Insecure Walls

There are many famous walls in history. The Great Wall of China, the largest manmade wall, is ranked in the top ten wonders of the world. But several times it failed to stop invaders.

The Walls of Babylon were impressive and among the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Ishtar Gate to the inner city of Babylon is a tourist attraction. However, it is in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Babylon’s walls fell and the city was conquered by Cyrus the Great in 539bc.

There are many other historical examples serving as object lessons of the insecurity of walls. The walls of ancient Troy were breached by stealth. Hadrian’s Wall, constructed by the Romans as a defense against Scotland, fell to abandonment. Remaining parts are still a tourist attraction.

The infamous Maginot Line was a “wall” built by France against German forces in World War II—a wall of steel, guns, concrete, and human soldiers, determined to stop Hitler’s forces in their tracks. But with ruthless efficiency, the German military circumvented it, and proved General George S. Patton’s declaration: “Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.”

The Berlin Wall, built during the Cold War, divided East and West Germany with the intention of keeping East Berliners from escaping to the West. It was breached a thousand times and fell completely in less than thirty years.

Tyre’s walls were completely broken down and “scraped like the top of a rock” (Ezekiel 26:4–5, 14). The walls of Jericho fell down flat (Joshua 6:20; Hebrews 11:30). The walls of Jerusalem fell more than once. Only the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem remains to this day.

Most walls, successful for a time against invaders, all ultimately failed. Walls cannot be trusted to defend. They are made by man, and man’s history is one of conquest.

Deuteronomy 28 records blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. One curse is that God will bring another nation to conquer the disobedient nation. “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down...” (v. 52). High and fortified walls cannot be trusted.

Many nations mistakenly trusted in their fortified walls, which were not as impregnable as they assumed. Conquerors breached those walls.

Today, many Americans want a wall built to secure the border from illegal immigration, which played a significant part in the recent election. Proponents cite the U.S. Constitution (Section 4, Article 4) requiring the government to protect all states against invasion. Building a wall is expensive and can defend only a small portion of the U.S. Border. Determined invaders will still breach the wall or enter at other places.

Nations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East face similar situations.

Ezekiel prophesied against false prophets who plaster “a wall with un-tempered mortar” and cry “Peace” when there is no peace. God declares their wall will fall by wind, hail and flooding rain (Ezekiel 13:10–11).

Only one “wall” can be trusted—the wall of protection of the Almighty God. Consider Asa, king of Judah, as one example. Because Asa obeyed and sought God, he did build walls around the cities of Judah, but it was the Lord who had “given them rest on every side” (2 Chronicles 14:7).

Many scriptures speak of God’s protection for those who love and obey Him. To them, He is a guard, a fortress and bulwark against all foes.

After prophesied days of destruction come, Christ will return and then mankind will finally yield, repent and obey Him. Then ruins will be rebuilt, and Jerusalem, now a walled city, will then “be inhabited as towns without walls” because the Lord “will be a wall of fire all around her” (Zechariah 2:4–5).

Later, the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven having “great and high walls” (Revelation 21:12), but the gates will not be shut (v. 25) because nothing will defile it (v. 27). Tune in to the Tomorrow’s World telecast, and subscribe to Tomorrow’s World magazine to better understand what God is doing in the affairs of man.