Notes:Notes:

Session #2

Saturday, March 8, 2014 - 3:30pm

Taught by Pastor David Hinz * 262-224-2114* david.hinz@brooksidebc.org

Lebanon Baptist Church

11250 Crabapple Rd, Roswell, GA

lebanonbaptist.org (770) 993-3635

Walking in the Footsteps of the BibleWalking in the Footsteps of the BibleWalking in the Footsteps of the Bible

Many References to Geological Events & Imagery in ScriptureMany References to Geological Events & Imagery in Scripture

1. Early references attest to volcanic evidence in the Dead Sea region where Sodom and

Gomorrah were located (Deut. 29:23) (asphalt pits in Gen. 14:10, brimstone/burning Gen.

19:24, rising smoke Gen.19:28).

2. When God’s presence was on Mt. Sinai, the whole mountain quaked (Ex.19:16-18).

2. God caused the waters at Adam to be stopped up so Israel could cross the Jordan on

dry ground (Joshua 3:16). [God may have used seismic activity to dam the waters.]

3. God caused the mighty walls of Jericho to fall after the Israelites obeyed God after

circling the city seven times (Joshua 6:2-5, 20). [God may have used seismic activity]

4. Some geologically rich imagery: Ps. 29:1-11; II Sam. 22:1-51/Ps. 18:1-50; Job 9:1-9

5. God reveals Himself to a pitiful Elijah in a terrible windstorm, an earthquake, a fire

and then a still small voice (I Kings 19:8)

6. God rebukes Jerusalem (“Ariel”), promising to punish her with thunder, earthquake,

great noise, storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire (Isa. 28:29).

7. When Jesus died the veil of the temple was torn, the earth quaked, rocks were split,

graves were opened and many of the bodies of OT saints resurrected, appearing to

many! (Mt. 27:50)

8. When Jesus resurrected, there was a great earthquake as the angel of the Lord descend-

ed from heaven and rolled the stone away, sitting on

it.

9. Jesus prophesied that prior to the Day of the Lord, the

“beginnings of sorrows” would occur: wars and ru-

mors of wars, earthquakes, famines, troubles, perse-

cution, the gospel being preached to all the nations,

and lastly, Jerusalem surrounded by enemies and the

antichrist standing in the temple (Mk. 13:1, Lk. 21:11).

The Geology of IsraelThe Geology of Israel

Understanding How Israel’s Geology, Topography and Understanding How Israel’s Geology, Topography and

Hydrology Shaped the History and Imagery of the ScripturesHydrology Shaped the History and Imagery of the Scriptures

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken,

let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably

with reverence and godly fear.

The land of Israel is

situated right along

two west/east converg-

ing tectonic plates that

both submerge to cre-

ate the Great Rift Val-

ley which runs south-

ward through Africa.

This fault line is the

deepest fissure pres-

ently known to exist in

the surface of the earth

(the deepest point being the Dead Sea). The Jordan Valley

dropped about 1,000-3,000 feet below the land along both

sides. The Great Rift fault extends continuously across more

than 4000 miles - 60 degrees of latitude, or about one-sixth of

the earth’s circumference.

This geologically active

area (200-300 micro-earth

quakes a day) is conse-

quentially prone to earth-

quakes which Scripture

often refers to, illustrating

the power of God and His

wrathful judgment. This

geological fault has also

produced volcanoes (see

Golan Heights). The north-

ern region is covered with

How the Larger Scope of the Earth’s Geology Affects IsraelHow the Larger Scope of the Earth’s Geology Affects Israel

Pg. 2Pg. 2

10. Following the murder, resurrection and ascension of God’s two witnesses a

great earthquake will occur which will fall a tenth of Jerusalem, killing seven thou-

sand people (Rev. 11:13).

11. When Jesus returns prior to the Battle of Armageddon, He will stand on the Mt. of

Olives, splitting it in two from east to west making a very large valley, moving half

the mountain north and the other half south, allowing Israel to flee. (Zech. 14:3-5)

12. Then, when God brings Gog against Israel He will cause a terrible earthquake to

demonstrate His jealousy and wrath. (Ezek. 38:19-20, Hag. 2:6, Heb. 12:26-27)

13. After the gathering of the nations in the Valley of Armageddon and immediately

following the last of the bowls of God’s wrath that will be poured out, there will be

“a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since

men were on the earth.” This quake will divide Babylon into three parts, destroy the

cities of every nation, sink every island and completely destroy the mountains (Revelation 16:18-20; Isa. 2:12-22, 13:13; 24; 64:1).

The KeyThe Key

Mt. Nebo

Mt. of Olives

Mt. Moriah

Mt. Gerizim

Mt. Ebal

Mt. Gilboa

Mt. Moreh

Mt. Tabor Mt. Carmel

Mt. Hermon

Kidron Brook

Dead S

ea

Jord

an R

iver

Sea of G

alilee

Mediterranean Sea

Sh

eph

elaH

(Low

Foo

thill

s)

Ph

ilis

tin

e P

lain

Hil

l C

ou

ntr

y

of J

ud

ea

Be

nja

min

Pl

at

ea

u

Hil

ls

of

Ep

hr

aim

Negev Desert

Ju

dean

Wil

der

ness

Galilee

Creating Your Own Map of IsraelCreating Your Own Map of Israel

Using the space provided on this page, practice making a map of Israel with the fol-lowing elements: 3 “Waters” 1. Mediterranean Sea 2. Sea of Galilee 3. Dead Sea

1 River 1. Jordan River

8 Regions 1. Negev Desert 2. Philistine Plain 3. Shephelah/Foothills 4. Hill Country of Judea 5. Judean Wilderness 6. Benjamin Plateau 7. Hills of Ephraim 8. Galilee 10 Mountains 1. Mt. Hermon 2. Mt. Carmel 3. Mt. Tabor 4. Mt. Moreh 5. Mt. Gilboa 6. Mt. Ebal 7. Mt. Gerizim 8. Mt. of Olives 9. Mt. Moriah 10. Mt. Nebo

Pg. 10Pg. 10 A Land of Mountains & ValleysA Land of Mountains & Valleys Pg. 3Pg. 3

These violent geological

forces have caused buckling

to occur in the crust on each

side of the Rift Valley result-

ing in mountain ridges run-

ning the distance of Israel

north to south. (These moun-

tain ridges are not like the

Swiss Alps or Rockies, but

are more like the elevated

hills of the Missouri Ozark

Mountains or Appalachian

Mountains.)

In addition, fanning out in

every direction from this

“parent fissure” are scores of

secondary fractures that have

created lateral valleys

(Harod, Far’ah, Jezreel).

Coupled with the erosive

forces of water, these fissures

have become deep lateral

(east/west) valleys (“wadi” -

Arabic or “nahal” - Hebrew)

which affect travel and settle-

ment.

The Geology of the LandThe Geology of the Land

Coastal

plain

Foothills

“Shephelah”

Judean Hills Judean Wilderness Rift

Valley

The land of Israel is made up of sedimen-

tary layered rock: limestone, sandstone,

chalk, granite, and the organic alluvial

plains. The layers did not remain flat but

were pushed up or sunk down through

the process called folding.

The process of erosion changed the land-

scape by exposing the different layers of

rock. The greatest amount of erosion has

occurred on the western slopes (because

the rain comes from the west).

The impervious nature of the Cenomani-

an deposits (dolomite, limestone, marl

and sandstone) allows for springs, gul-

lies, oasis and caves to shape the land-

scape. (Caves are usually 68 degrees

Fahrenheit and were used for shelter,

housing, storage, and gatherings.) The

Senonian deposits (particularly chalk)

made for interesting subterranean houses.

The land is rich with copper, phosphates,

bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, as-

phalt, manganese. Consequentially, the

soil is also very rich in minerals, and just

needing irrigation to produce amazing

crops.

Stone is the primary building material

due to the stony nature of the landscape

(coupled with centuries of deforestation).

Pg. 4Pg. 4

Senonian - inexpensive building material

Cenomanian - more durable,

very hard, expensive to quarry

Turonian - most prized building

stone: easily quarried and worked, soft yet hardens

with exposure to the

atmosphere & becomes highly durable

(Soft Chalk)

(Hard Limestone) (Soft Limestone)

Coastal Plain

Shephelah (Foothills)

Central Mountains Wilderness (Desert)

Rift Valley

Pg. 6Pg. 6

Deu

teron

om

y 11

:11

-12

11...b

ut th

e lan

d w

hich

you

cross o

ver to p

ossess is a

land

of h

ills and

valleys, w

hich

drin

ks wa

ter from

the ra

in o

f hea

ven,

12 a

land

for w

hich

the L

OR

D yo

ur G

od

cares; th

e eyes of th

e LO

RD

you

r Go

d

are a

lwa

ys on

it, from

the b

egin

nin

g o

f the yea

r to th

e very end

of th

e year.

Pg. 5Pg. 5

Jordan Rift Valley

- Including the

Huleh Valley, Lake

of Galilee, Jordan

Valley and Dead

Sea, it is a part of

the larger “Great

Rift” geological

fault line extending

into Africa.

The Jordan River

winds through a

low tangled thicket

of dense trees &

bushes. with mini-

mal settlement due

to seasonal flood-

ing As it descends

southward it goes

from tropical to

very arid.

Today it is not an

impressive river -

only 3% what it

once was due to

modern irrigation.

It once varied from

2-11 miles wide,

depositing 47.1 billion cubic ft. of

water into the Dead

Sea annually.

Referred to as “the

thicket/jungle of

the Jordan” in

Scripture it was

inhabited by wild

animals such as

ibex, lions, bears,

leopards, wolves,

jackals, hyenas,

alligators, hippo-

potami and a varie-

ty of birds.

The Geological Regions of the LandThe Geological Regions of the Land

Coastal Plains

Alluvial/Loess

Low, open, fer-

tile & humid. Eroded soil is

very rich here. In

several areas water didn’t

drain well, mak-

ing it was very swampy.

Flat land = ease of travel. Chariot

warfare made

this area very difficult to con-

quer.

Cities were built

at the coast

(Acco Caesarea, Joppa, Ashkelon,

Gaza) or toward

the eastern edge (Socoh, Aphek,

Gezer, Ekron, Gath, Ziklag).

The Great

Trunk Road

(Via Maris) ran

along the eastern

skirt of this plain (not through the

center).

Very little Bibli-

cal history oc-

curs here. This plain is not refer-

enced in any of

the patriarchal references

(except for Gen.

20; 26), no Isra-elite battles took

place here, none

of the cities of refuge and few

levitical cities,

none of the judg-es or prophets

were from here,

no recorded ministry of Jesus

occurred here. Three regions:

Philistine, Sha-

ron, Acco Plains

Shephelah

“foothills” /

“lowland” Eocene soft

limestone w/ 6ft

thick nari crust (hard like con-

crete)

Low hills with

eroded broad

valleys filled with alluvial soil

excellent for

travel and farm-ing.

Most cities were located on the

hills (because the

land there was good for nothing

else).

The “front door” into the hill

country of Judah.

Five major val-

leys run from the

Philistine Plain through the

Shephelah to the

Hill Country, listed N to S:

1. Aijalon Val-

ley - main con-nection of coast

to Jerusalem, Gezer, Joshua

2. Sorek Valley

- difficult travel, Timnah, Samson

3. Elah Valley -

led to two access routes into Hills

of Judea, Aze-

kah, David/Goliath

4. Guvrin Val-

ley - not an im-portant route,

Mareshah, Micah

5. Lachish Val-

ley - main route

into Hill Coun-

try, Lachish large city, Nebuchad.

& Sennacharib

Central Mtns /

Hill Country

Cenomanian hard

limestone

High elev, dry

closed, & sterile.

The N/S

“backbone” of Israel. Most of

population of

Judah (S. King-dom) in this re-

gion.

Hard limestone

and bare bedrock

make this region not suitable for

agriculture, only

terraced farming. Is a narrow strip

of uplifted lime-

stone 3000 ft above sea level.

Rapid drop-off on

east and west =

deep valleys.

Deeply etched

wadis. Difficult to

travel and thus isolated and safer.

Roads are on top

of ridges. Main N/S ridge route

called “Way of

the Patriarchs” Three regions:

Hills of Judah,

Benjamin Plateau,

Hills of Ephraim

Wilderness

Senonian soft

chalk

Tremendous drop

in elevation: 2000

ft E/W in 10-20 miles.

Deep deep erosion make for very

difficult travel and

twisting paths cut into soft chalk.

In the rain shadow

of the Central Mountains, thus

no/very little rain

(>4” in/yr), thus, extremely barren.

Sheep & goat grazing only.

Springs are the only water source

(water that seeped into ground on

Medit. side of Hill

Ctry hits impervi-ous layer of stone).

Geological fault caused 1000 ft

drop with no ero-

sion = impenetra-ble obstacle to

communication.

Only two routes to

get to Hill Coun-

try: Jericho & EnGedi.

[Central

Ridge

Road] Senonian

Soft Chalk

Between

the Sheph-

elah

(made up of soft

limestone)

and the

Hill Coun-

try (made

up of hard

limestone)

there is an

exposed

layer of

soft Seno-

nian chalk

running

north/

south.

This chalk

is soft and

erodes

easily,

creating a major

north/

south

route on

the chalk

depression

called the

“Central

Ridge

Road,” which

connects

the five

valleys in

the Sheph-

elah.

Costal Plains

Shephelah

Hill Country

Wilderness Table Land

Costal

Plains

Foothills

‘Shephelah”

Hil

l C

outn

ry /

Centr

al M

tns

Wil

der

nes

s

Rift

Roadways & Transportation in Israel

The New Moody Atlas of the Bible, 2009

Pg. 7Pg. 7 When we read Scripture, we need to remember to put take off our 21st century idea about

transportation and recall the conditions faced by the Ancient Near-Easterner: narrow

winding paths clogged by mud or marsh after winter rains, dusty rutted rocky paths in the

searing heat, water shortage, life-threatening weather, wild beasts of prey or bandits. No

wonder, for the sake of safety a lot of travel was done in the safety of caravans.

Note that terrain:

- Affects travel (roads often

follow valleys or ridges).

- Affects location of cities

(cities are often built on

hills/ridges for defense).

- Affects waterfall (it rains on

west of mountains, with a

very dry wilderness on

east).

One day’s journey in the bibli-

cal world incorporated a dis-

tance of 17-23 miles.

There were two main routes

for anyone wishing to travel

intercontinentally through

Israel: The Great Trunk

Road (located along the flat

Coastal Plains, skirting the

Lake of Galilee and traveling

NE to Damascus) and The

King’s Highway (a route that

traveled around the Dead Sea

east of the Jordan, north to

Damascus).

The Jordan was not navigable.