Update 2022: My views have changed since writing this blog in 2019 but I still believe the marriage and divorce of Israel are wonderful metaphors for our covenant with Yahweh. My views on the bride of Yahweh have changed and I will put this caution symbol ⚠️ along with a brief explanation besides points I no longer agree with.

A beautiful sermon was taught at my church this week (1/19/2019) and it was the same day I had studied the Torah portion B’Shalach. I had a few light bulbs going off but also some linger questions that needed answering. I’ve recently concluded that God is always speaking to us we just need to learn to listen better and connect the dots. Just the fact that the sermon was on Hosea made me raise an eyebrow since I had just been telling my wife about that book and how it had led me on a much different walk in my spiritual life several years back. The spiritual walk may sometimes appear as though you go in circles, but each circuit gives improved perspective as if you were walking a spiraling road up a tall peak. You view the same thing below but now you see farther and further than before. Scripture is like this as well, every time you reread a book you see it with new eyes through the wisdom you’ve gained.

                The teacher stopped at chapter 3 at which point the rest of the book quickly loses its redemptive tone. It’s books like this that Richard Dawkins loves to use to paint Yahweh as a heartless, petty child; but the scales over this man’s eyes are very thick. Yeshua himself tells us there will be people like this who study the scriptures but miss the deeper meanings and come away with a hardened heart.

Here is why I speak to them in parables: they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. Matthew 13:13

We are shown that Hosea’s relationship with his prostitute wife, Gomer, is an analogy for Yahweh’s covenant with Israel and her children (Yizre’el—G-d will sow, Lo-ruchamah—unpitied,  Lo-Ammi—not my people) are the people of the nations of the world that come to faith in Yahweh. We also pick up early in the book that there is a redemptive plan for the bride and her children. Later it is mentioned that Hosea is to remarry/take back Gomer (which is interesting for those of you familiar with Torah and what it says about divorce which we’ll look at later).

I’ve come to see the Covenants Yahweh has made with his people as a marriage relationship: ⚠️The book of Hosea is using the marriage of the prophet to an unfaithful wife as an example of unfaithful Israel but their covenant with Yahweh is not a marriage covenant.

*The Abrahamic Covenant was about faith: The wedding ceremony of Yah and Israel ⚠️ or simply entering into a contract

*The Mosaic Covenant about obedience: The marriage vows between both parties that would keep the bond strong ⚠️ rules of the contract

*The New Covenant about Grace: Israel divorced herself by not keeping the marriage vows and the relationship had to be renewed. Redeeming the bride is a process that involved Yeshua’s death and resurrection as a new bride-groom and his second coming. Just as in Jewish culture a man would go away for a year to build a home for his bride before bringing her there. ⚠️ broken rules resulting in the contract being void, resulting in the need for a new contract. This “divorce” is more of a land contract. The promised land was taken but a better promised land, New Jerusalem, will come.

One thing to note is that none of these Covenants replace the other, they’re all part of the same marriage relationship. ⚠️ the land contract is renewed.

In Hosea there are a few verses that make me wonder about what I’ve always been taught. That the church has replaced Israel and we are a second wife with a new covenant, but it seems clear based solely on Hosea that Yahweh plans to take Israel back.

2:19 and I will betroth you unto me forever.

Betroth—but they were already married, how can Yahweh take adulterous Israel as wife again? The context here is the end times when there will finally be no more war. The question that came to my mind was: is Israel still living in a divorced state?

Chapters one through three seem to detail the redemptive plan that is still being carried out. Most would counter and say the redemption ended at the crucifixion of the true Messiah, but I would argue it is not finished till we are called into the promised land to abide under the reign of Yeshua Ben David at His second coming. Let’s see if Hosea supports this idea, that although we have been called to be with Yeshua, we are not his full bride yet. This, of course, tags along with the idea that Israel is the only bride and the new covenant would best be described as a renewed covenant. The church then simply being a part of Israel, Yahweh’s chosen people, Ammi “My people”. ⚠️ again we need to be careful about taking the bride analogy literally, YHWH is using a concept we can understand to help us grasp His dealings with unfaithful Israel.

Hosea 3

1 ADONAI said to me, “Go once more, and show love to [this] wife [of yours] who has been loved by her boyfriend, to this adulteress – just as ADONAI loves the people of Isra’el, even though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [offered to them].” 

2 So I bought her back for myself with fifteen pieces of silver and eight bushels of barley. 

3 Then I told her, “You are to remain in seclusion for a long time and be mine. You are not to be a prostitute, and you are not to be with any other man; and I won’t come in to have sex with you either.” 

4 For the people of Isra’el are going to be in seclusion for a long time without a king, prince, sacrifice, standing-stone, ritual vest or household gods. 

5 Afterwards, the people of Isra’el will repent and seek ADONAI their God and David their king; they will come trembling to ADONAI and his goodness in the acharit-hayamim. (Latter Days/time of the end)

                Let’s skip to verse 4 for now. Here’s just my initial interpretation based on history:

• King=Yahweh, Prince=Messiah/Yeshua/G-d’s son.
• Sacrifice, standing-stone, ritual vest or household gods=no true Temple or Tabernacle, no sacrifices, no priests but also no other gods/elohim will join themselves to this people.

Your reactions should be mixed at this breakdown. Is it not a good thing that sacrifices have been done away with? Why is this painted as a negative thing? Perhaps we’ve been taught to think about this the wrong way. The tabernacle/temple was designed by Yahweh to allow Israel to come to the place where His spirit dwelled. The Sacrifices cleansed the land and kept our impurities from driving away that presence. These things are a blessing and to be scattered amongst the nations without a Temple limits our ability to interact with the Almighty.  A friend of mine has written a short book on the Heavenly Temple and how it relates to the earthly Temple. https://www.facebook.com/DanielVadenDC/

The Deuteros Man is a detailed look at how the earthly rites that maintained our relationship with Yahweh are continued in a parallel way in heaven with Yeshua acting as our High-Priest. But overall, the point here is the Temple and associated feasts and sacrifices were to be a blessing to His people. Also, note that the Torah/God’s law has not been removed from Israel according to Hosea. We still have the ability to follow God’s commandments to the best of our ability to receive as much blessing as we can. In fact, Yahweh calls for us to seek His knowledge.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for want of knowledge. Because you rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as cohen (priest) for me. Because you forgot the Torah of your God, I will also forget your children.

I also underlined verse 3 above: “You are to remain in seclusion for a long time and be mine. You are not to be a prostitute, and you are not to be with any other man; and I won’t come in to have sex with you either.” 

The marriage relationship is not completed here, it is something that needs repair. The parable of the 10 virgins comes to mind and I do not think its coincidence that there are 10 lost tribes of the Norther Kingdom. Yeshua was speaking of His second coming as the bridegroom. It’s clear all ten knew they were waiting on their husband (were aware of scripture and prophecy) but only five had oil (true faith). Paul speaks of a mystery and I think the scales were removed from his eyes for a very specific reason: he knew Torah like no other. Yeshua already had passionate disciples but he needed someone well educated in the words of the prophets (prophets like Hosea). He quotes from them many, many times and seeks to answer this mystery: how can an adulterous woman be taken back by her husband because, by God’s own law/Torah, that would be a sin and, worse, a contradiction for people like Richard Dawkins to scoff at—but let’s look at the mystery Paul speaks of later. I’ve interacted with many who deny that Israel was ever divorced or put away. Hosea is just one of a few prophets that describes this and just by the few verses we’ve looked at it’s hard to ignore. From chapters 4-14 it get’s pretty dark to be honest. We want to reflect on the grace seen in the early chapters, but we must acknowledge that without repentance (T’shuva=turning from our sin and repenting) we will not be one of the five virgins who had their oil. I suggest everyone read the whole book of Hosea and see that Israel is being taught a hard lesson but from that many nations will come to know Yahweh. Yahweh’s heart bleeds over what has been done to His relationship with Israel. Without obedience and faithfulness, we cannot say we love G-d. A bride must act according to her husband’s wishes and seek to know his desires just as Christians we need to seek the scriptures to know G-d’s desires for us. We cannot love G-d in our own way, this is the trap Israel fell into over and over. 

At the end of chapter 14 He describes Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) as a tree with great roots. Despite how we may fail Yahweh, His plan continues. He often uses our sin and mistakes for good, even though this doesn’t make our actions right. Israel was sown amongst the nations in order to bless them with the knowledge of G-d’s word. The history and miracles of Yahweh were given to a world that may not have ever heard of him otherwise. The victories of HaSatan may seem devastating at the time, but Yahweh will preserve His kingdom and grow it into a great tree with many branches grafted-in.

Let’s look at a few more verses from Hosea that indicate the marriage to be completed after the 2nd coming.

2:2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my woman, neither am I her man.

5:14 For to Efrayim I will be like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Y’hudah – I will tear them up and go away; I will carry them off, and no one will rescue.

15 I will go and return to my place, till they admit their guilt and search for me, seeking me eagerly in their distress.”

Yahweh’s dwelling or footstool is Israel, but this verse is about repentance more than a returning to the land even though both will eventually happen for those that repent and walk in obedience.

6:1 Come, let us return to ADONAI; for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck, and he will bind our wounds. 

2 After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up; and we will live in his presence. 

3 Let us know, let us strive to know ADONAI. That he will come is as certain as morning; he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rains that water the earth. 

4 “Efrayim, what should I do to you? Y’hudah, what should I do to you? For your ‘faithful love’ is like a morning cloud, like dew that disappears quickly. 

5 This is why I have cut them to pieces by the prophets, slaughtered them with the words from my mouth – the judgment on you shines out like light. 

6 For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 

7 “But they, just like men, have broken the covenant, they have been faithless in dealing with me. 

                Here we see some possible prophetic pictures of Yeshua’s first coming, death and resurrection. Hosea also shows us that Yahweh requires faith and obedience, we cannot just go through the motions or worship in our own way.

7:13 Woe to them! for they have strayed from me. Destruction to them! for they have wronged me. Am I supposed to redeem them, when they have spoken lies against me? 

14 They have not cried out to me from their hearts, even though they wail on their beds. 

Like a good father, Yahweh wants his children to acknowledge how they have wronged him and repent before the final redemption occurs.

8:13 They offer me sacrifices of flesh and eat them, but ADONAI does not accept them. Now he will recall their crimes and punish their sins – they will return to Egypt. 14 For Isra’el forgot his maker

9:3 They won’t remain in the land of Adonai; instead Efrayim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Ashur.

9:17 My God will cast them aside, because they wouldn’t listen to him, and they will become wanderers among the Goyim.

The return to Egypt may have been literal for some but it is more likely Egypt is being used as an idiom for the world and 9:17 supports this: they will be scattered among the nations, taken away from the promise land like they were back in bondage in Egypt once more. In a way we are living in a divorced state, but I think Hosea actually captures that picture well when He takes Gomer back but does not sleep with her: we are still Yah’s people, but we are not receiving the full blessings of that marriage and it’s not because of Him but because of what we have done. ⚠️ Both Israel and Judah have been “divorced” from the land but not from their covenant with YHWH.

10:5 The inhabitants of Shomron are frightened of the calf-gods of Beit-Aven. Its people mourn over it; its priests tremble over it, over its glory, which has left it. 

11:2 But the more [the prophets] called them, the farther they went from them. They sacrificed to the ba’alim and offered incense to idols. 

3“Yet it was I who taught Efrayim to walk; I took them by their arms. But they did not know that it was I who was healing them, 

4 who was guiding them on through human means with reins made of love.

                We find it easy to mock the Israelites for the stiff-necked ways, but I think there’s benefit in saying that there was likely great deception happening then just as it happens in Christianity today. Although these idols had no power within themselves, it is theorized by some that these were golems—vessels that demons or angels would inhabit. When Yahweh chose a land and people, He willingly gave power to the other gods of the nations that surrounded. To say Yahweh had power over gods that didn’t exist is almost like saying Yahweh is stronger than the cookie monster or Darth Vader. It gives less credit to Yahweh if these elohim or divine council did not truly exist. *I suggest Dr. Michael Heiser’s Unseen Realm if you want more along that line of thinking.

We also see that the golden calf was worshiped by Israel as a form of Yahweh. They weren’t so dumb to just worship another elohim just after being delivered out of Egypt, it’s just how they chose to worship Yahweh. I believe Israel was deceived into worshiping idols with the same line of thinking as with the golden calf. They wanted to worship Yahweh in their own way or how the other nations engaged in worship. Yahweh made it clear at Mount Sinai and in Hosea that we are not worship Him as the pagans do. I’ve learned to ask myself this question recently in my walk: am I worshiping G-d how the bible tells me too, or is it by following my heart or doing it as those around me are?

10:12 If you sow righteousness for yourselves, you will reap according to grace. Break up unused ground for yourselves, because it is time to seek ADONAI, till he comes and rains down righteousness upon you. 

                We are called again to seek Yahweh. Have the oil in our lamps for when He returns to take us as His bride. Faith and obedience call us to turn from our ways and repent. Redemption gives the bride garments of white, but we have to choose to put them on and not return to the mire and dirty them once more. For Yeshua Ben David is coming back for a bride and not an adulteress.

The Torah portion I had studied before the sermon that night was B’Shalach (when He sent/ Let go). It is the crossing of the Red Sea and the entering of the wilderness. We’ve already seen that Egypt is often used as an idiom for the world many times in the bible. When God says do not return to Egypt, He is saying do not return to your worldly ways. Just as the Hebrews once lived in the world, had to pass through a medium of water (baptism, which is actually the definition of Hebrew—being born again) and enter into the Promise Land after enduring the trials of the wilderness (our Christian walk). This parallels what Hosea is describing a second bondage in Egypt, a second calling out and baptism and our walk in the wilderness before He brings us back into the Promise Land (His presence).

            I mentioned the mystery of redeeming the bride above. Here is the dilemma.

“Then her former husband [Yahweh] who divorced her [Israel] must not take her [Israel] back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh.” (Deut 24:4a)

                Paul recognizes this issue based on his background in Torah.

                Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? (Rom 7:1)

                He then explains how a woman is bound with a covenant to her husband only as long as he is alive; free to remarry after his death.

                For the woman (Israel/Gomer) who has a husband is bound (in covenant) by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. (Rom 7:2)

                Let’s view verse three with respect to what we’ve learned from Hosea.

                So then if, while her husband (Yahweh) lives, she [Israel] marries another man (Ba’al/our masters), she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. (Rom 7:3)

                By now you probably have figured out where this is going. Yeshua paid the price in a very symbolic way.

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law (law of sin and death not the Torah) through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another–to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. (Rom 7:4)

                Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements (death because of sin/adultery) that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Col 2:14)     

                If we read the end of the book without reading the front, including books like Hosea we may make the mistake that the law/Torah has been done away with even though Yeshua says Himself He did not come to abolish it but to fully preach and practice the Torah. Hosea gives a great context to understand how Yeshua redeemed His bride Israel. Paul probably had the book of Hosea memorized and once the scales were removed from his eyes, he was able to see this great mystery and explain it to all his brothers and sisters. Peter even warns that many take Paul out of context and fall into the error of lawlessness. Hope this made your wheels turn.

                Shalom,

                Nathanael Klein

Side notes:

Many theories revolve around the lost northern tribes and there is probably a scattered bit of truth in them all. They were dispersed and likely are in many ways still considered in the diaspora, living out their punishment until the time of the end. Some likely did return or in fact managed to escape being taken into captivity and we also know many did join Judah. The northern kingdom is mentioned by Josephus during Antiochus reign and, being a Levite, he does not speak highly of them. From reading the new testament, or Brit Chadashah, we see that Jews were not fond of those living in the land of Samaria. Ephraim (northern kingdom referred to this way by the prophets) gave herself over to interbreeding and had their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Josephus recounts that when faced with persecution, they would call themselves Arabs and even renamed their temple the temple of Jupiter Hellenius to appease Antiochus. In other times they called themselves Jews when it suited them. Samaritans survived to this day and now hold they keep the true faith of Moses and that Judaism is altered since the Babylonian captivity, a little truth in every lie here as well. They also hold the contention that Mount Gerizim is the true place of worship, established since the time of Joshua. I’m not here to make an argument either way, but renaming a temple dedicated to Yahweh for a pagan deity in the face of persecution does not bode well for such a lukewarm people. In stark contrast of this event we see the Judeans take a different approach with the advent of legalism created during the Hasmonean Dynasty.  

Hosea 4:13 seems to speak of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.

They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar and terebinth,

where the shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

                 We are only to sacrifice where Yahweh has appointed us to unless He specifically instructs you to such as with Noah or Elijah’s sacrifices.

5 But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, 6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. (Deut. 12:5-7, ESV)

Josiah was a king who the scriptures say ‘turned to Yahweh with all His heart’ after discovering the Torah scroll in the temple.

19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. (2 Kings Chapter 23:19-20, ESV)

Are the Israelites like the Ark of the Covenant taken by the philistines? When in pagan lands, the Ark caused chaos. In a similar way, the Jews were seen as vermin by many nations because of their success; one of Ark’s plagues actually being rats. The most known example of this is Hitler’s Germany. There is a documentary called the “Greatest Story Never Told” for free on Youtube. Although I don’t agree with everything in that very long video, it does show how Germany recovered from a very great economic depression once they had turned against the Jews. Hitler created more jobs than any leader to date. We see Hitler today as the villain, but in 1940 the majority of German people saw him as a hero just as many will one day see the Anti-Christ as the savior of the world. The point is, that Israel is Yahweh’s people and certain blessings and curses follow them no matter what land they dwell in. It is also interesting to note that the only book to describe what happened to the Ark of the Covenant was Baruch, who was the scribe of the prophet Jeramiah. Baruch describes the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II in 589BC and how Yahweh caused the walls to be toppled by angels and the Ark to be swallowed by the earth so that the Babylonians could not claim they conquered G-d’s city. The Ark was taken away just as Israel was taken away into captivity.

 Preface

First off, I’d like to thank Zachary Rollison for his continued support of this project throughout the years. I remember discussing mythology and its connection to the Bible with him over Instant Messenger (before all these fancy phones) while he was bored at work and I had just a few poorly written chapters completed. His insight has been crucial in helping me complete this novel and without him I’d probably would have thrown in the towel years ago. But not today Satan! I tip my hat to you good sir (Zachary… not Satan).

Second, as a person who likes to skip frontmatter and get to the action, I’d highly suggest reading through this preface as it will give you a great deal of context for the novel you’re about to read.

While writing this book over a fifteen-year span I’ve done a great deal of digging into the scriptures, apocryphal works, Josephus, other histories and all while drinking vast quantities of coffee. Writing does not come easy to me—it’s always been a painstaking task. Everything I’ve ever written I’ve visualized. Any dialogue, I’ve likely muttered under my breath and acted out. After writing the first part of the Light of Eden I discovered that for part two I would need some more context for the world these characters were going to be exploring but I also wanted to understand the plight of the Jews. I wanted to know what Judea had been through and where legalism came from because it doesn’t take one long to realize that the Bible may be written for you but not to you. Understanding context is the key to avoiding confusion.

When I first learned to play chess, I didn’t think very far ahead and to be honest I never learned much past basic play. Games with my brother consisted of us both simply trying to eliminate as many pieces as we could. In the end, one lone, outnumbered king would be forced to scurry about the board before being painfully and slowly trapped in a corner. Or we would call it a tie. There weren’t any grand designs and elaborate deceptions at play; our battles progressed in chaos.

When I was younger, exposed to the Bible at a very early age, I often pictured the kingdoms of darkness and light going head to head in some eternal cosmic chess match. And in the end, there was no such thing as a tie. I often pictured the Almighty playing defensive and waiting for the Devil to strike wildly, relishing in every pawn he captured. The more I studied the Bible I grew interested in the history that encapsulated it. I began exploring the mind of HaSatan, the Devil. I was curious as to what exactly his end game was, some devious checkmate strategy or simply to take as many pieces down with him as he could? I learned the Devil was better at chess than me. 

A lot can be learned from a player’s opening in a chess match, it may cause you to think defense, offense, or sometimes it may simply confuse you. And most good chess players will tell you the game is not played on the board, but in the mind. For example, right off the bat in the garden we don’t see Eve desiring evil and wickedness but instead we see the serpent instilling doubt in the word of Yahweh. Overall humans seem to have enough trouble avoiding sin on their own, they don’t really need a Devil to egg them on.

As I see it, the adversary of Yahweh has two main desires.

Yahweh has two desires as well.

Did the mention of the Devil’s kingdom cause you to raise an eyebrow? Often, we see parallels in the Bible between the kingdom of Israel (Yahweh’s kingdom) and the kingdom of Babylon (HaSatan’s kingdom). Yes, we’ve all heard of the idea of a kingdom of darkness… but what does that really mean, and does it have any power? I can hear half of you, lovingly, telling me I need to just focus on the love of Jesus and all will be set right in the end. Although I agree with that sentiment—lining up your desires with God’s desires is assuredly what we are called to do in this life—every chess master has a purpose behind each move he makes and I for one would rather not repeat Eve’s mistake and unknowingly be tricked, finding myself on the wrong side of the board.

Let’s take a short stroll through a couple thousand years of history and replay a few notable moves made by our opponent, the serpent of old. And while we visit these certain events, I want you to keep this idea in the back of your mind: what if the vision seen in Daniel 2 is the evolution of Satan’s kingdom? One statue, one kingdom throughout time. The evolution of Babylon, the empire of the enemy of God.

After reading works such as the Unseen Realm by Dr Michael Heiser, I’ve seen the spiritual realm a little differently. Babylon is not just any land that disobeys Yahweh, the location and the leader is important as well. It’s hard to determine if this kingdom existed in the antediluvian world (before the flood) but we can assume it did. After the flood, we see Nimrod seeking out this location specifically to build a great tower, Babel. A one world empire under one leader with one tongue. Many have speculated as to what was being done in the plains of Shinar but whatever it was, it’s safe to say it was contrary to Yahweh. All people, except for perhaps those loyal to Noah and Shem, were united in the task.

As children we do not always understand the wisdom of the Father, but we must trust that He has our best interest at mind. Is it unsound and blind faith to trust in a source that has confirmed His faithfulness throughout time? Or is it reasonable to believe that if He made a way for Moses, despite all he was up against, Yahweh can make a way for me?

     Let’s look at these two kingdoms and see their interactions starting with the tower of Babel. I encourage you to read about all these events on your own because I’m simply going to play a game of connect the dots for you. Nimrod remained king of Shinar, where Babylon was later built, for as long as the time of Jacob and Esau. Midrash teachings give conflicting fates of Nimrod but there may have been more than one king to take that name. Some say he was slain by Shem and cut into thirteen different pieces and others say that Esau did the deed while hunting (which gives us more of a reference to why he so easily sold his birthright to Jacob, he assumed his life was forfeit after killing the king.) It is also thought that Amraphel, from the Genesis 14 War, was also Nimrod. After Nimrod, Shinar/Babylon does not appear on the biblical scene till the captivity of the southern Kingdom of Judah in 586BC. The reason for this is because the city changed hands a few times. The Hittites and then the Assyrians under Sennacherib (the same who took the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity) conquered Babylon before it rebelled and came under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar (head of gold). If we follow my thinking that the statue is one kingdom throughout time, Assyria (occupying Babylon at the time of the captivity of the northern kingdom) was just another step on the tower of Babel.

What about in Egypt? The pharaoh that commanded the killing of the newborn Hebrews was said to have not known of Joseph. What leader would not remember the man that saved a nation and was second in command? Would not his sons Ephraim and Manasseh have become leaders as well? What kind of narrative would explain this? I often see Mitzrayim, Egypt, as a melting pot and a picture of the world. When we are told to come out of Egypt, we are called to come out of the world. The pharaoh at the time of Moses’ birth has been speculated to be a conquering king, a man called the Assyrian who had taken over the nation. This narrative tends to explain a few things, such as a mixed multitude leaving Egypt to escape persecution and why the Hebrew children were slain out of fear. Somewhere along the way we as Christians became obsessed with bloodline Jews but we see many joining Israel. We cannot think of the nation of Israel as one of Yahweh’s failed side projects, He just has a continually evolving plan of redemption for them because everything has to do with saving Israel, His bride. This is mirrored by the evolution of Babylon, the kingdom of darkness.

Just as a side note, it is thought that the Great Pyramid in Egypt was actually built before the flood and is one of the “pillars” mentioned by Josephus in his first volume of Antiquity of the Jews and that it contained the secret knowledge of the Mazzeroth (star signs and seasons). One theory regarding the tower of Babel was that they were trying to rediscover these secrets in the heavens. It was also thought that the Magi who came to Bethlehem to worship the messiah were from Babylon and were Chaldeans, known for their great understanding of the heavens.

Moving forward, we mentioned that Amraphel, who may have been Nimrod, took part in the Genesis 14 War and would have been battling against what would later become the Canaanites. We read that the five kings of the land of Canaan rebelled and remained free for thirteen years. Some say the desire was for the healing properties of the salt pits which would later become the Dead Sea. Other say it was the copper mines south of the Dead Sea which would later become the mines of Solomon where the Eilat stones are found today. It may simply have been more along the lines of what HaSatan has been trying to do since the preflood world—one kingdom united. These kings rebelled and the four kings from the future lands of Assyria and Babylon conquered and encircled the whole promised land and defeated the five Canaanite kings as well as many other cities and peoples, bringing the entire known world back under one leadership. Perhaps it was simply about uniting everyone by force, but Abram and three hundred and eighteen men prevented that. I know, a missed novel opportunity in that bit of history alone.

Remember I said the leader was important because Nimrod is not only a character of the Bible but many believe he makes an appearance in many mythologies. If we have seventy different tongues arising out of Babel, we could potentially have seventy different names for the world leader of that time; randomly speaking a strange tongue one morning would be a great story to tell the grandkids—so I’m sure the tale got passed on. One of the things that strengthens my belief in the Bible is so many other mythologies and histories are tied to the account.

Nimrod built several cities outside Shinar such as Nineveh, which was later controlled by Asshur who was considered the first Assyrian. If we consider Assyria to be part of the evolution of Babylon, maybe Egypt at the time of Moses was as well. Bloodline does not matter as far as who can join either kingdom of dark or light, but bloodline matters as far as their leaders. The writers of the Bible recorded genealogies for a reason. There is a bloodline from Adam to Yeshua. Some call this the Melchizedekian bloodline, the king priests. Is it possible there is a king priest bloodline for Nimrod and the antichrist? The parallel is interesting at the least. The Bible says Melchizedek has no beginning or end, a kohen for all time. Adam was not born and Yeshua, the last Melchizedek, still presides over us in the heavenly Temple and waits to come down as our king on mount Tzion.

Is it possible the defeated kings under Chedorlaomer and Nimrod in Genesis 14 returned to their lands and vengefully plotted to retake the land after their defeat? Some say Nimrod’s timeline goes up to the time of Jacob and Esau as we mentioned earlier. Was another motive of Esau to slay Nimrod and stop a second invasion or even a current occupation? Or did Nimrod just enjoy traveling many miles to hunt in a land well outside his kingdom? We could be seeing another delay in the attempt for another one world empire. We at least have a motive built that Nimrod’s descendants would try to retake the promised land and even invade Egypt. There may not have even been a war, the crown may have been surrendered. The pharaoh could have been a regent king placed over the land or could have been a second new world order antichrist figure. This pharaoh wouldn’t have remembered Joseph, but he sure would have remembered what Abram did to his descendants (slaughtering all but the four kings, an army of eight hundred thousand men according to Sepher Ha Yashar).

Things are not as simple as saying there are only two kingdoms that either you are part of Yahweh’s covenant or you are bound for destruction. Many of the prophets and Revelation tell us a different story. Nations that have shown Israel compassion will not be judged as harshly as those who have hated them e.g. Amalek, Esau, Assyria, Babylon. The point of this quick run through of history is simply to show that HaSatan has a kingdom and a leader (antichrist figure) who takes on many names throughout history. We see the plan alter and change after Babylon and Persia, but we see that with each stage, Israel is involved.

In summary, Babylon rebelled and conquered Assyria after the captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel. Isaiah spoke of Babylon’s fall 100 years before its rise to power in 612BC when it swept west and conquered Judah and then Egypt. Babylon was conquered overnight by Persia with no real conflict. Persia (Achaemenid Empire) fell to Alexander the Great when he invaded in 334BC. His greatest legacy he left behind was cultural diffusion. The unity of one mind. The merging of beliefs and the spread of Hellenistic thought.

Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths. Is this not a return to the state of the world before the confusion of the languages?

Why did Yahweh let His kingdom be divided and taken into captivity? His chosen people whom He loves, the one light in the world. Why let it be swallowed by the kingdom of darkness?

Isaiah 65

1 “I made myself accessible to those who didn’t ask for me, I let myself be found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ to a nation not called by my name. 

2 I spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who live in a way that is not good, who follow their own inclinations;  

3 a people who provoke me to my face all the time, sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on bricks. 

4 They sit among the graves and spend the night in caverns; they eat pig meat and their pots hold soup made from disgusting things. 

5 They say, ‘Keep your distance, don’t come near me, because I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day!

     We see the anger and jealousy of Yahweh in the writings of the prophets many times, but we also see His love and plan of redemption.

1 Kings 19:9-

9There he went into a cave and spent the night. Then the word of ADONAI came to him; he said to him, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?” 

10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for ADONAI the God of armies, because the people of Isra’el have abandoned your covenant, broken down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I’m the only one left, and they’re coming after me to kill me too.” 

11 He said, “Go outside, and stand on the mountain before ADONAI”; and right then and there, ADONAI went past. A mighty blast of wind tore the mountains apart and broke the rocks in pieces before ADONAI, but ADONAI was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake, but ADONAI was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake, fire broke out; but ADONAI was not in the fire. And after the fire came a quiet, subdued voice. 

13 When Eliyahu heard it, he covered his face with his cloak, stepped out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?” 

14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for ADONAI the God of armies; because the people of Isra’el have abandoned your covenant, broken down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I’m the only one left, and they’re after me to kill me too.” 

15 ADONAI said to him, “Go back by way of the Dammesek Desert. When you get there, anoint Haza’el to be king over Aram. 

16 Also anoint Yehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Isra’el, and anoint Elisha the son of Shafat of Avel-M’cholah to be prophet after you. 

17 Yehu will kill whoever escapes the sword of Haza’el, and Elisha will kill whoever escapes the sword of Yehu. 

18 Still, I will spare seven thousand in Isra’el, every knee that hasn’t bent down before Ba’al and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

     Part of Yahweh’s love is, as all good fathers should do, to test His children and punish them for wrong doing. Some wrongs we know we commit; others we do not understand we do but it is the job of every parent to instruct a child so they may do well in the future. Furthermore, it is easy to blame the people but what of the leadership? For sheep that follow blindly are foolish, but the false shepherd shall be judged the more so.

The King’s Code for the rulers of Israel

Deuteronomy 17:14-21

¹⁴ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” ¹⁵ be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.¹⁶ The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” ¹⁷ He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. ¹⁸ When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees ²⁰ and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

…I think we can name a few kings who made these mistakes. When Israel strayed from Yahweh’s laws and commands, we often see a foolish king at the helm.

Paul quotes Jeramiah 5:21 here in Romans 11. Jeramiah wrote this to the people of Judah before the Babylonian captivity.

• Romans 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, and ears that would not hear, eyes that would not see down to this very day. 9And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Man-made religion can replace God when the attitude of the heart is not right. Just as Israel strayed by not keeping Yahweh’s commandments, in times they strayed when it was a matter of the heart even though they kept to the letter of the law. What does it mean if you keep your marriage vows but have no love in your heart for your spouse?

Isaiah 1:9-14

9 If ADONAI-Tzva’ot had not left us a tiny, tiny remnant, we would have become like S’dom, we would have resembled ‘Amora. 

10 Hear what ADONAI says, you rulers of S’dom! Listen to God’s Torah, you people of ‘Amora! 

11 “Why are all those sacrifices offered to me?” asks ADONAI. “I’m fed up with burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals! I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls, lambs and goats!

12 Yes, you come to appear in my presence; but who asked you to do this, to trample through my courtyards? 

13 Stop bringing worthless grain offerings! They are like disgusting incense to me! Rosh-Hodesh, Shabbat, calling convocations – I can’t stand evil together with your assemblies! 

14 Everything in me hates your Rosh-Hodesh and your festivals; they are a burden to me – I’m tired of putting up with them!

Despite how we may feel or the understanding we may lack, Yahweh’s grace and love are seen throughout time. We often focus on loss, but when harvest comes the farmer rejoices in what has borne fruit and does not concern himself with the seed that did not take root.

Romans 9:27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”

We could spend much time on passages that show Yahweh’s love for His people, but the Bible speaks that truth easily enough—if one takes time to read it without bias or blinders. Most of you who are reading this are likely aware of Yahweh’s redemptive plan for His kingdom, so I shall digress and refocus on the Kingdom of Darkness.

     Hellenization swept across the world, but no people resisted as violently as the Jewish people. Jewish; let’s explain that term and tie it in with the Greek occupation following the death of Alexander the Great when the Seleucid empire ruled the fertile crescent. The kings of the northern kingdom of Israel lived lives far from Yahweh’s desire and for that were taken into Assyrian captivity in 722BC. Judah, who managed to have a righteous king every third ruler, did not go into captivity until 586BC—136 years after their brethren. They were conquered by the Babylonians but the apocryphal book of Baruch (the scribe of Jeremiah) states that the earth swallowed the ark of the covenant and angels from Yahweh flattened the walls of Jerusalem so it could be said that no king conquered the holy city but that Yahweh Himself offered it up.

     In 539 BC, the Persians Conquered Babylon and in 538 a Decree of Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem.  We see Judah, the southern kingdom—likely comprised of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and Levites—returning to the land in 520-515 BC under Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest who began laying the foundations of the second Temple. Living in the land of Judea they were given the name Jews but the people still referred to themselves as Hebrews, sons and daughters of Israel (Jacob). It should be noted that the events of Esther are thought to take place between 539-330 BC, showing that many Jews stayed in dispersion but were not always in captivity. Christians sometimes forget their true home is the promised land just as many Jews likely did (without mention of the northern kingdom who began their captivity in 722BC). Judah went into captivity in 586 and many Jews did not return till after the fall of the Persian empire in 330BC—a period of 256 years. We see the United States has only existed for a short time in the scope of history if we take this exile into perspective. 

     Many theories revolve around the lost northern tribes and there is probably a scattered bit of truth in them all. They were dispersed and likely are in many ways still considered in the diaspora, living out their punishment until the time of the end. Some likely did return or in fact managed to escape being taken into captivity and we also know many did join Judah. The northern kingdom is mentioned by Josephus during Antiochus’ reign and, being a Levite, he does not speak highly of them. From reading the new testament, or Brit Chadashah, we see that Jews were not fond of those living in the land of Samaria. Ephraim (how the prophets referred to the northern kingdom) gave herself over to interbreeding with paganism and had their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Josephus recounts that when faced with persecution, they would call themselves Arabs and even renamed their temple the temple of Jupiter Hellenius to appease Antiochus. In other times they called themselves Jews when it suited them. Samaritans survived to this day and now hold that they keep the true faith of Moses and that Judaism is altered since the Babylonian captivity, a little truth in every lie here as well. They also hold the contention that Mount Gerizim is the true place of worship, established since the time of Joshua. I’m not here to make an argument either way, but renaming a temple dedicated to Yahweh for a pagan deity in the face of persecution does not bode well for such a lukewarm people. In stark contrast of this event we see the Judeans take a different approach.

     Despite how we may fail Yahweh, His plan continues. He often uses our sin and mistakes for good, even though this doesn’t make our actions right. Israel, the northern kingdom, was sown amongst the nations in order to bless them. The history and miracles of Yahweh was given to a world that never heard of him. The victories of HaSatan may seem devastating at the time, but Yahweh has continued to preserve His kingdom.

The books of Maccabeus (found amongst the Dead Sea scrolls and supported by Josephus’s recounting of the events) give us a good glimpse of what the Jews had gone through and perhaps where their profound legalistic attitude had arisen from. Antiochus Epiphanies, a Hellenistic King of the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC, took Jerusalem and placed his own High Priest over the temple. Let’s also note that the Seleucid Kingdom which Antiochus came from included the city of Babylon.

Instead of respecting the faith of the Jews, he tried to Hellenize them. Imprisonment, torture, and capital punishment were the fates of anyone who kept Torah, God’s commandments. Even children found to be circumcised after the edict were put to death.  Levitical priests were forced to eat pork and sacrifice unclean animals upon sacred altars. According to the authors of the Books of the Maccabees, while Antiochus was busy in Egypt, a rumor spread that he had been killed. In Judea, the deposed High Priest Jason gathered a force of 1,000 soldiers and made a surprise attack on the city of Jerusalem. Menelaus, the High Priest appointed by Antiochus, was forced to flee Jerusalem during the riot. King Antiochus returned from Egypt in 168 BC, enraged by his defeat; he attacked Jerusalem and restored Menelaus, then executed many Jews.

 2 Maccabees 5:11–14 When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery.

Most of Judea slowly gave in during the occupation, especially after a revolt was thwarted and the oppression increased. Many regard this time as when the Abomination of Desolation took place, which the Jews refer to as the sacrificing of a pig on an altar but it is also recounted that Antiochus stripped the Temple of its ornaments and set up an idol. His genocide was simply based on religion. Any that disavowed their Hebrew faith were often given positions of power and wealth, while any that stayed true were simply put to the sword. These events are believed to mirror what will happen for believers in the end times when the antichrist rules.

So, if the kingdom of darkness had Yahweh’s people in their clutches during the captivity, why did HaSatan allow them to live? Well, just like the adversary in the story of Job, HaSatan is limited by what Yahweh will allow. Now, after the testing fire of captivity, we see another trial either ignited or allowed by Yahweh to further refine his people with the reign of Antiochus Epiphanies.

In the narrative of I Maccabees, after Antiochus IV issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice, a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean, sparked the revolt against the Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship the Greek gods. Mattathias killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in Mattathias’ place. Afterwards, Mattathias and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judah. After Mattathias’ death about one year later in 166 BC, his son Judah Maccabee led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare, which at first was directed against Hellenized Jews, of whom there were many. The Maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised boys and forced Hellenized Jews into outlawry.

The term “Maccabees” used to describe the Jewish army is taken from the Hebrew word for “hammer”. Army after army sent by Antiochus was defeated by the outnumbered Maccabeus, sometimes with odds six to one. It is apparent that Yahweh showed His favor for His chosen people who decided to keep His commandments. They reclaimed and purified the Temple, and this is also the story from which we get the Festival of lights, or Hanukah. Not only did they reclaim the land, but they ushered in the Hasmonean Dynasty and slaughtered any Jews that allowed themselves to be Hellenized.

My first reaction is, well that was a bit harsh considering the circumstances, but in the land of Yahweh’s dwelling, driving out evil has support according to several biblical stories. One such story is found in Numbers 25 when the Levites slaughtered any Hebrew that took a Midianite wife against Moses’s orders. The people had broken the Mosaic law and perhaps this zeal bought them favor with the Most-High because the Hasmoneans, after the success of the Maccabean Revolt, continued their conquest to the surrounding areas of Palestine. Those who remained of the Jewish party who favored the Greek Hellenistic influence were forced to submit to Mosaic Law. Perhaps this was the start of the Legalism that Yeshua was forced to confront during his ministry and the same legalism that Paul was born into and later had to combat? Very likely, and if you’re anything like me you’re wondering why was the Maccabeus not included in the canon of scripture? Hopefully I can answer that as we transition into the following part of Daniel’s statue, the next evolution of the Kingdom of Darkness: Rome.

The holy kings of the Hasmonean Dynasty were Levitical and we recall that in Gen. 49:10 Jacob gave a specific blessing “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.” Remember Saul, the 1^st king of united Israel, tried the reverse and tried to do the duties of the priests and it did not bode well for him. He did sacrifices without Samuel and, as Numbers 3:10, 3:38 and 16:40: states, these duties were for the Levites alone.  Herod the Great, being an Edomite, was not a true king of Israel. He married into the role by taking a Levitical Princess as a bride. Not that Judea had much of a choice, Herod defeated the Hasmoneans in battle and was placed as King of the Jews by the powers that be in Rome. Herod the Great ruled from 40BC-5BC.

If Yahweh was pleased with the Maccabeus, obviously blessing them in battle, allowing the Temple to be restored and the miracle of the oil lasting long (things do not decay as fast in His presence, as we saw in the wilderness) then why did the kingdom fall into chaos once more? After the Maccabeus (Levites) saved Judea, they did not relinquish the power back to Judah but were seen as heroes by their own might. Judah Maccabee and his brothers were described as being very pious and gave all credit to Yahweh for their success but the line of Zadok was not restored to the High-Priesthood and a foreign King, was placed over them. The Maccabeus tried to prevent the people from turning away from Yahweh again by strictly enforcing Mosaic law and even adding to it. They believed their hands were the only ones safe enough and they held the High-Priesthood and kingship at the same time. A road paved with good intentions to be certain.

How did a people who kept forgetting their God and His law suddenly do a 180 degree turn and fall into the error of legalism?  I believe the coming out of captivity and facing a genocide like the one described above, to be a reasonable explanation.

What is evil? It’s an important question for today. I’d always get confused growing up wondering why the Devil was so dumb. He’s sitting at a poker table with God and he knows he’s going to lose, but he still has a smirk on his face. Why? HaSatan’s goal is to make evil appear good and right. He wants to fabricate his own version of righteousness and set the stage for him to be the ruler of light when he reveals himself at the time of the end. Those who adhere to God’s laws, however, will appear to the world as the evil ones—Rev. 12: 13-17. HaSatan wants to usher in his own millennial reign. He wants to play as close to the biblical prophecies as possible so even the elect will be deceived. If Babylon is the empire of HaSatan, the god worshiped by Nimrod at Babel would likely be HaSatan himself, making him a form of antichrist. Some rabbinic commentators have also connected the name Nimrod with a Hebrew word meaning ‘rebel’.

Hellenism was a philosophy that carried weight in the known world from the time of Alexander the Great to the “Christian” conversion of Constantine who was previously a sun god worshiper, around 700 years. The new testament is laced with Hellenistic ways of thinking today not only because of it being a common language but also the influence of Constantine and the combination of church and state. Ideas from Greek thought such as polytheism and the afterlife still pervert how we interpret the scriptures today because of Constantine’s efforts to merge Hellenism with Christianity. The blending of paganism with scripture seemed to have been the next step in HaSatan’s schemes.

But let us continue… onward to Rome! The Hasmoneans indeed had a pact with Rome before it stamped out the Greeks. It made sense at the time to align with the enemy of the people that had persecuted them. When Herod the Great became king, he stayed allied with Rome. At its greatest extent, Rome occupied Babylon, and hopefully by now you are seeing the reoccurring theme that the kingdom which hold Babylon always seems to have a beef with Israel. In fact, did Greek culture really die out? No, it’s obvious that Rome adopted it and it continued to flourish, a tree replanted in a larger, sturdier pot.

Herod the Great was loved and hated. The factions of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes all opposed Herod because he replaced their High-Priests with outsiders from Babylonia and Alexandria in an effort to gain support from the Jewish (Northern Kingdom/Israel) Diaspora. However, Herod did reclaim much of the promised land by fighting the Arabs and he built a great many wonders, including rebuilding the Temple. He professed to adhere to the Mosaic law but also murdered most of his family and children. In the end, his descendants that held the throne were just the puppets of Rome. For the first time, there was a line of foreign kings over the land of Israel.

Just as HaSatan’s kingdom evolves, so did Yahweh’s plan for his people. Through Yeshua we see the restoration of the bride that was divorced for her infidelity, forgiveness for all that would accept it. Many see the next few years as the decline of the Jews and the rise of Christendom. In 57 AD Paul of Tarsus is arrested in Jerusalem after he is attacked by a mob in the Temple and defends his actions before a Sanhedrin. Nero decapitated Paul somewhere between 62-67 AD. The New Testament does not say when or how Paul died. The date of Paul’s death is believed to have occurred after the Great Fire of Rome in July 64 but before the last year of Nero’s reign in 68.

Why was he executed you may ask, Rome seemed pretty tolerant of all religions, right? Paul was accused of preaching against Torah in Jerusalem and bringing a gentile into the Temple. He was allowed to appeal to Caesar since he was a Roman citizen. He spent the next two years in Rome under house arrest writing letters. In 64 AD was the great fire of Rome and Jews were already not very popular but Christians (who at the time would have appeared extremely similar to Jews,) were less favored and dually disliked by those who clung to Hellenism and Judaism.  

Nero spent the next two years executing Christians, blaming them for the fire—including Peter and Paul. Between 64–68 Nero persecuted Jews and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. In 66 AD we have the Galilean Revolt leading into the actual siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. We see another possible abomination of desolation at this time, a second idol being placed in the Temple. The Jews and Idumeans were not united in their cause and the city fell. It was during Passover that the siege started and there were two million people in the city. Half died, and the other half were sold as slaves. There was a long conflict with Rome all the way until 135 AD, ending with the Bar Kokhba revolt. The Jewish wars scattered God’s chosen people until their return to the land in 1948.

I posed the question why the Maccabeus were removed from scripture and let it be noted that the Catholic Bible still contains the books of the Maccabeus. If we read the writings of many of leaders of the protestant reformation, such as Martin Luther, Chrysostom, and Calvin to name a few, we see very bitter antisemitism which is confusing for those who believe Paul when he says that we as Christians are grafted into Israel. But as far as Maccabeus’ removal, I believe the answer to be as simple as: would you want a book detailing the miraculous revolt and overthrow of a tyrant to be in the minds of the Jews currently spread thin throughout the Roman Empire? An empire that itself had made edicts under Constantine to forbid the celebration of Jewish festivals and customs? The scenario was too eerily similar to the reign of Antiochus and anti-Semitism was high and continued to burn hotter until it burst into the furnaces of the Third Reich (the evolution of the Holy Roman Empire).

The feet of iron and clay is comprised of a flurry of different theories I won’t attempt to go into. All we see is that Rome loses control of Babylon and it has remained deserted and in Islamic hands ever since. I can only commentate on what history has shown us. Rome continues and branches. We see the Byzantine empire in the east and the Holy Roman empire in the west (the first Reich). The Papacy remained strong throughout time and eventually the reformation branched from that and was the spark that forged the United States.

Most protestants cringe at the thought their faith is traced back to Catholicism… and I think they should. Many allow themselves to get to sleep at night by whispering that Babylon is Islam and perhaps they are half right. The final kingdom is unlike any we have ever seen. Iron and clay do not mix and most assuredly Islam and Catholicism do not mix. HaSatan’s plan is to unite the world for a second tower of Babel experience. I spoke of a bloodline for Yeshua and some speculate there was always a Melchizedekian king-priest on earth, one ruling right after another—a kingship outside the formation of the kingdom of Israel. I’d be willing to wager there is a similar line for the Antichrist. Babylon, a kingdom throughout time with a ruler throughout time, the scepter passing from one cold grasp to the next. I personally don’t lose sleep over deciding who Babylon may be but I do lose sleep wondering what is right and what is wrong. What is the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness? We have seen, along with the evolution of Babylon the evolution of morality. I know Yahweh has always preserved a remnant, and I pray you all will seek to find your place among that number. Remember, HaSatan plays his game close to the truth and most assuredly he bathes the works of his hands in a false, convincing light.

Shalom,

Nathanael Klein

Shalom, I pray the Father will give you wisdom about your body. I pray you will see that bringing stability to your body is easy. The Deceiver wants you to believe you must accept a life of medication and surgery, to numb your mind, to live a life under constant emotional and mechanical stress. Little changes over time are what get us into trouble, little changes will bring us back to stability. The devil is in the details. You must learn to move correctly, to lift up against the weight of your own body and not rest on your joints.
In all these routines, in every position we lift instead of rest. We resist all that weighs us down, lengthening with each breath. We strengthen our weaknesses instead of spreading ourselves thin.
Beit: House, Two. House divided, multiply, go forth and multiply. Separating light from darkness.
Bet is the first letter in the bible, part of the word Bereshit which means- in the beginning. The book Genesis in Hebrew is also called Bereshit.
Beit is associated with the word Bracha (blessing)
whereas Aleph is associated with Arur curse.
BEIT HA-MISHKAN place of dwelling and how the Hebrews referred to the tabernacle.
BEIT HA-MIKDASH: Place of Holiness refers to the temple.
We are a type of dwelling place for the Most High. It’s what we do in our House, when the world is not watching that defines you. Proverbs 28
 13 He who conceals his sins will not succeed; he who confesses and abandons them will gain mercy. 
9 If a person will not listen to Torah, even his prayer is an abomination.
The Torah taught the Hebrews how to love Yahweh and their neighbors. When G-d dwelt among his people there was a strict code of conduct. Feasts, sabbaths, sacrifices and cleansing rituals were about physically and spiritually cleansing oneself to allow Yahweh’s presence to remain. In Ezekiel 8-11 Yahweh’s Shekinah, His divine presence, leaves the temple because of the nation’s sin. We need cleanse our lives from impurities, sin, so we can hear Yahweh’s voice and not drift after our own desires.
Though we are a people in exile we can still strive to follow as many of Yahweh’s commands and instructions as we can, His Mitzvot.
The pharisees were told by Yeshua that they were white washed sepulchers but were full of dead men’s bones on the inside. They washed the outsides of their bowls but had greed and wickedness on the inside.
G-d desires us to wash both the outside and inside of the cup. We must have a committed and obedient heart. Faith and action. Strong physically and spiritually.

“Blessed are all who hear the word of G-d and put it into practice.” Luke 11:18
We need to become blind to the things of this world.

Yoga unknowingly teaches you to rob motion from the spine to get farther into a position.
yoga teaches letting go and opening your mind. The Yahweh however instructs us to focus on His word alone. We need to focus our eyes on Him and on the narrow path. We should be always testing, ever vigilant. Just as Yahweh and Yeshua teach us to walk properly along the narrow path by following His Torah alone, This positions will teach you how to move correctly, training you to resist gravity. Yoga teach you how to succumb to it, it is a wicked lie that will leave you broken spiritually and physically in the end.
We cannot rob the temple to further ourselves, it rots our core. Our focus needs to be inward, in control of our spines. This is true range of motion, isolated at the hips and shoulders. Not a false range of motion, not a false light. Beit is about separating the light from the darkness and we should know what right and wrong is.

Kneeling hip hinge, squeezing hips into the socket, elbows and knees together. Do 10 slow lifts and hold for three decompression breaths.
Hip huger into a Leg extension and simultaneously trace both arms overhead. Repeat.
Hip hinge, don’t rob motion from the spine to get into this position. Take your time and make the hips and shoulders do the work. Isolating them into the socket. When we take shortcuts we only cheat ourselves. Grip the ground with your finger tips and pull your spine forward as your hips pull your tail bone back, creating length. You should not have a c shaped rounded curve in your spine. A natural C in the neck, dorsal curve in the thoracic spine and and c shaped lordosis in the lumbar spine.

Pull one knee forward and across into a folded leg plank.
When you are facedown you are surrendering to Yahweh. There is peace in surrender. This is not a time for questioning the twists and turns of your life but to acknowledge His control over all things.
We need to have one leg in this world and another rooted in the spiritual. We need to be both strong physically and spiritually.

We got into an eight point plank, your elbows in line with your eyes. We bring one foot outside our hand, then the other side, 5 upward drives then one hold for 3 breaths. We then go into a split stance, push off your back foot into your hing then drive your arms up. Rotate your hip inward and allow your knee to come forward.
End with a strong narrow founder.

I will look to the land of Promise, to live under the kingship of Yeshua Messiah. Though I am in exile, I remember I am a citizen of Israel, a holy nation of priests. I am set apart. I will live according to Yah’s mitzov, His instructions, to the best of my understanding. Each day I will remember the Shama. Deuteronomy 6

Sh’ma, Yisra’el! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, Isra’el! Adonai our God, Adonai is one]; ⁵ and you are to love Adonaiyour God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. ⁶ These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; ⁷ and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, ⁹ and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.
Remember Beit means house. Living Righteously starts at home. Put a mezuzah on your door to remind you to live right.
Obedience will increase your desire for Yahweh and in time your wisdom. We must obey before we understand because today the Deceiver would have us think Yahweh’s instruction for living are foolishness.
Psalm 101
I will run my life with a sincere heart
inside my own house.

No deceitful person can live in my house;
no liar can be my advisor.

The Hebrew language is most similar to the chemical language, a scientific language. With it the universe was created.

We need to lead a life of worship. When we take care of our bodies it is worship. I want you to enter a frame of mind where you are focusing on the spiritual.

We start seated. We keep our gaze focused a few feet in front of us. If we tilt the head back to gaze into the distance we lose awareness of the moment. We take two open hands reminding us that we can only receive blessings if we are not holding on to the things of this world, we must let go of the material to grasp the spiritual.

In pictograph the Aleph is an Ox-head. Showing the kingship of Yahweh. This is thought to be one reason Aaron made a golden calf to symbolize the G-d that had brought them out of Egypt. Yahweh did not want to be worshiped as the pagan gods of Egypt, but the symbolism still stands: He is the beginning, first, above all else.

The Ox is powerful, its back pulls the plow. We must drive upwards against all that pulls us down, have a strong spine. The more we resist the stronger out muscles will get and although struggles will continue to come we will trudge onward like the Ox, keeping our focus at our feet so we do not stumble by staring off into the unknown future. This not about being flexible, it’s about being strong in your resolve to stand on the word of Yahweh and not always bend your morals to please others.

We breath in through our nose, deep–expanding the rib cage. Each breath we go a little deeper, we sit a little taller. Inhale: G-d’s desires for my life. Exhale: My own desires.

Good intentions will have you chasing your tail, morality is shifting sand, constantly changing. Yahweh’s morality is His law, He tells you how to live and how to love. Let go of your wisdom with each exhale and focus on Yahweh’s wisdom.

The Crown: Place hands behind your head. We must take care of ourselves that we can take care of others. You must learn to love yourself so you will know how to love others…with true love. Not giving people what they want, but what they need.

You are Royalty, the chosen people of Yahweh, part of his kingdom, you are Israel, a Priesthood, a soldier. You should be willing to lay your life down. Think of this as you lift your legs and lean back. Laying down your life, laying down your burdens once you have put on the crown of eternal life you have been born again, you are a new creation.

Strength: Trace from your hips to above your head. Sitting trace and then lay to do a laying trace.

We now go to a standing position.

Walk yourself up. You are setting yourself into an atmosphere of worship, allowing your walls to crumble about you, those walls that shield you from G-d’s presence. His presence is always there, His voice is always speaking, we just hide ourselves from him.

Bowing before the throne, surrendering your life and giving all to the Father.

There is a thought that the Aleph is comprised of two Yod’s and a Vav. Yod in Hebrew is hand and Vav is man. We can think of creation and Yahweh forming man with His hands. Vav also means hook and Yod can also mean the infinite and beyond comprehension. As we study G-d’s word and Torah (laws) we gain wisdom of how the universe operates. We are taught what true love is, not our human tainted and twisted version of it. Yahweh knowledge is so beyond ours that we must humble ourselves and trust, even though we may not understand.

Your body is His temple. He wants you to be strong and not susceptible to injury and disease so He can use you. If your body is strong your mind will be well supported. Constant mechanical stress leads to neurological stress, emotional stress that drains your mental energy. Even if you have great will power, mechanical stress can rule your life. Just as you may have a strong physic, but if your mind is corrupt and not focused on the most high you will stumble. You need to strive to have both feet on the ground so you will not be swayed by the winds of chaos that are breathed from the slander’s mouth, that you will not be tricked by the words of the deceiver.

Modeh/Modah ani lifanekha melekh chai v’kayam shehecḥezarta bi nishmahti b’cḥemlah, rabah emunatekha.

I give thanks before you, King living and eternal, for You have returned within me my soul with compassion; abundant is Your faithfulness!

I started attending a Band of Brothers Tuesday night group. That sounds cool at first, except that I roll up in my Nissan Altima not a Harley. I go there because my church, Wellspring of Life actually, meets in that “garage” and the pastor breaks down his sermons from the week. I missed Saturday’s service (no we are not seventh day Adventists) (no I don’t have anything against seventh day Adventists) because my wife and I had gone to her parent’s in Oklahoma to celebrate Passover.

We were looking at just a small passage, Psalm 118:24-29. The take home message was, essentially, “don’t get discouraged, G-d’s got your back.” At the end, we are asked to give our thoughts, I asked to go last. I literally started out my four minute rant with these words. “I think it’s easy to say don’t get discouraged, G-d is with you, but what if you’re Paul killing Christians before his conversion?” I tried to look at my notes instead of at the mostly older and hardened bearded bikers that surrounded me (side note, despite being thirty-one I’m clean shaven and look like a child). I may have got a little choked up and teary as well as I spoke my heart.

Why so dark bro? I actually wanted to go with something happy-go lucky and fly under the radar but life’s short, sometimes you got to just let those odd thoughts out of their rusty cages.

Halfway through the lesson I got glued to this verse. (Complete Jewish Bible)

27 ADONAI is God, and he gives us light. Join in the pilgrim festival with branches all the way to the horns of the altar. 

There are three pilgrim feasts where Hebrews would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Moedim, the appointed times commanded by the Torah. The feast of Unleavened Bread is one of these festivals, a feast we are still in the midst of. I got a vision of Yeshua entering Jerusalem before Passover as a great number would, millions of G-d fearing believers. I thought of the people beside the road waving palm branches and shouting.

If we look at this whole chapter of Psalm 118 we see its got some messianic tones to it.

22 The very rock that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone!

We can find this phrase worked over a few times in the new testament. Yeshua being the rock rejected and the builders in this case would be the chosen people, Israel. So, what were these people waving these branches thinking? Granted there were a lot of Jews who accepted Yeshua as the Messiah but I will tell you right now, He wasn’t weeping out of pure joy. He was broken, savagely discouraged (I recall some Temple beat-downs occurring shortly after this event). They expected this man to raise an army and crush the Romans and bring about the Messianic Kingdom, reunite the tribes. The palm branch was a symbol of the Maccabeus, freedom fighters who resisted Rome. They got the name from the Levites who opposed Antiochus Epiphanies a few hundred years earlier and hammered the Greeks from their lands.

I like to think Yeshua’s crucifixion stake had another’s name on it. Barabbas. I don’t think it’s any coincidence these blinded people chose this man instead of releasing Yeshua. Capitol punishment was meant for those who had threatened the Empire, drawn Roman blood. The two “thieves” were likely zealots as well, Barabbas a known leader of the Maccabeus resistance forces…the Messiah they really wanted. To be fair, the Messiah will return with the sword, these prophesies are in the Old and New testaments. But, the bigger question is, how can we know if we are blinded or not. It’s not about how many times you read the Bible or attend church.

Forty years after that Passover, two million Jews gathered in Jerusalem again for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Titus besieged the city, mothers ate their newborns, the Temple was destroyed and one million were slaughtered and another million were sold as slaves. They probably shouted often while within the walls, “Don’t be discouraged, Yah is with us! We will crush the Romans as Judah crushed the Seleucid armies! As David slew Goliath.”

What went wrong?

We are told to remove the leaven from our homes during this Feast. The symbolism being you are to dig into every corner of your life (and thoughts) to find sin and cast it from you before it blinds and twists you, contorts your perspective like a bad lens until you no longer see truth but a false convincing light, a mirage.

If you don’t want to be as those who valiantly fought thinking Yahweh to be on their side, I suggest you scour your inner temple and burn out anything that is unclean. Hidden sin can be even more dangerous than the vices you are aware of. In Chiropractic I call this Micro-Trauma…damage slowly overtime. It works away at you without your notice while disease and degeneration creeps in. We need to seek out these areas in our lives so the scales can fall from your eyes.

So, get discouraged that you may be leading a life far from what Yahweh desires because in reality there are many things we all need to work on. In my own life I know there are walls insulated with leaven that need to be ripped out.

G-d is always with you, you just need to make sure you’re with Him.

I hope this encourages you to take some action. Have a blessed Feast.

“As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:9‬

I’ve been raised in Christianity my whole life and I’ve never seen the idea of reincarnation exemplified in the Bible. I’ve recently been reading many extra biblical texts and although I have not read all I’ve read quite a few and still have not come across hard evidence. There are some scripture verses that can lean that way but not one that comes right out and says it.

Here’s an example some will use.

Job 33:29 God will accomplish all these things twice, even three times, with a man, 
30 to bring him back from the pit, so that he can enjoy the light of the living. 

This verse can go either way if you read it in context of what Job is saying back to his friend who is condemning him of having sin in his life. It could be Job is saying you get a second life or even third life to make amends or that Yahweh is so great that He will give you those chances while you are yet still alive.

I don’t want to go verse by verse however because others have done that, I want to say something you’ve probably never heard before.

Many believe in reincarnation because of personal experiences such as seeing things from past lives and anyone who does not experience these things is said to be closed off, not awake and not aware. That hits home for me because I’ve lived most of my life closed off to anything that was not taught from the pulpit.

I’ve become open minded enough to acknowledge that I may not have seen the idea of reincarnation because, perhaps, I have simply not been looking for it or because it was never taught to me. So, again, we test all things.

If we dig into Kabbalistic teachings, we will see things such as divination and reincarnation in the text, the Zohar. This was a branch of Judaism that developed slowly, well after the second temple period and would have just been beginning to circulate at the time of Yeshua and did not become popular until the second century. Even the historian, Josephus, wrote about some ideas that could be seen as reincarnation. Having spent so much time in Babylon during their captivity, it is likely that many of these thoughts passed on. One of the earliest records of an example of reincarnation is found after the Tower of Babel story; Babel is where we get the word Babylon from. (If you want more information on my thoughts on Babylon and how I believe it has been a kingdom throughout time just with different names, I wrote a lengthy history on it in my blog The Kingdom of Darkness).

Nimrod was the first king and really the only man post Flood to have a world empire with all under his rule. The Bible is clear this will happen again at the end and we can see the confusion of the languages slowly being reversed. Nimrod has two different deaths recorded which may actually play into the idea that he had been reincarnated. Not only do we see his wife (and also mother) Semiramus have an immaculate conception and bear a son named Tammuz but it is described as a type of reincarnation.

Nimrod is slain once by Shem and cut into thirteen pieces but also beheaded by Esau (Shem lived a good long while and may have actually met Esau, but we can assume the first death happened when he was a few hundred years young and a bit more spry). At first, I thought one of these texts must be in error because of the different accounts but with the idea of reincarnation at play it may make the puzzle pieces align. These texts are not part of the cannon today so as far as the Bible is concerned it doesn’t talk about reincarnation. Reincarnation is found in mythology and certainly mythology derives much from Pre-Flood characters and Nimrod. If the languages were split into seventy as many scholars believe then we would potentially have seventy different names for this King of Shinar, Nimrod. We even see one of those different names in the Bible, Amraphel. Greek Hellenistic thought built off the foundations of Babylon and Rome adopted Hellenism; an evolution over time, the same characters just different names. Even those from the southern kingdom, Judah, who spent seventy years in Babylonian captivity likely returned tainted with the culture.

When the Bible is silent on a topic, we can only make assumptions. For instance, the idea of reincarnation may not have reached the middle east or had not been highly circulated. Or it may be as simple as the Bible does address it by stating over and over again what happens to your soul after death.

The idea of the soul leaving the body is repeated throughout the Bible and a quick google search can give you a long list. As far as this soul returning to a body, we do not see something like this until the resurrection of the dead when we are given a glorified body. There are a few exceptions however, Lazarus and Yeshua. Even though some people hold the idea that Yeshua was resurrected into a glorified body (because his disciples did not recognize him at first) it is really the only case we can claim to be close enough to the idea of reincarnation since Lazarus returned to his original body because everyone recognized him at once. Now, although we could say the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age is very similar to reincarnation, we don’t see the idea of passing from one body to another over and over again. The Bible also talks about a new heart that will know the Torah and no man shall have to teach his brother the law along with many other prophetic events, so I don’t believe that time has come just yet.

Despite all that, I do see several possible explanations for why people believe so strongly in reincarnation. Also, I tend to err on the logic that there is a little truth in all things, and we all know the Devil can paint the works of his hands in a convincing glorious light that shines so clear to many as righteous wisdom.

Your standard Christian will claim these experiences to be all the work of demonic forces and I’ll share my feelings on that lastly, but I must say that the Church should be more open to these types of conversations. Many Christians do not experience the awakenings that Eastern thought can bring because they do not fast, they do not live minimalist lifestyles, take care of their bodies, or strive to reach their peak potential. These are all biblical principals that the apostles, Yeshua and the prophets exemplified yet the Church feels they are entitled to a life of luxury and by their faith and tithes they will gain wealth. I will tell you right now, if you find yourself living the comfortable life you may want to check in on your spiritual standing with the Almighty. This life is meant to be hard to grow and strengthen us, the Devil wants you sitting on the sidelines.

Of course, one can take Eastern, New Age thought too far, and anyone will tell you there is a delicate balance to living this life. Bethel Church is one that is incorporating tarot cards and Ouija boards claiming that divination is used in the bible and it’s all about their heart and intent. Which brings me to my next thought.

There is a repetitive theme in the Biblical narrative I have noticed long before I sat down to write about reincarnation. The hardening of the heart, scales upon the eyes, and stiff-necked are terms that pop up quite often. Sometimes it is said Yahweh that causes this hardening of the heart but ultimately it is because someone is living in disobedience and now will be unable to see the truth. How many people do you talk to everyday that cannot see the simple truth of things? I think we all have these traits and become so blinded by our own wisdom that we do not see how foolish we are. Since I have started to live life not for myself but for Yahweh, I have gained great wisdom. Not just about things in the Bible I had never seen or understood before but about my health and relationships. Is this not a spiritual awakening that one could feel as though they had gained the experiences from past lives? The ability to read people, see deeper and farther than before is akin to slowly opening yourself up to a shadow of what it will be like in your glorified body with your new heart. I think our minds can be expanded but there are two ways to do so, tapping into your Creator’s wisdom or allowing evil in. We have to do things G-d’s way not just what we feel in our hearts. Yes, we are to love as the greatest commandment but sometimes when we are loving in our own way we are actually harming. It comes back to the idea that you should give a child what he needs and not what he wants, that is true love.

Evil is so often portrayed as a patch of black on a white sheet but in reality, it masquerades as wisdom. The Bible talks about evil spirits but does not explain where they come from. The Church will tell you they are fallen angels, but I think another theory could allow us to answer some question we have already stirred up.

What would it mean if Nimrod was reincarnated?

We can say that tale was all made up or we can rely on some second temple period writings that were popular in Yeshua’s day. Enoch tells us before the Flood there were Angels, seraphim shape shifters, that came to earth and taught men science but also had hybrid children with earth women. I am familiar with some of scientology’s beliefs around other-worldly beings inhabiting bodies and moving from one to another and one needs to open their mind to unlock their past knowledge and experience. This parallels Enoch’s account that these hybrids (Nephilim) had bodies, died before the great flood, and now their spirits wander the earth. Ultimately these spirits would want to experience the physical pleasures of a body once more so they would attempt to convince humans to allow them control or access to the minds in exchange for knowledge. Nimrod likely allowed himself to be possessed and that entity’s consciousness would pass on to anybody it would inhabit in the future.

Granted, that final thought is a grim one but not one we should ignore. The belief that Angels mated with human women is not taught in the church today but it very popular in ancient times. Even New Testament writers such as Peter and Jude reference several things only found in the book of Enoch.

Now that I’ve muddied the waters you can understand why I can’t say there is no reincarnation but I ultimately, I feel when man dies his soul goes to the grave, Sheol. There are a few exceptions however and we could even count the two witnesses of Revelation. The powers of darkness likely have tricks up their sleeves as well and certainly there are those working on passing one’s consciousness on via scientific means or, perhaps, they’ve already been doing so for years.

What I’ve concluded, for the time being, is that it’s possible broken vessels get another chance to spin on the Potter’s wheel. I tend to see a problem with the idea that “good” works lead to a better second life where as “bad” works lead to a lower standing in your next go round. As a Christian you are redeemed by grace through believing in Yeshua. The thief or Zealot that was crucified next to him was promised paradise despite a life that probably consisted of terrible things. The wheel of Karma would say that this man must pay for the price of an evil life. I think the most important thing to note is that through grace are we redeemed. Does that mean we don’t get a second chance in another life to learn to know him? I don’t know but it’s probably not something you should bank on in your own life.

Making the Transition from a Saul to a David:

My Pastor has been speaking on the Psalms lately. We can only guess as to the context of these prayerful songs written by a man who faced a great many trials throughout his life. Pastor Dave spoke on the difference between pleading while facedown verses prayer on your knees. He talked of offering the prayer of surrender and not groveling for your selfish desires. I thought of the tragic character of Saul who found himself praying to an Elohim that would not hear him. I’ve wondered in the past why G-d would not respond to a request from someone who fervently prayed. What kind of loving Creator would do this?

The first time we see Saul trip up is in I Samuel 13 after he has won several great victories for the people of Israel.

Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

And Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

We see even with this first offence that Yahweh is already searching for a leader with a different heart. Saul’s heart may even have been diluted enough to think his motives were sincere. Perhaps he thought Samuel had become jealous of him and did not truly speak for Yahweh. Israel may have looked to him as a strong spiritual leader, a Joel Osteen type, feeding the people what they wanted to hear. Saul sacrificed before Samuel arrived, perhaps Yahweh had delayed Samuel because He wanted to test Saul’s devotion. After Saul blamed Samuel for being late, he explained he took charge because the people were afraid and fleeing as if numbers would win the battle and not Yahweh.

Saul fear the people’s opinion of him more than he feared Yahweh. David had the kingdom revolt against him many times, but he always sought Yahweh’s will before acting.

Here’s strike number two:

In I Samuel 15, Saul is still the hero of in Israel’s eyes and destroys the Amalekites just as Moses had commanded. Destroyed all except the best of the cattle and their king which he planned to offer as a sacrifice to Yahweh. The best of intentions, but not what Yahweh had commanded him to do. When Samuel confronts him, he makes more excuses as to how he only wishes to honor Yahweh.

1 Samuel 15 Sh’mu’el said,

“Does Adonai take as much pleasure
in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obeying what Adonai says?
Surely obeying is better than sacrifice,
and heeding orders than the fat of rams.

“For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery,
stubbornness like the crime of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of Adonai,
he too has rejected you as king.”

Sha’ul said to Sh’mu’el, “I have sinned. I violated the order of Adonai and your words too, because I was afraid of the people and listened to what they said. Now, please, pardon my sin; and come back with me, so that I can worship Adonai.”

Samuel and Saul have a bit of back and forth, but Saul expresses repentance again. 

“I have sinned; but in spite of that, please show me respect now before the leaders of my people and before Isra’el by coming back with me, so that I can worship Adonai your God.” 

If we keep reading, we see that Yahweh never takes back his judgement against Saul. I know I’ve read this story a many times growing up and have wondered— “where’s the grace and forgiveness?” The answer seems to be given by Yahweh Himself when Samuel continues to grieve for what has happened to Saul.

But Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “Don’t pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Adonai doesn’t see the way humans see — humans look at the outward appearance, but Adonai looks at the heart.”

Now the Spirit of Adonai had left Sha’ul; instead, an evil spirit from Adonai would suddenly come over him. Sha’ul’s servants said to him, “Do you notice that there’s an evil spirit from God that suddenly comes over you?”

Saul was told the kingdom would be taken from him and instead of truly repenting and accepting Yahweh’s desire, he tried to prevent David from taking the crown. Being a ruler meant more to him than serving Yahweh. G-d seems to know this would happen, He saw this when Satan, who Ezekiel describes as being adorned with every precious jewel imaginable, a model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, revolted against Him and convinced 1/3 of the angels to follow him.

Saul did not want to be second best and neither did Satan.

Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of G-d; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain”.

Yeshua echoes Yahweh’s concern for the rich and powerful to walk an upright path.

I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:23-26

Competition within the kingdom

Does it ever feel like you’ve worked hard and deserve recognition? That others stand above you in the church? This is pride folks and it’s something that I’ve suffered from for a long time. It becomes less about doing things for G-d but for yourself and making yourself look righteous in other’s eyes. Even when I write things like this blog, I find myself hoping that people read it and think “I love how he studies the Bible and how he thinks so deeply, I bet he’s very close to God!” It is wise to be knowledgeable about your weakness because I’m sure even superstar pastors can find themselves doing things to the praise of people and not to honor God.

Saul forgot that he and David were both fighting for the same thing: Yahweh and the kingdom of Israel. It was about his pride and Saul let his ego get in the way well before David appeared on the scene. Saul acted to impress the people and did things out of fear of what they might think. How many of us are like this? I know this strikes home for me, especially in my past. Going through the motions more out of fear of what others might think than to live a set apart life.  

It may seem that Saul got a rough break, no forgiveness, had an evil spirit sent to torment him, and worst of all his prayers were no longer heard. Not unlike the Devil, Saul was in a place where he did not see his actions as wrong. Just because we fall on our face before Yahweh and beg for something doesn’t mean will receive it. An evil spirit being sent from the Lord is not a concept many of us are comfortable with. Was it to shake loose Saul’s iron grip on the kingdom? A judge or prophet of Israel never had such a desire for control and power. It seems Yahweh has protected many of servants from comfort and wealth because he knows it can taint the desires of their hearts. If you’re going to stand with Yahweh as a nation turns from Him around, you will face persecution.  It is obvious as to why Yahweh never wanted Israel to have a king. He was their king and one day Yeshua will reign as our king on earth.

What is the difference between David’s heart and Saul’s?

David sinned just as much as Saul did but his heart was repentant and when confronted by Nathan just as Samuel confronted Saul, he owned up to his sin not to save face like Saul did.

If we do not truly repent of our past sins God will not hear us.

David acted on God’s wisdom and not by man’s wisdom. Abortion seems wise to someone with a modern-day world view. People that are pro-life are looking more and more foolish in their eyes. Saul defended his sin by blaming his fear of the people. How often do we do things to appease others? To look good, even in church. How many pastors avoid sermons because they know it’s not what people want to hear? We need to focus on pleasing God and not people.

Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and because he consulted a medium for guidance -1 chronicles 10:13

After taking out all that are his own, he goes on ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. -John 10:4

Trust in Adonai with all your heart;
do not rely on your own understanding.  -Proverbs 3:5 

Proverbs 4

 1Listen, children, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention, in order to gain insight;
² for I am giving you good advice;
so don’t abandon my teaching.
³ For I too was once a child to my father;
and my mother, too, thought of me as her special darling.
⁴ He too taught me; he said to me,
“Let your heart treasure my words;
keep my commands, and live;
⁵ gain wisdom, gain insight;
don’t forget or turn from the words I am saying.
⁶ Don’t abandon [wisdom]; then she will preserve you;
love her, and she will protect you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!
And along with all your getting, get insight!
⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will bring you honor;
⁹ she will give your head a garland of grace,
bestow on you a crown of glory.”

⁹ If a person will not listen to Torah,
    even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9

Deut 30:10 Repent and turn from your sin: T’shuva

¹⁰ “However, all this will happen only if you pay attention to what Adonai your God says, so that you obey his mitzvot and regulations which are written in this book of the Torah, if you turn to Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being. (LY: vi) ¹¹ For this mitzvah which I am giving you today is not too hard for you, it is not beyond your reach.

Sometimes many years can pass without us repenting, expecting to have been forgiven. I have blamed many things in my life upon others and circumstances instead looking deeper at my part in it all. On the other side of the coin, reflecting too much on the past can become a habit that weighs you down. There can be unrepented sins that can hold us back from a better relationship with Yahweh just as Saul didn’t repent in his heart for what he had done. G-d doesn’t put up the walls, we do. Sin creates barriers and limits our ability to commune with our Creator. Even Israel needed a tabernacle/temple system to even come close to the presence of G-d because of the level of sin in our world.

I had gotten married when I was twenty-one years old to a girl who I met at a Christian college and career group and we also worked one summer at a camp together. I had been living in Marietta, Georgia going to Life University for Chiropractic and drove home to Pennsylvania to get married on my quarter break in 2010. I was going through the motions in my spiritual life even though I did not know it at the time, I thought I was doing what G-d desired by taking a strong Christian bride. I was active in church and groups, did sound and helped with the band set up and break down, was youth leader and played guitar for the youth group’s praise and worship every Wednesday. Went to young couples’ group and went to Sunday bible study before church. When I say going through the motions, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy doing those things and it’s not that I didn’t want a deeper relationship with G-d, but I was still determined to do things my way. Just as Saul wasn’t the spiritual leader of Israel that he should have been, I wasn’t the spiritual leader of my home and that those who looked up to me at my church needed me to be. I looked good on paper, but the roots were rotten.

 Not being a strong spiritual leader in my first marriage of seven years led to me falling deeper into sin and I felt like Saul where God was not answering me. Ironically this is what my ex had told me as well after she became an atheist after growing up in a Christian home and community. “It is a one-way conversation.” Could this be because we truly have not repented in our hearts and turned from what we have done? She was hardened toward G-d because like Saul, a wall had been erected. She viewed all she had done, all her “fruit” as reason for why He should commune with her and let His presence be felt in her life. Saul based his righteous on his works that got him praise from the people, but G-d simply requires obedience. We cannot buy or earn our way into a relationship with Him, it is about true love, true faithfulness, the fruits of which are obedience. 

There was plenty of blame to go around in my marriage, as there will always be in life, but G-d wanted me to surrender to Him. I had become comfortable in my life but began to ache for a deeper relationship with G-d. The more I prayed to know him, the more trials came my way, more and more things were stripped from my life that I had held on to, things I had placed before him. I’ve recently done a more thorough repentance for my past actions. Often, we do not see where we were in error until we have gained wisdom and time has passed. Like children who do not understand, we rail against our heavenly Father, believing him to have done us wrong. How can we have true forgiveness if there is not true repentance?

I had started keeping dietary laws, and feast days and keeping the commandments the best, I knew how. Looking back, I believe I was sacrificing instead of obeying. Don’t get me wrong, I think doing those things brings blessing, but you still need to give over your whole heart—not just your bacon.  Saul did things for Yahweh too, but ultimately his god was his position.

After my wife left me, I did not act in wisdom and entertained unwise council and entered into a relationship I thought was a reward from God for keeping His Torah and staying faithful. She looked good on paper, a messianic, but like me, the roots were rotten and there was no foundation. I had forgotten what it was like to have someone interested me and I fell in love with something that wasn’t even there. There are many who fall into keeping the feasts and Torah who spend all their time attacking the church and I was one. We focus on the speck in our brother’s eye and not the plank in our own. There are even those who come in that have never even accepted Jesus into their hearts. I recently attended a seminar by Brad Scott called the heart of the matter and spoke about these people, who like the Galatians forgot their first love. I thought anyone who had come to the knowledge of Torah must have a beautiful relationship with God, but we have legalism today in our churches just as in Yeshua’s time. These people had even convinced me that our modern day version of marriage was not biblical or even recognized by God.

 My unhealed heart was misguided by the things this woman had suffered throughout her life and challenges with her down-syndrome child. I wanted to be the hero and save the day. As a Christian councilor later instructed me, I did everything in my power to keep the dream alive and make this woman happy despite countless red flags that we were nowhere near compatible. I ended the relationship because it became clear that she did not have a true relationship with Jesus or even knew what it meant to have one and I had already spent four years unequally yoked in my previous marriage. I spent a lot of time angry, feeling I had been deceived by this woman but in the end, I found I could only place blame upon my shoulders. I take complete blame and feel ashamed that I did not see the truth in any of this. I’ve always reacted first by giving others what they want instead of taking a stand; because giving people what they want instead of what they need never works out in the end, just like Saul. I was tormented because of that sin for many reasons and felt confused because I thought I was doing the right thing. Hindsight is 20/20. I now have a daughter from that foolish relationship, but I don’t consider that a punishment, the punishment will be being far away from her and not being able to see her grow up. I had languished in bitterness and acted as Saul had but, in the end, I knew I had to repent fully in my heart so I could truly serve Yahweh and fulfill whatever he desires for me.

Psalm of Surrender https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcsllJiiWUU

intro

I will sing to Adonai because He gives me all I need,  My heart rejoices as you bring me to safety

Verse 1

What happened to these plans I’ve made, I’ve watched them slip through my fingers

My heart searches for a passion here, But all my weakness still lingers

I cry out amongst the endless rain, For you to hear my prayer

Do you hide your face from me?  This yoke is more than I can bear On my own

Pre Chorus

I keep waiting for the sun to rise

But you tell me it’s the rain that needs to fall

Quench my soul

 Chorus:

Have mercy on me oh my G-d

Help my soul find a refuge in your strength

I will seek safety in the shadow of your wings

Only your grace can save me now

Verse 2

Again this darkness creeps within

These demons whisper lies in my ear

I’m afraid it’s not your voice anymore that I hear

PreChorus     Chorus

Bridge:

Yeshua, will you forget me forever

I hold fast hope, Trust in your grace and surrender

Hold fast hope, the sun will rise again

Side note:

Urim and Thummin: In the story of Saul, it says he would consult with the Urim and Thummin and receive no answer along with his prayers. These were put in the breastplate of righteousness that the High Priest would wear along with the ephod. They were positioned over the High Priest’s heart and so he could bear judgement upon Israel. Urim means lights and Thummin means perfections or life. During the Exodus the people heard Yahweh’s voice and asked that He not speak to them anymore but through Moses and Aaron because it terrified them so. It is possible the stones were created for this reason and, the way the text describes them, it is almost as if they were objects already known to the people. It has been theorized by most rabbinical sources that these stones would light up to allow for a “yes” or “no” answer from the Almighty. We can derive from Saul’s failure that our hearts need to be in the right place to receive an answer from Yahweh. Most prophets that Yahweh spoke to would fast and separate themselves from others so they could receive visions or speak to angels about prophetic events, making themselves clean outwardly and inwardly. Saul eventually felt forced into a corner where he had to consult with a witch because he thought Yahweh had abandoned him.

Evil Spirits I don’t believe are fallen angels but demons, disembodied souls of the hybrid creatures of the preflood era, Nephilim. They would possess people because they have the desire to return to a body, to taste, feel, smell again. They know hunger but cannot be satisfied, have lust but cannot act on it. There are other thoughts on what happened here including the spirit just being a bad temperament and attitude. Demons aren’t necessarily under Yahweh’s command and it makes more logical sense that Yahweh simply allowed the spirit to torment Saul as He did with Job. When we don’t obey G-d’s commandments we remove blessings from our lives and bring on curses. It’s not that G-d curses us so much as He removes His protection. If we don’t plant good seeds in the soil, when the rain falls it may cause flooding instead of growth.

When I first learned to play chess, I didn’t think very far ahead and to be honest I never learned much past basic play. Games with my brother consisted of us both simply trying to eliminate as many pieces as we could. In the end, one lone, outnumbered king would be forced to scurry about the board before being painfully and slowly trapped in a corner—or we would call it a tie. There weren’t any grand designs and elaborate deceptions at play; our battles progressed in chaos.

When I was younger, exposed to the bible at a very early age, I often pictured the kingdoms of darkness and light going head to head in some eternal cosmic chess match. And in the end, there was no such thing as a tie. I often pictured the Almighty playing defensive and waiting for the devil to strike wildly, relishing in every pawn he captured. The more I studied the Bible I grew interested in the history that encapsulated it. I began exploring the mind of HaSatan, the devil. I was curious as to what exactly his end game was, some devious checkmate strategy or simply to take as many pieces down with him as he could?

A lot can be learned from a player’s opening in a chess match, it may cause you to think defense, offense, or sometimes it may simply confuse you. And most good chess players will tell you the game is not played on the board, but in the mind. For example, right off the bat in the garden we don’t see Eve desiring evil and wickedness, we see the serpent instilling doubt in the word of Yahweh. Overall humans seem to have enough trouble avoiding sin on their own, they don’t really need a devil to egg them on.

As I see it, the adversary of Yahweh has two main desires.

• To have what G-d calls evil, you call good. What G-d considers righteous, you will deem foolish. We should know that good and evil are not subjective. Morality comes from G-d’s word alone. HaSatan never lied in the garden, he added more to what Yahweh had told Adam and Eve. He caused them to doubt G-d’s word; doubt truth.
• He desires a kingdom of his own where he is worshiped. Babylon. If the devil desires to be G-d, he will mimic him. If Yahweh has His own kingdom, the devil will have his.

Yahweh has two desires as well.

• He wants what He calls righteousness to be your standard of living, so you will receive blessing and not curses.
• Bring His people, Ammi, into the promise land, His footstool. His kingdom where He is worshiped. Israel.

Did the mention of the devil’s kingdom cause you to raise an eyebrow? Often, we see parallels in the Bible between the kingdom of Israel (Yahweh’s kingdom) and the kingdom of Babylon (HaSatan’s kingdom). Yes, we’ve all heard of the idea of a kingdom of darkness… but what does that really mean, and does it have any power? I can hear half of you, lovingly, telling me I need to just focus on the love of Jesus and all will be set right in the end. Although I agree with that sentiment—lining up your desires with G-d’s desires is assuredly what we are called to do in this life—every chess master has a purpose behind each move he makes and I for one would rather not repeat Eve’s mistake and unknowingly be tricked, finding myself on the wrong side of the board.

Let’s take a short stroll through a couple thousand years of history and replay a few notable moves made by the old serpent. And while we visit these certain events, I want you to keep this idea in the back of your mind: what if the vision seen in Daniel 2 is the evolution of Satan’s kingdom? One statue, one kingdom throughout time. The evolution of Babylon, the empire of the enemy of G-d.

After reading works such as the Unseen Realm by Dr Michael Heiser, I’ve seen the spiritual realm a little differently. Babylon is not just any land that disobeys Yahweh, the location and the leader is important as well. It’s hard to determine if this kingdom existed in the antediluvian world (before the flood) but we can assume it did. After the flood, we see Nimrod seeking out this location specifically to build a great tower, Babel. A one world empire under one leader with one tongue. Many have speculated as to what was being done in the plains of Shinar but whatever it was, it’s safe to say it was contrary to Yahweh; and all the world, but the house of Noah, were united in the task.

As children we do not always understand the wisdom of the Father, but we must trust that He has our best interest at mind. Is it unsound and blind faith to trust in a source that has confirmed His faithfulness throughout time? Or is it reasonable to believe that if He made a way for Moses, He can make a way for me?

                Let’s look at these two kingdoms and see their interactions starting with the tower of Babel. I encourage you to read about all these events on your own, I’m simply playing connect the dots for you. Nimrod remained king of Shinar, where Babylon was later built, for as long as the time of Jacob and Esau. Midrash teachings give conflicting fates of Nimrod but there may have been more than one king to take that name. Some say he was slain by Shem and cut into thirteen different pieces and others say that Esau did they deed while hunting (which gives us more of a reference to why he so easily sold his birthright to Jacob, he assumed his life was forfeit after killing the king.) It is also thought that Amraphel, from the Genesis 14 war was also Nimrod. After Nimrod, Shinar/Babylon does not appear on the biblical scene till the captivity of the southern Kingdom of Judah in 586BC. The reason for this is because the city changed hands a few times. The Hittites and then the Assyrians under Sennacherib (the same who took the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity) conquered Babylon before it rebelled and came under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar (head of gold). If we follow my thinking that the statue is one kingdom throughout time, Assyria (occupying Babylon at the time of the captivity of the northern kingdom) was just another step on the tower of Babel.

What about in Egypt? The pharaoh that commanded the killing of the newborn Hebrews was said to have not known of Joseph. What leader would not remember the man that saved a nation and was second in command? Would not his sons Ephraim and Manasseh have become leaders as well? What kind of narrative would explain this? I often see Mitzrayim, Egypt, as a melting pot and a picture of the world. When we are told to come out of Egypt, we are called to come out of the world. The pharaoh at the time of Moses birth has been speculated to be a conquering king, a man called the Assyrian, who took over the nation. This narrative tends to explain a few things, such as a mixed multitude leaving Egypt to escape persecution and why the Hebrew children were slain out of fear. Somewhere along the line we became obsessed with blood-lines but we see many joining Israel. The nation of Israel is not one of Yahweh’s failed side projects, it’s a continually evolving plan. This is mirrored by the evolution of Babylon, the kingdom of darkness.

Just as a side note it is thought that the Great Pyramid in Egypt was actually built before the flood and is one of the “pillars” mentioned by Josephus in his first volume of Antiquity of the Jews and that it contained the secret knowledge of the Mazzeroth (star signs and seasons). One theory regarding the tower of Babel was that they were trying to rediscover these secrets in the heavens. It was also thought that the Magi who came to Bethlehem to worship the messiah were from Babylon and were Chaldeans, known for their great understanding of the heavens.

We mentioned that Amraphel, who may have been Nimrod, took part in the Genesis 14 war and would have been battling against what would later become the Canaanites. We read that the five kings of the land of Canaan rebelled and remained free for thirteen years. Some say the desire was for the healing properties of the salt pits which would later become the Dead Sea. Other say it was the copper mines south of the Dead Sea which would later become the mines of Solomon where the Eilat stones are found today. It may simply have been more along the line of what HaSatan has been trying to do since the preflood world. One kingdom united. These kings rebelled and the four kings from the future lands of Assyria and Babylon conquered and encircled the whole promised land and defeated the five kings as well as many other cities and peoples, bringing the entire known world back under one leadership. Perhaps it was simply about uniting everyone by force, but Abram and three hundred and eighteen men prevented that. I know, a missed novel opportunity in that story alone.

Remember I said the leader was important. Nimrod is not only a character of the Bible, I believe he makes an appearance in many mythologies. If we have seventy different tongues arising out of Babel, we could potentially have seventy different names for the world leader of the time; randomly speaking a strange tongue one morning would be a great story to tell the grandkids. One of the things that strengthens my belief in the Bible is so many other mythologies are tied to the account. Nimrod built several cities outside Shinar such as Nineveh, which was later controlled by Asshur who was considered the first Assyrian. If we consider Assyria to be part of the evolution of Babylon, maybe Egypt at the time of Moses was as well. Bloodline does not matter as far as who can join either kingdom, but bloodline matters as far as their leaders. The writers of the Bible recorded genealogies for a reason. There is a bloodline from Adam to Yeshua. Some call this the Melchizedekian bloodline, the king priests. Is it possible there is a king priest bloodline for Nimrod and the antichrist? The parallel is interesting at the least. The Bible says Melchizedek has no beginning or end, a kohen for all time. Adam was not born and Yeshua, the last Melchizedek, still presides over us in the heavenly Temple and waits to come down as our king on mount Tzion.

Is it possible the defeated kings under Chedorlaomer and Nimrod in Genesis 14 returned to their lands and vengefully plotted to retake the land after their defeat? Some say Nimrod’s timeline goes up to the time of Jacob and Esau as we mentioned. Was another motive of Esau to slay Nimrod and stop a second invasion or even a current occupation? Or did Nimrod just enjoy traveling many miles to hunt in a land well outside his kingdom? We could be seeing another delay in the attempt for another one world empire. We at least have a motive built that Nimrod’s descendants would try to retake the promised land and even invade Egypt. There may not have even been a war, the crown may have been surrendered. The pharaoh could have been a regent king placed over the land or was indeed a second new world order antichrist figure. This pharaoh wouldn’t have remembered Joseph, but he sure would have remembered what Abram did to his descendants (slaughtering all but the four kings, an army of eight hundred thousand men according to Sepher Ha Yashar).

Things are not as simple as saying there are only two kingdoms. Either you are part of Yahweh’s covenant or you are bound for destruction. Many of the prophets and Revelation tell us a different story. Nations that have shown Israel compassion will not be judged as harshly as those who have hated them e.g. Amalek, Esau, Assyria, Babylon. The point of this quick run through of history is simply to show that HaSatan has a kingdom and a leader (antichrist figure) who takes on many names throughout history. We see the plan alter and change after Babylon and Persia, but we see with each stage, Israel is involved.

In summary, Babylon rebelled and conquered Assyria after the captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel. Isaiah spoke of Babylon’s fall 100 years before its rise to power in 612BC when it swept west and conquered Judah and then Egypt. Babylon was conquered overnight by Persia with no real conflict. Persia (Achaemenid Empire) fell to Alexander the Great when he invaded in 334BC. His greatest legacy he left behind was cultural diffusion. The unity of one mind. The merging of beliefs and the spread of Hellenistic thought.

Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths. Is this not a return to the state of the world before the confusion of the languages?

Why did Yahweh let His kingdom be divided and taken into captivity? His chosen people whom He loves, the one light in the world. Why let it be swallowed by the kingdom of darkness?

Isaiah 65

1 “I made myself accessible to those who didn’t ask for me, I let myself be found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ to a nation not called by my name. 

2 I spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who live in a way that is not good, who follow their own inclinations;  

3 a people who provoke me to my face all the time, sacrificing in gardens and burning incense on bricks. 

4 They sit among the graves and spend the night in caverns; they eat pig meat and their pots hold soup made from disgusting things. 

5 They say, ‘Keep your distance, don’t come near me, because I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day!

                We see the anger and jealousy of Yahweh in the writings of the prophets many times, but we also see His love and plan of redemption.

1 Kings 19:9-

9There he went into a cave and spent the night. Then the word of ADONAI came to him; he said to him, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?” 

10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for ADONAI the God of armies, because the people of Isra’el have abandoned your covenant, broken down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I’m the only one left, and they’re coming after me to kill me too.” 

11 He said, “Go outside, and stand on the mountain before ADONAI”; and right then and there, ADONAI went past. A mighty blast of wind tore the mountains apart and broke the rocks in pieces before ADONAI, but ADONAI was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake, but ADONAI was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake, fire broke out; but ADONAI was not in the fire. And after the fire came a quiet, subdued voice. 

13 When Eliyahu heard it, he covered his face with his cloak, stepped out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?” 

14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for ADONAI the God of armies; because the people of Isra’el have abandoned your covenant, broken down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. Now I’m the only one left, and they’re after me to kill me too.” 

15 ADONAI said to him, “Go back by way of the Dammesek Desert. When you get there, anoint Haza’el to be king over Aram. 

16 Also anoint Yehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Isra’el, and anoint Elisha the son of Shafat of Avel-M’cholah to be prophet after you. 

17 Yehu will kill whoever escapes the sword of Haza’el, and Elisha will kill whoever escapes the sword of Yehu. 

18 Still, I will spare seven thousand in Isra’el, every knee that hasn’t bent down before Ba’al and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

                Part of Yahweh’s love is as a good father who tests his children and punishes them for wrong doing. Some wrongs we know we commit, others we do not understand we do, but it is the job of every parent to instruct a child, so they may do well in the future. Furthermore, it is easy to blame the people but what of the leadership? For sheep that follow blindly are foolish, but the false shepherd shall be judged the more so.

The King’s Code for the rulers of Israel.  

Deuteronomy 17:14-21

¹⁴ When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” ¹⁵ be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.¹⁶ The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” ¹⁷ He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. ¹⁸ When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees ²⁰ and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

…I think we can name a few kings who made these mistakes. When Israel strayed from Yahweh’s laws and commands we often see a foolish king at the helm.

Jeramiah 5:21, written to Judah before the Babylonian captivity

• Romans 11: 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, and ears that would not hear, eyes that would not see down to this very day. 9And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Man-made religion can replace G-d when the attitude of the heart is not right. Just as Israel strayed by not keeping Yahweh’s commandments, in times they strayed when it was a matter of the heart even though they kept to the letter of the law. What does it mean if you keep your marriage vows but have no love in your heart for your spouse?

Isaiah 1:9-14

9 If ADONAI-Tzva’ot had not left us a tiny, tiny remnant, we would have become like S’dom, we would have resembled ‘Amora. 

10 Hear what ADONAI says, you rulers of S’dom! Listen to God’s Torah, you people of ‘Amora! 

11 “Why are all those sacrifices offered to me?” asks ADONAI. “I’m fed up with burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals! I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls, lambs and goats!

12 Yes, you come to appear in my presence; but who asked you to do this, to trample through my courtyards? 

13 Stop bringing worthless grain offerings! They are like disgusting incense to me! Rosh-Hodesh, Shabbat, calling convocations – I can’t stand evil together with your assemblies! 

14 Everything in me hates your Rosh-Hodesh and your festivals; they are a burden to me – I’m tired of putting up with them!

Despite how we may feel or understanding we may lack, Yahweh’s grace and love are seen throughout time. We often focus on loss, but when harvest comes the farmer rejoices in what has born fruit and does not concern himself with the seed that did not take root.

Romans 9:27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”

We could spend much time on passages that show Yahweh’s love for His people, but the Bible speaks that truth easily enough—if one takes time to read it without bias or blinders. Most of you who are reading this are likely aware of Yahweh’s redemptive plan for His kingdom, so I shall digress and refocus on the kingdom of Darkness.

                Hellenization swept across the world, but no people resisted as violently as the Jewish people. Jewish; let’s explain that term and tie it in with the Greek occupation following the death of Alexander the Great when the Seleucid empire ruled the fertile crescent. The kings of the northern kingdom of Israel lived lives far from Yahweh’s desire and for that were taken into Assyrian captivity in 722BC. Judah, who managed to have a righteous king every third ruler did not go into captivity until 586BC, 136 years after their brethren. They were conquered by the Babylonians but the apocryphal book of Baruch (the scribe of Jeremiah) states that the earth swallowed the ark of the covenant and angels from Yahweh flattened the walls of Jerusalem, so it could be said that no king conquered the holy city but that Yahweh himself offered it up.

                In 539 BC, the Persians Conquered Babylon and in 538 a Decree of Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem.  We see Judah, the southern kingdom—likely comprised of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and Levites, returning to the land in 520-515 BC under Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest who began laying the foundations of the second Temple. Living in the land of Judea they were given the name Jews. The people still referred to themselves as Hebrews, sons and daughters of Israel (Jacob). It should be noted that the events of Esther are thought to take place between 539-330 BC. Many Jews stayed in dispersion but were not always in captivity. Christians sometimes forget their true home is the promise land just as many Jews likely did (without mention of the northern kingdom who began their captivity in 722BC). Judah went into captivity in 586 and many Jews did not return till after the fall of the Persian empire in 330BC; a period of 256 years. We see the United States has only existed a short time in the scope of history if we take this perspective. 

                Many theories revolve around the lost northern tribes and there is probably a scattered bit of truth in them all. They were dispersed and likely are in many ways still considered in the diaspora, living out their punishment until the time of the end. Some likely did return or in fact managed to escape being taken into captivity and we also know many did join Judah. The northern kingdom is mentioned by Josephus during Antiochus reign and, being a Levite, he does not speak highly of them. From reading the new testament, or Brit Chadashah, we see that Jews were not fond of those living in the land of Samaria. Ephraim (northern kingdom referred to this way by the prophets) gave herself over to interbreeding and had their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Josephus recounts that when faced with persecution, they would call themselves Arabs and even renamed their temple the temple of Jupiter Hellenius to appease Antiochus. In other times they called themselves Jews when it suited them. Samaritans survived to this day and now hold they keep the true faith of Moses and that Judaism is altered since the Babylonian captivity, a little truth in every lie here as well. They also hold the contention that Mount Gerizim is the true place of worship, established since the time of Joshua. I’m not here to make an argument either way, but renaming a temple dedicated to Yahweh for a pagan deity in the face of persecution does not bode well for such a lukewarm people. In stark contrast of this event we see the Judeans take a different approach.

                Despite how we may fail Yahweh, His plan continues. He often uses our sin and mistakes for good, even though this doesn’t make our actions right. Israel, the northern kingdom, was sown amongst the nations in order to bless them. The history and miracles of Yahweh was given to a world that never heard of him. The victories of HaSatan may seem devastating at the time, but Yahweh will preserve His kingdom.

The books of Maccabeus (found amongst the Dead Sea scrolls and supported by Josephus’s recounting of the events) give us a good glimpse of what the Jews had gone through and perhaps where their profound legalistic attitude had arisen from. Antiochus Epiphanies, a Hellenistic King of the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC took Jerusalem and placed his own high priest there. The Seleucid Kingdom which Antiochus came from included the city of Babylon. Instead of respecting the faith of the Jews, he tried to Hellenize them. Imprisonment, torture, and capital punishment were the fates of anyone who kept Torah, God’s commandments. Even children found to be circumcised after the edict were put to death.  Levitical priests were forced to eat pork and sacrifice unclean animals upon sacred altars. According to the authors of the Books of the Maccabees, while Antiochus was busy in Egypt, a rumor spread that he had been killed. In Judea, the deposed High Priest Jason gathered a force of 1,000 soldiers and made a surprise attack on the city of Jerusalem. Menelaus, the High Priest appointed by Antiochus, was forced to flee Jerusalem during a riot. King Antiochus returned from Egypt in 168 BC, enraged by his defeat; he attacked Jerusalem and restored Menelaus, then executed many Jews.

 2 Maccabees 5:11–14 When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery.

                Most of Judea slowly gave in during the occupation, especially after a revolt was thwarted and the oppression increased. Many regard this time as when the Abomination of Desolation took place. The Jews refer to this as sacrificing a pig on an altar, but it is also recounted that Antiochus stripped the Temple of its ornaments and set up an idol. His genocide was simply based on religion. Any that disavowed their Hebrew faith was often given positions of power and wealth, while any that stayed true were simply put to the sword. These events are often believed to mirror what will happen for believers in the end times when the antichrist rules. If the kingdom of darkness had Yahweh’s people in their clutches during the captivity, why did HaSatan allow them to live? Just like the adversary in the story of Job, HaSatan is limited by what Yahweh will allow. Now, after the testing fire of captivity, we see another trial ignited by Yahweh to further refine his people with the reign of Antiochus Epiphanies.

In the narrative of I Maccabees, after Antiochus IV issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice, a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias the Hasmonean, sparked the revolt against the Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship the Greek gods. Mattathias killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in Mattathias’ place. Afterwards, he and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judah. After Mattathias’ death about one year later in 166 BC, his son Judah Maccabee led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare, which at first was directed against Hellenized Jews, of whom there were many. The Maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised boys and forced Hellenized Jews into outlawry. The term “Maccabees” used to describe the Jewish army is taken from the Hebrew word for “hammer”.

Army after army sent by Antiochus was defeated by the outnumbered Maccabeus, sometimes with odds six to one. It is apparent, Yahweh showed His favor for His chosen people who decided to keep His commandments. They reclaimed and purified the Temple, and this is also the story from which we get the Festival of lights, or Hanukah. Not only did they reclaim the land, but they ushered in the Hasmonean Dynasty and slaughtered any Jews that allowed themselves to be Hellenized. My first reaction is, well that was a bit harsh considering the circumstances, but in the land of Yahweh’s dwelling, driving out evil has support according to several biblical stories. One being Numbers 25 when the Levites slaughtered any Hebrew that took a Midianite wife against Moses’s orders. The people had broken the Mosaic law and perhaps this zeal found them favor with the Most High because the Hasmoneans, after the success of the Maccabean Revolt, continued their conquest to the surrounding areas of Palestine. Those who remained of the Jewish party favoring Hellenistic influence were forced to submit to Mosaic Law. Perhaps this was the influence of the Legalism that Yeshua faced? The same legalism that Paul was born into and later had to combat? Very likely, and if you’re anything like me you’re wondering why was the Maccabeus not included in the canon of scripture? Hopefully I can answer that as we transition into the next part of Daniel’s statue, the next evolution, Rome.

The holy kings of the Hasmonean Dynasty were Levitical and Gen. 49:10 states “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.” This was Jacob’s blessing. Remember Saul, the 1^st king of united Israel, tried this and it did not bode well for him. He did sacrifices without Samuel and, as Numbers 3:10, 3:38 and 16:40: states, these duties were for the Levites alone.  Herod the Great, being an Edomite, was not a true king of Israel. He married into the role by taking a Levitical Princess as a bride. Not that Judea had much of a choice, Herod defeated the Hasmoneans in battle and was placed as King of the Jews by the powers that be in Rome. Ruling from 40BC-5BC.

If Yahweh was pleased with the Maccabeus and obviously blessed them in battle and seemed to have allowed the Temple to be restored and the miracle of the oil lasting long (things do not decay as fast in His presence, as we saw in the wilderness) why did the kingdom fall into chaos once more? After the Maccabeus (Levites) saved Judea, they did not relinquish the power back to Judah but were seen as heroes by their own might. Judah Maccabee and his brothers were very pious and gave all credit to Yahweh for their success but the line of Zadok was not restored to the high priesthood and a foreign King, not from the tribe of Judah, was placed over them. The Maccabeus tried with good intentions to prevent the people turning away from Yahweh again. They believed their hands were the only safe ones and they held the High Priesthood and kingship at the same time. A road paved with good intentions to be certain.

How did a people who kept forgetting their God and His law suddenly do a 180 degree turn and fall into the error of legalism?  I believe the coming out of captivity and facing a genocide like the one described above, to be a reasonable explanation.

What is evil? I’d always get confused growing up wondering why the devil was so dumb. He’s sitting at a poker table with G-d and he knows he’s going to lose, but he still has a smirk on his face. Why? HaSatan’s goal is to make evil appear good and right. He wants to fabricate his own version of righteousness and set the stage for him to be the ruler of light when he reveals himself at the time of the end. Those who adhere to G-d’s laws, however, will appear to the world as the evil ones. Rev. 12: 13-17. HaSatan wants to usher in his own millennial reign. He wants to play as close to the biblical prophecies as possible so even the elect are deceived. If Babylon is the empire of HaSatan, the god worshiped by Nimrod at Babel would likely be Hasatan himself, making him a form of anti-Christ. Some rabbinic commentators have also connected the name Nimrod with a Hebrew word meaning ‘rebel’.

Hellenism was a philosophy that carried weight in the known world from the time of Alexander the Great to the “Christian” conversion of the sun god worshiping (Mythras) Constantine, around 700 years. The new testament is laced with Hellenistic ways of thinking today not only because of it being a common language but also the influence of Constantine and the combination of church and state. Ideas from Greek thought such as polytheism and the afterlife still pervert the scriptures today because of Constantine’s efforts to merge Hellenism with Christianity. The blending of paganism with scripture seemed to have been the next step in HaSatan’s schemes.

                Onward to Rome! The Hasmoneans indeed had a pact with Rome before it stamped out the Greeks. It made sense at the time to align with the enemy of the people that had persecuted them. When Herod the Great became king, he stayed allied with Rome. At its greatest extent, Rome occupied Babylon, and hopefully by now you are seeing the reoccurring theme that the kingdom which hold Babylon always seems to have a beef with Israel. In fact, did Greek culture really die out? No, it’s obvious that Rome adopted it and it continued to flourish, a tree replanted in a larger, sturdier pot.

Herod the Great was loved and hated. The Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes opposed Herod because he replaced their high priests with outsiders from Babylonia and Alexandria, in an effort to gain support from the Jewish (Northern Kingdom/Israel) Diaspora. However, Herod did reclaim much of the promised land by fighting the Arabs and he built a great many wonders, including rebuilding the Temple. He professed to adhere to the Mosaic law but also murdered most of his family and children. In the end, his descendants that held the throne were just the puppets of Rome. For the first time, there were foreign kings over Israel.

Just as HaSatan’s kingdom evolves, so did Yahweh’s plan for his people. Through Yeshua we see the restoration of the bride He divorced, forgiveness for all that would accept. Many see the next few years as the decline of the Jews and the rise of Christendom. In 57 AD Paul of Tarsus is arrested in Jerusalem after he is attacked by a mob in the Temple and defends his actions before a Sanhedrin. Nero decapitated Paul somewhere between 62-64 AD. The New Testament does not say when or how Paul died. The date of Paul’s death is believed to have occurred after the Great Fire of Rome in July 64, but before the last year of Nero’s reign, in 68. Why? Paul was accused of preaching against Torah in Jerusalem and bringing a gentile into the Temple. He was allowed to appeal to Caesar since he was a Roman citizen. He spent the next two years in Rome under house arrest writing letters. In 64 AD was the great fire of Rome. Jews were not popular for sure, but Christians (who at the time would have appeared extremely similar to Jews, were less favored) were disliked by those who clung to Hellenism and Judaism. 

Nero spent the next two years executing Christians, blaming them for the fire. Including Peter and Paul. Between 64–68, Nero persecuted Jews and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. In 66 AD we have the Galilean Revolt leading into the siege of Jerusalem, in 70AD. We see another abomination of desolation at this time, a second idol being placed in the Temple. The Jews and Idumeans were not united and the city fell. It was during Passover that the siege started and there were two million people in the city. Half died, and the other half were sold as slaves. There was a long conflict with Rome all the way until 135 AD, ending with the Bar Kokhba revolt. The Jewish wars scattered God’s chosen people until their return to the land in 1948.

                I posed the question why the Maccabeus were removed from scripture. I believe the answer to be as simple as: would you want a book detailing the miraculous revolt and overthrow of a tyrant to be in the minds of the Jews currently spread thin throughout the Roman Empire? An empire that itself had made edicts under Constantine to forbid the celebration of Jewish festivals and customs? The scenario was too eerily similar to the reign of Antiochus and anti-Semitism was high and continued to burn hotter until it burst into the furnaces of the Third Reich (the evolution of the Holy Roman Empire).

The feet of iron and clay is comprised of a flurry of different theories I won’t attempt to go into. All we see is that Rome loses control of Babylon and it has remained deserted and in Islamic hands ever since. I can only commentate on what history has shown us. Rome continues and branches. We see the Byzantine empire in the east and the Holy Roman empire in the west (the first Reich). The Papacy remained strong throughout time and eventually the reformation branched from that and was the spark that forged the United States.

Most protestants cringe at the thought their faith is traced back to Catholicism, and I think they should. Many allow themselves to get to sleep at night by whispering that Babylon is Islam and perhaps they are half right. The final kingdom is unlike any we have ever seen. Iron and clay do not mix and most assuredly Islam and Catholicism do not mix. HaSatan’s plan is to unite the world for a second tower of Babel experience. I spoke of a bloodline for Yeshua and some speculate there was always a Melchizedekian king-priest on earth, one ruling right after another outside formation of the kingdom of Israel. I’d be willing to wager there is a similar line for the Anti-Christ. Babylon, a kingdom throughout time with a ruler throughout time, the scepter passing from one cold grasp to the next.

I personally don’t lose sleep over deciding who Babylon may be, but I do lose sleep wondering, what is right and what is wrong. What is the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness? We have seen, along with the evolution of Babylon, the evolution of morality. I know Yahweh has always preserved a remnant, and I pray you all will seek to find your place among that number. Remember, HaSatan plays his game close to the truth and most assuredly he bathes the works of his hands in a false, convincing light.

Shalom,

Nathanael Klein