Today, we travelled to Tel Dan, where Abraham rescued Lot in Genesis 14:14, to see the remains of a temple that may have housed one of the golden calves mentioned in I Kings 12, the remains of one of the gates that led to the city, and the area where the judge and guards of the city resided; Caesarea Philippi, where Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God, to which Jesus responded, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (interestingly, this area was a shrine for the god Pan, and here stands a cave that was known as the Gates of Hell, which Jesus likely made reference to in his response to Peter); the remains of an ancient synagogue in Korazim; Bethsaida, home to Peter, Philip, and Andrew and the location of the healing of the blind man (Mt. 11:21; Lk. 10:13; Jn. 1); and Kursi, where many believe the miracle where Jesus cast demons into swine took place (Mt. 8:28-34; Mk. 5:1; Lk. 8:26-33). Like yesterday, it was an incredible day full of much learning. Understanding more historical context, such as the location of Jesus in Matthew 18 as being near the physical Gates of Hell that represented paganism during this time, has helped me to form a better understanding of Jesus teachings. Tomorrow morning, we are going to worship with Christians in Jesus hometown, Nazareth!
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:26:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015