SERMON 158   THE STONES CRY OUT!     
Archaeology has often shown theories against the Bible to be false.    Scholars of the “deconstructionist” apporaoch do not believe  the history of Israel in the Bible before the Babyonian captivity.  Philip R. Davies presented this view in his book:  In Search of `Ancient Israel’ published in 1992.  However, in 1993, an inscription was found in part of a stone stele by archaeologists at Tel Dan in Israel.  This inscription in stone includes “House of David” and “King of Israel.”   It is written in old Hebrew script of the ninth century B.C.  It is part of a stele that was put up at Dan by an Aramean king who had won a victory over Israel.    This inscription in stone shows that the Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of Judah and King David are historical, not fictional.  The  theories of the “deconstructionist” scholars  are fictional.  The Bible is right.  You can read about the “house of David” inscription in the book Biblical Dan  by archaeologist Professor Avraham Biram published in 1994 by the Israel Exploration Society in Jerusalem.  There is  an article  “`David’  Found at Dan,” in the Biblical   Archaeology Review, March/April 1994.   There  is an article in the Jerusalem Post International Edition, “In Pursuit of History,” Nov. 25,1995, pp. 18,19.  The deconstructionist  scholars are wrong, but the Bible is right.                                                                     There is the Moabite Inscription, the Mesha Stela, which is in the Grand Louvre Museum in Paris.  The king of Moab, Mesha, had this stone monument inscribed to claim a ninth-century B.C. victory over Israel and  fighting against the house of David.  This is parallel with 2 Kings 3 in the Bible.  This stone monument was found in the ruins of Dibon (Dhiban) to the east of the Dead Sea.  Archaeologist Professor Andre’ Lemaire of the Institute of Semitic Studies, College de France has published the text with translation, which is  in the Biblical Archaeology Review  of May/June  1994, pp. 30-37.  Again this refutes the false claims of scholars who deny the historical accuracy of the Bible before the Babylonian captivity of Judah.  This ninth-century B.C. Moabite inscription, the Mesha Stela  stands as a monument to the existence of the Kingdom of Israel,  the House of David, and the  king of Judah.  (2 Kings 3.)   The Bible is historically accurate, but the theories of the deconstructionist scholars are false.    A third monument is the Merneptah stela.  It is also known as the Israel stela.  It was found in the funery temple belonging to Pharaoh Merneptah.  He ruled from 1213 B.C. to 1203 B.C.   The hieroglyphic inscription stated:  “Israel is laid waste and his seed is not.”  Yes, Israel existed as a people in 1203 B.C.  The unbelieving scholars are wrong.      The Bible is right.  An enemy of Israel had testified to the existence of Israel in a stone monument about 2 meters, or 7 feet high.  There is a good picture of the Merneptah stela in an article by Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen of the University of Liverpool in the Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 1995 on page 52.    There is a fourth monument by an enemy of Israel, the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser.  It was found at Nimrud, south of Nineveh by  A. H. Layard and is now in the British Museum (No. 118885).  King Jehu of Israel is 2 pictured in stone, bowing on his knees before the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III.   Above the stone picture inscribed in cuneiform is:   “The tribute of Jehu, son of Omri. . . .”   Jehu was king of Israel from 842 to 814 B.C.   Yes, the Bible is historically accurate, but the scholars are wrong.    So then, there are four stone monuments inscribed by enemies of Israel about Israel.  They are historical witnesses to the history of Israel before the Babylonian captivity period.  They are written in stone.  They are the Tel Dan “House of David” stela inscription, the M And they struck all the people who were in it with    3     the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them.  There was none left     breathing.  Then he burned Hazor with fire.    Joshua 11:10-11.Yes, the excavation of Hazor shows that Hazor was destroyed and burned with fire as recorded in the book of Joshua in the Bible.   Statues of the Canaanite and Egyptian Gods and kings were mutilated, which shows that it was neither the Canaanites  nor the Egyptians who destroyed Hazor.  They would not have Galilee.  They found a stratum of great destruction by fire of the city of Hazor.  Even mud bricks had been burned to glass.  They also found  Canaanite and Egyptian statues of Gods  and kings that had been mutilated.   Archaeologist Amnon Ben-Tor was interviewed by Hershel Shanks in the video Biblical Archaeology From the Ground Down.    Joshua 11:10-11.  Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and     struck its king with the sword;  for Hazor was formerly the head of   all    those  kingdoms. And they struck all the people who were in it with    3     the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them.  There was none left     breathing.  Then he burned Hazor with fire.    Joshua 11:10-11.Yes, the excavation of Hazor shows that Hazor was destroyed and burned with fire as recorded in the book of Joshua in the Bible.   Statues of the Canaanite and Egyptian Gods and kings were mutilated, which shows that it was neither the Canaanites nor the Egyptians who destroyed Hazor.  They would not have mutilated their own Gods.  Israel destroyed Hazor.   The Bible is historically accurate.  You can put your trust and faith in the Bible.  It is the word of God.      In Deuteronomy 18:15-19, God promised Moses that He would raise up a prophet from the people of Israel like Moses.  Listen to what God said:    “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren,    and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that    I command Him.  And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words,    which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.  Deut. 18:18,19.You need to understand that God has sent  His prophet Messiah Jesus who has spoken the word of God to you, the new covenant.  You will be judged according to the New Covenant.  The new covenant was foretold in Jeremiah 31:31-34.  Messiah Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies.     The good news is that Messiah Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures.  He was buried.  He rose the third day according to the scriptures.  Yes, this is good news.  You can have redemption, the forgiveness of your sins in Messiah Jesus.   You can have eternal life in    4  the heavenly New Jerusalem.   Believe in Him!  He is the Son of God as written in Psalm 2:7.  He is the only sacrifice for our sins,  which was foretold in Isaiah 53,  700 years ahead of time.   Listen to:    Isaiah 53:5,6:  But He was wounded for our transgressions.    He was bruised for our iniquities;      The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,     And by His stipes we are healed.    All we like sheep have gone astray;     We have turned every one, to his own way;    And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah 53:5,6.Messiah Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 53.  He is the Devine demonstration.    . . . Repent and let every one of you be baptized, immersed, in the name                        Jesus Christ, Yeshua Mashiakh, for the remission, forgiveness of sins;    and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38. Through your own faith in Messiah, you need to be buried with Him under the water in baptism then raised up out of the water to walk in newness of life.      Colossians 2:12:  buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were     raised with  him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him    from the dead.  Col. 2:12.    `And now why are you waiting?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away     your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’  Acts 22:16.  Amen!