Published by Time goes back to the year 587 B.C., in the 11th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity when Jerusalem fell, that the biblical prophecy about Tyre was foretold. Herodutus made mention of Tyre as “the mistress of the sea, rich with fine gold of Tarnish, the precious stone of Aram, the beautiful ivories of Damascus, the fine linen of Egypt, the perfume of Sheba.” Tyre was, without rival, the commercial center of the world.
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At a time when Tyre’s power was at the apex of glory, the prophet Ezekiel lifted his voice of warning from the Lord, in response to the ridicule heaped on Jerusalem. “Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of the nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become a spoil to the nations” (Ezekiel 26:2-5).
In fulfillment of prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Tyre, and it became part of the Babylonian empire. Later, it was ruled by the Macedonians and then the Romans. These sieges of different nations ruined the city structures and walls, and the slaying of the people with savage furies. Yet Tyre remained. As the “mistress of the sea,” her inhabitants, in skill and confidence, would, in quick and easy maneuvers transfer their treasures and populace to a nearby island for safety. Her fleet of ships, first to master the Atlantic and even brought wares to Africa and Britain, made Tyre rebuild its ruins quickly. These, on several instances, made Tyre impregnable.
Earle Albert Rowell said, “Two and a half centuries passed. The ruins, timbers and walls still remained.” Would this mean to say that the skill and ability of Tyre defy biblical prophecy? Definitely, the Word of God stands sure.
Not until 332 B.C. when Alexander the Great of Greece came, did he sweep Tyre clean.
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Alexander’s conquest of Tyre had some difficulty, with half a mile of water surging between the mainland and the island city. But so determined was he that he built a causeway to the island city. This way he captured Tyre which means “rock”. Today, the area once occupied by this haughty city is a sandy shore where fishermen rest and literally “dry their nets”.
The Word of God stands sure!
