If you click on the map, you will go to the Perry-Castaņeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, whence every online map on the net (I think) is available, including many of historical interest.
Regarding the passage from Hosea quoted at the top of the page, the Old Testament is full of imagery of the desert and of water. The desert is lifeless, water gives life. This can be understood as a metaphor for our relationship with God.
Water is in the desert, but it is not of the desert. The Spirit
of God is in man, but it is not of man. God provides rivers in
the desert for His chosen people to drink. This is the same
water that only Jesus can give us that springs up into everlasting
life.
David sings in Psalm 22, "I am poured out like water" and John writes that when the Roman soldier stuck a spear in Jesus' side, blood and water came out. It is Jesus' own blood which is the water of life which costs us nothing. Worthy is the Lamb! Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto Him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.
Likewise, when Isaiah tells us to make straight in the desert a highway for our God, he's telling us that we need to let God move in our conscience; that we should be as brokenhearted over our sins as God is.
If the history of mankind can be understood as an analogy for the spiritual growth and backsliding of an individual person,here's the story so far;
This list of links contains eleven entries for sites regarding the history of the Mediterranean area and of Christianity, as well as a few additional biographical sketches to which I link at the end of the list.
1. Visit
The Timeline of U.S. Church History.
This is very much a work in progress. If you can give me any help please feel free to. I've posted a non-table version (if you want to make a page that slides right and left only, just set your table height to 100% and put a bunch of TDs in each TR).
2. Visit
The Glossary of Christian History Page.
Based in-part on Bruce Shelley's Christian History in Plain Language.
3. Visit
The Mediterranean Archaeology Page.
A gomer of links. If you click on that picture of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, it will take you to The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Page.
4. Visit
The History of Israel Page.
This site links to the information department of the Israeli government and covers the time from the Patriarchs to the present.
5. Visit
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem Page.
This site is dedicated to scientific and archaeological research concerning the location of the first and second Jewish Temple. If you click on the picture of the temple, you will go to the site of the Holyland Hotel where the 1:50 scale model is located.
6. Visit
The Jerusalem Mosaic Page.
A true hypertext document with maps, pictures and photos of Jerusalem and its environs throughout the centuries.
7. Visit
The Works of Flavius Josephus Page.
Josephus was a commander in the Jewish revolt of 66. When he and forty of his men were surrounded and cut off, they entered into a suicide pact in which each man drew a number and the second would kill the first, the third would kill the second and so forth. Josephus drew the last number and convinced his erstwhile victim that they two should surrender.
When brought before Vespasian, he predicted that Vespasian would become Emperor, and Josephus' life was spared. When this prediction came true two years later, he became a favorite of Vespasian, and later also of Titus and Domitian.
He was granted an estate in Judea where he did all this writing, which original English translation by William Whiston you can read at this site.
8. Visit
The Ecole Initiative Page.
This is an hypertext encyclopedia of church history to 1500. Check out the map based chronology.
9. Visit
The Luther in Sachsen-Anhalt Page.
This site is direct from Sachsen-Anhalt. The photograph shows the home of Luther's parents.
10. Visit
The Glimpses Page.
This site contains many short biographies of heroes of the faith. If you click on that picture of the man about to be burned at the stake, it will take you to the Glimpses issue about Saint Jan Hus.
11. Visit
The Spiritual Journeys of Great Christians Page.
This site contains more short biographies of heroes of the faith.
If you're interested in reading a few more biographies of some of other saintly people, see also; Richard Allen, the founder of The African Methodist Episcopal Church; Albert Schweitzer, the famous doctor and music scholar; Dom Helder Camara, the courageous Catholic Bishop from Brazil; David Livingstone, missionary and explorer; and perhaps the bravest man who ever lived (though he would have aspired more to faith than courage), Saint Patrick.
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