Rise of the Babylonians
Deported to Babylon
Map of Abraham’s route
Map of Lebanon mountains
Civilization starts here
Civilization starts here
Civilization began here
Hebrews 4:1-11, Casual English Bible
Civilization began with communities and cities forming along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, in Iraq and Iran. That's what scholars theorize today. The expanding region grew to become known as the Fertile Crescent. It extends from the eastern Mediterranean coast to the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. This region encompasses modern-day countries like Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The Fertile Crescent is called so because of its rich soil, which enabled early humans to settle and cultivate crops. Some of the earliest known civilizations in this area include Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria. These civilizations emerged around 4000-3000 BCE and are known for their advancements in agriculture, writing, art, and architecture.
RESTING IN GOD'S PEACE
1God promised to welcome his people, our ancestors, into a place of rest. God stands by that promise yet today. So, don’t miss out on it. 2We heard the good news from God. So did they, but it didn’t do them any good. They didn’t put any faith in what they heard. 3Those of us who believe get to go into God’s place of rest. Unbelievers won’t. As he once said, “I became angry. So, I made a promise. ‘They’ll not rest in peace at my house.’” God finished his work long ago, when he created the world. 4Somewhere God once said this about the seventh day of creation: “By dawn of Day Seven, God finished his work. He rested. No work that day.” 5But he also said, “They’ll not rest in peace at my house.”People need to trust God
64:6. There are people who need the rest God offers. Some who heard God’s messages in the past decided not to do what he wanted. They didn’t make it into God’s resting place. 7So God selected another time. That time is now. Through the ancient words of David, he says to us what he said to our ancestors long ago. “If today you hear his voice, don’t stubbornly ignore it.” 8Joshua couldn’t manage to lead our ancestors into a peaceful place of rest. God picked another time to make the offer. 9That means there’s a resting place yet to come—with a complete, Sabbath day kind of rest. 10Anyone who makes it there can stop working, just as God did when he finished creation. 11People, let’s do everything we can to make it into that rest.To compare other Bible versions: Bible Gateway
Map Euphrates River
Civilization begins
Map Abraham’s journey
Map Abraham's journey
Map Abraham's journey
Mesopotamia
From the ancient NYC
Mapping Abraham's journey begins in Mesopotamia. In Bible times, this part of the world was like the ancient version of the buzzing New York City, only much bigger. It was the vibrant hub of a civilization that emerged from land sandwiched between two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. That's mainly in Iraq and western Iran.
This area was prime real estate for early human settlers because those rivers brought life to the arid land. The word "Mesopotamia" itself means "between the rivers" in Greek. It's a fair name because these rivers provided water for farming and transportation.
Mesopotamia such a big deal in Bible times because it became the stage where many biblical stories played out. This was where we would have found:
- the famous city of Babylon
- the Tower of Babel (that's the one where people tried to build a tower to reach the heavens, and it didn't go too well).
- home to Abraham (city of Ur) the father of three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He came hailed from the city of Ur, which was right there in Mesopotamia.
Daniel in Mesopotamian lion's den
Also, Israelites spent decades in Mesopotamia during their exile to Babylon's land. That's where we come across the story of the prophet Daniel and the lions' den. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who had a starring role in the Bible by destroying Jerusalem, ruled this land too.
Mesopotamia was like the biblical backdrop for many important events in the Bible. Those rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, made it into a thriving civilization.
Matthew traces the family tree of Jesus, back to southern Iraq, home of Abraham, father of the Jewish people. Matthew 1