Revisiting The Past: Children’s Stories Today (Part X)

Sermon Title: Revisiting the Past: Children’s Stories Today—Tear Down that Wall

Good News Statement: Jesus, tear down our walls…

Summary: Did the walls of Jericho actually fall? (hint: yes they did) And if they did, what can that tell us about God’s power and of our faith in Him?

Preached: Sunday, August 11^th, 2024, at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Hebrews 11:30, Today’s scripture reading comes from the “Chapter of Faith” found in the Book of Hebrews. This specific text focuses on Joshua, the servant of Moses and son of Nun, who lead his people around the city of Jericho seven times until the walls came tumbling down. The people showed up and God took care of the rest. Let’s read Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, Verse Thirty. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

 

Book of Faith:

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.

 

Joshua 6:1-7, 10, 15-17, 20 – Jericho Taken and Destroyed

6 Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the Israelites; no one came out, and no one went in. ² The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers. ³ You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days, ⁴ with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. ⁵ When they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead.” ⁶ So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” ⁷ To the people he said, “Go forward and march around the city; have the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

¹⁰ To the people Joshua gave this command: “You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

¹⁵ On the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent.

²⁰ So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it.

 

The Word of God, for the People of God; And all God’s People said, “Thanks Be To God.”

 

Introduction:

Do you remember the first Bible story you were taught as a child? Were you taught about Adam and Eve? Did you read the accounts of Noah, the Ark, and the Great Flood? Were you in fascination of Daniel in the Lion’s Den? Were you caught up in the love story of Samson and Delilah? Did you ever find yourself wanting a technicolor coat like Joseph? Did you want to march around Jericho or use a sling-shot to take down giants? Did you want to build a basket and float down a river like Moses? Maybe you were curious about a tower that went by the name “Tower of Babel”? Perhaps, it was the story of Jonah and a whale that inspired you to dive into the Word of God? Or was it the story of Jesus feeding five-thousand people on the shores of Galilee with only two little fish and five loaves of bread? If you can’t remember the first Bible story you were taught as a child, maybe you have a favorite Bible Story that has helped you deepen your faith and strengthen your trust in God.

If you are trying to remember some of those famous Bible Stories you may have learned or heard about as a child, let me jog your memory of a few. According to Dr. Oliver Tearle of Loughborough University, here are the top twelve stories of the Bible that many people have been raised on: “Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Ark and the Flood, The Tower of Babel, Moses in a basket, Moses parting the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, Jonah and the Whale, The Nativity Scene, The Raising of Lazarus, and the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.” There are many, many, more stories that probably come to mind, but these are the twelve most popular Bible stories that most of us can remember learning as a child. But, what do the stories of back then teach us today? When was the last time you revisited the first stories of your faith?

Over the span of the next few months—June, July, and August—we are going to explore some of these early childhood Bible Stories. As we explore these stories, each of you will be encouraged to think about the first time you heard that story and what that story means to you today. Dr. Tearle notes, in his article titled 12 of the Best Stories from the Bible Everyone Should Know, “The Bible contains many well-known stories, but how much do we know about them? And what are the best Bible stories everyone should know? Many people, even those raised in countries where Sunday school and religious assemblies are a mainstay of many children’s education, may find they’ve misremembered, or got the wrong impression about, some of the iconic tales from the Bible.”

So, what do you remember about some of those “iconic tales” from the Bible; and what about them today can help deepen your faith and strengthen your trust in God as you strive to be the disciple and church Jesus needs you and us to be? We continue the journey by examining the success of Joshua…

 

Body:

In April 1987, President Ronald Reagan was assigned to write a speech to help celebrate the 750^th anniversary of the founding of Berlin. According to governmental archives, “The President hadn’t been planning to visit Berlin himself.” However, the President was going to be in Europe in early June, when the speech was scheduled, visiting Rome before spending several days in Venice, Italy, for an economic summit. At the request of the West German government, the President’s schedule was adjusted to permit him to stop in Berlin for a few hours on his way back to the United States from Italy.[1]

On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood before a crowd of about 10,000 people and stated these words, hoping that what he would say would bring unity: “Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe. . . . Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German, separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar. . . . As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all mankind. . . . General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”[2]

Looking around, we see walls everywhere—physical walls. We see walls that support roofs. We see walls that support structures. We see walls that are made of wood, brick, cement, and covered with vines, plaster, drywall, and paint. We see walls—fences—used to set barriers and boundaries. We see walls left standing after destruction. We even see walls that appear to be useless and in the way but still remain upright where they are.

Looking a little deeper and below the surface, we see walls within ourselves—metaphorical walls. These walls may have been built and placed by our own doing to keep things out or well protected or even hidden from others. These walls may be the result of what someone has done or the result of what has happened in your life. Those walls may be built on fear, tears, grief, sorrow, pain, doubt, uncertainty, and lack of hope. Looking around and looking within, we see walls everywhere. But how many of the walls that we see are we willing to tear down, to remove, so that new beginnings can be experienced?

Today, we encounter a rather familiar story pertaining to a famous wall that surrounded a particular city. The story of Joshua fighting the Battle of Jericho so the walls could come tumbling down is as much a children’s story as it is a story that all of us need to be reminded of from time to time, especially when it feels like everything is being held within us—as if everything is contained behind a wall. Today, through the story of Joshua and the city of Jericho, I hope that we gain the confidence to acknowledge the walls in our life—those keeping us from fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ –and pray “God, tear down this wall.”

In order to allow God to tear down our walls, we need to be reminded that this story actually took place, that we need God’s help to tear down walls, and that something is missing from our text. Let’s begin by revisiting the story of Joshua fighting the Battle of Jericho.

 

Movement One: This REALLY Happened…!

The story of Joshua takes place in the Book of Joshua Chapter Six. But before I share with you this story, I want to remind you that when we read from the Book of Joshua it is not the first time that we encounter this Joshua figure. The first time we encounter Joshua is in Exodus 17:8-13: “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some men for us and go out; fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’ So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’s hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on either side, so his hands were steady until the sun set. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.”

Now, you may be telling yourself, “The Joshua who was with Moses is not the same Joshua that fought the Battle of Jericho?” If you are telling yourself this, you aren’t alone: many people believe that these biblical events showcase two different people who happen to have the same name. However, then how do you explain what it says in Joshua 1:1-2, “After the death of Moses[3] the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites.’” From the opening verses to the Book of Joshua, I am under the impression that the Joshua that fought the Amaleks during the time of Moses is the same Joshua that fought the battle of Jericho. But I will let you decide for yourself!

Here is what has been reported about the walls of Jericho for Joshua Chapter 6: “Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the Israelites; no one came out, and no one went in. The Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers. You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days—[without letting your voice being heard or uttering a word (Joshua 6:10)]—with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. When they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout (Joshua 6:16), and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead….’ The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction…” (Joshua 6:1-5, 17).

And that’s exactly what the people did: “So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown [on the seventh day]. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it” (Joshua 6:20). For centuries, the city lain in ruin. Now that’s quite a story, but many people ask, “Did it really happen?” Yes, it did really happen!

You see when archeologists found the location of Jericho—present day Jordan on the west bank of the Jordan River, they were able to examine how people lived and died, and how the city was built and destroyed. Keep in mind that Jericho is said to be the oldest city in the world dating back to 9,000BCE; so finding this ancient city was a blessing. What archeologists found at Jericho was so intriguing that Time Magazine dedicated an article to it in their 1990 March edition. Now bear in mind, Time Magazine is not a religious magazine—they left God completely out of their article and focused on naturalistic explanations of what was found at the site.[4]

Time Magazine explained that “the walls had fallen in a way suggestive of sudden collapse (in other words – the walls fell DOWN, not INWARD). Many scholars think the destruction was caused by an earthquake (no, God did this), which could also account for a temporary damming of the Jordan River described in the Bible. Moreover, (the archeologists) found bushels of grain on the site (the city wasn’t starved out). That is consistent with the bible’s assertions that Jericho was conquered quickly” (Time, March 5, 1990).[5]

These conclusions are further solidified by the research done by Dr. Woods, who, asserted in an online article originally presented to the Near East, that the correlation between the archeological evidence and the Biblical narrative is substantial. Dr. Woods pointed out, “The city was strongly fortified (Joshua 2:5,7,15, 6:5,20); The attack occurred just after harvest time in the spring (Joshua 2:6, 3:15, 5:10); The inhabitants had no opportunity to flee with their food… (Joshua 6:1); The siege was short (Joshua 6:15); The walls were leveled, possibly by an earthquake (Joshua 6:20); The city was not plundered (Joshua 6:17-18); and The city was burned (Joshua 6:20).” [6] Based upon the articles published by Time Magazine and Dr. Woods, archeologists have stated, “It looks to me as though the biblical stories are correct.”[7]

God decreed that the city was not to be rebuilt, because He meant for those ruins to be a testimony to what He did to Jericho that day. So yes, this event actually took place. If God says something happened, it happened—just the way He said it did. And you’ll find that’s true over and over again as archeology invariably confirms Scripture.

 

Movement Two: God Tears Down Walls…

With that being said, I find it interesting that God destroyed Jericho the way that He did. The Israelites didn’t tear down the wall, and they didn’t rout the enemy. They just marched around the city and blew some horns and shouted. Essentially, they just showed up and God did everything else!

God seems to do that a lot in Scripture (as well as in our life, if we take time to notice the works that He is doing). God would often send the Israelites into battles in which they should never have won. In 2 Chronicles, there were three armies from the East that attacked Jerusalem. The king called for a day of prayer and fasting and the prophet of God says to the people, “Do not be afraid or be dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). Then God sends them off to face their enemy, and by the time they get there God had already destroyed those three armies and it took Israel three whole days to carry off all the plunder from a battle they didn’t even fight. Why? Because the battle was not theirs, but God’s. GOD WON THE BATTLE WITHOUT THEIR HELP! God did all the heavy lifting and all they did was show up.

All the people had to do was trust God and show up. They didn’t need to know everything, they didn’t need to be trained, and they didn’t need to bring anything: all they had to do was show up. Timothy simply tells us “present yourself to God” (2 Timothy 2:15). All we need to do is show up and God will help us with our battles and tear down our walls.

But why would God do that? Why make it so that He won the battle, and all the people had to do was show up? Well, when God sent Gideon against the Midianites (in the book of Judges) He sent him with only 300 men to face an army 100s of times their size. All Gideon and his men did was SHOW UP and blow some trumpets and shout “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” And they wiped the floor with the Midianites. In Judges 7:2, God explained the reason why He did it that way, “[So] that Israel might not boast against me that her own strength has saved her.” You see, all God wanted these people to do was SHOW UP. He fought the battle and defeated the enemy so people would put their FAITH in HIM—not in their own wisdom and power and mighty deeds.

When it comes to tearing down our own walls—whatever they may be—sometimes God just needs us to show up and ask for help. We don’t need to have answers; we don’t need to have a toolbox filled with tools; and we certainly don’t need to approach Him with instructions. We just need to show up. He has the strength to do the impossible, to defeat the enemy, and to administer salvation. It’s by our faith in Him that we find victory. We don’t find victory on our own. When was the last time you simply show up before God and asked for help?

This works the same way within the church. God wants us to understand that the church has power only when we trust Him. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 we’re told, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” God doesn’t build His church with people of prominence, power, and prestige. He builds His church with common people, with imperfect people, with people of different stories, backgrounds, and legacies, with people of different talents and gifts, with people of both weak and strong faith—and that’s a good thing. Abraham Lincoln once said “The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he made so many of us.”

God, through Jesus Christ, is seeking to build a church where people simply show up. And as they begin to show up, God looks around the church and says, “I need you to do something, but I will be there with you.” God knows it takes work to be a church; as a matter of fact, God needs all of us to do some work. He understands that just “showing up” is not enough. When we show up as a church—through our prayers, presence, and commitment—change is made, people are noticed, and Christ’s mission is lived out and shared. Just showing up is half the battle; but God can’t do the work if we don’t show up.

In a healthy Church, “God chose(s) the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose(s) the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” God doesn’t win the battle with people of power; God wins the battle with people of faith. And people of faith often look foolish and weak to the world. But we still win because… GOD WINS THE BATTLE… not us. We still win because we chose to show up. That’s why God saved people like YOU and ME. Paul wrote that “not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, and not many were of noble birth… God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (I Corinthians 1:26 and 28).

If you want God to help you tear down your walls—the stress, the worry, the frustration, the doubt, the uncertainty, the confusion, the disappointment, whatever is keeping you from drawing nearer to Christ—then present your needs before Him: take everything to him. Show up, and let Him tear down those walls. Give yourselves completely to God.

James writes, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts…. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:7-10). Matthew gives us instructions on what to do when we decide to show up: Matthew asserts, “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). Show up and ask God for help. Show up and allow God to search your heart. Show up and let God respond to your knock. Your presence means so much to God; and you know how I know that? I know that because he sent his only son down to earth to die on a cross for you, so that you may be set free, so that your wall of sins may come tumbling down, and so that your salvation will be the light upon your feet and the lamp upon your path. When you show up for God, it’s amazing what He will do in your life! Are you willing to show up for God so that He can help you win battles and tear down walls?

 

Movement Three: What’s Missing….Joshua?

Now, what’s interesting to me about our text this morning is that there’s something missing here. Hebrews 11:30 tells us, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.” Did you see what’s missing? Joshua is missing!

In Hebrews 11, it’s like a drumbeat of famous folks of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses… and then they skip over Joshua’s name and go directly to Rahab in the next verse. Joshua isn’t EVEN mentioned anywhere in Hebrews 11. Why didn’t Hebrews focus on Joshua’s faith here? Why not name the person, the servant of Moses, who protected the Israelites in the wilderness and now is helping them prepare to enter the Promised Land? Does the author of Hebrews not want to give Joshua praise or even acknowledge that Joshua had faith stronger than those around him? Why is Joshua missing from this list of faithful servants?

Well here’s my opinion: I think God wanted to catch our attention by leaving Joshua out of the story. Before the people marched around the city, we’re told “the LORD said to Joshua: ‘See! I have given Jericho into your hand…’” (Joshua 6:2). Now, God didn’t talk to the Israelites. Instead, God just talked with Joshua. So Joshua is the main character in the story of the destruction of Jericho. Why? Because Joshua was a type or image of Christ in the Bible. Joshua’s name is the same as “Jesus” in the Hebrew. You’d pronounce both names (in the Hebrew) as “YESHUA” which means “Yehova (or Jehova) saves.” So when you read about Joshua in the Old Testament, you’re seeing an image of Christ from the New Testament, someone who saves.

For example: both Joshua and Jesus began their ministry at Jordan. When they crossed the Jordan, Joshua had 12 stones taken out of the Jordan to be a WITNESS of God’s power. And after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, HE took 12 men to be WITNESSES of the power of His miracles, and of His death, burial, and Resurrection.

Second, both Joshua and Jesus led their followers and conquered the ENEMY. Joshua led the Israelites to conquer their ENEMY in Palestine, and Jesus conquered our ultimate enemy (Satan) when He died on the cross. Third, both Joshua and Jesus faced GATES that had to be overcome. Joshua faced the gates of Jericho and the gates of Jericho could not stand against him. And Jesus said “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). And lastly, by faith, the Israelites followed JOSHUA into victory and they received an EARTHLY inheritance. And by faith, we follow Jesus into victory and receive an ETERNAL inheritance in Heaven.[8]

I suspect Joshua’s name was left out of the list in Hebrews 11 because God wanted to CATCH our attention and have us see Joshua as representing Jesus. I Don’t think it wasn’t Joshua’s faith Hebrews wanted us to be looking at. I think the focus (in Hebrews 11) was on the faith of the people as they followed Joshua. Just as they followed Joshua by faith so also we follow Jesus by our faith.

And that’s the point. We follow Jesus by faith, and He gives us the victory. Or as 1 Corinthians 15:57 tells us, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul is talking about our victory in receiving salvation and our victory over death through Jesus. Jesus has done all the heavy lifting. He won the victory for us at the cross. He did it all. But does that mean we don’t DO anything to receive salvation? No, when God destroyed Jericho He expected the Israelites to march around the city for 7 days—blow their trumpets and shout. Did God NEED the Israelites to do all that to conquer Jericho? No. God didn’t need any help to destroy Jericho, but He still expected them to DO what He asked before the city was taken. He asked them to SHOW UP. When we show up, demonstrating our faith and trust, we will be surprised at the walls that can and will come tumbling down.

 

Conclusion:

Returning to the Berlin Wall, it was erected in 1961 to staunch the flow to East Germans seeking to escape the Communist system by fleeing to West Berlin. The wall, a dozen feet tall, completely encircled West Berlin. From the air, the wall seemed to separate two different modes of existence. On one side of the wall lay movement, color, modern architecture, crowded sidewalks, and traffic. On the other lay a kind of void: buildings still exhibited marks from bombs during the war, cars appeared few and decrepit, and pedestrians badly dressed.[9]

Walls are not only structural reinforcements, but they are barriers to separating people, separating cultures, and separating us from the world that Christ needs us to see. What sort of walls have you built in your lives that have caused you to be separated from the love of Christ, from the grace of Christ, from the salvation of Christ? I hope that you allow Jesus to march around your walls so that they will come tumbling down.

President Ronald Reagan ended his speech: “As I looked out a moment ago… I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall…words that answer the German question: ‘This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality.’ Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith. It cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom…”[10] It’s time to tear down the walls between us and Jesus: it’s time to let our faith become our victory. It’s time to show up and do Christ’s work. “Jesus, tear down those walls.”

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, whether we realize it or not, we have built walls—some sort of structure—in our life that have caused us to be separate from your message and from you love. Help us today to simply show up in your presence so that you can help us tear down those walls. Jesus, tear down those walls. In your mighty name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

What sorts of walls have you built in your life? What sorts of walls have kept you from experiencing the love of Christ? What sorts of walls are you ready to tear down? Show up and let God tear down those walls! The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go confessing that you are ready for Jesus to tear down those walls. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] Peter Robinson, “Tear Down This Wall” (2007), The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/summer/berlin.html

[2] President’s Backup Copy: Remarks at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany: June 12, 1987. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/documents/1-brandenburg-gate-speech.pdf

[3] Deuteronomy 34:4-5

[4] Now before I read to you what Time Magazine wrote, I want to explain how ancient cities were conquered. 1) They were either taken by siege where the enemy attacked the walls and forced those walls to fall INWARD. 2) Or the enemy would STARVE the inhabitants into submission. There being no food left inside the city.

[5] Copy of the Time Magazine article can be found by clicking on this link: https://time.com/archive/6714291/science-score-one-for-the-bible/

[6] For more information pertaining to the excavation and findings and research centered around the city of Jericho, click on this link: https://biblearchaeology.org/research/conquest-of-canaan/2310-did-the-israelites-conquer-jericho-a-new-look-at-the-archaeologicalevidence?highlight=WyJkaWQiLCInZGlkIiwiZGlkJyIsInRoZSIsIid0aGUiLCJ0aGUna2luZyIsInRoZScwJyIsInRoZSd5YWh3ZWgiLCJ0aGUnd2F0ZXJzIiwidGhlJ3NjaG9sYXJzJyIsInRoZSdmaWVyeSIsImlzcmFlbGl0ZXMiLCJpc3JhZWxpdGVzJyIsIidpc3JhZWxpdGVzJyIsImNvbnF1ZXIiLCJkaWQgdGhlIiwiZGlkIHRoZSBpc3JhZWxpdGVzIiwidGhlIGlzcmFlbGl0ZXMiLCJ0aGUgaXNyYWVsaXRlcyBjb25xdWVyIiwiaXNyYWVsaXRlcyBjb25xdWVyIl0=

[7]Copy of the Time Magazine article can be found by clicking on this link: https://time.com/archive/6714291/science-score-one-for-the-bible/

[8] Thoughts borrowed from: http://www.believersmagazine.com/bm.php?i=20130813

[9] Peter Robinson, “Tear Down This Wall” (2007), The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/summer/berlin.html

[10] President’s Backup Copy: Remarks at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany: June 12, 1987. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/documents/1-brandenburg-gate-speech.pdf