As the bird flies, the Dead Sea is only 15 miles (24 km) from Jerusalem. In between the two points lies the Judean Wilderness. A prophet like Jeremiah could use illustrations from the wasteland of the Dead Sea region to describe his nation’s broken relationship with God. When Jesus was tempted in the Wilderness, he wasn’t far from Jerusalem or other populated areas. John the Baptist also prepared for his own ministry in the wilderness. On the Day of Atonement, the scapegoat was sent “into the wilderness” to die for the sins of God’s people. It wasn’t far, and there were plenty of rugged cliffs in the wilderness where the scapegoat could die, carrying those sins with him. This video shows the traditional location of where the scapegoat would have been pushed to its death on Yom Kippur.