Latest / Faith by annm2705 / 713. Bible Study: Isaiah 21 (Ba'al, Bel, Marduk, Satan, Idolatry, Ishtar and other gods inhabit Babylon and will be destroyed)
Transcript
- 0:00We are covering chapter 21 from the book of Isaiah, and this one
- 0:04is really interesting because it talks about historical things,
- 0:09but again, it talks about future prophetic things that do affect
- 0:14all of us. So this is a prophecy against
- 0:17Babylon. But we also should remember that
- 0:21in the end times, there is this quote, mystery Babylon that's
- 0:25referred to in the Book of Revelation.
- 0:27And therefore this really applies to this effects all of
- 0:33us. Like we need to know who is
- 0:36Babylon, and I believe Babylon is a spiritual entity or
- 0:43entities. And I will, I think maybe after
- 0:47I read these sources you may understand what I'm saying and
- 0:53maybe you'll agree with me, maybe you won't.
- 0:55I don't know. But the Bible certainly gives a
- 1:00lot of reasons to believe this. So anyway, I will start.
- 1:04We'll first start with a prayer. Dear God, please be with us as
- 1:09we read through this and let the Holy Spirit give us wisdom and
- 1:13insight and application into our lives and help our eyes be
- 1:17opened as we read through your word in Jesus name, Amen.
- 1:23So this talks about a prophecy against the desert by the sea.
- 1:29Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Southland, an invader comes
- 1:33from the desert, from a land of terror.
- 1:37A dire vision has been shown to me.
- 1:39The traitor betrays the looter takes loot.
- 1:43Elam attack media lay siege. I will bring an end to all the
- 1:47groaning she has caused. At this, my body is wracked with
- 1:51pain. Pangs sees me like those of a
- 1:54woman in labor. I am staggered by what I hear.
- 1:58I am bewildered by what I see. My heart falters.
- 2:01Fear makes me tremble. The twilight I longed for has
- 2:05become a horror to me. They set the tables, they spread
- 2:08the rugs. They eat, they drink.
- 2:10Get up, you officers. Oil the Shields.
- 2:13This is what the Lord says to me.
- 2:15Go post a lookout and have him report what he sees when he sees
- 2:19Chariots with teams of horses. Rides on donkeys, riders on
- 2:24donkeys, or riders on camels. Let him be alert, fully alert.
- 2:30And the lookout shouted. Day after day, my Lord, I will
- 2:34stand on the watchtower every night I stay at my post.
- 2:38Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses,
- 2:42and he gives back the answer. Babylon has fallen, has fallen.
- 2:48All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground.
- 2:53My people who are crushed on the threshing floor.
- 2:56I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the
- 3:00God of Israel. A prophecy against Duma, which
- 3:03is also. Edom someone calls to me from
- 3:07Seer watchman, what is left of the night?
- 3:10Watchman what is left of the night?
- 3:12The watchman replies morning is coming but also the night.
- 3:17If you would ask, then ask, and come back yet again a prophecy
- 3:22against Arabia. You caravans of Didonites who
- 3:28camp in the thickets of Arabia, bring water for the thirsty.
- 3:32You who live in Tima, bring food for the fugitives.
- 3:35They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent
- 3:39bow, and from the heat of the battle.
- 3:42This is what the Lord says to me within one year as a servant.
- 3:46Servant bound by contract would count it all.
- 3:50The splendor of Kedar will come to an end.
- 3:53The survivors of The Archers, the warriors of Kedar will be
- 3:57few. The Lord, the God of Israel has
- 3:59spoken. So that's the entire chapter.
- 4:0420. One, but there's so much in
- 4:07here. I will read what the study Bible
- 4:10says first and then I will give you some additional insight and
- 4:14lots of very interesting things that I found.
- 4:18So what was the desert by the sea?
- 4:20This mysterious description is surely a reference to Babylon,
- 4:23which is named as the focus of this prophecy in verse 9.
- 4:27The sea might refer to the Persian Gulf, which was
- 4:31southeast of Babylon, or it might refer to the great plain
- 4:36that Babylon stood on, which was divided by rivers, lakes, and
- 4:40marshes. That I.
- 4:42Was so divided. By rivers, lakes, and marshes
- 4:46that Isaiah called it a sea. The coming judgement would
- 4:50eventually turn Babylon into a desert wasteland.
- 4:54What caused Isaiah to tremble? These words might symbolize the
- 4:58horrors Babylon would suffer when foreign armies invaded it.
- 5:03More likely, they describe Elijah's reaction to his vision
- 5:08of seeing the Babylonians die. Though Isaiah longed for the
- 5:12fall of those who oppressed his people, he was unprepared for
- 5:16the gruesome images of Babylon's destruction, which went beyond
- 5:20what he had desired. The prophet's horror was marked
- 5:24contrast, was in marked contrast to the unconcerned feasting of
- 5:30the officers of Babylon, who ought to have been preparing for
- 5:35battle the night before Babylon fell.
- 5:38Fell. They were feasting in the Royal
- 5:41Courts of Babylon that's referring to They set tables and
- 5:46spread their rugs. They eat, they drink.
- 5:48So this is what happened when they fell.
- 5:52Why did the Shields need to be oiled?
- 5:54Most Shields in the Old Testament were made of wood or
- 5:57Wicker frames covered with hides.
- 5:58Some were reinforced with metal in the center and around the
- 6:01edges. Left unoiled, the leather
- 6:04covering became brittle and easier to Pierce and battle.
- 6:08So that's why the Shields would need to be oiled.
- 6:11What can we learn from ancient prophecies?
- 6:14Biblical prophecies teach us lessons, much as history does.
- 6:18When we see the parallels between the times of the
- 6:20Israelites and our times, we can benefit from the things they
- 6:24learned. For instance, prophecies offer
- 6:26glimpses of how seriously God takes sin.
- 6:29A holy God will not leave sin unpunished indefinitely.
- 6:33Sinners must must either be forgiven or face a day of
- 6:38judgement. Prophecies also reveal the
- 6:40danger of specific sins. The Israelites who desire to be
- 6:45self-sufficient were often reluctant to trust in God.
- 6:49They chose instead to trust in idols.
- 6:52If their crops didn't grow or their wives didn't conceive,
- 6:55they turned to fertility gods for solutions.
- 6:59If neighboring armies attacked them, the Israelites made
- 7:02treaties with Pagan allies instead of trusting in God.
- 7:07Prophecies sometimes show us examples of God's patience and
- 7:11mercy. He often used prophecy to call
- 7:14his people back to himself a last offer to avoid punishment
- 7:20for their failure. To follow him.
- 7:25Who and what was Isaiah prophesying about?
- 7:28Seer is another name for Edom, the land of Esau's descendants
- 7:33South of the Dead Sea. The location of Duma is
- 7:37uncertain, but it may have been chosen because the Hebrew word
- 7:41Duma means silence, and the reply of the Watchmen to the
- 7:45Edomites simple request to know the time is so vague and
- 7:50enigmatic that it is tantamount to silence.
- 7:54The one certainty about this puzzling prophecy is that the
- 7:58night will and in mourning, but also that this will be followed
- 8:02by another night. Perhaps this refers to the
- 8:05lifting of Assyrian oppression, which would be replaced by
- 8:08another black knight, the rule of Babylon.
- 8:12Were these prophecies ever delivered to the nations?
- 8:15There is little evidence of any Old Testament prophecy sent to
- 8:20the individuals or nations mentioned.
- 8:23Jeremiah did send a letter to the Exiles taken to Babylon in
- 8:26597 BC. It is possible though, that a
- 8:30prophet could have copied A prophecy and sent it to the
- 8:33leader of a designate designated group or nation.
- 8:37Why mention the splendor of Kedar?
- 8:39Kedar in northern Arabia was known as the land of Arabian
- 8:43Princess, prosperous caravan merchants and wealthy herdsmen.
- 8:48But Keter's glory days were about to end.
- 8:50Assyria and Babylon each LED campaigns into northern Arabia,
- 8:55with Nebuchadnezzar's army eventually defeating Kedar.
- 9:00So this is again one of those things that I believe is a
- 9:07foreshadowing prophecy and a prophecy that had a partial
- 9:12fulfillment, but there is still a greater fulfillment of it and
- 9:18that. Occurs.
- 9:20When Jesus returns, because I do think that all of these
- 9:25ultimately from what we've been reading, there's so much about
- 9:28Jesus in here that that I see that I'll point out now.
- 9:36So some of this is also historical that we would need to
- 9:40study to understand this prophecy against Babylon.
- 9:44I think Babylon is so much greater than just the ancient
- 9:48city of Babylon. The more I've studied the Bible,
- 9:51the more I believe this is this is true that Babylon represents
- 9:58a spiritual idolatry. That's and and that seems to be
- 10:04the the greatest thing that God is upset with with people is
- 10:09becoming idolatrous. And that is what Babylon
- 10:14signifies. So it's like a literal and a
- 10:18symbolic and a spiritual reference in the Bible.
- 10:23And I think this prophecy has application of something that
- 10:29happened in the past, but is also a foreshadowing of what is
- 10:33to come in the future because of lots of different.
- 10:37Verses so first. Of all Babylon is part of it is
- 10:44modern day Iraq. That's the land that we're
- 10:47talking about when we talk about Babylon.
- 10:51And in that land they worshipped different, different entities as
- 10:58God. And we find some of these
- 11:01references if you search the Bible for Bell, which is also
- 11:08Baal, which is also Lord. Those are all synonyms for that.
- 11:13If you find, and I say Baal a lot, but it should be Baal and
- 11:17then Marduk, those are names and it even gets more complicated.
- 11:22There are more names for these deities that I think ultimately
- 11:26they're all connected. Maybe there are separate
- 11:29entities, maybe they are all referencing the same entity, or
- 11:33they could be multiple entities, but it seems like they all work
- 11:38in tandem with one another. So this is, you know, why is
- 11:43Babylon being destroyed? Babylon is being destroyed
- 11:47because it is an idolatrous, idolatrous land and it has been
- 11:55destroyed. But then when we get into the
- 11:57Book of Revelation, that's future prophecy and it talks
- 12:00about fallen. Fallen is Babylon and it talks
- 12:03about this happening like in a very quick manner and in the end
- 12:08times. So this is what's called Mystery
- 12:11Babylon and that's why I think this is a spiritual prophecy.
- 12:16So to get into the spiritual ones, who did they worship and
- 12:20what was that all about? You can search bell Bel in a
- 12:26Bible. I'm using the New International
- 12:28Version on this. So in Isaiah 46 chapter 46 verse
- 12:33one Bell bows down, Nebo Stoops low.
- 12:38Their idols are borne by beast of burden.
- 12:42The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden
- 12:46for the weary. We'll learn more about Bell and
- 12:50then Jeremiah chapter 50 verse. Two says announce and proclaim
- 12:54among the nation's Lift up a banner and proclaim it.
- 12:58Keep nothing back, but say Babylon will be captured.
- 13:03Belle will be to shame, Marduk filled with terror.
- 13:08Her images will be put to shame and her idols filled with
- 13:13terror. I think this chapter of Jeremiah
- 13:15gives us that connection between Belle Marduk, the images.
- 13:22You know, there's this image of the beast that comes in the in
- 13:26the Revelation book. So Babylon will be captured,
- 13:31Belle will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror, her
- 13:33images will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror.
- 13:39Then it says in Jeremiah chapter 51, verse 44, I will punish
- 13:43Belle in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed.
- 13:49The nations will no longer stream to him and the wall of
- 13:54Babylon will fall. It's interesting in the Book of
- 13:57Revelation, it does talk about the dragon spewing this this
- 14:03water and trying to, you know, drown the woman.
- 14:07But the ground assists and swallows up the water.
- 14:11So it talks about that and that symbolism.
- 14:13But I do think this refers to this Bell entity, which I do
- 14:18believe is Satan and perhaps some fallen angels as well.
- 14:23So we will get into a little bit more of that.
- 14:27OK, so then Marduk, this is another one that is actually
- 14:31referenced five times in the New International Version of the
- 14:36Bible, and each time it's referencing an actual person
- 14:44when it's referenced, except for in Jeremiah 50, where it
- 14:48actually talks about the entity Marduk.
- 14:50But there's a lot of different names that are given like Marduk
- 14:54Baladon, Awell Marduk Marduk Baladon and Awell Marduk's I
- 15:00guess two different entities. And it talks about them becoming
- 15:04king of Babylon. So a lot of times these
- 15:09hyphenated names, they, I don't know if they thought they were
- 15:11gods, but they were kings of this area and they were human
- 15:14beings, but they took on the name of the God they worshipped.
- 15:18So Marduk was one of was that entity.
- 15:22So in another resource, if you want to do searching for the
- 15:28Bible when studying the Bible, a great resource because it it
- 15:31shortcuts a lot and gives you the summary of scriptures and
- 15:34where they are is gotquestions.org.
- 15:39So if you search that and they have a little search bar that
- 15:42you can find lots of different things that you're looking up,
- 15:45but there's great articles that you can find.
- 15:49So in one of the verses that we read, what does it mean that
- 15:53Belle bows down and Nebo Stoops? That's from Isaiah chapter 46,
- 15:59verse 1. So I'm just going to read this
- 16:02to you because it's very insightful relative to Belle and
- 16:06Marduk. And I think as we progress
- 16:08along, you will start to see how this is present today still.
- 16:16So we'll get to that at the very end.
- 16:18So Isaiah 46 records the greatness of God in contrast to
- 16:22the inefficacy of the Babylonian false gods, including Belle and
- 16:28Nebo. So we see those are false gods.
- 16:30At the time of Isaiah's prophecies, Babylon was a
- 16:34premier nation on earth and steeped in the worship of false
- 16:38gods and nationalistic pride. God had elevated Babylon for a
- 16:43time in history, and at that time He would hold the nation
- 16:47accountable for its evils. God is the sovereign Creator,
- 16:51the only true God. There is no one else, there is
- 16:55no other God beside him. He is the one in whom people can
- 16:59trust, and he calls to the peoples of the earth to turn to
- 17:03him to be saved because he is the only true God.
- 17:08With that context established, God asserts that bell bows down
- 17:13and Nebo Stoops Bell also called Marduk.
- 17:18So see, we can see like sometimes it's called Bell and
- 17:22sometimes called Marduk or marrow deck in Jeremiah 50,
- 17:27verse 2. It depends, I guess, what
- 17:28translation you're using. So anyway, this bell, also
- 17:32called Marduk, was the chief of the Babylonian gods and
- 17:37represented the nation's might and world world leadership.
- 17:41OK. So remember that we talked about
- 17:43in the Book of Revelation, there's going to be this global
- 17:46leadership, this one world governance, one world religion.
- 17:51Well, think what it might be. It's going to be this, this time
- 17:54of ancient that comes back. Just bear with me and you'll
- 17:59probably see this. Bell is mentioned several times
- 18:03in the Hebrew Scriptures and always in the context of being
- 18:07defeated or being judged. Jeremiah records that Bell would
- 18:11be put to shame and would be punished as part of Babylon's
- 18:16judgment for its offenses against God and his chosen
- 18:20people, the Israelites. So the things that I'm reading
- 18:23there are actually scriptural verses.
- 18:26It shows that that are supporting these statements.
- 18:29And if you go to the website ivegotquestions.org and just
- 18:33search Bell and Nebo, you'll find all these references.
- 18:37So for the sake of time, I'm not going to mention where these are
- 18:41found, but you can. It's great that they back this
- 18:45up with scripture, the things that are stated.
- 18:47So Nebo was a prominent city and mountain in Moab, but it seems
- 18:52that the reference here is to Nabu, a false God, rather than
- 18:57the city and mountain in Moab. Nabu was also a prominent
- 19:03Babylonian God, second only to Bell or Marduk.
- 19:08Nabu slash Nebo has been associated associated with other
- 19:13gods, including Nisaba in Sumeria, Thoth of Egypt, Apollo
- 19:21the Greek God, and Mercury the Roman God.
- 19:25So these names, again, all these names are in different nations,
- 19:31I guess are different. Yeah, different nations knew
- 19:34these same gods under different names, but they were all the
- 19:39same thing. Now I believe it is all Satan
- 19:43and fallen angels that are appearing as God because Satan
- 19:47wanted to be worshipped and so therefore he could appear to all
- 19:52these people in these different lands as a God even though he
- 19:56wasn't because it was something more supernatural that he was
- 20:01able to do. So.
- 20:02Continuing on with this explanation, Bell and Nebo were
- 20:06representative of Babylon's pride, yet they would both be
- 20:10humbled. Bell bows down and Nebo Stoops
- 20:13these Babylonian gods. Take a defeated and humbled
- 20:17posture as their images are carried by cattle away from
- 20:21Babylon. Those who relied on these gods
- 20:24to deliver them found that those images went right into captivity
- 20:29with them. Those gods could not save
- 20:32anyone, but the true God could. God had created the nation of
- 20:36Babylon and he could deliver them.
- 20:39So people should look to him and trust in Him rather than the
- 20:42false gods of Babylon. Those false gods would bow down
- 20:45and stoop. They would become burdens on
- 20:49weary beast and have no ability to deliver even themselves as
- 20:54the sovereign creator of all Yahweh.
- 20:57The God of the Bible reminds the people of Israel that they could
- 21:01trust in Him. Even today there are many false
- 21:04gods and idols that would attract our attention.
- 21:08But today, just like in Isaiah's day, God is trustworthy and
- 21:13reliable. He is the One one who can save.
- 21:16Isaiah warned Israel about trusting in belle and Nebo
- 21:21because belle bows down and Nebo Stoops.
- 21:25And we are likewise warned not to put our trust in what is
- 21:29unreliable. Jesus explained, for example,
- 21:32that we could not store up for ourselves treasures on earth,
- 21:35where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and
- 21:40steal, but that we should serve God.
- 21:44So then who is Marduk in the Bible?
- 21:46We already know that Marduk and Bel are synonymous, but this
- 21:52gives morks and this ties Marduk to Baal.
- 21:58Baal. So Marduk was a false God that
- 22:02was worshipped as the chief Babylonian deity.
- 22:05He had several titles, including Bel, which simply means Lord.
- 22:11He was worshipped as the God of storms and fertility, much as
- 22:17the Baal of the Canaanites was. So that sounds like it's another
- 22:23name. So there's Bell, Baal, Marduk,
- 22:27and there's even more names that come up.
- 22:29You know, all of those other ones from the other nations,
- 22:32each one had its own. You think of like Zeus was
- 22:35another one that was falls into the same category.
- 22:41The name Marduk is mentioned explicitly only once in in
- 22:46scripture. In Jeremiah 50 verse 2, Babylon
- 22:49will be captured, Bell will be put to shame, Marduk filled with
- 22:52terror, her images will be put to shame and her idols filled
- 22:56with terror. Terror.
- 22:58Jeremiah here predicts how the false God would be put to shame
- 23:01when God brought judgement upon Babylon.
- 23:04The downfall of Babylon would prove that the nation's deities
- 23:08as false and useless gods they were.
- 23:11Marduk's title of bell is mentioned in Isaiah 46 verse one
- 23:16and Jeremiah 5144. The Babylonian religious system
- 23:23was polytheistic. They worshipped many gods
- 23:27instead of just one. Early in history of Babylon,
- 23:30Marduk was only worshipped as a local city God, not as a
- 23:35national deity. This changed over time, however,
- 23:39with the writing of the Enuma Elishe, a Babylonian creation
- 23:45myth. The Enuma Elish helped raise
- 23:49Marduk to national deity status. In the Enuma Elish, Marduk is
- 23:55described as the hero of the story as he defeats quote the
- 24:00goddess Tiamat, the primeval saltwater ocean and makes heaven
- 24:06and earth out of her dead body. Within the myth is the story of
- 24:12how Marduk killed Tiamat's son Consort and used his blood to
- 24:18create mankind to be the laborers of God.
- 24:23It is. It's quite clear that the Enuma
- 24:26Elishe creation story differs drastically from the truth of
- 24:31the Lord's creation that's found in Genesis chapter 1 and 2.
- 24:36In ancient mythology, Marduk is credited with creating the
- 24:41Zodiac. He, Marduk made the stations for
- 24:45the great gods, the stars, their images as the stars of the
- 24:50Zodiac he fixed. And that is from the The Seven
- 24:55Tablets of Creation 5th tablet translated by LW King of London,
- 25:00Luzak and Company from 1902. The mythology associated Marduk
- 25:05himself with the planet Jupiter. So see the planets even.
- 25:10And then when you get into the Book of Enoch, it talks about
- 25:14these watchers who taught humans astrology and that these
- 25:19watchers were fallen angels that had rebelled against God and
- 25:23they came to Earth and they did these things.
- 25:25So Marduk, therefore, you can tie Marduk into being a fallen
- 25:30Angel if he's teaching the about the stars and the images
- 25:36according to mythology, he's credited with creating the
- 25:40Zodiac. So again, you can This all ties
- 25:44together. The Persian king Cyrus, who
- 25:48issued the decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem,
- 25:52credited Marduk with his decision to do so.
- 25:56Marduk, the great Lord, established as his fate for me a
- 26:03magnanimous heart of one who loves Babylon, and I daily
- 26:07attend his worship. I returned the images of the
- 26:11gods who had resided there in Babylon to their places, and I
- 26:15let them dwell in eternal abodes.
- 26:17I gathered all their inhabitants and returned them their
- 26:21dwellings. And that is from fragment A
- 26:24based on a translation from Mordecai Kogan published in the
- 26:29context of Scripture volume to monumental inscriptions from the
- 26:33biblical world Hallow and Younger in London and from 2002.
- 26:40Marduk. Marduk is often pictured in
- 26:43ancient mosaics standing with a dragon.
- 26:46Now we know in the Book of Revelation the dragon is Satan.
- 26:51The dragon is gives its power to the beast.
- 26:56So Marduk perhaps is a fallen Angel and is standing with the
- 27:03dragon so empowered by Satan perhaps.
- 27:06But it's just interesting to see these connections, okay?
- 27:11In fact, the Ishtar Gate that was present in ancient Babylon
- 27:17features a striding chimera like dragon called Mushushu
- 27:25associated with the God Marduk. It is interesting to see
- 27:29Marduk's connection with a serpent like animal since the
- 27:34devil is often referred to as a serpent.
- 27:39You can find that in Genesis chapter 3 verse one in in verse
- 27:4514 through 15 and Revelation chapter 12 verse 9.
- 27:50And we know that demons are the focus of idol worship.
- 27:55You can find that in Deuteronomy chapter 32, verses 16 through 17
- 28:00and One Corinthians chapter 10 verse 20.
- 28:05So Deuteronomy says they stirred him to jealousy with strange
- 28:10gods, with abominations. They provoked him to anger.
- 28:15They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had
- 28:20never known, to new gods that had recently, to new gods that
- 28:26had come recently whom your father's had never dreaded.
- 28:32And then it also says in One Corinthians 10, no, I imply that
- 28:37what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.
- 28:42I do not want you to be participants with demons.
- 28:49Let's see, Jeremiah and Isaiah were correct in their
- 28:52condemnation of Marduk. The Lord did bring judgment on
- 28:56Babylon proving Marduk and all the Babylonian gods to be false.
- 29:00There is only one true God and He is the only one worthy of our
- 29:04worship. As He said in as I said in
- 29:08Isaiah chapter 45 verse five, I am the Lord and there is no
- 29:12other besides me. There is no God.
- 29:15I equip you though you do not know me.
- 29:20So then another one is who is Baal?
- 29:25So this is another one that is an interesting connection here.
- 29:30So Baal was the name of the supreme God worshipped in
- 29:35ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The practice of Baal worship
- 29:40infiltrated Jewish religious life during the time of the
- 29:44Judges and it says the people of it Judges chapter 3, verse 7 and
- 29:50the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the
- 29:54Lord. They forgot the Lord their God
- 29:56and served the Baal's and the ash Asharath.
- 30:04OK, so it became widespread in Israel during the reign of Ahab.
- 30:08So Ahab was a king of Israel and you can read about him in First
- 30:15Kings chapter 16 it says. And as if it had been a light
- 30:21thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of
- 30:24Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel, the daughter of ETH
- 30:29Baal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and
- 30:35worshipped him. He erected an altar for Baal in
- 30:39the House of Baal, which he built in Samaria, which is
- 30:43modern day West Bank. And Ahab made an asherah.
- 30:49Ahab did more to provoke the Lord the God of Israel to anger
- 30:54than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
- 30:57So Ahab was a king of Israel that did worship this Baal and
- 31:03his wife Jezebel. And she's, she's often credited
- 31:07to a lot of like sexual immora immorality and prostitution and
- 31:13child sacrifice and all those things.
- 31:15So that's something that Baal does.
- 31:18So our demands, I guess, are people who do that.
- 31:23So it's really very interesting. And also affected Judah.
- 31:28So Ahab was the king of Israel. Israel and Judah had separated
- 31:33after Solomon. There was a fight for power.
- 31:37And so 10 of the tribes banded together and were called Israel
- 31:43and two tribes were banded together and they were called
- 31:46Judah. So they were two separate
- 31:49entities, 2 separate kingdoms that were happening
- 31:52simultaneously. Israel was defeated first, then
- 31:57later Judah became defeated or captured by both Babylon and
- 32:01Assyria back in that time. So this Baal worship affected
- 32:10both Israel and Judah. The word Baal means Lord.
- 32:15Now remember that the other word that was I think L or bell or
- 32:22yeah, bell Bel was also means Lord.
- 32:26So you can see how all these names are interconnected.
- 32:28So there might be a lot of different names, but they're all
- 32:31referring to the same entity. The word Baal means Lord.
- 32:35The plural is balaam. In general, Baal was a fertility
- 32:41God who was believed to enable the earth to produce crops and
- 32:46people to produce children. Different regions worshipped
- 32:50Baal in different ways, and Baal proved to be a highly adaptable
- 32:56God. Various locals emphasized one or
- 33:00another of his attributes and developed special denominations
- 33:05of Baalism. There was Baal of Pior,
- 33:09referenced in Numbers chapter 25.
- 33:12Baal Beareth in Judges chapter 8 are two such examples of
- 33:17localized deities. According to some versions of
- 33:22Canaanite mythology, Baal was the son of Dagon.
- 33:27Other accounts make him out to be the son of El, the chief God,
- 33:32and Ashura, the goddess of the sea.
- 33:35Baal was considered the most powerful of all gods, eclipsing
- 33:40El, who is seen as rather weak and ineffective.
- 33:44In various battles, Baal defeated Yam, the God of the
- 33:48sea, and Mott, the God of death and the underworld.
- 33:53Baal's sisters slash consorts, were Astaroth, A fertility
- 33:58goddess associated with the stars.
- 34:02So again, think about that. Stars are often I mean, you have
- 34:07the Zodiac, so you have fallen angels teaching humans about
- 34:10this. They're worshipping a goddess
- 34:13that's associated with the stars.
- 34:15And then there's Aneth A, the goddess of love and war.
- 34:21So this is all like connected. And then in the Book of
- 34:23Revelation, you see that the dragon who is Satan sweeps 1/3
- 34:29of the angels from heaven with his with his tail.
- 34:33You know, this is written in symbolic form, but the dragon
- 34:36represents Satan, the stars represent angels, and he sweeps
- 34:42a third of them to the earth. So that explains the fallen
- 34:47angels OK. The Canaanites worshipped Baal
- 34:52as the sun God and as the storm God.
- 34:56He is usually depicted holding a lightning bolt who defeated
- 35:01enemies and produced crops. They also worshipped him as a
- 35:05fertility God who provided children.
- 35:08Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved
- 35:13ritualistic prostitution in the temples, at times appeasing Baal
- 35:20tired human sacrifice, usually the first born of the one making
- 35:26the sacrifice. You can find that in Jeremiah
- 35:29chapter 19, the priest of Baal appealed to their God in rites
- 35:35of wild abandoned, which included loud ecstatic cries and
- 35:41self-inflicted injury. So think about this.
- 35:45This is a God who wants people to injure themselves.
- 35:49We know that Satan, he roams the earth looking for his next
- 35:54victim. He in the presence of God, he
- 35:57said he goes about to and from the earth, roaming the earth.
- 36:01So he is, until a certain point in time, he goes back and forth
- 36:08from the earth. He has some authority on earth.
- 36:10God gave him that authority. And it says that Satan seeks to
- 36:14kill and destroy humans. So wouldn't it make sense that
- 36:19in worship he's going to require them to injure themselves?
- 36:24OK. Before the Hebrews entered the
- 36:26Promised Land, the Lord warned against worshipping Canaan's
- 36:30gods, but Israel turned to idolatry anyway.
- 36:35During the reign of Ahab, that was the king of Israel, and
- 36:39Jezebel, his wife. At the height of Baal worship in
- 36:42Israel, God directly confronted paganism through his prophet
- 36:47Elijah. First, God showed that he, not
- 36:51Baal, controlled the rain by sending a drought lasting 3 1/2
- 36:57years. Then Elijah called for a
- 37:00showdown on Mount Carmel to provoke, to prove once and for
- 37:05all who the true God was. All day long, 450 prophets of
- 37:09Baal called on their gods to send fire from heaven.
- 37:13This is to light the fire because they had a sacrifice
- 37:15ready, surely an easy task for a God associated with lightning
- 37:20bolts. But there was no response.
- 37:23No one answered, no one paid attention.
- 37:25After Baal's prophets gave up, Elijah prayed a simple prayer
- 37:31and God immediately with fire from and God answered
- 37:35immediately with fire from heaven.
- 37:37The evidence was overwhelming and the people fell prostate and
- 37:41cried. The Lord He is God, the Lord he
- 37:46is God. Now it was even more significant
- 37:48about what Elijah did because before he called on God to light
- 37:53the fire for the sacrifice, he doused the wood with water and
- 37:58there was a tremendous amount of water that was placed on this,
- 38:02and yet the fire still lit. So this was like the
- 38:06overwhelming evidence that the people saw that God did
- 38:11something like this. So in Matthew chapter 23, I'm
- 38:15sorry, in Matthew chapter 12 verse 27, Jesus calls Satan
- 38:22Beezleblub, linking the devil to Bal Zebub, A Philistine deity.
- 38:29So now we have Jesus referencing this and he says in Matthew 1227
- 38:39and if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, whom do your sons
- 38:48cast them out? Therefore they will be your
- 38:50judges. So Jesus is calling Satan
- 38:54Bezelbub, linking the devil to Baal Zebub, a Philistine deity.
- 39:03So that's the Philistine deity was mentioned in second Kings
- 39:07chapter one verse 2. Now Ahaziah, who has fell
- 39:12through the lattice in his upper upper chamber in Samaria and lay
- 39:16sick. So he sent messengers telling
- 39:19them, go inquire of Baal Zebub, the God of Ekron, whether I
- 39:26shall recover from this sickness.
- 39:29So he is calling on instead of asking God, he's calling on the
- 39:36Baal, not real God. The Balaam of the Old Testament
- 39:43were nothing more than demons masquerading as gods and all
- 39:48idolatry is ultimately devil worship.
- 39:53And that's you can find out that from First Corinthians chapter
- 39:5710 verse 20. No, I imply what pagans
- 40:01sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.
- 40:05I do not want you to be participants with demons.
- 40:11So then it brings about, OK, Baal was something that was a
- 40:18false God that people were worshipping.
- 40:21And that's the thing that seems like God detests the most is
- 40:25this idolatry because it's a turning away from him
- 40:29ultimately. And so it really exists today,
- 40:34this Baal worship. And there is a, an interesting
- 40:39article that I'm going to read to you.
- 40:40It's written by David Brake on January 27th.
- 40:44I guess this year it's Jesus's teaching in parables, the Old
- 40:47Testament prophets in January 27th was written.
- 40:52So this is Baal, Baal worship today.
- 40:56So there's a photo if you want to go to this like to search
- 41:00this. There was a temple of Baal in
- 41:03Palmyra, Syria. So that's really interesting,
- 41:07Syria, especially when you think about the Assyrian and the
- 41:10references the Bible gives often to the Assyrian who comes out of
- 41:14the north and defeats all these different lands.
- 41:18So just ironic. Is it ironic that there is a
- 41:22temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria?
- 41:28Baal is the most famous ancient idol symbolized by a bull.
- 41:35Think about this too, like in concerts, how people, they don't
- 41:38even know they're doing it, but how they make their hand like
- 41:41like bull horns, you know, And they'll, they'll raise their
- 41:44hand up like that. Like these are things that have
- 41:47crept into our current world that people don't even know that
- 41:51they're doing. And they may be completely
- 41:54ignorant to it, but just just pay attention to it and you'll
- 41:58see it. History of Baal Worship Baal is
- 42:03the most famous idol worshipped in the ancient Middle East.
- 42:06He was the chief God of the Canaanite pantheon, including
- 42:09Baal, Haddad, Baal, Herman, Baal, Tamar, Baal, Pior, Baal,
- 42:15Zefon and others dates back to the mid 19th century BC.
- 42:21He is revealed in cuneiform tablets excavated in the ancient
- 42:26city of Ugarit. Ugarit, modern day Ras Shamra
- 42:33Shamra in Syria beginning in 1929 BC.
- 42:38Then there's the temple of Baal IS in Palmyra, Syria.
- 42:44Baal is the most frequent enemy of Jehovah in the Bible,
- 42:49beginning with the golden calf noticeable at Mount Sinai when
- 42:55God gave the Israelites the 10 commandments through the period
- 42:59of judges, kings, exile and post exile.
- 43:03Baal is mentioned 90 times in the Hebrew Bible.
- 43:08Balaam, the wicked prophet that was a worshipper of Baal
- 43:12instructs the Israelites to sin. You can find that in second
- 43:16Peter chapter 2 verse 15. So that's another thing that
- 43:21applies to us today that it's, you know, when you talk about
- 43:27sexual immorality, prostitution like that is the same spirit of
- 43:34Baal because it was like fertility.
- 43:37It's about sex. It's a sexual sensuous spirit.
- 43:43And again, this is what this is how Satan attacks and destroys
- 43:47because he will distort what God intended for marriage into
- 43:55letting everybody do it. Whenever that you know, this
- 43:57freedom that comes about, it's it's ultimately coming into
- 44:02agreement, coming into covenant with the evil one, with the
- 44:07devil. And it's very deceitful and
- 44:09manipulative because he takes a desire of humans, a natural
- 44:13desire that is good, a desire towards a sexual relationship
- 44:17with a husband or a wife. And and then it distorts it and
- 44:23it's just like a free for all for everyone.
- 44:25But ultimately this is the Baal spirit still at work today.
- 44:31And we are so deceived because our culture accepts this.
- 44:36And it's like, you know, it's just become so acceptable in our
- 44:40culture, which is a huge warning for all of us because it's so
- 44:45ingrained in our world and accepted that many people don't
- 44:49think anything bad of it. They don't think any harm is
- 44:52going to come from it. But the Bible tells us
- 44:54differently and it's something to really pay attention to.
- 45:00Meaning and symbolism of Baal. Baal is a Semitic noun means
- 45:04owner or Lord, Lord of life, fertility and wealth.
- 45:08He was also the king of the gods.
- 45:10Bally's most common symbol is the bull, and then ironically,
- 45:14it's used today as a symbol for the stock market and wealth.
- 45:18So again, idolatry. Wealth can be idolatry.
- 45:22The love of money is the root of all evil.
- 45:24Money is a tool. It's a resource.
- 45:27It's something that God sometimes blesses people with,
- 45:30but it's how we use it that either it becomes our God or we
- 45:36use it for God's purposes. So it's how we use a resource,
- 45:41whether or not it's an idol. The golden calf at Mount Sinai,
- 45:46Exodus chapter 32 verses one through 8.
- 45:49The people demanded that Aaron make them a God to worship.
- 45:52Since Moses had not returned for 40 days, they assumed Moses was
- 45:56dead. Aaron asked for all their gold
- 45:58jewelry, possibly hoping they would decline to do so, but they
- 46:01complied. Aaron then makes the golden
- 46:03calf, which represents the best known Pagan God.
- 46:08Now it talks about current Baal worship Number one, an
- 46:13individual that turns from faith in God to worldliness turns to
- 46:21Baal. So this is so subtle.
- 46:24And that's what the enemy does. He's deceiving, he's
- 46:27manipulative, and he works this way to confuse people.
- 46:32So our I got not really confuse people, but to lure people in in
- 46:37a way that their natural desires tend towards.
- 46:40But ultimately he's luring in just like you want to catch
- 46:43something in a trap. That's what he's doing to us.
- 46:46When we succumb to this, when we let him be Lord over our life
- 46:52instead of the one true God, then we get lured in.
- 46:56But it's ultimately going to be our destruction because the
- 47:00Bible tells us so. A nation founded on OK #2
- 47:05current Baal worship, a nation founded on biblical principles
- 47:09that turns to secularism, socialism, materialism, and
- 47:15Pagan values is practicing Baal worship #3 this can be referred
- 47:22to as the return of Baal worship through though Baal worship has
- 47:28persisted throughout history. So Baal and Ashtaroth, Asteroth
- 47:35referred to in Judges chapter 2 verse 13.
- 47:38And they forsook the Lord and served Baal.
- 47:41And Asteroth also called Ishtar. So again, this is something
- 47:47that's interesting. You can search Ishtar and find
- 47:50out things. Referred to by some theologians
- 47:53as Missus Bale. She is the goddess of unbridled
- 47:57sexuality. Ishtar launches the sexual
- 48:02revolution, the great seduction. In all cultures.
- 48:07She is referred to as the harlot goddess.
- 48:11She has also come to Western civilization and has eroded the
- 48:17biblical teaching on marriage. Ishtar is also the goddess of
- 48:24bisexuality and transsexuality, including children
- 48:31transsexuality. So this is something, you know,
- 48:35that is definitely affected our country in the last, you know,
- 48:41five years or so, that became like even a political statement,
- 48:49you know, from like 20 to 24, a lot of our government was
- 48:54promoting this. And so as a country, the United
- 48:59States has a lot to be concerned about.
- 49:02In fact, sometimes I wonder if we are Mystery Babylon.
- 49:06I sure hope that we are not. But I can certainly see that
- 49:10this is a spiritual thing that affects all countries.
- 49:13And that's why the whole earth is going to be destroyed.
- 49:17In fact, Isaiah was actually preaching to the whole earth.
- 49:21He was warning the whole earth. And we have his words to reflect
- 49:24on today. So if if we don't turn from
- 49:27this, then we are going to suffer judgement as well.
- 49:32OK, now it talks about Baal, Ashtarath and Molech.
- 49:35So Molech's another one. Molech is mentioned several
- 49:38times in scripture. Molech is a Semitic word for
- 49:42Lord. He is the abomination God.
- 49:47When King Solomon married Pagan women and turned away from God,
- 49:51he built altars to the Pagan gods, including Molech in First
- 49:56Kings Chapter 11 verse 7. Molech was the Pagan God of
- 50:01human sacrifice. Leviticus 1821.
- 50:05Thou shall not let any of thy seed pass through fire.
- 50:10Through the fire to Molech. When the godly king Josiah
- 50:14sought to lead his nation back to God, he defied toppeth of the
- 50:19sons of Hinnom, that no man might take his son or daughter
- 50:25pass through the fire to Molech. Molech worship led to the most
- 50:30awful sins, the sacrifice of children and they built high
- 50:36places of Baal which are in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, to
- 50:42cause their sons and daughters to pass through fire to Molech.
- 50:47Baal, Ashtereth and Molech led the work of evil spirits
- 50:53recorded in the Old Testament. Jesus parable of the clean house
- 50:59and return of evil spirits. You can find this in Matthew
- 51:02chapter 12 and Luke Chapter 11. The unclean spirit goes out of a
- 51:09man and wanders, seeking rest. The unclean spirit decides to
- 51:15return to the house, which is clean and empty.
- 51:18He takes seven other more wicked unclean spirits and they enter
- 51:24the house. The last state of the man is
- 51:27worse than the first. So shall it be to this wicked
- 51:31generation. The man is symbolic of a wicked
- 51:35person or generation that turns away from Christ and allows evil
- 51:39spirits to enter, including Baal, Ashtereth, and Molech.
- 51:45The book of Hebrews addresses falling away from the faith.
- 51:48In Hebrews chapter 6, verses 4 through 6, those once
- 51:52enlightened tasted of the heavenly gifts, and were
- 51:56partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God
- 51:59and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, fell
- 52:04away. It is impossible to renew them
- 52:07again to repentance, seeing they crucify the Son of God for
- 52:12themselves again and put him to open shame.
- 52:16The unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy
- 52:20Spirit. Now, the thing that we should
- 52:23pay attention to with Molech and child sacrifice, we really need
- 52:27to understand that today this is abortion because people are
- 52:35getting rid of children in abortion so that they are not
- 52:40inconvenienced because whatever reason, it's for selfish
- 52:44reasons. But the reality is that because
- 52:49there is a child forming that God create, God created.
- 52:55God is the, you know, we have free will, but God gives life.
- 53:00He's the only one. So if God gives life, who are we
- 53:03to think that we should be able to take life?
- 53:07If God is the one who says, I want to create this person, he
- 53:10has a special purpose for every single person.
- 53:14And none of us have the right to say to that person that's
- 53:19forming, you don't have a right to exist.
- 53:22That is cruel. That is exactly what God's
- 53:25enemy, Satan and whoever, what other spirits are with him,
- 53:32that's exactly what they want to do, to destroy people, to
- 53:36destroy mankind. So of course, that's coming from
- 53:40the wicked one and God's enemy. So we really need to, you know,
- 53:45that's another thing that our culture doesn't think too much
- 53:49of that, you know, at certain times you can just you can just
- 53:53do this, you know, have an abortion and it's no big deal.
- 53:56But many people who have had abortions deeply regret it later
- 54:01in life. And in fact, we should remember
- 54:04that there's only one sin that cannot be forgiven and that's
- 54:07blasphemy of the Holy Spirit are a complete rejection of God.
- 54:11So if you have not completely rejected God and are hostile to
- 54:14him, then you can be forgiven of even an abortion.
- 54:18Just, you know, ask God for forgiveness and then never do it
- 54:22again. And God Forgives, God wipes his
- 54:24slate clean, and we become a new person when we receive the Holy
- 54:28Spirit from God so that our lives begin to change and to
- 54:32become more holy like God. So then in this chapter, when we
- 54:40get to verse 5. Of the book.
- 54:42Of Isaiah, I'm going back to the book now, it says, at this, my
- 54:46body is wracked with pain. Pain sees me like those of a
- 54:50woman in labor. So the woman in labor is often
- 54:56referred to in in Scripture of all these of these end times
- 55:04that fear comes over people and there's pains that they
- 55:09experience in the days of God's judgment.
- 55:14So I think in Deuteronomy Chapter 11, verse 25, I had
- 55:26searched in the Bible to find out where terror, like who is
- 55:29this land of terror? And it's, it's interesting
- 55:36because at some point Judah will become the land of, of terror,
- 55:44because we read about that in a couple different places.
- 55:48So in Deuteronomy chapter 1125, no one will be able to stand
- 55:53against you. The Lord your God, as he
- 55:56promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the
- 56:00whole land wherever you go. And he says, see, I'm, I'm
- 56:05putting before you today a blessing and a curse.
- 56:07The blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God
- 56:10that I'm giving you today, and the curse if you disobey the
- 56:14commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I
- 56:17command you today to follow by following other gods which you
- 56:22have not known. So he gets into the blessings
- 56:27and the curses. And if you want to read those,
- 56:30it really talks about when you get into Deuteronomy chapter 28.
- 56:35If you read that, it's pretty long.
- 56:36I don't know if I'll go over that today, but if you read
- 56:40that, no, I'm not going to. It's very long.
- 56:43It it'll show you really what is prophesied for the future, the
- 56:49curses that are part of it. So there are blessings in church
- 56:53and curses. So there is free will for people
- 56:55to decide to do right or to do wrong.
- 56:58But if you do right, you're going to get all these benefits.
- 57:00If you do wrong, these are things are going to come on you.
- 57:04And I think it's really important for us to read.
- 57:05A lot of people don't read the Old Testament, but it's filled
- 57:09with lots of information and knowledge that we can apply.
- 57:15That'll be wisdom. And it says above all, gain
- 57:18wisdom. Seek wisdom because it will
- 57:21truly affect each one of our lives.
- 57:25In Isaiah chapter 19 verse 17, it says and the land of Judah
- 57:30will bring terror to the Egyptians.
- 57:32Everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified
- 57:36because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against
- 57:41them. So that's interesting because
- 57:45God will actually turn everything around.
- 57:48But Judah is not the one who typically brings on terror.
- 57:53There are many other countries that bring about terror.
- 57:59And in Jeremiah chapter 50, we hear of who those those people
- 58:07are that bring about terror, terror and, and it and they come
- 58:13from the north, basically. So this is I'm going to read
- 58:18chapter 50 because there's so much in there.
- 58:19But this is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the
- 58:22prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians.
- 58:25Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and
- 58:28proclaim it. Keep nothing back but say.
- 58:31Babylon will be captured. Belle will be put to shame,
- 58:34Marduke filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame
- 58:37and her idols filled with terror.
- 58:39A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her
- 58:44land. No one will live in it.
- 58:47Both people and animals will flee away in those days.
- 58:51At that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the
- 58:55people of Judah together will go in tears to seek their Lord.
- 59:01They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it.
- 59:06They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an
- 59:11everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
- 59:15OK. So that has not happened today,
- 59:18OK. So this is.
- 59:19Future my people have been lost sheep.
- 59:23Their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam
- 59:26on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and
- 59:29hill and forgot their own resting place.
- 59:31Whoever found them devoured them.
- 59:34Their enemies said we are not guilty for they sinned against
- 59:37the Lord, their verdant pasture, the Lord, the hope of their
- 59:40ancestors. So, you know, the people who
- 59:43found them are making excuses and they're saying, and I hear
- 59:45that today because there's a lot of anti-Semitism that's talking
- 59:49about. All the the faults.
- 59:51Of the Jews and they're like, they aren't God's children, they
- 59:54aren't the God, they aren't the Jews of the Bible.
- 59:56So exactly what this prophecy is talking about is is calling
- 1:00:01people. Who say that?
- 1:00:02Their enemies and their enemies say we are not guilty for they
- 1:00:06sinned against the Lord. So be careful that you don't
- 1:00:10fall into that category with anti-Semitism because this is
- 1:00:16going to be talking about you and you're an enemy.
- 1:00:20It says, well, they're enemies. We are not guilty for they
- 1:00:23sinned against the Lord, basically justifying their
- 1:00:26behavior, their opinion about the Jews because because they're
- 1:00:29like, well, they're not following the Lord.
- 1:00:31So they deserve this. OK then Jeremiah says, flee out
- 1:00:35of Babylon, leave the land of the Babylonians and be like the
- 1:00:38goats that lead the flock, for I will stir up and bring against
- 1:00:43Babylon. So this tells us who's going to
- 1:00:46come against Babylon, an alliance of great nations from
- 1:00:51the land of the north. Could that perhaps be the
- 1:00:55symbolic beast of Revelation that has seven heads which
- 1:00:59represent 7 kings? Sounds like it to me.
- 1:01:04So there's a great alliance of nations from the north that come
- 1:01:07against Babylon. I don't I don't know that this
- 1:01:10has happened in the past. This is the.
- 1:01:12Future they will take up their positions against her, and from
- 1:01:15the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like
- 1:01:18skilled warriors who do not return empty handed.
- 1:01:21So Babylonia will be plundered, and all who plundered her will
- 1:01:25have their fill, Declares the Lord.
- 1:01:27Because you rejoice and be glad, You who Polish my inheritance.
- 1:01:31Because you frolic like a heifer, threshing grain and nang
- 1:01:34like stallions, your mother will be greatly ashamed.
- 1:01:38She who gave you birth will be disgraced.
- 1:01:40She will be the least of the nation's a wilderness, a dry
- 1:01:44land, a desert. Because of the Lord's anger, she
- 1:01:48will not be inhabited, but will be completely desolate.
- 1:01:51All who passed Babylon will be appalled.
- 1:01:53They will scoff because of all her.
- 1:01:55Wounds. Take up your positions around
- 1:01:57Babylon. All you who draw the bow, shoot
- 1:02:01at her. Spare no arrows, for she has
- 1:02:04sinned against the Lord. You know, there's this mystery
- 1:02:07Babylon in Revelation. That's the end times and it
- 1:02:11talks about like her sins have piled up to the heavens.
- 1:02:14So shout against her on every side.
- 1:02:17She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down.
- 1:02:21Since this is the vengeance of the Lord, take vengeance on her
- 1:02:26due to her as she has done to others.
- 1:02:29Cut off from Babylon the sower and the Reaper with his sickle
- 1:02:33at harvest because of the sword of the oppressor.
- 1:02:36Let everyone return to their own people.
- 1:02:38Let everyone flee to their own land.
- 1:02:41Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away.
- 1:02:45The first, the first to devour them was the king of Assyria.
- 1:02:50The last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar, king of
- 1:02:53Babylon. So this is interesting.
- 1:02:56It says Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased
- 1:02:58away. So now it's like lions are
- 1:03:01Babylon and Assyria. And it says the first was the
- 1:03:04king of Assyria and the last was the king of Babylon.
- 1:03:08So that you know, there's still going to be coming a day.
- 1:03:14So it sounds like Israel is not going to be defeated in the
- 1:03:17future because Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was the last to
- 1:03:23defeat them. Therefore, this is what the Lord
- 1:03:26Almighty, the God of Israel says.
- 1:03:28I will punish the king of Babylon and his land and his
- 1:03:32land, remember, so that something might stay with the
- 1:03:34land, as I punish the king of Assyria.
- 1:03:37But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will
- 1:03:41graze on Carmel and Bashan. Bashan.
- 1:03:45Their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and
- 1:03:49Gilead in those days at that time, declares the Lord, search
- 1:03:54will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none.
- 1:03:57And for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, For I will
- 1:04:01forgive the remnant I spare. OK, this has not yet happened.
- 1:04:07Israel doesn't. It's Israel's with not without
- 1:04:10guilt and Judah being sinless. That's only going to happen when
- 1:04:17Jesus returns. So again, this is the end times.
- 1:04:21Attack the land of Mirathaeum and those who live in Peacock.
- 1:04:26Pursue, kill and completely destroy them.
- 1:04:29Declares the Lord Do everything I have commanded you.
- 1:04:31The noise of the battle in the land, the noise of great
- 1:04:35destruction. How broken and shattered is the
- 1:04:38hammer of the whole earth? So again, this is Jeremiah, the
- 1:04:45whole earth. He's talking about the whole
- 1:04:47earth. How desolate is Babylon among
- 1:04:51the nations? I set a trap for you, Babylon,
- 1:04:55and you were caught before you knew it.
- 1:04:57You were found and captured because you opposed the Lord.
- 1:05:04The Lord has opened His arsenal and brought out the weapons of
- 1:05:08His wrath. For the sovereign Lord Almighty
- 1:05:12has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.
- 1:05:16Come against her from afar, break open her granaries, pile
- 1:05:21her up like heaps of grain, completely destroy her and leave
- 1:05:25no remnant. Kill all her young bulls.
- 1:05:28Let them go to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has
- 1:05:30come. The time to be punished.
- 1:05:32Listen to the fugitives and the refugees from Babylon declaring
- 1:05:36in Zion how the Lord our God has taken vengeance, vengeance from
- 1:05:40for his temple. And that's interesting too,
- 1:05:44because you know, there's that Ezekiel third temple.
- 1:05:48So I do wonder if that temple will be built prior to the
- 1:05:53return of Jesus, because I don't know, because of this.
- 1:05:59So listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring
- 1:06:03in Zion. So that's where Jerusalem is,
- 1:06:05how the Lord of God has taken vengeance, vengeance for his
- 1:06:10temple. So I think this temple that's
- 1:06:12going to be built is going to be an idolatrous one, one that
- 1:06:17doesn't really honor God. And I think there's going to be
- 1:06:21some trouble with that. You know, that the temple that's
- 1:06:25supposed to be all nations, well, maybe it's going to going
- 1:06:29to let some idolatrous things happen in it that are not meant
- 1:06:33to be there. We will see, I guess.
- 1:06:36Summon Archers against Babylon. All those who draw, draw the bow
- 1:06:42and camp all around her. Let no one escape.
- 1:06:45Repay her for her deeds due to her, as she has done, for she
- 1:06:50has defiled the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
- 1:06:53Therefore her young men will fall in the streets, All her
- 1:06:56soldiers will be silenced in that day, declares the Lord.
- 1:06:59See, I am against you, you arrogant. 1 declares the Lord,
- 1:07:03the Lord Almighty. For your day has come, the time
- 1:07:05for you to be punished. The arrogant one will stumble
- 1:07:07and fall and no one will help her up.
- 1:07:09I will kinder a fire in her towns that will consume all who
- 1:07:14are around her. In the Book of Revelation, it
- 1:07:16says that people stand from afar and on the on the sea and they
- 1:07:19can see Babylon burning. This is mystery Babylon that's
- 1:07:23being talked about. So at some point there is going
- 1:07:27to be and it's somebody who trades with so many different
- 1:07:31merchants. And boy, I just like some of the
- 1:07:35descriptions, although I don't see anything about the United
- 1:07:39States in Bible prophecy because it's all about the Middle East.
- 1:07:42But I do wonder if it's Mystery Babylon, if the United States is
- 1:07:47that because of the things that have happened.
- 1:07:50I, I do believe right now there might be a little bit of a
- 1:07:52reprieve and a turning towards God.
- 1:07:54I sure hope our country does that because if not, we are
- 1:07:58definitely subject to destruction.
- 1:08:02And I do see that the other day when I was studying, I learned
- 1:08:08that Babylon appears to, according to prophecy, fall
- 1:08:14before the mark of the beast is given out.
- 1:08:18So that's just, you know, we'll see what happens.
- 1:08:23This is what the Lord Almighty says.
- 1:08:25The spirit of Israel are oppressed and the people of
- 1:08:28Judah as well, their captors hold them fast, refusing to let
- 1:08:31them go. So think about this right now.
- 1:08:34We're dealing with what happened on October 7th, 2023, where
- 1:08:39Hamas ravaged through Israel and brutally tortured people and
- 1:08:49took captives. And Jeremiah 5033 says this is
- 1:08:53what the Lord Almighty says. The people of Israel are
- 1:08:56oppressed, and the people of Judah as well.
- 1:08:59All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go
- 1:09:05now. Yet their Redeemer is strong.
- 1:09:08The Lord Almighty is His name. He will vigorously defend their
- 1:09:12cause, so that He may bring rest to their land.
- 1:09:16But unrest to those who live in Babylon.
- 1:09:19A sword against the Babylonians, declares the Lord against those
- 1:09:23who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men.
- 1:09:27A sword against her prophets, they will become fools.
- 1:09:31A sword against her warriors, they will be filled with terror.
- 1:09:34A sword against her horses and Chariots and all the foreigners
- 1:09:38in her ranks, they will become weaklings.
- 1:09:40A sword against her treasures, they will be plundered.
- 1:09:44A drought on her waters, they will dry up.
- 1:09:47For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror.
- 1:09:53So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and the owl
- 1:09:57will will dwell. It will never be inhabited or
- 1:10:00lived in from generation to generation, as I overthrew Sodom
- 1:10:05and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns, declares the
- 1:10:07Lord. So no one will live there.
- 1:10:10No people will dwell in it. So I think there was a partial
- 1:10:13fulfillment of this, but I think there's still a future
- 1:10:16fulfillment, which, oh, I think I'm reading too far into this,
- 1:10:22but into this chapter, but I guess we're almost finished.
- 1:10:25So look, an army is coming from the north.
- 1:10:29A great nation of many kings are being stirred up from the ends
- 1:10:32of the earth. Again, this talks about this
- 1:10:34army from the earth, a great nation with many kings.
- 1:10:38So is this the beast with 7 heads that comes?
- 1:10:42It sure could be. They are armed with bows and
- 1:10:46Spears. They are cruel and without
- 1:10:47mercy. They sound like the roaring sea
- 1:10:50as they ride on their horses. They come like men in battle
- 1:10:52formation to attack you, daughter.
- 1:10:54Babylon, the king of Babylon has heard reports about them and his
- 1:10:57hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him.
- 1:11:00Pain like that of a woman in labor.
- 1:11:02Again, this woman in labor like a lion coming up from Jordan's
- 1:11:06thickets to a rich pasture land. I will chase Babylon from its
- 1:11:10land in an instant. Who is the chosen one?
- 1:11:14I will appoint for this who is like me and who can challenge
- 1:11:17me, and what shepherd can stand against me so he doesn't say who
- 1:11:22he's going. To use to do this.
- 1:11:24Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
- 1:11:27what He has purposed against the land of the Babylonians.
- 1:11:30The young of the flock will be dragged away.
- 1:11:32Their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
- 1:11:34At the sound of Babylon's capture, the earth will tremble,
- 1:11:39it's cry will resound among the nations.
- 1:11:43So this is going to be very, very cataclysmic, very
- 1:11:47noticeable. All the nations will will see
- 1:11:50this coming. And you know, it says, yeah, in
- 1:11:56Jeremiah 6, this is what the Lord says, look, an army is
- 1:11:59coming from the land of the north.
- 1:12:01A great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth.
- 1:12:06And then Isaiah 13 five says they come from faraway lands,
- 1:12:13from the ends of heaven, the Lord and the weapons of his
- 1:12:16wrath to destroy the whole country.
- 1:12:22It it says in Isaiah 13 four it says, listen a a noise on the
- 1:12:27mountains like that of a great multitude.
- 1:12:29Listen an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing
- 1:12:33together. The Lord Almighty is mustering
- 1:12:35an army at war. And then it talks about the day
- 1:12:39of wait, for the day of the Lord is near.
- 1:12:41It will come like destruction from the Almighty.
- 1:12:44Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt
- 1:12:48with fear, terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip
- 1:12:52them. They will ride like a woman and
- 1:12:53labor, and this is all about the day of the Lord and the stars of
- 1:12:57the heaven and the constellations will not show
- 1:12:59their light. This is all at the 6th seal.
- 1:13:01The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its
- 1:13:04light. I will punish the world for its
- 1:13:06evil. This is, you know, talking about
- 1:13:08the return of Jesus on this one in Isaiah 13.
- 1:13:13I meant to read Ezekiel chapter 32, I believe, because it and I
- 1:13:21don't know that I saved that one.
- 1:13:26You know, it often talks about this disaster is coming out of
- 1:13:30the north. So it seems like very much like
- 1:13:35it could be Syria. Perhaps it's I don't know, a lot
- 1:13:40of people don't really know in who it's going to be.
- 1:13:44So Revelation chapter 18 verse 2 says with a mighty voice he
- 1:13:49shouted, fallen. Fallen is Babylon the Great.
- 1:13:52She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every
- 1:13:57impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every
- 1:14:02unclean and detestable animal. So again, this is that spiritual
- 1:14:09implication of Babylon. I think it has to do with Baal,
- 1:14:14with El, with Marduk, with all of these like different names of
- 1:14:20of these entities that want to be God.
- 1:14:26And I want to get to Ezekiel chapter 32, which I didn't have
- 1:14:32called up already. I know this is really getting to
- 1:14:34be long, but it's well, anyway, you can probably read Ezekiel
- 1:14:4032, but it names the nations who are destined for the pit.
- 1:14:45And again, it's not every single person within those nations, but
- 1:14:49the nations as a whole, the majority of the people within
- 1:14:53the nations who are worshipping a false God.
- 1:14:58So this is named Egypt and its allies Assyria, which represents
- 1:15:03Iraq, Iran and Turkey, plus Syria.
- 1:15:09Those are called Assyria. So they are all listed as that
- 1:15:13country that's going down to the pit, Elam, which is southwestern
- 1:15:17Iran and Iraq, and then Turkey, which is referred to as Meshach
- 1:15:21and Tubel, and then Edom, which is southwestern Jordan and then
- 1:15:27Lebanon, which is the Sidonians. So you can find all of those
- 1:15:32listed. Again, I said in Ezekiel 32, I
- 1:15:36won't read the whole chapter, but if you want to check it out,
- 1:15:38you can and confirm this. And then the very last sentence
- 1:15:43of not the, I guess not the last sentence, but when Kedar is
- 1:15:51talked about in the Bible in this chapter, I forgot where
- 1:15:56that was now, but I did look that up.
- 1:16:00I can't remember where that was, but Kedar, I can't remember
- 1:16:06where I saw that. I think I'm looking at the wrong
- 1:16:131. So yeah, it was the last
- 1:16:15sentence. The survivors of The Archers,
- 1:16:17the warriors of Kedar will be few.
- 1:16:19So I think that's also important for us to know that, you know,
- 1:16:24what is the significance of Kedar in the Bible.
- 1:16:27Again, this is from gotquestions.org.
- 1:16:29So Keeter is the name of Ishmael's second son.
- 1:16:34You can find that in Genesis 25 and First Chronicles chapter
- 1:16:37one, verse 29. The other instance, instances of
- 1:16:40Kedar in the Bible refer to the Arabian descendants of Kedar and
- 1:16:45are the territory where they settled.
- 1:16:47A few facts about Kedar are mentioned.
- 1:16:49Apparently Kedar was known for dark colored tents.
- 1:16:52Dark am I, yet lovely daughters of Jerusalem, Dark like the
- 1:16:56tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon from the
- 1:17:00Song of Songs. Since the people of Kedar were
- 1:17:03known for their tents, we can as we can, assume that they were
- 1:17:08also nomadic. God uses, I guess Kedar maybe as
- 1:17:12an example for Israel. Israel had exchanged God for a
- 1:17:16false God. No other country had ever
- 1:17:19changed her gods. Kadar had remained faithful to
- 1:17:23her false gods, but Israel had been unfaithful to the true God.
- 1:17:31So that you can find in Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 10 for cross to
- 1:17:36the coast of Cyprus and sea or send to Kadar and examine with
- 1:17:41care. See if if there has been such a
- 1:17:44thing. So Kadar was a trading partner
- 1:17:48of Tyre. Since this passage is in the
- 1:17:52lament over the fall of Tyre, it would appear that Kadar was a
- 1:17:56significant trading partner. In several passages of
- 1:17:59Scripture, Kadar is the recipient of divine judgement.
- 1:18:03This is what the Lord says to me.
- 1:18:05Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it
- 1:18:08all the splendor of Kadar will come to an end.
- 1:18:11The survivors of The Archers, the warriors of Kadar, will be
- 1:18:14few. The Lord, the God of Israel has
- 1:18:17spoken and then Jeremiah chapter 49 says concerning Kadar and the
- 1:18:21kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
- 1:18:25attacked. This is what the Lord says,
- 1:18:27Arise and attack Kadar and destroy the people of the East.
- 1:18:32And then Isaiah 60 says all Kadars flocks will be gathered
- 1:18:36to you, the Rams of Nibiot will serve you.
- 1:18:39They will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I
- 1:18:42will adorn my glorious temple. In other words, the flocks that
- 1:18:46Kadar owns will one day belong to Israel.
- 1:18:49The faithful Israelite would view the territory of Kedar as a
- 1:18:53place of banishment from the Lord.
- 1:18:55Woe to me that I dwell in Mishek, that I live among the
- 1:19:00tents of Kedar that's found in the Psalm.
- 1:19:03Psalm 120, verse 5, Isaiah 4211 looks toward a future day when
- 1:19:09those in such areas at Kedar will join in praise to God
- 1:19:13regardless of their history. People of every tribe, tongue,
- 1:19:18people, and nation will be included in the body of Christ.
- 1:19:23So says and whenever the living creatures give glory and honor
- 1:19:28and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever
- 1:19:31and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who is seated on
- 1:19:36the throne and worship him who lives forever.
- 1:19:39They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, and that's
- 1:19:43when they say holy, holy. But every nation, tribe, people,
- 1:19:49that is ultimately who God will have in His Kingdom.
- 1:19:55So that concludes all of chapter 21.
- 1:20:00It's been a very long chapter. Hope you got something from this
- 1:20:04long podcast and that you come back again.
- 1:20:07I'll try to make these closer to 30 minutes from if I can.