THE JORDAN RIVER.

Water is a source of life, energy and absolution in religion, and Rivers have always played an especially important role in worshippers lives. Unfortunately, in the world of today, people have polluted the spiritual purpose of this essential sources of life by industrialization and urban waste.
The Jordan River is a 251km/156mi long River in the Middle East that flows roughly North to South through the Sea of Galilee and on to the Dead Sea. It has an upper course from its sources to the Sea of Galilee, and a lower course South of the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea.
Over its upper course, the Jordan drops rapidly in a 75km/47mi run to the once large and swampy Lake Hula, which is slightly above sea level. Then, exiting the now almost extinct lake, it goes through an even steeper drop over 25km/16mi down to the Sea of Galilee, which enters at its Northern end. The River deposits much of the silt it is carrying within the Lake, which it leaves again near its Southern tip. At that point the river is situated about 210 meters below sea level. The last 120km/75mi long section follows what is commonly termed the "Jordan Valley,"which has less gradient (the total drop is another 210m) so that river meanders before entering the Dead Sea, a terminal Lake about 422 meters below sea level with no outlet. Two major tributaries enter from the East during this last section: the Yarmouk River, the largest tributary of the Jordan that runs in Jordan, Syria, and Israel and drains much of the Hauran plateau, and the Zarqa River, the second largest tributary that encompasses the most densely populated areas of the Jordan River.
In 1964, Israel began operating a pumping station that diverts water from the Sea of Galilee in the North of the country to the highly populated center and arid South. In 1964 also, Jordan constructed a channel that diverted water from the Yarmouk River, one of the major tributaries of the Jordan River, to the East Ghor Canal, the largest irrigation canal system in Jordan that runs parallel to the East bank of the Jordan River. Syria has also built reservoirs that catch the Yarmouk's waters. Environmentalists blame Israel, Jordan, and Syria for extensive damage to the Jordan River ecosystem. The practice of letting sewage and brackish water flow into the river has almost destroyed it all. The waters are now 70% to 90% used for human purposes and the flow is greatly reduced. Because of this and the high evaporation rate of the Dead Sea, as well as industrial extraction of salts through evaporation ponds, the Dead Sea is shrinking rapidly. Rescuing the Jordan could take decades. In 2007, The Jordan River was declared one of the World's most endangered ecological site, due to the lack of cooperation between Israel and the neighboring Arab states.
The people of the Jordan Rift Valley, also called the Syro-African Depression, do not realize that it is an elongated depression shared by modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. Anything that alter the normal function of its ecosystem will have a change reaction affecting the whole geographical area. This geographic region includes the entire length of the Jordan River -from its sources, through the Hula Valley, the Korazim block, the Sea of Galilee, the Lower Jordan Valley, all the way to the Dead Sea (the lowest point on Earth) and then continues through the Ar'Ab'Ah depression, the Gulf of Aq'Ab'A whose shorelines it incorporates, until finally reaching the Red Sea proper at the Straits of Tir'An. Access to Jordan's only Seaport of Aq'Ab'A and to Israel's only Red Sea seaport of E'Ilat is through the Gulf of Aqaba, which gives the Straits of Tir'An strategic importance.
The Jordan Rift Valley was formed many millions of years ago when the Arabian Plate moved Northward and then Eastward away from Africa. One million years later, the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan Rift Valley rose so that the sea water stopped flooding the area.
The Jordan Rift Valley's lowest point is in the Dead Sea, the lowest spot of which is 790 meters below sea level. Rising sharply to almost 1,000m/3,300ft in the West, and similarly in the East, the Rift is a significant topographic feature over which a few narrow paved roads and difficult mountain tracks lead.
The Great Rift Valley is the continuous geographic trench, approximately 6,000km / 3,700mi in length, that runs from Lebanon's Beqaa Valley in Asia to Mozambique in South Eastern Africa.
In the Scripture, the Jordan River is referred to as the source of fertility of a large plain, said to be watered like "the Garden of God" (Genesis 13). It has a major significancy in Judaism and Christianity Jacob and his sons, crossed it and its tributary, the Jabbok (Al-Zarqa), on his way back from Haran  (Genesis 32). The Jordan is noted as the line of demarcation between the "two tribes and the half tribe" settled to the East (Numbers 34) and the "nine tribes and the half tribe of Manasseh" that, led by Joshua, settle to the West (Joshua 13).
Opposite Jericho, it was called "the Jordan of Jericho"(Num. 34). The Jordan has a number of fords, a shallow place good for crossing, and one is famous as the place where many Ephraimites were slain by Jephthah, the judge (Judges 12). This same forts are mentioned as being near Beth'Barah, where Gideon lay in wait for the Midianites (Judges 7). In the plain of the Jordan, between Suc'Coth and Zar'than, is the clay ground where Solomon had his brass-foundries (1King7). In 2 King 6 the Jordan Valley is portrayed as a Wood Land Region. The trees were rare in most parts of Palestine, but plentiful in the Jordan Valley.
The New Testament speaks several times about Jesus crossing the Jordan during His Ministry (Matt19; Mark10), and of believers crossing the Jordan to come near and hear Him preach and to be healed of their diseases (Matt.4; Mark 3). When his enemies sought to capture Him, Jesus took refuge at Jordan in the place where John the Baptist had first baptized Him (John 10).
Jordan is understood as the bridge to freedom from slavery. The Israelites had to make a difficult and hazardous journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. The actual crossing is the final step of the journey, which is then complete.