Watch Jerusalem

Once again, Haaretz is using archaeological discoveries to try and debunk biblical history. Their October 30 article, entitled “Israeli Archaeologists Are Uncovering the Lost Legacy of a Cursed Biblical King,” takes aim at the biblical description of King Manasseh, Judah’s longest-reigning king.

On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal reviews the article and shows a clear misreading of the biblical narrative. In doing so, he also discusses one of the most undervalued stories of repentance in the Bible.

It’s been a long and difficult summer, with coronavirus lockdowns shuttering many in Israel and abroad. One of the victims is the archaeology “industry,” with regular excavations largely grinding to a halt. There has, therefore, been a corresponding lull in archaeological reporting—leading some journalists to write almost humorously grand articles on more “mundane” finds! Nevertheless—despite a summer’s lockdown—in the world of archaeology, you never know what exciting new discovery is about to be unveiled. (The Isaiah bulla a case in point—released eight years after its excavation!) So stay tuned.

At Watch Jerusalem, we’ve maintained a steady stream of articles and analyses on past (and even future!) discoveries—everything from a bullae “timeline” to Leviathan to the Tomb of King David. On today’s podcast, host Christopher Eames provides a rundown of some of Watch Jerusalem’s latest archaeology articles, as well as some upcoming pieces (King Ahab’s horses, and a Philistine seal discovered in Ireland). He also summarizes his new three-part series on the ancient Hebrew alphabet—how we English-speakers have come to adopt it as our own.

The Jewish historian Josephus records a chilling event that took place shortly before his own life began. In the account, King Herod and a few of his closest friends secretly raided the tomb of the biblical house of David to find the treasure to fund his extravagant projects. However, just as his men were reaching the very bones of King David and King Solomon, they were killed by a “flame that burst out.” Shaken by the incident, Josephus relates that Herod installed a large white stone monument at the entrance to warn others from entering. Clearly, God intended the discovery of the tombs of David to be preserved for a later time.

On today’s program host, Brent Nagtegaal looks at the historical references of the tomb of the kings from both the Bible and secular sources and shows why the discovery of King David’s could be imminent.

“Did God Destroy the Walls of Jericho?,” titled one of Haaretz’s most popular articles this past week. Given the source, you won’t be surprised to find out that the author answers that question in the negative, and even uses archaeological discovery to support that claim. At Watch Jerusalem, we too use archaeology but have come to a different conclusion.

On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal looks at the claims of Jericho’s destruction, as well as other cases, in the context of the culture of scoffing that exists inside academia and the media against the Bible.

In 2019, a groundbreaking study showed that the tin discovered on the Israelite coast during the time of the judges was sourced as far away as the United Kingdom—specifically, the regions of Cornwall and Devon. While the study attributed the trade of the tin to the Phoenicians, the Bible describes Israelite tribes being heavily invested in seafaring trade at the same time.

On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal describes his recent visit to a tin mine in Cornwall, as well as the connection between the region and the Israelite tribes of Dan and Asher.

The first-ever direct flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates by an Israeli commercial airline took place this week. The flight comes just two weeks after United States President Donald Trump announced that the U.A.E. would normalize its ties with the Jewish state.

Commentators have called the deal historic, and rightly so. On today’s show, host Brent Nagtegaal shows how the deal also moves forward biblical prophecies that will culminate in the coming of the Messiah.

What happened to the ‘lost’ tribes of Israel? Where did they go after they vanished some 2,700 years ago?

The modern identity of the “lost tribes” of Israel has intrigued people for centuries, if not millennia. Explorers of antiquity have attempted to identify them with uncontacted native islanders. Theories abound. Some claim that they simply no longer exist, swallowed up by time, war, captivity.

Can we know what happened to them?

For over a decade Watch Jerusalem editor in chief Gerald Flurry has said that Europe will replace Iran as the dominant force inside Lebanon. He made this forecast at a time when Hezbollah was strong and Europe’s power in the nation was virtually nil.

In the aftermath of last week’s Beirut blast that killed over 150 people and injured thousands, we are witnessing this biblically based forecast quickly take place. On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal discusses how the Beirut explosion could act as a catalyst for the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Last week, archaeologists in Jerusalem showcased a recently discovered administration storage center from the time period of biblical king Hezekiah. On today’s podcast, host Brent Nagtegaal talks with archaeologist Christopher Eames about the significance of the discovery.

Nagtegaal also discusses a recent study from Tel Aviv University that overturns the assumption that greater efficiency of the human brain accounts for its superior output when compared to animals.

For the past three weeks, several explosions at Iran’s nuclear facilities have again raised the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. According to the New York Times, Israel was behind many of the attacks that may have set back Iran’s nuclear program.

Nevertheless, in an unsettling interview with the Times of Israel, former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit said that it is only a matter of time before Iran attains a nuclear weapon.

More troubling was the assertion from Shavit that Iran could be deterred from using the bomb by traditional means. In his view, it would be unlikely for Iran to use a nuclear weapon as it would mean the simultaneous destruction of Iran by a nuclear counter-attack.

On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal looks at the recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and discusses why such “cold war” logic from Shavit does not apply to Iran.