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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004118S
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00:23 This is Egypt, land of the great pyramids. 00:28 The land of the golden Pharaoh's, the land of 00:32 Anthony and Cleopatra. Here Abraham came in search of 00:37 food and fortune. Joseph ruled as Prime Minister. 00:41 Here Moses received the Ten Commandments 00:45 and here Jesus and His family found refuge. 00:48 Welcome to 5,000 years of astonishing history. 00:53 I invite you to join me on a journey back through time 00:58 to this strange and mysterious land where in the past 01:02 gods were Kings and Kings were gods. 01:05 We will visit majestic temples and admire gigantic sculptures 01:11 we'll explore long-sealed tombs, deserted cities and fabulous 01:15 palaces and tombs weighing millions of tons. 01:19 And as we journey back through time, we may be influenced by 01:23 the compelling evidence to acknowledge the power 01:26 of the supernatural, a higher power. 01:53 Egypt is one of the lands of the Bible, in fact, Egypt 01:58 is mentioned over 600 times in the Bible 02:01 more than any other nation outside of Israel. 02:04 Of the 66 books of the Bible, Egypt is mentioned in 29 of them. 02:10 Egypt obviously plays an important role in the Bible. 02:15 Most of the Bible references to Egypt revolve around the 02:20 lives four prominent men. Abraham came to Egypt 02:24 during the time of famine in Canaan and left with great 02:28 riches. Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt and rose 02:33 to the position of Prime Minister. Later Jacob his father 02:38 along with his brothers moved to Egypt and settled in the 02:41 Nile Delta. Moses was born in Egypt and raised as a Royal 02:46 Prince in the palace of Pharaoh. 02:48 He had to flee the country but later returned to lead his 02:53 people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. 02:56 Jesus Christ was taken to Egypt by Mary and Joseph 03:00 to escaped Herod who was trying to kill him. 03:04 Now, when Abraham came to Egypt, the pyramids were already over 03:09 600 years old. Then they would have been covered in 03:13 gleaming white Terra Limestone and possibly with a huge gold 03:18 cap on top. The limestone and gold are gone but the pyramid's 03:23 mystery and majesty continue to amaze and astound us. 03:29 Built 4,500 years ago these pyramids are still the largest 03:36 manmade structures in the world. Today the great pyramids of 03:41 Giza stand as a memorial to the glorious civilization 03:45 of the Pharaoh's 45 centuries ago. 03:49 They are the most famous, most visited and most photographed 03:54 structures on earth. The Giza pyramids are considered 03:58 the greatest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 04:01 and are the only ones still standing, rising mysteriously 04:06 and majestically above the desert sand, the Giza pyramids 04:11 continue to amaze and confound us. 04:16 Now, the largest of the three Giza pyramids is the 04:19 Pyramid of Cheops often called the Great Pyramid. 04:22 It weighs more than five million tons and covers the equivalent 04:28 of ten football fields. 04:29 It's hard to grasp just how enormous it actually is, 04:34 in its base area of five hectors or 13 acres, there's enough room 04:40 to contain Hagia Sophia's mosque in Turkey, the Taj Mahal of India 04:45 and the Roman Colosseum in Italy. 04:48 But that's not all, you could also, fit in Notre Dame Cathedral 04:53 of Paris, Westminster Abbey of London, and for good measure 04:57 you could also throw in the Sydney Opera House. 05:00 The Great Pyramid contains over 21/2 million sandstone blocks 05:06 each weighing an average 21/2 tons and measuring about 05:11 a meter in each direction. 05:13 But even more astonishing than the size of the Great Pyramid 05:17 is the accuracy of it's construction. 05:20 These massive stones are cut and fitted so accurately 05:26 that a sheet of paper can't be inserted in the joints 05:29 between them. It embodies amazing architectural skills 05:34 and is a marvel of precise engineering 05:37 We could barely match these skills today. 05:41 Now, why all this huge effort to build these great pyramids? 05:46 Well, let's go inside and see if we can find out. 05:51 The entrance is on the north side of the pyramid, 05:55 this passage was cut by tomb robbers and leads into the 05:59 center of the Great Pyramid. We climbed down this corridor 06:04 for about 30 meters and then ascend for a further 40 meters 06:09 and it leads to the Grand Gallery, this is an awesome site 06:14 and an architectural master- piece. This great chamber 06:19 is about 50 meters long and ten meters high. 06:23 Beyond the Grand Gallery a narrow passageway leads to the 06:28 burial chamber, here we find the king's huge empty granite 06:33 sarcophagus. You see the ancient Egyptians regarded their pharaoh 06:38 as a living god and they went to extreme lengths to ensure 06:43 that his body was preserved after he died 06:45 and that he was buried in a tomb that would last for eternity 06:50 and that's why they built the pyramids. 06:53 The enormous size and geometrical precision of these 06:59 pyramids have aroused endless speculation and theories 07:03 as to their design and origin. Somehow 46 centuries ago 07:09 more than six million limestone blocks 07:12 were piled up to 40 stories high to build the three royal 07:17 tombs of the pharaohs. Incredibly, the entire 07:22 construction was completed in less than 70 years. 07:26 Without modern technology, workers lifted blocks weighing 07:30 21/2 tons with the larger blocks weighing 15 tons each 07:36 and put them in place at a rate of one about every two minutes. 07:41 How did they accomplish this monumental task? 07:45 How did they lift these huge stones weighing as much as 07:49 15 tons 40 stories high? 07:52 And how did they perfect the pyramid design? 07:55 Well, these are the secrets of the pharaohs, 07:59 secrets that have remained hidden for thousands of years. 08:04 But now, archeologists are uncovering evidence that's 08:09 shedding light on these ancient secrets. Many archeologists 08:14 now believe that new evidence shows that the ancient Egyptians 08:18 used ramps that spiraled up the sides of the unfinished 08:22 pyramid to move the stone blocks up to the top. 08:25 Recent discoveries seem to support this idea. 08:30 For centuries a popular myth held that the stone for the 08:35 pyramids came from a faraway quarry, but now the source 08:39 of the stone has been found to be a quarry just 300 meters 08:45 from the base of the Great Pyramid. 08:47 Generations missed this quarry because it was filled with 08:52 strange debris, now it seems that this strange rubble 08:57 is all that is left from the pyramid's construction ramps. 09:01 When the workers completed the pyramid, they pulled down 09:04 the ramps and dumped the remains in the quarry. 09:08 So, slowly but surely the secrets of the pharaohs 09:12 are being unlocked as archeologists piece together 09:16 the clues that explain the construction of the pyramids. 09:20 For example, now the design development of these awesome 09:24 pyramid tombs can be traced and it's fascinating to follow 09:29 the stages of progression. 09:33 The first pharaohs were buried in flat tombs called 09:40 mastabas. Now early mastabas were built of mud/brick 09:44 but later they were built of stone. 09:47 Below ground these mastabas tombs were built like houses 09:52 with separate chambers for possessions. The mastaba 09:56 is the basic form which all of the pyramids in Egypt grew. 10:01 A genius named Amenhotep took the first decisive step in 10:06 pyramid construction, he was the Prime Minister to 10:09 Pharaoh Zozo and was a brilliant architect. 10:13 When building his masters mastabas tomb, he used stone 10:18 instead of mud/brick. He then placed five stead tiers on top 10:23 of this mastaba to create the world's first skyscraper. 10:27 The magnificent step pyramid at Saqqara and so the first 10:32 pyramid was born. The Egyptians firm belief in an after-life 10:36 was the fundamental driving force that led to the piling up 10:41 of stone on such a monumental scale. It embodies six giant 10:47 stone steps by which the king could ascend to the heavens 10:50 after death. The step pyramid is the oldest stone monument 10:55 in the world and ushered in age of pyramid building, 10:59 it's the prototype of all later pyramids. 11:03 The next step in the pyramid construction took place a Meydum 11:09 some 60 kilometers south of the step pyramid. 11:12 Here at Meydum the builders attempted to make the first 11:16 true pyramid. A tomb of eight steps was erected and then, 11:20 they filled in the steps to convert it to a pyramid 11:24 with smooth sides. However the attempt ended in disaster. 11:28 It came down with a bang in a huge avalanche of stone. 11:34 Due to structural weaknesses caused by the serious design 11:38 faults of the over-ambitious architect, it collapsed when 11:43 the building was nearly finished in one great instantaneous 11:47 catastrophe. Today Meydum pyramid stands surrounded by 11:53 a mound of 250,000 tons of lime- stone formed by the debris 11:58 of its own destruction. 12:00 Now, the collapse of the pyramid of Meydum served as a warning 12:05 for the construction of another pyramid that pharaoh's 12:09 nephew had underway... The Bent Pyramid of Dahshur. 12:13 In order to prevent a repetition of the disaster of Meydum 12:17 this pyramid was given an odd shape. 12:20 It slopes upward from its base at an angle of 54° similar 12:27 to the one at Meydum then, it suddenly changes to a 43° 12:32 incline, giving it a bent appearance. 12:35 Apparently the first angle of inclination was too steep 12:39 Sneferu's architect feared that the pyramid would collapse 12:44 like the one at Meydum unless the angle was changed. 12:48 So he immediately changed the angle of the construction 12:52 and designed the top half of the pyramid at a shallow angle 12:56 to prevent the weight of the pyramid from causing it to 12:59 buckle and collapse. 13:01 Pharaoh Sneferu was too great a king to accept burial in a 13:06 bent pyramid, he considered it defective and unsafe 13:10 and so ordered another pyramid built nearby called 13:14 The Red Pyramid. As can be seen, the architect was still 13:19 playing safe and constructed the pyramid at a very shallow 13:23 angle of 43°. The Red Pyramid of Sneferu at Dahshur 13:28 was the first true pyramid and the way was now clear 13:32 for his son and successor Pharaoh Cheops 13:35 to build The Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest structure 13:40 ever built. 13:41 So we now know that the ancient Egyptians developed the design 13:48 and construction techniques through painful trial and error. 13:52 The clues are being pieced together by archeologists 13:56 who are slowly unraveling the secrets of the pharaohs. 14:01 So far these clues indicate that the pyramids were built 14:06 by thousands of workers and skilled craftsman during the 14:10 slack season, the three or four months of last summer 14:14 when the yearly Nile flood made farming impossible. 14:17 The limestone was brought from Tura about 10 km away 14:23 and the granite from nearby quarries. 14:25 Quarrymen used mallets of ultra-hard dolerite to chip 14:29 slots in the rock into which they inserted wedges of wood 14:34 soaked with water the wood expanded until the block 14:39 of rock split off. Stone-masons then use copper saws and 14:44 chisels to shape each chunk of quarried rock into a 14:48 pyramid building block. 14:49 They would leave it on top of wooden sleds and hold by 14:54 gangs of workers over log rollers to the construction site, 14:58 there the finishing touches were added and the blocks were then 15:03 ready to be hauled up the ramps and maneuvered into their 15:07 final position. The ramps eventually reached to the 15:11 very top of the pyramid. Once the structure's sandstone 15:16 gold cap was in place, the mason's worked their way down 15:19 again finishing the pyramid in its limestone veneer and 15:24 dismantling the ramps as they went. 15:26 The ancient Egyptians were skilled craftsman and brilliant 15:31 engineers, these pyramids are astounding feats of engineering. 15:36 But even more astounding are a series of predictions 15:42 made about ancient Egypt, its pharaoh's, its economy, 15:46 and it's capital city. Predictions that have been 15:50 fulfilled with an uncanny accuracy. 15:54 Let's investigate a few of them together. 16:02 Hidden in the cliffs behind Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple 16:06 lies the fabled Valley of the Kings. Forty-nine pharaohs 16:11 were buried in secret chambers hidden in this arid and desolate 16:16 valley, a reminder that Egypt had the longest line of kings 16:20 of any nation on earth. 16:23 For over 2,000 years Egyptian Princes had reigned supreme 16:29 and had be buried here in the Valley of the Kings 16:32 and while Egypt was a mighty power and these kings sat 16:36 on the throne, along came a little Bible prophet 16:40 by the name of Ezekiel and he made an amazing prediction. 16:45 Here it is in Ezekiel 30:13. 16:54 And you know, although it may seem too incredible to believe, 16:59 it's simply a cold fact of history that from 350 BC 17:05 right down until today, the land of the pharaohs 17:08 has never had an Egyptian prince. 17:11 An Egyptian king has not sat on the throne of Egypt. 17:15 They've had Persians, Greeks, Romans, Turks, French, 17:20 and British overlords, but never and Egyptian prince. 17:24 In my travels, I visited many interesting places 17:29 and investigated many strange and wonderful things 17:30 and I've investigated some of the Bible's predictions 17:36 about ancient Egypt and I found that not only is the Bible 17:40 historically accurate, but amazingly, its predictions 17:45 about the future come true. They've been fulfilled in every 17:50 detail. Here's another one of these amazing Bible prophecies, 17:54 when these mighty pharaohs rule the world, much of Egypt's 17:59 wealth came from exporting paper to the world. 18:02 The Egyptians were the very first people in the world to 18:06 make paper and they made it from the papyrus plant. 18:10 These papyrus reeds grew in abundance along the Nile River, 18:18 there were millions of them. The ancient Egyptians 18:22 harvested the papyrus reeds and developed a simple 18:26 process of turning them into paper. 18:29 After harvesting the plant, they peeled away the outer 18:33 fibers and sliced the stalk into thin strips, 18:37 they then placed the strips side by side and a second layer 18:41 on top in an overlapping rib pattern, 18:44 the strips were then placed between layers of cloth 18:47 and pounded with a wooden mallet before being placed 18:51 under a heavy slab to dry. 18:53 This paper brought great wealth to the Egyptians, 18:57 it was cheap and easy to make and they had an abundant 19:03 seemingly never-ending source of papyrus reeds, 19:06 but today the papyrus reeds are gone. 19:09 It's amazing but the banks of the Nile are clean, totally free 19:15 of the papyrus reed. Why has the paper reed disappeared? 19:20 Well thousands of years ago when Egypt was at the height 19:24 of her power and when the papyrus reeds grew prolifically 19:28 along the Nile...Here's what the Bible prophet Isaiah predicted 19:32 in Isaiah 19:7. 19:43 And that's exactly what happened from one end of Egypt to the 19:48 other, the Nile is completely free of papyrus reeds. 19:53 There are many predictions like this in the Bible 19:56 I'm amazed at how accurately they've all been fulfilled, 20:00 it's uncanny. 20:02 The wonders of ancient Egypt are everywhere in this land 20:07 and so is the evidence of Bible prophecy. 20:10 Consider for example the great city of ancient Memphis. 20:15 During the time when the pharaohs ruled the world 20:18 and the great pyramids were built Memphis was the religious 20:22 and political capital of Egypt. It was one of most famous 20:27 and spectacular cities of the ancient world studded with 20:31 gleaming stone temples and palaces. 20:34 This fabulous city was the capitol of the empire 20:38 for thousands of years. However today all the grandeur of Memphis 20:45 is gone. The statues and idols have either been smashed 20:49 and broken, or they've disappeared. 20:52 They're all gone or broken, it's a barren and desolate place 20:57 What happened to this once great city, 21:00 well I'm going to read you another remarkable 21:04 Bible prophecy. Back in the days when Memphis was 21:08 a great city and seemed almost indestructable, 21:11 the Bible prophet Ezekiel made an amazing prediction 21:15 about it, you can read it in Ezekiel 30:13. 21:29 This Bible prophecy has been fulfilled in every detail. 21:34 The desolation of Memphis is unique, other large Egyptian 21:39 cities have been destroyed but their statues and idols 21:43 are still there. You find that at Karnac, the statues are still 21:48 upright in all their glory. 21:51 The same is true at Luxor, the idols are there in broad 21:55 daylight, at Abu Simbel, the city is gone 21:59 but the great statues have been discovered and re-erected. 22:03 But not so in Memphis, all that remain are a few broken idols. 22:09 Just as the Bible predicted, the images and idols of Memphis 22:14 have been destroyed. 22:16 Now, I'd like to show you one more Bible prophecy about Egypt, 22:21 this is possibly the most amazing of them all 22:24 because it covers the most history in this land. 22:28 When Egypt was at the height of its power 22:30 and ruled over the nations, here's what the Bible predicted 22:34 in Ezekiel 29:15. 22:47 That was some prediction to make. 22:52 Remember that at this time Egypt had been a great world power 22:55 for centuries, it was a true super-power, 22:59 it did indeed exalt itself above other nations, 23:03 it did indeed rule over many. 23:06 The great pharaohs immortalized in stone were part of an empire 23:12 that no one would have seen fading or would have seen 23:16 diminishing in power but believe it or not, just like the Bible 23:20 predicted several decades after this prophecy was made 23:25 Egypt was under foreign denomination. 23:28 First, the Persian Empire ruled over the Egyptians 23:32 then they were swallowed up by the Greek and Roman Empires. 23:36 The Otterman Turks would occupy the seat of power these pharaohs 23:42 had held for so long. Much later European countries 23:46 would yield power in this land. 23:50 Yes, Egypt would never rule over other nations again just as the 23:57 Bible predicted. It's incredible how these amazing Bible 24:01 prophecies have all been fulfilled. They are so diverse 24:07 and cover such a varied list of subjects and yet they are 24:11 fulfilled in every minute detail. 24:14 They are right every time. Just consider these amazing 24:20 predictions. The long line of Egyptian Princes is going 24:24 to just stop. 24:25 The papyrus reed is going to inexplicably disappear. 24:30 The idols of Memphis will be smashed into pieces. 24:34 And Egypt will no longer rule over the nations. 24:38 Each prophecy, each prediction has been accurately fulfilled. 24:44 The Bible was right on each occasion. 24:50 As we travel through the wonderful land of Egypt, 24:53 as we explore its magnificent monuments and investigate 24:57 its long history, we discover that not only is the Bible 25:02 historically accurate and reliable, but its prophecies 25:06 and predictions are remarkably fulfilled. 25:09 Yes, a journey through Egypt demonstrates that we can 25:14 trust the Bible. It's accurate, it's reliable, and its 25:19 prophecy's come true, in fact, the Bible has an uncanny ability 25:24 to predict the future. The Bible's prophecies have proved 25:29 100% accurate over thousands of years. Evidence of a 25:34 higher power, evidence of the divine. 25:39 At times, the future can seem uncertain to us but I guarantee 25:45 there is one thing that makes the future very certain, 25:48 very clear and very full of hope and that's God's Word 25:53 the Bible. 25:54 If you'd like to find out more about the Bible and its amazing 25:59 prophecy's concerning the future and the hope and happiness 26:02 it brings then I'd like to recommend a Free gift we have 26:06 for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:10 It's a small but fascinating book Egypt and The Bible. 26:15 This easy to read book is our gift to you and is absolutely 26:20 Free. I guarantee there are no hidden costs or obligations 26:24 whatsoever. So make sure you take this opportunity 26:28 to receive the gift we have for you today. 26:31 Phone or text us at 0436.333.555 in Australia 26:39 or 020.422.2042 in New Zealand. 26:44 Or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's Free offer 26:49 and we'll send it to you totally Free of charge 26:52 and with no obligation. Write to us at GPO Box 274, Sydney NSW 26:59 2001, Australia. Or PO Box 76673, Manukau, Auckland 27:06 2241, New Zealand. Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:11 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Egypt, 27:15 and our amazing reflections on the prophecies of the Bible, 27:19 and the hope that it brings then be sure to join us again 27:23 next week when we will share another of life's journey's 27:27 together. Until then, let's ask the God of the Bible 27:31 who knows and controls the future to guide and direct 27:35 our lives. Let's pray! 27:38 Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you for Your Word 27:42 the Bible. We've seen evidence that it is reliable and 27:46 trustworthy. We've seen that it's amazing predictions 27:50 are accurately fulfilled. The Bible contains a special message 27:54 for each one of us. A message that can change our lives 27:58 and give us hope for the future. Please encourage us to 28:02 read the Bible and discover your plan for our lives and for our 28:06 planet. And please guide our lives. 28:10 We ask this in Jesus name. Amen! |
Revised 2021-11-16