PETRA (Jordan)

Okay, I mentioned on my last post about a trip that we will be taking soon. No one put out any guesses of where we might be going, but I'm going to pretend that you're interested anyway!
We will be going to a few places, but the one I'm most excited about is Petra. There is so much information and history about this place that I won't even attempt to cover everything. I'll try to hit some highlights though. Petra, and the surrounding mountains of Seir, is believed to be the home of the ancient Edomites... that would be the descendants of Esau. If you look up every reference to Edom in the Bible, you will find it mentioned many times; including the prophecy of it's destruction in the book of Obadiah. It is a remarkably beautiful place.... the entire city was CARVED out of the rock! I had the blessing of being a student for several years in Faith Bible Institute with Bro. John Yates as teacher. In this class he taught us several interesting things about the city of Petra. This Red Rock city of Petra is the most militarily defensible spot on Earth. It can only be reached by one ravine, so narrow at places that only a single horse and rider can pass through. The city was considered so impregnable that it had become the world's bank. Obadiah 7 predicts that their allies would destroy them, and this is exactly what happened. The Edomites were so full of pride over their "wisdom" and perceived safety that they invited the Nabateans inside Petra for a banquet, and once inside, they murdered their hosts and conquered the city. The city inside the mountain still remains today, although uninhabited. It is believed though that Petra is where the remnant of Israel will flee to for protection during the Tribulation. This is so widely believed that many Christians have visited Petra for the sole purpose of leaving Bibles, tracts, and information, stuffed into the crevices and caves of the rock.
There is SO MUCH that could be said about this place; maybe I've whet your appetite for more, and you can do some thorough studying of your Bible! I found a short video clip of Petra and the surrounding mountainous area that I thought you might enjoy watching. Of course, when we return, I'll have many pictures of my own to share as well!