An Israeli archaeologist has uncovered a section of wall in Jerusalem that dates back to the time of the Persian empire. Dr. Eilat Mazar was excavating at the ancient wall to try and shore up the remains of a tower that was in danger of collapsing. It was previously thought that the tower dated from the Hasmonean period, around 142BC to 37BC. But instead, Mazar uncovered Persian artefacts dating back to the time of Israel's captivity in Babylon. The building work excavated by Mazar dates back to the time of Nehemiah, when he was commissioned by King Artaxerxes to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

Quote: "According to an account of the conference in "The Trumpet," Mazar said, "Under the tower, we found the bones of two large dogs – and under those bones a rich assemblage of pottery and finds from the Persian period. No later finds from that period were found under the tower." Had the tower been built during the Hasmonean dynasty, the Persian-era artefacts would represent an unexplained chronological gap of several hundred years. The tower, said Mazar, had to have been built much earlier than previously thought and the pottery data placed it at the time the Bible says Nehemiah was building it.

As the WorldNetDaily article comments, it is ironic that then even as now, the Jewish presence in the city of Jerusalem was bitterly protested by the surrounding nations.

Nehemiah 2:10
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard [of it], it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

Why? Was it the Ammonite capital? Were the Jews coming to steal their land? No, Jerusalem lay waste all the years of the Israelite captivity. Likewise, during the Diaspora the land of Israel was more or less a malaria-ridden swamp, undesired by the Arabian, the Ammonite and Islam in general. Only when the Jews returned to the land, and began to build the waste places and inhabit them, did the battle for Jerusalem really begin. Then as now, the Jewish people ought to say to the Palestinians, "ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem".

Nehemiah 2:19-20
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard [it], they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What [is] this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Unfortunately they won't do that, and instead are seeking the peace of their enemies, something they were commanded never to do (Deuteronomy 23:6). They are also seeking to divide their Holy City, the place where God has chosen to place His name (1st Kings 11:36). But we know that all this has been prophesied to come to pass, and God's will will be done.

Source WorldNetDaily

By REGAN E. DOHERTY, Associated Press Writer

This undated photo made available by the Yad Ben Zvi Institute, shows a piece of an ancient parchment believed to be part of the most authoritative manuscript of the Hebrew Bible, the Aleppo Codex. The fragment, more than 1,000-years old, contains verses from the Book of Exodus describing the plagues in Egypt, including the words of Moses to Pharaoh, "Let my people go, that they may serve me". Syrian family man Sam Sabbagh, held the fragment for six decades as a good luck charm after he picked it up, off the floor of a burned out synagogue in Aleppo, Syria in 1947.

Source Physorg

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a quarry they believe may have been used for cutting stones used in the construction of the Second Temple. The site was discovered during excavation work, preparing the way for the building of a new school in the Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Some of the blocks at the quarry resemble those used in the construction of the lower parts of the Temple Mount compound. Pottery shards and coins dating back to the Second Temple period have been discovered in the quarry, confirming it was being used during the time of Jesus Christ. 

Quote: "The Israel Antiquities Authority said on Sunday experts believe stones as long as 8 meters (24 feet) were extracted from the quarry and then dragged by oxen to building sites in Jerusalem for major projects such as the temple. "This construction most likely included the walls of the Temple Mount and other monumental buildings," the authority said in a statement. Some of the blocks discovered at the site resemble stones used in the lower parts of the Temple Mount compound, the site of two biblical Jewish temples, the statement said.

Just a few weeks ago Israeli archaeologists discovered a massive waterway under an ancient road into Jerusalem, which was used as a hideout for the Jews during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70AD. This latest discovery validates the Scriptures, which detail the construction of the Second Temple under King Herod at the time of Christ. According to the Bible, King Herod was building a massive extension to the Temple Mount, which by the commencement of Christ's ministry had already been over 46 years in construction (John 2:20). The last time the Lord left the Temple, the disciples pointed out the magnificent stones the buildings were made of. As the article states, some of these stones were massive. They weighed hundreds of tonnes, and only today does our civilization have the technology to lift such loads without breaking them. The building of the Temple must have been magnificent to the Jewish people...

Mark 13:1-4
And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the Temple Mount was fulfilled forty years later. But the rest of Christ's prophecy remains to be fulfilled. The Lord did not return in 70AD when the Temple was destroyed. According to Luke's Gospel, following the destruction of the Temple, the Jews would be driven out into all the nations of earth and Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled (Luke 21:24). Part of that prophecy was fulfilled in 1967, when Israel recaptured East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Although Israel has the Temple Mount in its hands, it is very evident to see that it is still trodden down of the Gentiles. But just as the Lord's prophecy concerning the Diaspora was fulfilled to the letter, so will other prophecies concerning the regathering of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, and of Christ's Second Coming to earth. The Lord is coming back, first to receive His Bride, and then to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray that He would help us to be faithful witnesses for Him.

Source Reuters

I picked this particular news article today, for this day next month God willing, I will be heading for Eretz Yisrael! I am looking forward to being in the promised land, and I hope that it will not be too long before I am back there again in the Kingdom of God! Amen.

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered an extensive drainage tunnel, dating from the Second Temple era, that provided an escape route for Jews fleeing the sacking of the city by Titus and his armies in 70 AD. The tunnel runs underneath what would have been the main route into Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Archaeologists uncovered the tunnel while excavating the old road. Archaeologists said the discovery of the tunnel was significant, for it showed that even 2000 years ago, the rulers of Jerusalem cared enough for their people to construct a highly developed sanitary system that would channel rain water and sewage away from the city into the Kidron river. Such a drainage system was not common in the Middle East at that period, and not even in England until the Victorian period. 

Quote: "The walls - ashlar stones one meter deep - reach a height of 3 meters - in some places and are covered by heavy stone slabs that were the main road's paving stones, Shukron said. Several manholes are visible, and portions of the original plastering remain, he said. Pottery shards, vessel fragments and coins from the end of the Second Temple period were discovered inside the channel, attesting to its age, Reich said.   

The Jewish historian Josephus also recorded that this drainage system provided a refuge for the besieged Jews of Jerusalem during its destruction in 70 AD. But until now archaeologists did not know where this tunnel was located. One hundred metres of the drainage system have so far been uncovered, but it is believed the tunnel is around one kilometre in length runs from the Shiloah Pool to the Temple Mount and into the Kidron river. This is just the latest major discovery archaeologists have made in recent days relating to the Temple Mount. A few days ago, a seven metre wall belonging to the Second Temple was uncovered by the Jordanian Waqf during destruction work at the holy place. Of course the disciples would not have needed to use the drainage system to escape from Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus Christ gave the disciples 40 years advanced warning, how to recognize when the judgement from God was to come upon the city, and what course of action to take...

Luke 21:20-24
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Likewise, the Lord Jesus Christ has given us advanced warning of the judgement that will fall upon this world. Once again, it begins in Israel with the signing of a peace covenant, and will end with the nations of the world gathering together against Jerusalem to do battle. Only this time the Lord Himself is coming to deliver us from the judgement of this world. As was in 70 AD, I do not believe that the Lord will forsake His people, but He will snatch us away before He arises to shake terribly the earth. Are you saved? Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb of God - the Lord Jesus Christ? God has given us solemn warning of what will come to pass. It is up to us to heed that warning and take the necessary course of action.

Source Jerusalem Post