When Sennacherib threatened against Jerusalem, King Hezekiah put the defense of the city in the hands of Jehovah, and in one night Jehovah’s angel struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. “Therefore Sennacherib the king of Assyria pulled away.”—2 Ki. 19:35, 36.

Lachish was eventually built up again into a strong city. When Jehovah brought King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon against unfaithful Jerusalem in 607 B.C., Lachish did not escape destruction either. Its inhabitants had forsaken Jehovah, and the city deserved destruction, as Micah had foretold. (Mic. 1:13) The ruins of Lachish were explored in the 1930’s by the Wellcome-Marston Archaeological Research Expedition, headed first by J. L. Starkey. The expedition discovered grim evidence of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege. Says Werner Keller in the book The Bible as History:

“Investigation of the stratum that marked the Babylonian work of destruction produced, to Starkey’s astonishment, ashes. Ashes in incredible quantities. . . . Nebuchadnezzar’s engineers were specialists in the art of incendiarism, past masters at starting conflagrations. Whatever wood they could lay hands on they dragged to the spot, . . . piled the firewood as high as a house outside the walls and set it alight. . . . Day and night sheets of flame leapt sky high: a ring of fire licked the walls from top to bottom. The besieging force piled on more and more until the white-hot stones burst and the walls caved in.”

For trusting in fortifications and military equipment and for forsaking Jehovah, Lachish suffered a just fate. The ruins of this erstwhile stronghold remain as a warning to all who would trust in men and weapons rather than Jehovah Most High.

What Does God’s Kingdom Mean to You?

WHEN you repeat the Lord’s Prayer you utter the words, “Let your kingdom come.” (Matt. 6:10) What does that kingdom mean to you? What part does it play in your life? Why did Jesus instruct us to pray for this kingdom even before asking for our daily bread, forgiveness or deliverance from temptation?

The kingdom of God is referred to so frequently in the Scriptures that it is obviously the theme or central doctrine of the entire Bible. The fact that Jesus urged us to pray continually for it shows its importance in God’s purposes. In the book of Matthew alone the Kingdom is mentioned more than fifty times! But in connection with what? John the Baptist makes mention of it in these words: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” (Matt. 3:2) When Jesus sent out his disciples he commanded: “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.’” (Matt. 10:7) This was to be no earthly kingdom, but one that would rule from the invisible heavens over the earth and humans on it.

Who would be the king? Luke 1:31, 33 states: “You are to call his name Jesus . . . and he will be king . . . and there will be no end of his kingdom.” Enthroned in heavenly glory, the King Jesus Christ will destroy this wicked world and all who love it. With wickedness gone, God “will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more.” (Rev. 21:4) Isaiah 9:7 adds: “To the abundance of the princely rule and to peace there will be no end.”

The Kingdom will mean the end of sickness, sorrow, hatred, oppression and war! It will mean freedom from fear, freedom from want and freedom from death. It will