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707. Bible Study: Isaiah 12 and 13 (Babylon, Iraq, Messiah Return, 6th Seal, Iran) · Faith by annm2705

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Chapter 12 from the book of Isaiah.
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First, let's pray. Dear God, please be with us as
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we read through this chapter, a couple chapters and help us to
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understand the purpose of this information that you inspired
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Isaiah to write down. We ask for this in Jesus name,
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Amen. So chapter 12, in that day you
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will say, I will praise you Lord, although you were angry
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with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.
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Surely God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid.
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The Lord, the Lord Himself in my strength and is my strength and
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my defence. He has become my salvation.
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Again, this is definitely a reference to Jesus.
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Jesus is our salvation, he says the way, the truth.
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And the Life, OK. Continuing on in Scripture with
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you, joy will draw water from the wells of salvation.
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In that day, you will say, Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His
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name, make known among the nations what He has done, and
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proclaim that His name is exalted.
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Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things.
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Let this be known to all the world.
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Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the
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Holy One of Israel among you. So who will be the holy one of
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Israel among you? It says, it tells us in
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revelation like the the living God will be present here on
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earth and that is Jesus the Son of God will be reigning from
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earth, from Zion, from Jerusalem.
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So it's very much. Telling us about Jesus, it says
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in that day you will say, and that Jesus salvation.
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So I'll read what the study Bible has to say about this.
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That's the end of chapter 12. Why are God's emotions so
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volatile? God is not distant and
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uninvolved. He cares intensely about his
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relationship with us. If he were indifferent about our
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sin, for example, his apathy would show that he didn't care
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about us. To increase the impact of his
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writing, Isaiah intentionally pictured God's emotions from
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opposite ends of the spectrum. Why does Isaiah predict what
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Judah would say? Isaiah looked into the future
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and saw both Judah's Babylonian captivity in return and beyond
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that, images of a glorious future for God's people thanks
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to the Messiah. A song of praise on the lips of
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the nation was a fitting conclusion to the section of
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Isaiah's book. A similar song of salvation came
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out of the Exodus from Egypt. Compare verses 2 and five with
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Exodus 15 one through. Two, well, I didn't do that in
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advance of this, but I'm going to go there right now and read
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that. So Exodus, Exodus 15, a song of
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Moses and Miriam. And so verses one and two it
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says then Moses the and the Israelites sang the song to the
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Lord. I will sing to the Lord, for he
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is highly exalted, both horse and driver.
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He has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my
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defense. He has become my salvation.
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He is my God and I will praise. Him, my Father's God and I will
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exalt him. So that is from Exodus 15 and
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it's says a lot of the things like the Lord, the Lord himself
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is my strength and my defense. He has become my salvation and.
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That's the Lord is my strength and my defense.
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He has become my salvation. Those are the exact words of
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Exodus 15 too, so. That is very interesting.
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Was Isaiah a prophet or a poet? Both.
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Almost all prophecy is couched in poetry.
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This song was probably not used in worship, but solely
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functioned as a prophetic tool to tell to tell of future
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salvation. So that's the end and the of the
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explanations as well of chapter 12.
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So then getting into Chapter 13, there's so much in here and.
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A lot of. Research that can be done when
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you get into this deeper. So this is a prophecy against
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Babylon. So a prophecy against Babylon
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that Isaiah son of Amos saw raise the banner on a bare
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hilltop. Shout to them, beckon to them to
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enter the gates of the nobles. I have commanded those I
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prepared for battle. I have summoned my warriors to
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carry out my wrath. Those who rejoice in My triumph
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listen a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude.
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Listen an uproar among the kingdoms.
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Like nations amassing together. The Lord is mustering an army
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for war. They come from far away lands,
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from the ends of the heavens. The Lord and the weapons of His
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wrath to destroy the whole country whale for the day of the
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Lord is near. It will come like destruction
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from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will
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go limp. Every heart will melt with fear.
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Terror will seize them. Pain and anguish will grip them.
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They will writhe like a woman in labor.
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They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
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See, the day of the Lord is coming, a cruel day with wrath
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and fierce anger to make the land desolate and destroy the
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sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their
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constellations will not show their light.
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The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
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light. I will punish the world for its
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evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the
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arrogance of the haughty, and I will humble the pride of the
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ruthless. I will make people scarcer than
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pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ofer.
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Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth
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will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty in
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the day of his burning anger, Like a haunted gazelle, like
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sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own
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people. They will flee to their native
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land. Whoever is captured will be
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thrust through. All who are caught will fall by
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the sword. Their infants will be dashed to
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pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be looted and
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their wives violated. See, I will stir up against them
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the the Meads who do not care for silver and have no delight
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in gold. Their bows will strike down the
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young men. They will have no mercy on
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infants, nor will they look with compassion on children.
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Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the
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Babylonians, will be overthrown by God.
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Like Sodom and Gomorrah, she will never be inhabited or lived
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in through all generations. There nomads will Nomads will
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pitch their tents. There will there no shepherds
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will rest their flocks, but desert creatures will lie.
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There Jackals will fill her houses.
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There the owls will dwell, and there will be wild goats, and
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there the wild goats will leap about.
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Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxury
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luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand and her days
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will not be prolonged. So I will read through the
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questions and answers and then get into some of the things that
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I saw. What kind of prophecy is this?
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The Hebrew for the word prophecy here is related to the verb
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meaning to lift up or carry. Is.
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And is possible to be understood as either lifting up one's voice
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or carrying a burden. Such a prophecy often brings
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unwelcome news or judgement. Why was Babylon's future
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important to Isaiah? In Isaiah's lifetime, Babylon
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was not yet a world power, but it was part of the Assyrian
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Empire, one of the most important cities, and even at
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this time Babylon was the center of culture in the Near East.
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Chapter 39, the final chapter of this division of the book, shows
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that Isaiah realized Babylon was the enemy to whom Judah would
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eventually fall. God enabled Isaiah in this
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section to look ahead and prophecy against Babylon in its
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future empire era, though some believe this is also a prophecy
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against the Assyrian Empire, who are God's warriors.
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In general, they are the victorious armies of the earth
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used by God to judge evil nations.
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In this context, some think they refer to the Medes and
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Babylonians who conquered the Assyrian Empire in six O 9 BC.
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But assuming this section is a prophecy against the future
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Babylonian Empire, these armies refer to the Medes and Persians
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under Cyrus the Great who conquered the Babylonians in 539
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BC. These armies may or may not have
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been aware of their special role.
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Why is such violent imagery used?
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God is not a pushover, and His judgment is severe against evil.
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Those who choose to do evil in a defiance of His will can expect
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to experience His judgment against them in a way that will
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cause them great sorrow and agony.
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Why darken the stars, the sun and the moon to judge the world?
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These graphic images illustrate doomsday language in the
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extreme, a picture of absolute devastation.
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Many view these words as being fulfilled figuratively during
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during Isaiah's time. They view this cosmic darkness
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as a symbol of God's dark judgement, the coming captivity.
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Others see this as a a literal darkness that will be fulfilled
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in the future, and there's references for that.
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So who would flee? The Babylonians, beginning with
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the Assyrian ruler Tig Tiglath? Pileazur the Third Each great
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empire of Mesopotamia followed a policy of deportation of
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subjugated peoples. As Babylon was entered by its
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conquerors, those living there who had been exiled from their
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homelands felt their isolation like the haunted or neglected
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animals they tried to make for home.
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Such attempts at survival were quite fruitless.
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Why does God permit the innocent to suffer?
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There are no simple answers, but several things can be considered
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in this case. Number one, Isaiah may have been
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using extreme imagery to demonstrate how terrible the day
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of the Lord would be. To Isaiah may have been speaking
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literally. In his day, people saw children
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and women not as individuals but as part of their culture.
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Therefore, the killing of women and children was a way to
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eliminate future soldiers. Who were the Medes?
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The Medes were a warlike people from what is today northwestern
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Iran. There was conflict between Media
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and Assyria in Isaiah's day, but here Isaiah recognized that the
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Medes were the ones who would undo the Mesopotamian power, as
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they first joined Babylon to destroy Assyria and then joined
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the Persians to wipe out Babylon.
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In 539 BC, historical sources confirmed that the Meads served
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Cyrus the Persian without thought of monetary reward like
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silver or gold. Did Babylon ever recover?
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No, the Medes in the Persians, united under Cyrus the Great,
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overthrew the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC.
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Their military prowess wasn't needed against the city of
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Babylon itself, which was taken without struggle, but this
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prophecy was fulfilled over time.
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Babylon was nearly destroyed by the Persian kings Xerxes the
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First in 478 BC. After the period of Alexander
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the Great in 330 BC, the city became deserted and fell into
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complete rune. It is thought to be buried under
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mounds of dirt. What is the day of the Lord?
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The Day of the Lord Found in many of the Old Testament
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prophets like Ezekiel or Amos, it emphasizes God's swift and
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glorious intervention among the nation's as he vindicates his
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claim to be Lord over all the earth.
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The phrase may refer to a present victory or to a battle
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at the end of time. It may also report refer to more
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than one event. Here, the Day of the Lord is set
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in the context of future judgement against Babylon, but
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goes beyond that to a day of cataclysmic events.
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Though Isaiah only used the day of the Lord here, he often used
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the phrased in that day in reference to the Day of the
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Lord. Although the emphasis is
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typically on judgement, destruction, and the finality of
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evil, this day can also be one of blessing.
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The Apostle Paul refers to the day of the Lord Jesus and
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associates it with Christ Second Coming.
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The Apostle Peter states that the day of the Lord will be
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accompanied by apocalyptic events.
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It is even called the day. It is even called the day since
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it is the most important day in all of history.
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People who heard the prophets proclaim the day of the Lord may
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not have grasped its full meaning.
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Even Isaiah himself may not have known that day would, when that
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day would come. Paul states that now we see only
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a reflection as in a mirror in comparison to what we will see.
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Perhaps Isaiah foresaw and spoke similarly regarding this Great.
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Day and that's the end of the explanations from the Bible.
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So again, there's this prophecy against Babylon.
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Babylon is, is something that was but yet revived somehow, or
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there's it's a spiritual sense. And this has really confounded a
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lot of people who study Bible prophecy because there are
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differing opinions. But in the Book of Revelation,
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there is a, if you want to call it a character of the woman
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riding on the beast, and that is she has a name that's Mystery
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Babylon. So it is a mystery for all of
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us. We don't.
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There's lots of speculation about who that might be.
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And the Book of Revelation gives clues.
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It's almost like a Riddle of these things to identify who
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that is. And no one has yet.
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Well, maybe somebody fig has figured it out.
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But there are differing opinions on who Mystery Babylon is and we
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probably won't know until hindsight unless God reveals it
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earlier than that. But it remains a question.
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I know I'm not certain of who and I, you know, can see various
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theories that are presented and how they could possibly be
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Mystery Babylon. But it is it the literal
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location, geographical location of Babylon.
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That's one theory that I think it could be.
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There's another theory that claims that it would be the city
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of Rome. That's another theory that a lot
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of biblical scholars, ancient church fathers, believed.
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And then there's also another theory that Babylon is more
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spiritual than anything. And it's those who are under the
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influence of Satan, quite honestly.
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So it's a lot of different entities all over that are under
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the control of Satan ultimately. And another, you know, another
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God idolatry. And that's, that's somewhat of
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the, I guess what I, I don't know.
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I mean, it's, that's what I lean towards.
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I can see the merits of all three different scenarios based
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on what the Bible says, so I don't really have an answer.
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But there are things that Babylon is where modern day Iraq
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is. So that's the area that's being
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talked about. And the Medes, as the but the
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study Bible said, is a portion of that.
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The land that they occupied was the north eastern or
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northwestern. It's in Iran, northwestern Iran,
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so I guess close to Iraq in that area.
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So God used and he, you know, he did use it.
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So this is like one of those foreshadowing type of events
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where some of this, you know, occurred.
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But then again, is it going to happen again like 1 was like a
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preview, but then there's going to be a bigger event later in
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our future like that hasn't yet happened.
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I believe that because when it talks about Mystery Babylon, it
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talks about a very short period of time that this ruling entity
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rises up, but not for very long. And and so and it's in the very
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end times for a very short period before God eliminates
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this entity. So I believe it is something
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that has a double fulfillment like back in this time it did
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and then it also has a future fulfillment.
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And and then it's, you know, it talks about these mustering of
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nations are nations amassing together in verse 4 coming
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against Babylon, Who knows who Babylon is?
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But because Iran was mentioned, I look at some of the alliances
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that are forming today and that were actually some of like
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Turkey is 1 and Syria or one, you know, are ones that
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historically had worked with Iran and could be in the future
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coming together. We'll just have to wait and see.
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But it's, you know, the Lord is putting together an army for
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war. Babylon was obviously the first
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time there was like the rebellion when they were trying
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to build the Tower of Babel. So there's a lot of history
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there that, you know, God destroyed that tower because
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they wanted to reach to, it's like they want to be God.
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So that's where a lot of this, this ancient history about
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Babylon, really, it seems like it relates to Satan and there's
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not like a direct tie to it. But when you when you start
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digging into it, you start seeing the similarities of
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description. And then I think about the verse
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in Scripture that says that Satan can appear as an Angel of
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light. So he can appear as different
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things to different people. So I don't know and I don't
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really care to know, but I just know that all of that is is evil
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and all of that is against God. And I don't know if it is truly,
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you know, Satan is the, the, you know, the mystery Babylon, I
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don't know. Or if it's something that he
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possesses that becomes mystery Babylon, that could be also.
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So there's a lot of a lot of questions about that.
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But one thing that I guess there's some a little bit of
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research that I was curious, I was like, OK, so Babylon is
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talked about throughout the Bible all over the place.
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So who was the God that was worshipped in Babylon?
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And that happened to be Marduk. So I'll read some things that I
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found about Marduk. Marduk's origins and rise to
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power originally associated with agriculture.
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Marduk's name translated to the bull calf of the sun initially
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reflected his role as a minor, minor agricultural deity in
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ancient Mesopotamia. Well, Mesopotamia was also the
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Babylon area that was part of the area.
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So the bull calf, it's almost like of the sun.
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So it, it's almost like, it seems like there's always like
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this copy of truth, but it's a lie.
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So, and, and you know that that Baal or Baal or Baal or whatever
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you call it, that's another name.
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You'll see how that connects to Marduk as well.
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And and so that was the God that they worshipped and they
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sacrificed children to and they did all these things.
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And just the fact that Marduk's name was translating to bull
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calf. So a bull that and you even look
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like it. And today in Hollywood and rock
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music, when they when people put their hands up and they do like
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a bull sign, I mean, that's like people don't even know what
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they're doing. But I believe this is like all
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connected spiritually. It's just the people who are
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blinded who don't realize this is what is happening or this is
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a an influence of evil that they have no idea.
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And but this bull is symbolic. And you look at Bale was looks
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like a bull that they sacrifice children.
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Search images of Bale and you will see that it's like this
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bull looking creature. So that's Marduk's name.
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So there's a connection there, so I'll read more about it.
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Elevation to supreme deity During the reign of King
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Hammurabi around 1792 to 1750 BCE, Babylon rose to become a
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powerful city state and the center of Babylonian empire.
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With this increase in political influence, Marduk was elevated
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to a position of paramount importance, becoming the supreme
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deity in Babylonian mythology and eventually across
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Mesopotamia. The Enuma Elish, the Babylon
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Epic of creation, the Enuma Elish describes Marduk's
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dramatic rise to power. In this narrative, Marduk
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battles and defeats the primordial goddess Tiamat, who
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embodies chaos. Then he uses her body to create
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the heavens and the earth, thus establishing order in the
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universe and solidifying his authority among the gods.
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So again, this is like taking away from God once again and
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making Marduk seem to be the creator.
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And so then here's another thing that was interesting. 50 names
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and attributes. After achieving supremacy,
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Marduk was bestowed with 50 names representing his
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absorption of the powers and attributes of the other deities,
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highlighting his central role in the pantheon.
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So Marduk has all these different names.
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He, he was what they worshipped in Babylon and he has all these
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different names. So there you think about all
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these different gods or goddesses that come out of this
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area. So this is a little bit more
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information. Marduk, chief God of Babylon.
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Marduk was the patron God of Babylon, the Babylonian king of
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the gods, who presided over justice, compassion, healing,
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regeneration, magic and fairness, although he is also
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sometimes references as a storm God and agricultural deity.
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His temple, the famous ziggurat described by Herodotus, is
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considered the model for the biblical Tower of Babel.
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Now listen to this. The Greeks associated him with
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Zeus and the Romans with Jupiter.
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He is depicted as a human in royal robes carrying a snake,
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dragon, and a spade. So here's another connection.
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Like in the Bible, Satan is connected to the dragon that's
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in the Book of Revelation. That is Satan and then a snake.
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Think about in the beginning, the Garden of Eden when the
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serpent or snake, you know, convinced Adam and Eve to
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distrust God and do something that God forbid.
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And so this is, again, he's symbolic of that.
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So he's very much connected to, like I said, in description.
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And then Zeus was a God that the Greeks had.
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And remember, Marduk has all these different names.
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And then Jupiter was another one with the Romans.
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And they, you know, also considered him as God.
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So he seemed to have originated from a local deity known as
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Aserlua Luhi, a farmer's God symbolized by the spade known as
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Maru, which continued as part of his iconography.
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Marduk's name, however, though linked to the Maru, translates
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as bull calf, although he was commonly referred to simply as
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Bell, which means Lord. Far from the local deity he
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sprang from, Marduk would become the most prestigious God of the
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Mesopotamian pantheon. He was the son of the God of
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wisdom, Enki, also known as EA, considered a creator God in some
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myths, who is also associated with fresh life, giving water.
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And isn't that like Jesus says he's he will, you know, be the
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the water of life will throw through the temperature he gives
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provides the water. And this is like just such a a
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an evil copy trying to be like the true God, the true son of
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God. And it's just, there's just so
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many connections, just like a twisted story of the Bible and
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it, you know, it's like a very dark thing.
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So let's see, I'll read a little bit.
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There's, there's so much like in the worldhistory.art.org, you
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can look up Marduk and there's a lot of information about him.
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And it's just that, yeah, there's.
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So I I wondered, I was like, oh, it is Satan Marduk when it comes
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out, no, Satan is not Marduk. You don't.
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You can't always trust what you find.
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But and then I've thought, is Satan associated with Babylon?
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So here's what it says. While not explicitly stated in
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the Bible, Babylon is often symbolically linked to Satan and
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his Kingdom as a representation of evil and rebellion against
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God. The association stems from the
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biblical narrative of the Tower of Babel, seen as a precursor to
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Babylon and a symbol of human pride and defiance against God.
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Furthermore, Revelation 18 depicts Babylon as a powerful
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city under the Antichrist rule, which some interpret as a
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representation of Satan's ultimate earthly stronghold.
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So it's just, yeah, something we probably won't fully know until
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it happens. But somehow this, you know, Iraq
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area has a long history with the Tigris and the Euphrates.
30:14
It's very interesting to search all this, so there's a lot more
30:19
information that I discovered in doing this, but for the sake of
30:23
time I won't get into all that detail, but really want to go
30:26
back to another few verses in chapter 13 of Isaiah, which are
30:32
verses verse 10. That says the stars of heaven
30:36
and their constellations will not show their light, the rising
30:39
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
30:43
So again, this is in like the seven hundreds BC that Isaiah is
30:47
saying this and this relates to the same thing that's talking
30:53
that's talked about in Revelation at the 6th seal.
30:59
It says I watched as he opened the 6th seal.
31:06
There was a great earthquake, the sun turned black like
31:11
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and
31:15
the stars in the sky fell to the earth as figs dropped from a fig
31:20
tree when shaken by a strong wind.
31:24
So and then it continues on. The heavens receded like a
31:26
scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was
31:29
moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the
31:32
Princess, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone
31:34
else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks in
31:38
the mountains. They called to the mountains in
31:41
the rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him who sits
31:45
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
31:49
That's Jesus. For the great day of their wrath
31:53
has come, and who can withstand it?
31:56
So it says in Isaiah chapter 13. See, the day of the Lord is
32:01
coming, a cruel day with wrath and fierce anger, to make the
32:05
land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
32:10
The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show
32:13
their light. So it says.
32:15
The stars in the sky fell to the earth in Revelation.
32:19
The rising sun will be darkened. It says the sun turned black
32:22
like sackcloth in Revelation and the moon will not give its
32:26
light. Now in this one for Revelation,
32:29
it says the whole moon turned blood red.
32:32
So there are other references. So here's what Isaiah chapter 5
32:43
verse 30 says. In that day they will roar over
32:47
it like the roaring of the sea, and if one looks to the land,
32:50
there is only darkness and distress.
32:52
Even the sun will be darkened by the clouds.
32:55
Isaiah 1310, which is the chapter we're in.
33:00
Then Joel chapter 2 verse 10. Before them the earth shakes the
33:06
heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened and the stars
33:11
no longer shine so that again in in Joel chapter 2 talks about
33:16
and and that's in the context of an army of locusts and it's
33:19
below the trumpet in Zion sounded alarm on my holy hill.
33:23
Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord
33:26
is coming. It is close in hand and then it
33:30
goes on. You can read all of that about
33:32
the day of the Lord. So again, this same description
33:36
is emphasized in Joel also in Joel chapter 3, it says the same
33:42
thing. It's talking about the the sun
33:46
and the moon will be darkened and the stars will no longer
33:48
shine. This is when the nations are
33:51
judged. And again, this is future
33:54
prophecy. And then Jesus, here's what he
33:58
said. Immediately after the distress
34:01
of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not
34:06
give its light. The stars will fall from the
34:09
sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
34:13
That's exactly what all of these other prophets are saying, what
34:16
Isaiah said, what Joel said, and then in Mark it is also written
34:24
in chapter 13. But in those days following that
34:27
distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not
34:29
give its light. Again, this is what Jesus said
34:33
and then in Revelation Chapter 9.
34:36
This. Is interesting.
34:37
It talks about when the abyss opens.
34:40
When he opened the abyss, smoke rose from it like smoke from a
34:45
giant gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by
34:50
the smoke from the abyss. Now that doesn't give.
34:53
All of the details of it, but it could be the same description.
34:59
So is the abyss. You know, part of Babylon, it's
35:05
very interesting when you study Babylon, it was, it was referred
35:08
to as the gate of the gods. So is this going to happen?
35:12
That was also talk. The abyss is something that's
35:15
really interesting too, because there there were entities that
35:23
were changed like when that were chained up.
35:27
I don't know, I'll try and find it here.
35:30
So I'm I just searched abyss and I want to read to you the things
35:34
that are talked about about the abyss.
35:36
So this is when Jesus was he removed a bunch of demons from a
35:41
man and the demons beg Jesus, it says, and they beg Jesus
35:48
repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss.
35:52
So instead he let him go into a bunch of pigs and then the pigs
35:56
ran off of a Cliff and drowned in the water.
36:00
So the abyss is of place. And when it talks about the
36:05
smoke coming up from the abyss, you know, is it in modern day
36:09
Iraq? I don't know.
36:11
OK, Revelation 9. The 5th Angel sounded his
36:14
trumpet. Now this is this is like during
36:18
wrath and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the
36:24
earth. The star was given the key to
36:27
the shaft of the abyss. When he opened the abyss, smoke
36:33
rose from it like smoke from a gigantic furnace.
36:35
The sun and sky were darkened from the smoke of the abyss.
36:39
Then it says they had as a king over them the Angel of the
36:44
abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon
36:51
that is destroyer now who Satan seeks to kill and destroy.
36:57
So I don't know if that's Satan or not, you know, like I don't
37:01
really know. I mean, Satan was a fallen
37:03
Angel. So a star is symbolic of angels
37:07
in the Book of Revelation. So and then it says now when
37:12
they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes
37:16
up from the abyss. So again, remember that beast is
37:19
not it it has parts of the past like it could be like the
37:22
supernatural thing where this like rising of people that had
37:26
already died that were evil. I I don't really know.
37:30
But it says now when they had finished their testimony, this
37:32
is talking about the two witnesses.
37:34
The beast that comes up from the abyss will attack them and
37:38
overpower them and kill them. So do all these things like
37:42
happen at the same time? This this these abyss opens up?
37:46
Is it in, you know, like actually that takes place in
37:52
Jerusalem? Because that's where the two
37:54
witnesses, I believe, I believe, and I'd have to double check
37:58
that. I shouldn't say that because I
37:59
didn't research that beforehand. But I always thought it was like
38:02
they were in the city of Jerusalem proclaiming the
38:05
gospel. But I'm not actually absolutely
38:09
sure about this. So here's a description of the
38:13
beast. The beast you saw once was now
38:16
is not so it was once, now it's not, and yet will come up out of
38:23
the abyss and go to its destruction.
38:27
Now the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been
38:33
written in the book of life from from the creation of the world
38:36
will be astonished when they see the beast because it once was,
38:41
now is not, and yet will come. So this verse sounds like these
38:48
are the people that will see this are the people who have not
38:51
prepared, who do not have a relationship with Jesus.
38:55
So their names are not written in the book of life.
38:58
These are the sinners. Remember, the wrath of God comes
39:01
upon the sinners. The people who have rejected
39:03
God, who are not willing to submit to God, are not willing
39:08
to be obedient to God, want to do their own thing, are
39:11
rebellious to God, don't want anything to do with God.
39:14
That's what the that's who this is coming upon.
39:19
And then in Revelation 20 it says, I saw an Angel coming down
39:22
out of heaven having a key, the key to the abyss and holding in
39:26
his hand a great chain. He threw him into the abyss and
39:31
locked and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the
39:34
nation's anymore until the 1000 years were ended.
39:38
After that he must be set free for a short time.
39:42
So this is in Revelation 20 and there who is this talking about?
39:50
He sees the dragon, that ancient serpent.
39:54
So now we have that ancient serpent, a snake, and we also
39:58
have a dragon who is the devil or Satan and bound him for 1000
40:04
years. So to me this whole Marduk thing
40:07
connects to Satan, especially when you get to Revelation
40:11
chapter 20 verse two he this Angel sees.
40:15
The dragon. That ancient serpent who is the
40:19
devil or Satan and bound him for 1000 years.
40:24
So this Marduk thing, he's got this, you know, he's represented
40:29
by this dragon snake thing. So there's just too many
40:34
descriptions that really relate him.
40:36
And you know, why is why is God so upset with these people
40:40
worshipping this other entity? It's because perhaps is it
40:45
because it's Satan, because they're really represent they're
40:48
they're worshipping Satan. Satan wanted to be worshipped
40:51
and then these people are doing this.
40:54
So it's. Yeah, it's very, very
41:00
interesting to ponder and to study and and I don't know that
41:04
we all have the the complete understanding of all of this,
41:08
but it certainly is interesting when you when you get into it.
41:13
So, but the description of what I'd like to go back to Matthew
41:18
chapter 24 because of what Jesus said and he's talking about like
41:24
in context so that we get so the his disciples were asking him
41:30
about the I'll just read it from verse 3.
41:35
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
41:38
came to him privately tell us they said, when will this happen
41:42
and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of
41:47
the age. Jesus answered, Watch out that
41:50
no one deceives you, for many will come in my name claiming I
41:54
am the Messiah and will deceive many.
41:56
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you
42:00
are not alarmed. Such things must happened, but
42:03
the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation
42:07
and Kingdom against Kingdom. There will be famines and
42:10
earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of
42:15
birth pains. Then you will be handed over to
42:18
be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all
42:22
nations because of me. At that time, many will turn
42:26
away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.
42:30
You know, like those who love their lives will lose it.
42:33
I mean that's what we have to keep in mind.
42:35
And many and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
42:40
people because of the increase of wickedness.
42:44
The love of most will grow cold. You know, you just see so much
42:50
wickedness that you know it's like there's no more love.
42:53
But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
42:58
And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole
43:03
world as a testimony to all nations.
43:07
And then the end will come. So when you see standing in the
43:13
holy place, the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of
43:18
through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand.
43:21
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
43:25
Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the
43:28
house. Let no one in the field go back
43:30
to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those
43:33
days for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
43:35
Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on a
43:38
Sabbath, for then there will be great distressed, unequaled from
43:43
the beginning of the world until now, and never to be equaled
43:49
again. So we are not quite in that time
43:52
yet. We haven't seen the abomination
43:54
of desolation and there is going to be great distress that's
43:58
unequaled from the beginning of the world until that time and
44:01
never again. It says if those days had not
44:05
been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the
44:09
elect, those days will be shortened at that time.
44:15
If anyone says to you, look, here's the Messiah or there he
44:18
is, do not believe it. For false messiahs and false
44:22
prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to
44:26
deceive, if possible, even the elect.
44:28
See, I have told you ahead of time.
44:31
So if anyone tells you there he is out in the wilderness, do not
44:34
go out, or here he is in the inner rooms, do not believe it.
44:38
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the
44:42
West, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
44:46
Wherever there is a carcass, the vultures, there the vultures
44:49
will gather. Immediately after the distress
44:54
of those days. The sun will be darkened and the
44:58
moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the
45:01
sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
45:04
Then will appear the Son of the Man in heaven, and then all the
45:11
peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man
45:14
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
45:20
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they
45:27
will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the
45:33
heavens to the other. So that is really important.
45:36
It gives us a sequence of events here.
45:39
It says that the abomination we're going to, that's going to
45:42
be noted. The abomination is going to
45:44
happen. People are going to be fleeing
45:46
from there. And there's going to be a lot of
45:49
people that will say, here he is, here's the Messiah, here's
45:53
the Messiah, you know, and all these different places.
45:55
And he and Jesus is saying don't believe it, don't believe it.
45:59
But then he says that you will see him coming on the clouds.
46:05
So there people will see Jesus in the clouds just like
46:09
lightning. They will see Jesus and his
46:13
angels. This is the gathering or what
46:15
people talk about the rapture. Then he will have his angels
46:19
sent out and they will gather the elect and with the trumpet
46:25
call. So this is another repeated
46:27
thing that there's a trumpet call.
46:30
The angels gather the elect. They take him to protection
46:33
because the wrath of God is coming and people who have
46:37
prepared themselves and who have a relationship with Jesus are
46:41
not subject to wrath. When you are, when you have the
46:46
Holy Spirit, you are not subject to wrath.
46:49
And so you will be removed by angels according to what Jesus
46:54
said. But people are going to see this
46:57
abomination of desolation in in the Holy Land.
47:02
I mean, that's where that's where it says like you have to
47:05
read Daniel. Unfortunately, he doesn't say
47:07
which chapter of Daniel, but he says spoken through the prophet.
47:12
So find out the abomination that causes desolation from the book
47:16
of Daniel. And that's going to be something
47:18
that it sounds like people who will be alive at that time are
47:22
going to know that and there's going to be this great distress
47:26
and people will probably panic. And that's why I get concerned
47:29
when people believe in a pre tribulation rapture because I
47:36
think this, this the words of Jesus dismissed that topic.
47:44
It's there is a pre wrath rapture, but not a pre
47:48
tribulation because this tribulation, something that is
47:51
like the greatest that has ever occurred and never will again,
47:56
will happen before the people are gathered.
47:59
So really read Matthew chapter 24 slowly and write down the
48:05
order of events because that should clarify.
48:10
And the only reason why I say this like I would love to have a
48:13
pre Trib rapture, but the Bible doesn't say that.
48:18
And I'm a concerned that if all of these if this great distress
48:23
that has never ever occurred on the earth, that people see it
48:26
and they believe in the pre tribulation rapture, they're
48:29
going to think, Oh, I believed in something that wasn't true
48:32
because here I am and I'm seeing all this stuff and they'll fall
48:35
away from faith. They're like, OK, I'm not going
48:37
to even believe that anymore. And then they'll go be the ones,
48:39
you know, hide on us, you know, cover us and hiding in, you
48:43
know, all these different places because the wrath of God is
48:45
coming, You know, do they do that?
48:47
I mean, I sure hope not. And so if it doesn't unfold the
48:50
way people believe, then that's why I want people to read
48:55
Matthew 24, because just listen to what Jesus said and
49:00
understand that with God, all things are possible.
49:05
The impossible is possible with God.
49:07
There's nothing to fear when God is your protector.
49:10
Even just remember what's happened like in the Old
49:12
Testament when they were going to battle and one of the, I
49:19
don't remember the characters that were in the story, but in
49:22
their actual account, but he prayed and he said God open his
49:27
eyes so that he can see because he was fearful of these armies.
49:31
And when God opened his eyes, his spiritual eyes, he was able
49:36
to see all of God's army, spiritual army that was there to
49:40
protect them and defeat them when they're their actual
49:44
literal physical human army was at a disadvantage.
49:49
But then they won the battle. So there is a supernatural
49:55
warriors that God his angels who protect God's children.
50:00
So don't be fearful of this, but recognize it and don't fall away
50:05
from faith. So that's the only reason why I
50:08
would speak against the pre tribulation rapture.
50:11
Obviously I would love for that to happen, but what according to
50:15
what Jesus says, that's not going to be the way that it
50:17
happens. So I don't want people to lose
50:20
their faith because it's not unfolding the way they've been
50:24
told by somebody. So anyway, I don't know if
50:29
there's any more things that OK, Babylon is, you know, called the
50:35
great city or Nineveh is actually called the great city.
50:39
And in Revelation, it refers to Babylon as the great city.
50:45
So I did a search, a word search for great city and found all of
50:50
the references to that. So the great city of Nineveh.
50:54
And that's in modern day Iraq. So it all just seems like it
50:58
goes back to Iraq. So again, there were like 3
51:00
different that I know of. There's probably other theories.
51:03
One of them is that it's literally in Iraq where Babylon
51:06
is number 2 is somebody, you know, there's lots of people
51:11
that say it's it's Rome and then #3 is that this is just a
51:16
spiritual thing and it could be in various locations, but it's
51:21
ultimately the Satan is behind it.
51:24
So just I guess different thoughts to consider, but it's
51:30
definitely showing us that this sounds like Iran is going to be
51:38
around when Jesus returns because it seems like if this is
51:42
a double fulfillment that Iran's going to be involved in some of
51:46
this. So I'm not sure if that was like
51:51
a past already accomplished or if they will still be around and
51:56
will be, you know, providing some of God's wrath during this
52:04
time. I'm not quite sure.
52:05
But what's really concerning is that, you know, it talks about
52:10
like back in these times, how, you know, women and and people
52:15
were more like possessions. It was, you know, in the study
52:17
Bible, it said that. But it talks about whoever's
52:20
captured will be thrust through. All who are caught will fall by
52:23
sword. Their infants will be dashed to
52:25
pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted and their
52:29
wives violated. Honestly, this happened when
52:34
Gaza broke in to Israel, the people of Gaza, and this is what
52:41
they did. So this is still happening
52:44
today. And actually this is July 2025.
52:48
Then I'm recording this. And this actually happened now
52:54
in Syria with the Druze. They were actually violated like
52:59
this. I saw videos of people being
53:02
thrown off the top of a building onto the ground from militia
53:07
that came into their home and threw them off the rooftops.
53:10
And they were like bodies laying at the base.
53:13
So this, this horrific type of warfare is still happening today
53:19
in the Middle East. It's not just back in the
53:22
biblical times. It's happening today.
53:24
And it truly does see seem like the things that the Bible talks
53:30
about in the end times, we're getting glimpses of it.
53:33
If it isn't the end times, it's certainly giving us a
53:37
foreshadowing of it. And what that means to us is not
53:41
to be fearful of it, but to be closer than ever to God because
53:47
God is our protector. And to stay in the word.
53:52
Read the read the Bible every day, pray everyday, Ask for
53:59
guidance, protection, salvation. Ask God to lead you every day.
54:06
Every decision that you make, rely on God.
54:09
Anything in your life that you have questions about, take it to
54:12
God. Just rely on God for everything.
54:15
Put God in that priority position over everything, every
54:20
decision that you make first. You should think about God first
54:25
and then make your decision and consult God about everything.
54:30
It's just such a critical time and we should be like that no
54:33
matter if this is the end times or if the end times are 50 years
54:37
from now. Because you know, God is our
54:40
creator. And if we are going to be in the
54:42
Kingdom of God, if we want to be in the in God's Kingdom, we have
54:47
to submit to his rules, to his commands.
54:52
He gave the the laws of what his his Kingdom will be like.
54:58
If we don't accept it, we can be outside of the Kingdom.
55:01
He's not going to force us to be in his Kingdom.
55:03
He's not one to take over, but he will give people what they
55:07
desire. So if, if we desire to be
55:10
rebellious to God and reject him, he will let us reject him
55:15
and we will be eternally separated from him.
55:18
And there's no crossing back over once you're dead.
55:20
You can't change your mind about it once.
55:23
And it's, it describes it as being like completely, I mean,
55:28
in a, in an eternal torment. And like you can't, like you're
55:32
thirsty, but you can't get a drink and you're just never
55:35
satisfied and you're just turned over to your rebellion and
55:40
tormented. So I mean, it's, it's telling
55:43
people this is what you're going to choose.
55:45
If you choose that, you can choose it.
55:48
And so then you get to the point where people either, you know,
55:51
maybe they don't even believe, but that's a choice.
55:54
You either believe in God or you don't.
55:57
If you believe in God then and you want to be in God's Kingdom,
56:01
then you need to humble yourself.
56:03
Recognize that you don't do what God wants you to do.
56:07
Ask for forgiveness. Ask for the Holy Spirit in the
56:12
name of Jesus to be received to help us to live every single day
56:17
that the Holy Spirit can reside with us and help us to overcome
56:22
the sinful nature that we naturally have.
56:25
And, and that's, you know, believing in Jesus.
56:28
I mean, Jesus did ultimately what was required for us to be
56:34
in God's Kingdom. So he took care of that part.
56:36
Now the part is, what's your decision?
56:39
Jesus already made it possible and he was the only one who
56:42
could make it possible for us. He died on the cross and was
56:45
resurrected and is living. So he's aware of everything that
56:49
we're doing right now. Everything we're saying, he's,
56:51
he's aware of it and he, he resides in the Kingdom, in the
56:57
heavenly Kingdom with God right now.
56:59
But there is a day that he is coming back to this earth and he
57:03
will reign on earth as king. And we will, we will either be
57:09
there or will be dead before that, I don't know which.
57:11
Or we will be alive when Jesus returns.
57:14
And if we are alive, we're just going to be gathered and we
57:17
won't even experience death. That's the really cool thing.
57:20
So if you want to prepare now and if Jesus.
57:23
Comes in the next. 50 years or the next year, if you're ready
57:27
for it and you're living, you don't even have to go through a
57:30
physical death because you're going to you'll just be changed
57:34
into an immortal person who will live forever.
57:37
So it's it's just an important time to really get that
57:42
relationship with God, talk to him, communicate with him, seek
57:46
him. He says if you seek him, he will
57:48
be found. It's the time is definitely
57:53
drawing near. And I guess this book of Isaiah
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is very timely with all these biblical things that are
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happening in our world today. Like I said, whether it's a
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foreshadowing or it's the actual end times, we'll know in
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hindsight, but don't let it become too late to do anything
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about it.