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Is the Bible True?

ManypeoplequestionwhethertheBiblecanbetrusted.Infact,intoday'ssociety,theBiblehasbecometobeseenasabookoffables,andonlyoneperspectiveoutof

many.ManypeoplenolongerreveretheBibleortakeaBibleversetoheartwhen

theyhearit.TheBiblehasbecomeonparwithanyotherholybookfromanyotherreligion—abookofgoodprinciplestofollow,butnotthestandardorguideby

whichpeopleshouldlive.

Beforeanymeaningfuldiscussioncanbehadaboutsalvation,God,theapocalypse,

heaven,oranyotherbelief,weneedtodeterminetheveracityoftheBible.Only

thosewhoaccepttheBibleastruecanappreciateandunderstandwhattheBible

hastosayaboutanytopic.Withoutthatfundamentalunderstanding,anydiscussion

ismoot.

ItispossibletoverifytheauthenticityoftheBible.Thefieldofarchaeologyhasdone

muchtoprovetheBible'srecordtrue.Also,aswestudysomeofthepropheciesoftheBible,wecandeterminethetruthfulnessoftheBiblebythefulfillmentofthose

prophecies.TheBibleitselfdeclaresitselfinspired.Itcomprises66bookswrittenby

44differentauthorsoveraspanof1500years.Theseauthors,frommanywalksof

life,andofvaryingdegreesofeducationandnobility,mostofwhomneverknew

eachotherorlivedwithineachother'slifespan,wereonlyabletowriteso

cohesivelythroughGodsinspiration.AnobjectiveviewoftheBiblecanshowus

that,indeed,theBible'scompositionisuniqueandinspired.

TheBiblecontains66bookswrittenovera1500-yearperiodoftimeby44different

authors.Theauthenticityofitsstoriesandofthepeoplethatlivedinitshistoryhas

beenauthenticatedbythediscoveryoftheDeadSeaScrollsin1948.Thescrollsdatebackto150-170BCandcontainallorpartsoftheOldTestamentbooksexceptthe

bookofEsther.ManyotherdiscoverieshavehelpedprovemanydetailsoftheBible

thathadbeenscoffedatbyhighercritics:

TheCyrusCylinder,discoveredin1879,recordsCyrus'overthrowofBabylonandhissubsequentdeliveranceoftheJewishcaptives.

TheRosettaStone,discoveredin1799inEgyptbyNapoleon'sscientists,was

writteninthreelanguages:hieroglyphics,demotic,andGreek.Itunlockedthe

mysteryofthehieroglyphicswhichhavehelpedconfirmtheauthenticityofthe

Bible.

TheMoabiteStonediscoveredin1868atDibon,Jordan,confirmedMoabiteattacks

onIsraelasrecordedin2Kings1and3.

TheLachishLetters,discoveredin1932-1938,24milesnorthofBeersheba,describedtheattackofNebuchadnezzaronJerusalemin586BC.

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Archeological ExcavationsTheBible'sauthenticityisalsoevidencedbyarcheologicalexcavationsthatprove

theexistenceofnamesofpeopleandcitiesfoundintheBible.Thediscoveryofthe

cityofPetra,forexample,helpedconfirmtheauthenticityoftheBible'srecord.

Inaddition,manyoftheBible'sprophecieshavealreadycometrue.PropheciesconcerningBabylon(Isaiah13:19-22),Tyre(Ezekiel26:3-5),Sidon(Ezekiel28:21-23),Cyrus(Ezra4:3;5:13-14;Isaiah44:28;45:1),MedoPersia(Daniel8:20-21),

Greece(Daniel8:20-21),andJesus'birthplaceBethlehem(Micah5:2)haveallbeen

fulfilledexactlyaspredicted.Thesefulfilledpropheciesareanextremelystrong

argumentforthetrustworthinessoftheBible.Theysignifythatwecantrustthe

propheciesconcerningtheAntichrist andotherend-timeprophecies.

Unity of Scripture

AnotherevidenceoftheBible'sinspirationisfoundinitscohesiveunity.Inmorethan3000places,theBibledeclaresitselfinspired.Itdoesnotcontradictitself.

ThepropheciesoftheBibleincasessuchasBabylon,Tyre,Petra,andEgypt ,aswell

astheMessianicprophecies,provetheBible'sauthenticity.

TheBiblehassurvivedcenturiesandevenmillenia.DespitealltheattemptsofSatan

tohideit,destroyit,andmakeitinaccessibletothecommonperson,theBiblehasbeenpreservedbyGod.

"ThewordsoftheLORDarepurewords:assilvertriedinafurnaceofearth,purified

seventimes.Thoushaltkeepthem,OLORD,thoushaltpreservethemfromthis

generationforever"(Psalm12:6-7).Jesusalsopromisesthat"heavenandearth

shallpassaway,butmywordsshallnotpassaway"(Matthew24:35).

ButwhatdoestheBiblehavetosayaboutitsinspiration?Fromwheredoesitsayit

getsitsrevelation?

2Peter1:21says,"Fortheprophecycamenotinoldtimebythewillofman:but

holymenofGodspakeastheyweremovedbytheHolyGhost."

Infact,theBiblestatesemphaticallythat,"allScriptureisgivenbyinspirationof

God,andisprofitablefordoctrine,forreproof,forcorrection,forinstructionin

righteousness"(2Timothy3:16).

Whenthiswaswritten,itwasprimarilyreferringtotheOldTestament.Thosethat

saythattheOldTestament,ortheGospels,orotherpartsoftheBiblearenolonger

applicabletous,areincorrect.TheentireBibleexistsforouredification.The

ScripturespointtoJesusandHissolutionforoursinproblem.

FromGenesistoRevelation,JesusisrevealedinHisvariousforms.InthePentateuch

(thefirstfivebooks),Jesusisrevealed.InGenesis,ChristisourCreator.InExodus,

ChristisourSanctuary,ourHaven,andourDeliverer.InLeviticus,Christisour

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SacrificeandJudge.InNumbers,ChristisourGuide.AndinDeuteronomy,Christis

revealedasourReward.InthebooksofRevelationandDaniel,weseeChristasourJudge.AndwefindtheseaspectsofChristrevealedthroughouttheBible.

Psalm119:160says,"Thywordistruefromthebeginning."

InJohn17:17weread,"thywordistruth."

ThegreatestevidenceoftheBible'sinspirationisevidencedintheChristitreveals

andthechangesinthosewhostudyit(John5:39;Acts4:12;Matthew11:26-28).

Tyre and the Bible

TyrewasthemaritimeequivalentofBabylon.Carthage,arivalofRome,wasonlya

colonyofTyre.WhenTyrewasattheheightofitspower,theprophetEzekiel

prophesiedthis:

 AndtheyshalldestroythewallsofTyrus,andbreakdownhertowers:Iwillalsoscrape

herdustfromher...andtheyshalllaythystonesandthytimberandthydustinthe

midstofthewater...AndIwillmaketheelikethetopofarock:thoushaltbeaplaceto

spreadnetsupon;thoushaltbebuiltnomore:forItheLORDhavespokenit,saiththe

LordGOD(Ezekiel26:4,12,14).

ThedestructionofTyrecouldhavebeenplausible.However,theprophecythatTyre

wouldbethrownintothemidstofthesea,anditsformerlocationbescrapedlikethetopofarockseemedmorethanimplausible.Yetboththeseprophecieswere

fulfilled.NebuchadnezzarofBabylonbesiegedthecityandconqueredit.TheinhabitantsofTyre,however,escapedtoanearbyisland.Nebuchadnezzarthen

renderedthecitytoruins.Fortwoand-a-halfcenturies,theseruinswereamute

contradictionoftheBible.

WhenAlexandertheGreatconqueredtheMedo-Persianempire,longafter

Nebuchadnezzar'ssiege,thenewislandcityofTyreresistedhisadvances.

Frustratedbytheirefforts,AlexanderorderedhistroopstobuildacausewaytotheislandbythrowingtheancientruinsofmainlandTyreintothemidstofthesea,and

usingthedusttocreateawayforhistroops,thusfulfillingtheprophecythatTyrewouldbethrownintothemidstofthesea.

ThescrapedrocksandsunkencausewayofancientTyredeclarewithemphasisto

thisgenerationthattheBibleismorethanjustanordinarybook.

Petra and the Bible

PetraistheGreekwordfor"rock."IntheheartofMountSeir,halfwaybetweenthe

DeadSeaandtheGulfofAqaba,thereisavalleysurroundedonallsidesbyvery

steeprockycliffs,withafewnarrowgorgesleadinginside.Inthisvalley,thecityofPetrawasbuilt.ItsBiblicalnamewasSela.Theearliestinhabitantsofthisareawere

theHorites,orHurrians.Later,Esau,thebrotherofJacob,settledintheterritory

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southoftheDeadSea,andhisdescendants,theEdomites,graduallyreplacedthe

Hurrians.TheEdomiteslivedherewhenIsraelcamefromEgyptduringtheExodus,about1445BC.

About400BC,theEdomitesweredrivenoutbytheArabianNabataeans.These

peoplemadePetratheircapitalandcontrolledthemostimportanttraderoutesbetweentheEastandtheWest.Caravanspassingthroughthisterritoryhadtopay

taxestotheNabataeans,whointhiswaybecameverywealthyenablingthemtobuildbeautifulpalaces,temples,theatres,andtombshewnoutofsolidrockintheir

capitalcity.

Inlatercenturies,caravansfollowedotherroutesbetweentheOrientandEurope.

TrafficthroughNabataeanterritorydriedup,Petrabecamedesertedandforgotten,

andforcenturiesitwasalegendarycity.AllthereferencesinScripturewere

consideredbyhighercriticstobefigmentsoftheimagination.Theyclaimedthe

non-existenceofPetraasprooffortheunreliabilityofScripture.

Intheyear1812,theSwissexplorerJohannBurckhardt,disguisedasanArabiansheik,discoveredthelostcity.Whenhepublishedhisreport,itseemedalmost

unbelievablethatsuchapicturesqueplacecouldhaveexistedjust161kilometres

southofJerusalemwithoutbeingknown.

BecauseoftheunstableMiddleEasternpoliticalsituation,visitstoPetraweremade

virtuallyimpossible,andonlyinrecentyearshasthisancientcitybecomereadilyaccessibletotourists.ObadiahdescribestheloftyplacesofPetraandtheconfidence

ofitsinhabitants.However,Jeremiahpredictedthatthecitywouldloseitspower

andbecomeuninhabited(Obadiah3-4;Jeremiah49:16-18).

WhydidGodpredictthedemiseoftheinhabitantsofPetra?Fortheanswer,one

mustlookintotheritualsandpracticesofthesepeople.Themainplaceofworship,

the Jabel-Aibb'Atuf ,isthebest-preservedhighplaceinalltheBiblelands.Theobject

ofworshipherewasnotGod,butthesun.Andaspartoftheirworshiptheyoffered

humansacrifices.Closeby,twoobelisksmaybeseenwhichwereprobablysun

pillarsoffertility.

ItwasbecauseoftheseandotherabominablepracticesthatGodinstructedIsraelon

theirentryintoCanaanaftertheExodus,todestroythehighplacesoftheheathen.

Becauseofthepaganvicesandimmoralritespractisedthere,thefingerofprophecy

forecastthedownfallandentiredestructionofcitieslikePetra(ReadJoel3:19and

Ezekiel35:3-9).

StandingonPetra'shighplacewiththecolourfulruinsofthecitybelow,youcan

hearthevoiceofitsdesolatesilencedeclaringthatGod'spropheticWordneverfails!

Egypt and the Bible

TheBiblestoriesconcerningtherelationshipofGod'speoplewithEgypthavebeen

subjecttomuchridicule.CriticsregardBiblicalstories,suchastheaccountsof

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JosephandtheExodus,asmythology.

Thestonesofarchaeologyweresilentwitnessestothedramasofthepast,andit

wasonlyafter1799,whentheRosettaStonewasdiscovered,thattheancientrecordscouldbedeciphered.IttookJean-FrançoisChampollion20yearsto

deciphertheancienthieroglyphicsfromtheRosettaStone.TheStonewasuniqueinthatthreelanguageswereinscribeduponit,eachtellingthesamestory.Thescience

ofarchaeologyisthusafledglingscience,andmostofitstreasureshaveonlybeen

subjecttoscrutinyinthelastcentury.

Todayitispossibletonotonlyreadhieroglyphics,butalsotheancientcuneiformwritings.Astoundingly,theancientrelicshavesucceededinsilencingmanyofthe

Biblicalcritics.TheharmonybetweenScriptureandarchaeologicalfindingshasshednewlightuponthedebate.

ConcerningthestoryofJoseph,itisknownthattheSemiticHyksosoverthrewthe

Egyptiandynastiesfromtheyear1780BCto1545BC,aperiodofjustoveraquarterofacentury.Duringthistime,itwouldhavebeenpossibleforaSemitetoreachthe

positionofprestigeoccupiedbyJoseph.Inrecenttimes,frescoeshavebeenfoundin

Egyptiantombsdepictingfatandthincows,andinscriptionshavebeenfoundreferringtosevenleanandsevenopulentyears,makingthisBiblicalstorymore

thanjustamyth.OneofthemostexcitingstoriesinScripture,however,istheExodus.

AccordingtoBiblicalchronology,Moseswasbornin1530BC,duringthereignof

TutmosesI,whoruledfrom1532to1508BC.TutmosesIwasthethirdpharaohof

the18thdynasty.ThefirstpharoahwasAmoses1570to1553BC,followedby

Amenhotep1553to1532BC,whowasthefatherofTutmosesI.ThisisthepharaohwhoissuedthedecreethatallthesonsborntotheIsraelitesweretobethrowninto

theriver,butthatgirlswerepermittedtolive(Exodus1:22).

Aaron,thebrotherofMoses,wasbornin1533BC,priortothereignofTutmosesI,

andhehadthusescapedtheviciousdecree.AccordingtoBiblicalchronology,Moses

fledEgypt40yearsafterhisbirthin1490BC(Remember,wehavetocalculate

backwards,aswearedealingwiththetimebeforeChrist).Exodus2:15tellsus

aboutPharaoh'sreaction:

WhenPharaohheardofthis,hetriedtokillMoses,butMosesfledfromPharaoh,and

wenttoliveinMidian(NIV).

Itwashere,inMidianofSinai,thattheLordrevealedHimselftoMoses.Two

pharaohsreignedsimultaneouslyduringtheexileofMoses.TutmosesI,whoissued

thedecreetokillthenewbornsonsoftheIsraelites,wasthefatherofHatshepsut,

theprincesswhoisthemostlikelycandidateforhavingfoundMosesintheNile.Itis

probablethatMosesgrewupasafosterchildinthehouseofPharaoh.TutmosesIhadnosons,and,uponhisdeathin1508BC,Mosescouldhavebecomethepharaoh,

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buthedeclined.Acts7:20tellsus,"Moseswaseducatedinallthewisdomofthe

Egyptians,andwaspowerfulinspeechandaction."

InHebrews11:24,wearetold,"ByfaithMoses,whenhehadgrownup,refusedto

beknownasthesonofPharaoh'sdaughter."

AfterMoses'refusal,TutmosesII(thehusbandofHatshepsut)becamepharaoh,but

heonlyruledfrom1508to1504BC,aperiodofjustfouryears.Again,Mosescould

havebecomepharaoh,butagainherefused.Hatshepsutherselfbecamethenext

pharaoh.HermortuarytempleisatDeirelBahri,andsheruledEgyptfrom1504to

1482BC;atotalof22years.TheillegitimatesonofHatshepsut'shusbandbecame

co-regenttogetherwithher.HewasTutmosesIII,whowasfavouredbythe

Egyptianpriesthood.

ThestoryofHatshepsutisasadstory.In1488,sixyearspriortoherdeath,allofficialrecordsofHatshepsutceased.Herroyalwallpaintingsonthewallsofher

mortuarytempleatDeirelBahriweredefaced,andherstatuesweredestroyed.To

thisday,onlyafewsmallbustshavebeenfound.SuchdrasticactionwasonlytakenifpharaohsweredisloyaltoEgyptiandeities.ItisprobablethatHatshepsutadopted

theHebrewreligionin1488,whenEgyptiandocumentationaboutherceased.

Mosesatthistimewasalreadyinexile,havingfledbeforethewrathofTutmosesIII,

whoenjoyedthesupportoftheEgyptianpriesthood.

MosesheardaboutthedeathofHatshepsutwhilehewasinexile,andherdeathisrecordedinhiswritings.Exodus2:23states,"Duringthatlongperiod,thekingof

Egyptdied."ThesolerulerinEgyptwasnowTutmosesIII,andwithHatshepsutout

oftheway,andtheprotectionsheprobablyaffordedtheIsraelitesnolongeravailable,Tutmosessuppressedtheminamostcruelfashion.

TheIsraelitesgroanedintheirslaveryandcriedout,andtheircryforhelpbecauseof

theirslaverywentuptoGod.Godheardtheirgroaningsand...lookedontheIsraelites

andwasconcernedaboutthem(Exodus2:23-25).

ThereturnofMosesandhisfearforPharaohisnowunderstandable,particularlysincethesamepharaohthatinducedhimtofleebecamethesolerulerinEgypt.

TutmosesIIIwasoneofthegreatestpharaohsinhistory.Hewasknownasthe

NapoleonofEgypt.Heruleduntil1450BC,which,accordingtothechronologyin1Kings6:1,istheyearoftheExodus.AccordingtotheBible,theExodustookplace

onMarch17,1450BC.TheprecisedatesofthePassoverandtheExodusarerecordedintheScriptures.TheBibletellsusthatthepharaohthenruling(Tutmoses

III)followedtheIsraelitesthroughtheRedSea,andthathewaskilledinthe

process.ThebiographyofTutmosesIII,writtenbyAmenemhabsays,"Lo,thekingcompletedhislifetimeofmanyyears,splendidinvalour,inmightandtriumph:from

year1to54."

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1504to1450,areignof54years,bringsuspreciselytothedateoftheExodus.

Amenemhabmentionsthemonthandthedayofhisdeath:

Thelastdayofthethirdmonthofthesecondseason...Hemountedtoheaven,hejoinedthesun:thedivinelimbsmingledwithhimwhobegothim.

AccordingtotheEgyptologistJamesBreasted,thistranslatestotheMarch17,1450

BC.AmummyofTutmosesIIIintheCairomuseumwasanalysedbytwoEgyptologists,HarrisandWeeks,in1973andfoundtobeamummyofayoungman,

whereasTutmosesIIImusthavebeenatleast80.

Egyptianshadawayofdisguisingtheirembarrassments.Thepharaohwasprobably

neverrecoveredfromtheRedSea,andtohidethisfact,afakemummywasputin

hisplace.Thereismorecircumstantialevidencefromthe18thdynastytosupport

thisargument.TutmosesIIIco-reignedwithhisson,AmenhotepII(afterthedeath

ofHatshepsut),andAmenhotepIIwasnotinEgyptatthetimeoftheExodus,butin

Syro-PalestinesuppressinganuprisingwithmostoftheEgyptianarmy.

AccordingtoEgyptianwritings,hereturnedinJune1450BC,whenheapparently

defacedmanyEgyptianmonuments.Thisactneedsanexplanation.TheBibletellsus

thatallthefirst-borninEgyptdiedinthelastplague.OnreturningtoEgypt,he

wouldhavefoundnotonlytheIsraelitesgone,buthewouldhavealsofoundhis

fatherdead,andhisfirst-bornsonkilledintheplague.

OnecannowunderstandtheemotionfeltbyAmenhotepthatcausedsuchaviolent

outburst.

ThenextpharaohtorulewasTutmosesIV,whowasthesecondbornsonof

AmenhotepII.Accordingtosuccessionrights,thefirst-bornshouldhavebecome

pharaoh,buthedied.Toexplainthisapparentanomaly,thereisaninscriptionon

theSphinxtellingthestoryofhowthesecond-bornsonbecamepharaohintheplace

ofthefirst-born.

Apparently,TutmosesIVwasrestingbetweenthelegsoftheSphinxwhenheheardavoicetellinghimtoclearthesandfrombetweenthelegs,andtheSphinxwould

seetoitthathe,ratherthanthefirst-born,wouldbethenextpharaoh.Anunlikely

story,andanotherdemonstrationofattemptstocloudtheissue,sothatthe

embarrassmentshouldnotbemadepublictothedescendants.

MonotheisticworshipinEgyptdidnotdiewiththedeathofHatshepsut.DuringtheAmarnaPeriodofthe18thdynasty,monotheismagainsurfacedinEgypt.The

pharaohafterTutmosesIVwasAmenhotepIII.ThissonofTutmosesIVwasstillan

idolater,butduringthereignofhisson(AmenhotepIV),thereligionofEgyptshiftedfromtheworshipofAmuntothatofAten.Atenismwastheworshipoftheone

CreatorGod.

ThesymbolofthesunanditsrayswasusedtodescribedAten'scareforhumankind.

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ThesunwasnotworshippedinAtenism,butservedmerelyasasymbol.Thereis

goodevidencethatAtenismhasitsbasisintheHebrewreligion.

TheExodusmusthaveleftitsmarkupontheEgyptianpeople,andmanyadheredto

theGodoftheHebrews,ratherthantotheEgyptiandeities.Theessenceofthe

Egyptianreligionwasthatofsunworship,butnumerousgodsplayedsecondaryrolesintheirbeliefsystem.AmenhotepIVchangedhisnametoAkhenaten,

symbolizingthechangefromAmunworshiptoAtenworship( Amenhotepmeans"Amunispleased").FurtherevidenceofAkhenaten'sbreakwiththeoldreligionis

thatheshiftedhiscapitalfromLuxortoanewcapitalAkhetaten.Inasongwritten

byAkhenatentohisgod,thereare17versescorrespondingwithPsalm104.

UnderAkhenatan'sinfluence,Egyptiancultureexperiencedaperiodofrealism.In

statuesofpharaohsandtheirfamilies,pharaohswerenolongerdepictedaslarger

thanlife,butstatuesofAkhenatenandhisfamilyportrayhimwithallhisdefects,

andhiswifeandchildrenareportrayedinalovingrelationshipwiththepharaoh.

HiswifewasthefamousNefertiti,whosenamemeans"maidenofjoy."Theyhadsixdaughters,ofwhichonewasengagedtoayoungmanbythenameofTutankaten.

Thedaughter'snamewasAnkensenpaaten.Notethatthenamesendin"aten,"

portrayingtheirmodeofworship.UponthedeathofAkhenaten,Tutankatenwastobecomethenextpharaoh.However,hischangeofnametoTutankamunindicates

thathispharaohshipwassubjecttothechangeofhisreligion.Thegreatestarchaeologicalfindsconcernthispharaoh,andtellthestoryofashortbutsplendid

reign.

Wasitworthgivingupthetruthforthesakeofearthlyglory?Thedefacingofthe

statuesassociatedwiththereignofAkhenatenagaindemonstratesthehatredand

rivalrybetweenidolatryandtheworshipoftheCreatorGod.

Babylon and the Bible

Twohundredyearsago,scholarsdoubtedwhetherBabyloneverexisted.TheonlyrecordcouldbefoundintheBible.CriticsusedthestoryofBabylon,andwhatthey

calledits"non-historickings,"todiscountScripture.However,Babylonwasdiscoveredandexcavatedin1898.

WeknowtodaythatBabylonwasoneofthefirstcitiesintheworld,andfoundedby

Nimrod,great-grandsonofNoah(Genesis10:9-10).Archaeologistshavefoundhis

nameonmanyinscriptionsandtablets,whileamassiveheadofNimrodhasbeen

excavatednearCalahontheTigrisRiver.

TheBibletellsthestoryofthetowerofBabelandhowthelanguageofhumanity

wasconfusedthere.ArchaeologistshavefoundthattheinhabitantsofancientMesopotamiahadapopularhabitofbuildingtowerscalled ziggurats.Almostevery

cityofimportancehadatleastone.

TheTowerofBabylonwasthehighestandlargestofall,being91metershighand

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builtinsevenstages.Thefoundationsandafewstepsofthestairwaymaystillbe

seentoday.ThiswasthemostprobablelocationoftheTowerofBabel.Itisinterestingtonotethat,accordingtotheScriptures,thetowerwasbuiltofbrickand

asphalt(Genesis11:3NKJV),andthisistheverybuildingmaterialfoundinthebuildingsofBabylon.

For1400years,thecityofBabylongrewinimportance.In626BC,itbecamethe

capitaloftheBabylonianempire.BabylionreacheditspeakinthetimeofNebuchadnezzarII,becomingthewonderoftheancientworld.Itwas18kilometres

incircumference,with26-meter-widedoublewallstowering62metershigh.Itwas

amagnificentsight,theexternalbrickworkofbuildingsbeingglazedandofdifferentcolours.Theouterwallswereyellow,gateswereblue,palaceswererose-red,and

templeswerewhitewithgoldendomes.

Reliefsofbulls,dragons,andlionsdecoratedmanywallsandgates.Thefamous

HangingGardenswereoneofthesevenwondersoftheworld.Weknowtodaythat

ancientBabylonwasacenterofadvancedscience,art,culture,andindustry.ThenappeareduponthescenetheHebrewprophetsIsaiahandJeremiahwhopredicted

herutterdestruction.

 AndBabylon,thegloryofkingdoms,thebeautyoftheChaldees'excellency,shallbeas

whenGodoverthrewSodomandGomorrah(Isaiah13:19).

 AndBabylonshallbecomeheaps,adwelling-placefordragons,andastonishment,andanhissing,withoutaninhabitant(Jeremiah51:37).

TheseamazingpropheciesareallthemoreastoundingbecauseBabylonwaslocated

attheverycenterofeconomictraderoutesofthattime.Destructionofacitymight

havebeenplausible,butthatitwouldneverberebuilttobeinhabitedagainseemed

far-fetched.Thispropheticclaimhasbeentestedovertheages,yettheprophecy

standstothisveryday.

Babylonwasextremelywealthy.Jeremiahpredictedthatthesetreasureswouldbe

robbed,andthatallwhorobbedherwouldbesatisfied(Jeremiah50:10).Toreadthishistoryistoreadthefulfilmentoftheprophecy.CyrustheMediantook

treasures,XerxesthePersiantookhugeamountsofgold,andAlexanderofGreece

plunderedwhatwasleft,fulfillingthesepropheciestotheletter.