Biblical Archaeology Heralds the Greatest Event in History

In 1967, a coalition of Arab states attacked the Jewish nation of Israel. It sparked the Six-Day War, in which the Jews achieved a miraculous victory and gained control of the Old City of Jerusalem. This opened up the field of archaeology in that city.

Benjamin Mazar, a professor at Hebrew University, formed a partnership with Herbert W. Armstrong, chancellor of Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, to establish one of the most significant excavations ever undertaken in the Holy City. It was unprecedentedly massive. They called it “the big dig.”

I happened to begin attending Ambassador College that year, 1967. I was thankful to be there when that partnership began.

Mr. Armstrong supported many archaeological activities in Israel before his death in 1986. In 2006, our organization picked up Mr. Armstrong’s mantle and began working with Dr. Eilat Mazar, Benjamin Mazar’s granddaughter. Ever since, we have participated in and sponsored many activities, archaeological and otherwise, in Jerusalem. In 2022, I founded an organization based there: the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology.

In February, at our offices in Edmond, Oklahoma, we opened an exhibition of many exciting recent finds from Israel, called “Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered.”

Mr. Armstrong said it was a great honor to be a part of that big dig. We too see what we are involved in as a great honor—and a great responsibility.

Benjamin Mazar said, “Pore over the Bible again and again, for it contains within it descriptions of genuine, historical reality.” This is something his granddaughter also believed, and we know it to be incontrovertibly true.

I believe these archaeological activities are beautifully described in one of the psalms. It is about digging in the dirt and uncovering stones—biblical archaeology. But it is about even more: It shows the connection of these activities with the greatest event in history: the coming of the Messiah!

God’s Biblical Archaeology

This psalm is important for our present time. The more I study it, the more I realize how much there is that we must understand.

“But Thou, O Lord, sittest enthroned for ever, And Thy name is unto all generations. Thou wilt arise, and have compassion upon Zion, For it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed time is come. For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, And love her dust” (Psalm 102:13-15; Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh 1917 edition throughout).

God’s servants take pleasure in the stones and love the dust of Jerusalem! What a marvelous poetic description of biblical archaeology. We consider our support of these projects to be the fulfillment of these verses.

Now note the very next thing mentioned in this psalm: “So the nations will fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Thy glory; When the Lord hath built up Zion, When He hath appeared in His glory” (verses 16-17).

That is talking about the coming of the Messiah!

The description of this epic event establishes the time frame of this passage: It is in the latter days. That is part of the “appointed time” referred to in verse 14. We live in this “appointed time” today!

People have many different reasons for studying archaeology. My purpose and cause for supporting it has always been different from most people. That purpose is described in this psalm.

Psalm 102 is not just about biblical archaeology, it’s about God’s biblical archaeology. This is an activity that leads to the arrival of the Messiah!

This will be the greatest event ever to occur in the universe! It is discussed in the Hebrew Bible probably a hundred times or more. How much have you thought about it? It really is something we need to stop and ponder deeply.

Look at the sequence in this psalm: Verse 14 says, “Thou wilt arise, and have compassion upon Zion ….” Verse 15 discusses God’s servants taking pleasure in Jerusalem’s stones and loving her dust. Then verses 16-17 talk about the nations fearing God, “When the Lord hath built up Zion, When He hath appeared in His glory.” You see these two subjects are unusually tied together.

Verse 17 itself covers both subjects in one verse: the Eternal building up Zion—which He is doing even now through archaeology—and the coming of the Messiah.

Consider why biblical archaeology and the coming of the Messiah are so closely tied together.

Verse 14 makes clear that this psalm will be understood in this appointed time. The Messiah is to come in these last days! That hope overwhelms everything else!

The Hebrew Bible explains in many verses the events that will occur just before the coming of the Messiah. It is clear that worse times are coming. But even as we approach that time, the vision of hope grows.

God’s servants take pleasure in her stones. The more you understand about the Messiah’s arrival, the more excited you will be about those stones! The servants take pleasure in them, and love the dust, because of this vision.

Stones That Speak

We worked with Dr. Eilat Mazar for well over a decade. We learned so much from her; she was a marvelous teacher.

When I reflect on her work, I don’t find anybody else who comes close to the quantity or quality of her discoveries in Jerusalem. I believe God had a hand in helping her accomplish what she did.

She once said, “I am interested in history, not just about stones. I am interested in stones that can speak. I don’t care about stones that have nothing to talk about, that are speechless. Who cares about speechless stones?” That is quite an archaeologist! You don’t hear too many talk like that today.

Let the stones speak! Does that sound odd? It wasn’t just Dr. Mazar saying that. In Psalm 102, God Himself says the stones are speaking!

Verse 22 continues: “That men may tell of the name of the Lord in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem.” The context shows that God is emphasizing what happens in Jerusalem. That is important because when the Messiah comes, He is going to sit on King David’s throne in that city.

There are many other biblical archaeologists that do terrific work all over Israel; some of them are truly outstanding. But in this context, it seems to me that God emphasizes Jerusalem, and that is where Eilat Mazar really shone! As far as I’m concerned, nobody compares to what she achieved. She focused on a very rich place to dig.

David’s Legacy

In 2005, Rachel Ginsberg wrote a piece about Dr. Mazar titled “Reclaiming Biblical Jerusalem.” She recognized the significance of Dr. Mazar’s discovery of David’s royal palace. You learn a lot when you study that discovery.

“Dr. Eilat Mazar, world authority on Jerusalem’s past, has taken King David out of the pages of the Bible, and put him back into living history,” Ginsberg wrote. “Mazar’s latest excavation in the City of David, in the southern shadow of the Temple Mount, has shaken up the archaeological world.” This journalist could see that the stones are shouting! What a message they proclaim. God wants us to look to David and learn from him. Let the stones speak! That is what Psalm 102 is all about.

This is living history. It brings the Bible to life! Dr. Mazar and her grandfather were going around with a Bible in hand, being guided by that history, and look at all they discovered! Eilat knew so much about unearthing artifacts and discoveries—and did she ever find a large number of them! Visit our current exhibit, and you will see the truth of my statement. I hope you will take advantage of the exhibit. If you cannot visit in person, then take our virtual tour (posted on ArmstrongInstitute.org).

Look into David’s life. He has the longest biography in all the Bible. He conquered the Jebusites and took control of Jerusalem. That city had been associated with great men of God, back to Abraham and Melchizedek. David truly was audacious. He was bold. What faith that man had, even as a teenager! David fought for God. He really did love God! He made his mistakes, but he turned his life around. And he has a magnificent reward awaiting him in the near future.

The walls of David’s palace were 20 feet thick in some places. That is real engineering. After uncovering all of that, Dr. Mazar realized the palace was attached to the Stepped Stone Structure, which is as tall as a 12-story building! “The fact that the two structures were part of the same construction was an astonishing discovery for us,” she wrote. “Laid before our very eyes was a structure massive in proportions and innovative in complexity. It bears witness to the impressive architectural skill and considerable investment of its builders, to the competency of a determined central ruling authority, and most notably to the audacity and vision of that authority.”

This was truly a royal palace—a palace fit for a warrior king! And Dr. Mazar believed that she had uncovered only 20 percent of it. David was a royal warrior who fought battles time and again to prepare everything so it could be peaceful for his son Solomon. Oh, how he led Israel—and prophecy says he is going to lead them again in the future! What a future that will be!

Those are stones that really do speak! They have a lot to say, and their message is all about royalty.

In talking about the palace, Dr. Mazar said, “There may be times when it will take 10 years for people to adjust to, support and even accept the idea, but I am not going to wait for them.” She was a lady in a hurry. She knew she had to move fast to complete her work. She kept moving in spite of the critics, of which she had plenty. But in many ways, she had the spirit of David! And she helped bring David alive.

Grasp the facts of what we have put together in our “Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered” exhibit, and you will be moved. It is something to behold, something to be excited about and inspired by. What God is communicating in His biblical “big dig”—His wonderful work—is breathtaking! And it is for everybody.

This is a subject of monumental importance! The coming of the Messiah is not merely about Jerusalem or Israel: It encompasses the whole world! We need to etch that vision into our minds. When you do, it will motivate you as nothing else ever has.

There will be serious problems in this end time—but follow through on this archaeological work, and this vision will give you great hope—the hope we all need in a hopeless world.

The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that God would “plant the heavens,” referring to the universe (Isaiah 51:16). This work in Jerusalem will eventually reach out into the universe. It is the most exciting and wonderful vision you could ever understand!