After a night of jet-lagged sleep, we ate a hardy breakfast at the hotel and hopped on the bus for our first day of touring. Driving east about three hours, we saw rolling hills, expansive green grain fields, and small towns pass by. We finally arrived at Hattusa (modern Bogazkale), the ancient capital of the Hittite empire. They ruled the region from about 2000 to 1200 BC. Founded about 1600 BC, ancient Hattusa was very large. Today it is a UNESCO world heritage site. Surrounded by massive walls with multiple gates, we worked our way around by hopping on and […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Turkish Travels
A new trip is upon me. I am back in Turkey for the third time. This whole Biblical study tour idea began with a trip to Turkey in 2003. That trip cemented the desire in me to visit more places mentioned in the Bible, exploring where it happened. Over time, that’s taken me to Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Greece. Now it’s back to Turkey for a new region in the center of the country, focusing mostly on the apostle Paul’s first journey and some of the recipients of Peter’s epistles. Please pray for me and the group I’m going […]
Crossroads
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look;   ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,   and you will find rest for your souls.   But you said, `We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 I’ve been taking my jolly time for almost a year now documenting most of the places I traveled to in Israel last May. I didn’t intend on taking this long, but that’s what happened. While there’s plenty more to write about, this is the last that specifically addresses that trip. Our last stop was […]
Death Nullified
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28:5-7 Today around the world, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah, is being remembered. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem marks […]
Swept Under a Rug
For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. Exodus 12:15 The Feast of Unleavened Bread is in full swing this week. Passover was on Monday. It’s a yearly reminder of the redemption God worked by bringing Israel out of Egypt. I was able to enjoy a Seder meal with my church small group again this year. However, this holiday is more than just a large meal […]
Planted
 They will be called oaks of righteousness,   a planting of the LORD   for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:3b East of Tel Aviv is a park called Neot Kedumim, which is dedicated to the plants of the Bible. If you get the chance, I would highly recommend spending a few hours here. The Bible is filled with plants and this park gives some insights into object lessons which are not always apparent. There are several trails to choose from. We chose the trail with the theme of “milk and honey” and set off. It was split in two […]
A Port for Caesar
And when he [Herod] observed that there was a city by the seaside that was much decayed (its name was Strato’s Tower) but that the place, by the happiness of its situation, was capable of great improvements from his liberality, he rebuilt it all with white stone, and adorned it with several most splendid palaces, wherein he especially demonstrated his magnanimity. Josephus, The War of the Jews 1:408 Our third and last ancient seaport is the one commonly visited by tourists: Caesarea. If you’ve ever been there, it’s easy to understand why it’s a common tourist stop: it’s a very […]
A Door to the Sea
But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. Judges 1:27 Nestled tightly between Mount Carmel and the Mediterranean lies the ancient port and coastal city of Dor. While the main road juts inland to join the Jezreel Valley on the east side of Mount Carmel, Dor and the region around it were more isolated. A small natural harbor offered a connection to the sea. Accessible via a public beach, the tell is a short walk […]
Akko
This Ptolemais is a maritime city of Galilee, built in the great plain. Josephus, The Wars of the Jews 2.188 Our journey south along the coast began. Three ancient ports on the Mediterranean awaited us. The first was Akko (also spelled Acco or Acre; called Ptolemais in Roman times), the only one of the three still used as a harbor today. Situated on a small peninsula, it makes for an adequate natural harbor. Boats can be seen docked, some for fishing, others for tourists. Akko is not well known to biblical readers but it is mentioned a couple times (Judges […]
Upper Galilee
“To me this is like the days of Noah,   when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,   never to rebuke you again.Though the mountains be shaken   and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken   nor my covenant of peace be removed,”   says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:9-10 Galilee is divided into two sub-regions: Upper and Lower Galilee. Upper is in the north, while lower is in the south. Their names come from […]