in this video we introduce the general location of the land of Israel

and how it functions as a land bridge

between three continents

we recommend keeping your satellite Bible atlas handy

since you can pause the video at any time to look at the maps

with better resolution and clarity in the Atlas

first let's note where Israel is located

the land of the Bible

sits at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea

it is a land bridge between three continents

Europe

Asia

and Africa

the land at the Bible is not a make-believe or fairyland

but a real place on our earth

the Bible is a record of real events

that happened to real people at real places

in a nutshell this is the message the Bible

the divine and transcendent God who created everything

is involved with man's world

and God's involvement is not in an abstract way

but in concrete ways involving real people

real events real places on our real earth

the land of Israel is relatively small

here Israel size the blue shape

as compared to the size the United States

or compare the size of Israel to California on the left

or note on the right Israel land mass is about the same size as New Jersey

the 5th smallest state in the United States

but in spite of Israel's relatively small size

this little land has had a huge impact upon history

this is undoubtedly because of God's association

with the land and people of Israel

the Lord says in Ezekiel 5:5

this is Jerusalem

I've set her

in the center of the nations

with countries all around her

God indicates in this scriptures

that He would make Himself known to the world

thru the people of Israel in the land of Israel

Events in the small land would give evidence

that the God of the Bible

is the true God

and that there is no other

map 12-1 in the SBA

shows the borders of the modern countries in the Middle East

let's take a closer look at Israel's position

as a land bridge between three continents

note the two ancient cradles of civilization

Mesopotamia and Egypt

the route between Mesopotamia and Egypt

is funneled through the land of Israel

because the Arabian desert to the east

and the Mediterranean Sea in the west

present difficult obstacles for travel

as a land bridge between continents

the land of Israel has historically been coveted

by big empires in Egypt and Asia

Any kingdom interested in expanding military

economic political interests

would set its sights on Israel

as a bridge for expansion

later in history

Europe get into the picture

this is a well-chosen land

for the Lord of the earth

to demonstrate and sometimes subtle

yet concrete ways

his sovereignty over the Kingdoms of man

the history of the Jewish people with the land of Israel

as evidence at the God of the Bible

is the true God

who alone transcends time and space

before we look closer at the Land of Israel

there are a few other features and terms

of the ancient Near East to be familiar with

you are using map 2-1

a map showing Abraham's migration from Mesopotamia to Canaan

to mark out the Fertile Crescent

this is an area shaped like a crescent

that extends from Persian Gulf

North along Tigris and Euphrates river's basins

through modern Syria

and down along the eastern Mediterranean Sea board

it's a land with enough water

either from rivers or rain

to produce crops

the Fertile Crescent is made up of two parts

Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers

the Euphrates and Tigris

this is where Iraq is today

in an ancient times is center of both

the Assyrian and Babylonian empires

the other part of the Fertile Crescent is called the Levant

which is the eastern Mediterranean Sea board

Levant means raised up

there is characterized by hills and valleys

plateaus and mountains

some over 9,000 feet in elevation

the Levant includes the lands of Israel

just called Canaan in Abraham's time

to briefly review the main concepts presented in this video

the land of the Bible is a real place on our earth

the Bible describes real people

real events in real places

the Bible is a record

God's involvement with the real world of mankind

next the land of the bible is situated as a land bridge

between three continents

Empires in Asian Africa and Europe

have covered at this land is a bridge for expansion

we mention that the central position

of the land and people of Israel

ultimately testifies to the transcendence

and sovereignty the God of the Bible

we also learned the location of the Fertile Crescent

including its two parts

Mesopotamia and the Levant

in our next video we'll take a closer look

at the distinctive geographical regions of the land of Israel