Location, location, location . . . a familiar phrase that dates to 1920s Chicago real estate describes a significant Old Testament city to a "Tee." Time rarely alters geography. The flood in Genesis maybe the exception....but for the most part, mountains, valleys and rivers stay constant and consistent through the ages.
Geography allowed Megiddo, a coveted Old Testament city strategically located in the Jezreel Valley, a place in history. Megiddo guarded the Via Maris, an ancient …show more content…
Egyptian Pharaoh, Thutmose III, who conquered the city in 1468 BC, left us this quote, cementing Megiddo's significance AND securing her place in history: "Taking Megiddo is like capturing a thousand cities."
The Old Testament history confirms Megiddo's historical heritage:
• Judges 11:26 and 1 Kings 6:1 both relate the defeat of the king of Megiddo by the Israelites under the command of Joshua
• Judges 1: 19 narrates the battle between the Israelites, who fail to wrest Megiddo from the Canaanites, who were fully aware of its strategic importance
• Judges 19 recounts the victorious battle of the Prophetess Deborah against the Canaanites at Megiddo
• 1 Kings 9 describes all of Solomon's achievements, including fortifying …show more content…
That victory set the stage for the British Mandate in Palestine, which led to the November, 1947 UN partition plan and Israel's birth in May, 1948....battles still being waged....begun at Megiddo!
In addition, Revelation 16: 16 earmarked Megiddo as an important location during the end times. Har-magedon or hill of Megiddo is prophesied as the site of the last battle between the forces of good and evil. The Armageddon that ushers in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Thus, past, present and future....all represented at Megiddo.
Archaeologists began excavating Megiddo in the early 1900s. The advent of WWI interrupted the excavations until digging resumed in 1925. The Megiddo excavations led the way for the nascent science of archaeology, with excavations suspended or stopped until technology could catch up. Even today, excavators limit themselves to a square or a trench on the basis that they must leave something for future archaeologists with better techniques and methods. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Megiddo)
• Excavations reveal that Megiddo was inhabited over a span of 6000 years, from 7000 to 586