Holy Land Sunday 28th October - The Dead Sea (Evening)

The next port of call was the Dead Sea we drove to Ein Boqeq for a swim in the Dead Sea. The lowest point on Earth at 430.5 meters (1412 feet) below sea level, it is a majestic and mysterious looking lake of light turquoise waters with salt crystals jutting out of it, and goldenbrown hills surrounding it, located in the Jordan Rift valley. The Dead Sea is famously known for being one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, and certainly the deepest hyper-saline in the world, at a depth of 304 meters (997 feet). There was a well organised beach, showers and small changing facilities, surrounded by hotels. The water felt oily, warm and did taste very salty. Do not get it in your eyes. We all had a great experience.

Ezekiel 47:10
10People will stand fishing beside the sea from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea

Dusk at the Dead Sea

Also known in the Bible as the “Salt Sea” or the “Sea of the Arabah,” just to name a few, the Dead Sea is the setting for some of the most important stories in biblical history. Here are just a few of examples where the Dead Sea, and its region, are mentioned throughout the Bible: We have seen the David hiding from King Saul Ascension of Elijah and the Baptism of Christ In one of the most memorable scenes of the Old Testament, Elijah ascends into Heaven in a
chariot of fire. According to religious tradition, this is the same location where Jesus was later, baptized by John. Both events can be placed in this region, near the Dead Sea, because of  John 1:28, which reads: “These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

This same location today is known as Qasr Al-Yahud, located on the Jordan River just North of where it flows into the Dead Sea.

When Israel Crossed the Jordan River Joshua 3:14-16 tells a story of how God stopped the flow of the Jordan River in an area opposite of Jericho, so that the children of Israel could cross over into the Promised Land on dry ground: “So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.”

It is prophecy that one day the dead sea will come back to life - Ezekiel 47.8-12

“He said to me, ‘This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”

Floating in the Dead Sea, some float better than others :o)

From the Dead Sea we drove to our new accommodation in the Negev Desert, we arrived late and in the dark so no pictures until morning.