He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Micah 4:3 When asked to think about the geography of Israel, what comes to mind? Maybe deserts, rolling hills, or steep V-shape canyons. Do volcanoes come to your mind? As strange as it may seem, there are extinct volcanoes in Israel, especially in the Golan Heights. Once you drive out of the rift to the east, […]
Monthly Archives: December 2013
Christmas 2013
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 People gathered again at the Church of the Nativity, the traditional place of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Although […]
Fortress Overlook
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” Genesis 10:8-9 Visible from both Dan and Banias, situated on top of a hill is a fortress named “Castle of the Large Cliff”. Today it is known as Nimrod’s Fortress (named after the Biblical character in Genesis). It was originally constructed as preliminary defense for Damascus to the northeast. It was begun in 1229 and expanded over time. We spent over an […]
Headwaters of the Jordan
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13 The Jordan River is the most famous river in the Bible. It begins in the north near snow-capped Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in the country. There are three main sources, of which we visited two. The western source is at the ancient site of Dan, the northern-most city of ancient Israel (“from Dan to Beersheba”). While the day before we had begun at the desolate, dry Dead Sea, we were […]