Jordan River journey Sea of Galilee to Dead Sea

When John the Baptist is introduced in the Gospels, he is preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River between Jericho and Bethany, only a short distance from the Dead Sea. Though he was at the river, John was preaching in a desert-like wilderness. This is where Jesus was baptized. From there, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days of spiritual preparation. This is also the same general area where Joshua crossed over the Jordan into the Promised Land, and where Elijah and Elisha crossed over on the last day of Elijah’s life.