Tel Megiddo November 8, 2009
Posted by Jeff Block in Bible Stories, Food, Philosophy and Religion, Travel.Tags: Israel, The Bible, Valley of Jezreel, Armageddon, Megiddo, archeology
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Megiddo is an area at the other end of the Valley of Jezreel from Mount Carmel. The word “tel” is Hebrew for “hill”. This is a high hill overlooking the Valley of Armageddon, a word derived from the word “Megiddo”. There we saw an archeological site which revealed 26 layers of history dating back to 4,000 BC. To give perspective, King David’s reign in the golden age of Israel was layer 16.
We saw the ruins of several cities which had been built on top of each other. One of the most amazing layers (can’t remember who built this) involved a somewhat unique system used to bring fresh water into the city. A fresh water source existed outside the city walls. They dug a hole about 100 feet deep inside the city, then they dug a tunnel through the rock like 200 feet from the water source to the bottom of the vertical hole, sloping from the source to the hole. Then they camouflaged the entrance to the tunnel.
So, the water flowed down the tunnel, and all they had to do was bucket the water up the vertical hole which was now basically a well. And when enemies besieged the city, they didn’t know this water was accessible to those inside the city, so it made them able to last much longer in the siege. Genius.
The reason so many layers existed here was that this is some of the most contested land in the whole world. It is so highly contested because it is at a major cross roads between the Via Mares (the intercontinental bridge between Africa and Europe) and the road through the Golan Heights to Damascus and beyond into Asia. Here’s a picture of the Via Mares of today:
Before embarking to explore any of this, though, we sat down for lunch. It was awesome. Pita with several kinds of meats and veggies. Simple, but I absolutely loved it. So far the food has been absolutely outstanding on this trip.
Mount Carmel and the Valley of Jezreel November 8, 2009
Posted by Jeff Block in Bible Stories, Philosophy and Religion, Travel.Tags: Armageddon, Elijah, Israel, Mount Carmel, The Bible, Valley of Jezreel
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Okay, I’ve gotta pick this up. There are lots of books and websites that can tell you all the Biblical facts about these places.
Mount Carmel was the site of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal and Asherah in 1 Kings 18 during the reign of Ahab in Israel.
But the amazing thing about Mount Carmel was standing atop a Catholic monastery on top of the mountain overlooking the Jezreel valley, the eastern most part of which is called the Valley of Armageddon. Revelation 16 makes clear that this is where the final battle will take place at the end of days. Well, it won’t be much of a battle, per se. Basically, all the foolish self-worshiping powers of the earth will align to do battle with the Creator of the Universe, who spoke galaxies into being with a word. I imagine they’ll pretty much line up and then get wiped out in a moment. The Bible describes that a river of blood the depth of a horse’s bridle will run through the valley I saw today. This is the final battle when Jesus returns to end the tribulation (God’s judgment on the world) and set up His kingdom on earth for a 1,000 year reign of peace prior to the construction of the New Jerusalem. Rock on!
The valley was beautiful too. It’s considered the bread basket of the Middle East. According to our guide, it’s some of the most fertile land in all the world. 70% of the fruits and vegetables grown there are exported all over the world. Israel employs the most sophisticated agricultural techniques in the world there. When Mark Twain saw the swamps and dead cattle there at the turn of the 19th century, he was witnessing the promised land after centuries of neglect. When Israel was reborn in 1948, the Jews drained and began working the land, and today I truly saw why God called it “a land flowing with milk and honey”. It’s a lush paradise in the midst of desert or sea in every direction. Amazing!
