Good evening to you all once again. Tonight we again have the distinct pleasure of welcoming amateur archeologist Ron Wyatt. Those of you who were here the last time Ron spoke, heard him tell about his discovery of Noah's Ark, the tower of Babel and ancient civilizations. You heard him tell how he did not want any credit for these findings, for he believes that God has providentially led him in every one of his finds. He told of divine miracles connected with each find. In each instance he used the Word of God, the Bible as his guide to confirm what he had found, before, during, and after.
Tonight, Ron is going to share with us his other findings which conclusively support and substantiate the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel's history and the most important event ever witnessed in the world, the crucifixion of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Without any further comment from me, it is again with distinct pleasure that I introduce to you for the second time, my friend and fellow believer, Ron Wyatt. Thank you my friend for coming yet again.
Thank you friend Devon. I am always grateful for the opportunity to share what the Lord has designed to be discovered in these last days and years of this earth's history. Tonight I will begin by showing you how we found what we believe to be the site of Sodom and Gomorrah.
If we can have the lights out and the projector turned on we will begin.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH:
For many years people have assumed that Sodom and Gomorrah was under the Dead Sea. Through a series of what I believe were divine circumstances, I was led to explore an area at the southern tip of the Dead Sea, behind a mountain range which I had passed many times in my archeological travels.
On this particular occasion, I was impressed to go over to the particular bluff you see on the screen and examine it. My wife and another couple, turned off the road and drove as far as we could in our cars. From then on we had to walk toward the bluffs which was arduous and took quite some time. It was intensely hot and we risked becoming dehydrated in the heat. Coupled with this, the nearer we got to the bluffs, the softer the ground became making it very difficult to walk. In fact it was so soft that it looked more like talcum powder than dirt. What first attracted me to these bluffs, was that when looking at them it seemed like I could make out the shapes and forms of a wall and buildings above the wall. It definitely appeared to be man-made.
As we approached the bluffs I was sure that this was something that at one time was a city. Its location was very close to where the Bible indicated Sodom and Gomorrah would have been. As we continued to explore the area you see in the picture, you can see how parts of the remains look like guard towers and raised sections on top of the walls behind which soldiers could hide when attacked.
This next scene is what we believe was a main entrance. In front of it you see a blob of earth which looks very much like the shape of a sphinx. Also notice this next picture and you can see what looks like a ziggurat temple or a step pyramid altar. In the next picture you can make out the ends of the beams that were used in its construction, proving conclusively that this was indeed an ancient temple. Later you will see that we found more sphinx's and ziggurats.
Now you see what can be identified as streets and corners, and the overall shapes of buildings, even flying buttresses. Being this location is just below Masada, we decided to take the tram seen in this next picture and go to the top to look down on the area. You can now definitely see that this whole area had once been a large city. Notice the temple sites, the entrances to the city, the place where a river ran through the city. Now going back down to the ruins, you now see rooms that we could have entered but were afraid they might collapse because everything in that whole city is nothing but solid ash.
This fact is significant because in order for the whole city to have been turned to ash as fine as powder, meant that it had to have burned in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. But up to this time as convinced as I was that this was in fact the ancient site of Sodom, as yet I did not have any hard evidence to prove our observations were correct.
We left and prayed that if it was in God's will to give us proof, that the way would open up. The next time I had opportunity to get back there, it had miraculously rained the night before. We say miraculously, for it rains maybe a scant ½ inch of rain a year. This turned out to be God's answer to our prayer, for, as you can see, the rain had washed the surface ash away revealing millions upon millions of encrusted balls of rock or ash as shown. Notice that some of them were open. You can see that inside is a small ball of sulfur which is what the Bible calls brimstone, and what God rained down upon Sodom.
We took our pictures and samples back for analysis. The laboratory reports confirmed that this was sulfur and the surrounding crust was nothing more than ash. As you can see in our little home test, this sulfur burned with a bluish flame indicating the extreme temperatures that consumed Sodom.
I asked the lab to do a BTU test to see at what temperature it burned, but they refused saying it would exceed the capacity of their test instrument and ruin it. The sulfur which we tested at home in this table spoon got so hot that we could not hold it by the handle. Notice in this next picture that the sulfur burned up completely and where it had been, notice the small hole in the bottom of the spoon. This next picture shows us trying to burn some of the crusted ash that encapsulated the ball of sulfur, but it was so completely burned that there was nothing left to burn, it didn't even change color.
We now know that these cities burned so hot that everything ionized, which means there is nothing left of the original construction material, human remains, or artifacts. The Bible says that in the last days of this earth's history, it will be like it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, and that He will again consume the wicked with fire. How important it is that each of us make our election and calling sure and be on God's side.
JOSEPH AND THE FAMINE:
Next I want to share with you what I have found in Egypt that supports the Bible accounts accurately. Did you know that the story of Joseph and his activities in Egypt is only found in the Bible? Critics have for years pointed to this fact as proof that it was only Jewish folklore, for if Joseph really existed, they asked, why is there no archeological evidence in any of the writings or pictographs of ancient Egypt?
I believe that now God has allowed me to uncover the evidence for all to see. These next scenes on the screen show you the actual grain pit complex at Succoth built by Joseph. This is where the grain was stored during the 7 years of plenty, in preparation for the 7 years of famine which were to follow, as given in two dreams to Pharaoh and interpreted by Joseph (Genesis 41). As recorded in the Bible, Joseph was made by Pharaoh second in command to him.
In my research and study I discovered the name of this Pharaoh was "Djoser." When the famine came after the 7 years of plenty, the people from the surrounding countries came to Egypt to get food, including his brothers who came from Canaan. The Bible says that Joseph was made governor over all the land. I also discovered that Joseph's Egyptian name was "Imhotep."
These massive grain storage bins shown here are located in Saqarro, Egypt. As you can see they were built underground so that the top was at ground level, which was capped off with stones. There are 11 of them, all are 100 feet deep. They are square and rectangular shaped, the size varying from a length and width of 40 by 40, to 60 by 40 feet. To get to the grain they dug 130 feet down using a series of ramps, as you can see, so that the grain could be extracted from the bottom through slots, much like a bird feeder works. They had fee booths at the entrance to the ramps where money was collected. This complex is located in the same complex as is the step pyramid, the first to be built in Egypt, which the ancient writings say was built by Imhotep or Joseph. Close by, there are also some tombs where royalty was buried. This implies to me that Joseph was the original engineer of the pyramids of Egypt which eventually evolved into structures with smooth faced surfaces.
MOSES AND ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS:
Now let us look at Moses for some fascinating things have been uncovered about him. As recorded in the Bible, Moses as a baby was found by the Pharaoh's daughter in a basket floating among the bulrushes. He was raised up as royalty and trained in the ways of the Pharaoh's and groomed to one day become Pharaoh. (Exodus 1,2)
The Lord had other plans for Moses. The Bible records that one day when Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, he slew the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. When he was found out, he fled to the land of Midian to spend the next 40 years as a sheepherder. (Exodus 2:11-15)
EGYPTIAN TOMB FOR MOSES?
I believe what you are seeing on the screen might be the tomb that was being prepared for Moses when he died. Notice how the hieroglyphics in this one tomb construction site went just so far and then stopped. You can see how they had marked what they were going to chisel out with black charcoal, and where suddenly there is no more chisel work done.
After 40 years in the wilderness, the Bible records how the Lord brought Moses back to Egypt to lead His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. After the plagues convinced Pharaoh to let the people go, and they were on their way, Pharaoh changed his mind and began to pursue the Israelites whose numbers were several million.
THE RED SEA CROSSING SITE FOUND:
The next saga in Israel's history, for which we have uncovered new evidence is when the Egyptians caught up with them at the Red Sea where there was no way of escape. With mountains on all sides, and only a small valley between to provide passage, and only the Red Sea in front of them, they were trapped. The Lord provided a miracle, and the Bible says the sea opened up in front of them and they crossed over on dry land into the land of Arabia. (Exodus 14:21,22).
Through earnest and prayerful study of the Biblical account, I believe the Lord guided me to where this crossing was. Up to this time nobody knew just where they crossed. Most thought it was at some place on the West or left finger of the Red Sea that borders Israel. But I knew this could not be true for the Bible describes them as crossing over into the wilderness of Sin and eventually to Mt. Sinai, which Galatians 4:25 says is in Arabia. I retraced all possible routes they might have taken. Knowing the main route of the time from Egypt to Jerusalem, I figured it had to be, not on the left finger, but rather on the right one which borders Arabia as illustrated. You see on the video the route and the passage way through the mountains which they took. Now you see the beach which is large enough to hold the 2 million plus people.
On subsequent visits we explored and dived into the gulf of Aquaba and could see exactly how God had provided for the crossing. In the illustration on the screen you can see how the Red Sea is 5,000 feet deep along this beachhead and drops off at a 45 degree angle so steep that it would have been impossible for Israel to cross there, except for one area. For thousands of years water had washed sand and silt into the water at the beach area, building a natural causeway out into the gulf. At the same time from the Arabian side, the same thing was happening. By the time Israel was there to cross through the Red Sea, the causeway extended across the Red Sea at that beach and nowhere else. The depth gently sloped to a maximum of 1,000 feet as versus 5,000 on either side.
As my sons and I dived and explored with scuba gear, we found what you see in front of you. Here you can see Egyptian chariot wheels, axles, chariot body parts, human skeletons, and horse's hoofs scattered out for a half a mile or so, which was as far as they could go because of the depth. It is significant to note that, with few exceptions, the wheels were separated from the axles just as the Bible described. (Exodus 14:25)
We also found two ancient columns, one on each side of the crossing. We have only pictured one of them here. Notice the inscriptions. It states that Solomon built them and placed them there marking the very spot where God parted the waters for the Israelites and destroyed the Egyptians.
Until recently, we did not know just how God parted the waters of the Red Sea and caused them to stand up as a wall 1,000 feet high. But my friend and colleague, Jonathan Gray, whom I hear came and spoke to you, discovered in the Biblical account how this happened. In the song of Moses, praising God for their deliverance after the crossing and destruction of the Egyptians, Exodus 15:8 says that the depths of the Red Sea were "congealed." One meaning of this Hebrew word "qapha" means "ice." Jonathan began to consider how these waters could have become like a wall of ice. He remembered in his archaeological explorations that there are places where evaporation of water by wind turns the water to ice.
Knowing that the Bible says the Lord used wind to part the waters, makes it probable that God used the wind to turn the waters of the Red Sea to walls of ice. After the children of Israel had all arrived on the other side, Jonathan believes God allowed the ice to melt starting with the ice that was formed first at the point where they entered the water. Once the water started melting down, the Egyptians were doomed as the 1,000 feet high wall of ice melted. The Bible says that God caused the wheels of their chariots to fall off and the axles to break, making it impossible for them to escape. How these findings confirmed the Bible account amazed me. I praised God for revealing these things, vindicating His Word.
THE STRUCK ROCK FOUND:
Time and again I was humbled and awed as the Lord would lead me and bring to my attention that which He wanted me to find. Take for example the true site of Mt. Sinai, which I knew could not be in Israel where it is claimed, but had to be, as the Bible described it, somewhere in Arabia, leading away from the crossing site.
Following the only canyon leading away from the beach, I followed where it went. The beach on both sides was large enough to hold the 2 million Israelites in that company. The Bible says that they walked for three days until they came to Marah where there was bitter water that they could not drink. (Exodus 15:22) It was here that the Lord promised he would heal them of all their diseases and keep them free of any illness or physical problems, IF they would keep His commandments and listen to Him.
They continued on for a short time and came to Elim where they found 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees, where they camped. (Exodus 15:27) What you are seeing is that very oasis with its wells and even some of the very trees still there.
We continued on in our search until we came to the area called in the Bible the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 16:1) This was, according to the Word, 75 days after they left Egypt. So they were moving along quite well when you consider the number of people involved. Here you see this wilderness area in which the people would spend the next 40 years. And here it was that they murmured against being in the wilderness, and where God rained manna or food, down from heaven in the form of a sweet little wafer every day except on Sabbath. (Exodus 16)
After leaving the Sin area, the Bible says they came and set up camp at Rephidim, but there was no water. (Exodus 17:1) This was where Moses became angry with them for their constant complaining, and sought the Lord as to what he was to do. The Lord told him to strike a rock and water would come out. It was this act that cost him his life so he could not go with Israel over into the Promised Land. (Genesis 17:5-7)
What you are looking at is that very rock that gushed forth water in abundance. See the water marks and channels cut in the rock descending into the valley below? These channels attest to the fact that over the time Israel camped there for 40 years, millions of gallons of water flowed from out of that rock! Today it is dry, but the evidence is still there for all to see. How good and merciful is God to have provided for this rebellious people. That split down the middle of the rock was caused when Moses struck the rock with his rod. The huge volumes of water that gushed out from the split on both sides of the rock, should be comfort to people today that in these last days of this earth's history, God will also take care of those who are His own.
MOUNT SINAI FOUND:
The Bible records that 3 months after coming out of Egypt, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and pitched their tents before the Mountain called Sinai. (Exodus 19:1,2) It was this mountain that Moses climbed, and where God spoke to him and gave him the Tables of Stone. Here the glory of God descended in flames engulfing the mountain. It was also here where the children of Israel built a golden calf from the jewelry given to them by the Egyptians.
The people were fearful of God because of the noise of thunder and the flaming mountain. They pleaded with Moses to not let God speak to them directly. God set the boundaries as to how close they could come to the Mountain. God told Moses to build 12 pillars of stone at the base of the Mountain, representing the twelve tribes, as markers, which were to be a boundary marker, marking the line they were to stay behind. (Exodus 24:4)
The Lord also told Moses to build an altar in the Mountain beyond the pillars, where they were to offer sacrifices to the Lord for their sins. (Exodus 24:4-8) At this time they made a covenant with the Lord that they would do all that the Lord commanded. But they were soon to forget. Upon building this altar, God commanded Moses and Joshua to come up into the Mountain. They told the people to wait for them to return. They told the people that Aaron and Hur would be with the people in case they needed anything. (Exodus 24:12-14)
Moses went up into the Mount and a cloud covered the Mount and the glory of the Lord stayed there for 7 days. On the seventh day, God called out to Moses from the cloud which looked like a devouring fire enveloping the whole Mountain. Moses went up into the cloud and stayed there for 40 days and 40 nights. (Exodus 24:16-18) It was here that the Lord told Moses that He would give him tables of stone upon which His 10 commandments would be written. He also gave Moses the order to build a Sanctuary unto the Lord and the construction plans for it. This included the plans for building the Ark of the Covenant out of gold. (Exodus 25:10-22)
The Lord led me to this Mountain, which is in Arabia, and today is called "Jabel El Lawz." Here you see the photographic evidence to support all the Bible says took place. See those twelve boundary pillars of stone? They are each 18 feet in diameter, built with rocks set like a block wall would be built, and filled inside with more rocks and dirt.
Now you see the altar where they first sacrificed their offerings. Near and connected to this altar you see the foundation stones of an "L" shaped building. Notice the Mountain upon which the Lord descended. The top is black as if burned by intense heat.
The Bible says that when Moses and Joshua came down from the mountain after 40 days, with the tables of stone, they were met by an appalling sight. The Israelites had built an altar and a golden calf (Baal) and were singing and dancing around it nude. When Moses saw this, his anger waxed hot, and he threw down the tables of stone, breaking them. Here you see that very altar is still standing. Notice the pictures of Egyptian calves carved into the stones. There is nothing like this anywhere else in Arabia. Everything about this place fits perfectly the Bible's description of this area and what happened.
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT:
In conclusion for tonight's presentation, I have saved what I believe is the best for the last. It is no secret that the Ark was the most important part of Israel's worship to God. It pointed them forward to the time when God's Son would come to earth as a man and save mankind from the consequences of sin, which was death.
The Ark consisted of a box covered with gold, with two angels, one on each side bending over the top of it, which was called the Mercy Seat. Two of their wings arched over and touched in the middle. The Lord told Moses that this Ark, as well as the whole Sanctuary, was patterned after the one in Heaven. (Exodus 25:9) Once a year the high priest went before this Ark and sprinkled blood before it, appealing for God's mercy to forgive and take away the sins of the people. The whole sacrificial system set up immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, pointed to the Lamb of God, who would come and take away the sins of the world, and by His death to fulfill the demands of the law, which required death for sinning and breaking the 10 commandment law of God. That is why the 10 commandments were in the Ark under the mercy seat or solid gold cover.
To give you a little background, before Jesus came, animal sacrifices were required for sins that were committed. This blood was sprinkled before the heavy drapery that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where the Ark resided. Once a year the Sanctuary had to be cleansed and blood taken and sprinkled before the Mercy Seat, meaning that those sins were forever forgiven and blotted out.
My discovery of the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant is the only find I had never even entertained any desire to find. How this came about was totally a miracle of God from start to finish.
The hiding place of the Ark, has heretofore been unknown. It was hidden during Israel's years of captivity in Babylon. The Apocrypha says that the Ark was hidden in a cave by Jeremiah, but no-one knew where that was, until the Lord gave me a divine supernatural revelation. Here is how that happened.
In 1978 I was walking with the director of antiquities of the museum outside Jerusalem beneath the North wall of the city, talking about archeological matters. Suddenly my arm shot out at a right angle to my body and words came out of my mouth that I did not consciously speak or have any control over. A tingling sensation came over my body, which in times past I associated with a supernatural presence. I spoke the words: "Jeremiah's grotto," just as my arm pointed to the bluff or bank below the wall. I then said: "The Ark of the Covenant is in there." The response of the man who owned the land was almost as remarkable as what happened to me, for he said "That's interesting. If that's so, I will give you food and a place to stay as you search for it."
Over a period of the next few years, beginning in 1979 I, with my two sons, began to dig in the area. Not knowing just where to dig or what to look for, we first dug 30 or more feet down to bedrock, all by hand.
You can see the first thing we found. What you are looking at is the place of the crucifixion of Jesus with three holes carved in stone for three crosses to be placed. You will notice that across the middle cross hole which is higher than the ones on each side is a large crack which went down into the rock. This was a very important find.
The Bible says that when Jesus died, there was an earthquake. Immediately I wondered if that crack might have some significance. This next scene you are looking at are three ledges carved in the rock behind the crosses. This is where signs were placed, describing the crimes of the victims.
The next thing we uncovered was the Garden Tomb of Joseph where the Bible says Jesus was laid. We also found the stone that was rolled in front of it.
While these things were significant, we seem to be no nearer finding the Ark which I felt the Lord wanted me to uncover.
It was on a Wednesday, January 6, 1982, at 2:00 p.m., after removing tons of rock and dirt, and tunneling our way many feet into the stony cliff, that I shined my flashlight down through a massive pile of large rocks, and my eye caught a glimpse of something shiny.
I began slowly removing the rocks one at a time and discovered some dry-rotted wooden timbers just beneath the rocks, and then some also dry-rotted remains of animal skins that turned to powder when they were moved. The animal skins were covering a gold veneered table with a raised molding around the side which consisted of an alternating pattern of a bell and a pomegranate. It only took me a moment to realize that at the least this WAS an object from the first temple! But I was in such a confined space that I couldn't uncover the entire table. Later it was concluded, after closer examination, that this was the Table of Shewbread, which was part of the furniture in the Holy Place of the earthly Tabernacle.
You can imagine my excitement and anticipation. With adrenaline flowing through my veins, I looked around to see what else I could see, which wasn't much. I shined my flashlight around the open area and then up to the ceiling. There, I saw something that caught my eye—it was a crack in the ceiling with a black substance within the crack. Crawling slowly and painfully over the rocks to the rear of the chamber, I saw a stone case extending through the rocks. It had a flat stone top, which was cracked completely in two and the smaller section was moved aside, creating an opening into the stone case. But the top was too near the ceiling for me to look inside. Yet instinctively I knew what was inside—the crack in the ceiling was directly above the cracked part of the lid, where it was open, and the black substance had fallen from the crack into the case because some of it splashed onto the lid. It was at this instant that I suddenly realized what had happened here almost 2,000 years ago and I passed out, waking up 45 minutes later.
The crack in the ceiling was the end of the crack I had found in the elevated cross-hole some 20 feet above me. I realized that THE BLACK SUBSTANCE WAS BLOOD, WHICH HAD FALLEN THROUGH THE CRACK and into the stone case. I KNEW without question now that the Ark was in the stone case. But the most overwhelming realization was that CHRIST'S BLOOD HAD ACTUALLY FALLEN ONTO THE MERCY SEAT.
When I regained consciousness, it was 2:45 p.m. A mere 45 minutes had passed since I entered the chamber, yet in that short time, I had became the first witness to the literal fulfillment of the "type" represented by all the sacrifices made by God's people since Adam and Eve, and later specifically directed by God, Himself, in the laws of the sacrificial system.
Now I knew why the boys and I had been excavating for the last 3 years, even though I sometimes felt it was useless. If we had not found first, the cut out niches, and then the elevated cross-hole with the earthquake crack, I would not have recognized what had happened here. Never in all of my life had I ever heard anyone say or think that the actual blood of Jesus had fallen on the mercy seat of the Ark. Thus the promise the Lord had given to me had come to pass. It HAD been fulfilled—I DID find the Ark of the Covenant on that trip, yet I didn't even lay my eyes on it. This was frustrating to me, and I complained silently to the Lord. Immediately I received a very strong impression which I believe came from the Lord. "I only promised you that you would FIND it, not see it. It will come out when the time is right."
On one subsequent trip, I eventually saw it and tried to photograph it, but none of the pictures came out. What the Lord did allow me to do was to get samples of the dried blood. I took them back to have them hydrated and examined under a microscope. I submitted them to five different laboratories so someone couldn't say that I somehow rigged the results.
They did a chromosome analysis, and what each of the labs reported was ASTOUNDING. NEVER WAS HUMAN BLOOD LIKE THIS EVER EXAMINED BEFORE. Let me explain. Human blood normally has 46 chromosomes, 23 "X" chromosomes from the mother, and 23 from the Father with one or more from him being a "Y" chromosome. This blood, however, had a total of only 24 chromosomes. There were the "X" chromosomes from the mother, but instead of 23 from the Father, THERE WAS ONLY ONE "Y" CHROMOSOME. The evidence was overwhelming that JESUS HAD A HUMAN MOTHER, BUT NO HUMAN FATHER. Thus God has provided proof that Jesus was who He said He was, THE SON OF GOD!
That my friends was the climax of all my years of labor. Never was I more humbled and unworthy than when I discovered the Ark and realized the blood I had gathered was that of my Lord and Savior. I asked myself; "why me Lord, I am nothing but a worthless sinner, so full of faults and unworthy of such a discovery." I had only one thing going for me—I was willing!
My friends, I want you to know that that precious blood was shed for you and me, shed so that our sins could be forgiven. Jesus gave His life for you. He loves you with a love that exceeds our ability to comprehend. He, the Creator of the universe, came down here to become one with us so that we would not have to face eternal death because of our sins.
If you haven't received anything else out of this series about God, I hope that what I have shared with you will cause you to re-evaluate your relationship with our blessed Lord, and not make the sacrifice of his life for you in vain. Thank you for coming and for letting me share what is closest to my heart. God bless you all and keep you, is my prayer.
Thank you Ron for once again coming to inspire us with your testimony. Next week we will continue on with our exploration of the latest computer findings about the Bible, and examine the phenomena of the names of people today being encoded into the Scriptures. This latest finding is a most fascinating study. Our guest speaker will be Michael Drosnin, a reporter turned writer. His book has been widely publicized and reviewed. He has made appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show, and has been interviewed on numerous talk shows. So until next time, have a good week.