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A joint study by TAU and the Hebrew University, involving 20 researchers from different countries and disciplines, has accurately dated 21 destruction layers at 17 archaeological sites in Israel by reconstructing the direction and/or intensity of the earth's magnetic field recorded in burnt remnants. The new data verify the Biblical accounts of the Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Findings indicate, for example, that the army of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus, was responsible for the destruction of several cities—Tel Rehov, Tel Zayit, and Horvat Tevet, in addition to Gath of the Philistines,...

There are various other views on the identity of Edom, which I think would be helpful to discuss.Edom is such an important entity in Prophecy , I think it is important to be clear on who Scripture is talking about. Orthodox Jews have long believed that Edom is Rome, and by extension, the West. For example of Talmudic teaching on the identity of Edom, here is an excerpt from the Midrash Tachuma: After Hadrian, king of Edom conquered the world, he returned to Rome and said to his officers: “I want you to make me a god, since I have...

For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. ( Obadiah 10)Time and again, the Prophets of the Bible warn Edom, of terrible judgment coming upon them for the violence perpetrated against His brother , Jacob. It is ironic that 'Hamas' is a Hebrew word for violence. The book of Obadiah is at first a specific warning to Edom, but in verse 15 it extends to the Nations as a whole of the impending judgment upon them for their treatment of Jacob, (ie Israel). Like it or not, God has...

We have been looking at the prophecies about Jacob and Esau, as the starting point for understanding the current struggle in the Middle East between Israel and her enemies. The Bible lays it all out perfectly and everything it says about the very last conflict and deliverance of Israel is being put into motion. In the difficult pregnancy of Isaac's wife, Rebecca, we are told that Esau would become one of two distinct nations, sometimes stronger than his brother Jacob, but would be subservient to Him. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two...

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of...

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of...

In Psalm 60, the Psalmist describes the totality of God’s victory over Israel’s foes, proclaiming “Moab is my wash basin; upon Edom I cast my sandal.” This is only one of more than 100 mentions of Edom in the Old Testament. The Edomites were descendants from Esau, Jacob’s older brother. The Genesis account of the troubled twins describes Esau as red all over when he was born. Esau, you might remember, sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red stew. Edom means “red” in Hebrew; thus, Esau’s descendants came to be known as Edomites. Over the years, many...

The Edomites were portrayed as aggressors in biblical texts. but there's more to their story, according to a new study. With help from the nearby Egyptians, the Edomites developed technological prowess with a hot commodity at the time: copper. Studying ancient slag, archaeologists were able to uncover a complex geopolitical situation in the year 10,000 BCE. ========================================================================== The Edomites, an ancient kingdom derided in biblical texts as simple, have been underestimated for thousands of years, according to a new paper from a team of archaeologists. Far from simple tent-dwellers, the Edomites experienced a massive technological leap in the 10th...

he biblical kingdom of Edom has always been a significant puzzle for biblical archaeology. Although evidence is supplied in the Bible, the archaeological record has always had trouble interpreting the text, which said that it existed as a kingdom long before the kings of Israel. But research has uncovered the untold story of a thriving and wealthy society in the Arava Desert – in parts of Israel and Jordan – that existed during the 12th-11th centuries BCE.  Collecting slag and charcoal samples from “Slaves’ Hill”, Timna Valley, Israel. The fine layers of technological waste – well-dated by radiocarbon – provide...

Canadian archeologist Russell Adams's interest is in Bronze Age and Iron Age copper production. He never intended to walk into archeology's vicious debate over the historical accuracy of the Old Testament -- a conflict likened by one historian to a pack of feral canines at each other's throats. Yet by coincidence, Prof. Adams of Hamilton's McMaster University says, he and an international team of colleagues fit into place a significant piece of the puzzle of human history in the Middle East -- unearthing information that points to the existence of the Bible's vilified Kingdom of Edom at precisely the time...

The bullae were used in ancient times for the sealing of letters and scrolls written on papyrus. If a letter arrived with a broken bulla, it meant it had been opened. Unfortunately, those letters and scrolls did not survive through the 2,200 years that have passed, only the seals remained, to tell the story of the archive. Dr. Donald Zvi Ariel of the Israel Antiquities Authority, one of the world's leading experts on bullae, examined a group of 300 bullae and identified on the seal impressions figures of Greek gods such as Athena, Apollo and Aphrodite, as well as cornucopia,...

We are about to enter into a very crucial week in world’s history! On Sunday leaders from more than 70 countries will meet in Paris to basically declare that Jerusalem’s old city doesn’t belong to Israel. Then on Tuesday that declaration will be pushed as a resolution at the UN Security Council and the way the American ambassador to the UN will vote is still unclear. All of that before the Friday inauguration of a new president in America who publicly opposed all these actions but can’t do a thing to stop them. Zechariah 12 and Psalm 2 are coming...

From a reader: “I'm a little confused about where you are going with Genesis... Can you give me some hint of where you are going and the purpose of all of this?” Response: My concern is that Genesis be understood at the deepest possible level since the material there is foundational to the whole canon. Genesis should not be forced into a modern mold. We should make the effort to understand what this material meant to the archaic peoples for whom this divine revelation was sacred. One of the best ways to do this is to apply the tools of...

The ancient copper mines in Timna are located deep in Israel's Arava Valley and are believed by some to be the site of King Solomon's mines... The tiny pieces of fabric, some only 5 x 5 centimeters in size, vary in color, weaving technique and ornamentation. "Some of these fabrics resemble textiles only known from the Roman era," said Dr. Orit Shamir... The archaeologists also recently discovered thousands of seeds of the Biblical "Seven Species"... the two grains and five fruits considered unique products of the Land of Israel. Some of the seeds were subjected to radiocarbon dating, providing robust...

According to a Tel Aviv University team of archeologists who studied the ancient Negev park, the mining activity at the site was at its height during the 10th century B.C.E., under the rule of kings David and Solomon. This essentially debunks the long-standing theory, devised almost 50 years ago, that the mines, used for the extraction of copper, were actually under the control of the ancient Egyptians. The discovery was made possible thanks to carbon-14 dating, a technology that was not available when the site was first explored. ... The Tel Aviv team used 11 short-lived samples -- 10 date...

Archeologist unearths biblical controversy Artifacts from Iron Age fortress confirm Old Testament dates of Edomite kingdom By MICHAEL VALPY Tuesday, January 25, 2005 Canadian archeologist Russell Adams's interest is in Bronze Age and Iron Age copper production. He never intended to walk into archeology's vicious debate over the historical accuracy of the Old Testament -- a conflict likened by one historian to a pack of feral canines at each other's throats. Yet by coincidence, Prof. Adams of Hamilton's McMaster University says, he and an international team of colleagues fit into place a significant piece of the puzzle of human history...

Isaiah had a vision of the final end of the World. The issue which engulfs every nation into the final cataclysm , is called the Controversy of Zion. The center of the earth is Israel, the center of Israel is Jerusalem, (the city of the great King) and the center of Jerusalem is a piece of contested real estate called MT Zion, the place on which the temple of God once stood. Israel was banished from the land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for two millennia in fulfillment of the warnings given by Moses in the Song of...

“In 600 B.C., when Babylon invaded Israel, thousands of Israelis were moved to Babylon (today’s Iraq) and the Edomites were moved into Israel. The Edomites even helped the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the temple (Psalm 137). When a remnant of Israel returned after the Babylonian captivity, the Edomites were there to wage war against them while the city and the temple were being rebuilt. “While the scriptures are silent for the 400 years between the book of Malachi and the birth of Jesus, Josephus records the struggle between the Edomeans and the Israelites. This racial division and strife in the...

When it comes to tomorrow, Christians need to think while watching the Star of Bethlehem which will appear after an absence of roughly 2000 years. Tomorrow (June 30th, 2015) the Star of Bethlehem will be making a return. Will this mean that the signs of the end is beginning to unfold? And what did this sign mean? Is it a time of joy or suffering or both? How could King Herod's own advisors have been unaware of a star so bright that it could have led the wise men to Jerusalem? According to Professor David Weintraub, this may be because...

Sufficient historical, anthropological and archaeological evidence exists to justify the hypothesis that astronomy, mathematics, medicine and mummification, binary thought and triangulation (pyramids), metal work, cultivation techniques, the earliest priestly writings, and the earliest known trade records are found among the Proto-Saharans of the Upper Nile. Plato wrote that Nilotic scribes had been keeping astronomical records for 1000 years. He should know since he studied with a Horite priest in Memphis for 13 years. None of the advancements I listed above can be positively identified with any one ancient figure. Instead they are connected to great rulers and their scribes, priests...