Page 40 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook

The prophet Nahum predicted Nineveh's destruction by the Babylonians and Medes which came in 612
BC, and the famous city was never rebuilt. In the New Testament Jesus commended the inhabitants of
Nineveh for repenting at the preaching of Jonah, while condemning the Jewish leaders for resisting His
own message.

In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign (king in Judah), in 701 BC, the Assyrians under Sennacherib
took 46 of Judah’s fortified cities (Isaiah 36:1). Then they laid siege to Jerusalem—the Assyrian king
engraved upon his stele that he had the king of Judah caught like a caged bird in his own country.

However, even though Sennacherib’s army occupied Judah up to the very doorstep of Jerusalem, and
even though Sennacherib’s emissary Rabshakeh boasted against God and Hezekiah (Isaiah 36:4-21),
Assyria was rebuffed. Hezekiah prayed, and God promised that the Assyrians would never set foot inside
the city (Isaiah 37:33). God slew 185,000 Assyrian forces in one night (Isaiah 37:36), and Sennacherib
returned to Nineveh where he was slain by his own sons as he worshiped his god Nisroch (Isaiah 37:38).

In 612 BC, Nineveh was besieged by an alliance of the Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians, and the city
was so completely destroyed that even its location was forgotten until British archaeologist Sir Austen
Layard began uncovering it in the nineteenth century. Thus, as the Babylonian Empire ascended, Assyria
dropped off the pages of history.

The Land of Greece

In between the Old and New Testament, something of extreme importance happened. Led by Alexander
the Great, the Greek Empire took control of the ancient world. Alexander was the son of Philip and
Olympias. He followed his father as ruler of Greece when he was just 20 years old.

Except for Tyre, which was a flourishing city off the coast of Canaan, all the Phoenician ports along the
Mediterranean surrendered to Alexander without a fight. Once resistance at Gaza was broken, the way
was open for Alexander to advance upon Egypt and other southern lands. He conquered all he saw and
founded Alexandria (named after the new conqueror) in 331 BC. Alexander was born in 356 BC and died
at a very young age of 32. During his short life, he became one of the greatest military commanders in
all of history. He conquered the vast Persian Empire, which gave him all the Persians had already
conquered. His rule stretched from Greece to India. Alexander died in Babylon. With no heir,
Alexander’s kingdom was divided among four generals. Syria went to Seleucus, Egypt to Ptolemy,
Greece to Cassander, and Thrace to Lysimachus.

As Alexander marched across his world, he spread elements of the Greek culture. This included the
Greek language, the Greek system of representative government, Greek-styled athletic competition and
theatrical productions, the distinctive Greek architecture, Greek philosophy, and Greek religious beliefs.

38