Image Insights
9 articles
What if Tomorrow Never Comes?
Pompeii is one of the most incredible places to visit in the ancient world. The reason it is so cool is because it is a snapshot of life in ancient times. When the volcano Vesuvius exploded, it buried the city under several feet of ash, leaving it exactly as it was in 79 AD. If you want to know what a Roman town looked like down to the ruts in the road, you can see it at Pompeii.
WAS IT HARSH AND UNFAIR?
By John W. Moore Imagine the ridicule and the stares! The man from Nazareth, Jesus, the curious teacher from the temple, had just mixed his saliva with dirt from the ground and wiped it on a poor blind man’s eyes! Steps leading down to the Pool of Siloam located at the southern end of the eastern hill in Jerusalem Steps leading down to the Pool of Siloam located at the southern end of the eastern hill in JerusalemThen, on top of that, he told the blind man to walk from where they stood near...
Flying Buttresses
The Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) church in Istanbul is one of the most iconic church buildings in the entire world. The original structure that became the building that we see today was built in the 6th century by Justinian I. The central feature of the church is the massive dome that makes it a landmark in the Istanbul skyline. (Interestingly, some claim that Islamic mosques, now famous for domed architecture, did not feature a dome until after the Islamic conquest saw the Hagia Sophia.) There...
THE WIND WAS AGAINST THEM
A Helpful Look at a Powerful Story The Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel and the Plains of Gennesaret below The Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel and the Plains of Gennesaret belowThe disciples of Jesus rowed painfully throughout the night to navigate their ship. In the early morning hours their battered vessel was still some three miles from the shore. When night seems its darkest, the unthinkable gradually unfolded before their eyes. It was a ghostly figure moving upon the surface of the deep,...
LIFE IN CLAY JARS
The Dead Sea from the Judean Wilderness with the Mountains of Moab in the distance The Dead Sea from the Judean Wilderness with the Mountains of Moab in the distanceIntense rays from the sun shimmer through a haze in the skies, glittering on the placid surface of the Dead Sea. An enormous basin of scrabbly pebbles and jagged stone, all baked to a uniformly scorched brown, jumble together and rise to form the mesas and peaks of the Judean mountains in the west and the hills of Jordan to the...
Judean Iris: Bloom Where You are Planted
BP IMAGE INSIGHT: I can’t believe I’m writing this. I’m not really a flower enthusiast, but this delicate flower from Israel has an important lesson for living life. It’s known as the Black Iris, and it is a part of a rare and legally protected family of irises found only in an area east of the Mediterranean. Judean Iris of the same Family of the famous Gilboa Iris in Israel Judean Iris of the same Family of the famous Gilboa Iris in IsraelAmong the most popular and well-known is the Gilboa...
SON OF A DEAD GOD at CAESAREA PHILIPPI
It’s NOT what you might expect. Instead of a dry, dusty place, northern Israel is lush and abundant with vegetation, especially in the area of the Dan Nature Preserve. Nestled at the base of Mount Hermon, the spring and tropical environment of ancient Panias (pictured above) is situated along the geographic region of the fertile crescent near the Golan Heights. It was an ideal location for settlers, farmers, and traders who took advantage of not only the moderate temperatures, but also the...
GOD OUR MASADA - PSALM 144
IMAGE INSIGHTS: In the rocky terrain northwest of present-day Ein Bokek, a large rugged escarpment known as Masada stands defiantly in the desert territory of the Dead Sea. Located in the lowest region on earth, this natural defensive outpost towers some 1,424 feet above the dry and barren creek-beds below. The word masada is found in the Hebrew Bible and is often translated in English as “stronghold” or “fortress.” This uniquely shaped escarpment was only approachable by a crooked, narrow...
"The Lord Surrounds His People"
IMAGE INSIGHTS: The ancient city of David and Jerusalem’s temple mount (Mount Zion), where Islam’s Dome of the Rock rest today, is lower than the adjacent hills. Biblical Jerusalem is surrounded by three valleys and sits at an approximate elevation of 2,428 feet above sea level. This Bible Land Passages photo was taken from the slope of Mount Scopus which is nearly three hundred feet higher than where the Temple once stood. To the south lies an even higher hill, Eztel Hill (Hill of Evil...