Posts Tagged ‘geography’
Your map of the Exodus route really helped
Question: Hello, I lead a Bible study at our small church. This week, we are looking into Exodus 13-14. When reviewing the scriptures, I had a difficult time placing the route of Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea. Several references I use placed the “cities” mentioned in Scripture in “odd” places relative to…
Read MoreLearning from Overlooked Details
by Steve Wolfgang As part of my morning devotional, a recent reading was “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (I Peter 1:1 ESV). I am fascinated by the geography of the opening verse. It prevents me from blitzing through…
Read MoreWhere is the land of Ophir?
Question: How true is the theory of the Philippines being the land called Ophir as stated in the Bible? Answer: “Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah and Obal and Abimael and Sheba and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons…
Read MoreHomer Sometimes Nodded
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Homer-Sometimes-Nodded.mp3 Text: Numbers 23:18-19 I. Horace (65 – 8 B.C.), a Latin poet, wrote “Sometimes even the noble Homer nods” A. Homer was a blind Greek poet of the eight century B.C. Know for the Illiad and the Odyssey. B. As accomplished as Homer was, he sometimes erred with reference to the facts of the incidents that…
Read MoreBecause the Bible doesn’t mention the Western Hemisphere, does that mean the Bible is uninspired?
Question: When reading the Bible all the revelations seem to only be to people in the east, on continents like Asia and Africa. But what about civilizations in the west in north and South America? Did they not get the revelations? Also, it seems they say “the whole earth” when referring to the eastern continents,…
Read MoreThe Lachish Reliefs and Sennacherib’s Annals
by David Wheeler Today we will discuss a rather large archaeological discovery. It is the Lachish Reliefs from the palace of Sennacherib which were unearthed between 1845 and 1847. Sennacherib was the king of Assyria from 705-681 BC and his reign largely overlapped the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. During this period, the kings…
Read MoreLocation
Location (1)Location (2) by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 119:153-160 I. The Bible doesn’t contain fillers. Every word exists in its text for a reason – I Corinthians 2:11-13 A. That doesn’t mean we are always aware of the reason but we should acknowledge that God does know His purpose B. The four gospels only mention 25…
Read MoreI think Cush is the same land mentioned in Genesis 2:13
Question: Hello, After finding your site, I read an article about Cush, Ethiopia and the rivers that ran through Eden. To be clear, I am not writing to dispute your perspective or opinion, but I am writing to question some of what you said more for the sake of biblical study than anything else. You said,…
Read MoreIt is refreshing to see that someone thinks that the Bible does show that Israel did cross the Red Sea
Question: It is refreshing to see that someone thinks that the Bible does show that Israel did cross the Red Sea. Thanks for posting this on the Internet. Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreIs the third river from Eden the Hiddekel or the Tigris?
Question: I was studying about the location of the Garden of Eden today, and I noticed you said the Bible lists four rivers Pishon, Gihon, Euphrates, and the Tigris? I don’t believe that the Bible lists the Tigris. I believe the last river is listed as Hiddekel which is found in Genesis 2:10-14. Answer: “The…
Read MoreHow long would it have taken Israel to reach Canaan if they had not wandered for 40 years?
Question: How many days would it had taken the Israelites to travel from Egypt to Canaan, instead of 40 years? Answer: If you don’t consider the two years at Mount Sinai, it took Israel about two and a half months to reach the southern edge of Canaan. See: How long did the exodus from Egypt take?
Read MoreI’m using your Exodus map
Question: Just wanted to let you know that I am using your map of the crossing of the Red Sea with the children (4-5 yr old) in class at church. Thank you ever so much for this work. Answer: I’m glad found the map useful.
Read MoreProclaimed in All Creation
by Jefferson David Tant via Biblical Insights, March 2011, page 9. Some thirty years after Christ’s death, Paul wrote to the Colossians. A year later, an earthquake destroyed Colossae along with Laodicea and Hierapolis. Among the interesting things in Paul’s letter is the statement in Colossians 1:23, wherein he urges them to “continue in the faith…
Read MoreCould the Israelites have crossed the Red Sea in one night?
Question: 1. What was the approximate width of the crossing point of the Red Sea by Israelites? 2. Could that dry path created in the Red Sea be wide enough to allow all the approximately 5,000,000 Israelites to cross the sea in one night with children and luggage? Another miracle? Answer: Since we don’t know…
Read MoreWhat was the source of the water used to fill the bronze sea?
Question: What was the source of the water used to fill the bronze sea? Answer: The Bible doesn’t mention what water was used to fill the bronze sea. Jerusalem had numerous pools and we know from archeology that Solomon has several underground cisterns hewn into the rock. Ecclesiastes 2:6 mentions that Solomon did build pools.…
Read MoreWhat does Laodicea mean?
Question: What does Laodicea mean? Answer: Laodicea is the name of a city in Asia Minor that wasn’t too far from Colosse. The name of the city is a compound Greek word: laos means people, nation, or crowd; dike means custom, law, judgment, penalty, or punishment, depending on the context. From that, most conclude that the founders of Laodicea…
Read MoreWhy did Paul say Sinai was in Arabia?
Question: I am a great admirer of your well-studied responses. I wanted to ask about a comment from the question; “Could Israel crossed the Red Sea on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula?” In your response, you said, “Typically people wish to claim that Mount Sinai was on the Arabian Peninsula.” In Galatians 4:25…
Read MoreDoes the Bible state the world is flat?
Question: [This is the first point in an overly long document that was sent, purporting to prove there are errors in the Bible. This first point claims that the Bible states the world is flat. I’m not going to give space for false teaching, but I want to illustrate with this first point the errors…
Read MoreHow did Israel get across land they were forbidden to travel if they came from the Sinai Peninsula?
Question: I have read in several places in the Bible where the southern border of the Promised Land is from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (Exodus 23:31) If you look at a map you will see the Promised Land seals the Northern Sinai Peninsula from end to end. So, during the Exodus, how…
Read MoreI appreciate your web site
Question: I just wanted to let you know I appreciate your web site. I was reading in Isaiah 35 where the prophecy was concerning the land of Edom and wondered where present-day Edom is. I typed in Edom on bing.com and chose your web site. It was very easy to read and understand and included…
Read MoreAre the twelve Jordan crossing stones still visible today at Gigal?
Question: Are the twelve Jordan crossing stones still visible today at Gigal? Answer: “And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and…
Read MoreWhere would Golgotha be located?
Question: I was reading an article on your website titled “The Offering of Isaac” and had a couple of questions about it. The fourth paragraph says this: The place chosen for the sacrifice was about 50 miles from Abraham’s home. It took Abraham three days to reach the place. The journey gave Abraham three days…
Read MoreHow can you say there is no symbolic meaning in the name “Hebron?”
Question: In light of II Samuel 5, I do not understand how you can say that the meaning of the word “Hebron” has no symbolic or deeper meaning in the Bible. Since David ruled from there for 7 1/2 years and then the leaders of the tribes asked him to unite Israel and rule over the…
Read MoreWhat does “beth” mean in various town names?
Question: I have a question that came up in my most recent studies with maps. My study sent me to look at the maps in the back of my Bible, and I found something quite interesting. There are some towns with names that begin with ‘Beth’, such as Bethlehem. My question pertains to the ‘Beth’…
Read MoreWhat was the climate like in the time of Jesus?
Question: I’m doing an assignment for religion and I need to find some information. What was the climate like in the time of Jesus? And what’s some geography from the time of Jesus? Please, I need this help. It’s due tomorrow! Answer: The climate of Palestine was slightly different from what it currently is. It…
Read MoreHow big was Jerusalem?
Question: How big was Jerusalem in say, square miles? Answer: In David’s day, Jerusalem occupied a space of about 12 acres (0.02 square miles) and the estimated population was about 2,000 people. During Solomon’s day, the size of the city increased to 125 acres (0.2 square miles) and the estimated population was about 25,000 people.…
Read MoreWhy is Jesus said to be of Nazareth if he was born in Bethlehem and who was the serpent in the Garden?
Question: Hi! My brother-in-law asked me, “Why was Jesus called Jesus of Nazareth if he was born in Bethlehem?” My answer was because he was only born in Bethlehem, but he was raised in Nazareth. Was I correct? He also feels that Jesus, in the form of a snake, tempted Adam and Eve to test…
Read MoreWhy does your map show Israel in Egyptian territory when the Bible says they left Egypt?
Question: Why does your map of the Exodus route so blatantly defy what the Scriptures tell us happened and instead follows the theories of secular men? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that the Hebrews left Egypt completely the day following Passover (Exodus 12:51)? Don’t all accounts of when the Hebrews entered Elim or Sinai use…
Read MoreWhere is the ancient city of Babylon located today?
Question: Where is the ancient city of Babylon located today? Answer: The ruins of Babylon are found in Iraq, in the Babil Province, about 80 miles south of Baghdad. You can find a map marking its location here.
Read MoreThe Moabites and Amorites refer to which country?
Question: The Moabites and Amorites refer to which countries? Answer: The Moabites are citizens of Moab and the Amorites were citizens of Amor. Moab was a country at the southeast corner of Israel on the east side of the Dead Sea. Moab was a son of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 19:36-38). Amor was one of…
Read MoreWho is the Queen of the South?
Question: Who is the Queen of the South? Answer: “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). This is a reference…
Read MoreCan you help me with some questions on Numbers 13 and 14?
Question: I’m stuck with trying to answer the following questions I have been given to answer for a class I’m teaching this evening on Numbers 13 and 14. Can you help me out with the following? Twelve spies were selected, one from each tribe. Each of the men was a “leader” (vs.2). They were “heads…
Read MoreWhat was the climate like when Jesus was alive?
Question: What was the climate like when Jesus was alive? Answer: From all indications, the climate in Palestine would not be all that much different from what you find in Israel today. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).
Read MoreHow could the Israelites have left Egypt if they crossed into the Sinai peninsula?
Question: I have a question regarding the map of your proposed route for the Exodus. You show the Israelites going south and crossing the Gulf of Suez. The problem I see is that this route invalidates Exodus 12:41 which states that the Israelites “left Egypt” on precisely the same day they entered 430 years earlier.…
Read MoreIsn’t Ur in Syria?
Question: You said, “True, Ur was in what is today southern Iraq.” This is false! Try looking up the Ur of Khaldis, near Harran, which was in Northern Mesopotamia [Syria] [Sur] [Surie]. This is where Abram was from. Answer: I did find an article by an anthropologist at Utah State University who claims by elaborate…
Read MoreIs Assyria the same as Syria today?
Question: Is Assyria the same as Syria today? Answer: Assyria was an ancient empire whose capital city was Nineveh (II Kings 19:36). It was primarily located in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on the western end — roughly where Iraq is currently located. Syria was kingdom located at the northeast corner…
Read MoreWhat was the climate like in Jesus’ time?
Question: I am doing an assignment on Jesus. Two questions which I am really struggling to find information on are: What was the weather like and what was the climate like in Jesus’ time? What crops were grown in Jesus’ time? If you have any information about any of these could you please let me…
Read MoreMy map shows Baal Zephon to be on the Mediterranean Sea, so doesn’t this prove the crossing of the Red Sea to be allegorical?
Question: I found an old map in my Tanach that shows Baal Zephon was on the Mediterranean with a thin ridge to the east. I note that both the Torah and the King James Version gives “the sea” for the crossing. This indicates to me that in the subsequent verses that hold “Moses brought us…
Read MoreIs Rephidim and Kadesh Barnea the same place?
Question: Dear Sir, Please find enclosed a short attachment concerning a crucial aspect of the exodus that seems to have been overlooked. Please read it and any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. [I won’t bother copying the extensive article here, but the primary thrust is to argue that Kadesh Barnea and Rephidim were the…
Read MoreCould Israel have crossed the Red Sea on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula?
Question: I was wondering if the possible crossing could be on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula? Answer: Such a crossing would not match the account on numerous factors. “Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with…
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