The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world. It stretches (with all its branches) more than 5,500 miles. It is a myth that it is one continuous wall built all at once. Pieces of the wall were constructed over several dynasties. Actual wall length combined is 3,889 miles.

The Great Wall is one of the seven wonders of the medieval age and was originally built in the 5th century BC on the northern borders of the Chinese empire to keep out nomadic groups. Pieces of the wall were constructed all the way to the 16th century. The first walls were made by stamping gravel and earth between board frames. Later the use of stone and brick was found to be easier to work with and more durable.

The wall itself is 16 to 26 feet in height, 15 to 30 feet wide at the base, and 9 to 12 feet wide at the top. It is more than a wall. There are guard towers, beacon towers, stairways, bridges, and battlements. It is quite an old wall at 2,232 years old, and much of it is gone. Erosion, construction, and people “using” parts of the wall for their own construction have left much of it in disrepair. It is believed that millions of Chinese peasants who helped build the wall were buried under it as they died from their hard labor.

An incredible story is told of building a wall in the Bible. Nehemiah came to Jerusalem to inspect the broken down walls and was heartbroken. He undertook to rebuild the wall. Breaking it into 40 sections, people of all classes joined in different parties to repair it. This was not just a political project. The walls were actually consecrated to the God of Israel, who was bringing back a remnant. (See Nehemiah 3:1.)

Someday we will see the walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12) as God’s chosen people, rejoicing that our Lord has given us a great wall of protection; it is a wall that will never crumble.

Key Bible Texts

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. (Isaiah 26:1 KJV)