Page 5 - Good News April 2016 paper

UST IMAGINE somebody Babylon, king of kings, with sea." ancient Tyre. These inhabitants of
predicting the total destruc- horses and chariots, with horse- new Tyre refused point blank to
Jtion of Cape Town, and the men and a great army." The first prediction was miracu- surrender to Alexander the Great.
casting of her rubble into the lous, but this one seemed Alexander tried in vain to capture
Atlantic Ocean! The destruction Ezekiel made this prediction unthinkable! Who would take the the new Tyre, yet he refused to
part we might still believe, but approximately 590 B.C. Five years trouble to throw the rubble of this acknowledge defeat.
cast into the sea? Well... Yet, this later the mighty king Nebuchad- mighty city into the sea? It sounds
is exactly what was predicted in nezzar fulfilled the prophecy a bit far-fetched, to say the least. As this military leader pensively
Ezekiel 26-27 for the ancient partially. Yet, two and a half centuries later walked through the ruins of
Phoenician seaport of Tyre... this prophecy was fulfilled in a ancient Tyre, he had a stroke of
The Babylonians thought it would remarkable way. Let me tell you genius. Immediately his soldiers
Let's read a few of these absor- take only a few months to destroy the fascinating story. were instructed to dump the
bing verses. Ezekiel 26:4,5: "They Tyre, but months turned into rubble of ancient Tyre into the sea
will destroy the walls of Tyre and years! The walls of mighty Tyre When Alexander the Great and so build a bridge to the new
pull down her towers; I will scrape refused to budge under the blows defeated the Medo-Persian army island city. They struggled for
away her rubble and make her a of the battering rams. But the in 339 B.C. at the battle of Issus, seven months to fulfil the
bare rock. Out of the sea she will prophetic word was stronger than he became the next world ruler. prophecy of Ezekiel, but even-
become a place to spread fish- the thick walls of Tyre. At long While his army marched en route tually all of the mighty Tyre had
nets, for I have spoken, declares last, after 13 years, the Phoe- to Palestine, all the seaports been dumped into the Mediter-
the Sovereign Lord. She will nician god Baal-Merhat could not surrendered to the new world ranean Sea and Alexander could
become a plunder for the 'protect' the city any more, and monarch. All except one! take the new city.
nations." mighty Tyre fell. But in Ezekiel
26:12 we read an even more History tells us that those More than two and a half centuries
The destruction of the city is not daring prediction: "They will inhabitants who survived the earlier the prophet Ezekiel had
only predicted, but also the plunder your wealth and loot your destruction of mighty Tyre, predicted: “...throw your stones,
destroyer. In verse 7 it says: "For merchandise; they will break decided to build themselves a timber, and rubble into the sea!"
this is what the Sovereign Lord down your walls and demolish new city. It was situated on an (Ezekiel 26:12).
says: From the north I am going to your fine houses and throw your island of about 60 hectares, and [LF du Plessis, Messengers in His
bring Nebuchadnezzar king of stones, timber, and rubble into the only 1 kilometre from the ruins of Steps, Jan. - March 2002].