, northern Iraq. It is situated at the left bank of Tigris River on a hill called " Prophet Younis Hill" and the other name is "al- Tawba Hill." It was named in this way due to "younan Bin Matty " and the story of the whale that was mentioned in AL-Quran and the Bible. Younis, the prophet who in disobeying God's command, was punished by being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a whale. After spending many nights inside the whale in earnest prayers, God forgave him. His shrine is situated on a high hill in Mosul (Nehneva Province), 450 km northern Iraq. Pilgrimages and visitors flock to it from every where.
The mosque is one of the sacred places in Ninevah where people and monks visit in certain occasions. It was first an Asserian temple, afterwards the place changed to became a place for fire worshipers, then a monastery, and a church, finally it became an Islamic mosque. In one of the rooms inside the mosque, there is the prophet Younis' shrine. On the walls of the room one can see the whale bones. The conic brass domes of the mosque can be seen from the outside. A winged statue is situated near the mosque, which is the sign of the Asserian civilization that was found through excavations during restoring the mosque. Besides, there is a well known as " Prophet Younis Well " where he bathed after the whale released him.
http://the-revelator.com/NationsInProphecy.html
In the book of the prophet Daniel, who was quoted endlessly by our Savior in the New Testament, we find this portrait in all of it's splendor in the seventh chapter. It has become tradition that the vision of the four beasts of chapter seven are Babylonia the lion (539 B.C.), Medo-Persia the bear (330 B.C.), Greece the leopard (63 B.C.), and Rome the dreadful beast (70 A.D.), but there is no link found in this chapter to suggest this and I strongly contest this interpretation because, first, these things will occur at the 'end of times' and that would mean that the book of Revelation has been fulfilled and that Christ is already reigning for a millennium in Jerusalem from His throne - which is not yet possible, and second, Daniel uses a phrase several times describing these as 'things to come' in which all of the other three beasts will be trampled down by the fourth beast – absolutely establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that all of these kingdoms must be present on the earth at the same time – during the last days just before the Lord comes to reign over the nations, first, for a thousand years - until Satan has been “loosed for a short season” to bring the region of Magog for a final battle against Christ Himself - and then for the rest of eternity.
Now that we have this straight, let's look at the prophecy and see the world of our own days perfectly painted on this canvas of prediction, given over 2500 years ago...we'll take it verse by verse:
Daniel 7:4"The first {was} like a lion and had {the} wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
This verse explains one of the kingdoms ( a.k.a countries) present during this time would be represented by a national icon recognizable by all as a lion. This lion would be raised up onto it's hind legs and it's wings would be plucked off. The only possible choice for this nation is the UK, recognized worldwide as the lion in national symbolism – even a lion that is shown from the side as standing on two legs. Giving credence to this is that the wings of an eagle were plucked off of the lion. It takes no leap of faith or any imagination to see that the American national symbol is the eagle and, you guessed it, we came from the lion. Therefore, this text accurately describes one nation divided in two,one represented by a lion and the other, an eagle. Clearly the United States and Great Britain fit with no shoehorning or nip-n-tuck effort necessary.
Daniel 7:5"And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs {were} in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
This may be the most amazing part of this prophecy to me, at least at the moment, as in my months of study I couldn't seem to make this fit with Russia being the bear, even though instinctively and in my spirit, I knew it must be true. First, when I began this study in late 2007, Russia was not the friendliest of our foes, but they certainly were not aggressively lashing out at anyone and the three ribs were a huge sticking point, that's when I began tracing back the 'rib' in Scripture, looking for significance and as the Spirit of God always does, the answers began to fall into place with the passage of time – each one becoming evident as the days and weeks fell into the bone-yard of history.
The rib is found throughout Scripture and is almost always a word used to express filial relationship either from parent to child, or through the 'fathers' of descendants; proving an ethnic bond. The first place this is found is in the garden of Eden, but it is a recurring theme in dealing with the Jews and their enemies through the OT. “This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” - the rib is decidedly a way to explain a link through forefathers.
So what is the significance of three ribs, in the bears mouth, telling the bear to 'arise and devour much meat' (as translated in the NASB which might sound like food – but ,I think, more correctly or at least more easily understood, being termed 'flesh' in other translations representing the destruction of multitudes of people in war)? As the months went by, something occurred that floored me - as God does every time He lays information in my lap that never made sense before. On May 7th of 2008, I was casually going through the news of the day when I stumbled upon a simple explanation of the winner of the Russian presidential election in an online news report from India that read:
“Dmitry Medvedev, the chosen successor of outgoing President Vladimir Putin was on Wednesday officially sworn in as Russia'sthird Presidentsince the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991....”
Was this just a coincidence? I didn't think so, especially since it fit too well and seem to fill out the rest of the meaning of the three ribs. Now I really had something to work with. Medvedev being the third president would easily fit since presidents must be a natural born citizen – making the rib's “bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh” argument stick; and they are considered the national mouthpiece of which ever nation they are elected to represent – holding up the 'in the mouth' idea. O.K., so where does 'between it's teeth' and 'devour much flesh' come in. The symbolism of teeth and flesh are clear representations of aggression and war so I pondered how this would take place and when. Once again, at the time, it wasn't clear how this could be since Russia was not at war with anyone. I naturally assumed that it was possible that this would be fulfilled when Russia, in the role of Magog, served as a captain over the federation of Muslim nations that would attack Israel. It was the most plausible explanation and, for a while, I held to that assumption. Then, yet again, the Lord spoke and the day of war did come under this third rib of Russian descent who was now the mouthpiece for the Bear – but not exactly as I had figured. On Friday, August 8th, 2008 the Russian Bear launched an offensive against Georgia and the final piece of the puzzle was in place – as tanks rolled into Ossetia and the conflict began.
Another awesome morsel of data found in this prophecy is that the Bear is the only one who is on the offensive. While one might argue that the US is at war in Iraq, the difference is in tone. America is in the theater of war to protect innocence and eradicate murderous groups of jihadists – taking great pains to keep from injuring or killing innocent civilians. This can be seen by our responsible use of pin-point accurate smart-bombs that are designed to eliminate the enemy within yards of innocence – usually leaving them unscathed – while Russia is carpet bombing anything that moves and coming down on the region with a heavy hand in a manner designed to showcase their power and destroy the perceived threat with total disregard for any living thing.
Yet, one last interesting point I found while sojourning through the Biblical texts and daily headlines, looking for a reason to finger Medvedev as the third rib – I found this in an etymological survey:
The name 'Dmitry' comes from the Greek – 'Demeter': meaning “of the” or “from the” or “worshiper of” the earth.
His last name 'Medvedev' comes from the Russian word 'Medved': meaning 'bear'
It is really no surprise that the atheist nation Russia would be ruled by a “worshiper of the earth” who is a “bear”! The Lord has always inspired parents in the naming of their offspring, from the garden of Eden, to Yeshua, to the present.
Daniel 7:6"After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
This one, did not have me quite so baffled as I knew from history that militarily, Germany's symbol is the leopard - even naming their tanks after this animal. Wings in the Bible, frequently represent periods of rule or empires, and again looking at this from the historical perspective, it made the most sense that we are in the era of the fourth German empire – easily understood as the post “Third Reich” era of their national history. The four heads, then, represents the four rulers of these empires – the current one being Angela Merkel. The fact that 'dominion wasgivento it' suggests that a power of rule or judgment has been bestowed upon it by God and this can be seen in that the Hague, where the UN World Court sits is in the Netherlands, which in 1942 was under German control, or under it's dominion – likewise, this could be that Hitler, the man who unwittingly helped the Jews return to their homeland, who was in power because it was ordained by the Lord - as is Scripturally accurate. Keeping in mind that Israel's return to the land of Palestine in 1948 at the end of WWII is the clock from which all of these events would be timed (the Fig tree generation), I don't find this murky at all and together with the previous three beasts – this makes the most sense and is exactly a snapshot of the world in which we live as of today August 31st, 2008.</w:t></w:r></w:p><w:p><w:pPr><w:pStyle w:val="p0"/></w:pPr><w:r><w:t>Daniel 7:7"After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
I find it interesting that many Biblical scholars of our day insist that the EU must be the fourth beast. While I am not dogmatic on the last beast, the empire of the Antichrist, I do believe this is not possible since the EU consists of countries that are part of the previous three beasts and will be trampled underfoot by the fourth in his hour. I would argue that it is more plausible that the eagles wings, America, who in my opinion more closely fits the description of Mystery Babylon – the city that all of the merchants of the world lamented over as she fell because they were made rich by her delicacies, and of who little is mentioned other than the fact they have been 'plucked' or taken from the lion - more accurately represents this fourth beast. What other city on earth controls the wealth of the nations like Wall Street, in New York, NY. Which other city houses the current 'One World Government' first called the 'League of Nations' now the 'United Nations' besides New York, NY. It also seems more possible that if the Antichrist 'confirms' the covenant with Israel – this leader must come from a place that Israel respects and admires and is willing to submit to in dealing with their national mortality. It is also worth mentioning that the next president of the United States – be it Obama or McCain – will have the responsibility of continuing the peace talks between the PA and Israel. A look at today's headlines shows that Secretary Rice is currently trying to help the two hammer out a peace agreement, at least on paper, before the end of the year...which would be at the end of George Bush's term and the beginning of the next president's. Again, totally plausible and not at all far fetched.
Daniel 7:8"While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great {boasts.}
Ah, yes. The Antichrist. The little horn of Daniel. I will leave this one be until the time is right – in which case you can be sure a follow-up article/study will definitely be in order...that is, if I am still here to write it, but I digress. This is the prince who will come, the prince of the air, the King of Babylon, the imp of Satan. He will subdue three of the 'first horns'. This seems to me as though the first three horns are the same as the previous three beast that will be trampled to pieces under the Antichrists feet, but again, this has not been revealed to me yet, so it is pure supposition – though I am ever watchful and ready to indulge the Spirit when He prompts me. This satanically indwelt individual will then slice and dice the world into ten sub kingdoms that have ten kings under his authority who will answer to him. The are not truly kings, but they sit as kings much like Herod sat under Caesar.# Nature in the Bible
## Animals in the Bible
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_in_the_Bible In this treatise I am not setting out to give the details of all the animals mentioned in the Bible, rather to give general examples of how animals think, feel, and act.
Like every being with a body, animals have spirits and souls. That animals have spirits is seen in Ecclesiastes 3:21, which says, "Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" That animals have souls is seen in Job 12:7-10, which says, "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Also, Numbers 31:28 says, "And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep."
The very word "animal" is from the Latin word animalis, meaning "living" or anima, meaning "soul."
We can see examples of various animal's soul and spirit activities in pets; in their personalities, memories, ability to communicate their needs and wants, anger, love, knowledge, and other attributes of the soul and spirit. In Numbers 22 the prophet Balaam was going against the Lord's word and "God's anger was kindled" against Balaam (Numbers 22:22). The Lord stood in the way of Balaam's path with a sword in hand, ready to slay Balaam (Numbers 22:23). Balaam's ass refused to go any further because she saw the Lord standing there poised to slay Balaam should he go forward in his rebellion from the word of the Lord (Numbers 22:23-27). Balaam had struck the ass three times because she refused to move, and then the Lord allowed the ass to speak "with a man's voice" (2 Peter 2:16).
Let us start the story from there:
Numbers 22:28-30 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
The Lord opened Balaam's eyes to see the Lord standing there with "his sword drawn in his hand" (Numbers 22:31). The Lord said, "And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive" (Numbers 22:33). We see many things about animals here:
1. Desire to protect their masters (Numbers 22:25-27).
2. Real feelings of concern and questioning (Numbers 22:28).
3. Understanding of punishment and unjust punishment (Numbers 22:28).
4. Personal knowledge of their place in life (Numbers 22:30).
5. Memory of events in the past (Numbers 22:30).
6. Loyalty to their masters (Numbers 22:30).
This story is one of the few in the Bible that shows the many soul and spirit attributes of an animal. They have souls that feel and have emotions, and they have spirits that know and understand. The Lord allowed the ass to say what it was thinking, and it revealed many sensible and dedicated thoughts. The text does not say that the Lord spoke through the ass, for it was clearly the ass speaking of things relating to herself and to her master. The ass showed soul faculties by expressing emotion such as anger and confusion as to why she had been struck three times (v.28), and loyalty to her master (v.30). The ass showed spirit faculties by deciding not to go forward toward the Lord in order to protect her master (v.23), by questioning Balaam (v.28, 30), and by reasoning with Balaam (v.30). All of these actions of the ass prove that animals have souls and spirits by which they feel and know.
WHAT IS THE ETERNAL STATE OF ANIMALS
Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
This is all we know about the eternal state of animals. Both man and animal are alike in the sense that both die and their bodies go to the dust from whence they came, but man's spirit "goeth upward" and "the spirit of the beast goeth downward to the earth." While there are spirit animals and the like in Heaven (2 Kings 2:11; 6:17; Zechariah 1:8, 10; 6:1-5; Revelation 5:13; 19:11, 14, 21), nothing is said of an afterlife or eternal abode for animals. While many children question where animals go when they die, we have no authority to say they go to heaven when the Bible never says such a thing.
Animals are a beutiful creation of the Lord that serve many purposes for mankind. They should be treated as well as possible, as in the case with Balaam the Lord said, "And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive" (Numbers 22:33). The Lord would have slain Balaam and yet saved the ass. He would not have killed her for no reason or even hurt her in the least. She was faithful to her master and the Lord saw fit to protect her should He need to slay Balaam.
As stewards of animals and others creations of God that He has placed under our stewardship (Genesis 1:28), we should not abuse them or misuse them. Some are created for food (Genesis 9:3; 1 Timothy 4:3), some for companionship as pets, others for service like the example of Ox and Ass (Deuteronomy 22:10; Numbers 22; etc.), and others unknown to or unused by man serve God's pleasure (Revelation 4:11). Let us always honor the creation God has placed us as stewards over and never abuse our stewardship in the Lord.
Behemoth
Behemoth (See: Job 40:15-24)
Behemoth means kingly, gigantic beasts. The Bible's best description of a dinosaur-like animal is recorded in Job chapter 40. “Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God…”(Job 40:15-19) The book of Job is very old, probably written around 2,000 years before Jesus was born. Here God describes a great king of the land animals like some of the biggest dinosaurs, the Diplodocus and Apatosaurus. It was a gigantic plant-eater with great muscles and very strong bones. The long Diplodocus had leg bones so strong that he could have held three others on his back.
The behemoth were not afraid. They did not need to be; they were huge. Their tails were so long and strong that God compared them to cedars - one of the largest and most spectacular trees of the ancient world.
After all the behemoth had died out, many people forgot them. Dinosaurs were extinct and the fossil skeletons that are in museums today did not begin to be put together until about 150 years ago. Today, some people have mistakenly guessed that the behemoth mentioned in the Bible might be an elephant or a hippopotamus. But those animals certainly do not have tails like the thick, tall trunks of cedar trees! Although it cannot be stated with certainty, it appears that dinosaurs may have actually been mentioned in the Bible. This should not sound so strange. After all, God tells us that He created all the land animals on the 6th day of creation, the same day that he created mankind. Man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. There was never a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth. From the very beginning of creation, God gave man dominion over all that was made, even over the dinosaurs.
Author: Paul S. Taylor
THE BIBLE AND ANIMALS (Download PDF leaflet of this article)
"How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished." Jeremiah 12:4
In the course of my missionary work, which has often been spent in bush areas among wildlife, my love for animals has grown and I have sought to learn what the Bible teaches concerning them. Often I have been asked: "Will animals be in Heaven?" "What does God think about 'scientific' experiments on animals?" "What should our attitude to animals be?"
ANIMALS AND GOD God created all the animals (Psalm 104).
"Then God commanded, 'Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life; domestic and wild, large and small, and it was done. So God made them all, and He was pleased with what He saw." Genesis 1:24, 25
All animals belong to God (Psalm 24:1).
"All the animals in the forest are Mine and the cattle on thousands of hills. All the wild birds are Mine and all living things in the fields." Psalm 50:10, 11
God cares for the animals (1 John 4:16).
"Look at the birds flying around . . . your Father in Heaven takes care of them" Matthew 6:26
"He gives animals their food and feeds the young ravens when they call." Psalm 147:9
The Bible describes the Angels around God's throne as having features and characteristics like those of a lion, a bull and an eagle (Ezekiel 1). God Himself is likened in Scripture to a lion, a leopard, a bear (Hosea 13:7, 8), and to an eagle (Deut. 32:11).
Jesus is described as "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29 Jesus identified Himself with all the innocent animals who had been sacrificed for the sins of mankind and declared that His was the final sacrifice. Jesus abolished animal sacrifices and so Christianity has always rejected the need for further bloodshed of animals (Hebrews 9:12, 26).
"For the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins. For this reason, when Christ was about to come into the world, He said to God: You do not want sacrifices and offerings, but You have prepared a body for Me. You are not pleased with animals burnt whole on the altar or with sacrifices to take away sins. Then I said, 'Here I am to do Your will, O God.'" Hebrews 10:4-7
The Scriptures reveal God's anger against man's sinfulness. God condemned the type of wholesale slaughter of animals in Judaism as a cover-up for their disobedience (Psalm 40:6-10).
"I gave your ancestors no commands about burnt offerings or any other kinds of sacrifices, when I brought them out of Egypt. But I did command them to obey Me, so that I would be their God and they would be My people. And I told them to live as I commanded them, so that things would go well for them. But they did not obey Me or pay any attention. Instead, they did whatever their stubborn and evil hearts told them to do and they became worse instead of better." Jeremiah 7:22;24
There is only one way of salvation and that is through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God who died to redeem sinful mankind (Revelation 5:12, 13). He died with the result that no other animals need die . . . for man's sinfulness."
Jesus is also known as "The Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5) and it is interesting to notice that He was born in a stable among animals rather than in an inn among sinful people (Luke 2:7), that He rode a lowly donkey in triumph into Jerusalem on that great day of the feast (Matthew 21:5) and that He is prophesied to return again in glory as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, riding on a white horse (Revelation 19:11).
The Holy Spirit is symbolised by a dove (John 1:32), and He chose to reveal Himself as like a pure and gentle bird (Matthew 3:16) at Jesus' baptism.
The Bible records at least one occasion when God spoke through an animal (Numbers 22:28-33). Balaam's donkey showed greater spiritual perception than the prophet himself did. Obviously animals matter to God because the presence of animals in Nineveh is recorded as a reason for God's mercy in not destroying that sinful city.
"How much more then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120 000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals." Jonah 4:11
ANIMALS IN HEAVEN A controversial question is whether it is God's plan for animals to be in heaven or not. Many Christians believe that heaven just would not be heaven without animals. Certainly I believe that the Creator of millions of different species of animals, birds, insects and fish is a God who loves variety and prizes His creation. I cannot believe that Heaven will only be populated by angels and saints. From a careful study of the Bible I have become convinced that Heaven will be richer in vegetation and animal life than the most paradise-like part of earth could ever be. Where people get the idea of harps and clouds from, I don't know. God has a far greater plan than we can imagine.
"This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head." Ephesians 1:10
"Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats, calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them. Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. Lions will eat straw as cattle do . . . The land will be as full of knowledge of the Lord as the seas are full of water." Isaiah 11:6-9
"Search in the Lord's book of living creatures and read what it says. Not one of these creatures will be missing and not one will be without its mate. The Lord has commanded it to be so; He Himself will bring them together. It is the Lord who will divide the land among them and give each of them a share. They will live in the land age after age, and it will belong to them for ever." Isaiah 34:16, 17
When the revealed Word of God teaches us that God's eternal plan is for "all creation" to be brought together under Christ then it includes all wildlife too. When God says "everything", He means everything - animals included.
When He says that they will live for "age after age", "forever", this means eternal life. Only one place will last forever, and that is Heaven.
That great book of worship in the Bible - the Psalms - reveals that all God's creation have contact with God (Psalm 93). All God's creatures praise Him (Psalm 145:10). It is only mankind who needs forgiving and saving and teaching as to how to worship (Psalm 36 & 51), the animal kingdom worships God continually and naturally.
"Praise Him, hills and mountains, fruit trees and forests; all animals, tame and wild, reptiles and birds." Psalm 148:9, 10
"Be glad, earth and sky! Roar sea and every creature in you: be glad fields and everything in you! The trees in the woods will shout for joy." Psalm 96:11, 12
The last book of the Bible presents the final climax of the ages when all creation faces the Creator. First the four living creatures (the animal-like angels around God's throne as described in Ezekiel) praise God, then the twenty-four elders, then the redeemed people of God, then the angels (Revelation 4:6 - 5:12), until finally the great scene is described when all living beings present their worship to Almighty God.
"And then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea - all living beings in the universe - and they were singing: 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be praise and honour, glory and might, forever and ever'." Revelation 5:13
In the light of these Scriptures, I firmly believe that our loving almighty Creator intends all His creatures to enjoy heaven with Him forever. The only part of creation that will be missing from Heaven, according to the Bible, are those sinful human beings who neglect the great salvation that God has revealed in the Bible and provided through Christ. So while all the animal victims of scientific experiments will be in Heaven, the same cannot be said for all the hardhearted vivisectionists and ivory poachers.
ANIMALS AND MAN Millions of wild animals die painful, lingering deaths in vicious traps every year. Not for food - for furs! Millions more are bred on fur farms and slaughtered for fashion.
Then the beauty industry inflicts untold agony on almost a million animals every year for perfumes, lipsticks and other cosmetics. There are adequate synthetic alternatives, but such is man's inhumanity towards animals that the slaughter continues.
In the name of science, millions more animals suffer in laboratories worldwide every year. In the first chapter of the Bible, God made mankind responsible for His animals (Genesis 1-28). All animals are God's animals (Psalm 50:10) and we are answerable to God for our treatment, care and protection of them.
"For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad, in his bodily life." 2 Corinthians 5:10
What does God think of men battering baby seals to death so that some women can wear glamorous fur coats? What will God do to scientists who burn, infect, cripple, blind, shock, radiate, starve, asphyxiate and dissect cats, dogs, mice, monkeys, rabbits and other innocent victims for 'research' and often just trivial curiosity? How could we expect God to ignore the slaughter of magnificent elephants just to provide ivory ornaments, bracelets and necklaces?
When Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God, how can we remain unmoved at the killing and skinning of newborn karakul lambs to provide fur garments? He has provided us with cotton and the ability to make synthetic materials like nylon. We can shear sheep of their wool in summer. How can fashion justify the butchering of baby lambs for their skins?
God identifies Himself with bears, lions and leopards. What Christian can approve the killing of these majestic wild animals for fur coats and carpets? God gave animals fur to keep them warm. He gave us the brains to make synthetic materials from plants. Why don't we use them more?
All animals belong to God. What gives us the right to torture them to satisfy our curiosity in the name of "science"?
We are answerable to God for our treatment of animals. What are we going to say about trapping animals for furs, forcing them to do unnatural acts in circuses, confining and abusing them for our amusement? How can smokers justify the torture and killing of thousands of dogs and monkeys in "tobacco research"?
"A good man takes care of his animals, but wicked men are cruel to theirs." Proverbs 12:10
The Bible says that God has fixed a day in which He will judge the whole world with justice (Acts 17:31). It is well to remember that although man was created in the image of God, the whole message of the Bible is that all mankind has fallen into sinful rebellion against God.
"They are quick to hurt and kill; they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go. They have not known the path of peace, nor have they learnt to fear God . . . Everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence." Romans 3:15-17, 23
On the other hand, the Bible indicates that all animals are acceptable in God's sight. They never degenerated into rebellion against God. While all human beings need forgiveness and salvation, all animals are already in a right relationship with God. We should remember this and be humbled.
In the light of the clear teaching of Scripture concerning creation and mankind's responsibility for it, we should treat animals with the love and concern of those who must give an account of our conduct to God.
We must recognise that the welfare and protection of animals is an essential part of our Christian responsibility. I would challenge all Christians to make plain their opposition to such cruel practices as vivisection. We must determine to do all in our power to bring about the speedy abolition of all such mistreatment and tortures of animals. See ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANISATIONS
No Christian should be a party to this evil abuse of God's creation. I would call on all those who seek to love and obey God to resolve never to buy or wear real fur or ivory. It is our responsibility to carefully boycott all cosmetics which are a result of cruelty to animals. (There are enough synthetic alternatives listed by Beauty Without Cruelty, PO Box 23321, Claremont 7735, South Africa, Tel: 021- 671-4583.)
We must all do what we can to secure the well-being of all animals who, with ourselves, inhabit the earth and so fulfil the creative joy and purpose of Almighty God.
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless." Proverbs 31:8
Peter Hammond Frontline Fellowship PO Box 74 Newlands, 7725 Cape Town, South Africa www.frontline.org.za
## Clean and Unclean Animals
Which Animals Does the Bible Designate as 'Clean' and 'Unclean'? God reveals which animals-including fish and birds-are suitable and unsuitable for human consumption in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Although the lists aren't exhaustive, He reveals guidelines for recognizing animals that are acceptable for food.
God states that cud-chewing animals with split hooves can be eaten (Leviticus 11:3; Deuteronomy 14:6). These specifically include the cattle, sheep, goat, deer and gazelle families (Deuteronomy 14:4-5). He also lists such animals as camels, rabbits and pigs as being unclean, or unfit to eat (Leviticus 11:4-8). He later lists such "creeping things" as moles, mice and lizards as unfit to eat (verses 29-31), as well as four-footed animals with paws (cats, dogs, bears, lions, tigers, etc.) as unclean (verse 27).
He tells us that salt- and freshwater fish with fins and scales may be eaten (verses 9-12), but water creatures without those characteristics (catfish, lobsters, oysters, shrimp, crabs, clams, mussels, squid, frogs, octopi, etc.) should not be eaten.
God also lists birds and other flying creatures that are unclean for consumption (verses 13-19). He identifies carrion eaters and birds of prey as unclean, plus ostriches, storks, herons and bats.
Birds such as chickens, turkeys and pheasants are not on the unclean list and therefore can be eaten. Insects, with the exception of locusts, crickets and grasshoppers, are listed as unclean (verses 20-23).
Why does God identify some animals as suitable for human consumption and others as unsuitable? God didn't give laws to arbitrarily assert control over humans. He gave His laws (including those of which meats are clean or unclean) "that it might be well" with those who seek to obey Him (Deuteronomy 5:29).
Although God did not reveal the specific reasons some animals may be eaten and others must be avoided, we can make generalized conclusions based on the animals included in the two categories.
In listing the animals that should not be eaten, God forbids the consumption of scavengers and carrion eaters, which devour other animals for their food.
Animals such as pigs, bears, vultures and raptors can eat (and thrive) on decaying flesh. Predatory animals such as wolves, lions, leopards and cheetahs most often prey on the weakest (and at times the diseased) in animal herds.
When it comes to sea creatures, bottom dwellers such as lobsters and crabs scavenge for dead animals on the sea floor. Shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels similarly consume decaying organic matter that sinks to the sea floor, including sewage.
A common denominator of many of the animals God designates as unclean is that they routinely eat flesh that would sicken or kill humans. When we eat such animals we partake of a food chain that includes things harmful to humans.
As nutritionist David Meinz observes: "Could it be that God, in His wisdom, created certain creatures whose sole purpose is to clean up after the others? Their entire 'calling' may be to act exclusively as the sanitation workers of our ecology. God may simply be telling us that it's better for us believers not to consume the meat of these trash collectors" (Eating by the Book, 1999, p. 225).
The following list, based on Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, identifies many of the animals God designates as clean and unclean. The list uses their common names.
Clean Animals Animals That Chew the Cud and Part the Hoof
# Journeys of Abraham
Genesis 12:1-3
“I will make of thee a great nation. Abram came out as God had called him and God gave him the land he had promised him. God had made Abram a great nation through his seed. God blessed Abram with two sons and He has made his name great down through the ages.
In a natural posterity – “as the dust of the earth.”
In a spiritual posterity – Look now toward heaven…so shall thy seed be, ”though all men of faith, whether Jew or Gentile."
Fulfilled also through Ishmael.
Abraham had other children, which he gave gifts and sent away.
“I will bless thee:
temporally
Spiritually
“And make thy name great.” Abraham is one of the universal names.
“And thou shall be a blessing.”
“I will bless them that bless thee.”
In fulfillment closely related to the next clause.
“And curse him that curseth thee.”
Wonderfully fulfilled in the history of the dispersion. It has invariably fared ill with the people who have persecuted the Jew – well with those who have protected him. The future will still remarkably prove this principle.
7. “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” This is the great evangelic promise fulfilled in Abraham’s seed, Christ. It brings into greater definiteness the promise of the Adamic Covenant concerning the Seed of the Woman.
The Lord has kept his promise with Abraham, even when Abraham was in the wrong. Genesis 12:17, Abraham prayed unto God and God healed Abimelech. Genesis 22:18
Going back to Bethel to us should mean going back and making the things that are not right (in the sight of God) right before going on in our Christian walk.
The Jews will never be out of the land of Palestine because this is the land that God has promised to give them. Amos. 9:9
The gift of the land is modified by prophecies of three dispossessions and restorations. Two dispossessions and restorations have been accomplished.Israel is now in the third dispersion, form which she will be restored at the return of the Lord as King under the Davidic Covenant.
The command given to Abraham involved great personal sacrifice country, kindred, and home; and also great faith – he knew not where he was going. But the blessing promised was most cheering and comprehensive. It embraced himself; all that favored and honored him, the whole nation that was to spring from him and all the families or the earth. Abraham by faith saw in this last promise the most glorious and blessed of all truths. – The atoning work of the Messiah. (Christ)
Leaving Mesopotamia
The land between the two rivers of the Euphrates and the Tigris known as Mesopotamia was rich soil, black and fertile. The land between two rivers is what Mesopotamia means. Both rivers start, in the Mountains of Armenia and near what is modern Baghdad they are at their closest point of 25 miles. Rainfall in the mountains is about 20 inches a year, but in the valley of the Mesopotamia it was less than 10 inches a year, and was only 2 inches in times of drought. When it rained in the mountains it would flood in the valley. Because of the flooding the people of the region began to make levees (dikes) and later canals in the valley of Mesopotamia. In the time of Abram (which means High Father \[he was not a father until his old age and his name was changed to Abraham\] which means father of many nations) they had sailing boats in the canals and used these canals to get their goods to market. Not only did the canals water the land but was used for transportation as well. As with modern times the weather was very hot in the summer reaching temperatures of 120 degrees. The people made everything they needed from the soil. They grew flax (linen) and spun it into cloth. They raised cattle and sheep was used for food and wool and leather. Clothing was made from mostly wool. They wove the wool loosely so that it would breathe. The clothing was not close fitting like we use today, but very open so that the air could move easily through it. The surplus from the farms was traded for other things like metal. The farmers of the day had machines to help them plant the grains, which were barley and wheat. Farmers used copper and stone hoes. Copper was mined and exported in ships on the Persian Gulf. Vegetables were an important crop, along with date palms and fruit trees. The area abounded with wild life, which was hunted, like deer, boars, gazelles, and a large variety of birds. Fishing was done using nets, traps and fishing lines.
Now it is important to mention that at the time of Abram the city of Ur (light) was a coastal city with a Persian Gulf port. The Euphrates River and the Persian Gulf was where the city of Ur was located. The two rivers did not come together until a much later date. Streets in the city of Ur were so small and narrow that you could touch both sides of the street with outstretched arms, and they rounded off the corners so that people would not get hurt. Trash was put in these streets so that after time the streets were higher than the homes and they needed stairs to enter their homes. The main form of transportation was donkeys, and horses; oxen were the main draftanimals. Carts were not allowed in the city simply because they did not fit in the streets. They worshiped the moon, he was called Nannar and his wife was called Ningal. They built Ziggurats, which were a form of piramid. (Gen. 14; Joshua 24:2) Some refer to these buildings as a form of the tower of Babel. The middle class had homes of 10 rooms on average (2 stories). The poor had enough room to have a small family but could not add on to their homes because of lack of space. The buildings were butted up next to each other. The homes all had an inner courtyard. They were made form brick and clay, and wood, with the dishes also being made from clay. Abram learned warfare in Ur. Kings ruled and outside Kingdoms were united by marriage and treaties. Abram could have known the writing of the day, which was cuneiform. (Writing on clay)
How important is Abram?
His name is mentioned 308 times in the Bible. Only 74 time in the New Testament and 234 times in the Old Testament. Look at 2 Kings 13:23. Two thousand years are covered in the first eleven chapters of the Bible, but the rest of the book of Genesis covers the life of Abram and his family. We are looking at a period of about 350 years.
We will start the lesson on Abram with his calling. Look at Gen. 12:1-3; Joshua 24:3; Acts 7:3.
1. I will make of thee a great nation.
2. I will bless thee.
3. I will make thy name great.
4. Thou shall be a blessing.
5. I will bless them that bless thee.
6. I will curse them that curse thee. (This is illustrated in the book of Esther)
7. In thee all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Matthew 1:1 is this a reference to Christ entering our lives?
What did God tell Abram to do?
He told him to leave his father’s house. Until he parted from his father’s house unfortunate things continued to happen. Why would I say that? Look at their stop in Haran (means mountainous) Abram stayed their until his father died. Then he took his fathers son’s, son Lot with him to the Promised Land. The command was to leave his father’s house behind. Do we do what God tells us to do? His father’s name Terah, means Delay or Laggard (Joshua 24:2). The death of Terah occurred when he was 205 years old. Look up Acts 7:3,4; Hebrews 11:8.
Lot means concealed or covering. He was covering the truth about himself; He concealed from Abram his true heart, which we see as he and Abraham part in later chapters.
Up to this point Abram left Ur but did not leave Mesopotamia.
How many of us delay doing what God has told us to do? How many of us conceal what is truly in our hearts? How many of us get stuck in the mountains, the high points of our lives, and delay doing what is required of us by God? What do you think is required by God?
Damascus is Abram’s next stop…Look at Gen. 15:1-4.
Eliezer (God is helper) is a type of the Holy Ghost, he is born in Damascus.
Canaan means low region – Are we entering a low place in our life?
Shechem (means shoulder or strong place) is the first place that he pitches his tent in the Promised Land. To me this is a place of decision. This is your own experience with God. Does he talk to you? How does God speak to us? What is our Promised Land? Where is it located? Here I would like to add that we must do as Abram did and forecast our future by building an altar to the Lord Jesus Christ, believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He attacked the problem by following the leading of the Lord. We must attack our problems by doing the same. At Shechem we see the first recorded altar that he erected to the Lord. Jerusalem is thirty miles south of Shechem. Jerusalem means possession of peace. Abram wife’s name is Shari, which means contentious. God speaks to Abram again at Shechem and adds some words to the promises. Look at Gen. 12:1 and then look at Gen. 12:7. “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Two things were promised here. The first was that he would have seed. The second was the land. How important is the land? Men have fought over this land for centuries.
Compare tent life with city life of the day. In the country you dig a hole for the waste where in the City you walk on and in it. Water comes from wells that you dig for yourself. Water must be carried from the river to the house each day. You must be a part of the commerce of the city you come from, where you are a part of the family of Abram in the Promised Land; his steward was his heir. Compare the land of Canaan with the land of Mesopotamia. One was very rich black soil, the other stony ground; one was sparsely forested where the other had many forested hilltops. One was mostly farmland, the other grazing land. In the Promised Land there was gold, silver, rubies, and many other precious stones. In Mesopotamia they did not have the same mineral wealth. In the land between two rivers they had a king over them, in the Promised Land they had only God who directed them when they were willing to be controlled. What are the main differences? What is the same?
Did Abram bring young fruit trees and date trees with them from Mesopotamia? They didn’t have paper bags. How could they have transported plants and all their household goods to the land of Canaan? What does this tell us about Abram? He had a great deal of knowledge, and was a wealthy man.
Bethel means house of God. Hai means heap of ruins. This place was also called Luz, which referred to the Almond tree. The rod of Aaron was an Almond tree, thought it was dead yet it budded. This is the second stop for Abram. This is the insight to the death and resurrection of Christ. Here he built another altar to the Lord. How important is it for us to go to the house of the Lord? How can we build altars to the most high God? Reading his word daily and finding a place of prayer daily. Gen. 12:9
Famine is when you are without water…your food supply soon follows…Now you must find food and a good supply of water…Abram did not trust God to provide for his families needs and went out of the will of God…down into…Egypt. Egypt is a type of the world. Do we turn to the world or turn to God?
Egypt was the answer for Abram. What happened there was not only meant the loss of his freedom; it was the loss of his victory and the loss of his dignity, because he lied to protect his life. Did he lean on the Lord His God? No, he leaned on the arm of the flesh. How many of us lean on the arm of the flesh?
Egypt in scripture is symbolized as a type of the world. Read Isa. 31:1;
Proverbs 3:5,6; 2:6-8
and Matthew 6:31-33.
Abram sin Grieved God weakened his faith, made him a poor testimony to those around him, and caused others to be afflicted. How are our sins afflicting those around us? At this time Abram aquires Hagar (meaning flight), who later has his first born son Ishmael (which means God hears). This sin also afflicts his unborn son Isaac (meaning Ha! Ha!). Ishmael’s seed afflicts Isaac’s children even today! Isaac later lies about his own wife in the same manner as his father. Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his and all that he had. He left Egypt a rich man.
He returns to Canaan. Gen. 13:1-13
Once he returns to Bethel, he rebuilds the altar. It is the same place he left to go into Egypt in the first place. God appears to him again and reassured him of the blessings that were to come. What would you do if God appeared to you?
Let us talk about the election of God… God’s choice, has he chosen you? Are you willing to act like Abram? Leave your home and family and go to a place that God has prepared for you? How do I trust God with my future? When making up my mind about what I should or should not do is God’s will a part of my decision making process? At this point in Abram’s life he believed God and God counted it for righteousness. Justification took place. He was right with God, his sins were declared washed away. God removed his punishment for sin through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Did Abram see this at Bethel? I believe he did!
Now we see another separation, Lot and Abram.
The pastures are not big enough for the multitude of sheep and cattle. Lot and Abram’s men fight over the pasture. Abram and Lot part ways, Lot pitches his tent toward Sodom or the well watered Jordan (descender) Valley. The rift valley extends 2000 miles from Turkey to Africa. This land is below sea level, and very fertile. In the beginning Lot did not live in the city of Sodom, but over time he was living within it’s gates and was sitting on the city council, so to speak.
Abram moved to Hebron (alliance \\ friendship) and built an altar they’re to the Lord.
When they rebelled against Chedorlaomer (they were under tribute to this king for twelve years) he came and fought against the city and took it. Who were these Kings. They came from Babylon, one was a Canaanite, another was an early Persian King (Elam which was a son of Shem), the last two were Asian and Chaldee (to make afraid), which dealt with astrology. The king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell into the slime pits. These slime pits were volcanic activity which refered to ferment, foul, and red with trouble. The battle took place at the Dead Sea.
Genesis 14
At this time they took Lot and his family and all their goods back to their land. One man escaped and told Abram.
Mamre the Amorite – to rebel to lash, whip, lift up self
Brother of Eshcol – reproduce –such as bunch of grapes or other fruit.
Brother of Aner – a boy or a girl – growl or yell
Three hundred and eighteen men (armed, trained servants - this implied that they were practised) born in his house. Then he pursued them to Dan (judge).
He divided himself against them by night and smote them and pursued them unto Hobah (hiding place).
By night implies to fold back like a winding stair. The slaughter of the kings says that they all died. Lot the women and the people were returned to the King of Sodom. Sodom means to scorch, burnt, deals with volcanic activity.
The God who reckons us righteous must also make us righteous. He is the King of Justice, our High Priest,
We must be careful to give honor where honor is due. Abram did this when he paid tithes of all the loot to Melchizedek. He refused to take anything from the wicked king of Sodom. Why? God must be given all the Glory in our lives.
What are the promises that God has given to us? Why is Abram the father of faith? Did Abram believe God? Or did Abraham believe God?
H3947 A primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications):—accept,
bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive
(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.
Journeys of Abraham
Abraham means the Father of many nations.
Terah (Laggard)
1. Ur of Chaldees – Gen. 11:31,32
1. Birth place.
2. Left with his father for Canaan.
2. Haran – Land of the mountains
1. Family settles here for a period of time.
2. Death of Terah – Idol worshipper, 205 years old when he died. Abram was 75 when he left Haran. Terah was 70 years old when Abram was born. When Abram left Haran \\ Terah was 145 years old.
3. Abram’ call – chapter 12:1,2, and 3. (Quick to obey)
Acts 7:3,4
Hebrews 11:8
3. Canaan (low region)– Gen. 12:1-8
1. Shechem (shoulder) Built an altar.
2. Bethel (house of God) On the west and Hai (heap of ruins) on the east.
3. Abram moves south – Gen. 12:9
4. Abram visits Egypt (Land of Bondage) – Gen. 12:10-20
1. Famine in the land is the cause of Abram visit to Egypt.
2. Abram’s deception (thou art my sister Gen. 12:13)
3. Expulsion from Egypt. Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his and all that he had. He left rich.
5. Canaan again. Gen. 13:1-13
1. Abram returned to Bethel, and rebuilds and altar.
2. Abram and Lot separate.
1. Scarcity of pasture.
2. Lot chooses the Jordan Valley.
6. Abram moves to Hebron (alliance) Gen. 13:18 Gen. 20
1. Dan and Hobah what caused the journey?
2. Abraham returns by way of Jerusalem (place of peace)
1. Pays tithes to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:20) King of Justice, High Priest, a type of Christ.
2. The King of Sodom is given everything, because Abram says that he would say that the King of Sodom made Abram rich, this would mar his trust in God as his provider.
3. Ishmael born in Hebron (86 years old when born)
1. Ishmael means God hears- Type of the flesh.
7. Abraham’s lapse at Gerar (holting place) Gen. 20
1. Deception repeated.
2. The covenant was made with the circumcism.
3. Birth of Isaac (laughter)
8. Beersheba (Well of oath) Makes home here. Gen. 21, 22:14
1. Returns to Jerusalem to offer Isaac. Mt. Moriah (Chosen by the Lord) Jehovah-jireh Lord shall provide. Covenant renewed.
2. Recieves word from his family in Haran of Births and Death.
9. Hebron
1. Death and burial of Sarah. Gen. 23 (127)
2. Eleiser is sent for a wife for Issac.
3. Abraham dies and is buried at Hebron. Gen. 25
Mamre (strength) 99 years old covenant renewed… Sarai (contention)
Sarah (princess) Abraham (Father of many nations)# Journeys of Jacob & His Family
Egypt, Jacob & Joseph, The Exodus (A great river crossed or only a ‘sea of reeds’ or marshland?)Pharaohs of Egypt and Particularly Ramses II (ruled during Moses’ time)
The story of Jacob and Joseph
Genesis (37–50)
The Old Testament history of the son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel is very enlightening for us today. As Jacob's name became synonymous with all Israel, (A Tribe that became a Nation) so that Joseph (Ephraim) was eventually recognized with all the tribes that made up the northern kingdom.
Ge 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. Eze 37:16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
The inheritance of the children of Joseph
Jos 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Shechem is the oldest of the northern shrines. Promise price power Faith finance fight Word working warring buried
Ge 33:19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.
Ge 48:22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Joh 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Joseph was the most beloved of Jacob's sons while he was hated by his green with envy brothers. Angry and jealous of Jacob's gift to Joseph, a magnificent coat of many colors, the brothers seize him and sell him to the Ishmaelites, who take him to Egypt. There Joseph eventually gains the favor of the pharaoh of Egypt by his interpretation of a dream and obtains a high place in the pharaoh's kingdom. His achieving of grain supplies enables Egypt to endure a famine. Jacob sends the brother’s from Canaan to obtain food from Egypt. They prostrate themselves before Joseph but do not recognize him. After Joseph achieves reconciliation with his brothers, he invites Jacob's whole household to come to Goshen in Egypt, where a settlement is provided for the family and their flocks. His brothers' sale of Joseph into slavery thus proves providential in the end, since it protected the family from famine. The family's descendants grew and multiplied into the Hebrews, who would eventually depart from Egypt for Canaan land that would become the land of Israel.
```
Ephraim--- double fruit
```
Joh 11:54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. There are some very interesting points to be made concerning the places associated with the name Ephraim. Ephraim A city located eight to twenty miles northeast of Jerusalem on the borders of the wilderness.
- Ephrain. Ephrain, or Ephron, a city of Benjamin north of Jerusalem, near Bethel.
Josephus calls Ephraim and Bethel two little cities; and places Ephraim in the tribe of Benjamin, near the wilderness of Judea, in the way to Jericho.
Joshua gave Ephraim to the tribe of Judah,
Jos 15:9 And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjathjearim:
2Ch 13:19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.
2Ch 13:4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; 2Ch 13:12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. 13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
Ps 120:7 I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war
Joh 11:54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. Jesus did everything for a reason. More than just seeking rest from persecution but always doing the Will of the Father protecting the disciples and preparing them. This place was not to far from where He had been tempted of the devil. Not too far from where Joshua fought his first hard battle in the promised land. Jos 8:24 And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. BETWEEN BETHEL AND AI# Journey in the Wilderness
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image-1651029306081.jpg)
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image-1651029485319.jpg)# Land of Canaan
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/12-tribes-of-israel-in-the-promi.gif)
Invasion and Conquest of Canaan (What kind of land is Canaan Geographically?)
# The Conquest of Canaan
1. The conquest of Eastern Palestine: leader, Moses.
1. The location of the land. From the Brook Arnon as far north as a parallel at Laish-dan, and from the Jordan River eastward to the Arabian Desert.
1. Divisions of the land.
1. Gilead: peopled by the southern Amorites; ruled by King Sihon.
2. Bashan: peopled by the northern Amorites; ruled by King Og.
3. On the southeast were the Midianites and Ammonites.
2. Conquest of Gilead.
1. Moses asked permission to pass thru the land; privilege was denied.
2. Battle with King Sihon at Jahaz.
3. Kin Sihon slain; Amorites defeated; Gilead possessed by the Israelites.
3. Conquest of Bashan.
1. Battle fought at Edrei.
2. King Og slain and the district possessed by Israel.
4. Conquest of Midian.
1. League formed by Moabites and Midianites to resist the advances of Israel.
2. Balaam summoned to curse Israel but his words turned to blessing.
3. Isreal wars with the Midianites and Moabites and defeats them.
1. Midianites annihilated in that part of the country.
2. Moabites excluded from the congregation of Israel for ten generations.
2. The conquest of Western Palestine: leader, Joshua
1. The conquest of central Palestine.
1. Peoples conquered: Hivites and Perizites, a peaceful people offering very little resistance.
2. Outline of campaign.
1. Camped at Gilgal.
2. Jericho taken
3. Defeat and final victory at Ai.
4. Shechem taken, a Hivite city, memorial stone erected.
5. Given obtains a pledge of protection.
1. Deceit discovered but pledge kept by Israel.
3. The conquest of Southern Palestine: leader, Joshua
Introduction: Conquest easy so far because of lack of unity among Israel’s enemies. Because of the fear of Israel, Adonizedek, King of Jerusalem, and the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon form an alliance.
1. Outline of campaign.
1. Joshua calls together his warriors; leaves Gilgal and makes a night march thru the mountain passes and comes upon the enemy near Beth-Horon.
2. The most important battle in human history fought here, and one at which the sun and moon might well stand still, since the religious destiny of the world was at stake.
3. The conquest of Canaan made certain thru this battle.
4. The enemy pursued to Makkedsh where the 5 kings were captured and slain.
5. Conquest completed latter by Caleb and Othniel.
4. The conquest of Northern Palestine: leader, Joshua
1. Occupied by a number of independent chiefs of whom the most powerful was Jabin, King of Hazor.
2. King Jabin called together the associated tribes and their camp was pitched near Lake Merom.
3. Outline of campaign.
1. Joshua made a swift march up the Jordan Valley, attacked them suddenly and utterly defeated them.
2. Burned the war chariots and make the horses useless.
3. Marched thru the northern region, capturing cities and slaying rulers.
Note: This campaign closed the active military operations, so that the land rested from war; but for many years the strife was feebly continued, and it was not entirely finished until the reign of David.
B. Under the Divided Kingdom, etc.
THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE The early inhabitants of Canaan settled on both sides of Jordan. They were remembered by different names in various parts of the country but were doubtless of one race, whether Hamitic or Semitic is uncertain.
They were in their decline in Abraham’s day. REPHAIM - “lofty men’ - giants - (east of Sea of Galilee) ZUZIM - “tall ones” — Eastern Table Land (East of Dead Sea) EMIM - “terrible ones” - south of Zuzim-~ HORIM - “cave dwellers” or Horites - South of Dead Sea (lived in caves) AVIN - ‘dwellers in ruins” - in the Shefelah ANAKIM - “long necked ones” - Hebron. It was this particular race that struck terror to the Israelites spies (Num. 13) Goliath, whom David killed, and his brother belonged to this race. TRIBES OF PATRIARCHAL ERA
These earliest races were nearly all subdued by later tribes of Hamitic origin called Canaanites. These were divided into the following:
ZIDONIANS - By Mediterranean Sea at north, between Mt. Lebanon and CANAANITES - Maritime Plain on both sides of Mt. Camel, Plain of Esdraelon, Sharon, and Jordan Valley (occupied richest and most valuable portions of land).
PHILISTINES — South of Canaanites on Maritime Plain-most dangerous of Israel’s enemies during the Judges.
HITTITES — One group near Sea of Galilee — the other around Hebron. These were peaceful with the patriarchs and of them Abraham purchased his family sepu1chre from them.
GIRGASHITE - - Possibly west of Sea of Galilee. HIVITES - South of Mt. Cannel. PERRIZITES - Northern portion of Shefelah JEBUSITES - Mountains near Jerusalem AMMORITES - Most powerful of all - wilderness between Hebron and Dead Sea. NATIONS AT TIME OF CONQUEST
AMMORITES - Eastern Table land
MOABITES - (settled in cities) and AMMONITES (wanderers) - descendants of Lot.
SURROUNDI1NG NATIONS Bordering on lands of Canaan before-the Conquest
HIVITES, ARRITES, SINITES, ARVADITES & HAMATBITES North AMMONITES – Southeast AMALEKITES – Kenites and Edomites - South# The Law of the Land
Time of the Judges Chapter 15: Time of Saul, David & Solomon (Solomon’s Temple) Chapter 16: Time of the Divided Kingdom# Minor Conflicts in Canaan
Egyptian Invasion of Palestine Chapter 18: Wars of Israel & Judah Chapter 19: Elijah & Elisha’s Travels & Exploits# World Empires
## Assyrian and Babylonian Empire
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/babylonian-empire.gif)
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/assyrian-empire-640-bc.jpg)
Assyrian Domination & Eventual Bondage of the Jews Chapter 21: Israel’s Return to Palestine (Condition of the Land, Political Condition, etc.)
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/babylonian-statue.jpg)
## Medo-Persian Empire & Grecian Empire
Alexander the Great, Ptolemeies vs. Selucids, the Maccabean Revolt, Hasmonean Dynasty
## Roman Empire
Chapter 24: The Herods & Particulary Herod the Great (What were there politicalpowers and boundaries?) Chapter 25: Jesus’ Life & Death# Early Spread of the Gospel
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/ba-footsteps-of-jesus-du-church.png)
Chapter 26: Early Spread of the Gospel and Spread of the Christians (Stories of the Apostles & Travels)
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image-1651029390465-spread-of-christianity-bef.gif)
Chapter 27: Paul and His Missionary Journeys (Where did he go? Why there? What was accomplished? What were the major characteristics of the cities visited? Churches in Revelation 2 & 3?) Chapter 28: Revolts Against Rome & Christian Martyrs (Who, how, where, when?)# Activities Workbook
# Media Links
- [https://archive.org/details/jewish-encyclopedia-volume-6](https://archive.org/details/jewish-encyclopedia-volume-6)
# Study Questions
## Study Questions 1: Introduction
1. What are some of the topics covered in Bible Atlas. (List 3)
Biblical: Nations, Persons, Archaeology, Geography, Politics, Measurements
2. What was the “political right” Paul exercised to his advantage as an evangelist?
As a Roman citizen, Paul had a right to make his appeal to Caesar
3. In John 4, what is the cultural backdrop that makes Christ’s statement in verse 4 have controversial implications?
Jews normally avoided Samaria because of the cultural tensions.
4. During Christ’s time, the land of Palestine was divided into three parts: GALILEE, on the north; SAMARIA, in the middle; and JUDEA, on the south. Give a reference from Scripture naming each of these regions. (1 verse for each region; 3 verses total.)
Matthew 3:13—Galilee; John 4:4—Samaria; Matthew 2:1—Judea.
5. Where did the Moabites come from? (Look in Genesis)
In Genesis 19, incest was committed between Lot and his daughters. The Moabites and Ammonites (two great enemies of Israel) were born out of this sin.
6. Write out below and memorize Genesis 12:1.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
## Study Questions: The Beginning
Study Questions 2: The Beginning
- Other than Psalm 24, where else does the Scripture express the Lord’s ownership of the earth? (give at least two references)
Exodus 9:29; 19:5; Deuteronomy 10:14; I Chronicles 29:11; Job 41:11; Psalm 50:11,12; 89:11; 98:7; Daniel 4:25; Nahum 1:5; I Corinthians 10:26;
- From Genesis chapter 1. Describe the condition of the earth before God said, “let there be light.
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
- Which came first, “Water” or “Dry Land?”
Water first and second Dry Land appeared.
- Describe the theory you prefer in regards to the “missing river heads” mystery—Pison and Gihon. (1-3 sentences)
See “§2-II-D. Theories on the missing heads” for complete list.
- What is the name of the first city mentioned in the Bible and where was it located? (hint: Cain built it.)
Cain built the city of Enoch naming it after his son.
- Write out below and memorize Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
- Explain the Biblical connection with Armenia.
Armenia is a translation of the word Ararat. The Ark rested on one of its mountains.
- What is the more common name for Lusistan?
Elam is the more common name for Lusistan.
- What does Mesopotamia mean? Explain its meaning.
Mesopotamia means “Land between two rivers”. It is the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
- Choose 10 places from the first map given to you, circle them and list them below along with a Scripture reference mentioning it, and any relevant detail. [FOR EXAMPLE: Cyprus– Acts 21:16 –Mnason was an old disciple from Cyprus.]
## Study Questions: Early Bible Lands & People
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/image2.jpg)
1. In what way did man disobey God’s command in Genesis 9:1?
2. Look on the map above. If Noah’s descendants traveled southwest to arrive in the “Land of Shinar”, what is the name of the general land area where Noah lived?
3. In what chapter in Genesis do we find the genealogies of Shem, Ham & Japheth and the dividing of the earth into nations?
4. What was the Tower of Babel as symbol of?
5. Place the following names in the proper category of either a descendant of SHEM, HAM or JAPHETH: Phut, Lud, Gomer, Canaan, Joktan, Elam, Ashkenaz, Javan, Mizraim and Togarmah.
| ----------- SHEM -----------| ----------- HAM -----------| -----------JAPHETH ----------- |
|--|--|--|
| - | | |
| - |||
| - |||
| - |||
| - |||
| - |||
| - |||
6. Identify the location of the Fertile Crescent by highlighting or coloring in the outline of this great arc on the map above.
## Study Questions 2b: Currencies, Measurements & Time
How were the values of the earliest forms of currency determined?
Around what time were the first minted coins produced?
Give a Biblical text for each of the following measurements:
Shekal -
Talent -
Cab -
Ephah -
Bekah -
Using the current value of silver (approx. $204/pound), how many US dollars worth of silver did the rebuilt temple contain? (Ezra 2:69).
Explain the standard for three early linear measurements. (Describe each; 3 total)
The length given for the exterior north wall of the temple in Ezekiel 42 equals how many yards?
What is the major difference between the Old Testament and New Testament clocks?
## Study Questions: Biblical Archaeology
When did archeology start to develop as a soft science?
About 150 years ago. (1850’s)
What is “Cuneiform”?
Describe a poor archeologist?
________________________ is a testimony to the authenticity of Scripture.
The Bible is a book of history, so what should we be able to find?
What type of name did Moses have?
When was Moses born?
When did Moses flee Egypt?
When did the Exodus occur?
Who was the most powerful Pharaoh of all time and how did he possibly die?
Egyptians were notorious for only recording, what?
Where is Nineveh located?
Of what did the prophet Ezekiel foretell centuries before it was fulfilled?
What evidence has been recently discovered to corroborate John 5:2?
What affirms the fact that Abraham started in Chaldea and then migrated to Canaan?
Belshazzar was a blood line descendant of whom?
Who was the first Old Testament prophet to be dug up in Bible lands and exactly what was dug up?
What verified the accuracy of the formerly discovered texts?
How many surviving manuscripts of the New Testament do we have?
What ranks the closest second to the New Testament in possessing the greatest amount of manuscript testimony?
What are the Ebla tablets?
When were the Ebla tablets written?
Did non- Biblical writers attest to Jesus as being the Son of God? if so name some?
## Abraham's Journeys Study Questions
Study Questions 8: Journeys of Abraham
- Abraham means?
- What is the significance of Ur of Chaldees?
- What does it mean to you?
- What happened there?
- Why was Haran important? What does it mean to you?
- What happened in Haran?
- How old was Abram when he left Haran?
- What do we know about his family?
- How long a period of time passes before Terah dies?
- How do we know that Abram stopped in Damascus?
- What is the first stop in the Promised Land?
- What is the meaning of the name of the second place Abram stopped in Canaan?
- What is the meaning of the first place he stopped? Why are they important?
- What do they mean to you?
- How would you describe Egypt?
- What is Egypt a type of?
- What did he do while he was in Egypt?
- Who did he gain while in Egypt? What later impact did this have on their lives?
- Why did Abram go to Egypt?
- Why and how did he leave Egypt?
- Why is all this important to us?
- When Abram returned from Egypt he built an altar: explain why this is important?
- Give me the details of the parting of Lot and Abram.
- Who is Abimaleck and what happened?
- Why did Abram go to Hobah?
- Who went with him?
- Who gave him bread and wine? What is his importance?
- What did he say to the King of Sodom?
- Explain to me the importance of his intercession for Lot? This is not found in your notes it is found in your Bible.
- Describe to me the birth of Ishmael.
- Describe the birth of Isaac.
- Compare the difference and explain what significance each child represents.
- Why is Beersheba called the well of the oath?
- What does each of the sons of Abram mean?
- What river is called the Hiddekel?
1. Abraham means father of many nations.
2. What is the significance of Ur of Chaldees? It is the birth place of Abram and it is the place where God first call’s Abram.
3. What does it mean to you? It is where God calls you and how you respond to God. It is your personal relationship with Him.
4. What happened at Ur? God called Abram for the first time, and he obeyed Him.
5. Why was Haran important? What does it mean to you?
A. God spoke to Abram the second time and Abram obeyed Him to some extent.
B. We can miss what God wants for us so easily and not even know it. God spoke to Abram again so we can know that we can miss God and He still knows where we are.
6. What happened in Haran?
1. His father dies there.
2. He is called of God to go into a land that I will show thee.
3. He is told to leave his fathers house and all behind.
7. How old is Abram when he left Haran? He is 75 years old when he leaves Haran.
8. What do we know about Abrams family? He lost a brother...His father worshiped idols and the moon god...Both brothers married their sisters.
9.
10. How do we know that Abram stopped in Damascus? We know because his servant Eliezer, who is a type of the Holy Spirit was born there.
11. What is the first stop in the Promised Land? Shechem which means shoulder.
12. What is the meaning of the name of the second place Abram stopped in Canaan?
What is the meaning of the first place he stopped? Why are they important to us?
What do they mean to you?
1. Bethel - House of God - House of bread...
2. Shechem - shoulder
3. We must find ourselves in the house of God in order to receive from God the bread of life.
4.We each must have a personal relationship with the father and it is important that we go to church and put our backs into the job that God is giving us to do.
13. How would you describe Egypt? Egypt is a type of bondage...everytime someone is in egypt they are in bondage...This is a very rich place and God uses many things in our lives to bring about his purposes.
14. What is Egypt a type of? Bondage and sin. Egypt is a type of the world.
15. What did Abram do while he was in Egypt? He lied...about his wife being his sister...He and Lot became rich...He was thrown out of Egypt.
16. Whom did he gain while in Egypt? Hagar What later impact did this have on their lives? Ishmael and his decedents are still warring with Isaac and his decedents.
17. Why did Abram go to Egypt? There was a famine. Abram did not put his total trust in God at this time in His life.
18. Why and how did he leave Egypt? He left because the Pharaohthrew him out after Sarai was returned to him...he left with great riches.
19. Why is all this so important to us? It teaches us that we must put our trust in God for the things we have as well as for our food, clothing, and material things. We must come to trust him in all things in our lives.
20. When Abram returned from Egypt he built an altar: explain why this is important to us...It teaches us that each time we sin we need to return and make a place in our hearts for him to dwell...This is a place of repentance.
21. Give me the details of the parting of Lot and Abram. Lot and his herdsmen were striving with Abram’s herdsmen. Abram gave Lot the choice of where he wanted to dwell. Abram and Lot parted in a good manner.
22. Who is Abimaleck and what happened? Abimaleck was the king of Gerar and Abraham lied about Sarah and she was rebuked for her part in the deception.
23. Why did Abraham go to Hobah? Lot was taken captive and Abraham went to rescue him.
24. Who went with him? Eshcol, Aner, and Mamre who were Amorites, with 318 of his men born in his house.
25. Who gave him bread and wine? What is his importance?
1. Melchisadek, King of Salem. Called the priest of the most High God.
2. He is a type of Christ.
26. What did Abraham say to the King of Sodom? I do not want even to take of a shoelace from you.
27. Explain to me the importance of his intercession of Lot with God? This is not found in your notes it is found in the Bible...Because of Abraham’s intercession Lot and two of his daughters were saved...we need to be intercessors for our families and those that God places on our hearts.
28. Describe to me the birth of Ishmael. Hagar gave birth to him for Abraham and Sarai. Ishmeal is a type of the flesh.
29. Describe to me the birth of Isaac. After Sarah was rebuked for laughing and after the King Abimaleck rebuked her she received the promise given to her of having a son. Isaac is a type of Christ and of the promise keeper.
30. Compare the difference between and explain what significance each child represents.
1. Ishmael is a product of Abram and Sarai’s attempt at fulfilling God’s promise on their own.
2. Isaac was the fulfillment of the promise.
3. Ishmael represents a type of the flesh and Isaac represents a type of the spirit.
31. What do each of the sons of Abraham’s names mean?
1. Ishmael means God Hears
2. Isaac means laughter...Ha! Ha!
32. What river is called the Hiddekel? Tigris River
Be descendant of Abraham
Prophecy in the Old Testament
Gen 12:3
Fulfillment in the New Testament
Matt 1:1
Acts 3:25
Acts 18:18
Acts 22:18
Gal 3:16
Bible Atlas
Study Questions Answers
1. Abraham means father of many nations.
2. What is the significance of Ur of Chaldees? It is the birth place of Abram and it is the place where God first call’s Abram.
3. What does it mean to you? It is where God calls you and how you respond to God. It is your personal relationship with Him.
4. What happened at Ur? God called Abram for the first time, and he obeyed Him.
5. Why was Haran important? What does it mean to you?
A. God spoke to Abram the second time and Abram obeyed Him to some extent.
B. We can miss what God wants for us so easily and not even know it. God spoke to Abram again so we can know that we can miss God and He still knows where we are.
6. What happened in Haran?
1. His father dies there.
2. He is called of God to go into a land that I will show thee.
3. He is told to leave his fathers house and all behind.
7. How old is Abram when he left Haran? He is 75 years old when he leaves Haran.
8. What do we know about Abrams family? He lost a brother...His father worshiped idols and the moon god...Both brothers married their sisters.
9.
10. How do we know that Abram stopped in Damascus? We know because his servant Eliezer, who is a type of the Holy Spirit was born there.
11. What is the first stop in the Promised Land? Shechem which means shoulder.
12. What is the meaning of the name of the second place Abram stopped in Canaan?
What is the meaning of the first place he stopped? Why are they important to us?
What do they mean to you?
1. Bethel - House of God - House of bread...
2. Shechem - shoulder
3. We must find ourselves in the house of God in order to receive from God the bread of life.
4. We each must have a personal relationship with the father and it is important that we go to church and put our backs into the job that God is giving us to do.
13. How would you describe Egypt? Egypt is a type of bondage...everytime someone is in egypt they are in bondage...This is a very rich place and God uses many things in our lives to bring about his purposes.
14. What is Egypt a type of? Bondage and sin. Egypt is a type of the world.
15. What did Abram do while he was in Egypt? He lied...about his wife being his sister...He and Lot became rich...He was thrown out of Egypt.
16. Whom did he gain while in Egypt? Hagar What later impact did this have on their lives? Ishmael and his decedents are still warring with Isaac and his decedents.
17. Why did Abram go to Egypt? There was a famine. Abram did not put his total trust in God at this time in His life.
18. Why and how did he leave Egypt? He left because the Pharaoh threw him out after Sarai was returned to him...he left with great riches.
19. Why is all this so important to us? It teaches us that we must put our trust in God for the things we have as well as for our food, clothing, and material things. We must come to trust him in all things in our lives.
20. When Abram returned from Egypt he built an altar: explain why this is important to us...It teaches us that each time we sin we need to return and make a place in our hearts for him to dwell...This is a place of repentance.
21. Give me the details of the parting of Lot and Abram. Lot and his herdsmen were striving with Abram’s herdsmen. Abram gave Lot the choice of where he wanted to dwell. Abram and Lot parted in a good manner.
22. Who is Abimaleck and what happened? Abimaleck was the king of Gerar and Abraham lied about Sarah and she was rebuked for her part in the deception.
23. Why did Abraham go to Hobah? Lot was taken captive and Abraham went to rescue him.
24. Who went with him? Eshcol, Aner, and Mamre who were Amorites, with 318 of his men born in his house.
25. Who gave him bread and wine? What is his importance?
1. Melchisadek, King of Salem. Called the priest of the most High God.
2. He is a type of Christ.
26. What did Abraham say to the King of Sodom? I do not want even to take of a shoelace from you.
27. Explain to me the importance of his intercession of Lot with God? This is not found in your notes it is found in the Bible...Because of Abraham’s intercession Lot and two of his daughters were saved...we need to be intercessors for our families and those that God places on our hearts.
28. Describe to me the birth of Ishmael. Hagar gave birth to him for Abraham and Sarai. Ishmeal is a type of the flesh.
29. Describe to me the birth of Isaac. After Sarah was rebuked for laughing and after the King Abimaleck rebuked her she received the promise given to her of having a son. Isaac is a type of Christ and of the promise keeper.
30. Compare the difference between and explain what significance each child represents.
1. Ishmael is a product of Abram and Sarai’s attempt at fulfilling God’s promise on their own.
2. Isaac was the fulfillment of the promise.
3. Ishmael represents a type of the flesh and Isaac represents a type of the spirit.
31. What do each of the sons of Abraham’s names mean?
1. Ishmael means God Hears
2. Isaac means laughter...Ha! Ha!
32. What river is called the Hiddekel? Tigris River
Be descendant of Abraham
Prophecy in the Old Testament
Gen 12:3
Fulfillment in the New Testament
Matt 1:1
Acts 3:25
Acts 18:18
Acts 22:18
Gal 3:16
## Test over Isaac
1. What type of a man was Isaac? Was he a great traveler?
2. What two things happened at Beerlahairoi? What does Beerlahairoi mean?
3. Why did Isaac go to Gerar?
4. Where did Isaac dwell during the strife between his sons? What was the strife all about?
5. Name four wells that Isaac dug and give the names of each.
1.
2.
3.
4.
6. Name the chief city of the Philistines?
7. How old was Isaac when he died and where did he die? Who buried him?
8. Write verbatim John 16:13-14
9. What does Phil 3:13-14 say?
10. How does the birth of Isaac compare to the birth of Christ?
11. Abraham is a type of _____________________.
12. Isaac is a type of the Holy Ghost. True or False (circle one)
13. Who is a type of the bride?
14. What is an antitype?
## Questions on Abraham
1. How can we remove the call of God from our minds?
A. We don’t read our Bibles.
B. We forget to pray.
C. We block out what the pastor is teaching us.
2. What did Abram have to do to please the Lord?
He left his friends, family, and everything that he knew, to go to a land that God called him to.
3. In what way does God make sinilar demands of you?
A. By requireing that you separate from bad friends.
B. By leading you to an unknown field for service.
4. Did God immediately reveal His complete will to Abraham? If not wht did He do instead?
No: He simply pointed Abraham in the right direction and granted him further insight as he traveled.
5. What is the world view of life? Get all you can as quickly as possible.
6. Why did God make a covenant with Abraham?
It was to honor Abraham’s faithfulness and obedience.
7. The Abrahamic Covenant consisted of what three promises?
A. He would be a great nation.
B. He would posses the land of Canaan.
C. Messianic promise.
8. What is the extent of the land that Abraham’s descendants receive?
All the land from the Nile River to the Euphrates.
9. What special person would descend from Abraham?
The messiah: The Lord Jesus Christ.
10. What is the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant? Circumcision.
11. What would happen to any male in Abraham’s house who did not keep the sign of the covenant?
They would be cut off from their people.
12. What caused Abram to go to Egypt? Famine.
13. What is the deception that Abram used to fool Pharaoh?
That his wife was just his sister.
14. Who was Abraham’s second wife and who’s idea was it for him to marry her?
1. Hagar was his second wife.
2. It was Sarai’s idea, she talked Abraham into her plan to have a son by proxy. He became the son of the flesh.
15. Ishmeal mother was ______________________?
Hagar
16. Who was the son of the promise?
Isaac
17. On what mountain did Abraham offer Isaac?
Mt. Moriah Chosen of God
18. Who stopped Abraham form offering Isaac his son?
“The Angel of the Lord.” Jehovah
19. Why does the Lord let us face difficulties? He wants us to be made stronger and to be more mature so he allows us to face difficulties.
20. Do we pass all the tests that God allows in our life?
No, We learn from our mistakes so that we will come forth as a mature servant of God.
21. What is our most difficult test? What will it prove about our character?
We will know our priorities.
We will know if we are willing to please God first in our life.
That the years of testing had strengthened him.
22.What was the real reason for the parting of Lot and Abram?
1. Selfish choices
a. Show’s no concern for others. He chose the best for Himself. What would happen to His uncle? Would they have enough water and food?
b. Lack of concern for what God wanted in His life.
c. Lack of concern for the future.
d. Lack of concern for the future.
1. Accepting the sins of those around you.
2. He became prominence.
3. He became a member of their community.
4. Compromised; no one will listen to someone who compromise.
23. Lot lost his testimony his possessions, his family and his self respect.
24. How did Lot fail?
By making a selfish choice.
25. What are three reasons Lot’s choice was not a good one?
He failed to consider the effect his choice would have on others.
He failed to considered God’s will he gave no thought to the future?
26. What type of choice is clearly not God’s will?
Any choice that causes you to harm your Christian life?
27. What happens when you lower convictions?
You risk losing them altogether.
28. What four things did Lot lose because of his selfish decision?
His testimony His family
His possessions His self respect
## Test over the Journey’s of the Israelites
Where did they start?
Rameses
What sea did they cross and how did they cross?
The Red Sea / Through the middle of the Red Sea on dry ground; God parted the sea and dried up the ground.
What happened at Marah?
bitter water made sweet through a tree being cast into the water
What did Moses receive in Exodus chapter 19?
The Ten Commandments
The Israelites murmured many times. What were the murmuring for at:
Rephidim
for water
Wilderness of Sin
No longer thirsty they are now hungry and having very little confidence in Moses
or God thy complain that Moses' plan was not thought completely through
beforehand.
Kibroth-Hattaavah
for flesh to eat
What happened to Miriam at Hazeroth?
Miriam is smitten with leprosy and healed as Moses prayed for her
How many spies went into Canaan?
Twelve spies went into Canaan
How many brought back a favorable report? Who were they?
Only two spies brought back a favorable report and they were Joshua and Caleb
Why were the Israelites not allowed to go through Edom?
Because of the king were not allow them to go through.
When the Israelites murmured against having no bread or water, God sent a plague and many Israelites died. What were the punishment and cure?
They were plagued by the serpents and the cure was that they had to look at the brazen if they wanted to be cured.
Did Moses do into the Promised Land? If not why?
No, Moses did not go into the Promised Land because Moses disobeyed what God had told him to do. He broke the type…
Who went in?
Joshua and Caleb and those who were 20 and under
Where did Moses go to see the Promised Land?
Moses ascends Mt. Nebo; his prophetic view of the promised land and his lonely death.
How old was Moses when he died?
120 years old
Who buried Moses?
The Lord buried Moses
Bonus:
Give one particular lesson you might have learned from the children of Israel. Please write more than one sentence and less than 50.
That if you suffer with him you shall also reign with him. All through the journeys of the Israelites you find them constantly forgetting the blessings of the Lord and constantly murmuring and complaining. It’s a lesson on our present condition blinding us from our eternal vision. They had the promise of Canaan. So, they had an absolute guarantee that God would bring them through to his promise. But to obtain his great will in our life’s we must be willing to suffer with him. No, without water and food would put a lot of doubt in most people’s mind but that is were our faith in the promises of God come into play. Both the promises before and the ones behind. The ones behind giving us assurance of the work he has already done to give us confidence in the work he is going to do. We must not fear, there is a pillar leading us, there is a saviour leading us.
QUIZ 3 –Biblical Archaeology
(Each Question is worth 5 points, including bonus.)
What is “Cuneiform”?
Describe a poor archeologist?
What type of name did Moses have?
When did the Exodus occur?
Of what did the prophet Ezekiel foretell centuries before it was fulfilled?
What affirms the fact that Abraham started in Chaldea and then migrated to Canaan?
Belshazzar was a blood line descendant of whom?
What verified the accuracy of the formerly discovered texts?
How many surviving manuscripts of the New Testament do we have?
What ranks the closest second to the New Testament in possessing the greatest amount of manuscript testimony?
BONUS: What are the Ebla tablets?
## Test Over the Footsteps of Jesus
Test over the footsteps of Jesus 2009
Write the number that goes with the statement in the blank.
1. Place where Jesus was baptized Pharisees __3__
2. The people tried to throw Him over a cliff. Sadducees __7__
3. Those that belived in life after death Zealots __6__
4. A place of the wild beast_ Herodians __5__
5. They supported Herod Antipas Wilderness ___4_
6. Were an extreme wing of the Pharisees Nazerath ___2_
7. Taught obedience to the law was way to God Bethabara __1__
8. Taught the study of the law was true worship Lust of the eyes ___10_
9. Turned the water into wine Pride of life _12___
10. Pleasant to look upon Cana __9__
11. Good for food Lust of the flesh _11___
12. To be desired to make one wise Pharisees __8__
1. Jerusalem; Nazareth; Capernaum; Bethsaida was a village that didn't see many mighty works because of unbelief.
2. Jesus was tempted by the devil in; Bethany; Nazareth; the wilderness; Cana.
3. Jesus was always unwelcome in the village of Bethany; Nazareth; Gergesa; Jericho.
4. Jerusalem means a place of the wild beasts; Hamlet of Nahum or comforter; Place of peace; Alliance.
5. As an act of obeidance and to fulfill all righteousness Jesus was : nailed to the cross; made an end to the law; baptized by John.
# Major Assignments List
|DUE |DESCRIPTION |
--- | --- |
|____________|Memorize Genesis 12:1-3|
|____________| -------------------|
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/bible-world-map-blank.jpg)
[](https://www.bible.exchange/uploads/images/gallery/2022-04/palestine-map-blank.jpg)
# Final Exam Preparation
18. Review and Final Exam Preparation
# Quizzes
Deliverance Bible Institute
BIBLE ATLAS
QUIZ 1 –Introduction
- What are some of the topics covered in Bible Atlas. (List 3)
Biblical: Nations, Persons, Archaeology, Geography, Politics, Measurements
- What was the “political right” Paul exercised to his advantage as an evangelist?
As a Roman citizen, Paul had a right to make his appeal to Caesar
- In John 4, what is the cultural backdrop that makes Christ’s statement in verse 4 have controversial implications?
Jews normally avoided Samaria because of the cultural tensions.
- During Christ’s time, the land of Palestine was divided into three parts: GALILEE, on the north; SAMARIA, in the middle; and JUDEA, on the south. Give a reference from Scripture naming each of these regions. (1 verse for each region; 3 verses total.)
Matthew 3:13—Galilee; John 4:4—Samaria; Matthew 2:1—Judea.
- Where did the Moabites come from? (Look in Genesis)
In Genesis 19, incest was committed between Lot and his daughters. The Moabites and Ammonites (two great enemies of Israel) were born out of this sin.
- Write out below and memorize Genesis 12:1.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
QUIZ 2–The Beginning
- Other than Psalm 24, where else does the Scripture express the Lord’s ownership of the earth? (give at least two references)
Exodus 9:29; 19:5; Deuteronomy 10:14; I Chronicles 29:11; Job 41:11; Psalm 50:11,12; 89:11; 98:7; Daniel 4:25; Nahum 1:5; I Corinthians 10:26;
- From Genesis chapter 1. Describe the condition of the earth before God said, “let there be light.
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
- Which came first, “Water” or “Dry Land?”
Water first and second Dry Land appeared.
- Describe the theory you prefer in regards to the “missing river heads” mystery—Pison and Gihon. (1-3 sentences)
See “§2-II-D. Theories on the missing heads” for complete list.
- What is the name of the first city mentioned in the Bible and where was it located? (hint: Cain built it.)
Cain built the city of Enoch naming it after his son.
- Write out below and memorize Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
- Explain the Biblical connection with Armenia.
Armenia is a translation of the word Ararat. The Ark rested on one of its mountains.
- What is the more common name for Lusistan?
Elam is the more common name for Lusistan.
- What does Mesopotamia mean? Explain its meaning.
Mesopotamia means “Land between two rivers”. It is the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
- Choose 10 places from the first map given to you, circle them and list them below along with a Scripture reference mentioning it, and any relevant detail. [FOR EXAMPLE: Cyprus– Acts 21:16 –Mnason was an old disciple from Cyprus.]
QUIZ 3 –Biblical Archaeology
(Each Question is worth 5 points, including bonus.)
- What is “Cuneiform”?
- Describe a poor archeologist?
- What type of name did Moses have?
- When did the Exodus occur?
- Of what did the prophet Ezekiel foretell centuries before it was fulfilled?
- What affirms the fact that Abraham started in Chaldea and then migrated toCanaan?
- Belshazzar was a blood line descendant of whom?
- What verified the accuracy of the formerly discovered texts?
- How many surviving manuscripts of the New Testament do we have?
- What ranks the closest second to the New Testament in possessing the greatest amount of manuscript testimony?
BONUS: What are the Ebla tablets?