Megiddo Pass Drone Shot 2

Israel is a land bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. As traders and armies traveled between continents in the ancient world, they naturally passed through Israel. Deserts to the east of the Jordan River kept them from traveling there. The Mediterranean was available for sea travel, but it was risky and expensive. Narrow Israel offered the best overland option for men and animals traveling on foot. A narrow pass between the Gilboa and Carmel mountain ranges became the main highway for all the traffic. Megiddo guarded the entrance to the path in the southern side of the Jezreel Valley. More battles have been fought over control of Megiddo and its important road than any other place in history. In the Bible, Solomon controlled the city, giving him the ability to charge a toll on travel and forge treaties in his favor with neighboring countries. Several of the Egyptian pharaohs came through the pass, including one instance that resulted in the death of King Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:20-27). In more recent history, Napoleon fought in the plain below Megiddo. In 1918, control of the Middle East during World War I turned with the Battle of Megiddo. The city was not occupied by the time of the New Testament. By then, a Roman encampment of 5,000 men was in the valley, closer to the pass. Spending nearly 30 years in Nazareth, just 10 miles across the Jezreel Valley, Jesus must have encountered many Roman soldiers from the camp. We don’t know that he ever traveled through the Megiddo Pass, but it seems likely. When John received the message of Revelation, he probably wasn’t surprised to know that a final battle would take place in the valley below Megiddo. After all, the ground was already soaked with the blood of countless soldiers who had died there. In Hebrew, “har” means “mountain.” The valley below Megiddo became known as the Valley of Mount Megiddo, or “har-meddio.” In time, the phrase morphed into “Armageddon.”