It was an epic decision. For years, Judah’s king had been caught in the middle of a bitter struggle between a brave, faith-filled prophet and a cabal of ambitious princes. Now, as the Babylonian army closed in on Jerusalem, King Zedekiah had to choose.

Judah’s princes told the king to not surrender. Meanwhile, God told the king and the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Prophet Jeremiah that the only way to survive was to surrender. The king deliberated. Should he heed the prophet’s counsel, surrender Jerusalem and possibly save his people? Or should he capitulate to his princes, kill the prophet and prepare the nation for war? The fate of the nation rested on his verdict.

It’s a gripping story, told in the book of Jeremiah. But is it true?

The best way to test the authenticity of Jeremiah’s story would be to discover tangible proof corroborating the events and characters he describes. Jeremiah recorded one of his confrontations with the princes in chapter 38. In fact, in verse 1 the prophet even identified the names of his accusers, two of whom were “Jehucal, son of Shelemiah,” and “Gedaliah, son of Pashur.”

What if you could find physical evidence proving these men lived in Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah? Such proof would corroborate Jeremiah’s account. It would also confirm the accuracy of his entire work—and even the Bible itself!

Once-in-a-Lifetime Finds

Archaeologist Eilat Mazar has been excavating in Jerusalem for more than 40 years—since she was 11 years old, in fact. In 2005, Dr. Mazar was digging into the northern section of the City of David when one of her colleagues spotted a small piece of clay lying in the dust. It had originally been made to seal a cord tied around a papyrus scroll. The tiny artifact bore a three-line Paleo-Hebrew inscription: “Belonging to Yehucal, son of Shelemiyahu, son of Shovi.”

This was the seal of Jehucal!

Three years later, Dr. Mazar and her team set about enlarging the dig, a process that included wet-sifting debris they had excavated just a few yards away from the location of the Jehucal bulla. After washing away 2,600 years of dirt and dust, Mazar found herself staring at another bulla. This one read, “Gedalyahu ben Pashur,” or, Belonging to Gedaliah, son of Pashur.

It was the seal of Gedaliah!

These bullae are remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime discoveries. As Mazar told the Trumpet not long after the Gedaliah bulla was found: “It’s not often that such discoveries happen in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible.”

Rarely do science and the Bible converge as dramatically and as tangibly as they do with the Jehucal and Gedaliah bullae. These artifacts are invaluable—to science, to Jerusalem archaeology, and to history. Their ultimate value, though, lies in the fact that they illuminate the life and work of Jeremiah and prove the Bible true.

An Enduring Partnership

Many of our readers know that since 2006 Herbert W. Armstrong College, our college here in Edmond, Oklahoma, has worked closely with Dr. Mazar on her digs. Our students have assisted on various excavations, both in the City of David and on the Ophel. Three of our students were actually present the day the Gedaliah bulla was discovered.

Our relationship with Dr. Mazar actually stretches back to the 1960s, when Herbert Armstrong, the founder of our work in Israel, began supporting the archaeological endeavors of Dr. Benjamin Mazar, Eilat’s grandfather and a pioneer of Jerusalem archaeology. Although more than 40 years have passed since Benjamin Mazar and Herbert Armstrong formed their extraordinary friendship, and both men are now deceased, this wonderful partnership is today being perpetuated through the partnership of Eilat Mazar and Gerald Flurry, the editor in chief of this magazine and pastor general of the Philadelphia Church of God.

Your Invitation

Now, we would like to invite you to the world premiere of the Gedaliah and Jehucal bullae from the City of David!

In addition to the bullae, which will be on display to the public for the first time ever, our archaeological exhibit will feature about three dozen other artifacts from ancient Israel. Among these will be handles from ancient clay jars that bear lamelech, or lmlk, seal impressions. In ancient Hebrew, lmlk means “belonging to the king.” Discovered in the ruins of the ancient City of David, and dated to the First Temple period, these impressions are evidence of a sizeable monarchy in ancient Jerusalem.

Also displayed will be a large pithos, or clay storage jar. Measuring nearly 4 feet tall and up to 2½ feet wide, this vessel (one of only 12) is the first of its kind to be discovered in Jerusalem, and one of the largest storage vessels ever found in Israel. These pithoi were discovered on the floor of what is believed to be an ancient royal structure. On the shoulder of one of the jars is a partial inscription in ancient Hebrew that says “belonging to the minister of O….” Each of these vessels testifies to the royal character of the structure it was found in.

If these artifacts interest you, then plan now to visit our small but special exhibit. Hosted by the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation (our humanitarian organization), the exhibit will be housed in the gorgeous lobby of Armstrong Auditorium, our world-class concert hall here in Edmond. The grand opening, which will include a special concert by Israeli artists and addresses by vip representatives, will be Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. The exhibit will open Jan. 16, 2012, and run through October 16, during which time Armstrong Auditorium will host multiple concerts from a smorgasbord of world-class artists.

Together, these remarkable artifacts will tell the inspiring story of ancient Israel’s dramatic rise under King Solomon, its tragic collapse under King Zedekiah—and the faith-filled work of Jeremiah.