Page 86 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies - Textbook w videos short

In many battles, the city of Megiddo was overwhelmed by an invading army and destroyed. In each
incident, the city was rebuilt on top of the old ruins. The hill that served as the base of Megiddo became
taller and taller until it was called “Mount Megiddo,” or “Har-Megiddo” in Hebrew. Therefore, the valley
immediately below Har-Megiddo was known as the Valley of Armageddon. With all the blood that had
already been shed there, John must not have been surprised to hear that in end times, the Valley of
Armageddon would play a central role in the last and greatest battle of them all (Revelation 16:16)

One of the most famous examples of Megiddo’s lure is told of King Josiah attempting to stop Egypt’s
Pharaoh Necho from moving his army to Assyria. The two armies met at Megiddo and Josiah was
mortally wounded there (2 Kings 23:29-30). Likewise, Ahaziah was also wounded by Jehu at nearby
Ibleam. He escaped to Megiddo, protected walls, but died there of his wounds (2 Kings 9:27). In every
case of military conflict, the lay of the land dictated choices made by commanders as they attempted to
take the most fought-over city of the ancient world.

The Valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) taken from Mount Carmel…looking toward Nazareth

Capernaum
In New Testament times, Capernaum was one of the chief cities of Galilee. It was situated on the
northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about five miles from the entrance of the Jordan to the Sea, and
on the great route of travel from Damascus to the Mediterranean. Jesus made it his primary residence
approximately three years of his later ministry. It was the home of Peter and Andrew. The Lord
performed many miracles in Capernaum but still the people more or less rejected Jesus as being the
Messiah. Because of their unbelief, Jesus cursed the city, telling them that if Sodom and Gomorrah saw
the miracles that he performed in Capernaum, they would have repented (Matt. 11:20-24). The name
of the city lives only in the sacred writings of Scripture, for its site is so
obliterated that writers can only speculate concerning it. Today close to its
site, a church has been constructed supposedly over the house of Peter’s
mother, and the ruins of a mid-century synagogue still remain.

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