A Tour of Biblical Sites in Israel

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A Tour of Biblical Sites in Israel
The entire Land of Israel is rich with Biblical
and non-Biblical history. As a believer,
traveling to Israel is one of the most powerful
and refreshing things you could do for your
spiritual walk. Being in the Holy Land brings to
life sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures
in the words that we read on the pages of the
Bible. This slide show is merely a taste of what
you can learn and experience from
Israel. (during the who presentation, push the
Spacebar to move forward, Backspace to go back)
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Tel Dan
The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there.
They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan
Judges 1828-29 The tribe of Dan was allotted
territory in the southern part of the kingdom,
near Benjamin. However, they could not take that
land, so they attacked a peaceful town called
Laish, or Leshem, in the northern part of the
land and claimed it for themselves. Not only did
the tribe not accept the land given them by God,
but they engaged in pagan worship under the guise
of worshipping the LORD.
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Tel Dan
They took for themselves a Levite, one who was
supposed to be a priest for the Lord, and had him
become their pagan priest. Excavations in the
ancient mound (tel) of Dan have uncovered the
area where a copy of the Lords altar was built
so they could worship near home. This was a
blasphemy of the holy altar, which can only be in
Jerusalem. The tribe of Dan teaches a lesson
that man doesnt have the right to modify Gods
commands to fit his own convenience. Dan means
judge, and Israel has always been invaded -
judged - from the north first, through the tribe
of Dan.
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Caesarea Philippi
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people
say the Son of Man is? They replied, Some
say John the Baptist others say Elijah and
still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
But what about you? he asked. Who do you say
that I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew
1613-16
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Caesarea Philippi
Caesarea Philippi is located at the base of the
highest mountain in Israel, Mt. Hermon, and is
the place where the headwaters of the Jordan
river flow together. It interesting that there
are three main tributaries that combine to create
the one major life-giving stream of water - just
as there are three persons of the One God who
brings us life. The ruins in this place are
those of pagan Roman temples. There are niches in
the walls where idols were placed and a cave into
which human sacrifices were thrown to appease the
gods.
These are niches into which Roman pagan idols
were placed to be worshipped.
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CapernaumKafer Nahum, town of Nahum
Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in
Capernaum, which was by the lake Matthew
413 Jesus lived in Capernaum, probably in the
home of his disciples Peter and Andrew, so it
acted as a base of his ministry. Jesus performed
several signs in the town. In his own house,
Jesus healed a paralytic which had been lowered
through his roof. (Mark 2) In the synagogue one
Sabbath, Jesus drove out an evil spirit. (Mark
125)
Ruins of the ancient town of Capernaum.
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CapernaumKafer Nahum, town of Nahum
Capernaum was near the towns of Bethsaida and
Korazin, which Jesus cursed along with Capernaum
for their lack of belief. (Matthew 1121-24)
Ruins of the ancient town of Capernaum.
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The Mount of Beatitudes
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to
him, and he began to teach them Matthew
51 The Mount of Beatitudes is the place that
is traditionally accepted as the slope where
Jesus preached his Sermon on the Mount of Matthew
5. One of the reasons this is likely the place is
that large crowds had come to hear him speak.
This slope is naturally formed in the shape of an
amphitheater, which would make a human voice
audible at hundreds of feet.
Mount of Beatitudes and view of sea of
Galilee. View from north.
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The Sea of Galileethe Kinneret
Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
Matt. 1425 The area on and around the Sea of
Galilee is where Jesus lived and did most of his
ministry. Near the lake, he called his disciples,
he turned water into wine, he healed many, he
taught righteousness, and he miraculously fed
thousands. He delivered a man from demon
possession along the eastern shore, allowing the
demons to enter a herd of swine which they
immediately drowned in the lake. On the lake
itself, he walked on water and he calmed the
storm.
View of Sea of Galilee from SE.
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The Sea of Galileethe Kinneret
The Hebrew name for the Sea of Galilee is the
Kinneret, which gains its name from the Hebrew
root Kinnor, meaning harp. This is significant
if we look at Psalm 493-4 My mouth will speak
wisdom And the meditation of my heart will be
understanding. I will incline my ear to a
proverb I will express my riddle on the harp
(kinnor). This was a veiled prophecy that Jesus
fulfilled (Matthew 132-3) Such large crowds
gathered around him that he got into a boat and
sat in it, while all the people stood on the
shore. Then he told them many things in
parables
View of Sea of Galilee from SE.
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Caesarea Maritime
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a
centurion Acts 101 Caesarea Maritime is the
town to which God sent Peter in order to share
the gospel with the Gentiles for the first time,
proving that they are accepted into the Israel of
God as believers. In Caesarea, Cornelius had seen
an angel which told him to summon Peter. In the
meantime, Peter had a vision whose purpose was to
show that Gentiles are not unclean. When Peter
shared the good news of Jesus, God poured out the
Holy Spirit on all who were in that place, and
they were baptized in water.
View of Herods hippodrome, looking
north. Herods palace is slightly visible on left.
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Caesarea Maritime
When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they
delivered the letter to the governor and handed
Paul over to him. Acts 2333 Paul was taken to
Caesarea Maritime by the Roman Government to
appeal the accusations brought against him by
some Jewish leaders. In Caesarea, he made his
case with the governor Felix, Porcius Festus who
was Felixs successor, and also King Agrippa.
Paul was found guiltless, but sailed to Rome from
here because he had appealed to Caesar.
View of Herods hippodrome, looking
north. Herods palace is slightly visible on left.
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The Spring of HarodMaayan Harod
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is,
Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of
Harod. Judges 71 Now it is near the location
of a beautiful swim complex, but this spring is
ancient. It is the place where God told Gideon to
choose only the Israelites who lapped water with
their hands to their mouths to go with him to
fight the Midianites. The three hundred that God
chose surrounded the Midianites who were camped
in the valley below this spring, and threw their
enemy into terror by smashing their pots,
exposing their torches, shouting, and blowing
their trumpets.
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Mt. Carmel
Mt. Carmel is the mountain on which Elijah
challenged the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 to
prove which god was truly God. Elijah and the
pagan prophets each put a bull on an altar. The
one which would be consumed by fire would prove
who is God. The false prophets cried out and
cut themselves, but received no answer. Elijah
had his own sacrifice even doused with water,
then prayed for God to reveal himself. The fire
of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the
wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up
the water in the trench.
View from Mt. Carmel east into the Jezreel Valley
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Mt. Carmel
You have abondoned the LORDs commands and have
followed the Baals. Now summon the people from
all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And
bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal
and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat
at Jezebels table. So Ahab sent word throughout
all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount
Carmel. 1 Kings 1820
Mt. Carmel in the distance. View from Megiddo
(SE).
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The Valley of ArmageddonThe valley of Har
Megiddon, mountain of Megiddo
The valley of Armageddon has always been an ideal
place for Biblical ground battles. Under
Deborah Kings came, they fought the kings of
Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of
Megiddo, but they carried off no silver, no
plunder. Judges 519 The death of Josiah He
would not listen to what Neco had said at Gods
command, but went to fight him on the plain of
Megiddo. 2 Chronicles 3622
View from Megiddo looking east.
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The Valley of ArmageddonThe valley of Har
Megiddon, mountain of Megiddo
It has even been the site of many historical,
extra-Biblical ground battles. Here Pharaoh
Thutmose III defeated a Canaanite coalition in
1468 BC. Here the British under General Allenby
also ended the rule of the Turks in Palestine by
defeating them in AD 1917.
View from Megiddo looking east.
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The Valley of ArmageddonThe valley of Har
Megiddon, mountain of Megiddo
Then they gathered the kings together to the
place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Rev.
166 The Book of Revelation prophesies that
this is the literal valley in which the worlds
military powers will gather in their attack on
Jerusalem, which will happen immediately before
Jesus return. The Jezreel valley begins at the
Mediterranean coast, at Haifa, and leads all the
way down to Jerusalem, making it an ideal staging
area.
View from Megiddo looking east.
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The Dead Sea
Located 1200 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea
is the lowest place on earth, and is located in
the middle of an arid rocky desert. The sea is so
filled with salt, sulfur and other minerals that
you literally float like a log. However the
Bible tells us that the area was not always so
barren. The Bible says this region was as lush as
the garden of Eden at the time that Abram and
Lot had to part ways
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The Dead Sea
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of
the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of
the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar.
(This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah.) Genesis 1310 But the sin of the
region caused the LORD to send judgment, which
endures today Then the LORD rained down burning
sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out
of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities
and the entire plain, including all those living
in the cities - and also the vegetation in the
land. Genesis 1924-25
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The Dead Sea
Despite these events, the Bible prophesies that
the land which is so dead because of sin will
again be alive, just as our souls that were once
dead in sin have now been made alive again
through Jesus This water flows toward the
eastern region and goes down into the Arabah,
where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the
Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of
living creatures will live wherever the river
flows. Ezekiel 478-9
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The Springs of En Gedi
After Saul returned from pursuing the
Philistines, he was told, David is in the Desert
of En Gedi. He came to the sheep pens along
the way a cave was there, and Saul went in to
relieve himself. David and his men were far back
in the cave. 1 Samuel 241,3 These are the
natural springs of En Gedi in the hills on the
western shore of the Dead Sea. Many believe this
is the immediate area in which David and his men
hid from King Saul, and then spared Sauls life
on two occasions when Saul and his men were
sleeping.
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The Red SeaYam Suph, The Sea of Reeds
So God led the people around by the desert road
toward the Red Sea. Then Moses stretched out
his hand over the sea, and all that night the
LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind
and turned it into dry land. The waters were
divided, and the Israelites went through the sea
on dry ground, with a wall of water on their
right and on their left. The water flowed
back and covered the chariots and horsemen - the
entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the
Israelites into the sea. Not one of them
survived. Exodus 1318, 1421-22, 28
A view southward into the gulf of Eilat from the
city of Eilat. Visible in the distance to the
left is the country of Jordan. Visible from the
shore, looking right (not in photo) is Egypt.
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The Red SeaYam Suph, The Sea of Reeds
That day the LORD saved Israel Exodus
1430 Throughout the Bible and history, this
event has proven Gods eternal faithfulness in
saving his people from bondage. The deliverance
from Egypt has been a pattern of Gods spiritual
salvation from our slavery to sin - the salvation
that came through Jesus. Furthermore it is a
pattern of Jesus second coming, when Gods
people will once again be literally rescued after
a time of plagues and tribulation.
A view southward into the gulf of Eilat from the
city of Eilat. Visible in the distance to the
left is the country of Jordan. Visible from the
shore, looking right (not in photo) is Egypt.
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The Land
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor
cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow
there. Isaiah 56 The Lord told us that the
land would become a barren wasteland because of
Israels disobedience, just as our souls become
become joyless and barren when we willfully turn
our back on God and disobey him. From the time
that the Lords Temple was destroyed in 70 AD
until the Jewish settlers came shortly before
Israel became a modern nation in 1948, Israel was
forsaken and vastly uninhabited.
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The Land
The Ottoman Turks, who ruled the land for a time,
even taxed those who did live in the land by the
number of trees on their property. Of course,
many cut down their trees to avoid the tax, and
in doing so caused the prophecies about the
desolation of the Land to be further fufilled.
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The Land
The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look
with compassion on all her ruins he will make
her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the
garden of the LORD. Isaiah 513 Closely
associated with Gods justice is his mercy.
Although we dont deserve it, and Israel didnt
deserve it, God had mercy and brought forth new
life from barrenness, literally, in the Land, and
spiritually in our lives, through Jesus.
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The People
This is what the LORD Almighty says Once again
men and women of ripe old age will sit in the
streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand
because of his age. The city streets will be
filled with boys and girls playing
there. Zechariah 84-5
A city square in the Jewish quarter of Old
Jerusalem.
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The People
However, behold the days are coming declares
the LORD, when men will no longer say, As
surely as the LORD lives, who brought the
Israelites up out of Egypt, but they will say,
As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the
Israelites up out of the land of the north and
out of all the countries where he had banished
them. For I will restore them to the land I gave
their forefathers. Jeremiah 1614,15
A city square in the Jewish quarter of Old
Jerusalem.
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JerusalemYerushalayim
In Jerusalem will I put my Name. 2 Kings
214 God has always had a plan for the city of
Jerusalem and has a plan for its future. There
is evidence that Jerusalem was the location of
the garden of Eden and the creation of man. God
told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac but stopped him
in Jerusalem - in the same place where God would
sacrifice His own Son for us thousands of years
later. The first and second Temple, Gods
dwelling place on earth, stood in Jerusalem.
A model of the 2nd Temple and Temple Mount
as they appeared during the time of Jesus. (view
looking east)
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JerusalemYerushalayim
Jesus taught, performed miracles, and eventually
was crucified and rose from the dead in
Jerusalem. The Prophets tell us that one day
Jesus will set his foot once again on the Mount
of Olives in Jerusalem and it will split in two
as an escape for the people, and then he will
reign as King and Judge from Mt. Moriah - the
Temple Mount. Most powerful leaders have always
proven their power by conquering large
territories and seeking enemies to defeat. God
does the opposite. He shows his power by putting
His Name on one place on earth and defying ALL
his enemies at once to try to move it
A model of the 2nd Temple and Temple Mount
as they appeared during the time of Jesus. (view
looking east)
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JerusalemYerushalayim
On that day, when all the nations of the earth
are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem
an immovable rock for all the nations. All who
try to move it will injure themselves. Zechariah
122,3 Then the LORD will go out and fight
against those nations, as he fights in the day of
battle. On that day, his feet will stand on the
Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalemthe LORD will
be king over the whole earth. Zechariah 143,4,9
The Muslim Dome of the Rock and Temple Mount as
the appear today. Mount of Olives in
background. (view looking east)
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JerusalemYerushalayim
God is not through revealing Himself through
Israel. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem Psalm
1226 And prayerfully consider taking a tour to
Israel and encourage your minister to do so as
well. You will be blessed in discovering your
heritage as part of the Israel of God.