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Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:22 pm
by Gman
Byblos wrote:
Looking at that map G, I couldn't help but notice that if you move the center north about a millimeter, the city of Byblos would be dead smack in the center of the world too. Just sayin' :wink:.
Yes I noticed that too.. Hey, you really ARE the center of attention aren't you. :P

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:28 pm
by Gman
I find it very interesting that God put Jerusalem in between two major highways, the Via Maris and the King's Highway. These ancient trade routes were the major highways that connected Africa to Europe or from Asia to Africa.

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"Together with the King's Highway, the Via Maris was one of the major routes connecting Egypt and the Levant with Anatolia and Mesopotamia. The Via Maris was crossed by other trading routes, so that one could travel from Africa to Europe or from Asia to Africa. It began in al-Qantara and went east to Pelusium, following the northern coast of Sinai through el-Arish and Rafah. From there it followed the coast of Canaan through Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Joppa, and Dor before turning east again through Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley until it reached Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Again turning northward along the shore, the Via Maris passed through Migdal, Capernaum, and Hazor. From Hazor it crossed the northern River Jordan at Jacob's Ford then climbed sharply over the Golan Heights and wound its way northeast into Damascus. Here travellers could continue on the King's Highway as far as the Euphrates River or proceed northward into Anatolia."

Source: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Maris
Interestingly enough almost all the major powers of the world had it's influence in Jerusalem. From Africa, Asia, and yes even Europe...

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"During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE, making Jerusalem one of the oldest cities in the world. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were introduced in the early 19th century. The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger by Jordan in 1982."

Source: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:19 am
by kmr
Wow, placed right smack in the connecting point of three major continents, equal distance from the UK to China... the only land routes to Africa are through it, and it has access to water routes directly to most major cities... incredible.

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 4:27 pm
by Gman
I'm still waiting for the atheist folks to debate me on how and why God would plant Jerusalem, knowingly, in the center of the known world.. Ezekiel 5:5.. :nunchaku:

Did the ancients have GPS units back then? A lucky guess?

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 4:44 pm
by Gman
So how was God to get His message across to the other nations when they passed through the land of Israel? Hire a paperboy to spread the news at the edge of town? No.. Interestingly enough, the customs of the ancients back then would erect these huge monolith stones throughout the region of Israel.. When a traveler would see these huge standing stones they would inquire with the locals how they came about and thus hear about God. Interesting..

The standing stones at Gezer at the intersection of the Via Maris and an east-west road that headed toward Jericho and could be seen some 20 miles away. "The stones, which were probably put in place before 3000 BC, weigh more than 25 tons each, stand 20 feet tall, and are sunk 20 feet into the earth. Amazingly, they were probably brought to Gezer from a quarry over three miles away!""

Standing stones in Gezer Israel
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On several occasions, the Bible mentions significant events that were commemorated with standing stones:

*Jacob set up stone pillars at Bethel in order to remember his powerful dream, in which God reaffirmed his covenant with him (Genesis 28:18-21, 35:14-15).
*Moses built twelve standing stones at the foot of Mount Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments and other laws (Ex. 24:2-4).
*The Israelites erected standing stones to remember their miraculous crossing of the Jordan River (Joshua 4:2-3, 8-9).
*Joshua built a standing stone when the covenant was renewed at Shechem (Joshua 24:27).

Map of standing stones in lower Israel
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Names of standing stones located throughout Israel

1. Gezer
2. Meshar-Hadav Matsebot
3. Wadi Betamim Matseboth
4. Wadi Tzichor Matseboth
5. South 'Uvda Valley Matseboth
6. Upper Wadi Racham Camp
7. East Upper Wadi Paran Matseboth
8. Wadi Tzikhor Matseboth & Rock Art
9. Wadi Racham Matsebah
10. Paran pair Matseboth
11. Qtura Valley Matseboth
12. Upper Qtura Pass Masseboth

Found here

More here..
Standing Stones

They are lonely sentinels on the ruins of ancient cities?gigantic stones erected by a past civilization, their purpose and message lost to history. They provide a glimpse into a custom that lies behind several significant stories in the Bible, and they are the foundation of modern practices in a Western world 6,000 miles and 3,000 years away. They are "standing stones."

The most impressive collection is in the high place at Gezer, where ten stones, some over 20 feet tall, stand in silent tribute to a long-forgotten event. Their size is probably evidence of the importance of what they represented. How they got there is uncertain, although clearly they came from some distance away.

Long before the Israelites arrived on the scene, pagans in the Middle East erected sacred stones to their gods. If one of their gods (or so they believed) caused an important event or provided a significant benefit, a stone was erected as a testimony to the action of the god. If a covenant or treaty was signed between cities or individuals, stones were erected to declare the agreement and to invoke the witness of the gods. Travelers who saw the standing stones would ask, "What happened here?" and the people who knew the story would give testimony to their gods.

To this Middle Eastern culture, God revealed himself so that he could accomplish the great work of restoring a lost world to himself. His people worshiped him and memorialized his acts of deliverance as their custom dictated: by erecting stones.

THE MASSEBOTH

These masseboth (singular: massebah, from the Hebrew word "to setup") are mentioned frequently in the Bible. On four occasions, Jacob erected a massebah after a significant event in his life. In Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream in which God spoke to him from the top of a stairway reaching to heaven. Overwhelmed, Jacob set up the stone he used as a pillow as a standing stone to God's presence at that site. In chapter 31, God called Jacob to return to the Promised Land. As he left the pagan world of Laban, his father-in-law, Jacob erected a standing stone as a witness of his decision to leave. Jacob returned to Bethel, the site of his dream years before, and next to the original massebah, God appeared again to reaffirm his love for him. Once more, Jacob erected a standing stone as a monument to the presence and power of God (Gen. 35). Finally, at Rachel's grave near Bethlehem (Gen. 35), Jacob set up one last stone, a reminder of his responsibility in his beloved wife's death (see Gen. 31:32) and the difficulty of living faithfully before God. God's covenant with Israel through Moses was represented by 12 masseboth at the foot of Mount Sinai (Ex. 24). They were a testimony to the great deliverance from Egypt and the faithful love God promised the Jewish people in the Sinai covenant. The occasional traveler who saw these stones would know that something significant had happened on this mountain, and if a member of God's people was present, the traveler would know that the God to whom the stones were dedicated was the one true God of the Hebrews.

The Book of Joshua records seven times that Joshua erected standing stones pointing to the dynamic power of God. The dividing of the Jordan River, which displayed God's power over the fertility gods the Canaanites believed caused flooding, was memorialized by 12 stones taken from the dry riverbed and erected on the bank, where they stood as an object lesson to Jewish children (Josh. 4). Near the end of his life, Joshua challenged the Israelites to serve the only real God. Their spontaneous response of "we will serve the LORD" (Josh. 24:21) was the occasion for another standing stone: "Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD" (Josh. 24:26).

THE EVIL MASSEBOTH

Canaan's gods encouraged sexual immorality and other perversions and even demanded human sacrifices. Their altars and standing stones were abominations to God, and his covenant with Moses demanded that the Israelites tear down these monuments to evil (Ex. 23:24; Deut. 7:5). The only standing stones God allowed were those that pointed directly to him, the one true God, the Lord of heaven and earth. Unfortunately, the Israelites often disobeyed God's command to focus the world's attention only upon him. During the reign of Rehoboam, for example, the people of Judah "set up for themselves...sacred stones" (1 Kings 14:23, emphasis added).

THE STELE

Our practice of placing tombstones over the graves of loved ones probably derives from a special standing stone called a stele (plural: stelae). These stones were erected as masseboth but had a story or an inscription carved on them explaining their significance. The monument erected by Saul at Carmel (1 Sam. 15:12) may well have been a stele. In the Middle East, archaeologists have unearthed many stelae, including one found in 1993 at Tel Dan that mentions the name "David," the only extra-biblical reference to David ever discovered.

No massebah or stele mentioned in the Bible has been found, though it is possible that someday that may occur. Nevertheless, we must find ways to remind ourselves of God's presence in human history and to lead others to him. In a sense, we must become standing stones ourselves?living testimonies to the power and love of God, pointing beyond ourselves to the God who is at work in our world as he was in the world of the Israelites.

Source: http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=2783

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 1:19 pm
by Gman
Hang on, we are not done here yet..

Another interesting thing I have learned.. It's about the "Feast of Tabernacles" or "Feast of the Nations." In Numbers 29:12-40, these sacrifices were offered for the 70 nations throughout the week. The number 70 also comes from Deuteronomy 32:8 where Moses says that the number of the nations was set according to the sons of Israel, and Deuteronomy 10:22 where the Word says the number of people was 70.

Zechariah 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

What does this mean?? The Jews where making atonement for the nations throughout the world.... Interesting.
According to Zechariah, in the messianic era Sukkot will become a universal festival and all nations will make pilgrimages annually to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast there.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Tabernacles

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:40 pm
by Gman
Let's connect the dots here folks.. So God not only set's His people in the center of the world to proclaim the good news, but also promotes His message. And what is God's message? LOVE ;)

Come now... Can't the message be any clearer? Please don't insult my intelligence.. y[-(

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 9:48 am
by Gman
I LOVE connecting dots folks.. I absolutely love it like an archeologist. Here is another one. Language.. It appears, or as the theory goes, that all the languages that we see today originated in some way from the Hebrew cultures. The big bang of language..

Now that is amazing..

"The history of the alphabet is believed to have begun in Ancient Egypt, more than a millennium into the history of writing. The first consonantal alphabet found has emerged around 2000 BCE to represent the language of Semitic workers in Egypt (see Middle Bronze Age alphabets), and was derived from the alphabetic principles of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Nearly all alphabets in the world today either descend directly from this development or were inspired by its design.[1]

The most widely used alphabet is the Latin alphabet.[2] It derives from the Greek, the first script to consistently assign letters to both consonants and vowels,[3] which in turn was derived from the Phoenician alphabet (it was an abjad - a system where each symbol usually stands for a consonant)."

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_alphabet
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Bronze_Age_alphabets

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Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:33 am
by Gman
Something else just popped into my head this morning.. The location is Israel... Which also happens to be located in a dessert. Which also happens to be the BEST environment for persevering artifacts. :P

Do you think that God had a reason for this? y:-? No... :roll:

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:43 am
by Gman
I was just thinking this morning... Not only is Jerusalem the center of the world, but if you study the Jewish lifestyle, many Jews are "hard wired" to bring change to the world. Look at Hollywood.. Many actors and directors are Jewish..

Look at the numbers folks..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_actors

Or popular musicians..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_musicians

The Jewish world populations, though only one-fourth of 1 percent (very very small), has produced 15 percent of the Nobel Prize winners since the Prize inception in 1899.. That is astounding in view of the millions of Jews who have been driven from their homes and often to their deaths since then.

If you study the sciences, many Jews, like Albert Einstein, are LEADERS of the scientific communities.. Cancer research, blood drives, equality, environmental causes, music, the arts, Darfur, etc.. Did I leave anything out??

So what is this?? Coincidental? Lucky accident?? :popcorn:

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:52 am
by Gman
Are we connecting the dots?? y/:) :|

I don't believe we have to be rocket scientists to figure this out..

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:54 am
by tidalforce
Gman wrote:In looking at the map again, it is very evident that Jerusalem is at the very center of the earth if we look at the world from the longitude markers (north to south). Almost perfectly centered.. (Sweden to South Africa) Now from the latitude markers (west to east) it is not quite in the center of the land masses (Africa to China), however if we look at the "livable" areas of the world, Jerusalem is still very close to the center of the world. Very cold areas of the world such as northern Russia are also livable, but would be very sparse in population due to the cold. Also the heavy wet jungle areas of China would also be sparse in population, so that brings the center geographically back closer to Jerusalem again in the 10/40 window.

Other important factors here however, is how close Jerusalem is to the sea ports. Example having Jerusalem in the Persian gulf would not make any sense because it is not connected to the Mediterranean which in turn is the connection to Europe.

Again.. How did the ancients know that they were in the center of the known world? Ezekiel 5:5 A lucky guess?

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Gman - did you actually look at latitude (small point - you have your longitude/latitude mixed up here. Latitude lines run east-west, but they give you your north-south position) markers here, or did you just note that the distance on the map between northern Europe and Jerusalem looks roughly equal to that between southern Africa and Jerusalem?

North Sweden is ~70°N of the equator, Jersualem is ~31.5°N, & Cape Town is ~33.5°S. This gives a Jerusalem-Sweden distance of ~38°, & a Jerusalem-Cape Town distance of ~65° (about 2,700miles & 4,500 miles respectively).

I think part of the misunderstanding comes from the prevalence of Mercator map projections (such as the one you use above) which preserve the shape of land masses, but not the areas (areas become disproportionately inflated the further they are from the equator). Note on the Mercator projection below that both Greenland and Antarctica appear larger than Africa, yet in reality Africa is twice the size of Antarctica and over ten times the size of Greenland:

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Map projections such as the Gall-Peters are designed to preserve the area of land make it much more apparent that Jerusalem is quite far north of the Sweden-Africa midpoint:

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The midpoint looks like it falls roughly at the lower end of the Red Sea/central Sudan.

Out of interest, what is your source for "the known world"? The known world at what period, and known to whom?

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:38 pm
by Gman
tidalforce wrote: Gman - did you actually look at latitude (small point - you have your longitude/latitude mixed up here. Latitude lines run east-west, but they give you your north-south position) markers here, or did you just note that the distance on the map between northern Europe and Jerusalem looks roughly equal to that between southern Africa and Jerusalem?
No.. I'm just making a general observation via google maps. Longitude markers are vertical and latitude being horizontal to the globe. That was not mixed up..
tidalforce wrote:North Sweden is ~70°N of the equator, Jersualem is ~31.5°N, & Cape Town is ~33.5°S. This gives a Jerusalem-Sweden distance of ~38°, & a Jerusalem-Cape Town distance of ~65° (about 2,700miles & 4,500 miles respectively).

I think part of the misunderstanding comes from the prevalence of Mercator map projections (such as the one you use above) which preserve the shape of land masses, but not the areas (areas become disproportionately inflated the further they are from the equator). Note on the Mercator projection below that both Greenland and Antarctica appear larger than Africa, yet in reality Africa is twice the size of Antarctica and over ten times the size of Greenland:
What misunderstanding? I'm not advocating a "perfect" center from the land masses and certainly not from the equator.
Map projections such as the Gall-Peters are designed to preserve the area of land make it much more apparent that Jerusalem is quite far north of the Sweden-Africa midpoint:
Again no one is saying here that it is perfect.. But only in proximity.
tidalforce wrote:Out of interest, what is your source for "the known world"? The known world at what period, and known to whom?
I have already answered that question on the other page.

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:28 pm
by Gman
Think I'm done with this? Well I'm not... Where I go there are no roads...

In this post I've noticed the position of the temple objects in the temple's of Jerusalem. Objects such as the alter of burnt offering, the brazen laver, and other items were placed facing in certain directions of the earth..

Why?

Becuase the temple in Jerusalem was meant to be a house of prayer and dedication for the entire world...

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1 Kings 7:24-25 Below the rim, gourds encircled it—ten to a cubit. The gourds were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea. 25 The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center.

Exodus 27: 1-2 Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze.

Re: Jerusalem - The center of the world!!

Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:44 pm
by Danieltwotwenty
You have a fascinating mind G, truely you have been blessed with a gift from God.
Absolutely fascinating.

Dan