Page 41 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

P734#y

Beth She’an
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEySQgc5NSY

Israel – The Center of the World

The great kingdoms of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome governed the known world.
What is incredible is that the small country of Israel was located right in the center of all of them. In
fact, almost every time they collided, it was in the
land of Israel. The geography of the Near East forced
people who traveled from Egypt to Greece to pass
through Israel. When Alexander the Great entered
Jerusalem, he gave great respect to Jerusalem and to
the temple.

Why is this so important? It is because Israel is a
specially chosen people of God, and God specially
placed Israel in the middle of the nations to reveal to
the nations who He IS! He promised Abraham that
through his seed ALL THE NATIONS WOULD BE
BLESSED. From Genesis 3, God promised to send a
redeemer to Israel who would bear the sins of the
entire world. The Lord chose this small, insignificant place to teach the whole world of His great
redemptive plan to save the world through Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, and the Word of God clothed in
human flesh. Jesus came to the land of Israel, and this was the plan which was foretold by the mouth of
the prophets and written in the Scriptures for all the nations to read (Romans 3:2)

P746#y1
The Rise and Fall of the Assyrian Empire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pa54hWROpQ

Let’s Practice…

1. How many years was Israel enslaved in Egypt?

2. Moses led approximately how many people out of Egypt to the Promised Land?

3. What three criteria did Joshua use to divide the land after Israel’s conquest of Canaan?

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