1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,520 This is every wall in the entire Bible, starting with the walls 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:06,800 of Jericho. Look down here in the Jordan 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,840 Valley, because you're about to see not only the lowest city in 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:14,400 the world, but a city that is hiding one very dark secret. 5 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,920 It's 1400 BC and the people of Jericho are worshipping one very 6 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,480 evil God. So let's see if you can catch 7 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:22,800 it. What do you see when you see 8 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:27,920 this, this, and this? You're right, it's the moon God 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,280 Yarek. But did you notice this? 10 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,560 The Hebrew name for the city, Yeraho or Jericho to us 11 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,360 literally means Moon City. So in other words, these massive 12 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,880 walls were built specifically to contain and protect the ancient 13 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,280 world's epicenter of lunar worship. 14 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,840 OK, so here enters Joshua into this insane situation, and it is 15 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:51,760 important to remember the Israelites. 16 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,760 They had been wandering in the desert for 40 years and when 17 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,680 they finally arrived at their promised land, it was pretty 18 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,000 discouraging. Why? 19 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,960 Because here they were face to face with the daunting fortress 20 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:04,720 of Jericho. Take a look at this. 21 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,040 Archaeologists have reconstructed diagrams of what 22 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,720 these overbearing structures would have looked like. 23 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,280 I wonder, have you picked up on this double wall system? 24 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,120 Here is a massive stone retaining wall at the base 25 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,640 topped by mud brick walls reaching 9 meters high. 26 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,360 I mean, think about it. To any soldier who wanted to 27 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,960 break in, this city seemed impossible. 28 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:28,000 There was no chance they were getting inside. 29 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,720 However, Bible records that Jericho fell not by battering 30 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,680 Rams, but by following the instructions of the Lord. 31 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,880 Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites marched silently 32 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,440 around the city once a day for six days, led by priests who 33 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,120 were carrying the Ark of the Covenant. 34 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,640 On the 7th day, they circled the city 7 times. 35 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,280 Then at the final signal, a long blast from the Ramhorn 36 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,280 chauffeurs were sounded alongside a collection shout 37 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,960 from the people. And just like that, these 38 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:00,040 massive walls collapsed outward, allowing the Israelite to charge 39 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,920 straight in. You're not going to believe 40 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,480 this, but amidst the total destruction, a single section of 41 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:09,080 the wall remained standing. This was the home of Rahab, a 42 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,440 woman who had shown faith by hiding Israelite spies earlier 43 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,480 in the story to keep them safe. Incredibly, this woman, who 44 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,880 lived a pretty wild lifestyle, would obey the spies 45 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,600 instructions to hang a scarlet cord from her window so that 46 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:25,040 they could escape. This actually proved that she 47 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,560 had faith in the one true God, and so she and her family were 48 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,360 kept safe from the Lord's judgement when it fell upon 49 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,600 Jericho. I'm not going to lie, this next 50 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,560 discovery for me personally was very surprising. 51 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:41,560 In the 1930s and 50s, excavators like John Garstang and Kathleen 52 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,400 Kenyon discovered that the mud bricks didn't fall inward as if 53 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,480 pushed by an invader, they tumbled outward. 54 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,360 This is so clever because it created a perfect literal ramp 55 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,200 of debris over the stone retaining wall, allowing the 56 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,600 Israelites to walk right up into the city. 57 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,640 Even more startling was the discovery of charred jars 58 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,520 overflowing with grain. In ancient warfare, grain was 59 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,360 known as black gold, and it always was looted. 60 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,240 Yet here it sat untouched and burned. 61 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,560 And this confirms the biblical account that the siege was 62 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,560 miraculously short and that the soldiers were strictly forbidden 63 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,840 by God not to plunder the city, leaving it as a burnt offering. 64 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,640 And get this, after the fire, the city sat abandoned for 65 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:27,240 centuries, exactly matching the curse Joshua placed on the 66 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:29,440 ruins. All right, let's zoom on 67 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,440 Jerusalem because its earliest defenses were built like a stone 68 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,480 jigsaw puzzle, starting over 3000 years ago in the City of 69 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,040 David. Whilst most ancient cities 70 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,320 relied on massive gates, King David famously captured 71 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,520 Jerusalem by thinking like a plumber rather than a general. 72 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:50,400 His soldiers reportedly climbed through a secret vertical water 73 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,880 shaft, a tunnel. This was planned so that they 74 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,080 could bypass the city's high limestone walls and take the 75 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,680 stronghold from inside. If you've ever considered 76 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,560 visiting Jerusalem, you might want to listen to this because 77 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,920 today visitors to the City of David National Park can actually 78 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,120 explore these passages, including the narrow tunnels 79 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:12,040 where archaeologists discovered ancient oil lamps left behind by 80 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,000 the people when they were hiding during the later wars. 81 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,040 Now let's start across to ancient Persia, because in 445 82 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,200 BC we meet a man named Nehemiah who had one of the world's most 83 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,360 dangerous jobs. He was the official cupbearer to 84 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:30,080 Artaxerxes, the king of Persia. This meant he had to taste the 85 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,160 King's wine before every meal to make sure it hadn't been 86 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,520 tampered with. Now it doesn't take a genius to 87 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,800 realise because he literally risked his life every day, the 88 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:42,360 king trusted him completely. So when Nehemiah heard that his 89 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,360 ancestral home of Jerusalem was in ruins with its walls smashed, 90 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,680 he asked for help. The king didn't just give him 91 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,680 permission to go, he gave him a royal security and the best 92 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,680 building materials in the empire to fix the city. 93 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,080 When Nehemiah arrived back in Jerusalem, the destruction was 94 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,240 so bad that his horse couldn't even walk through the piles of 95 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,040 broken stone. Instead of giving up, he snuck 96 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,200 out at night to map the damage in secret, planning a massive 97 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,080 construction project. He organized the local families 98 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,800 into teams, and the Bible even lists exactly which family fixed 99 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,360 which section of the wall. For a long time, many historians 100 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,360 were very skeptical, and they weren't so sure about this 101 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,440 construction project. Was it real, or was it just a 102 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:26,440 story? Because there was no actual 103 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,800 physical proof of a wall during that specific time period. 104 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,240 But then everything changed in 2007, when an archaeologist 105 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,640 named Doctor Eliot Massar made a very unexpected discovery. 106 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,840 She began digging at a crumbly old tower that most people 107 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:44,880 ignored, thinking it was built much later in history. 108 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,040 But as she dug, she found pottery and artifacts from the 109 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,280 Persian period, the exact time that Nehemiah lived. 110 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:54,640 It's so strange, though, because it wasn't a fancy, perfect 111 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:56,640 tower. It was built very roughly and in 112 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,760 a massive hurry, which matches the Bible story perfectly of 113 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,440 Nehemiah Wall, which says Nehemiah and his team of regular 114 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:08,560 families finished the entire city wall in just 52 days 115 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,280 because they were under constant tension, looking over their 116 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:14,640 shoulder every 5 seconds to make sure that nothing bad would 117 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,760 happen to them. Guys, I'm not sure we realized 118 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,040 just how high the stakes were whilst trying to complete this 119 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,440 project. Enemies mocked the workers, 120 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,480 joking that if a tiny fox jumped on the wall, the whole thing 121 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,640 would fall over. Eventually, the risk would 122 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,080 become so great that Nehemiah and his builders had to work 123 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,080 with one tool in one hand and a sword in the other. 124 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,280 Now, interestingly, clues were left in the ground that also 125 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,160 backs up the villains of the story. 126 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,560 Researchers found ancient carvings that show the names of 127 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,040 Nehemiah's enemies like Geshem, which is spelled exactly the 128 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,360 same way as the Bible spells them. 129 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:54,240 But come on now, we need to trek over to Jerusalem's Old City to 130 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,600 the northern edge of the Jewish quarter. 131 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:00,440 Because more than 100 years before Nehemiah, Jerusalem faced 132 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,320 an even scarier risk, the massive Assyrian army. 133 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,480 To prepare for the invasion, King Hezekiah built the broad 134 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:12,000 Wall, a defensive giant that was 23 feet thick, roughly the width 135 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,920 of A2 lane highway or motorway. You can still see the remaining 136 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,480 of the broad wall in Jerusalem's Jewish quarter today, where some 137 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,760 ancient houses were actually crushed to make room for it. 138 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,520 But Hezekiah knew that even the strongest walls wouldn't matter 139 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,240 if the people ran out of water during a siege. 140 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,800 To solve this, he ordered an incredible engineering project, 141 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:37,680 a 1700 foot long tunnel carved through solid rock to hide the 142 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:39,880 city's water supply from the enemy. 143 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,240 But if you thought that was impressive, it's nothing 144 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,800 compared to this. In 1880, archaeological found a 145 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,600 secret message carved into the tunnel wall. 146 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,920 It's now called the Siloam inscription, which describes 2 147 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:56,320 teams of diggers working from opposite ends and meeting in the 148 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,240 middle by following the sound of each other's hammers. 149 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,160 When the Assyrian king Sennacherib finally attacked, he 150 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,640 bragged in his own royal record that he trapped Hezekiah like a 151 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,800 bird in a cage. But he never actually captured 152 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:10,720 the city. And again, you yourself could 153 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,480 even walk through this secret 3000 year old escape hatch if 154 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:16,720 you want it. And you can see the literal burn 155 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,680 marks left behind by the Babylonian fires that levelled 156 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,880 the city in 586 BC. You can also touch the very 157 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,200 pickaxe marks left by the workers thousands of years ago 158 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,160 as they raced to save their city from destruction. 159 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:33,159 Just a little diversion because I know exactly what you're 160 00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:35,760 thinking. This is by far the most random 161 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:38,440 video the YouTube algorithm has served me today. 162 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,200 But I do wonder if there's anyone thinking this is the wall 163 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,559 video that I never knew I needed. 164 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,680 Well if that's you and you appreciate ad for free content 165 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:49,160 like this, please do subscribe for more. 166 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,240 After the famous victory at Jericho, Israel comes to IA 167 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,480 small fortified city east of Bethel and at first it all goes 168 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,920 wrong. Joshua 7 tells us Israel is 169 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,880 beaten not because I is strong, but because sin has crept into 170 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,360 the camp in the form of 1 disobedient Israelite who had 171 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,400 hidden forbidden treasures beneath his tent. 172 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,920 What happened next? Well, suddenly those walls that 173 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,280 initially look small became impossible to conquer because 174 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,280 God wasn't with them, and he poured out judgment on the 175 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,040 entire camp too. Once this person's sin was 176 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,000 finally dealt with, Joshua 8 flips the whole story. 177 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,480 And this is where the walls really matter. 178 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,520 Because I isn't just a town, it's a proper little fortress 179 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,720 with thick defensive walls and a main gate facing north, exactly 180 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,560 what you'd expect for a border of a stronghold guarding the 181 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:40,240 hills. So Joshua sets a clever trap. 182 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,560 Part of the army hides in a nearby valley, Another force 183 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:45,920 pretends to run away. And when the king of I charged, 184 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,880 which is out through the gate, leaving the walls unguarded, the 185 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,920 hidden troops rush in, take the city and set it on fire. 186 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,360 Now here's the really fascinating bit. 187 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:58,640 For years, people said this couldn't have happened because 188 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,600 the site everyone pointed to, a place called Ettel, didn't match 189 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,600 any of the Bible's descriptions at all. 190 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,560 And even archaeologists admitted this was a problem. 191 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:11,240 But just a mile away, at a place called Kerbet El Mcateer, 192 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,880 everything suddenly clicks. It's in the right place east of 193 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,480 Bethel, near Bethel Avon, and it has the right landscape with a 194 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,520 high hill to the north where Joshua could camp, a shallow 195 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,640 valley where the king could see the decoy army, and a deep 196 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,640 ravine where the ambush could hide. 197 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,320 Not only that, it had all of the right stuff, thick fortification 198 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,760 walls about 13 feet wide, A4 chambered gate. 199 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,520 But most striking of all, the whole place was quickly burned 200 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:42,200 in 1400 BC, around that time period, exactly when the Bible 201 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:46,960 says I was destroyed, leaving it, as Joshua puts it, as a heap 202 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,600 of ruins. OK, we're going to navigate on 203 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:54,040 our map just north of Jerusalem to a city called Gibeon, because 204 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,240 this is one of the strangest wall stories in the whole Bible. 205 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,320 Not because the walls fall, but because they don't. 206 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:05,000 Again, it's around 1400 BC when Joshua and the Israelites arrive 207 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,360 in the land. Most cities would trust their 208 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,480 thick stone walls to protect them, but the people of Gibeon 209 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,880 try something completely different. 210 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:15,600 Instead of fighting, they pretend to be travellers from a 211 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:19,520 far off country, turning up with worn out clothes, crack sandals 212 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:23,040 and even mouldy stale bread, all to make it look like they've 213 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:25,640 been on the road for months. Their plan works. 214 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,520 Joshua believes them and he makes a peace agreement with 215 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:30,200 them. And it was only later he 216 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:33,280 actually realized that they lived only down the road. 217 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:35,840 Now listen to this. Even though the people of Gibeon 218 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:38,320 tricked Israel, their promise still stands. 219 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,880 And so their city and its walls were all amazingly spared. 220 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,800 But the story doesn't end there. Other kings here. 221 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,680 Gibeon has switched sides, so 5 armies March in to overrun it 222 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,680 and suddenly this quiet walled city is under real pressure. 223 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:56,520 Joshua and his army rush overnight to defend Gibeon, and 224 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,160 during the battle something astonishing happens. 225 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,760 According to Joshua 10, the daylight seems to last far 226 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,520 longer than normal, so the fighting doesn't stop when the 227 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,520 sun should have gone down. The text describes the sun and 228 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,360 the moon standing in place totally still, giving Israel 229 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,480 time to finish the battle. Why? 230 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,320 Because God has control over all things, even the rising and the 231 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,480 setting of the sun. Historically, Gibeon is 232 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,320 identified with El Jib, where archaeologists have uncovered 233 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,080 strong fortification walls, large water systems and storage 234 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,240 jars with the city's name showing. 235 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,080 This really was a major walled city, sitting exactly where the 236 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,320 Bible places it. Jump far north to Hatsaw, the 237 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,880 biggest and most powerful city in Canaan, often called the head 238 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,640 of all those kingdoms. And if Jericho was shocking, 239 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,960 Hatzaw is overweight. Filming in Joshua 11, Hatsaw 240 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,000 leads a northern coalition against Israel. 241 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,560 And this time there's no trick and there's no delay. 242 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,720 Joshua and his men quickly burn the city to the ground. 243 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:59,800 What makes Hatsaw remarkable is the scale. 244 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:03,280 It was enormous, heavily fortified and strategically 245 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,000 dominant. And excavations of Telhatsaw 246 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,720 have revealed a massive destruction layer from the Late 247 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,280 Bronze Age, with scorched palaces, collapsed walls, and 248 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,640 fire damage so intense that even the stones cracked. 249 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,560 Archaeologists like you, GAIL Yadin, noted statues 250 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:22,280 deliberately smashed and burned, matching the biblical emphasis 251 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,880 that Hatsaw was uniquely destroyed, not reused, and not 252 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:28,960 merely captured. Glide across to Megiddo with me 253 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,600 because we're about to see an enormous ancient site which was 254 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,000 formed by roughly 20 cities. And these cities were built 255 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,800 right on top of each other over thousands of years. 256 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:42,560 Megiddo sat at a crossroads where all the big trade roads 257 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:43,800 met. And here's the thing you 258 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:47,360 probably associate with this area tell Megiddo was one of the 259 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:49,600 most fought over spots in history. 260 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,360 So much so that thirty of the most famous battles actually 261 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,400 happened at its gates. In the Bible, King Solomon 262 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,560 turned it into a high tech chariot city building massive 263 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:03,280 walls, and a famous 6 chambered gate to protect its army's 264 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:05,920 horses. It's also no secret that because 265 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,640 so many kingdoms rose and fell there, the Bible uses its name 266 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:13,280 Armageddon, which just means Mount of Megiddo, and states 267 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,080 that there will be one final world end ending battle between 268 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,120 good and evil where all the nations of the world will March 269 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,960 to Armageddon to make war against Christ. 270 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:26,560 So infamous is this place that that great warrior Napoleon 271 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,720 Bonaparte once said about Armageddon. 272 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:32,760 There is no place in the whole world more suited for war than 273 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,240 this, the most natural battleground of the whole earth. 274 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,600 We need to journey over to the city of Samaria, which was built 275 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,640 on a steep hill like a giant stone fortress. 276 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,160 The king of Israel at the time, Jehoram, walked along the top of 277 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,600 the massive city walls to lookout over his people, and 278 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,200 when he heard how much they were struggling, doing unthinkable 279 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:57,400 things to survive, he tore his royal robes in grief, revealing 280 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,160 that he was wearing a rough sackcloth underneath. 281 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,080 To show his deep sadness, the prophet Elijah famously stepped 282 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,360 in and predicted a miracle. He promised that by the very 283 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:10,960 next day, the gates would be overflowing with affordable 284 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:12,240 food. Just as he said. 285 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,240 A small group of outcasts sitting outside the city gates 286 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,080 discovered that the enemy army had vanished in the middle of 287 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,880 the night, leaving all of their food and gold behind. 288 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,240 Despite its incredible strength, the city eventually faced a 289 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:30,680 final challenge in 722 BC when the powerful Assyrian Empire 290 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,280 showed up. The walls were so thick that it 291 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,520 took the Assyrians nearly three years of constant fighting to 292 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,240 finally breakthrough and conquer the capital. 293 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,880 Today archaeologists have dug up these very ruins and found that 294 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,880 the walls were built with case mates designs. 295 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,840 This basically means there was 2 giant parallel walls with rooms 296 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,440 inside them making the defences nearly 30 feet wide. 297 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,840 Now this is a little wild but you know the phrase ivory 298 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,440 towers? It actually originated first 299 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,480 from here in the Bible. The scripture talks about kings 300 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,080 living in luxury in these ivory towers. 301 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,200 In one Kings 22 and Amos 3. In these verses, it describes 302 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,920 palaces that were decorated with ivory, standing safely behind 303 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,480 massive city walls. And here these rich kings hid 304 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,800 themselves away from all the concerns of the world. 305 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,680 But gods brought these ivory towers down. 306 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,680 And check this out, because historians have found stunning 307 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,360 ivory carveries near the palace ruins in Samaria, backing this 308 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,920 account up even more. OK, so we've just cruised across 309 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:36,360 the world, and now we have arrived in Babylon, the city of 310 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,120 legends. And its walls were so enormous 311 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,520 and so stunning that early historians have included them 312 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,520 alongside the Hanging Gardens to make them one of the Seven 313 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,920 Wonders of the ancient World. King Nebuchadnezzar the Second 314 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,440 designed these defences to be invincible, meaning they were 315 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,360 almost impossible to breakthrough. 316 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:59,200 The fact is this, he built 2 sets of massive walls around the 317 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:03,960 city, with the outer one being so wide that 24 horse Chariots 318 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,319 could safely pass each other on the top. 319 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,200 But perhaps the most vibrant parts of the whole of Babylon 320 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:14,319 was the Ishtar Gates, a giant entrance covered in bright blue 321 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:18,800 glazed bricks and deca operated with golden carvings of Dragons 322 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,000 and bulls. Did you know that today we can 323 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,200 still see this gate because it was moved and rebuilt in the 324 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,680 Pergamum Museum in Berlin? And between you and me, this is 325 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:30,920 also the location where I know some of you claim is the 326 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,400 location of Satan's throne today. 327 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,480 But you also know that I offered you a completely different 328 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,880 location to where I think it is in this video here. 329 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:41,760 But I can assure you of one thing though. 330 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,160 Archaeologists have spent years studying these ruins, and in 331 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,600 2020, six They are using a cool new science called 332 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,160 archaeomagnetism. Why are they doing this? 333 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:52,520 Well, they just want to learn more. 334 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,760 And so by measuring magnetic signatures inside the ancient 335 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,520 mug bricks, scientists proved that the Ishtar Gate was built 336 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:05,320 in one big continuous project around 583 BC, right during the 337 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:09,320 time of what the Bible states was the time of Nebuchadnezzar. 338 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,520 This tells us that the walls weren't just a defence, they 339 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,560 were a massive billboard meant to proudly show the world how 340 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:20,960 powerful and how wealthy the Babylonian Empire had become 341 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,320 after they conquered all the other lands. 342 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,120 But hey now, the most famous story about these Babylonian 343 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:31,720 walls involves King Belshazzar. He was ruling the city while an 344 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,000 enemy army was waiting right outside the gates. 345 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:40,240 Belshazzar felt so safe behind his 300 foot tall walls that he 346 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,880 decided to throw a massive party for 1000 of his friends, even 347 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,960 using sacred gold cups taken from the temple in Jerusalem to 348 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,400 mock God. Suddenly, the fingers of a human 349 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:57,040 hand appeared and began writing mysterious words on the palace 350 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,360 wall. Terrified, King Belshazzar 351 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:03,200 called for the wise man, the man of God Daniel, who explained 352 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:06,800 that the Lord had sent the king a message that his days were 353 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,080 numbered and his Kingdom was over. 354 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,600 That very night, the enemy snuck into the city by drying up the 355 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,760 river that flowed under the palace walls, and the invincible 356 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,400 city of Babylon fell just as the writing on the wall had 357 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,560 predicted. Sweep over to the city of 358 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:26,200 Damascus with me because this intersection of ancient history 359 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:30,040 and biblical narrative is etched directly into the city. 360 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:33,280 Stone defences. During the 1st century, Damascus 361 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:37,040 was a heavily fortified Roman city, protected by massive 362 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,240 limestone walls and seven distinct. 363 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,320 It was here that the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul of 364 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:47,000 Tarsus, would arrive with the intent to arrest Christians. 365 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,200 And yet something even bigger was going to happen. 366 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:54,000 Paul faced A radical transformation when he met the 367 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,960 risen Lord Jesus Christ on the road of Damascus. 368 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,960 According to the biblical accounts in Acts 9 and 2nd 369 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:03,120 Corinthians 11, Paul's bold preaching in the synagogues 370 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:06,640 eventually led to a death plot by the local authorities and the 371 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,400 governor under King Ariatus the 4th with the. 372 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:14,000 City gate under 24 hour guard. Paul's followers orchestrated a 373 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,480 daring nighttime escape. They lowered him in a large 374 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:19,680 basket through an opening in the city wall. 375 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,840 And as humbling as this moment was, it was successful. 376 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,560 He bypassed the guards and he saved his life. 377 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:28,800 And it's also worth noting that the escape site, the traditional 378 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,840 location of this escape is Bab Kisan, the Kisan Gate on the 379 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:37,000 southeastern side of the city. Now, whilst the current archway 380 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,520 dates to a later 14th century rebuild building, its base 381 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,240 contains original Roman blocks from Paul's era. 382 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,320 And today the ancient Chapel of Saint Paul is built directly 383 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,800 into this ancient gateway as a monument to remember this 384 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,120 events. Guys, we're just about to trail 385 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:57,840 off our earthly map and cross uncharted territory because in 386 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:01,600 the final chapters of the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem 387 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:06,080 is depicted as breathtaking as a city bride descending from 388 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,080 heaven, enclosed by a massive wall of Christmas still clear 389 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:15,040 Jasper that symbolizes eternal security and divine perfection. 390 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,920 This wall sits upon 12 foundations, each adorned with 391 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,800 different precious jewels ranging from sapphire to 392 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,840 emerald, and inscribed are the names of the 12 apostles. 393 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,600 The city itself is a perfect cube measuring approximately 394 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:34,720 1400 miles in length, width and height, a shape that mirrors the 395 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:39,680 Holy of Holies to signify that the entire city is God, its 396 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:43,400 direct dwelling place. Access is granted through 12 397 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,160 gates, each fashioned from a single giant Pearl and inscribed 398 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,200 with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel, and then there are 399 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,800 three gates positioned on each side of the city to welcome in 400 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,120 the nation's. Within these walls there is no 401 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:00,680 need for a temple, sun or moon, as the glory of God provides 402 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:05,120 constant radiant lights and the gates of this city never close 403 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:08,480 because the darkness of night and the threat of enemies have 404 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:12,240 been abolished forever. Now I can hear exactly what 405 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,320 you're thinking. Why did you make a video about 406 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:17,520 walls, Joe? Well, when you stop and think 407 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,080 about it, walls are everywhere, aren't they? 408 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:22,720 They hold things together. They protect what's valuable. 409 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,960 And in the Bible, walls are even described in a spiritual sense. 410 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:31,280 In Isaiah 60 it says, but you will call your walls salvation 411 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,000 and your gates praise. And then the Bible also says 412 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,360 something else. It says that you and I had a 413 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:39,600 barrier between US and God. In Ephesians 2, it called, was 414 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,760 it the dividing wall of hostility, our sins separating 415 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,680 us from Him. And yet Jesus came and broke 416 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,360 that wall down. The same Christ who walked on 417 00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:52,000 the streets of Jerusalem, the same Christ who was taken 418 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,120 outside the city walls. And as Hebrew 13 tells us 419 00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:59,440 plainly, Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people 420 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,880 through his own blood. And in the ancient world, being 421 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,640 outside those walls meant rejection. 422 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,200 It meant you're unclean. It meant you were cursed. 423 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:11,160 And yet the innocent one became cursed for you and I. 424 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:15,240 He bore in his body my wrongdoing and your wrongdoing. 425 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,440 All of our sins were laid on Him, and he paid the ultimate 426 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,600 price so that you and I can be forgiven, and so that our debt 427 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,520 of sin can be ripped up. But you want to hear something 428 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,240 else? That's pretty crazy. 429 00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:30,040 It looked like at one point that hope itself had been walled in. 430 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:34,040 Christ was sealed in a tomb, guarded, locked behind stone. 431 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:37,880 But even death could not hold him down, as the Angel declared. 432 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,640 He is not here, He is risen. But to be honest with you, the 433 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,680 Bible verse that I most think about when I think about walls 434 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,440 in the Bible is Proverbs 25 verse 28. 435 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,640 It says a person without self-control is like a city 436 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,360 broken into and left without walls. 437 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,360 Without walls, a city has no protection. 438 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,520 Everything is up for grabs. And maybe that's you. 439 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:05,680 No power over sin, no peace, always being overrun. 440 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:09,560 But here's the invitation. Come to Jesus Christ right now. 441 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,560 Turn from your sin. Because when you receive him, He 442 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,960 not only forgives you, but his spirit comes and lives inside of 443 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:19,720 you, producing what Galatians 5 calls the fruits of the spirits. 444 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:24,480 And one of them is self-control. He becomes your salvation, your 445 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,360 protection, your new life. He was crucified outside the 446 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:31,960 city so that you could be brought in, forgiven, saved, 447 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,240 changed, and given a hope beyond the grave. 448 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,440 I mean, let's go back to the most beautiful city ever, the 449 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:39,320 New Jerusalem. And let me ask you the 450 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:43,200 $1,000,000 question. And it's this Will you see this 451 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,640 city when you leave earth? Will you see the New Jerusalem 452 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,440 because you've trusted in the King who will rule it, Christ 453 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,040 Jesus? Or on the other hand, will you 454 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:56,400 see another set of walls, the walls of outer darkness, because 455 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:00,200 you've rejected Him and the life that He offers to all those who 456 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,040 receive Him? Oh, I plead with you, come to 457 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:06,280 the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him war you around in His 458 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,760 forgiveness, His love, and His safety. 459 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:11,680 I am going to choose my words very carefully because I don't 460 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,160 want to finish this video on a negative note. 461 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,680 But the reality is there is another type of wall that we 462 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:21,640 haven't discussed one bit, and it's the walls of deception. 463 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,120 If you want to protect yourself from Satan's deception and you 464 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,760 do want to find out where is the location of Satan's throne on 465 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,440 Earth, you better check out this video right away.