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But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages Where we begin
But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages
Where we begin
What is God up to?
What is the Bible all about?
The political landscape
• For thousands of years, the Jewish people were primarily subject to foreign rule (Egyptian, Syrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, etc.), with only brief periods of independence.
• Romans ruled the Mediterranean area known as Palestine (modern day Israel), where Jesus was born and lived
Why God?
• If the Hebrews were God’s chosen people…why do we find most of their history under the rule of gentiles?
Lands of the BibleLands of the BibleContinents & Land Masses
INDEX© EBibleTeacher.com
Southern EuropeSouthern Europe
Middle EastMiddle East
Asia MinorAsia Minor
Northern AfricaNorthern Africa
Mediterranean Mediterranean SeaSea
Continents & Land Masses
© EBibleTeacher.com
RomeRomeMacedoniaMacedonia
Babylonian Babylonian EmpireEmpire
Canaan Canaan & Israel& Israel
EgyptEgypt
Medo Medo PersianPersianMediterraneanMediterranean
Important Ancient LandsImportant Ancient Lands
GreeceGreece7 Churches 7 Churches
of Asiaof Asia
Lands of the BibleLands of the BibleImportant Ancient Lands
INDEX
Tower of Babel
INDEX
Tower of BabelTower of BabelTower of BabelTower of Babel
© EBibleTeacher.com
MediterraneanMediterraneanIsraelIsrael(Future)(Future)
EgyptEgypt
TowerTowerofof
BabelBabel
Abraham’s Journey
INDEX
Abraham’s JourneysAbraham’s JourneysAbraham’s JourneysAbraham’s Journeys
© EBibleTeacher.com
MediterraneanMediterranean
EgyptEgypt
Haran & Haran & Ur of the Ur of the
ChaldeansChaldeans(Iraq)(Iraq)
CanaanCanaan
Abraham in Canaan
INDEX
Med
iter
ran
ean
Sea
Med
iter
ran
ean
Sea
CanaanCanaan
SodomSodom
Abraham’s Abraham’s pasturespastures
Lot’s Lot’s pasturespastures
HebronHebron
Jews on Mission
• 2000 BC Abraham in promised land
• Then There is a famine in the land that impacts his descendants…off to Egypt
EgyptEgypt
NileNile
Nile DeltaNile Delta
Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
SinaiSinai
CanaanCanaan
© EBibleTeacher.com
Joseph’s Journey to EgyptJoseph’s Journey to Egypt
Joseph sold Joseph sold to caravanto caravan
Potiphar Potiphar & Pharaoh& Pharaoh
Joseph’s Journey to Egypt
INDEX
God rescued Israel from Egypt for his glory
• Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works . . . but rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. (Psalm 106:7-8)
“Let My People Go”
• Exodus between 1600 and 1400 BC
• God reveals His power to Egypt and His love to the Jews.
God raised Pharaoh up to show his power and glorify his name:
• For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Romans 9:17)
EgyptEgypt
NileNile DeltaDelta
Great SeaGreat Sea(Mediterranean)(Mediterranean)
Red SeaRed Sea
CanaanCanaan
Mt. SinaiMt. Sinai
TraditionalTraditionalRoute of Route of
the Exodusthe Exodus
NASA Photo© EBibleTeacher.com
SinaiSinaiPeninsulaPeninsula
Jew on Come and See
• 1000 BC the Kingdom of David and then the building of the first Temple.
Solomon’s Solomon’s IsraelIsrael
Phoenicia
Phoenicia
IsraelIsraelJerusalemJerusalem
Dea
d S
eaG
alile
eJ
ord
an
Jo
rda
nR
ive
rR
ive
r
©
Solomon’s Solomon’s IsraelIsrael
ShechemShechemMediterranean
Mediterranean
Philistia
Philistia
Solomon’s Israel
INDEX
The Glory days
• Wisdom counsels
• The Law is written
• God’s presence is in the Temple
• Coverts in Africa and other lands
God called Israel for his glory:
• You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified (Isaiah 49:3).
• I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory. (Jeremiah 13:11)
But there comes bad Kings
• A bad King is one who….
• Worships pagan god’s and idols
• By their actions bring bad attention upon God.
Ezekiel 36:22–23
• 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Philistia
Philistia
IsraelIsraelAmmonAmmon
MoabMoabJudahJudah
JerusalemJerusalem
Dea
d S
eaG
alile
eJ
ord
an
Jo
rda
nR
ive
rR
ive
r
©
Divided Divided KingdomKingdom
EdomEdom
SyriaSyria
SamariaSamariaMediterranean
Mediterranean
Divided Divided KingdomKingdom
Divided Kingdom of Israel
INDEX
824 BC824 BC
640 BC640 BC
Assyrian EmpireAssyrian EmpireJudahJudah
Assyrian EmpireAssyrian Empire
© EBibleTeacher.com
EgyptEgypt
Assyrian Empire
INDEX
“You are really messing up…so go”
• Off to Babylon 600 BC
JudahJudahBabylonian Babylonian
EmpireEmpire
MedianMedianEmpireEmpire(Medes)(Medes)MediterraneanMediterranean
Babylonian EmpireBabylonian Empire
© EBibleTeacher.com
EgyptEgypt
Babylonian Empire
INDEX
Persian Empire
INDEX
© EBibleTeacher.com
Persian EmpirePersian Empire
PersianPersianEmpireEmpireJudahJudah
EgyptEgypt
MediterraneanMediterranean
Let my people go
• God reveals His power to Babylon
• God reveals His love to the Jews
God restored Israel from exile for the glory of his name:
• Thus says the Lord God, It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, butfor the sake of my holy name.. . . And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name. . . . And the nations will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 36:22-23; cf. v. 32)
Glory Days
• The Temple is rebuilt 500 to 450 BC
• Again worship of God is as prescribed by God.
Alexander the Great
INDEX
© EBibleTeacher.com
JudahJudah
Alexander The GreatAlexander The Great
The Empire of AlexanderThe Empire of Alexander
IndiaIndia
MediterraneanMediterranean
EgyptEgypt
Glory days
• 200 BC– The Maccabees (Hasmoneans) revolt against
the Hellenistic Empire led by Judah Maccabee, resulting in victory and installation of the Hanukkah holiday.
• 150 BC– Hasmonean dynasty establishes
The Roman Empire spread from Great Britain to The Roman Empire spread from Great Britain to Israel and included Spain and Asia Minor.Israel and included Spain and Asia Minor.
Roman Empire
© EBibleTeacher.com
Roman Roman EmpireEmpire
RomeRome
JudahJudah
BritainBritainBritainBritain
INDEX
The Childhood of Jesus
NazarethNazareth
EgyptEgypt
JerusalemJerusalem
BethlehemBethlehem
Sea of GalileeSea of Galilee
Dead SeaDead Sea
Jord
an R
iver
Jord
an R
iver
Mediterranean
Mediterranean
NASA PHOTO© eBibleTeacher.com
Jesus’ Childhood IsraelJesus’ Childhood Israel
Childhood of Jesus
INDEX
2000 years BC
• God has revealed Himself
• His love for His people.
• His power before to the world’s people.
• His moral law revealed and by doing so revealing to the people of the world their need for a savior.
Did it work? Some evidence
• The wise men…Magi were from Persia and knew of Daniel’s prophecy concerning a coming “King.”
• The Eunuch that Phillip baptized…From Ethiopia, worshiped the God of the Hebrews and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
• Beta Israel in Africa are descendants of Jews.
This is where we enter the story
• The life of Christ.
• 70 AD Herod’s temple is destroyed and the Hebrews scattered without a nation.
• Almost 2000 years pass and then in 1948…Jews home again.
Converts to God
• 2000 BC a single family
• 1000 BC a single nation
• 1 AD less than 1% of the world worshiped the one true God.
• 2000 AD. 33% of the world worships the one true God and His son Jesus.
Followers of God
• 2000 years before Jesus….less than 1%. Only a fraction of the world converts
• 2000 years after Jesus…over 33% of the earth’s population.
Colossians 1:27 ESV
• To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The culmination of the ages
• This is where we find Jesus…between the 2000 years of the Hebrews and the 2000 years of Jesus Church.
• Hebrews 9:26 But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
