My husband and I, together with some brethren from the church, visited Egypt. It is a country that lives in ‘past glory’. Millions of people from all over the world come to see the pyramids and other things left behind for thousands of years. We hired a minivan and went to see the ruins of the ancient city called ‘Memphis’. We traveled about an hour outside Cairo, thru humble dusty villages irrigated from the River Nile. We finally arrived at Memphis. It is a big ‘open air museum’. Golden colored sand, dust and fallen stones littered the place. We saw the great pyramid of Saqqara, the oldest structure built by men on earth that still survives. We saw the temple they built to worship their idols. We took pictures on the ‘throne’ where Pharaoh stands during these sacrifices. We saw the statue of Ramses II lying down. We entered the temple where they buried their kings. To see all these historical ancient marvels, we paid just some few coins. Tourism is a big industry in Egypt.
This is some information about Memphis: The name ‘Memphis’ means ‘The good haven’. It was a city of ancient Egypt, situated on that western bank of the Nile, about nine miles south of Cairo and five from the great pyramids and the sphinx of Giza. In the Bible, it is mentioned by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Ezekiel, under the name of Noph. For a long time, Memphis (Noph) was a great and proud city. It seems that nobody could break it’s boast. But the city’s overthrow was distinctly predicted by the Word of God. The latest of these predictions was uttered nearly 600 years before Christ, and a half a century before the invasion of Egypt by Cambyses (525 BC). The Cambyses, engaged at the opposition they encountered at Memphis, committed many outrages upon the city and destroyed her idols. The city never recovered from that blow. The rise of the city of Alexandria hastened its decline. The caliph conquerors founded Fostat (present day Cairo) upon the opposite bank of the Nile, a few miles north of Memphis. They brought the stones and building materials from Memphis to build Cairo, their new capital (638 AD). At length so complete was the ruin of Memphis that for a long time its very site was lost, covered by the desert sand. Memphis, the so called ‘good heaven’ promised by its proud idols, vanished from the earth. Recent explorations have brought to light many of its antiquities. Looking at the fallen city of Memphis, we were reminded that on earth, nothing lasts forever. God always judges sin and especially, proud organized idolatry. The rise and fall of Memphis are another proof of that. According to the Bible, pride always ends in destruction. This is the Word of God concerning the city of Memphis, also called Noph. Give glory to the only Living God who alone knows the end from the beginning! Praise the Almighty God, the Judge of all the earth! Fear Jehovah, the Jealous God, who forbids the worship of idols! Jesus is Lord!
“Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give foolish counsel.
How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise; The son of ancient kings?”
Where are they? Where are your wise men?
Let them tell you now and let them know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.
The princes of Zoan have become fools; The princes of NOPH are deceived.
They have also deluded Egypt, those who are the mainstay of its tribes.
The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst.
And they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
Neither will there be any work for Egypt” (Is 19:11-15)
“Oh, you daughter dwelling in Egypt,
Prepare yourself to go into captivity!
For NOPH shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant” (Jer 46:19)
“Thus says the Lord God:
“I will also destroy the idols,
And cause the images to cease from NOPH
There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt.
I will put fear in the land of Egypt” (Ez 30:13)