The End of the World as We Know It

Yesterday was a travel day, and I wasn't able to write. We are now in Jerusalem. I will talk about our first day in Jerusalem later ... right now, I am still pondering our trip to Megiddo.

The fortified city gate at Megiddo

The history of Megiddo can be traced back to the 4th century B.C.E. - in other words, it was settled at least 6000 years ago. The site of the city is in the Jezreel Valley, along what was the main road between Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was a very important city in terms of commerce and military power, and thus much coveted by ancient rulers and warriors. The best the archeologists can tell, the city of Megiddo was settled, built up, occupied, conquered, destroyed, and rebuilt no less than 25 times during its time as a city. The good King Josiah lost his life in a battle with Pharaoh Neco II at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:28-30), which has led to the belief that at this place, where so many battles have been waged, the ultimate battle between good and evil will happen, with good finally triumphing for all time. In the Christian tradition, John of Patmos referred to this location as the "Mountain of Megiddo" - or in Hebrew, Armegeddon.

Above is a picture of the Jezreel Valley from Megiddo ... it would have been very easy to see ancient travelers between Egypt and Mesopotamia approaching the city, and so it's easy to see why it was so important to control this city in the ancient world. In our modern world, however, the commerce value of this particular route has been greatly reduced. In short, it's not really worth fighting over anymore. I can't imagine this being the literal site of the final showdown between good and evil, but I am far more appreciative of the rich symbolism in John's prophecy after being here, given the very real history of this city. Indeed, the history of humanity is one long history of battle after battle - attempts to establish security and prosperity - as individuals and as societies. Our hope - as individuals and as a people - is the reign of peace, security, and prosperity forever.