India can’t find a Sikh separatist leader, but its manhunt has got the world’s attention
Authorities have pulled out all the stops in their search for Amritpal Singh, cutting off internet service and setting off protests in the US and elsewhere.
Amritpal Singh, center, in Amritsar, India. Authorities in the state of Punjab have been searching for the Sikh separatist leader for more than a week
NBC News By Yashraj Sharma ~ March 28, 2023
NEW DELHI — A massive manhunt in India for a Sikh separatist leader has failed to find its target for more than a week. But authorities’ no-holds-barred search — including the deployment of thousands of paramilitary soldiers, a statewide internet blackout and a high-speed chase — has captured the attention of the nation and the world.
Police accuse Amritpal Singh, a 30-year-old self-styled preacher who seeks a sovereign Sikh homeland, of disrupting communal harmony, among other mounting charges. Officials say they are worried he could stir violence in his home state of Punjab, where thousands of people were killed in the 1980s as the Indian government fought an bloody insurgency for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.
The crackdown has unnerved the public, said Sukanya Singh, a university student in Amritsar, Punjab’s second-biggest city.
“There is panic buying because we don’t know how long it will go,” the 20-year-old, whose last name is common among Sikhs and who is unrelated to Amritpal Singh, told NBC News last week. “Half of my dormitory is empty; everybody just wanted to reach a safe space.”
As the search for the preacher began March 18, authorities blocked mobile internet and SMS services, restricting communication for Punjab’s 27 million residents — almost the population of Texas. Service was gradually restored over several days, though it is still out in some parts of the state.
“There seems to be no sense of control of the situation,” Sukanya Singh said of the government’s actions.
In their effort to apprehend Singh, Indian authorities have arrested more than 200 people and enforced heightened security measures in Punjab, a state in northwestern India that borders Pakistan.
Journalists and activists who have been commenting on the situation in Punjab, including prominent Sikh figures abroad, say their Twitter accounts have been blocked in India at the government’s request. The Twitter account for the Punjabi-language version of BBC News was also blocked in India on Tuesday.
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Twitter, which previously reported that India had made more requests to take down journalists’ tweets than any other country, also did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The search for Singh has reverberated internationally, with Sikh activists protesting outside Indian embassies and consulates in the US, Britain, Canada and Australia. Beyond the disruptions caused by the manhunt, protesters say they are calling attention to broader human rights issues in Hindu-majority India, the world’s largest democracy, and the treatment of religious minorities by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government. Sikhs make up about 1.7% of India’s population of 1.4 billion [about 28 million].
Khalistan protesters rallied outside of India’s High Commission in London
In Britain, where Sikhs are the fourth-largest religious group, a security review is underway after protesters pulled down the Indian flag and smashed a window at India’s High Commission in London on March 19.
India summoned Britain’s most senior diplomat over the incident and has since removed some temporary security barricades outside the British High Commission in New Delhi.
Not much is known about Singh, who spent years living in the United Arab Emirates and did not come to prominence until recently. Upon his return to India last year, he abandoned his clean-shaven look and began wearing the traditional robes of his avowed hero, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh separatist leader who was killed by the Indian army in 1984.
Since then, Singh has been at the forefront of the Khalistan movement, using social media to spread his message and garner support. His speeches and videos have gone viral on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, not just in India but also among the large Sikh diaspora in the US and elsewhere, where the movement still has whispers of support.
In February, Singh and hundreds of his supporters, some of them armed, stormed a police station in Punjab demanding the release of one of his aides. Afterward, India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party demanded Singh’s arrest.
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Khalistan Movement: 1947 to 1984
The search for Singh has had a severe impact on businesses, schools and tourism, with many people canceling visits to Punjab. While police say the internet blackout was an attempt to prevent unrest and curb “fake news,” rights groups criticized it as a violation of fundamental rights.
“Indian authorities must stop using overbroad reasons like those of ‘public safety’ to impose internet shutdowns over millions of people,” Amnesty India said in a statement last week.
India orders more internet shutdowns than any other country — including 84 last year, or almost half the global total, according to Access Now, an advocacy group based in New York.
Tanmay Singh, senior litigation counsel at the Internet Freedom Foundation, said the internet blackout in Punjab was “disproportionate and prima facie illegal” and a tactic used too often by the Indian government.
“This internet suspension order followed a fill-in-the-blanks method on the same template because there is no application of mind,” he said.
The closest police appear to have come to apprehending Singh was on March 18, when they intercepted his convoy at a checkpoint outside a village in rural Punjab. The Mercedes carrying him managed to speed away, India’s Tribune News Service reported, citing a police affidavit. Livestreams and videos of the ensuing police chase were uploaded to Facebook and Twitter by Singh’s associates until internet service was disrupted.
Singh was later seen on CCTV footage having changed clothes before escaping on a motorcycle, Punjab Inspector General Sukhchain Singh Gill said at a news conference last week. Authorities have arrested multiple people accused of helping Singh elude police.
After the violence and extremism of the 1980s, “there is no popular support in Punjab for the Khalistan movement,” said Ronki Ram, a professor of history at Panjab University in Chandigarh, India, who specializes in identity politics. But Singh’s ideas resonate with young Sikhs who are struggling economically and feel marginalized by the government, he said.
Ram said Singh had filled a “huge political vacuum” in Punjab, whose challenges include drug addiction and a growing water shortage. Singh is also the head of Waris Punjab De, or Punjab’s Heirs, a group that participated in mass protests by Indian farmers — who are disproportionately Sikhs from Punjab — against proposed agricultural reforms that were withdrawn by the Modi government in 2021.
The “spectacle” created by the manhunt has divided the public and left Punjab’s problems unsolved, Ram said.
“There needs to be constructive dialogue with the people,” he said, “not a crackdown.”
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” Amos 3:6
“I create darkness; I create evil; I, the LORD, do all these things” Isaiah 45:7
The Prophecy of Micah, whose word of the Lord was meant for the heads of Jacob, the princes of the house of Israel; but then who is of the house of Israel today? Are they not of the United States today?
The Prophecy of Micah, whose Word of the Lord is meant for the house of Jacob
Micah 3
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.
The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
1 And I said: “Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know judgement” — and God said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob; the whole head of Jacob,
— the leading men and particularly those princes of the house of Israel, the ten tribes, being ringleaders in sin, who ought to have set good examples to others; and these are not to be spared because of their grandeur and dignity;
— is it not for you to know judgement? not the house of Israel to pass judgement, especially of (1) when and where to hold the feasts and (2) how to determine the Sacred Calendar, which were administered by the house of Judah (who has the Scepter) and the Sanhedrin; and set rules and pass judgement; to give heed to that which is just and unjust.
2 you who hate the good and love the evil, who pluck off their skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones, — who hate good and love evil, doing just the opposite of that which their leaders required of them;
— who pluck off their skin from off them, like wild beasts that tear off skin and flesh from the bones, and then devour them; or like cruel shepherds that not content to fleece their flocks, skin them; and their flesh from off their bones and take their flesh also and feed themselves and not the flock; or like butchers that first take off the skin off a beast and then cut up its flesh;
— the design of the expressions is to show what rigour, cruelty and oppressions these rulers exercised on the people and by their heavy taxes and levies, pillaged and plundered them of all they had in the world and left them quite bare as bones stripped of their skin and flesh.robbing them of their most precious possessions;
— so the Targum says, “seizing on their substance by violence, and their precious mammon they take away.”
3 who also eat the flesh of My people and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones and chop them in pieces, as for the pot and as flesh within the cauldron?”
— who also eat the flesh of my people and flay their skins from off them; like cannibals, flay them alive and then eat their flesh, devouring their substance, only expressed in terms which still more set forth their savageness, barbarity, and cruelty; sound like those who operates Unit 731 during World War II; would God also intended this to mean those Vietnamese who had their skin sprayed with Agent Orange?
— and they break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot and as flesh within the cauldron; with emphasis of detail: did with them as cooks do who not only cut flesh off the bones and into slices but break the bones themselves; pictures the excess of cruelty which the rulers of the people were practicing.
4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. — then shall they, the guilty ones, cry unto the Lord but He will not hear them namely at the time of the revelation of His wrath;
— the Targum says in the time of their distress but he will not hear their prayer so as to answer it according to their desire; that is, he will not save them from danger but deliver them up and all that belong unto them into the hands of such that shall use them as they have done others;
— he will even hide his face from them at that time, refusing to pay the slightest attention to their distress as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings and were thus fully ripe for judgement.
5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth and cry “Peace”; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him:
— thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets, namely the false shepherds and false prophets, who presumed to speak in the name of the Lord without being sent that make my people to err, leading them astray, they led them into mistakes about matters of religion and civil government;
— that bite with their teeth and cry, Peace! that is, who prophesy smooth things, promise all kind of prosperity and plenty when they receive a sufficient amount of tithe money, proclaim peace; may even get a “Nobel Peace Prize” for so doing; do not keep a good table for them and cram and pamper them, but neglect them and do not provide well for them;
— they even declare war against him; these they threaten with one calamity or another that shall befall them; and endeavour to set their neighbours against them and even the government itself and do them all the mischief they can by defamation and slander, solemnly declaring warfare as for the honor of God.
6 “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine. And the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
— therefore night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a vision, being excluded from the light granted by the Spirit of God; and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not divine; they have no understanding and granted no revelation of the future;
— and the sun shall go down and the day shall be dark over the prophets; their time of prosperity will be over and they shall no more be in favour with the people, or courted and feasted by them; but shall be held in the utmost contempt and abhorrence with darkness as in the Day of Judgement;
— the Targum of the whole says, “therefore ye shall blush at prophesying, and be ashamed of teaching; and tribulation as darkness shall cover the false prophets, and the time shall be darkened upon them.”
7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God.” — then shall the seers be ashamed, be disgraced on account of the fact that their predictions are not fulfilled and the diviners confounded, blushing with shame on account of their miserable failures in trying to uncover the future;
— yea, they shall all cover their lips, literally “their beard” their face up to the nostrils as a sign of shame; for there is no answer of God, not that they shall be ashamed and silenced because they shall now have no answer of God for they never had any; the Targum says, “for there is not in them a spirit of prophecy from the Lord.”
8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgement and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. — declare unto Jacob; the whole head of Jacob, the leading men of the nation and particularly those princes of the house of Israel, the ten tribes, those northern kingdom that followed Jeroboam;
— to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin; especially of (1) when and where to hold the feasts and (2) how to determine the calendar which were administered by the house of Judah (who has the Scepter) and the Sanhedrin; and set rules and pass judgement; to give heed to that which is just and unjust.
9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgement and pervert all equity: — hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel, the very leaders whose wickedness had been described in the first part of the Chapter;
— that abhor judgement, the law and ordinances; everything that was right or just, making crooked paths that which should have been kept straight; hate to do that which was right and just; and pervert all the rules and laws of justice and equity, clearing the guilty and condemning the innocent.
10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No evil can come upon us.” — the heads thereof judge for reward being influenced in their decisions by bribe money and the priests, who were first hired by king Jeroboam after payment of bribes and fees from the lowest of people, people who were not qualified but for money;
— and the prophets thereof hired for money, their oracles being fashioned according to the presents which men gave them; yet will they lean upon the Lord, insisting that they were performing the work of their office by authority the God living in the midst of His people;
— and say, Is not the Lord among us? namely, with His power and protection. No evil can come upon us: namely pestilence, famine, sword and captivity that the prophets of the Lord had threatened them with.
12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. — therefore shall Zion for your sake on account of their wickedness in making the Lord’s Temple a den of murderers, be plowed as a field, the king’s quarter turned into tillable soil;
— Jerusalem and the rest of the city shall become heaps, piles of broken stones and the mountain of the house, that is, of the Temple, as the high places of the forest, being overgrown with brush and trees. It is a vivid description of the ruin which comes upon the enemies of the Lord.
Micah 4
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains; and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it.
— but in the last days, in the great Millennium or the Messianic Age, it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord, of the Kingdom of God, shall be established in the top of the mountains which also mean a new Ezekiel Temple built on Mount Moriah where the divine Majesty would reside; the ideal Zion being elevated above all else in the world;
— and it shall be exalted above the hills, visible before all nations and before the eyes of all men; and people shall flow unto it, members of all the nations of the world come come to keep the feasts; should they refuse, there would be no rain, but plagues:
“And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” Zechariah 14:18 (more at end of this chapter)
2 And many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
— and many nations shall come, namely, the Elects whom the Lord would choose and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, the place where salvation is proclaimed, and to the house of the God of Jacob, the Kingdom of the Messiah;
— and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths; no longer paying homage to the Queen of heaven of Egypt: Astarte, but dub it Easter, the day of Christ resurrection; neither would they pay homage to Mithras of Babylon, whose birthday is on December 25th, by dubbing it Christmas; nor they be Sunworshippers, whose services are always on Sundays; and Pentecost on Whitsundays;
— for the Law, as the revelation of the holy and righteous will of God, shall go forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord, particularly in the revelation of the way of salvation, from Jerusalem, where the house of Judah has dominion: for the proclamation of the Word, in speaking of the law, statutes and ordinances, of sin, justice and judgement, of redemption and grace, all in the hands of the Elects.
— and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, both in an earthly, temporal Millennial peace of which men are dreaming from time to time, but also in the spiritual peace in Him where heretic doctrines are beaten into plowshares and their hatred among men into pruning-hooks, in whom there is truly peace on earth;
— nation shall not lift up a sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more, this being said of the inner peace and harmony of the Kingdom of God.
3 And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
— and he, the God of the covenant, shall judge among many people, between Ishmaelites and the sons of Isaac; between Esau and Jacob; between the house of Israel and the house of Judah; teaching them true justice in accordance with his spoken and unspoken will, and rebuke strong nations afar off, to make them cease their enmity against him;
— and God will gather her that is driven out; out of the land of Israel, and scattered among the nations of the world; even driven out by the Lord himself, because of their transgressions against him; Jeremiah 16:15;
— and that God have afflicted; with various calamities, pestilence, famine and sword and in captivity and deaths; the Targum adds, “for the sins of my people” the Israelites for their Sun worshipping (Mithras) and idolatry to the Queen of heaven, Astarte; and the Jews for the rejection of the Messiah and other sins.
4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
— but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; a proverbial phrase, expressive of the greatest tranquillity, security and enjoyment of prosperity; 1 Kings 4:25; when persons need not keep within their walled towns and cities and lack themselves up in their houses but may sit down in their gardens, fields and vineyards and enjoy the fruit thereof;
— as the Targum interprets it, “under the fruit of his vine and under the fruit of his fig tree.”
5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. — for all people, all those concerned in this prophecy,
— will walk every one in the name of his God in the power of the one true God in whom he believes whose essence is thus made known and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever with a full trust in His supporting strength and powerful protection, which turns aside all the efforts of the enemies to disturb the inner peace of the Kingdom.
6 “In that day,” saith the Lord, “will I assemble her that is halt, and I will gather her that is driven out and her that I have afflicted. — in that day, in the great Millennium or the Messianic Age, saith the Lord, will I assemble the lame and gather those who were dispersed, along with those I afflicted, all worshipping the God of Abraham.
7 And I will make her that is halt (or lame) a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from hence forth, even for ever.
— “The people of that ‘crippled’ city will be the only ones left alive (ERV); but I will make them into a strong nation; the Lord will be their king who will rule from Mount Zion forever.
8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
— and thou, O tower of the flock, the term being applied to a tower of refuge for flocks in time of danger, here as a fort from which the great King and Shepherd, the Messiah Himself, observes and guards His flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, the impregnable palace of the Kingdom of God;
— unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion, the glory of the earliest OT Elects: Enoch, Noah, Abraham and to the Patriarchs, Job? compared with that of the kingdom of Israel, when established, which are the latter OT Elects, under its mightiest king; King David; andt before that Moses, Joshua, Samuel;
— the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem: King Hezekiah, King Josiah; Daniel and his three friends, Ezra and Nehemiah; since the earthly Jerusalem is always at the foundation of the kingdom, the afflictions of the Jewish capital are made typical of the experiences of the Lord’s people.
9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee? Is thy counselor perished? For pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. — now, why dost thou cry out aloud? at the approach of the Chaldean invasion; Nebuchadnezzar was described as “my servant” or at other times, the Sword;
— is there no king in thee? is there no visible representative of the capable king to keep and protect them? Is thy counselor perished? to counsel, instruct and comfort them and at last to deliver and save them this name also being applied to the reigning member of the house of David?
— for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail, the true believers in Israel feeling the deepest grief and sorrow over the desolation of the kingdom; and in modern times a time of Jacob’s trouble.
10 Be in pain and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field. And thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
— be in pain and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion like a woman in travail, the catastrophe of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the exile of the people being imminent; that was for ancient Judah which were for a period of 70 years; but for Ezekiel’s Israel and Judah it could be 190/40 years; for more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years
— for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, after it had been taken by the enemies, their houses taken away from them; and thou shalt dwell in the field if they could survive and thou shalt go even to Babylon, being dragged into captivity again;
— there shalt thou be delivered, namely, when a modern Cyrus issued the decree setting the captives free and thus laid the foundation upon which later arose the Messianic Age or the great Millennium there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies so that the people of the covenant would be restored to the Promise Land, the land where the Messiah was to reign.
11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, “Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion!” — now also, namely, at the time of Jacob’s deepest humiliation, a time known as Jacob’s trouble;
— that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion, namely, in malicious joy over her downfall; and many nations are gathered against thee, in bold hostility, starting with those of the South and spread to the North; for more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!
12 But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they His counsel; for He shall gather them as the sheaves onto the threshing floor. — but they know not the thoughts of the Lord, the object which He has in mind in thus dealing with His people; one example is the slaughtering of his people spreading from the South to the North (for more see notes from Ezekiel 20:45-21:5)
— neither do they understand God’s unspoken will:
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love the truth and peace.’ Zechariah 8:19
But surprisingly, there were the unspoken Word of God! Like parents, they have their secret wishes for their children. So is God. But how do we know God’s unspoken will if they were unspoken? To be unspoken would also mean unwritten. More on the unspoken will of God here.
13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people, and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
— arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, all the Elects that will gathered in Jerusalem, who live according to His commands; for he will make thine horn iron and he will make thy hoofs brass, giving to his Elects a new and unconquerable strength;
— and thou shall beat in pieces many people, not by victories of the flesh, but by those of the spirit; and he will consecrate their gain, what the enemies had gotten by robbery and plunder;
— unto the Lord, as devoted to him, and their substance, all their possessions, unto the Lord of the whole earth, the Elects who will now have a dominion, kingdom and cities given him by the Ancient of Days that so all people, nations and languages shall serve him, Daniel 7:14.
~~~
More from Zachariah 14: the great Millennium or the Messianic Age
16 And it shall come to pass that every one who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, upon whom there is no rain, there shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen who come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses: “Holiness Unto The Lord.” And the pots in the Lord’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar;
21 yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts, and all those who sacrifice shall come and take of them and boil therein. And in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
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For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
The Abrams 120mm smoothbore gun, like the Challenger’s, uses depleted uranium ammunition when it fires armor-piercing rounds. Abrams tanks sent to Ukraine will be armed with depleted uranium ammunition “tank busting” rounds.
The ammunition in question is technically called armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), long dart penetrator ammunition. APFSDS uses a special penetrating rod made of DU with the addition of titanium and molybdenum.
It is highly valued by the military because the DU penetrator is self-sharpening (meaning it does not deform) and pyrophoric. It is highly effective against enemy tanks struck on the side, rear or top, but less so frontally where it can be deflected by sloped armor.
APFSDS penetrators can be made out of materials other than DU, such as titanium. The Russians call DU ammunition “dirty” weapons.
The US’s Abrams M-1 might be met with a Russian tactical nuke!
Depleted uranium is a very heavy, dense metal that is made from uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is the gaseous feedstock for centrifuges making weapon’s grade fissile U-235 for nuclear weapons.
Those who promote the use of DU in weapons argue that DU weapons actually contain less fissile material than natural uranium (but not much less). However, they fail to account for the fact that DU is used in a highly compact form, generally to help penetrate armor and other hardened structures.
While field studies are inconclusive, opponents of ammunition say that DU metal fragments in the soil and DU dust in the air can cause numerous health problems, including cancer. Even naturally occurring uranium is a toxic material.
One scientific study says “The aerosol produced during impact and combustion of depleted uranium munitions can potentially contaminate wide areas around the impact sites or can be inhaled by civilians and military personnel.”
The US is the world’s heavyweight champion in using DU ammunition in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo. 782,414 DU rounds were fired during the 1991 war in Iraq. More than 300,000 DU rounds were fired during the 2003 Iraq war, the vast majority by US troops.
Aside from armor-penetrating tank rounds, the US uses DU ammunition for its 30mm GAU-8 Avenger Gatling gun on the A-10 Warthog ground attack jet fighter. The A-10s figured prominently in the Iraq wars and in Afghanistan.
Ukraine last winter requested 100 A-10 jets from the United States and have been secretly training to use the aircraft in combat. If a Crimea offensive takes place, the A-10 may be moved into Ukraine and flown by a combination of Ukrainian pilots and possibly by volunteer former US Air Force pilots.
The USAF has been trying to get rid of the A-10 for some time, which it considers a relic of the Cold War and unlikely to survive in a dense air defense environment. In the latest development, the USAF said it wants to dump all its A-10s as soon as possible. From a USAF perspective, shifting them to Ukraine relieves them of an unwanted burden.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone
The US is also seeking to offset Russia’s advantage in artillery by shipping in new 155mm howitzers to replace artillery lost to Russian air and artillery strikes.
The Ukrainian army is currently fighting battles in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Vuhledar and around Zaporizhzhia. Bakhmut is getting considerable attention because a large number of Ukrainian troops, some elite units, are bottled up there.
Estimates say there are as many as five Ukrainian brigades involved, representing perhaps as many as 15,000 soldiers, although these brigades have taken high casualties and some of the troops, but not equipment, have been exfiltrated from the city. Russia’s Wagner Group paramilitary forces now claim they control around 70% of the city and have resumed fighting after a brief pause.
The US lost an MQ-9 Reaper drone on March 14, operating only 37 miles from Crimea in a Russian restricted zone. The Reaper is not only a hunter-killer drone, but it has sophisticated sensors that no doubt were being used to gather targeting information, but also to collect ELINT (electronic intercepts) of Russian military units.
Caught in the act by two Russian Su-27s, the drone crashed into the sea. Since then, the US has resumed operations, but at a greater distance away from Crimea, using the high-flying RQ-4 Global Hawk, an all-weather, day or night intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone. The Global Hawk uses imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT) and moving target indicator (MTI) sensors.
The fact that the US is willing to send its drones so close to Crimea suggests that preparations for a Ukrainian-NATO offensive are well underway.
A UK-made Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank using depleted uranium shells
Ukraine is being asked by the US and NATO to launch its offensive against Crimea, starting when sufficient equipment arrives and when the weather is right for a land offensive. Currently Ukraine is receiving a lot of rain and the ability to move heavy equipment and armor is restricted to paved roadways as open fields for armor maneuvers are too muddy.
Behind US strategic thinking is that defeating Russia in Crimea would force regime change in Moscow.
The hatred in Washington for Vladimir Putin appears to have no limits. The latest ICC arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes was endorsed by President Joe Biden, and comes as no surprise. The rash court action effectively eliminates any possibility of negotiations between Biden and Putin.
How will Russia answer these latest developments? Putin has already sent a warning to Britain about DU ammunition, although what he actually has in mind is not clear. If Russia is watching US activity in rushing the Abrams tanks to the battlefield, including the possibility of the A-10, the situation will get more heated.
By introducing DU in Ukraine, NATO increases the risk that Russia’s response could be tactical nuclear weapons. NATO, as the Russians see it, is opening the nuclear Pandora’s box. Pandora’s box was described in Hesiod’s 700 BC poem, Works and Days wherein the opening the box releases curses on mankind, including sickness and death.
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
China’s Xi tells Putin of ‘changes the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years!’ Perhaps he means changes that will affect the world for the next hundred years!
The G2: “Changes not seen for 100 years!” Perhaps it means changes that will affect the world during the next hundred years!
President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were filmed saying warm goodbyes as their two-day meeting ended with China’s leader saying they were driving geopolitical change around the world.
The two leaders called for “responsible dialogue” to resolve the Ukraine crisis, with Xi acknowledging Beijing and Moscow had signed an agreement bringing their ties into a “new era” of cooperation.
“Right now there are changes – the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years – and we are the ones driving these changes together,” Xi told Putin as he stood at the door of the Kremlin to bid him farewell.
The Russian president responded: “I agree.”
Xi then put out his hand to shake Putin’s and said: “Take care please, dear friend.” Putin responded by holding Xi’s hand with both of his and saying, “Have a safe trip.”
The Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow comes days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine, where Russian forces have made little progress in recent months despite suffering heavy losses.
The talks were intended to cement the “no limits” partnership the two leaders announced last February, less than three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Putin said a Chinese proposal to end the conflict could be used as the basis of a peace settlement, but the West and Kyiv were not yet ready.
The United States has been dismissive of China’s peace plan and said a ceasefire would lock in Russian territorial gains and give Putin’s army more time to regroup.
The Prophecy of Micah, the word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of kings, as Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah and Uzziah. He is thought to have prophesied thirty or forty years, which places him in the years 713 to 750 BC; thus contemporary with Isaiah, Hosea and Amos but had started earlier.
“Hearken, O earth,” although Micah was from Judah, his prophecies were for “Samaria and Jerusalem.” Yet the message is ” Hear, all ye people! Hearken, O earth, and all that is therein! That is, the warning of such message is to the whole earth!
Micah 1
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. — in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah; Micah is thought to have prophesied about sixteen years in Jotham’s time, as many under Ahaz and fourteen under Hezekiah;
— by which it appears that he was contemporary with Isaiah, Hosea and Amos though they began to prophesy somewhat sooner than he even in the days of Uzziah; very probably he conversed with these prophets especially Isaiah with whom he agrees in many things; his style is like his and sometimes the same phrases;
— which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem; in the vision of prophecy, Samaria the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel; assigned to the tribe of Joseph; its southern part of Samaria was then known as Mount Ephraim;
— and is put for them representing the ten-tribes, as Jerusalem was of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and Samaria is mentioned first because it was the head of the greatest body of tribes; and as it was the first in transgression it was the first to face judgement.
2 Hear, all ye people! Hearken, O earth, and all that is therein! And let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple. — hear, all ye people; or “the people, all of them” all the nations of the world, not just the nations of Israel or only from several tribes of Judah;
— hearken, O earth, and all that therein is; or “its fullness” the land of Israel and Judah and the whole earth and all the inhabitants of it; reinforcing what was said above;
— and let the Lord God be witness against you; or “in you” the Word of the Lord as the Targum says; let him who is the omniscient God, who knows all hearts, thoughts, words and actions, let him bear witness in your consciences that what he is about to say; and if you disregard it and repent not let him be a witness against you as he had prophesied in his name; and warned us of our danger.
3 For behold, the Lord cometh forth out of His place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. — for, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place; out of heaven;
— the place of the house of his Shekinah as the Targum says; where his throne is, where he keeps his court and displays his glory; from whence he removes not by local motion since he is everywhere but by some manifest exertion of his power, either on the behalf of his people or in taking vengeance on his and their enemies;
— and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth; which are his footstool; Samaria and Jerusalem, built on mountains and all other high towers and fortified places together with men of high looks and haughty countenances who exalt themselves like mountains and swell with pride:
— these the Lord can easily subdue and humble, bring low and tread down like the mire of the street; perhaps there may be an allusion to the high places where idols were worshipped; and which were the cause of the Lord’s wrath and vengeance and of his coming forth in this unusual way in his providences.
4 And the mountains shall be molten under Him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as waters that are poured down a steep place.
— and the mountains shall be molten under him, dissolving before his almighty power, and the valleys shall be cleft, cleaving asunder before his majesty as wax before the fire and as the waters that are poured down a steep place, tearing down the abysses and causing a general dissolution of the entire surface of the earth.
5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?
— for the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel; all this evil, all these calamities and judgements, signified by the above metaphorical phrases; these did not come by chance nor without reason; but were or would be inflicted according to the judgement of God, upon the people of Israel and Judah for their lies and idolatries;
— is it not Samaria? the wickedness of Samaria, the calf of Samaria? as in Hosea 7:1; that is, the worship of the calf of Samaria; is not that idolatry the transgression of Jacob or which the ten tribes have given into? Or the altering of the Sacred Calendar? where they shifted the feast days a month later? that is; are these not enough reasons for all this wrath to come upon them: or “who is the transgression of Jacob?”
— are they not the kings that have reigned in Samaria with their nobles, princes and great men, who, by their edicts influence encouraged the worship of the golden calves? they caused the people to sin: or as the Targum says “where have they of the house of Jacob sinned? is it not in Samaria?”
— and what are the high places of Judah? or “who are they?” are they not Jerusalem? are they not the king, the princes and priests that dwell at Jerusalem? certainly they are; such as Ahaz and others in whose times this prophet lived; see II Kings 16:4;
— or as the Targum says, “where did they of the house of Judah commit sin? was it not in Jerusalem?” truly it was and even in the Temple; here Ahaz built an altar like that at Damascus and sacrificed on it and spoiled the templev and several of the vessels in it, II Kings 16:10.
6 “Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof. — therefore God will make Samaria as an heap of the field, as ruins that fall into dust and finally become a part of the soil and as plantings of a vineyard, that is, places where vineyards may be planted;
— and he will pour down the stones thereof, those which King Omri had used in building the city, into the valley, and he will discover, lay bare, the foundations thereof, destroying it to the very ground.
7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate; for she gathered it from the hire of a harlot, and they shall return to the hire of a harlot.”
— and all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces and all the hires thereof, namely, those of spiritual harlotry, the consecrated offerings placed on the idol altars, shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will God lay desolate, making them a wilderness;
— for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, by her spiritual adultery, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot, for the rich treasures were taken away by the enemies and devoted to their own idols. The vanity of false worship also in this respect seems rarely to strike the consciousness of idolaters.
8 Therefore I will wail and howl; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the dragons and mourning as the owls. — therefore, on account of the calamity which would strike Samaria and Judah, I, Micah, will wail and howl, in a most bitter and mournful cry,
— I will rent my garments, will go stripped and naked as Isaiah did, Isaiah 20:3; he went about like a madman, one disturbed in his mind, bereft of his senses because of the desolation coming upon Israel;
— I will make a wailing like the dragons like the jackals of the desert, and mourning as the owls like ostriches crying in pain; so the Targum says, “for this they shall wail and howl, and go naked among the spoilers;”
“And the Lord said, “As My servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia,” Isaiah 20:3
9 For her wound is incurable; for it has come unto Judah; he has come unto the gate of My people, even to Jerusalem. — for her wound is incurable; or her “stroke is desperate” the ruin of Samaria and the ten tribes are inevitable; the decree being gone forth and they hardened in their sins and continuing in their impenitence;
— and their destructions are irrevocable; till the time comes that all Israel shall be saved; “she is grievously sick of her wounds” just ready to die upon the brink of ruin and no hope of saving her; this is the cause and reason of the above lamentation of the prophet, and increased his grief and sorrow;
— for the calamity has reached the land of Judah; it stopped not with Israel but spread itself into the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; for the Assyrian army, having taken Samaria and carried Israel captive in a short time, about seven or eight years, invaded Judea and took the fenced cities of Judah in Hezekiah’s time in which Micah prophesied;
— he, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, having taken the fenced cities came up to the very gates of Jerusalem and besieged it where the courts of judicature were kept and the people resorted to, to have justice done them; and Micah, being of the tribe of Judah calls them his people and was the more affected with their distress.
10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all; in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. — declare ye it not in Gath, one of the chief cities of the Philistines,
— weep ye not at all lest the message cause these enemies to rejoice; in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust, literally “in Beth-leaphra I wallow in the dust,” for such scattering of dust was a sign of deep grief. Throughout this paragraph the prophet in the Hebrew uses puns (a joke exploiting different possible meanings), for Gath means “announcement” and Ophra “dust-house.”
11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Shaphir, having thy shame naked. The inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive from you his standing.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited anxiously for good, but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. — for the inhabitants of Maroth (bitterness) waited carefully for good, being anxiously and bitterly concerned about it,
— writhing in grief and pain on account of her lost prosperity; but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem. But while all these towns were in the neighborhood of Jerusalem the prophet next shows that the punishment would not be confined to the immediate neighborhood of the capital.
13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast (she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion), for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
— O thou inhabitant of Lachish, a fortified city in the plain toward the southwest, bind the chariot to the swift beast, to the fastest horses, namely, to escape the impending punishment; she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee, she was the first city of Judah to introduce the idol-worship of the northern kingdom.
14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath; the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. — therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath (the betrothed of Gath), the daughter of Zion being obliged to dismiss or release this city to the enemy, like the gift of a marriage portion;
— the houses of Achzib (deception); shall be a lie to the kings of Israel, a deceitful brook which offers no refreshment to the thirsty wanderer; just so the city would slip from the grasp of the kings of Judah (the southern kingdom being meant in this instance) so that it would no longer be in their possession.
15 Yet I will bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam, the glory of Israel. — yet will God bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah (town of inheritance), for Israel had been the heir obtaining it from the Canaanites and the enemy would now be the heir receiving it from the people of Judah;
— he shall come unto Adullam, the glory of Israel, rather “even unto Adullam will the nobility of Israel come,” to hide themselves in the cave in which David once sought refuge from Saul, 1 Samuel 22:1.
16 Make thyself bald, and shear thy beard because of thy pleasant children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle, for they are gone into captivity from thee.
— Micah asked to make himself bald, Zion as the mother of the nation being addressed, and poll thee, shearing her head, for thy delicate children in deep grief and sorrowful lamentation;
— enlarge thy baldness as the eagle, the griffin vulture of the Orient, the entire forepart of whose head is without feathers; for they are gone into captivity from thee. The entire chapter is a powerful and vivid description of the overthrow of the land by the armies of the invaders, which would be sent to punish the transgression of Judah.
Micah 2
1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. — woe to them that devise iniquity; which were premeditated and done deliberately; any kind of iniquity, idolatry or worshipping of idols for the word is used sometimes for an idol,
— or the sin of uncleanness on which the thoughts too often dwell in the night; or coveting of neighbours’ goods and oppressing the poor, sins which are instanced in Micah 2:2; and every thing that is vain, foolish, wicked and in the issue brings trouble and distress: now a woe is denounced against such that think on such things and please themselves with them in their imaginations and contrive ways and means to commit them;
— and work evil upon their beds; when the senses being less engaged the thoughts are more free; but, instead of this the persons here threatened are said to “work evil on their beds” when they should be asleep and at rest or engaged in good things; that is, they plot and contrive how to accomplish the evil they meditate; Psalms 36:4;
— when the morning is light, they practise it; they wish and wait for the morning light and as soon as it appears they rise and instead of blessing God for the mercies of the night and going about their lawful business they endeavour to put in practice with all rigour and diligence and as expeditiously as they can, what they have projected and schemed in the night season;
2 They covet fields and take them by violence, and houses, and take them away. So they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. — and they covet fields and take them by violence; the fields of their poor neighbours which lie near them and convenient for them;
— they wish they were theirs and they contrive ways and means to get them into their possession; and if they cannot get them by fair means, if they cannot persuade them to sell them or at their price they will either use some crafty method to get them from them or they will take them away by force and violence; as Ahab got Naboth’s vineyard from him;
— and houses and take them away; they covet the houses of their neighbours also and take the same course to get them out of their hands and add them to their own estates;
— so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage; not only dispossess him of his house to dwell in but of his paternal inheritance, what he received from his ancestors and should have transmitted to his posterity being unalienable; and so distressed a man and his family for the present and his posterity after him; which seems to be designed to make it agree with the story of Ahab, 1 Kings 21:13.
3 Therefore thus saith the Lord: “Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye go haughtily; for this time is evil.
— therefore thus saith the Lord, behold, against this family; against the family of Jacob; do I devise an evil; because of those evils of covetousness, oppression and injustice, secretly devised and deliberately committed; even an invasion of their land by the Assyrians and the carrying of them captive from it into foreign regions;
— from which ye shall not remove your necks; that is, the house of Jacob would not be able to deliver themselves from it; they would not be able to stop the enemy in his progress, having entered their land; nor oblige him to break up the siege of their city and being carried captive they would never be able to free themselves from the yoke of bondage put upon them;
— neither shall ye go haughtily; with necks stretched out and heads lifted up high and looking upon others with scorn and contempt; but hereafter their heads would hang down, their countenances be dejected and their backs bowed with the burdens upon them: for this time is evil; very calamitous, afflictive and distressing; and so not a time for pride and haughtiness but for dejection and humiliation.
4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation and say, ‘We are utterly despoiled; He hath changed the portion of my people. How hath He removed it from me! Turning away, He hath divided our fields.’”
— in that day shall one take up a parable against you; making use of your name as a byword, a proverb, a taunt and a jeer; mocking at your calamities and miseries: or “concerning you” take up and deliver out a narrative of your troubles in figurative and parabolical expressions;
— and lament with a doleful lamentation for the mocking song of the enemies would be a mournful dirge in the mouths of the house of Israel and say, “We will be utterly spoiled” losing everything we have; or We be utterly spoiled, completely destroyed! He hath changed the portion of my people, God himself permitting one of the nations, an enemy from the South, to take possession of it; (for a more comprehensive and a parallel Ezekiel 20-21 scene is added at the end)
5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord. — therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot, to cast a measuring-line on a lot of ground in the assembly of God,
— for the possessions of the children of Israel belonged to them only as long as they remained faithful to the God of the covenant and would be taken away when they became unfaithful.
6 “Prophesy ye not,” say they to them that prophesy: “They shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not suffer shame.” — like, Amaziah: prophesy not, say they to them that prophesy, literally, “Drop not,” or “drivel (senseless talk or writing; nonsense) not, they drivel,” almost like the American slang (balderdash),
— “Dry up! they drivel,” in speaking to the true prophets in a silly fashion. They shall not prophesy to them that they shall not take shame, that is: If the prophecy which the apostate Jews regarded as drivel would not continue then there would be no chance for them to escape the shame which would come upon the entire nation by the conquest of the enemies;
— the unbelievers to this day refuse to realize that the very preaching which they consider drivel and rot is the one means of saving them from the impending Judgement.
7 Oh thou that art named the house of Jacob: Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
— O thou that art named the house of Jacob; but dost not act suitably to the piety of thy father Jacob and therefore though thou art in name, yet not in truth the genuine seed of Jacob;
— is the Spirit of the Lord straitened. Is God’s hand shortened? are his power, wisdom and kindness less now than formerly? are these his doings; are these severe proceedings the doings your God delights in? are the judgements he brings upon you the genuine effects of his power and goodness? and not rather such acts as your sins do in a manner constrain him to exercise? Thus punishments are called his strange work, Isaiah 28:21;
— do not my words do good to him, that walketh uprightly? Certainly, both God’s laws and the words delivered by his prophets would do you great and lasting good if you would obey them.
8 “Even of late My people have risen up as an enemy; ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by trustingly as men returning from war. — even of late, in fact, yesterday, my people is risen up as an enemy, taking an open stand against Yehovah; and this hostility is openly shown;
— ye pull off the robe with the garment, stripping off the mantle or upper garment from them that pass by securely, considering themselves safe from robbery and violence, as men averse from war, that is, from peaceable people, such as seek no quarrel with any one.
9 The women of My people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away My glory for ever. — the women of my people, the unprotected widows have ye cast out from their pleasant houses, the houses of their delight to which they were attached by the memory of their wedded love;
— from their children have ye taken away my glory, the ornament or gift which he has given them forever, namely, by depriving them of their dress and of their rightful property. Cf Exodus 22:25.
10 Arise ye and depart, for this is not your rest; because it is polluted it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. — arise ye and depart! into the exile which the enemies would force upon them; for this is not your rest,
— they would not be permitted to remain in Canaan; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction, or “on account of the corruption which brings a most powerful destruction.” Such prophecies, setting forth the depth of the nation’s corruption are of course very unwelcome to the wicked leaders.
11 If a man walking in the spirit of falsehood lieth, saying, ‘I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink,’ he shall even be the prophet of this people!
— if a man walking in the spirit and falsehood, in vanity and falsehood, namely, in preaching his own ideas, do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink, that is, of the enjoyment of this present life,
— he shall even be the prophet of this people, possessing “itching ears” referring to: tell me what we want to hear, even if there are little lies, sweet little lies, that they will all go to a place of safety, they would meet with the approval of their leaders for a time of final training, and those who desired a cover for their lives of luxury and dissipation (kill the righteous and the wicked – more at the end).
12 “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold; and they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
— God will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee all those whom he intended as members of his congregation; he will surely gather the remnant of Israel, collecting the believers from all the nations of the earth;
— he will put them together in one fold, John 10:16, as the sheep of Bozrah, the rich meadowland east of Jordan as the flock in the midst of the fold, secure from the attack of the enemies. They shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men, surging with their great numbers.
13 The Breaker has come up before them; they have broken forth and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it; and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord at the head of them.”
— the Saviour is come up before them, rather “There will go up before them He that breaketh through,” their powerful Champion; they have broken up, rather “they break up,”
— and have passed through the gate, passing into the gate of the Lord’s kingdom, and are gone out by it, having free access to the throne of mercy; and their King, the Messiah Himself, shall pass before them and the Lord on the head of them, leading them through all the vicissitudes of this life to the promised life of eternity. While men are clamoring for a kingdom which will suit their fleshly lusts and desires, all true shepherds will continue to proclaim sin and repentance.
~~~
More about an enemy – to kill the righteous and the wicked – from South to North
Ezekiel 20:45 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
46 “Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the southland.
47 And say to the forest of the south: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree. The flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
48 And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.’”
49 Then said I, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Doth he not speak parables?’”
Ezekiel 21:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 “Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;
3 and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north,
5 that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath. It shall not return any more.
Boris Johnson, intoxicated and deprived of a sound mind, purposely flew over to Kyiv to sabotage the Peace Deal between Ukraine and Russia on behalf of Joe Biden way back in April, 2022; and as a result, almost one year on, Ukraine is being ravaged and destroyed!
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
Now, HMS Calamity! Royal Navy faces multi-million pound bill to aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales which broke down moments after leaving harbour as it set sail despite some officers ‘knowing about faulty propeller’
Royal Navy personnel take part in a ceremony to officially name the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in September 2017
The Royal Navy is facing a multi-million-pound bill for its bedevilled second aircraft carrier after gambling on its seaworthiness, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Some senior officers knew about HMS Prince of Wales’ faulty propeller before she set off on her landmark voyage last year but kept quiet.
The warship then broke down just after she left Portsmouth Harbour. The Ministry of Defence, rather than the manufacturers, will be picking up the estimated £20million recovery and repair costs.
The hugely embarrassing debacle is now the subject of a Ministry of Defence inquiry. Investigators want to establish who knew what, and when, and who failed to highlight the risks.
The probe is also understood to have uncovered evidence that HMS Prince of Wales was rushed into service, seemingly to serve a political agenda.
According to sources, issues surrounding the starboard propeller shaft were ‘lost in the handover process from one crew to another’.
This meant the officers who set off for the US last August were ‘blissfully unaware’ of the likelihood of HMS Prince of Wales breaking down.
Divers were sent down to inspect the 33-ton starboard propeller which had malfunctioned due to a broken coupling. The Mail understands the root cause was a misalignment of the propeller during the build phase of the carrier.
The propeller was removed before HMS Prince of Wales, escorted by a tug, sailed to a dry dockyard at Rosyth, Scotland, for extensive repairs which are still ongoing.
HMS Prince of Wales parked at a dry dockyard at Rosyth, Scotland, for repairs
The Royal Navy’s Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse said after the breakdown: ‘Our initial assessment has shown that a coupling that joins the final two sections of the [propeller] shaft has failed. This is an extremely unusual fault.
‘We are committed to getting HMS Prince of Wales back on operations, protecting the nation and our allies, as soon as possible.’
The 65,000-ton carrier entered service in 2021, the year after its sister vessel HMS Queen Elizabeth. They cost more than £6billion and have already drained the Royal Navy’s funds to build other warships.
They are the largest and most expensive British warships ever made. Their flight decks are larger than three football pitches and they can embark scores of stealth fighter jets and helicopters. While HMS Queen Elizabeth has proved a strategic asset, HMS Prince of Wales has been beset by problems.
The disparity in performance is raising questions about whether the warships were built to the same standard and whether the Royal Navy can afford the two carriers.
The National Audit Office has found the MoD has been ‘slow’ to develop ships needed to support the carriers, potentially hampering operations until 2028 or later.
Last night ex-Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe said: ‘Someone in the trials process accepted the risk [surrounding the propeller] that this would pose to the running of HMS Prince of Wales.
‘The Royal Navy must make doubly sure similar shortcuts are not taken in the many other new-build warships.
Shaft alignment should not be done badly these days. Someone in the build process made a big mistake.’
Defence chiefs signed for HMS Prince of Wales despite Royal Navy officers being aware of the propeller issues.
This decision has exposed MoD to the costs of recovering and repairing the carrier.
A source close to the investigation said: ‘Someone knew about the problems and didn’t flag them or amplify them as we would have liked. Lessons must be learned as this has proved a very expensive mistake.’
Last night the MoD said: ‘We remain committed to ensuring HMS Prince of Wales commences her operational programme, as planned, in autumn 2023.’
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
A new study shows an association between depleted uranium, used by the US during the Iraq war, and the risk of birth defects in Iraqi children.
In the years following 2003, the US military dotted Iraq with over 500 military bases, many of them close to Iraqi cities.
These cities suffered the impacts of bombs, bullets, chemical and other weapons, but also the environmental damage of open burn pits on US bases, abandoned tanks and trucks, and the storage of weapons on US bases, including depleted uranium weapons. Here’s a map of some of the US bases:
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished” Ezekiel 6:6
In the Study, we’ll find Jeremiah’s prophecies were not solely meant for the house of Judah; although some of them were, but the prime focus of God’s warnings were for the house of Israel and is relevant for a latter time, our time; so be vigil.
Jeremiah, a Prophet to the house of Judah and Israel
A Study Index of Jeremiah
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
— calling of Jeremiah before he was born — “I have put my words in thy mouth” — to root out and to plant the royal family — out of the North an evil shall break forth — prophecy of a Sword coming from the North
~ Chapter 2
— the Lord brought them out through a land of deserts — from shadow of death, scorpions and fiery serpents — a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates — and olives, a land flowing with milk and honey — the way of going to Assyria or going to Egypt
— Judah played the harlot with many lovers — “Hast thou seen what backsliding Israel hath done?” — “Her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned to Me” — “We lie down in our shame”
~ Chapter 4
— “If thou wilt return, O Israel” — “Declare ye in Judah and publish in Jerusalem” — “The whole land shall be desolate” — “Woe is me now, for my soul is wearied”
— “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem” — “How shall I pardon thee for this?” — they lie in wait as he that setteth snares — as a cage full of birds so are houses full of deceits — “justice” on Epstein: Ghislaine, HRH Andrew
~ Chapter 6
— “Prepare ye war against her! Arise” — “Hew trees, cast a mound against Jerusalem” — ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace — “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable” — “Behold, a people cometh from the North”
— “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house” — women knead cakes for the Queen of heaven — “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem and cast it away” — from Queen of heaven, Astarte; to Easter today
~ Chapter 8
— worshipping of heavenly bodies are forbidden — but My people know not God’s judgement — wise men ashamed; they are dismayed and taken — over 98.5% of Christians honouring the Sun
— they bend their tongues like their bow for lies — “Behold, I will melt them and try them” — Who is the wise man that may understand this? — “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom”
~ Chapter 10
— “Learn not the way of the heathens” — the palm tree proliferates during Christmas — “At His wrath the earth shall tremble” — Ephraim is a chronic liar, full of deceits
— “Proclaim these words in the cities of Judah” — “Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof” — behold, thy young men shall die by the Sword — their sons and daughters shall die by famine — and there shall be no remnant of them
~ Chapter 12
— why doth the way of the wicked prosper? — “If thou run with footmen and have wearied thee — then how canst thou contend with horses?” — “but if all mine evil neighbours will not obey — I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation”
— “Go and get thee a linen girdle” — every bottle shall be filled with wine — and I will dash them one against another — Can the Ethiopian change his skin — or the leopard his spots?
~ Chapter 14
— “Judah mourneth and its gates languish” — “Pray not for this people for their good” — “The prophets prophesy lies in My name” — “Sword and famine shall not be in this land — by Sword and famine shall they be consumed”
— “Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me” — “And I will appoint over them four kinds” — “Verily it shall be well with thy remnant” — I sat not in the assembly of mockers
~ Chapter 16
— “Thou shalt not take thee a wife” — “Enter not into the house of mourning” — there shall ye serve other gods day and night — “Surely our fathers have inherited lies”
— “The sins of Judah is written with an iron pen” — “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man” — let them be confounded that persecute me — “Hallow the Sabbath day and do no work”
~ Chapter 18
— “O house of Israel, what do I do with this potter?” — a kingdom, to build and to plant it — I will scatter them as with an east wind — let wives bereaved their children and be widows — more about keeping the Sabbaths
— “Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle” — “Hear the word of the Lord at the East Gate” — this place shall no more be called Tophet — but the Valley of Slaughter — your carcasses shall be meat for the fowls — and for the beasts of the earth
~ Chapter 20
— Pashhur the son of Immer the priest — he smote Jeremiah and put him in stocks — “Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself” — O Lord, Thou deceived me and I was deceived — cursed be the day wherein I was born
— King Zedekiah sent Pashhur unto Jeremiah — Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Behold — I will turn back the weapons of war in your hands — weapons that recoil like a boomerang — “And I myself will fight against you — with an outstretched hand and in great wrath”
~ Chapter 22
— “Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah” — spare them not, neither have pity nor mercy — King Jehoahaz, taken into Egypt and died there — King Jehoiakim carried to Babylon and died there — Coniah son of Jehoiakim with signet but childless
— “Woe be unto the shepherds of Israel — that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” — I will bring evil upon them, even a year of visitation — in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly — prophets who prophesy lies in My name — saying, “I have dreamed, I have dreamed”
~ Chapter 24
— and behold, two baskets of figs — one basket the figs that are good and ripe — the other basket that are bad and evil — more on God’s name, Yehovah יהוה YHVH
— Jeremiah spoke unto all the people of Judah — and this land be a desolation and an astonishment — and shall serve Babylon for seventy years — “Take the wine cup of this fury at My hand — all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it — evil shall go forth from nation to nation — howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow in ashes”
~ Chapter 26
— “Speak unto all the cities of Judah — I will make this house like Shiloh” — the priests, prophets and people took Jeremiah — saying, “Thou shalt surely die!” — “This man is not worthy to die”
— to kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon — all these shall serve Nebuchadnezzar, My servant — hearken not to your prophets, nor your dreamers — the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord — they shall also be carried to Babylon
~ Chapter 28
— false prophet Hananiah the Gibeonite — within two years the vessels of the Lord’s house — will be restored back to Jerusalem — within a year Hananiah died (two months) — according to the word of Jeremiah
— to the captives Nebuchadnezzar carried away — build ye houses and dwell in them — and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them — take ye wives and beget sons and daughters — take wives for sons; daughters to husbands — false prophet Shemaiah shall not have seed
~ Chapter 30
— write these words that I have into a book — it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble — “in destroying I will not destroy thee” — all thy lovers have forgotten thee — all thy lovers will turned against thee
— O virgin of Israel; Oh house of Joseph — “Rachel, weeping for her children” — but planters shall plant and shall not eat them — the watchmen upon Mount Ephraim shall cry — “Arise, let us go to Zion unto the Lord our God” — Ephraim a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke
~ Chapter 32
— Jeremiah the prophet thrown into the prison — Zedekiah king of Judah caught trying to flee — Jeremiah obliged Hanameel’s request to buy a field — the fear of the Lord is not in the house of Israel — Israel turns his back and not his face unto Me
— Yehovah, not the Lord, is his name — “They come to fight with the Chaldeans — but it is to fill them with dead bodies — whom I slain in Mine anger and fury — and for all whose wickedness — I have hid My face from this city”
~ Chapter 34
— “Thus saith the Lord: I will give this city — into the hand of the king of Babylon — and he shall burn it with fire” — every seven years man let go his bond servant free — they agreed but having cold feet, they relented
— “Go to the Rechabites and speak unto them — and give them wine to drink” — “But we will drink no wine, nor our sons forever — nor build a house, sow seed nor plant a vineyard” — “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man — to stand before Me forever”
~ Chapter 36
— “Take thee a scroll of a book — write the words that I’ve spoken unto thee — against Israel and against Judah — against all the nations I’ve spoken unto thee — from the days of Josiah even unto this day”
— Zedekiah petitions false prophets to pray for him — “The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us” — the princes smote Jeremiah and put him in prison — Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah be at court — that they should give him daily a piece of bread
~ Chapter 38
— “He that remaineth in this city shall die by the Sword — by the famine and by the pestilence — but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live” — “I’m afraid of the Jews who are fallen to the Chaldeans — lest they deliver me into their hand and mock me”
— Nebuchadnezzar and his army against Jerusalem — came and besieged it — Zedekiah tried to escape — the Chaldeans army pursued and overtook Zedekiah — the sons of Zedekiah were slewed before his eyes — and bound him with chains to Babylon
~ Chapter 40
— Jeremiah given protection by Nebuzaradan — and was freed from his chains — Gedaliah, made governor of Judea — but Ishmael the son of Nethaniah plan to kill him — won’t listen to Johanan the son of Kareah
— Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came — and smote Gedaliah, the governor of Judea — carried away captives, even the king’s daughters — and plan to go over to the Ammonites — but Johanan the son of Kareah rescued them
~ Chapter 42
— but Johanan were bent on going to Egypt — they obey not the voice of the Lord their God — then shall the Sword which ye feared — shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt — shall die by the Swords, famines and pestilences
— Jeremiah speaks to all the people of Judea — “Thou speakest falsely,” says Johanan, son of Kareah — so they came into the land of Egypt — the obelisks of Bethshemesh, the temple of the Sun — “And I will kindle a fire to the gods of Egypt”
~ Chapter 44
— they hearkened me not, nor inclined their ears to me — but their wives burned incense unto other gods — and the burning incense to the Queen of heaven — “I will punish by the Sword, famine and pestilence” — but they vow to burn incense to the Queen of heaven — more on the Queen of heaven: Astarte, Easter
— Jeremiah spoke unto Baruch the scribe — “Woe is me now! — for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow — that I have built will I break down — that which I have planted I will pluck up — even this whole land”
~ Chapter 46
— the word came to Jeremiah against the nations — against Egypt, the Ethiopians and the Libyans — against the Pharaoh king of Egypt — against the daughters dwelling in Egypt — against their gods
— the word of the Lord against the Philistines — the noise of stamping hoofs by horses — and at the rushing of his chariots — against Gaza; against Ashkelon — O thou Sword of the Lord
~ Chapter 48
— against Moab, saith the Lord of hosts — every head shall be bald and beard clipped — “Behold, Nebuchadnezzar shall fly as an eagle — and he shall spread his wings over Moab” — Moab shall be destroyed from being a people
— the Targun; Edom, Esau “land of the South” — prophecy on Esau: drunken, bare and despised — the Targun; the Southland, Sepharad, is Spain — of Teman, Dedan, Bozrah of Idumea — of Damascus, Kedarenes or Arabians — of Elamites or Persians “land of the East”
~ Chapter 50
— the Lord spoke against Babylon — “Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded” — an assembly of great nations from the North — “A Sword is upon the Chaldeans” the liars — a snare and archers against Babylon
— “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon” — Babylon is a golden cup in the Lord’s hand — “I am against thee, O destroying mountain — thus saith the Lord: Set up the watchmen! — thus shall Babylon sink and shall not rise”
~ Chapter 52
— Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar — who slewed the sons of Zedekiah before his eye — and slewed also all the princes of Judah — then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah — and he burned the house of the Lord
‘Mexico is not a US colony!’ AMLO condemns invasion threats, celebrates nationalization of oil, lithium
Mexico’s leftist President AMLO condemned “hypocritical” Republicans who want the US military to invade, declaring “Mexico is an independent and free country, not a US colony or protectorate!” In a massive rally, López Obrador also celebrated the expropriation of oil and lithium, condemning exploitative foreign corporations.
Mexico’s leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) organized a massive rally in the heart of the capital, honoring the anniversary of the country’s nationalization of its oil reserves and expropriation of foreign corporations.
AMLO also used the demonstration as an opportunity to publicly condemn US politicians who have proposed militarily invading Mexico to combat drug trafficking.
“We remind those hypocritical and irresponsible politicians that Mexico is an independent and free country, not a colony or a protectorate of the United States!” López Obrador declared.
“They can threaten us with committing some kind of abuse, but we will never, ever allow them to violate our sovereignty and trample on the dignity of our homeland!” he asserted.
AMLO added, “I want to make it clear that this is no longer the time of [Felipe] Calderón or [Genaro] García Luna, that it is no longer the time of the shady links between the government of Mexico and the agencies of the US government.”
The Mexican leader then led a chant: “Cooperation? Yes. Submission? No! Interventionism? No!”
AMLO delivered this fiery speech on March 18 in the Zócalo, the plaza in the heart of Mexico City.
López Obrador dedicated half of his hour-long speech to discussing the history of the Cardenista revolution, and the lessons it provides for today.
AMLO praised Cárdenas for challenging foreign corporations and defending national sovereignty, while redistributing land to the poor, protecting labor rights, encouraging unions, and forming an alliance with workers and peasants against the “conservative oligarchy” that had ruled Mexico during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, before the 1910 revolution.
The speech was one of the most passionate examples of López Obrador’s left-wing nationalist ideology.
Far-right Republicans call for the US military to invade Mexico
This March, a series of far-right US politicians from the Republican Party have called for the military to invade Mexico, in the name of supposedly fighting drug cartels.
Extreme-right Congressmember Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely claimed in a March 15 tweet that Mexican cartels “are planting bombs on our land in our country”. (She posted a photo which did not show a bomb, according to US Border Patrol, but rather “a duct-taped ball filled with sand that wasn’t deemed a threat to agents/public.”)
“Our US military needs to take action against the Mexican Cartels”, she insisted. “End this Cartel led war against America!”
Greene is a Donald Trump loyalist and supporter of the neo-fascist QAnon cult. She ran for office inciting violence against the left, shooting and blowing up the word “socialism” in her campaign ads.
But Greene is far from alone.
Republican Congressmember Dan Crenshaw has introduced multiple bills to authorize the US military to attack cartels in Mexico.
Legislation that Crenshaw introduced in January cites the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which was passed a week after the 9/11 attacks, in order to justify the US military to invade Mexico.
The Republican lawmaker also called for the US to impose sanctions on Mexico – one of its top three trading partners.
Greene wrote that she is “proud to co-sponsor Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s legislation to declare WAR on the Mexican cartels.”
“We must authorize the use of military force to eliminate the thugs who are smuggling drugs and illegal aliens across our southern border,” Greene insisted.
The far-right Republican also suggested that Washington should impose sanctions on Mexico.
“There is a war going on that affects every single American, but it’s not in Ukraine or the Middle East, it’s on our Southern border,” Greene declared.
In the US Senate, another Trump ally, Lindsey Graham, wants the US military to intervene in Mexico.
“We are going to unleash the fury and might of the US against these cartels,” Graham proclaimed in a March 8 press conference.
Graham compared Mexican drug cartels to ISIS and al-Qaeda, referring to thm as “narcoterrorists” and calling to “give the military the authority to go after these organizations wherever they exist.”
Mexico’s President condemned “hypocritical” Republicans who want the US military to invade Mexico: “an independent and free country, not a US colony or protectorate!”
Trump’s former CIA director and secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, published an article declaring, “It Is Time for America To Declare War on the Drug Cartels.“
“As Secretary of State, I suggested we use drones to strike the cartels,” he boasted.
With blatantly neocolonial rhetoric, Pompeo claimed that Mexico has a “total lack of sovereignty.” (In his memoir, Pompeo admitted that the Trump administration tried to overthrow Venezuela’s government because it supposedly put “out the welcome mat for Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, and the cartels in a twenty-first-century violation of the Monroe Doctrine,“ referencing the 200-year-old colonial doctrine.)
Borrowing George W Bush-era “war on terror” rhetoric, Pompeo referred to the cartels as “narco-terrorist entities,” and insisted that “the US government should designate the major drug cartels – the Gulf Cartel (responsible for the recent kidnapping and murders), the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion to name a few – as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).”
Pompeo also tried to link China to Mexican drug cartels as well, without any evidence. He asserted that the US war on cartels “will require going after the Chinese Communist Party-backed entities that are funneling precursor compounds to cartels.”
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Amos 8:10
“But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” saith the LORD the God of hosts; “and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.” Amos 6:14
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
The Bank of Russia has forbidden Russian financial institutions to use the SWIFT messaging system for transactions inside the country, the regulator announced on Monday.
Starting from October, Russian banks will be obliged to only use domestic services for transferring messages on financial transactions. The use of SWIFT will be allowed only for international payments.
“This will ensure reliability, continuity and security of data exchange when conducting intra-Russian transactions,” the regulator said in a statement.
Information on such transactions will now need to be transmitted through the Bank of Russia’s own banking systems, services of third-party Russian companies, or through the Bank of Russia’s own financial messaging system, SPFS.
The SPFS was created by the regulator in 2018 as a substitute for SWIFT on the domestic market. While its coverage is still much smaller than that of SWIFT – which boasts 11,000 financial organizations globally – the spread of SPFS has been gaining momentum in recent months. In February, the Russian Central Bank announced that SPFS now has 469 participants, including 115 foreign entities from 14 nations.
Russia was forced to start seeking alternatives to SWIFT in dealing with foreign partners last year, after some of the country’s largest banks were disconnected from the system as part of Western sanctions.
At present, ten Russian banks are disconnected from SWIFT, including Sberbank, VTB, Otkrytie, Rosselkhozbank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, Rossiya, Sovcombank, VEB.RF, and MKB. Banks which have not been disconnected but are under blocking sanctions from Western countries may also face difficulties using the system.
“Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, surely because thou hast defiled My sanctuary with all thy detestable things and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall Mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
“A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.” Ezekiel 5:11-12
Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, suggested on Monday that the Kremlin could fire a hypersonic missile at the International European Criminal Court (ECC) after the organization issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I’m afraid, gentlemen, everyone is answerable to God and missiles,” Medvedev, a staunch Putin loyalist who was also Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, wrote in a message on Telegram, according to Russian state media outlet Tass.
The International NATO Criminal Court in The Hague
“It’s quite possible to imagine how a hypersonic Oniks fired from a Russian warship in the North Sea strikes the court building in the Hague. It can’t be shot down, I’m afraid.”
Medvedev also warned the judges to “watch the skies closely,” calling the court “a pathetic international organization.”
The ECC had issued the arrest warrant for Putin on Friday, alleging that he is “responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
A new hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile being fired from a Russian warship
Another warrant also targeted Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation.
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
Speaking at a summit in San Diego on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a decades-long strategy to deliver the most costly defence project in Australia’s history.
New details of the AUKUS defence and security pact have revealed Australia will buy three second-hand US Virginia-class submarines early next decade (and potentially two more), subject to approval by US Congress.
Australia will also build a fleet of eight nuclear-powered SSN-AUKUS boats at Adelaide’s Osborne Naval Shipyard. The first will be delivered by 2042, with five completed by the 2050s, and construction of the remaining three going into the 2060s.
It’s estimated the program will cost between A$268 billion and A$368 billion over the next three decades.
Make no mistake. Modern submarines, especially nuclear-powered ones, are one of the most potent and effective weapon systems in today’s world. That is, until they aren’t.
Our analysis shows they might soon be so easily detected they could become billion-dollar coffins.
The rise in detection technologies
Both the greatest strength and greatest weakness of subs is their stealth. The best are fiendishly difficult to detect. They can be nearly anywhere in the vast expanse of the world’s oceans, so adversaries must protect against them everywhere.
But if subs can be detected, they become easy targets: large, slow-moving and vulnerable to attack from the surface.
Historically, submarines have provided a distinct advantage: their stealth is the result of steady improvements in counter-detection technologies throughout the Cold War. Western submarines in particular are extremely quiet. Detection technologies, which mostly focused on sound, broadly struggled to keep up.
But this tide is turning. Subs in the ocean are large, metallic anomalies that move in the upper portion of the water column. They produce more than sound. As they pass through the water, they disturb it and change its physical, chemical and biological signatures. They even disturb Earth’s magnetic field – and nuclear subs unavoidably emit radiation.
Science is learning to detect all these changes, to the point where the oceans of tomorrow may become “transparent.” The submarine era could follow the battleship era and fade into history.
Cast forward three decades
In 2020 we undertook a first principles assessment to try to understand when that tomorrow might come, and what it might look like.
To do this we had to choose a point in the future to forecast to. We decided on the decade of the 2050s. We examined broad areas of science and technology in which progress might affect that future in terms of detection (that is, ocean sensing) and counter-detection.
In particular, we examined the potential impact of developments in artificial intelligence, sensor technology and underwater communication.
Our analysis used a software tool called Intelfuze which is often used in the intelligence community. It provides probabilistic assessments that are rigorous, transparent, defensible and able to be updated.
It’s particularly suited for issues where data are poor, uncertain and perhaps even speculative, and where there may be strongly divergent opinions on the quality and significance of those data (as in the submarine detection debate).
Our key result was that the oceans are, in most circumstances, at least likely (probability 75%) – and from some perspectives very likely (probability 90%) – to become transparent by the 2050s. Our certainty of these estimates, which the software evaluated independently, was high (above 70%).
This suggests that, regardless of progress in stealth technologies, submarines – including nuclear-powered submarines – will be able to be detected in the world’s oceans as a result of progress in science and technology.
The results should ring alarm bells for the AUKUS program to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Our assessment suggests there will only be a brief window of time between the deployment of the first SSN-AUKUS boats and the onset of transparent oceans.
Having made the decision to build nuclear submarines, Australia needs to approach the task with a new urgency, lest we acquire these powerful deterrents just as their potency begins to fade.
The rise in detection technologies will render all these submarines obsolete
Planning for obsolescence
Of course, there is a chance the predictions from our assessment are wrong; even highly probable outcomes are not certainties. Our model is a series of educated guesses based on trends in scientific and technological development. But it’s nonetheless an important consideration in light of AUKUS developments.
Australia is at a crossroads as it deals with a complex but deteriorating geostrategic environment. On one hand, we need to respond by committing to long-term investments. On the other, there’s a high degree of uncertainty about how effective these investments will be.
We argue there is evidence submarines could dramatically reduce in effectiveness in the coming decades. In other words, Australia risks investing in a nuclear ecosystem whose use-by date may be much earlier than we’d like. If we are to invest, we need to do so now.
It’s not just the science and technology workforce that needs to be built up, but also supply chains, precision manufacturing, skilled craftspeople and context-specific policies and laws.
We’ll also need a secure, sensible and environmentally appropriate way to deal with all that comes with a nuclear submarine program.
We don’t have the luxury of our AUKUS partners. Both the United Kingdom and United States have had decades to build not only nuclear submarines, but also supporting national ecosystems.
If the clock is ticking, and we think it is, time may be the only factor we have to play with.
“Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, surely because thou hast defiled My sanctuary with all thy detestable things and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall Mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
“A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.” Ezekiel 5:11-12
SEOUL (Reuters) — North Korea claims that about 800,000 of its citizens volunteered to join or reenlist in the nation’s military to fight against the United States, North Korea’s state newspaper reported on Saturday.
About 800,000 students and workers, on Friday alone, across the country expressed a desire to enlist or reenlist in the military to counter the United States, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.
“The soaring enthusiasm of young people to join the army is a demonstration of the unshakeable will of the younger generation to mercilessly wipe out the war maniacs making last-ditch efforts to eliminate our precious socialist country, and achieve the great cause of national reunification without fail and a clear manifestation of their ardent patriotism,” the North’s Rodong Sinmun said.
The North’s claim came after North Korea on Thursday launched its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in response to ongoing US-South Korea military drills.
North Korea fired the ICBM into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Thursday, hours before South Korea’s president flew to Tokyo for a summit that discussed ways to counter the nuclear-armed North.
The North’s ballistic missiles are banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions and the launch drew condemnation from governments in Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.
South Korean and American forces began 11 days of joint drills, dubbed “Freedom Shield 23,” on Monday, held on a scale not seen since 2017 to counter the North’s growing threats.
Kim accused the United States and South Korea of increasing tensions with the military drills.
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Amos 8:10
“But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” saith the LORD the God of hosts; “and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.” Amos 6:14
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.
The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Hence, for ignoring the Targum as an authority for Understanding and Truth, the endtime Churches of God is being discribed as wretches, blind and naked; and would be thus justifiably destined to be spewed out of God’s mouth!
False shepherds and false teachings abound everywhere so much so that, if possible, even the elect are deceived! Thus for correction, it is with certainty that when it is spewed out of God’s mouth, it is into the Fire! Selah!
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20
That is, we wouldn’t be able to understand these prophecies until the “latter days.” In the latter days could be our time, the endtime, or soon to be, then we shall understand these prophecies clearly: a foretaste of which is that the calamities which will have come upon us are the divine judgement upon our sins. We are all trying, but only in the endtime would we be able to understand these things perfectly.
Jeremiah 51
The Chaldeans, especially under Nebuchadnezzar their king, has been described by God as “the king of Babylon, My servant” in multiple places (Jeremiah 25:9, Jeremiah 27:6, Jeremiah 43:10). So this and the previous chapter contain a long prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon following their judgement as well.
1 Thus saith the Lord: “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against Me, a destroying wind.
— thus saith the Lord, behold, I will raise up against Babylon; this is not a new prophecy, but a continuation of the former. The Babylonians being the last and most notorious enemies of the Jews, yet Nebuchadnezzar was God’s servant, his horsewhip, but as they were against the Lord’s people the Lord was against them;
— the Targum renders it, “against the inhabitants of the land of the Chaldeans;” a destroying wind; a northern one, the army of the Medes and Persians, which should sweep away all before it. The Targum says, “people that are slayers; whose hearts are lifted up, and are beautiful in stature, and their spirit destroying.”
2 And will send unto Babylon winnowers that shall fan her, and shall empty her land; for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.
— and God will send unto Babylon farmers that shall fan her, and shall empty her land; or “strangers that shall fan her” meaning the Medes and Persians, who should be like a strong wind upon the mountains, where corn, having been threshed was fanned and the chaff carried away by the wind;
—and such would the Chaldeans be in the hand of the Persians, scattered and dispersed among the nations as chaff with the wind and their cities be emptied of inhabitants and of their wealth and riches; the Targum says, “I will send against Babylon spoilers, that shall spoil and exhaust the land:”
— for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about; in the time of the siege they shall surround her on all sides so that none might escape; as Babylon had been a fanner of the Lord’s people, now she should be fanned herself and stripped of all she had.
3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine; and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.
— against him let the archer bend his bow; these are either the words of the Lord to the Medes and Persians, to the archers among them, to bend their bows and level their arrows against the Chaldeans who had bent their bows and shot their arrows against others; or of the Medes and Persians stirring up one another to draw their bows and fight manfully against the enemy:
— and against him that lifteth up himself in his brigandine; or coat of mail; that swaggers about it, proud of it and putting his confidence in it as if out of all danger. The sense is, that they should direct their arrows both against those that were more lightly or more heavily armed; since by them they might do execution among the one and the other:
— and spare ye not her young men; because of their youth, beauty and strength: destroy ye utterly all her host; her whole army, whether officers or common soldiers; or let them be accoutred in what manner they will. The Targum says “consume all her substance.”
4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets. — thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans; by the sword or by arrows and darts of the Medes and Persians; and they that are thrust through in her streets; either by the one or by the other, especially the latter since they only are mentioned.
5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah by his God, by the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”
— though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel, rather, but the land of the Israelites is filled with sins, because they refused to accept the true God in spite of the many manifestations of his power and glory in their midst; therefore the Lord addresses himself to his chosen people living in Babylon, urging the proper behavior at the time of Babylon’s downfall.
6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul; be not cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’S vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense.
— flee out of Babylon and deliver every man his soul; be not cut off in her iniquity, by taking part in the idolatry which brought destruction upon her; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’S hand, that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. — Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, a nation noted for power and glory;
— gold, denoting the grandeur, splendour and riches of the empire, all is due to the Lord’s blessing that made all the earth drunken, drawn the nations of the earth into idolatry; the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad, intoxicated and deprived of a sound mind, are bound for destruction.
8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: Howl for her! Take balm for her pain; if so be she may be healed. — Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed; or “broken” even into shivers, as a cup is;
— for when it had been used to answer the purposes designed by the Lord, he let it fall cut of his hands at once and it was broken; or rather he dashed it in pieces as a potter’s vessel.
9 We woud have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country, for her judgement reacheth unto heaven and is lifted up even to the skies.
10 The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness; come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.
11 Make bright the arrows! Gather the shields! The Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; for His device is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of His temple.
12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon! Make the watch strong! Set up the watchmen! Prepare the ambushes! For the Lord hath both devised and done that which He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
— Set up the watchmen! God would set up numerous watchmen at the endtime! thus this chapter must be prophetic instead of historical, although there is always some elements of been historical;
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, unless He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets,” Amos 3:7
— prepare the ambushes; or “lies in wait” to second or relieve those on the walls upon occasion; or seize unawares the besiegers, should they attempt to scale the walls and enter the city;
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness. — O thou that dwellest upon many waters; here Babylon is addressed either by the Lord or by the prophet;
— who is described by her, situation, which was by the great river Euphrates; which being branched out into several canals or rivers, both ran through it and encompassed it; hence mention is made of the rivers of Babylon, Psalms 137:1; and a fit emblem this city was of mystical Babylon, which is also said to sit on many waters, interpreted as of many people and nations, Revelation 17:1;
— thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness; this flourishing city was now near its end and with it the whole Babylonish monarchy; the Targum says, “the day of thy destruction is come, and the time of the visitation of thy wickedness.”
14 The Lord of hosts hath sworn by Himself, saying, “Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillars, and they shall lift up a shout against thee.”
15 He hath made the earth by His power; He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. — the omnipotence of the Lord and Creator of the whole world will destroy the idols of Babylon, and break the mighty kingdom that rules the world.
16 When He uttereth His voice there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures.
— through thunders, he makes a roaring sound of water in the heavens, he causes clouds to ascend from the end of the earth, makes lightnings for the rain, and brings forth the wind out of His treasures.
17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. — he brings ruin on the whole earth by subjugation of the nations and devastation of their molten inages.
18 They are vanity, the work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. — all idols will be destroyed before the almighty power of the Creator and Ruler of the whole world on the day of judgement,
19 The portion of Jacob is not like them, for He is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of His inheritance; the Lord of Hosts is His name. — and Israel shall then learn that he who formed the universe will show himself by the fall of Babylon.
20 “Thou art My battleax and weapons of war; for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms. — for with thee will I break in pieces the nations and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; or “with thee I have broke in pieces and have destroyed” as the nations and kingdoms of Judea, Egypt, Edom, Moab, Ammon and others.
21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider.
22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid.
23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers. —
24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight,” saith the Lord.
— all their evil that they have done in Zion, in your sight, saith the Lord; the sense is, that for all the evil the Chaldeans had done in Judea; the ravages they had made there, the blood they had shed and the desolation they had made; and particularly for what they had done in Jerusalem and especially in the Temple, burning, spoiling and profaning;
— God would now righteously punish them and retaliate all this evil on them; and which should be done publicly before all the nations of the world and particularly in the sight of God’s own people: for this phrase, “in your sight” does not refer to the evils done in Zion but to the recompense that should be made for them.
25 “Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain,” saith the Lord, who destroyest all the earth; “and I will stretch out Mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
— behold, God am against thee, O destroying mountain; Babylon was situated in a plain, but is called a mountain here; because a mountain being a strong nation, even an empire; a hill being a smaller nation;
— and God will stretch out his hand upon thee: in a way of vindictive wrath, pouring it out upon her and inflicting his judgements on her; laying hold on and seizing her in a furious manner as a man does his enemy when he has found him.
26 And they shall not take from thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever,” saith the Lord. — God threateneth to Babylon an utter ruin and desolation, so as they should not have a stone left fit to lay a foundation,
— or to make a corner-stone; or, as some others interpret it, that city should never be built again, there should never from the rubbish of it be taken a stone to lay the foundation.
27 Set ye up a standard in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her; call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillars.
— kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; these were countries under the dominion of the Medes.
28 Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion. — prepare the nations against her: animate them, stir up their spirits against her, and furnish them with armour to engage with her.
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow; for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without an inhabitant.
— And the land shall tremble and sorrow; the land of Chaldea, the inhabitants of it, should tremble; to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant;
30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight, they have remained in their strongholds; their might hath failed, they have become as women; they have burned her dwelling places, her bars are broken.
— her bars are broken; the bars of the gates of the city, or of the palaces of the king and nobles and of the houses of the people, by the soldiers to get the plunder; see Isaiah 45:1.
31 One courier shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end, — one post should be after another, and one messenger after another, post upon post, and messenger upon messenger, as fast as they could run;
— when one had been with his message and delivered it, and returned, he meets another; or they met one another, coming from different places: to show the king of Babylon his city is taken.
32 and that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted. — the reeds; literally, the marshes or pools, which formed an important part of the defenses of Babylon, were dried up as completely as a piece of wood would be consumed by fire.
33 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor; it is time to thresh her; yet a little while and the time of her harvest shall come.” — the daughter of Babylon is like a thrashing-floor; God’s people have been sorely bruised and trodden under foot by the Babylonians,
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me; he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel. He hath swallowed me up like a dragon; he hath filled his belly with my delicacies, he hath cast me out.
— Nebuchadnezzar hath swallowed God’s people like a dragon; or “whale” or any large fish which swallow the lesser ones whole. The allusion is to the large swallow of dragons which is sometimes represented as almost beyond all belief.
35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” shall the inhabitant of Zion say; “and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!” shall Jerusalem say. — the violence done to me, and to my flesh, be upon Babylon; that is, let the injuries done to Zion and her children, be avenged on Babylon;
— the Targum says, “the sin of the innocent blood which is shed in me;” let that be imputed to them, and vengeance come upon them for it.
36 Therefore thus saith the Lord: “Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry. —
37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment and a hissing, without an inhabitant. —
38 They shall roar together like lions; they shall yell as lions’ whelps.
39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,” saith the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with hegoats. — God will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter; to the place of slaughter; who shall be able to make no more resistance than lambs; this explains what is meant by being made drunk, both the Chaldeans, or Israelites;
— like Boris Johnson, intoxicated and deprived of a sound mind, purposely flew over to Kyiv to sabotage the Peace Deal between Ukraine and Russia way back in April, 2022; and as a result, almost one year on, Ukraine is being ravaged and destroyed! and the UK is sleeping a perpetual sleep, with high inflation; even destruction and a slow death.
41 “How Sheshach is taken! And how the praise of the whole earth is surprised! How Babylon has become an astonishment among the nations! — how is Sheshach taken! Not the city Shushan but Babylon as is plain from a following clause; and so the Targum says, “how is Babylon subdued!”
— how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations! or “a desolation” and indeed it had being a desolation was the reason of its being an astonishment among the nations; who were amazed to see so strong, rich and splendid a city brought to ruin in a very short time
— same as the Israelites:
“And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an astonishment and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,” Jeremiah 29:18
42 The sea has come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. — by a grand metaphor the invading army is compared to the sea; the image is appropriately taken from the Euphrates.
43 Her cities are a desolation, a dry land and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby. — Babylon is abundant in treasures, yet neither her waters nor her wealth shall secure her; destruction comes when they least think of it.
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up; and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him. Yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
— and I will punish Bel in Babylon, the chief deity of the Babylonians, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up, taking away from him what he had robbed and devoured through the hands of those who worshiped him;
— and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him, flocking to Babylon in streams to consecrate their treasures to him; yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall so that the city would be open to all enemies.
45 “My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord. — my people, go ye out of the midst of her; this is a call of the Jews to go out of Babylon, not before the taking of the city by Cyrus;
— but when he should issue out a proclamation, giving them liberty to return to their own land; which many of them, being well settled in Babylon, would not be ready to accept the offer, but choose to continue to live there;
— wherefore they are urged to depart from thence, because of the danger they would be exposed unto their idols; for though the city was not destroyed by Cyrus upon his taking it, yet it was by Darius Hystaspes some time after. The same call is given to the people of God to come out of mystical Babylon, Revelation 18:4.
46 And lest your heart faint and ye fear for the rumor that shall be heard in the land—a rumor shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumor and violence in the land, ruler against ruler” — for rumours after rumours shall come; the war, then, will last some time, and all kinds of rumours will be in the air.
47 therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgement upon the graven images of Babylon; and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. — and the whole land of Chaldea shall be confounded, when they shall see that their idols will do them no more service.
48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon, for the despoilers shall come unto her from the north,” saith the Lord.
— then the heaven and the earth and all that is therein shall sing for Babylon, rejoicing over her fall; for the spoilers shall come unto her from the North, saith the Lord, and the sentence executed by him is the cause of their jubilation.
49 As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. — as Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel; in Jerusalem, when that city was taken the Chaldeans, and destroyed:
— so at Babylon shall all the slain of all the earth; or “land” that is, the land of Chaldea; the inhabitants of which fled to Babylon upon the invasion of the Medes and Persians, both for their own safety, and the defence of that city; and where being slain they fell; and this was a just judgement for what they had done to Israel.
50 Ye that have escaped the sword, go away; stand not still. Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. — let those in exile in Babylon, who have escaped death, hasten their return to Jerusalem, while yet there is time.
51 We are confounded because we have heard reproach; shame hath covered our faces, for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord’S house. — for strangers; the “reproach” which has stung us, came when they taunted us with the fact that they had burned the Temple.
52 “Therefore behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that I will do judgement upon her graven images; and through all her land the wounded shall groan. — for which profanation of my holy place, I will be revenged upon their graven images;
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from Me shall despoilers come unto her,” saith the Lord. — though Babylon should mount up to heaven; could their walls, which were very high, two hundred cubits high, as Herodotus says, be carried up as high as heaven; or the towers of it, which were exceeding high,
— the Targum says, “if Babylon should be built with buildings as high as heaven, and should fortify the strong holds on high:” yet from me shall spoilers come, saith the Lord; the Medes and Persians;
54 A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans, — the cry of the distressed was then heard upon the great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans;
55 because the Lord hath despoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice. When her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered, — the prophet Jeremiah heard the cry of the captured city like great running waters.
56 because the despoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken; every one of their bows is broken. For the Lord God of recompenses shall surely requite. — the prophet Jeremiah in the spirit sees these destroyers as already come.
57 “And I will make drunk her princes and her wise men, her captains and her rulers and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,” saith the King, whose name is the Lord of Hosts.
— and God will make her princes and wise men drunk, the counselors of the kingdom, her captains and her rulers and her mighty men, all those who were at the head of the nation, both in peace and in war; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, namely, the sleep of death, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire; and they shall be weary.”
— thickness of the walls of Nineveh and Babylon shall be utterly broken; nor are we to be astonished, that no remains, not the least traces of these prodigious works are to be found today.
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.
— the word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah; the order the prophet gave this prince to take a copy of it with him to Babylon and there read it and cast it into the river Euphrates, with a stone bound it. Of this Seraiah: he is further described as:
— the son of Neriah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign; the Jews say that Zedekiah, in the fourth year of his reign, went to Babylon, to reconcile himself to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and took Seraiah with him and returned and came to his kingdom in Jerusalem; but we have no account in Scripture of any such journey he took.
60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. — so Jeremiah wrote all the evil that should come upon Babylon; the punishment prophecised by God:
— this jeremiah delivered, not by word of mouth to Seraiah to relate when he came to Babylon; but he wrote it in a book for him to read and reread; and he wrote it himself; Baruch, his scribe, not one who transcripted for him here:
— even all these words that are written against Babylon; in this and the preceding chapter: this book written by Jeremiah was a copy of them.
61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When thou comest to Babylon and shalt see, and shalt read all these words, — thou shalt see to it and read, or see to it and read; who is to read it to his countrymen in captivity; not in public, but in private, for the Chaldeans would not have understood Hebrew.
62 then shalt thou say, ‘O Lord, Thou hast spoken against this place to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.’ —
63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates.
— that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates; the book being read was to be rolled up again and then a stone tied to it and cast into the middle of the river, from whence it could not be taken up; and this was a sign confirming the above prophecy; compare with this what was done by a mighty angel concerning mystical Babylon, in which there is an allusion to this, Revelation 18:21.
64 And thou shalt say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her; and they shall be weary.’” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
— thus shall Babylon sink and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her; as this book, with the stone bound to it does, and shall no more rise than that can;
— the evil of punishment brought on Babylon will sink her to such a degree that she will never be able to bear up under it; but be so depressed by it as never to rise to her former state and grandeur any more.
Jeremiah 52
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)
1 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
— and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; so that he was thirty two years of age when he was taken and carried captive into Babylon.
2 And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. — and he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord; though we do not read of any idolatry he was guilty of;
— yet he was disobedient to the word of the Lord, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet; and particularly he rebelled against the king of Babylon and violated the oath he made to him, II Chronicles 36:12.
3 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till He had cast them out from His presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
— for through the anger of the Lord against Jerusalem and Judah, his wrath over their disobedience causing him to cast them from his presence and to permit the rebellion of Zedekiah, which resulted in the final overthrow of the southern kingdom, till he had cast them out from his presence, (the Shekinah left the Temple, out of Jerusalem and finally out of the land of Judea).
4 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came — he and all his army — against Jerusalem, and encamped against it and built forts against it round about. — this would be around 588 BC.
5 So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. — the siege continued about eighteen months; from the tenth day of the tenth month, in the ninth of Zedekiah’s reign to the ninth day of the fourth month, in the eleventh year of his reign; from 588 to 586 BC.
6 And in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. — the month Tammuz, which is part of June and part of July; hence the fast of the fourth month, for the taking of the city, Zechariah 8:19; in the year 586 BC.
7 Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about), and they went by the way of the plain.
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. — not finding him in his palace, and being informed of his flight, and which way he took, they overtook him in the plains of Jericho.
9 Then they took the king and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgement upon him. — and carried him up unto Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath; which is supposed to be Antioch in Syria;
10 And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. — and the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; or, however, ordered them to be slain;
— Nebuchadnezzar slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah; who together with the king’s sons were taken with him; or, however, were taken in Jerusalem and brought to Riblah; which of them is not certain, very probably the former.
11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah. And the king of Babylon bound him in chains and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. — and for his treason, Nebuchadnezzar put out the eyes of Zedekiah;
12 Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem. — came Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, or chief marshal; which served the king of Babylon,
13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem and all the houses of the great men burned he with fire. — and burnt the house of the Lord; the Temple built by Solomon, after it had stood four hundred and seventy years, six months and ten days, according to Josephus: but the Jews say it stood but four hundred ten years;
— and all the houses of the great men burnt he with fire; of the princes and nobles in Jerusalem; it is in the singular number, “and every house of the great one” or “every great house.” Rashi interprets it of the synagogue, where prayer was magnified; but others, understood it of the schools, where the law was magnified.
14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. — a picture is worth a thousand words!
The Fall of Jerusalem: a picture is worth a thousand words!
15 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried away captive certain of the poor of the people and the residue of the people who remained in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. — some of the poor of the people he carried captive, and some of them he left behind.
16 But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen. — but Nebuzaradan left certain of the poor of the land there; of the land of Judea who lived in the country and had not been concerned in defending the city against the Chaldeans:
— for vinedressers and for husbandmen; to look after the vineyards and fields and dress and manure them, that the king of Babylon might receive some tributes in return by the conquest he had made.
17 Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke, and carried all their brass to Babylon.
— also the pillars of brass that were in the Tenple; on either aide of the main entrance of the Sanctuary, 1 Kings 7:15, and the bases and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke, in order to make all these pieces fit for transportation and carried all the brass to Babylon.
18 The cauldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
— the cauldrons are large pots made of bright brass used for sacrificial worship and the shovels and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons, vessels for incense and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away, all those used for the altar of burnt offerings in the Court of the Priests.
19 And the basins, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the cauldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups — that which was of gold in gold and that which was of silver in silver — took the captain of the guard away.
— and the basins and the firepans and the bowls and the cauldrons and the candlesticks and the spoons and the cups, all these used chiefly in the ministrations of the Temple; that which was of gold in gold and that which was of silver in silver, in either case of solid metal, not of some cheap alloy or merely plated, took the captain of the guard away.
20 The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brazen bulls that were under the bases, which King Solomon had made in the house of the Lord — the brass of all these vessels was beyond weighing.
— the two pillars, one sea and twelve brazen bulls that were under the bases, 1 Kings 7:23:, which King Solomon had made in the house of the Lord. The brass of all these vessels was without weight, its mass beyond calculation.
21 And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it, and the thickness thereof was four fingers; it was hollow.
— and concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it, that in round numbers, being the circumference of either of the pillars and the thickness thereof was four fingers; it was hollow. The thirty-five cubits of II Chronicles 3:15 either refer to a different cubit, or they give the sum total of both pillars less the bases.
22 And a capital of brass was upon it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capitals round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.
— and a capital or column of brass was upon it and the height of its upper part, where it curved away from the shaft, was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capitals round about, all of brass, in the nature of ornaments in chains or festoons. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these;
— the bases (1 Kings 7:27), and the brazen sea (1 Kings 7:23), which were too vast in their proportions to be easily carried away to Babylon, were broken to pieces by the Chaldeans, who carried off the brass of which they were made.
23 And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were a hundred round about. — to the four winds; towards every corner or wind twenty four, which make up ninety six;
— and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about; four, standing upon the four angles, added to the ninety six to make a hundred;
24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door. — the three keepers of the door; these were not the ordinary porters, who were taken from among the Levites, but were priests who stood at the door to receive the offerings of the people, and thus were keepers of the sacred treasury.
25 He took also out of the city a eunuch who had the charge of the men of war, and seven men from those who were near the king’s person who were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host who mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.
— and threescore men of the people of the land; persons of prime note, who, upon the invasion, betook themselves from the country to the city of Jerusalem with their effects, and to defend it. Josephus calls them rulers or governors.
26 So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. — and brought them to Nebuchadnezzar in Riblah; to knew his thought concerning them; how they should be disposed of; and for him to pass sentence on them,
27 And the king of Babylon smote them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land. — but Nebuchadnezzar smote them and put them to death: and according to Josephus, by having them smitten with the sword; to have their heads cut off.
28 These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand Jews and three and twenty; — in the seventh year, at the first captivity under Jehoiachin, three thousand Jews and three and twenty, these being of the tribe of Judah only, those from other tribes being more than twice as many;
29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons; — in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, after his actual accession to the throne, but nineteen years after he had gotten into power, II Kings 25:8, he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons;
30 in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.
— in the three and twentieth year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried away captive seven hundred forty and five persons; evidently Jews only, not including any of the other tribes who had sought and found refuge in Jerusalem since the fall of the northern kingdom, were four thousand and six hundred, not including the general multitude and the women and children.
31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him forth out of prison;
— and it came to pass in the seven-and-thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, the decree being issued, II Kings 25:27, that Evilmerodach, king of Babylon (or during Nebuchadnezzar’s exclusion from men among beasts), son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, in which he had been held all these years,
32 and he spoke kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon, — and spoke kindly unto him, treated him with great respect, and set his throne above the throne of the king’s that were with him in Babylon, captive monarchs of other conquered nations,
33 and changed his prison garments. And Jehoiachin continually ate bread before him all the days of his life. — giving the captive king new garments, more suitable to his royal dignity than those he wore in prison, filthy and of ill smell.
34 And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life. — every day a portion, until the day of his death, all the days of his life; that is, of Jeconiah’s; how long he lived after this is not known;
— he was now fifty five years of age and cannot be thought to have lived a great while after, having been imprisoned so many years; and it is certain he did not live to the return from the captivity. Of the death of Zedekiah we have no account, only that he died in prison. The Jews say he died at this very time, when Jeconiah was advanced;
— the account here given of Jeconiah has led some to conclude that this chapter was not written by Jeremiah; since it cannot be well thought he should live so long as to the death of this prince; and besides had given an account of the destruction of Jerusalem in the thirty ninth chapter, which he would hardly repeat: though that he might do, partly for the sake of new circumstances here added; and partly as an introduction to the book of the Lamentations, which follows the book of Jeremiah. Amen!
Last thought!
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20.
That is, we wouldn’t be able to understand all these prophecies until the “latter days.” In the latter days could be our time, the endtime, or soon to be, then we shall understand these prophecies clearly: a foretaste of which is that the calamities which will have come upon us are the divine judgement upon our sins. We are all trying, but only in the endtime would we be able to understand these things perfectly. Amen!
Way back in April, 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, intoxicated, purposely flew over to Kyiv to sabotage the Peace Deal between Ukraine and Russia on behalf of President Joe Biden; and as a result, almost one year on, Ukraine is being ravaged and destroyed!
Now, the White House Says It Opposes a Ceasefire in Ukraine before President Xi is headed to Moscow
The US is against any potential Chinese efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine as Xi is headed to Moscow
The White House has come out against a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow to potentially mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart in Kyiv.
Xi is due to arrive in Moscow on Monday and is expected to speak virtually to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following his talks with Putin. Xi’s trip comes after Beijing released a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine that called for the two sides to cease hostilities and for peace talks to begin.
Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat with counterparts Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban of Saudi Arabia and Ali Shamkhani of Iran in Beijing on March 10, 2023
Zelensky expressed openness to China’s proposal, but it was immediately rejected by President Biden.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday:
“We don’t support calls for a ceasefire right now. We certainly don’t support calls for a ceasefire that would be called for by the PRC in a meeting in Moscow that would simply benefit Russia.”
Kirby’s comments come as Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to battle in the Donbas city of Bakhmut, which has become known as the “meat grinder” due to the heavy casualties. Ukraine has been pouring in barely-trained conscripts to fight in the city, and the US thinks Kyiv is wasting too many resources in the battle.
The US wants Ukraine to launch a counteroffensive in the spring, although a senior Ukrainian official told The Washington Postlast week that Kyiv doesn’t have the resources to pull it off. Kirby’s reasoning for opposing a ceasefire at this time is that a pause in fighting could concede territory to Moscow.
Kirby said the ceasefire would, “in effect, recognize Russia’s gains, and its attempt to conquer his neighbor’s territory by force, allowing Russian troops to continue to occupy sovereign Ukrainian territory and, of course, it would be another continued violation of the UN Charter.”
The US and its allies discouraged peace talks and mediation efforts that were conducted shortly after Russia’s February 2022 invasion. At that time, Moscow was seeking a deal that would have reverted to the pre-invasion territorial lines. But now, Ukraine stands to lose much more as Russia has annexed the territory it controls in the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and the breakaway Donbas republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled,” Hosea 6:10
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
Victoria Nuland Nuland is Jewish and is the daughter of Yale bioethics and medicine professor Sherwin B Nuland, the family’s original surname being Nudelman. She graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1979 and has a BA from Brown University. Nuland is married to historian Robert Kagan, with whom she has two children. Nuland speaks Russian, French, and some Chinese.
Victoria Nulands real name should be VICTORIA NUDELMAN KAGAN but that sounds so Rabbinical and Khazar doesnt it. So she goes by Victoria Nuland.
Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs “Toria” Nuland was the “mastermind” behind the Feb. 22, 2014 “regime change” in Ukraine, plotting the overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Viktor Yanukovych while convincing the ever-gullible US mainstream media that the coup wasn’t really a coup but a victory for “democracy.”
Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, who pushed for the Ukraine coup and helped pick the post-coup leaders.
To sell this latest neocon-driven “regime change” to the American people, the ugliness of the coup-makers had to be systematically airbrushed, particularly the key role of neo-Nazis and other ultra-nationalists from the Right Sektor. For the US-organized propaganda campaign to work, the coup-makers had to wear white hats, not brown shirts.
So, for nearly a year and a half, the West’s mainstream media, especially The New York Times and The Washington Post, twisted their reporting into all kinds of contortions to avoid telling their readers that the new regime in Kiev was permeated by and dependent on neo-Nazi fighters and Ukrainian ultra-nationalists who wanted a pure-blood Ukraine, without ethnic Russians.
Any mention of that sordid reality was deemed “Russian propaganda” and anyone who spoke this inconvenient truth was a “stooge of Moscow.” It wasn’t until July 7 that the Times admitted the importance of the neo-Nazis and other ultra-nationalists in waging war against ethnic Russian rebels in the east. The Times also reported that these far-right forces had been joined by Islamic militants. Some of those jihadists have been called “brothers” of the hyper-brutal Islamic State.
Though the Times sought to spin this remarkable military alliance – neo-Nazi militias and Islamic jihadists – as a positive, the reality had to be jarring for readers who had bought into the Western propaganda about noble “pro-democracy” forces resisting evil “Russian aggression.”
Perhaps the Times sensed that it could no longer keep the lid on the troubling truth in Ukraine. For weeks, the Right Sektor militias and the neo-Nazi Azov battalion have been warning the civilian government in Kiev that they might turn on it and create a new order more to their liking.
Nuland saw her big chance on Feb. 20, 2014, when a mysterious sniper – apparently firing from a building controlled by the Right Sektor – shot and killed both police and protesters, escalating the crisis. The rest is history!
Then in congressional testimony, Ms Nuland, the under secretary of state for political affairs, was asked by Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, whether Ukraine has chemical or biological weapons.
“Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of,” she responded. “So we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.”
If there were a biological or chemical weapon attack inside Ukraine, Mr Rubio asked, would there be any doubt that Russia was behind it?
“There is no doubt in my mind, Senator, and it is classic Russian technique to blame the other guy what they’re planning to do themselves,” Ms Nuland responded. – Having some 46 bio-labs in Ukraine, what are American objectives there, Senator Rubio has no brain to ask!
More recently, his book The World America Made has been publicly endorsed by US President Barack Obama, and its theme was referenced in his 2012 State of the Union Address.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks provided the Bush Administration with a much sought-after pretext to implement a hawkish pre-existing agenda expounded in detail and vigorously lobbied for during the Nineties by the highly influential neo-conservative lobby group named the Project for the New American Century (PNAC).
Since its inception in 1997, PNAC has consistently been the most hawkish of the coterie of neo-con think tanks which provide the Bush administration with its intellectual backbone.
In its seminal report of 2000, ‘Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century,’ the Project observed that its militaristic agenda might prove difficult to implement “ABSENT A CATASTROPHIC AND CATALYSING EVENT…A NEW PEARL HARBOR” 9/11 proved just so and the so-called “war on terrorism” has been the cover for a new projection of American power.
IN SHORT NULANDS F*CKING HUSBAND IS A BLOOD THIRSTY WARMONGERING NEOCON
BROTHER IN LAW FREDRICK KAGAN
Frederick W Kagan is an American resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and a former professor of military history at the US Military Academy at West Point. The AEI is another Neocon Jew filled body full of ugly pasty pale faced Cohens and Levites like this specimen above.
Some AEI scholars are considered to be some of the leading architects of the second Bush administration‘s public policy. More than twenty AEI scholars and fellows served either in a Bush administration policy post or on one of the government’s many panels and commissions.
Some AEI scholars are considered to be some of the leading architects of the second Bush administration’s public policy. More than twenty AEI scholars and fellows served either in a Bush administration policy post or on one of the government’s many panels and commissions.
Among the prominent former government officials now affiliated with AEI are former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton, (real surname probably the Jewish Bolten changed to Bolton) now an AEI senior fellow (the sickest crypto Jew in town); former Dutch member of parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an AEI visiting fellow; and former deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz, now an AEI visiting scholar.
The sister in law (Freddys wife) is another rabid foaming Neocon with boobs Kimberly Ellen Kagan (born 1972) is an American military historian. She heads the Institute for the Study of War and has taught at West Point, Yale, Georgetown University, and American University. Kagan has published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Weekly Standard and elsewhere.
She supported the surge in Iraq and has since advocated for an expanded and restructured American military campaign in Afghanistan. In 2009 she served on Afghanistan commander Gen Stanley McChrystal‘s strategic assessment team.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a think tank founded in 2007 by Kimberly Kagan. ISW describes itself as a non-partisan think tank but it has been described by others as “a hawkish Washington” group favoring an “aggressive foreign policy.” It first gained widespread public attention in the aftermath of the Elizabeth O’Bagy scandal in which it was involved.
The non-profit organization is supported by grants and contributions from large defense contractors, including Tomahawk missile designer Raytheon, F-16 manufacturer General Dynamics, private military company DynCorp and others.It is headquartered in Washington, DC.
“Ephraim surrounds me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit,” Hosea 11:12
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled,” Hosea 6:10
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australia’s plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines comes with a “very high risk” of failure and faces huge challenges of recruiting and training enough skilled workers.
It follows Labor’s most revered living leader Paul Keating launching a scathing attack on the landmark military deal, which he described as Australia’s worst international decision since the conscription policy during World War I.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced details of Australia’s submarine pact with the US and UK – part of the AUKUS security alliance – on Tuesday.
As part of the arrangement, Australia will command a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines within the next three decades.
Mr Turnbull said Australia would need to train thousands of skilled workers, who then faced a challenge of finding work in a relevant field after the project finished.
“The human resources challenges of this are really considerable, because we don’t have a nuclear industry in Australia,” he told ABC RN.
The former Liberal leader said the deal came with a “very high risk” of failing to deliver because the British submarines were yet to be designed.
Mr Turnbull also questioned whether Britain was going to be “financially strong enough” to be Australia’s partner in delivering the boats, with the country’s economy forecast to be the worst-performing large advanced economy this year.
He said unlike the UK, France – which Australia tore up a $90 billion submarine deal with for AUKUS – was already in the Indo-Pacific and had millions of citizens located there.
Mr Turnbull said all of these issues should have been publicly debated.
“We’ve been caught up in this hoopla where anyone that expresses any concerns about it is accused of being or implied that they’re lacking in patriotism,” he said.
Mr Keating condemned the $368 billion price tag and questioned Australia’s sovereignty within the arrangement.
[$368 billion would allow Australia between 40 to 50 Collins-class submarines, with 15 operational all the time; instead of just three of the eight Virginia-class]
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
Chapter 49 contains prophecies concerning the judgements of God on several nations and kingdoms, chiefly bordering on the land of Israel; on the Ammonites; which lies to the east of the Jordan; and of Edomites, Edom, which lay south to the land of Israel; the kingdom of Damascus, or the Syrians, the Kedarenes or Arabians, and on the Elamites or Persians.
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20.
That is, we wouldn’t be able to understand these prophecies until the “latter days.” In the latter days could be our time, the endtime, or soon to be, then we shall understand these prophecies clearly: a foretaste of which is that the calamities which will have come upon us are the divine judgement upon our sins. We are all trying, but only in the endtime would we be able to understand these things perfectly.
The fate of the modern state of Jordan lies in this prophecy! A prophecy of Esau, Edom: the Targun identifies the Southland, Sepharad, as Spain, Obadiah 1:20.
A prophecy of Esau, Edom: the Targun identifies the Southland, Sepharad, as Spain, Obadiah 1:20.
Jeremiah 49
1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord: “Hath Israel no sons? Hath he no heir? Why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities? — hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? certainly he has, and who ought to possess the land east of the Jordan;
— is there no posterity of Israel that the king of the Ammonites hath taken possession of Gad, as if he had a right to it, and his people dwell in the cities of it? or, why did Gad lost their land to the children of Ammon?
— this is speaking retrospectively of the ten tribes, for these had been long ago carried captive, and left no heirs of their tribes to inherit their land there; except for the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; who would be their next in blood, the lawful heirs of their lands;
— 1 Kings 11:5; the Ammonites having got possession of the land set up their idol, Milcom, in it where their temples were built for him and altars erected and sacrifices offered to him, and must be very offensive to and highly resented by the God of Israel.
2 Therefore behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire; then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs,” saith the Lord.
— therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord; or “are coming” as in many translations, indicating the latter days; this being their case, its timing could be as well meant for the endtime; thus a prophecy;
— that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; the metropolis of the Ammonites; it was their royal city in the times of David; this the Lord threatens with the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war or the noise of warriors as the Targum says;
— the Chaldean army under Nebuchadnezzar, who, about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem subdued the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap; be utterly destroyed; its walls broken down, and houses demolished, and made a heap of rubbish:
— her daughters shall be burnt with fire: Rabbah was the mother city, and the other cities of the Ammonites were her daughters, which are threatened to be destroyed with fire; or it may mean the villages round Rabbah, it being usual in Scripture for villages to be called the daughters of cities; so the Targum paraphrases it, “the inhabitants of her villages shall be burnt with fire,”
— then shall Israel be heirs unto them that were his heirs: that is, shall inherit their land again which the Ammonites pretended to be theirs; yea, not only possess their own land but the land of Ammon too: this was fulfilled not immediately upon the destruction of Ammon, but in part upon the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity when they repossessed their own country; and partly in the times of the Maccabees, when they subdued the Ammonites.
3 “Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is despoiled! Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah; gird you with sackcloth! Lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
— howl, O Heshbon, at that time occupied by the Ammonites; for Ai is spoiled, had already been subdued by the invaders; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, the towns and villages near the capital, gird you with sackcloth, in token of deep mourning;
— lament and run to and fro by the hedges in the fenced encampment, such as were quickly erected out in the open fields, since the cities no longer offered any protection; for their king shall go into captivity, in this case their idol Melchom with whom the heathen king was pleased to identify himself and his priests and princes together.
4 Why gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter, that trusted in her treasures, saying, ‘Who shall come unto me?’ — wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, flowing with abundance, with milk and honey,
— O backsliding daughter? so called because the children of Ammon had denied their descent from Lot and had turned to idolatry;
— that trusted in her treasures, in her wealth of resources and goods, saying, Who shall come unto me? namely, in a hostile attack. The Ammonites boasted that no enemy could successfully launch a campaign against their land.
5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee,” saith the Lord God of hosts, “from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out, every man straight forth, and none shall gather up him that wandereth.
— behold, God will bring a fear upon thee, whose misfortune and overthrow would bring terror upon them; and ye shall be driven out, every man, right forth, straight ahead, without turning; this is the fate of Jordan!
6 And afterward I will bring back the captives of the children of Ammon,” saith the Lord. — and afterwards God will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, perhaps by Cyrus;
— for, in the times of Judas Maccabeus, the children of Ammon were again a large and mighty people, “Afterward he passed over to the children of Ammon, where he found a mighty power and much people, with Timotheus their captain” (1 Maccabees 5:6).
7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished? — concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts; or “unto Edom” thus saith the Lord;
— or “against Edom” all which is true, as observed on Jeremiah 49:1; meaning the Idumeans, the posterity of Esau, who was called Edom; Herod the Great, an Idumean, king over Judea; was an example of the Idumean cruelty over the Jews; which could be as yet future, points at the destruction of Rome and the Romans, who with the Jews frequently go by the name of Edom;
— is wisdom no more in Teman? a city in Edom which had its name from Teman, a grandson of Esau, Genesis 36:11; whose descendants were called Temanites; one of which was Eliphaz, a friend of Job’s, Job 2:11; it was a principal city, famous for men of wisdom.
— the Targum says, “is there no more wisdom in the south?” but Rashi interprets it as Edom, which lay south to the land of Israel; “And your south side shall be from the desert of Zin close by the side of Edom” (Numbers 34:3).
— One other theory is that the Ottoman Turks (or today’s Turkey) are the sons of Teman. Perhaps they could be another branch.
8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, at the time that I will visit him. — flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; another city in Idumea; though some take it to be a country in Arabia, bordering on Edom, and subdued by the Edomites: the inhabitants of this place are advised to “flee” for their lives;
— since the enemy was just upon them; and “turn back” lest they should fall into his hands; and hide themselves in some deep caverns of the earth, in holes, and dens of rocks and such like places. It is a prophecy that they should flee from and turn their backs on their enemies and betake themselves to some very secret places for safety;
— for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him; which was determined concerning him, threatened to him and was his just desert; even the utter destruction of the whole land: the time of his visitation; the time fixed to visit him in a way of wrath and punishment to come.
9 If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. — the Targum renders it, “if thy spoilers, as grape gatherers, should come to thee,” would not they leave some for the poor to glean? certainly they would and not take every cluster;
— if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough who break into houses by night, these will eat and drink as much as is sufficient, and carry off what serves their turn; but they seldom take away everything they find in a house; but it is suggested that the Chaldeans should take away all from the Edomites and leave them nothing; see Obadiah 1:5.
10 But I have made Esau bare; I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself; his seed is despoiled, and his brethren and his neighbors, and he is no more. — but I have made Esau bare; by the hand of the Chaldeans; stripped him of everything that is valuable; of his cities, castles, villages, people, wealth and treasure:
— I have uncovered his secret places; where either his substance was hid, or his people; these were made known to their enemies, who seized on both:
— and he shall not be able to hide himself; even in his deep places in the caves and dens of the earth, but his enemy shall find him out:
— his seed is spoiled and his brethren and his neighbours, his children, as the Targum says; and his brethren, the Ammonites and Moabites; and his neighbours, the Philistines; or as many as were with him and belonged unto him:
— and he is not: his kingdom is not; he is no more a people and nation, but all destroyed by the sword or carried captive; or there should be none left of his brethren, and neighbours, and friends to say to him what follows: “leave thy fatherless children.”
11 Leave thy fatherless children; I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in Me.” — the Targum takes them to be an address to the people of Israel, paraphrasing them thus: “you, O house of Israel, your orphans shall not be left, I will sustain them and your widows shall trust in my word.”
12 For thus saith the Lord: “Behold, they whose judgement was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? Thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
— behold, they whose judgement was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; meaning some of the other nations, who had not dealt so ill with the Jews as the Edomites had, at least their sins were not so aggravated as theirs were in a comparative sense; for otherwise it was but just that they should be treated in the manner they were; since they were not so guilty as these were;
— and art thou he that shalt altogether go unpunished? if lesser sinners are not let go free, how should it be thought that greater ones should? and especially if judgement had begun at God’s own people, the wicked Edomite could not expect to escape;
— thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it; the cup of wrath and vengeance; or have the just punishment inflicted on them threatened them.
13 For I have sworn by Myself,” saith the Lord, “that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.” — but Bozrah of Idumea is the royal city of Edom, Isaiah 63:1; shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste and a curse.
14 I have heard a word from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, “Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle!”
15 “For lo, I will make thee small among the heathen and despised among men. — for, lo, I will make thee small among the nations; Or “I have given thee” or “made thee” as if Edom was a people few in number, and their country not large, and which was the reason of gathering the Chaldeans against them, to reduce their number, weaken their strength, and destroy their substance and so make them a small, feeble and contemptible people;
— and despised among men: for the fewness of their men, the desolation of their country, the consumption of their wealth and riches, their poverty and meanness; see Obadiah 1:2 “Behold, I have made thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised (2 “Behold, I have made thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised.
— thou art greatly despised; a parallel here in Jeremiah 49:15 “For lo, I will make thee small among the heathen and despised among men,” as the term beaners (Latinx or Latinos?) could allude to); the Targun identifies the Southland, Sepharad, as Spain (more at the end).
16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill; though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence,” saith the Lord.
— thy terribleness hath deceived thee, the fact that other nations seemed to stand in awe of Edom had caused him to think that he was really formidable, and the pride of thine heart, insolence usually having this influence upon the heart of the proud to deceive them, wherefore the Lord now calls out;
— O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that boldest the height of the hill, some of the forts of Idumea being situated on almost inaccessible cliffs, though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord, showing that before Him no stronghold is impregnable;
— one Report by McKinsey & Company says of the 60 millions Latinos in US, they often live in ‘deserts’ where adequate housing, groceries are hard to find. “Nearly 9 in 10 of the Latino residents in such communities lived in five states: California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Texas.”
McKinsey & Company: Latinos are projected to make up 22.4 percent of the US labor force by 2030 and more than 30 percent by 2060 (Latinos population to 111.2 million by ’60).
17 “Also Edom shall be a desolation; every one that goeth by it shall be astonished and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. — also Edom shall be a desolation; not only Bozrah, its principal city, before spoken of, but the whole country of Idumea should be laid waste;
— its fortified cities destroyed; its riches plundered; and its inhabitants slain with the sword; every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, filled with horrified surprise at the total overthrow of the country and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof with a sound expressing derision and mockery.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof,” saith the Lord, “no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. — as in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah; which was so sudden and general, that nothing was left, or any spared; so should it be with Edom;
— no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it; it would be an uninhabited desert;
— the Lord was asked to remember in Psalms 137 against the Edomites who had asked that Jerusalem be razed to its foundations:
Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem’s fall, who said, “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!” Psalms 137:7
— to call for the razing of the Temple of God “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!” is a heavy crime against the God of the Most High. The Most High dwelled there and these Edomites cheered the Babylonians to burn it down? Madness! Just Madness!!!
19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of the Jordan against the habitation of the strong; but I will suddenly make him run away from her. And who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? And who will appoint Me a time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before Me?”
— behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan; the Targum interprets it of a king and his army, paraphrasing the words thus, “behold, a king with his army shall come up against them, as a lion comes up from the height of Jordan” as Nebuchadnezzar and his army that should come up against the Edomites from the land of Judea, where Jordan was;
— against the habitation of the strong the land of Edom, a country well fortified in which mighty men dwelt; particularly Mount Seir, where their king was and which was “the fold of the mighty” either of the mighty shepherd as it may be rendered or of the strong place; but what is this to a lion?
— and who is that shepherd that will stand before me? or king, as the Targum says, any king, prince or potentate, who both in Scripture and in other writings, are often called shepherds; the king of Edom is particularly pointed at whose habitation or fold is before observed: alas! what could such a shepherd do? or how could he stand before the almighty God or any lion he should send?
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He hath taken against Edom, and His purposes that He hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely He shall make their habitations desolate with them.
— surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them; or “their folds” the sheep shall be destroyed and their folds shall be demolished; that is, the inhabitants of Edom shall be slain with the sword, and their cities, towns and villages, shall be laid waste;
— who is Edom/Esau today? The answer lies in the book of Obadiah; and Jonathan Targum identifies Esau (Sepharad of the Southland identified) as Spain! Obadiah 1:20; the Targums identified Sepharad with Spain, hence, Spanish Jews are called Sephardim;
— Wikipedia: Sepharad (/sɛfəræd/or səˈfɛərəd/ Hebrew: סְפָרַד Sp̄āraḏ; also Sefarad, Sephared, Sfard) is the Hebrew name for the Iberian peninsula. A place called Sepharad, probably referring to Sardis in Lydia (‘Sfard’ in Lydian), in the Book of Obadiah (Obadiah 1:20, 6th century BC) of the Hebrew Bible. The name was later applied to Spain and is analogous to Tzarfat or Ashkenaz.
21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall; at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea. — the earth is moved at the noise of their fall, quaking with its intensity, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea, or “a crying the noise of it is heard at the Red Sea.”
22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah; and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
— behold, he, the conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon; was a great eagle with his famed cruelty over the Jews as king over Judea; shall come up and fly and spread his wings as the eagle over Bozrah, to pounce down upon the whole country;
— and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. No matter how impregnable the position of God’s enemies may seem in the eyes of human beings, they will quickly fall before the attack of the Lord.
23 Concerning Damascus: “Hamath is confounded, and Arpad, for they have heard evil tidings; they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet. — concerning Damascus. Hamath, a powerful city on the Orontes and formerly the capital of a country of the same name, is confounded, and Arpad, another mighty city, both of them now within the confines of Syria;
— for they have heard evil tidings; they are faint-hearted, full of concern on account of the reports which they have heard; there is sorrow on the sea, terror among the inhabitants along its shores; it cannot be quiet, there is no rest for worry over the outlook.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her; anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. — Damascus is waxed feeble, utterly discouraged and enfeebled; and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her, anguish and sorrows have taken her as a woman in travail, the terror of utter despair.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of My joy! — how is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy? How was it that the place of delight as Damascus was called of old, was not abandoned by its inhabitants, so that they might have saved their lives by a speedy flight?
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day,” saith the Lord of hosts. — therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord of hosts; so great had been their terror at the approach of the enemy that they had not even had recourse to flight and so were cut down in the very streets of their city.
27 “And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.” — and I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad, the royal dwellings and therewith at least a part, if not all, of the city.
28 Concerning Kedar and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the Lord: “Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and despoil the men of the East. — concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor; a new prophecy concerning the Arabians; for Kedar was a son of Ishmael;
— which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the Lord: that is, “thus saith the Lord concerning” or “unto” or “against Kedar” as in Jeremiah 49:1 which the king of Babylon “hath smitten” the past for the future, common in prophetic language: or “is about to smite” would do it in a very little time; for the phrase, “thus saith the Lord” is not to be connected with what follows after, but with what goes before; though indeed the next words are the words of the Lord to the Chaldeans:
— and spoil the men of the east; the Arabians, which lay east of Judea and Babylon: or “the children of Kedem” the same with Kedemah, another son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:15; whose posterity dwelt still more to the east; the Targum renders it “the children of the east.”
29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away; they shall take for themselves their curtains and all their vessels and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, ‘Fear is on every side!’ — their tents and their flocks, the chief possessions of nomads, shall they take away; they shall take to themselves their curtains, the costly woven goods and the hangings of their tents;
— and all their vessels, household utensils as well as such pieces of furniture and adornment as comprised their wealth and their camels; and they, the invading forces, shall cry unto them, in a shout of war, Fear is on every side.
30 Flee, get you far off! Dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor,” saith the Lord. “For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you. — flee, get you far off, run apace, dwell deep, hide themselves in remote places;
— O ye inhabitants of Hazor! saith the Lord; for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, devised a plan to subdue them and hath conceived a design against you. This warning is addressed to the wilderness dwellers, since no conqueror would venture to follow them into the trackless wastes of the desert.
31 “Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without cares,” saith the Lord, “which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone. — arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, a tranquil tribe, having no presentiment of evil that dwelleth without care in calm security, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, not dwelling in fenced and fortified cities;
— which dwell alone with little or no intercourse with other nations or tribes from which they might expect assistance in case of an attack.
32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil; and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof,” saith the Lord. — and their camels shall be a booty and the multitude of their cattle a spoil, a welcome bit of plunder for the enemies;
— and God will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners, those who have the edges of their hair trimmed; for these tribes had the custom of clipping the hair of head and beard in a peculiar angle; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the Lord.
33 “And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever; there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.” — and Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, the habitation of jackals and a desolation forever;
— there shall no man abide there nor any son of man dwell in it. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Chaldeans on their way to the West and South, sent detachments of troops to bring these nomadic tribes into subjection.
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, — the word of the Lord that came unto Jeremiah the prophet against Elam; the Persians, as it is commonly understood, who descended from Elam the son of Shem, Genesis 10:22;
— according to Josephus; but rather the country of Elymais is here designed; which though in the times of Cyrus was added to and made a part of the Persian empire, yet was a country distinct both from Persia and Media; and as though as near unto Persia and bordering on Media, a country that belonged to the Assyrians; and so it seems that Elam served under Sennacherib, king of Assyria, when he besieged Jerusalem.
35 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. — thus saith the Lord of hosts, I will break the bow of Elam; the inhabitants of this country were famous for their skill in archery; this the Lord threatens to break so that it should be useless and of no more service to them to defend themselves or annoy others;
— their strength, as the Targum says; that in which their great strength and security lay; in which they put their trust and confidence; the chief of their might; which may be interpreted by way of apposition of their bow, the chief instrument of their might and power;
— or may design their mighty men, the archers themselves, who should be destroyed, even Elam itself, and all the inhabitants of it especially their warriors, who should be slain or carried captive.
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
— and upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; the Targum interprets it the four kingdoms; see Daniel 7:2. Some think this had its accomplishment in the times of Alexander; or else after his death in the times of his four successors;
— but rather in the times of Nebuchadnezzar, who should bring with him, in his army, people that dwelt in the several parts of the world, comparable to the winds for their swiftness and strength; whose blast would be so great as to drive the Elamites to every part of the world, as every light thing is by the wind:
— and will scatter them towards all those winds; those four winds, east, west, north and south:
— and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come; those that are driven out of it, forced to flee from it or are taken captive, should come into the several nations of the world; so that there would not be any in which an Elamite was not.
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon them, even My fierce anger,’ saith the Lord; ‘and I will send the sword after them till I have consumed them.
— for I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies; frightened; thrown into the utmost consternation so that they shall have no heart nor spirit to go out against them and meet them and defend themselves; but make all haste imaginable to flee from them, such a panic would seize them;
— and before them that seek their life; a further description of their enemies; they being such, who, not content with their substance sought to take away their lives; nothing less would satisfy them; being cruel and blood thirsty:
— and I will bring evil upon them even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and a greater evil than that cannot be; signifying that the destruction that should be made among them would be the effect of the wrath of God upon them for their sins:
— and I will send the sword after them till I have consumed them; that is, those that slay with the sword, as the Targum says; these should go after those that fled and destroy them till the greater part of them were consumed; for all of them that were taken were not destroyed; or otherwise there would have been none to return from captivity as is promised at the close of this prophecy.
38 And I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes,’ saith the Lord. — my throne in Elam; this is called the Lord’s throne, because he gave it to him; his conquest of Elam, and his dominion over it, were from him;
— and will destroy from thence the king and the princes; either when Alexander subdued it, or Cyrus, or rather Nebuchadnezzar, whose palace probably was, or his successors was, in Shushan in Elam, as observed from Daniel 8:2; Jeremiah 25:25;
— though that is observed in the first year of his reign, some have thought that it is best to understand it or Cyrus, the Lord’s servant and anointed; and whose throne might well be called the throne of God, and when this country of Elam, or Elymais, became at part of the Persian empire, and never had any more kings to reign over it separately.
39 “‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ saith the Lord.” — and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the Lord; so that there should be no more kings of Elam, and princes and nobles of their own, after this time; and because mention is made of the kings of Elam in the times of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah 25:25;
— though that is observed in the first year of his reign, some have thought that it is best to understand it or Cyrus, the Lord’s servant and anointed; and whose throne might well be called the throne of God, which he gave him, and set him on in an eminent manner, not only there, but elsewhere; see Ezra 1:2;
— and when this country of Elam, or Elymais, became at part of the Persian empire, and never had any more kings to reign over it separately. Some of the Jewish Rabbins interpret the king and princes of Vashti of Haman and his sons; but very wrongly.
— that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord.
And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (בִּסְפָרַ֑ד Hebrew 5614) shall possess the cities of the south. Obadiah 1:20
And the exiles of this nation of the Children of Israel that is in the land of the Canaanites (shall inherit) until Zerapahath. And the exiles of Jerusalem that are in Ispamiah will inherit the villages of the south land. Obadiah 1:20 (Targum: Jonathan)
— Rashi: And this exiled host: Heb. הַחֵל. Jonathan renders: This people. הַחֵל, An expression of a host. Cf. (Isa. 36:2) “And he came to Jerusalem with an army (חֵיל) of a great multitude,” which deals with Rabshakeh, only that this one is missing a “yud.” It is also possible to explain גָלֻת הַחֵל as “the exile of this valley.”
— and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad: who are of the people of Judah who were exiled to Sepharad – they shall inherit the cities of the southland, which are in the Southern part of Eretz Israel. The exegetes [a person who interprets text, especially the Scriptures] claim that Zarephath is the kingdom called France in French.
— Jonathan renders: Spain (Rashi quoting the Targum: Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the Southland rendering it as Spain); the Targums identified Sepharad with Spain (Ispamia or Ispania), hence, Spanish Jews are called Sephardim;
— Peshitta (Lamsa): The first exiles, that is, of the children of Israel, shall possess the land from Canaan as far as Zarephath; and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Spain shall possess the cities of the south (hard copy).
— Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: Sepharad is the name of a place; the modern Jews understand it of Spain, and accordingly, “at the present day the Spanish Jews, who form the chief of the two great sections into which the Jewish nation is divided, are called by the Jews themselves the Sephardim, German Jews being known as the Ashkenazim.”
The Chaldeans, especially under Nebuchadnezzar their king, has been described by God as “the king of Babylon, My servant” in multiple places (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, 43:10). So this and the following chapter contain a long prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon following their judgement as well.
The term, my servant, its intended meaning might be mistook in our society today, and thus not many of God’s shepherd understand this concept properly; what God really means and for all practically being prophecised to mean, it is actually “my horsewhip.”
1 The word that the Lord spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet: — the word that the Lord spoke against Babylon; or the city of Babylon, the metropolis of the Chaldean empire; sometimes it signifies the whole country, here the city only as appears by what follows:
— and against the land of the Chaldeans; where the Jews were carried captive, for whose comfort this prophecy is delivered out; and which had subdued other nations, and was become an universal monarchy; these people are mentioned last, because the rest of the nations were to drink the cup of God’s wrath at their hands, and then the Chaldeans were to drink it after them; see Jeremiah 25:9;
— this is to be understood not only of Babylon and its empire, literally taken, but of mystical Babylon and its dependencies; of Rome and its jurisdiction; the last enemies of the church and people of God, who will be destroyed by the pouring out of the seven vials; see Revelation 15:1. This prophecy, which is called “the word that the Lord spoke” for it was from him the warning was decreed and declared.
2 “Declare ye among the nations, and proclaim and set up a standard; proclaim and conceal not. Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces! Her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces!’
— declare ye among the nations and publish and to call the attention of all men to the importance and the significance of this announcement; declare and conceal not; say, Babylon is taken; Bel, the chief deity of the Chaldeans, thought by some to be Baal by contraction;
— is confounded; Merodach, another name for the same idol is broken in pieces. Her idols are confounded, covered with shame and confusion, her images are broken in pieces, powerless before the almighty power of Yehovah.
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein; they shall be removed, they shall depart, both man and beast.
— for out of the North there cometh up a nation against the Chaldeans; (1) the Medes and Persians, under Cyrus were one nation; and not only lay North of Judea where this prophecy came, but of Babylon, against which they were to come; and besides, Cyrus came through Assyria to Babylon which lay North of it; see Isaiah 41:25;
— or (2) is this a prophecy for the endtime? The triple “shall” nar, it is a a quadruplet or quadruple: thus very much indicative of a prophecy; North of Babylon, the Chaldeans, lays Russia, Gog and Magog? Others, like Joel Richardson, says Turkey.
4 “In those days and in that time,” saith the Lord, “the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping; they shall go, and seek the Lord their God.
— in those days, and at that time, saith the Lord; when Babylon shall be taken and destroyed, then what follows shall be accomplished; which, as it respects the conversion of Israel, shows that this prophecy is not to be restrained to literal Babylon:
— the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together: this is prophetic, parallel to Ezekiel 37 where the whole house of Jacob will be joined together.
5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces turned thitherward, saying, ‘Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.’ — they shall ask the way to Zion, the habitation of Yehovah, their faces toward Jerusalem;
— saying, Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten as the first covenant had been act aside by an apostate nation.
6 My people hath been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray. They have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place.
— my people hath been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray, the very men who were entrusted with their care being guilty of this gross neglect; they have turned them away on the mountains, the places of idolatry;
— they have gone from mountain to hill, from one altar of idolatrous worship to the next; they have forgotten their resting-place, in the care of the Most High where they could lie down in safety.
7 All who found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, ‘We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’
— all that found them have devoured them; as lost and wandering sheep are liable to be found, and to be devoured, by every beast of prey, lions, wolves and bears; so the house of Jacobs were found by their neighbours,
— their enemies and especially by their endtime “Chaldeans” or “Assyrians” having forsaken God, and being forsaken by him; and which is their case now and are often found and seized upon by their enemies and made a prey of under one pretence or another.
8 “Depart out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the hegoats before the flocks. — remove out of the midst of Babylon,
— so all Israelites in truth are now warned to go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans where they were as yet held in captivity and be as the he-goats before the flocks, the leaders of all oppressed nations as they now turned to flee.
9 For lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country, and they shall set themselves in array against her. From thence she shall be taken. Their arrows shall be as of a mighty destroyer; none shall return in vain. — against Rome, or mystical Babylon;
— the Medo-Persian kingdom lies the great monarchies of the east, not north; for, lo, God will raise and cause to come up, against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the North country, an army composed of many nations; and they shall set themselves in array against her with full equipment for warfare;
— north of Babylon could most probably be Russia; others, like Joel Richardson, says Turkey: the land of Gog and Magog, and many nations with him; hence this would be a prophetic endtime prophecy; where the hostile nations have assembled themselves; their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man.
10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil; all that despoil her shall be satisfied,” saith the Lord. — and Chaldea shall be a spoil, a prey ready for the invaders; all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord,
— since they were getting all that their heart desired in the way of rich booty. In this sense the Lord now turns directly to Babylon in pronouncing sentence upon the Chaldean Empire.
11 “Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of Mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls,
— because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of Mine heritage, the Chaldeans called so on account of the pillage committed by them in destroying Judah, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, skipping like a threshing calf or heifer, with proud insolence and bellow as bulls, or “neigh as steeds,” in overweening, challenging pride.
12 your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bore you shall be ashamed. Behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land and a desert.
— your mother shall be sore confounded; the monarchy of the Chaldeans; so the Targum says, your congregation; or rather their metropolis, their mother city, the city of Babylon; which would be confounded when taken, none of her sons being able to defend her: the same will be true of mystical Babylon, the mother of harlots, Revelation 17:5.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate; every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished and hiss at all her plagues.
— because of the wrath of the Lord, it shall not be inhabited; that is, Babylon; which the Targum expresses, “because thou, Babylon, hast provoked the Lord” by their idolatry, luxury, ill usage of his people and profanation of the vessels of the sanctuary; therefore it should be destroyed and left without an inhabitant in it.
14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about; all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows, for she hath sinned against the Lord. — put yourselves in array against Babylon round about to surround the city and to attack her from all sides simultaneously; all ye that bend the bow, the archers representing the entire army of the enemy;
— shoot at her, spare no arrows; for she hath sinned against the Lord, she has fully deserved the punishment being meted out to her.
15 Shout against her round about; she hath given her hand. Her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of the Lord. Take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
— shout against her round about, encouraging one another with loud and fierce battle-cries; she hath given her hand, thereby submitting to the conquerors; her foundations are fallen, the fortifications in which she trusted for safety;
— her walls are thrown down, so that she is now helpless before the invaders; for it is the vengeance of the Lord, the destruction of Babylon was a punishment determined by him; take vengeance upon her, retaliation being permitted in this instance; as she hath done to others.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest; for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
— cut off the sower from Babylon and him that handleth the sickle, or scythe in the time of harvest so that both sowers and reapers would be destroyed and there could be no harvesting in the entire country;
— for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people and they shall flee every one to his own land, the strangers in the country getting ready to preserve their lives before the threatening catastrophe comes. Over against this fate of Babylon is placed the deliverance of Judah from oppression and exile.
17 “Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria hath devoured him, and last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.”
— Israel is a scattered sheep; or like a sheep that is frightened and drove from the fold and is dispersed and wanders about here and there; Israel in this context includes all the twelve tribes:
— the lions have driven him away; from his own land and carried him captive and scattered him among the nations; these lions are afterwards interpreted of the kings of Assyria and Babylon: so the Targum says. “kings have removed them” comparable to lions for their strength, fierceness and voraciousness;
— first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; eaten up his flesh; meaning Shalmaneser king of Assyria, who carried captive the ten tribes that never returned and therefore said to be devoured:
— and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones; or “boned him” took out his bones, all his strength and substance; or took the flesh off of them, stripped him of all his wealth and riches, reduced him to his bones, made a mere skeleton of him:
18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
— as God have punished the king of Assyria; not Shalmaneser, that carried the tribes captive; but a successor of his, Chynilidanus, the last king of Assyria; who was killed when Nineveh was taken, the metropolis of Assyria and which was done before this prophecy was delivered; and the return to their own land; which is prophesied in Jeremiah 50:19.
19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation; and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
— and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon Mount Ephraim and Gilead; and as they were all fruitful places and had good pasturage, so they belonged to the ten tribes; which shows that it respects the return of them and the fulness of blessings, they shall then enjoy.
20 In those days and in that time,” saith the Lord, “the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
— in those days and in that time, saith the Lord, the prophecy now again turning to the endtime, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none, no longer any guilt would be charged against it;
— and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found; granting them forgiveness and pardon; if enemies of the Lord, whom he, for any reason whatever, has used as his instruments to carry out his plans, become overbearing and insolent as a consequence, he readily plunges them from the height of their pride to the depths of humiliation and confusion.
21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it and against the inhabitants of Pekod. Waste and utterly destroy after them,” saith the Lord, “and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
— go up against the land of Merathaim; which lay part of it in Assyria, and part of it in Armenia; Cyrus, with his army of Medes and Persians, who according to Herodotus, passed through Assyria to Babylon: and so it may be agreeably rendered, “go by the land of Merathaim” the Targum says, “the land of the rebellious people.”
22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23 How the hammer of the whole earth is cut asunder and broken! How Babylon hath become a desolation among the nations! — how is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! The Targum says, “how is the king cut down and broken that moved the whole earth!”
— the king of Babylon or the kingdom of Babylon, which was like a hammer for its hardness and strength; and being an instrument in the hand of God of beating to pieces and destroying kingdoms and nations; but is itself now destroyed. These are the words either of the prophet or rather of the people of other nations, wondering how this destruction came about and rejoicing at it;
— how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! this explains who and what is meant by the hammer of the earth and by its being cut asunder and broken; even the utter destruction of the city and kingdom of Babylon.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware; thou art found and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.
— God have laid a snare for them, and thou art also taken, O Babylon; retorting to the strategy that Cyrus used, in draining the river Euphrates, and marching his army up through it into the midst of the city of Babylon and took it by surprise while the inhabitants were feasting and revelling all night:
— this is said to be a snare laid by the Lord because it was according to the counsel of his will and through his directing and overruling providence: and thou wast not aware; of what the enemy had done of his march into the city and taking of it; for one part of the city was seized and taken before the other knew anything of it:
— thou art found, and also caught; as wild beasts in a net or birds in a snare. The Targum says, “thy sins are sought and are found and also thou art taken:”
25 The Lord hath opened His armory and hath brought forth the weapons of His indignation; for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
— and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation; as a king, when he goes to war, opens his armoury and takes out armour of every kind, both offensive and defensive: swords, spears, shields, so the Lord would now bring the Medes and Persians, well armed, to be the instruments of his wrath and vengeance on Babylon:
— or “the vessels of his indignation” having some view to the vessels of the sanctuary, the king of Babylon had taken away and profaned them; these may well be applied to the vials of wrath poured out on them by the angels, called forth out of the Temple.
26 Come against her from the utmost border; open her storehouses. Cast her up as heaps and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left. — come against her from the utmost border, from the most remote corner of the earth,
— or “all men, down to the very last,” open her storehouses; cast her up as heaps, that is, all the plunder of the city and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left, the city with all its possessions and treasures was to be burned with fire.
27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe unto them! For their day has come, the time of their visitation. — slay all her bullocks, her entire population; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation, their punishment at the hands of Yehovah.
28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of His temple.
— the voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, the fugitives saving their lives in the midst of the general destruction to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his Temple, for by the destruction of Babylon the Lord punished the Chaldeans for their profanation of his Sanctuary on Zion.
29 “Call together the archers against Babylon. All ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape. Recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her. For she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.
— call together the archers against Babylon for the siege of the city; all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about, leaving no loophole for escape; let none thereof escape. Recompense her according to her work;
— according to all that she hath done, do unto her, paying her back in her own coin; for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel, this pride being the fundamental transgression and fault of Babylon, a form of blasphemy challenging the Lord’s honor.
30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day,” saith the Lord. — therefore shall her young men fall in the streets; or “surely” it is the form of an oath,
— according to Rashi, Cyrus, when he took Babylon, ordered proclamation to be made that the inhabitants should keep indoors; and that whoever were found in the streets should be put to death as doubtless many were: and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord; as Belshazzar and his guards were; see Daniel 5:30.
31 “Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud,” saith the Lord God of hosts; “for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. — behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts, coming to teach her humility; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee to bring His punishment upon her in full measure.
32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.”
— and the most proud shall stumble and fall, literally, “Then pride totters and falls,” the abstract being used to emphasize Babylon’s guilt, and none shall raise him up; and God will kindle a fire in his cities and it shall devour all round about him, the smaller cities sharing the fate of the metropolis.
33 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together, and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together in the captivity of the exile, and all that took them captives held them fast, were still holding them at the time when this prophecy was given; they refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He shall thoroughly plead their cause, that He may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. — their Redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Commander of all the heavenly armies; he shall thoroughly plead their cause, taking their part with all needed energy;
— that he may give Sabbath rest to the land so that Judah would once more enjoy peace and security and, on the contrary, disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon who thought that they were altogether secure against all enemies. In order to take the part of his people with the proper zeal, the Lord now calls upon the sword to perform its work against the Chaldeans.
35 “A sword is upon the Chaldeans,” saith the Lord, “and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men! — a sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord; or, “shall be” or “O sword, be thou on the Chaldeans” that is, the sword of the Medes and Persians; those that kill with the sword, as the Targum says;
— and upon the inhabitants of Babylon; the metropolis of Chaldea; the common people in it as distinguished from those of high rank and degree following: and upon her princes; Belshazzar and his nobles who were slain the night Babylon was taken;
— and upon her wise men; prime ministers, politicians, and counsellors of state; neither high birth nor great wisdom can secure from the sword of the enemy when it has a commission from God as it had here.
36 A sword is upon the liars, and they shall dote! A sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed!
— a sword is upon the liars; the Targum renders it “diviners” who were a lying set of men, false shepherd, who imposed upon and deceived the people; these with their divinations and soothsayings could not save the land, nor themselves from the devouring sword; nay, their sorceries and divinations were the cause of their ruin.
37 A sword is upon their horses and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her, and they shall become as women! A sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed!
— a sword is upon their horses and upon their chariots which were her boast in warfare and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her, her mercenaries and allies;
— and they shall become as women, weak and utterly unable for effective resistance; a sword is upon her treasures, the wealth which she had accumulated in the course of her campaigns and they shall be robbed.
38 A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up! For it is the land of graven images, and they are mad over their idols. — a drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up, the dams and irrigation canals being destroyed by the invading army;
— for it is the land of graven images and they are mad upon their idols, literally, “their objects of horror or terror,” for the images which are usually found in heathen sanctuaries are really more likely to frighten than to attract. They have indulged in gross and revolting idolatry and must therefore bear their iniquity.
39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein; and it shall be no more inhabited for ever, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
— therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands, the jackals shall dwell there and the owls, literally, “daughters of crying,” that is, the female ostriches shall dwell therein and it shall be no more inhabited forever, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof,” saith the Lord, “so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
— like the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein; the same is said concerning Edom.
41 “Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the borders of the earth. — behold, a people shall come from the north and a great nation; not the Medes and Persians, whose country lay east of Babylon; more probably Gog and Magog and many nations with them. Are they Russians or others, like Joel Richardson, says Turkey?
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance; they are cruel and will not show mercy; their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
— they shall hold the bow and the lance; or “spear” the Targum interprets it, “shields” as many like Cyrus’s army had them; the one an offensive, the other a defensive weapon; or if bow and lance, the one is used at a distance, the other when near;
— they would be skilled in handling the bow, the armour with large bows and short spears; they would also have javelins or lances, one of which they cast, and the other they held and used in their hands as they found necessary;
— they are cruel, and will not show mercy: not even to infants but dash them against the stones.
43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble; anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail. — the king of Babylon hath heard the report of them; Belshazzar had the report brought to him of an invasion of his land; of their approach to Babylon and design upon it and of their number, character and force:
— and his hands waxed feeble as they did when he saw the handwriting upon the wall, Daniel 5:6; anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail; a sudden panic seized him and he was quite dispirited at once as a woman in childbirth, when her pains come upon her and there is no avoiding them.
44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of the Jordan unto the habitation of the strong; but I will make them suddenly run away from her. And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? And who will appoint Me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before Me?”
— behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan; what is said of Nebuchadnezzar coming up against Edom is here said of Cyrus coming up against Babylon; for of a king it is to be understood; as the Targum says, “behold, a king with his army shall come up against them, as a lion from the height of Jordan;”
— and who is that shepherd that will stand before me? or king? not Belshazzar, he could not stand before the Lord: so the Targum says “there is no king that hath strength before me” that is, to withstand him or hinder what he has appointed and ordered to be done.
45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord that He hath taken against Babylon, and His purposes that He hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans. Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely He shall make their habitation desolate with them.
— surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; the weakest and most feeble in the army of Cyrus (or the Russians / Turkey for the endtime) should be more than a match for any in Babylon and should draw them out and devour them as dogs and wolves the sheep out of the flock.
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations. — at the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved; it being so sudden and unexpected and so very astonishing:
— and the cry is heard among the nations that Babylon is fallen; which, as applied to mystical Babylon, will be matter of joy to some and of lamentation to others; see Revelation 14:8.
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
From Ferdinand Marcos To Russian Oligarchs, Troubled Credit Suisse Is A Repeat Offender
What happens when you repeatedly let cocaine dealers, crooks, and kleptocrats use your bank? The Swiss National Bank approves you for a loan up to 50 billion francs ($54 billion). Credit Suisse demonstrated yet again the advantage of being a global systemically important bank. Central banks, bank regulators and treasuries rescue big banks for fear of the havoc that Too Big To Fail banks can cause around the globe.
A Decades-Long History Of Trouble
Tuesday, Credit Suisse announced significant weaknesses in its financial reporting in 2021 and 2022. This is hardly the first time that Credit Suisse has shown its significant operational risk exposure, that is, problems with its employees, processes, and technology. In their February 2022 article for The Guardian, Crooks, Kleptocrats, and Crises, Kalyeena Makortoff and David Pegg walked us down an over two-decade memory lane of recidivist behavior at Credit Suisse.
Credit Suisse’s Clients Najib Razak and first lady; both serving prison time!
1986: Helping Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos with their absconded funds
1999: “Shredding Party”– Japanese authorities fined Credit Suisse for destroying evidence in an investigation
2000: Banking for a Nigerian dictator
2004: Money laundering for a Japanese crime gang
2009: Fined for breaching US sanctions against Iran and Sudan between 1995 -2007
2011: Taxevasion probesof 1,100 Germans holding accounts at Credit Suisse
2012: Bankers fraudulently overstated price of mortgage-backed securities based on subprime loans
2014: Helped Americans evade taxes
2016: Helped Italians evade taxes
2016: Anti-money laundering fine in the US
2017: Anti-money laundering fine for the bank’s role in 1Malaysia Development Berhad
2017: European tax evasion
2018: Weak controls linked to dealings with oil companies Petrobras, PDVSA and FIFA
2018: Fraud involving Georgian prime minister
2018: Jobs for business scandal in Hong Kong and China
2019: Corporate espionage
2020: Opened banking accounts for Bulgarian cocaine traffickers
2021: Archegos collapse
2021: Greensill Capital scandal in the UK
2021: Mozambique tuna-bond scandal
2022: Under investigation for possible ties to Russian oligarchs
2023: Material weaknesses in financial reporting
TThe Philippine president and first lady as “William Saunders” and “Jane Ryan”
Market Signals a Warning About Credit Suisse’s Problems
The market’s displeasure with Credit Suisse has been particularly evident since 2021. Since its recent peak of $14.45 on February 26, 2021, the stock has declined by more than 85% to $2.16 on the close on March 15.
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
Boris Johnson, often intoxicated and admitted to have misled Parliament on ‘partygate,’ flew over to Kyiv to sabotage the Peace Deal between Ukraine and Russia on behalf of Joe Biden way back in April, 2022; and as a result, almost one year on, Ukraine is being wrecked and destroyed!
Boris Johnson, intoxicated, sabotaged the Peace Deal between Ukraine and Russia
Russia and Ukraine may have agreed on a tentative deal to end the war in April, according to a recent piece in Foreign Affairs.
“Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement,” wrote Fiona Hill and Angela Stent. “Russia would withdraw to its position on February 23, when it controlled part of the Donbas region and all of Crimea, and in exchange, Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries.”
The news highlights the impact of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to stop negotiations, as journalist Branko Marcetic noted on Twitter. The decision to scuttle the deal coincided with Johnson’s April visit to Kyiv, during which he reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to break off talks with Russia for two key reasons: Putin cannot be negotiated with, and the West isn’t ready for the war to end.
The apparent revelation raises some key questions: Why did Western leaders want to stop Kyiv from signing a seemingly good deal with Moscow? Do they consider the conflict a proxy war with Russia? And, most importantly, what would it take to get back to a deal?
For now, we can only speculate about the answers to the first two questions. The third is perhaps no less challenging, especially given the fact that both Ukraine and Russia have (at least publicly) hardened their negotiating positions significantly in recent months. But there are some clues that could help us answer it.
One possible path back to a peace deal is to build on July’s grain agreement, in which Kyiv and Moscow agreed to restart wheat exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The deal has held strong despite continued hostilities, allowing more than one million metric tons of grain to enter the world market so far. This accord shows that each side is at least interested in reducing the global impact of the war.
The other option is more complex but no less important. Just yesterday, a team of international inspectors arrived at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been threatened by nearby shelling in recent weeks. The visit, which will allow experts to ensure that the plant remains in safe condition, is the result of intensive talks, backed by pressure from the international community. In this case, both Russia and Ukraine are signaling their commitment to avoiding a nuclear catastrophe.
In other words, Kyiv and Moscow have both shown that they want to mitigate the secondary effects of the conflict, and they’re willing to negotiate with the enemy in order to do it. But, as long as this war drags on, people around the world will continue to suffer, and the specter of a catastrophic event — whether through an errant strike on a power plant or an uncontrolled escalation to nuclear war — will continue to loom. It’s time for Russia, Ukraine, and the West to recognize that there’s only one way to put an end to those risks: Lay down arms and come to the negotiating table.
According to a readout of the call from Johnson’s office, the British leader updated Macron on his April 9 visit to Kyiv. “The Prime Minister updated on his visit to Kyiv last month and shared his conviction that Ukraine would win, supported with the right level of defensive military assistance,” the readout said.
The readout said Johnson “urged against any negotiations with Russia on terms that gave credence to the Kremlin’s false narrative for the invasion but stressed that this was a decision for the Ukrainian government.”
According to a report from Ukrainska Pravda citing sources close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Johnson told the Ukrainian leader during his Kyiv visit that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be pressured, not negotiated with.
The report said that Johnson told Zelensky that “even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin,” Kyiv’s Western backers are not ready. The report said Johnson’s position is that of the “collective West,” which now feels Putin is not as strong as they initially thought and see the war as an opportunity to “press him.”
The Biden administration has abandoned diplomacy with Russia and does not appear to be interested in a diplomatic solution to end the war. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hasn’t spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since February 15, and President Biden has no known plans to hold talks with Putin.
Macron is one of the few Western leaders that has held talks with Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine and favors negotiations as a way to end the war. On Monday, he said peace would be achieved through negotiations. “We will have a peace to build tomorrow, let us never forget that … We will have to do this with Ukraine and Russia around the table. The end of the discussion and the negotiation will be set by Ukraine and Russia.”
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled,” Hosea 6:10
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
Credit Suisse: what is happening at Swiss bank and should we be worried?
Shares in the Swiss lender plunged more than 30% at one point on Wednesday to a record low of about 1.56 Swiss francs (£1.40) a share, after its top shareholder, the Saudi National Bank (SNB), ruled out providing it with fresh funding because of regulations that cap its stake – now 9.9% – at 10%.
SNB’s chairman, Ammar Al Khudairy, told Reuters that Credit Suisse was “a very strong bank” and was unlikely to need more cash after raising 4bn Swiss francs (£3.59bn) to fund a major restructuring plan in autumn last year. However, his funding cap comments spooked investors, who feared it could limit emergency cash from investors in the Middle East.
That compounded panic about potential weaknesses across a global banking sector still reeling from SVB’s collapse as well as fears over continuing problems at the Swiss lender, which as Europe’s 17th largest lender by assets is far larger than SVB and deemed systemically important to the global financial system.
The Bank of England reiterated its statement that the UK banking system is not at risk and “remains safe, sound, and well-capitalised”. The Guardian understands that staff at the Bank are continuing to monitor developments in the financial sector closely.
Stocks in many other European banks also plunged on Wednesday as traders took fright. However, it is important to remember that share prices reflect investor sentiment rather than the real strength of balance sheets.
Market movements can cause customers to panic and pull cash, creating a run on deposits that is risky for smaller banks that rely more heavily on client cash. However, larger banks such as Credit Suisse are meant to be in a much stronger position, in part due to government rules and regulators’ annual stress testing brought in after the financial crisis.
But US banks are collapsing too: is this is a re-run of 2008?
Panic over Credit Suisse comes after the collapse of crypto lender Silvergate last Thursday, SVB on Friday and New York-based Signature on Sunday. However, Credit Suisse’s problems are also relatively unique and not new, with a string of major financial losses and scandals that have worried investors and fuelled a recent client exodus.
Credit Suisse customers – primarily wealthy clients and businesses rather than everyday savers – have been pulling money from the bank for months, leading to more than 111bn Swiss francs (£99.7bn) of outflows late last year. It was not immediately clear on Wednesday whether client withdrawals had gathered pace as a result of its plunging share price.
Some investors are also worried about potential unrealised losses lurking in the investment portfolios of European banks. SVB’s troubles accelerated after it suffered losses on the bonds it tried to sell as customers pulled cash.
In an attempt to calm fears, Credit Suisse chair Axel Lehmann said on Wednesday morning that government assistance “isn’t a topic” for the lender, adding: “We have strong capital ratios, a strong balance sheet. We already took the medicine.” The Financial Times reported unnamed sources suggesting the lender had appealed to both Finma and the Swiss National Bank for a public show of support in an apparent bid to shore up investor confidence.
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How far back do Credit Suisse’s problems go?
A string of controversies have beset Switzerland’s second-largest lender, including playing accomplice in crime way back to the days of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos of the Philippines from their national treasuries in the 1980s.
The revelations that Credit Suisse has been used by crooks, money launderers and corrupt politicians are a public relations crisis for the banking giant.
But the Suisse secrets investigation by the Guardian and its reporting partners is only the latest in a string of controversies to beset Switzerland’s second-largest lender.
We take a look at some of the bank’s biggest scandals over the past few decades.
1986: Fake names for Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
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The Philippine president and first lady as “William Saunders” and “Jane Ryan”
Credit Suisse is implicated in helping to store some of the estimated $5bn-$10bn that the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, stole from the country during his three terms as president.
It later emerged that Credit Suisse opened accounts for the couple under the fake names “William Saunders” and “Jane Ryan” helping to shield their funds from scrutiny.
In 1995, a Zurich court ordered banks, including Credit Suisse, to return $500m of stolen funds to the Philippines.
1999: Japanese ‘shredding party’
Japanese authorities fined Credit Suisse and revoked its licence over a “shredding party”, at which bankers destroyed evidence related to an investigation into whether it was helping companies conceal their losses.
A bank spokesperson said: “Serious lessons have been learned, corrective actions initiated and disciplinary steps completed.”
2000: Banking funds linked to a Nigerian dictator
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Sani Abacha, the Nigerian military dictator, in 1998
Switzerland’s Federal Banking Commission reprimanded Credit Suisse for accepting about $214m-worth of funds linked to corruption by the Nigerian military dictator Sani Abacha in the 1990s.
The lender was criticised for failing to recognise that his two sons were politically exposed. Credit Suisse said it had improved its monitoring procedures and staff who dealt with Abacha’s regime had left the bank.
2011: German tax evasion
Credit Suisse agreed to pay €150m to settle an investigation into tax evasion by about 1,100 of its German clients.
“A complex and prolonged legal dispute has been avoided, with an agreed solution that provides legal certainty,” the bank said.
2014: US tax evasion
Credit Suisse was fined $2.6bn and pleaded guilty to helping Americans evade taxes for decades in one of the bank’s most explosive scandals to date.
The investigation was launched when the former UBS banker Bradley Birkenfeld passed information to US authorities in 2007.
A Senate investigation uncovered aggressive tactics used by Swiss banks, with Credit Suisse having recruited clients at high-end events, courted a potential customer with free gold, and even delivered sensitive bank statements hidden in the pages of a Sports Illustrated magazine.
Authorities eventually pressured Switzerland into unilaterally disclosing account information about US taxpayers from 2014.
Credit Suisse said: “We deeply regret the past misconduct that led to this settlement.”
2016: Italian tax evasion
Credit Suisse reached a €109.5m settlement with Italian authorities over allegations it helped clients hide funds and dodge taxes through complex insurance policies, which were reportedly routed through its Liechtenstein and Bermuda subsidiaries.
Credit Suisse said it welcomed the deal.
Malaysia’s Najib Razak and first lady; both serving in prison!
2017: Anti-money-laundering fine related to 1MDB
Singapore’s financial regulator fined Credit Suisse $700,000 for breaching money-laundering rules in transactions linked to 1MDB, the Malaysian investment fund at the centre of a $4.5bn corruption scandal.
Credit Suisse said it took its money-laundering obligations seriously and was “firmly committed to upholding the high standards of the Singapore financial centre.”
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
In a much-discussed appearance before Australia’s National Press Club, the straight-shooting Keating offered an unflinching condemnation of the AUKUS deal, which he described as Australia submitting to American military hegemony.
Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating slammed the current government’s plans to purchase nuclear submarines from the US and the UK as “the worst deal in history” in an extensive question-and-answer session at Australia’s National Press Club on Wednesday.
“For $360 billion we’re gonna get eight submarines – the worst deal in history,” Keating said, when asked what the so-called AUKUS deal represents for the country. As to where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s much-heralded submarine acquisition plan announced earlier this week leaves Australians, Keating was similarly pessimistic.
“Deep doo doo – that’s where it leaves us.”
That’s because, when the deal to purchase eight nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines from a consortium of US and UK weapons manufacturers goes through, “we’ll get sucked into the American control system,” the former prime minister explained.
And it’s not just the fact that Australia’s sovereignty has “just been peeled away” by the adoption of the pricey US submarines that raised his ire. It’s also the logistics, he said, mocking the idea that a few American subs could protect Australia from the “might of China” as “rubbish.”
“If we were buying Collins-class replacements” – the much-cheaper non-nuclear subs currently employed by the Australian navy – “we’d get at least 40-50 of those submarines… for the same price.”
Given that “no navy has ever done better than having one-third of their boats at sea at any one time,” it’s a no-brainer between choosing whether to have 15 Collins-class subs patrolling the region or just three of the eight Virginia-class submarines slated for purchase, Keating said.
And because the new submarines weigh 8,000 tons – twice the size of the Collins-class – “they’ll be discoverable from space” as well, according to the former prime minister.
There are also serious questions as to whether the new subs are even suited to the country’s defensive needs, he noted.
“A 4,000-ton boat, like the Collins, worked perfectly around the Australian coast, because it was designed to protect Australia,” he said. “It wasn’t designed to sit off the Chinese coast, sinking Chinese submarines. So now we’ve got a big 8,000-ton clunker, and we get three instead of 15.”
Keating, the former head of the Labour Party, went on to lambaste his successors – who he condemned as having made the party’s “worst international decision” since former prime minister Billy Hughes attempted to conscript Australians into World War I – for having allegedly taken the decision to buy the submarines in under a day.
“How could you take a policy which is going to cost this much money,” and “have these consequences for our relations” with both and the domestic industrial base, “in 24 hours?”
“You can only do it if you have no perceptive ability to understand the weight of the decisions you’re being asked to make,” Keating explained in a reference to Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and the current prime minister.
“Other people would call it incompetence,” he added.
According to Keating, the problem lies in the fact that in Australia, “defense has overtaken foreign policy” and “as a consequence, we’re not using diplomacy.”
“Running around the Pacific Islands with a lei around your neck, handing out money – which is what [Wong] does – is not foreign policy,” he explained.
“Foreign policy is “what you do with the Great Powers – what you do with China [and] what you do with the United States,” Keating noted, adding “this government, the Albanese government, does not employ foreign policy.”
The fact that “they are 12 flying hours from us, we have a continent of our own, a border with no one, no border disputes with them” was “perfect,” he said, but “no, no – we’ve manufactured a problem.”
‘Happy Days Are Here Again,’” ridiculed Keating.
“Don’t let the sleeping dogs lie – and now we’ve given the old dog a kicking,” with the new sub deal, Keating noted.
In reality, “the Chinese have never implied that they would threaten us, or said it explicitly,” because “the only way the Chinese could threaten Australia or attack it is on land – that is, they bring an armada of troop ships, with a massive army, to occupy us,” per Keating.
“This is not possible for the Chinese to do,” because the “armada” needed to do so would “need to come… 8,000 kilometers [from] Shanghai and Brisbane – in which case, we would just sink them all,” Keating pointed out.
The truth, the former Australian prime minister explained, is that “China has committed, in the eyes of the United States, the great sin of internationalism.”
“And what is that sin? to develop an economy as big as the United States. That’s the sin. They’ve got as big as the US.”
“The Americans will never condone or accept a state as large as them,” Keating said, noting that the US government “would have preferred [China] remain in poverty – 20 percent of humanity – forever.”
When the American ruling class sees “an industrial economy larger than the United States,” they consider it “an affront,” per Keating.
“This is what this is about – this is about the maintenance of US strategic hegemony in Asia.”
Despite the fact that “there’s no US in Asia,” Keating explains, the Americans “claim to be, and wish to be, the primary strategic power in Asia.”
“So what are the Chinese supposed to say to that? ‘oh, that’s okay.’”
‘We’ve been here 4,000 years. We’ve been subjugated by every bugger known to man. We’ve developed a decent economy, a decent standard of living, shelter, accommodation, education. That’s our sin, is it? That’s our sin?”
“What Anthony Albanese has done this week,” according to Keating, is “screwed into place the last shackle in the long chain which the Americans have laid out to contain china.” This means “we are now part of a containment policy against China,” he said. Keating went on to deride a photo-op Monday celebrating the AUKUS deal, at which Albanese stood alongside US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego, California, as a “kabuki show.”
“There’s three leaders standing there, only one is paying – our bloke.”
“The other two, you know, they’ve got the band playing, ‘Happy Days Are Here Again,’” ridiculed Keating.
“They’ve got the American president, who can hardly put three coherent sentences together – you know, he was happy about it all.” And “Rishi couldn’t believe we’re going to pass across $380 billion over time to British Aircraft, BAE Systems, a British company, to build these things – and to the American submarine companies – and we have to build the bases here.”
Having “destroyed their place in Europe” via Brexit, the UK government now finds itself in the position of having to “put together Global Britain,” he said. “So, they’re looking around for suckers.”
“And they’ve found, ‘ooh, here’s a bunch of accommodating people in Australia,’” mocked Keating.
“‘An accommodating prime minister, a conservative defense minister, a risk-averse foreign minister – let’s put a proposition to them,’” he said, rubbing his hands together in faux excitement.
“So here we are, 230 years after we left Britain, we are returning to Cornwall – and now Rishi Sunak, for god’s sake, Rishi Sunak – for Australia to find security in Asia,” Keating summarized. “I mean, how deeply pathetic is that.”
Now, Keating said, Australian strategic thinking has been overridden by “the spooks in Canberra” and is “dancing to the tune of ASPI, which is this pro-American cell run by a former private secretary to a liberal minister,” in a reference to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
In a little-discussed aside which has largely gone ignored by Western media, Keating noted that the French government has “offered the Australian government a new deal on the submarines,” which would involve the “new french nuclear submarine, the newest one in the world – 5% only enriched uranium, not 95 [percent], weapons grade – delivery firm date 2034, fixed prices.”
But “no response have the French had to that,” Keating lamented. Instead, “here we are, in Asia, going back to Britain, after they’ve dumped us, completely dumped us, all throughout the 20th century.”
“But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” saith the LORD the God of hosts; “and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.” Amos 6:14
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Amos 8:10
Question: Would Nato kick out Türkiye in order to admit Finland and Sweden? Then Nato would be enlarged, which is their aim, so would BRICS!
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Chapter 47 contains a prophecy of the destruction of the Philistines chiefly; and also of the Tyrians and Zidonians; Chapter 48 is a prophecy about Moab; but there is also a subtle change of theme, from immediate historic to prophetic: “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” saith the Lord, indicating during the latter days; this being their case, this prophecy could be as well meant for the endtime.
Jeremiah 47
1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before Pharaoh smote Gaza. — Gaza; one of the five cities of ancient Philistines, a very strong and fortified place, but now it is considered a region of the Philistines;
— before Pharaoh struck Gaza: Rashi: when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in the tenth year of Zedekiah, Pharaoh’s army came forth from Egypt, and the Chaldeans withdrew from Jerusalem. Pharaoh heard about the Chaldeans withdrawal and invaded Gaza, then returned to Egypt.
2 Thus saith the Lord: “Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein, the city, and them that dwell therein; then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
— thus saith the Lord, behold, waters rise up out of the north; meaning an army of men which should come in great numbers and with great force and rapidity like an overflowing flood. So the Targum says, “behold, people shall come from the north” that is, from Chaldea, which lay north of Palestine.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands,
— at the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses; the noise of the cavalry of Nebuchadnezzar’s army as they came marching towards the Philistines; who being mounted on strong prancing horses made a great noise as they came along and were heard at a distance:
— the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands; they would be so frightened at the approach of the enemy and flee; being so terrified as not to be able to lift up their hands to defend themselves and protect their children.
4 because of the day that cometh to despoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remaineth; for the Lord will despoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
— to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth; these were cities in Phoenicia which bordered on the country of the Philistines who were their auxiliaries in time of distress; but now, being wasted themselves could give them no help when Nebuchadnezzar attacked them; as did Tyre in particular, which he besieged thirteen years, and at last destroyed it and Zidon with it.
5 Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley. How long wilt thou cut thyself?” — baldness is come upon Gaza; the Targum says, “vengeance is come to the inhabitants of Gaza” it’s like a man whose hair is fallen from his head, or is clean shaved off;
— that is, its houses were demolished; its inhabitants slain, and their wealth plundered; a pillaged and depopulated place. Some understand this of shaving or tearing off the hair for grief and mourning because of their calamities.
6 O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? Put up thyself into thy scabbard; rest and be still. — O thou sword of the Lord; for though it was the sword of the Chaldeans, yet being appointed and sent by the Lord, and thus it is called his sword;
— and because, in multiple places (Jeremiah 25:9, Jeremiah 27:6, Jeremiah 43:10), God describes the one with his sword, Nebuchadnezzar, as “the king of Babylon, My servant,” three times actually;
God’s Sword, describing Nebuchadnezzar, “the king of Babylon, My servant.”
7 How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon and against the seashore? There hath He appointed it.
— seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon and against the seashore? for it (the sword of the Chaldeans) had a commission from the Lord to destroy the inhabitants of Ashkelon and other places, which lay still more towards the sea as Joppa and Jamne; and indeed all Palestine lay on the coast of the Mediterranean sea.
Jeremiah 48
Heshbon was the capital city of the Moabites: when the Chaldeans made themselves masters of Heshbon, a place of great importance, they consulted how to carry on their conquests over the rest of the country.
Ancient Heshbon was beyond, i.e. east of the Jordan. The city was where the Israelites passed by on their entry to the Promised Land and was assigned to the tribe of Reuben; afterwards it was given to the Tribe of Gad and became a Levitical city for the Merarites.
Heshbon is mentioned in the Tanakh in the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy as the capital of Amorite king, Sihon (or Sehon). The biblical narrative records the story of the Israelite victory over Sihon during the time of Moses.
Heshbon is highlighted due to its importance as the capital of Sihon, King of the Amorites: “For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as Arnon.”
Similar passages appear in Deuteronomy and Joshua, with the primary emphasis being the victory of the Israelites over King Sihon at the site of Heshbon. Moses died soon after the victory, after viewing the “promised land” from the top of Mount Nebo.
Following the death of Moses, Heshbon became a town at the border between the lands allocated to the Tribe of Reuben and the Tribe of Gad. Further biblical evidence suggests that the town later came under Moabite control, as mentioned by Isaiah and Jeremiah in their denunciations of Moab, and later under Ammonite occupation as Jeremiah 49:3 strongly suggests.
1 Against Moab, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe unto Nebo! For it is despoiled; Kiriathaim is confounded and taken; Misgab is confounded and dismayed.
— against Moab; thus saith the Lord of hosts, Woe unto Nebo! and Kiriathaim, another ancient city of the country, is confounded and taken; Misgab, literally, “the citadel,” probably Kir-Moab, the strongest fort of the Moabites, or a general expression denoting the overthrow of Moab’s power, is confounded and dismayed.
2 There shall be no more praise of Moab; in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; ‘Come, and let us cut it off from being a nation.’ Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.
— come, and let us cut it off from being a nation: this is what the Babylonians consulted together against Heshbon; and not only against that, a principal city; but against the whole country of Moab, that which the Moabites with others devised against the people of Israel is now devised against them; a just retaliation perhaps; see Psalms 83:4.
3 “A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Despoiling and great destruction!’ — a voice from Horonaim; another city of Moab. The word Horonaim is a dual number; as there were two Horons, the upper and the lower; of this place should also be destroyed; and so a cry of its inhabitants should be heard out of it.
4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. — the Chaldeans are to destroy the Moabites; perhaps the whole nation in general; so the Targum, “the kingdom of Moab is broken,” but is this also a prophecy for today? Jordan?
5 For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. — for in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; this is another city, which was built on a high hill which had a considerable ascent to it,
— where those that escaped from Horonaim might flee for safety; but as they went up the hill would weep bitterly and all the way they went, because of the loss of friends and sustenance; of this place came the Chaldeans and they heard the cries of those that fled from Horonaim and went up from thence to Luhith, and the cries continues.
6 Flee, save your lives, and be like a naked tree in the wilderness. — flee, save your lives; these are either the words of the Moabites; or that of Jeremiah;
— their cry of destruction mentioned above, who seeing nothing but ruin before their eyes, advise one another to flee in all haste and save their lives if possible since nothing else could be saved.
7 For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken; and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.
— and Chemosh shall go forth in captivity with his priests and his princes together; this was the god of the Ammonites, Judges 11:24; and of the Moabites, 1 Kings 11:7; hence the Moabites are called the people of Chemosh, Numbers 21:29.
8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken. — and the spoiler shall come upon every city; that is, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his army;
— the Targum says, the spoilers, who came against and took every city of Moab and wasted them. Josephus makes particular mention of Nebuchadnezzar subduing the Ammonites and Moabites: and no city shall escape; the spoiler and destruction by him;
— the valley also shall perish and the plain destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken; not only the cities and their inhabitants; but the inhabitants of the valleys and plains as the Targum paraphrases it should be destroyed; and also the corn that grew upon them and the flocks and herds that grazed there, exactly as the Lord had foretold.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. Hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
9 “Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away; for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. — give wings unto Moab that it may flee and get away; that is, give wings to the inhabitants of Moab;
— signifying that they were in great danger and no probability of escape unless they had the wings of a swift bird; and passing away with wings may signify not their fleeing from danger and their attempt to escape; but their swift and sudden destruction;
— the Targum says, “take away the crown from Moab, for going it shall go away into captivity.”
10 “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. — cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully; which is said with respect to the Chaldeans, who were enjoined to destroy the Moabites;
— which is called the work of the Lord because he had given them a commission to do; and which was to be done by them, not by halves, or in a remiss and negligent manner, but fully and faithfully; they were not to spare them, as Saul did the Amalekites; all should be done in uprightness and sincerity with all faithfulness and integrity:
— it is done deceitfully when men play the hypocrite; and negligently when they are backward to it, lukewarm in it, and infrequent in its performance which brings upon them the curse of God;
— and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood; from shedding the blood of the Moabites, when God had given command to do it. The curse is repeated to confirm the matter that it might be most assuredly expected; since it would certainly come if the Lord’s work was not done aright.
11 “Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity; therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. —
12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” saith the Lord, “that I will send unto him wanderers, who shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels and break their bottles.
— a change would be made, and that in a very short time, as according to Josephus, it was about five years after the destruction of Jerusalem that the Moabites were subdued by the king of Babylon;
— but there is also a subtle change of theme, from immediate historic to prophetic; behold, the days are coming, indicating during the latter days; this being their case, this prophecy could be as well meant for the endtime;
— the Targum says, “I will send spoilers upon them, and they shall spoil them, and empty their substance, and consume the good of their land” whereas the Septuagint version says, “they shall cut in pieces his horns.”
13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. — and Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh; Moab’s god; Jeremiah 48:7; of Moab’s worship of Chemosh, prayers to him, and confidence in him; but Chemosh not being able to save Moab from the destruction of the Chaldeans and being carried captive by them;
— as the house of Israel were ashamed of Bethel their confidence; that is, of the golden calf that was set up in Bethel by Jeroboam and which the ten tribes of Israel worshipped; but that could not save them from being carried captive by the Assyrians; and so were ashamed of their idolatrous worship.
14 “How say ye, ‘We are mighty and strong men for the war’? — how say ye, we are mighty and strong men for war? the Moabites were proud, haughty and arrogant; boasted much of their strength and valour;
— of the strength of their bodies and fitness for war, and their fortified cities; and secure from all danger: so for their pride, vanity and self-confidence, they are reproved here since their destruction was at hand.
15 Moab is despoiled and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter,” saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. — Moab is spoiled, the whole country is ruined; which is spoken of as present though a future scenario, too, after the manner of prophecy;
— and gone up out of her cities; the inhabitants of Moab were gone up out of their cities, either through fear and flight; or through force, being made to go out of them and were carried captive. The Targum says, “the Moabites are spoiled, and their cities are desolate.”
16 “The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteneth fast. — the calamity of Moab is near to come; as it did come within five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, as observed on Jeremiah 48:12; and from Josephus: and his affliction hasteth fast; or “his evil” the evil of punishment for his sin is utter destruction.
17 All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, ‘How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!’ — all ye that are about him, bemoan him; the neighbouring nations such as the Ammonites and others are called upon to condole the sad case of Moab; all upon the borders of the country of Moab, either within them or without them.
18 Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the despoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds.
— thou daughter that inhabit Dibon; a city in Moab; the Targum says, “O kingdom of the congregation of Dibon” but this was not a kingdom of itself, though a principal city in the kingdom of Moab.
19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and espy; ask him that fleeth and her that escapeth, and say, ‘What is done?’ — O inhabitant of Aroer, another city that belonged to Moab situated on the border towards Ammon, near the river Arnon.
20 Moab is confounded, for it is broken down. Howl and cry! Tell ye it in Arnon that Moab is despoiled! — tell ye in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled; the country of Arnon,
— so called from a river of that name, on the banks of which Aroer was situated; the inhabitants of which are desired to spread it all over that part of the country that Moab was utterly ruined by the Chaldean army.
21 “And judgement has come upon the plain country: upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath, — and judgement has come upon the plain country, upon the plateau; north of Arnon, cities which had been in the possession of the tribe of Reuben for some centuries after the conquest, upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim,
23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon,
24 and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” saith the Lord. — the horn of Moab, emblem of strength and sovereignty, is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord, he has lost all his former great power, his mighty position is shattered. All this, as the prophet now points out, is the result of Moab’s pride.
26 “Make ye him drunken, for he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. — make ye him drunken; not with wine, but with the cup of divine wrath; with the vengeance of God;
— with sore judgements, afflictions and calamities; give him his fill of them till he is quite intoxicated and has lost his senses and is brought to madness and distraction and reels, staggers and falls to the ground like a drunken man; and his state and kingdom ruined: this is said to the enemies of Moab, the king of Babylon and his army;
— the Targum interprets it of the people of God, paraphrasing; “bring distress upon them, that they may be like to drunken men; for against the people of the Lord have they magnified themselves.”
27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? Was he found among thieves? For since thou spokest of him, thou skipped for joy. — for was not Israel a derision unto thee?
— in the time of his calamity when the ten tribes were carried captive by the Assyrians some years ago; and of late the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin by the Chaldeans; the Moabites rejoiced at this, which they ought not to have done;
— for since thou spoke of him, thou skipped for joy; or, “shookedst thyself” whenever the Moabites spoke of the distresses and calamities of Israel and of their captivity they laughed till they shook themselves; not only shook their heads but their whole bodies. The Targum says, “and because ye have multiplied words against them, therefore ye shall go into captivity.”
28 “O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth. — and be like the dove; that is, be humble; which, for fear of birds of prey, makes her nest in a hole or cleft of a rock.
29 We have heard the pride of Moab (he is exceeding proud)— his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. — we have heard the pride of Moab; Israel and all the nations around had heard of this, and seen or heard of his arrogancy, pride and haughtiness;
30 I know his wrath,” saith the Lord, “but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. — God know his wrath against the Jews and other nations; what he has threatened to do unto them and would do if not restrained.
31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; Mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.
32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer; thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer. The spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage,
— O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer; Sibmah was a city in the land of Moab abounding with vines, but now should be destroyed; and Jazer another city in the same country, which was destroyed before the other; and therefore its destruction should be lamented and wept over, as that had been: or “from” or “after the weeping of Jazer,”
— the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage: the king of Babylon, who came upon them with his army in the summer season and at the time of their vintage and devoured the fruits of their vines and fig trees with which this country abounded; and so impoverished and ruined them;
— the Targum says, “therefore as I have brought an army against Jazer, so I will bring slayers against Sibmah; they that carry them captive have waded; they have passed through the sea; they are come to the sea of Jazer; upon thy harvest, and upon thy vintage, the spoilers are fallen.”
33 and joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field and from the land of Moab. And I have caused wine to fail from the wine presses; none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.
— the land of Moab, where there were good pasture, corn and fruit bearing trees, which produced great plenty of good things and caused joy to the owners of them: but now all being destroyed by the enemy, joy and gladness would cease.
34 “From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as a heifer of three years old; for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.
— from the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh; two cities in the land of Moab; also see Isaiah 15:4. Heshbon being destroyed, a cry was made by its inhabitants which either reached Elealeh; or the destruction being carried on to that city, the cry continued there.
35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab,” saith the Lord, “him that offereth in the high places and him that burneth incense to his gods. — moreover God will cause him that offereth in the high places to cease in Moab; a burnt offering there; that is, the priest, who shall be taken and carried captive, Jeremiah 48:7; even everyone of them so that there will not be one left to offer sacrifice:
— and him that burneth incense to his gods: Chemosh, and others, the Moabites worshipped: this suggests that idolatry was one of the sins for which they were punished; and as all places and all sorts of persons should suffer in this calamity, so likewise idolatrous places, priests and worshippers.
36 Therefore Mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and Mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres, because the riches that he hath gotten have perished.
— therefore my heart shall sound for Moab like pipes; that are sounded on mournful occasions, as at funerals; this the prophet said, the inhabitants of Moab, whose hearts would yearn and sound for the calamities of their country like the doleful sound of minstrels. So the Targum says, “therefore the Moabites shall sound in their hearts like a harp;”
— because the riches that he hath gotten is perished; either Moab or Kirheres; the abundance of goods they had got together were now lost, falling into the hands of the enemy; and which was matter of lamentation. The Targum says, “for the rest of their substance they had got were spoiled.”
37 “For every head shall be bald and every beard clipped; upon all the hands shall be cuts and upon the loins sackcloth. — for every head shall be bald and every beard clipped; men, in times of mourning, used to pluck off the hairs of their head till they made them bald and shaved their beards which were the glory of their faces; see Isaiah 15:2;
— upon all the hands shall be cuttings: it was usual with the heathens to make incisions in several parts of their bodies, particularly in their hands and arms with their nails or with knives, in token of mourning; which are forbidden by the Israelites, Deuteronomy 14:1;
— and upon the loins sackcloth; this is a well known custom for mourners to put off their clothes and put on sackcloth; all these things are mentioned to show how great was the mourning of Moab for its calamities.
38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure,” saith the Lord.
— for God have broken Moab like a vessel wherein he has no pleasure; as an earthen vessel which the potter does not like and which is useless and unprofitable to any, and which he takes and dashes into pieces; into a thousand shivers and can never be put together again;
— or as a filthy unclean vessel a man cannot bear in his sight: Moab is by the Lord called his wash pot, Psalms 60:8. The Moabites were vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction by their own this; and now its time has come.
39 “They shall howl, saying, ‘How it is broken down! How hath Moab turned the back with shame!’ So shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all those about him.”
— they shall howl, saying, how is it broken down? Or, “how is it broken” or “thrown into consternation? they howl” that is, they howl out these words, or while they are howling, say, how is Kirheres or Moab broken all to pieces; their strength, power and glory; their cities and their mighty men; and are in the utmost fright and confusion?
— Rashi: Wail about her and asks, “How was she dismayed?”
40 For thus saith the Lord: “Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab. — for thus saith the Lord, behold, he shall fly as an eagle; the enemy, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with his army; who is compared to an eagle for his strength, swiftness and greediness after the prey:
— and shall spread his wings over Moab as an eagle spreads its wings, which are very large over the little birds it seizes upon as its prey; so the king of Babylon would bring a numerous army against Moab and spread it over his country.
— the Targum says ,”behold, as all eagle which flies, so a king shall come up with his army, and encamp against Moab.”
— speaking against Israel: “The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand,” Deuteronomy 28:44,49; also one eagle, but differs being a lender; and “he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.”
— and of Edom: “Behold, He shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread His wings over Bozrah; and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs,” Jeremiah 49:22
41 Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are surprised; and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. — and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs;
— even the hearts of the soldiers and the most courageous generals shall sink within them; and they be not only as timorous as women in common but as low spirited as a woman when she finds her pains are coming upon her and the time of her delivery is at hand.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord. — and Moab shall be destroyed from being a people; for some time, not always; since the captivity of Moab is promised to be returned “in the latter days,” Jeremiah 48:47;
— or from being such a people as they had been, enjoying so much ease, wealth, power and prosperity. Some Rabbi take it to be a comparative and renders it, “more than a people”; that is, shall be destroyed more than any other people;
— because he hath magnified himself against the Lord; the Targum says, against the people of the Lord; this is the cause of his destruction.
43 Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab,” saith the Lord. — fear and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee; a proverbial expression, showing, that if they escaped one danger or sore judgement, they should fall into another and greater: the words seem to be taken from Isaiah 24:17.
44 “He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation,” saith the Lord.
— he that fleeth from fear, trying to escape the general horror, shall fall into the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare, one or the other of the calamities will be sure to catch him; for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of his visitation, saith the Lord.
45 “They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force; but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
— they that fled, the fugitives who escaped the slaughter, stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force, powerless in the face of the danger confronting them; but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, the city in which they hoped to find refuge and a flame from the midst of Sihon, the ancient king of the Amorites, and shall devour the corner of Moab so that it would be totally destroyed and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones, of the sons of warlike confusion.
46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perisheth! For thy sons are taken captive and thy daughters captive. — woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth; the inhabitants of Moab, who worshipped the idol Chemosh; Jeremiah 48:7;
— and so called his people, as Israel were called the people of the Lord; now these, notwithstanding their idol, whom they worshipped and in whom they trusted, should perish; and sad and deplorable would be their condition and circumstances;
— for thy sons and daughters are taken captives; this explains the woe that should come upon them and in what sense they should perish; since their sons and daughters who they hoped would have continued their name and nation, were taken and would be carried captives into Babylon; Numbers 21:29.
47 “Yet will I bring back the captives of Moab in the latter days,” saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgement of Moab. — yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter day, saith the Lord;
— “in the latter days” thus this is a prophecy, not only of Moab, but also of the Jews to assure them of their return from captivity as had been promised them, since this would be the case even of Moab. It had historically a literal accomplishment under Cyrus, the Persian, when they were restored to their land.
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
‘I’m Telling You, He Did It’: Seymour Hersh Slams Biden as Nord Stream Bomber at National Press Club
Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh made waves again Tuesday night when he excoriated the Biden administration and lambasted mainstream media coverage of the Nord Stream bombing, the Russiagate story, and the Democrat Party’s love of war at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
In a wide-ranging discussion, journalist Seymour Hersh doubled down on his explosive findings that US President Joe Biden ordered the Nord Stream pipelines to be blown up last year using C-4 charges previously planted by US Navy divers, took his former employers at the New York Times to task for their uncritical reporting on the issue, and slammed top Biden officials as “lunatics.”
“We’ve got to cut; we’ve got these lunatics,” Hersh told audiences at the storied press center.
While he said he’s “sure they’re high IQ,” the journalist noted that “[US Secretary of State] Tony Blinken, [US national security adviser] Jake Sullivan, [Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria] Nuland… are just doing insane things.”
As for Biden, there’s no doubt the commander-in-chief played a central role in ensuring that the Nord Stream sabotage took place, Hersh told event attendees.
“He did it. He did it,” Hersh reiterated. “I’m telling you, he did it.” And now, the legendary journalist said “the Biden game is to wait it out and never say yes.”
The decision to take out the pipelines was potentially taken due to Biden’s desire to secure reelection, Hersh said. “I think Biden also saw beating up Russia as a ticket. Jack Kennedy is a classic example – presidents always did well politically in wars.”
So in January of 2022, Hersh said, top Biden officials decided to “see if we can find a way to blow… those pipelines, and put [the Russians] back in the dark ages.” But many Americans remain in the dark about the situation, he said, due to what he describes as the mainstream media’s dereliction of duty.
“We don’t ever get news anymore,” Hersh lamented. “And the newspapers cover what they want” – mainly, “Biden.”
Asked why legacy media continues to ignore the bombshell report on the Biden administration’s responsibility for the Nord Stream bombings, Hersh was succinct: “they don’t like what I’m writing.”
He took aim at the White House Press Corp in particular. “I have a horror about the White House press corps” because “they’re so tied to the beat,” Hersh explained.
It’s the “job” of the White House press secretary “to produce pablum. And… reduce everything to pablum. And that’s not challenged by anybody.”
At the infamous February 2022 joint press conference in which Biden threatened to “bring an end to Nord Stream 2” if Russian forces entered Ukrainian territory, corporate media subservience was on full display, Hersh bemoaned.
When a German reporter pushed back and asked how Biden would “do that, since the project and control of the project is within Germany’s control,” the US president was undeterred: “I promise you – we will find a way.”
As Hersh explains, the power dynamic on display was highly revealing.
“After that meeting with that unbelievably shoddy, embarrassing meeting with [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz, who went home, you know, slunk his way back. I hope they put him at least in the Blair House and, you know, not in a Motel Six somewhere.”
“It was really unbelievable. It was so depressing to see this man coming like a lap dog and having 5 minutes in the sun.”
“It’s a very strange position,” Hersh added. “I always thought the Democratic Party was more anti-war, but they’re into this one big time.”
Russiagate, Twitter Files & US Desperation
The Democrat-Republican switch on war matters can partially be traced back to the Russiagate hoax, which took hold in the imaginations of huge numbers of Democrats in 2017. That’s when the Clinton campaign attempted to pin the blame for her surprise loss to former President Donald Trump on a supposed Russian influence campaign.
There was just one problem: the influence campaign in question never happened, as demonstrated by numerous reports debunking the conspiracy theory. But despite knowing it wasn’t true, high-ranking political authorities continued to run with the narrative for years.
Yet, as revealed by American journalists like Matt Taibbi in a series of exposés that have become known as the Twitter Files, FBI officials continued to use the specter of Russian election interference to demand the censorship of private Americans for years afterwards.
“The basic theory is the media did realize the incredible power they had to manipulate on social media,” Hersh explained.
And now the Twitter Files have revealed exactly “what the government would [do], in its desperation to prove that Russia was behind the 2016 election,” Hersh said — and it’s “not pleasant.”
“I have friends that I have trusted for 40 years,” Hersh said, and “there’s… not a shred of real intelligence” that Russia was behind Trump’s election. “It’s really a mess. That story’s a mess.”
Caught in the Crosshairs
But the course charted by American elites in the aftermath of Trump’s election was in many ways predictable, according to the journalist, who went on to state it’s no surprise the US would take any opportunity to go after another one of their long-term targets:
“I mean, we’re big haters. We always, we learned to hate in World War Two. And we’ve had you know, everybody is on our hit list – Saddam, Bashar Assad.”
Though slain former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were erstwhile US partners, both found themselves in the crosshairs of American foreign policy in the aftermath of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center, when the US began its rush to war with a number of Middle Eastern nations.
Since then, the American “hit list” has come to include a number of other foreign leaders as well, Hersh noted.
“Certainly… all the people in Iran on our hitlist… we always have a big hit list. And of course, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s way up there.”
“[Putin] is very smart. And he knows his facts. And he spits them out and he knows certain things,” Hersh continued, later touching on the Black Sea Grain Initiative that was negotiated by Turkish counterparts and hailed as a win for those in the developing world facing rising hunger.
“He allowed” grain vessels to depart from the Black Sea “because he was promised that 30% of them would carry grain to the poor in the world,” Hersh explained, before going on to offer a prediction for how the conflict may conclude.
But, as Putin predicted at the time, little of the grain ultimately ended up in the neediest nations, and the deal’s fate is currently up in the air.
“At a certain point, [Putin] is going to want… a suzerainty, is the word I’m hearing.”
“It’s the word in the [intelligence] community, is [it’s] going to be suzerainty,” Hersh claimed, continuing: “the big deal is you cut a deal with the government and the deal is demilitarize.”
And for the US, Hersh predicted, “it’s going to be a no-go.”
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Amos 8:10
“But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” saith the LORD the God of hosts; “and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.” Amos 6:14
The AUKUS submarines are years from hitting the water but have already claimed their first victim.
The relationship between the Labor government and the party’s elder statesman Paul Keating has been sunk. In truth, it was already listing badly over this issue, but now it’s irrevocably ruptured.
Any pretence of playing nice has gone. Even basic respect now appears to be sitting at the bottom of the sea.
The former prime minister was critical of Labor in opposition for promptly backing the AUKUS idea when it was conceived by the Morrison government. That criticism turned into an extraordinary spray at the National Press Club on Wednesday, after the final details of the submarine plan were unveiled.
The torpedoes were firing in nearly all directions.
Joe Biden was described as a president who “can hardly put three coherent sentences together.” Australian security agencies were “ning-nongs” and “dopes.” Journalists were called even worse.
Few of them would be too troubled by the name-calling. It’s Paul Keating after all.
But for the most senior members of the Government — Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles and Penny Wong — it’s not so easy to brush this off. For them, being labelled “seriously unwise ministers” who had just made “the worst international decision” by a Labor government in 100 years would have stung.
A young Penny Wong was inspired to pursue a political career by Paul Keating. She’s spoken many times of the impact the former prime minister had on her views about Australia’s role in the region.
Yesterday, Keating belittled her work as foreign minister as meaningless. “Running around the Pacific islands with a lei around your neck handing out money, which is what Penny does, is not foreign policy,” he declared. “The Albanese Government does not employ a foreign policy.”
Joe Biden a president who “can hardly put three coherent sentences together”
The only ‘threat’ Australia should worry about
Anthony Albanese, Keating argued, was played by his British and American counterparts this week. “At the Kabuki show in San Diego, there’s three leaders standing there. Only one is paying. Our bloke, Albo.”
Notably, there was only one target Keating seemed unwilling to touch: China.
The trade sanctions imposed against Australia were played down as mere “commercial reactions.”
The prolific cyber-attacks were dismissed as the normal behaviour of a big power. So too, the claiming of disputed territory in the South China Sea.
Keating wouldn’t even accept criticism of Beijing for what a United Nations report has described as “serious human rights violations” against its minority Uyghur population. “That’s disputed,” he said.
Nor did the former PM think anyone should be troubled by China’s rapid military build-up, which includes a 7.2-per-cent increase in defence spending this year to an annual budget of around $335 billion (compared to Australia’s plan to spend up to $386 billion on submarines over 30 years).
[China’s US$ 224 billion compares to $US 886 billion for the 2024 Budget; also the same budget could allow Australia between 40 to 50 Collins-class submarines, with 15 operational all the time; instead of just three of the eight Virginia-class]
“What China is doing is not provocation,” Keating argued. “They’re a major state.”
In Paul Keating’s view, none of China’s behaviour on trade, cyber warfare, foreign interference, exerting its power in disputed waters, President Xi Jinping’s pledge to “reunify” Taiwan or his accelerating military expansion amounts to a threat to Australia.
This behaviour, often described as China’s “grey zone” warfare, is entirely unsurprising and untroubling, in Keating’s black-and-white world view.
The only “threat” we should worry about is the utterly far-fetched prospect of Chinese troops landing on Australian soil. “That is, they bring an armada of troop ships with a massive army to occupy us,” he said, pointing out “this is not possible for the Chinese to do.”
Anything short of Chinese troop ships landing in Australia, in other words, should not be considered a threat.
This goes to the heart of the strategic shift under AUKUS. Australian defence policy has previously centred around defending Australia. Under AUKUS, defence policy is shifting to defending sea lanes far to the north and playing a role in “securing the region.”
As Defence Minister Richard Marles puts it, Australia needs to “project” into the region with “impact.”
Keating is far from alone in criticising this fundamental strategic shift. Plenty of other analysts wonder why Australia needs the capability to have nuclear-powered submarines lurking for months at a time in the South China Sea, and worry we’ll now be far more beholden to the United States.
But the bipartisan view of today’s leaders is that this is a fundamentally important shift. China’s “grey zone” warfare must be taken seriously. It can’t be ignored.
Marles says: “Our new strategic circumstances demand that we walk down this new path.” This new capability “will make our nation more safe — that’s what people need to understand.” He does not accept Keating’s benign view of what he calls “the single biggest conventional military build-up anywhere in the world since the Second World War.”
Nor does Kim Beazley, who served as defence minister in the Hawke Government, Labor leader for nearly six years and Ambassador to Washington. He rejects Keating’s rubbishing of the AUKUS deal and wonders why it’s OK for China to build nuclear submarines “by the bushel,” but not Australia.
“I don’t think anyone would see that as a fair or sensible position,” Beazley told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.
Ultimately, the Keating criticism won’t stop AUKUS. He has railed against Labor’s position on China for years to little effect. There have been no cracks in the caucus and little evidence of a revolt amongst party members, despite Keating’s claims that most rank-and-file ALP members agree with him.
But the sharp critique will still sting those who once idolised the Labor luminary.
It may also force the Government to shed its cautious talk of “deteriorating regional security” and explicitly spell out the reason for these nuclear submarines. China.
“But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” saith the LORD the God of hosts; “and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.” Amos 6:14
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. Amos 8:10
Way back in April, 2022, Boris Johnson, intoxicated and deprived of a sound mind, purposely flew over to Kyiv to sabotage the Peace Deal between Ukraine and Russia on behalf of Joe Biden; and as a result, almost one year on, Ukraine is being ravaged and destroyed!
Now Britainis is told to double attack submarine fleet to challenge China. Have the Prime Ministers of Britain lost their mind?
Have the Prime Ministers of Britain lost their mind?
Britain will need to double the size of its attack submarine fleet to challenge China, it has been warned.
Currently, the UK is building seven Astute-class hunter-killer vessels, which cost £1.3 billion each.
However, in the face of an increasingly aggressive China, defence insiders have said these need to be replaced with up to 19 British-designed next generation submarines, known as the Submersible Ship Nuclear (Replacement) – a modified version of the boats being supplied to Australia under the Aukus agreement.
Rishi Sunak has been in the US to take part in a three-way summit with Joe Biden and Anthony Albanese, the Australian premier, to sign off on the historic Aukus pact to develop conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian navy.
Speaking on Monday, the Prime Minister insisted Britain was committed to “swift and robust action” to counter any threat to UK national interests from China, as he set out his “refreshed” Integrated Review on UK foreign and defence policy.
However, senior Conservative MPs criticised the Government’s stance on China in the review, after Mr Sunak stopped short of calling China dangerous, instead referring to Beijing as a “challenge.”
Speaking in San Diego, Mr Sunak said: “China is a country with fundamentally different values to ours. And it represents a challenge to the world order. And that’s why it’s right that we are alert to that, and take steps to protect ourselves, protect both our values, stand up for our values and protect our interests.”
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.
The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Hence, for ignoring the Targum as an authority for Understanding and Truth, the endtime Churches of God is being discribed as wretches, blind and naked; and would be thus justifiably destined to be spewed out of God’s mouth!
False shepherds and false teachings abound everywhere so much so that, if possible, even the elect are deceived! Thus for correction when one is spewed out of God’s mouth, it is with certainty that the spewing is into the Fire! Selah!
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20; that is, in the latter days, in our time, shall ye understand it clearly. Only in the endtime would we be able to understand this book of Jeremiah perfectly.
Jeremiah 45
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)
1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book out of the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,
— the fourth year of Jehoiakim would be perhaps 606 BC or whereabout (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon); having the same beginning as chapter 25;
— in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; which was eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem; which would more properly have followed the 36th chapter; where we have an account of what Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah in a roll, and read to the people, and after that to the princes; which exposed him to danger, and caused the grief expressed by him in this chapter is postponed to this place.
2 “Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch:
3 Thou didst say, ‘Woe is me now! For the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.’ — thou didst say, woe is me now; what will become of me?
— I am ruined; this he said in his heart, if not with his lips, perhaps both ways; and when the king gave orders to apprehend him and the prophet, being provoked at the roll which he had wrote and read, Jeremiah 36:26;
— for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; caused him grief upon grief, sorrow upon sorrow; for there was a variety of things which occasioned grief and sorrow; the trouble of his office as a scribe to the prophet; the grievous things contained in the prophecies he transcribed, concerning the ruin of his people and nation; the king’s displeasure at the roll and his burning it;
— I fainted in my sighing; he sighed and groaned at what he saw coming upon his country, which overcame his spirits; he sunk and swooned away: or “I laboured in my sighing” amidst his sighs and groans, he prayed to the Lord, and laboured in prayer, that he might be delivered from the evils he feared were coming upon him.
4 Thus shalt thou say unto him, ‘The Lord saith thus: Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.
— the Lord saith thus, behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up; even the Jewish nation which the Lord had built up as a spacious and beautiful house to dwell in, and had planted as a vineyard and set it with pleasant plants; but now would demolish this building and destroy his estate:
— even this whole land; not a few cities only, or only Jerusalem the metropolis but the whole land of Judea; no part of it but what should be left desolate. The Targum says, “even the whole land of Israel, is mine.”
5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not; for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord, but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.’”
— seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; riches and wealth honour and esteem, peace and prosperity; these were not to be sought after and expected, when the whole nation would be involved in such a general calamity;
— for, behold, God will bring evil upon all flesh; not upon every individual person in the world; but upon all the inhabitants of Judea, who should either die by the sword or by famine, pestilence or be carried as captives;
— but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey wherever thou goest; after the destruction of Jerusalem, along with the prophet; and even into Egypt that the Jews that went there; where his life would be in danger, and yet the Scriptures are silent here, but elsewhere in Ezekiel 17 most probably Jeremiah and the king’s daughters would be taken by another great eagle to Ireland.
Jeremiah 46
1 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations. — the word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations;
— not all the nations of the world, but some hereafter mentioned: the Egyptians, Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Syrians, Arabians, Chaldean and the Persians: though the prophecies delivered are all against them, none favourable.
2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
— against Egypt; this is the title of the first prophecy against Egypt; which is first mentioned because the Jews were most familiar with and have placed great confidence in and much relied on the Egyptians for help:
— Wiki: Carchemish was the location of an important battle, about 605 BC, between the Babylonians and Egyptians, mentioned in the Bible (Jeremiah 46:2).
3 “Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle!
4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines!
5 Why have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? And their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace and look not back, for fear was round about,” saith the Lord.
— the Egyptians, they were seized with a panic, and thrown into the utmost consternation and turned their backs upon their enemy: these are either the words of the prophet, who are led by a spirit of prophecy, foreseeing the consternation, confusion and flight of the Egyptian army; or of the Lord, who foresaw all this:
— and their mighty ones are beaten down and fled apace, and look not back; their best troops were broken, their ranks and files and thrown into the utmost disorder; and therefore made all the haste they could to escape the fury of the enemy, and fled with the utmost horror and never stopped to look back upon their pursuers.
6 “Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble and fall toward the north by the River Euphrates. — let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty men escape; those that were swift of foot, or carried but light armour, let not such trust to their swiftness;
— nor let the mighty man think to escape by reason of his great strength, to make his way through the enemy, and get out of his hands. Or this may be rendered as future, “the swift shall not flee away” so the Targum says neither one nor the other shall escape by the nimbleness of their heels, or the stoutness of their hearts:
— they shall stumble and fall toward the north, by the river Euphrates; which lay north of Judea, and also was to the north of Egypt, whose destruction is threatened: the place where this route and slaughter would be made was Carchemish, which was situated by that great river Euphrates.
7 “Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? — who is this that cometh up as a flood; these are either the words of the prophet, who having a vision in prophecy of the march of the Egyptian army from the south to the north,
— which God compares to a flood; in allusion to the river Nile, which used to overflow its banks; these are the words of God, who puts this question to Jeremiah in order to give an answer to it and thereby upbraid the Egyptians with their arrogance, pride and vanity; which would all come to nothing:
— whose waters are moved as the rivers? whose numerous armies came with a great noise and force like the openings of the Nile, with its seven gates; which were very boisterous, especially in hard gales of wind: it is usual for large armies to be compared to floods and rivers, which move forcibly and swiftly, and make a large spread; Isaiah 8:7;
— the Targum says, “who is this that comes up with his army as a cloud, and covers the earth, and as a fountain of water, whose waters are moved?”
8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, ‘I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.’
— and he saith, I will go up; Pharaohnecho king of Egypt said, I will go up from my own land to the north to meet the king of Babylon: and will cover the earth with his Egyptian army: even all toward the north country, including the Babylonish empire;
— God will destroy the city, and the inhabitants thereof; which restrains to the city Carchemish, where his army was smitten: but it is better to interpret, the singular by the plural, as the Targum does, “I will destroy cities” since it was not a single city he came up to take, nor would this satisfy his ambition and temper.
9 Come up, ye horses, and rage, ye chariots! And let the mighty men come forth: the Ethiopians and the Libyans that handle the shield, and the Lydians that handle and bend the bow.
— come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; these are either the words of Pharaoh, giving orders to his cavalry and charioteers to make haste and come up to battle, not doubting of victory: or rather of the Lord by the prophet, ironically calling upon the horsemen in the Egyptian army to come on and engage with the enemy, and behave gallantly; and those in the chariots to drive;
— the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; or Cush and Phut, both sons of Ham, and brethren of Mizraim, from whence Egypt had its name, Genesis 10:6; the posterity of these are meant. The Cushites or Ethiopians were near neighbours of the Egyptians, and their allies and confederates.
10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Him of His adversaries. And the sword shall devour, and it shall be sated and made drunk with their blood; for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the River Euphrates.
— and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood; that is, the sword of the Chaldeans shall destroy the Egyptians in such vast numbers, that there shall be no more to be slain; or there shall be no desire in the enemy to slay any more; they shall be glutted with their blood;
— for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates near Carchemish, an allusion to the sacrifices of great warriors, which are many; the Lord of hosts had a sacrifice, or a great slaughter of men, his enemies; inflicted punishment on them, wherein his power and justice were displayed.
11 Go up into Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. — and take balm, O virgin, daughter of Egypt; the kingdom of Egypt,
— as the Targum says; so called because of its glory and excellency; and because as yet it had not been conquered and brought under the power of another.
12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.”
— the nations have heard of thy shame; their shameful defeat and overthrow by the Chaldean army; so after the manner of prophecy uttered, the warning fulfilled; the battle fought and the victory obtained; and the rumour and fame spread among the nations, to the great mortification of this proud people;
— and thy cry hath filled the land; the shrieks of the wounded; the cry of those pursued and taken; the lamentation of friends and relations for their dead; the whole land of Egypt; yea, all the countries round about them, in confederacy with them were filled with distress for the loss of their own; the calamity was large and spreading:
— for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together; either the mighty Egyptians against the mighty Chaldeans; and though the latter were the conquerors, yet lost abundance of men; so that there were mighty ones fell on both sides. The Targum says both were slain.
13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt: — the word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet;
— this is a new and distinct prophecy from the former, though still concerning Egypt; but this differs; the former prophecy respects only the overthrow of the Egyptian army at a certain place; this latter the general destruction of the land; and was fulfilled some years after the other;
— to smite the land of Egypt; who was to come, and did come, out of his country, into the land of Egypt, to smite the inhabitants with the sword, take their cities, plunder them of their substance, and make them tributary to him;
— Rashi says, according to their chronicles, this was a second blow, in the twenty seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign; around 579 BC.
14 “Declare ye in Egypt and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes; say ye, ‘Stand fast and prepare thee, for the sword shall devour round about thee.’ — declare ye in Egypt; the coming of the king of Babylon, and his intention to invade the land and subdue it:
— say ye, stand fast and prepare thee; O Egypt, and the several cities mentioned and all others; prepare for war and to meet the enemy, resist and repel him; present yourselves on the frontiers of your country; put yourselves in proper places and keep your ground:
— for the sword shall devour round about thee; the sword of the Chaldeans, into whose hands fell Jerusalem, Judea, Syria and other neighbouring countries; and therefore it was high time for them to bestir themselves and provide for their defence and safety.
Apis was a sacred bull worshiped in Memphis
15 Why are thy valiant [showing courage] men swept away? They stood not, because the Lord did drive them. — why are thy mighty men swept away? as with a mighty torrent; contrast this to a translation from MSG: “Why will your bull-god Apis run off?
— why are your bulls defeated? to which the Egyptian army may be compared; or “Why will your bull-god Apis run off? which the Chaldeans the came with such force as to drive the Egyptians (or their bull-god, Apis) from their posts, so that they could not stand their ground;
The Apis Bull of Memphis, Egypt, revered and worshipped
— (Gill) the Septuagint renders it, “why does Apis flee from thee? thy choice ox does not continue,” which was the god of the Egyptians, they worshipped in the form of an ox; this could not protect them, thought by them to be very mighty and powerful; their choice ox, Apis, of the Egyptians is believed to be a most powerful deity; yet could not save them;
— with LXX, it divides the Hebrew verb rendered “swept away” into two words, translating with them, “Why is Apis fled? Thy mighty one stood not, because, etc.” The sacred bull Apis worshipped at Memphis is called the mighty one (the word in MT being often used of bulls), that is, the deity of Egypt, ‘just as Yehovah is named the Mighty One of Jacob or of Israel in Genesis 49:24; Isaiah 1:24; Isaiah 49:26.
Apis, the sacred bull in which the supreme god Osiris was believed by the Egyptians to be incarnate
16 He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another; and they said, ‘Arise, and let us go again to our own people and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.’
— and they said, arise: not those that fell; but either the strangers in the land of Egypt, such as the Jews were; who, perceiving the destruction that was coming on Egypt, exhort one another to arise, and get out of there; or rather the auxiliaries of the Egyptians, as the Ethiopians, Libyans and Lydians,
— and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our own country, where we were born, and where our friends and relations lived; so that we might be safe; from the oppressing sword; the sword of the Chaldeans.
17 They did cry there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise! He hath passed the time appointed.’ — Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he boasted and bragged of great things he would do, but does nothing;
— he promised to bring a large army into the field and talked big of attacking the enemy with great ardour and fury, and hectored and blustered as if he feared nothing, and was sure of victory; but it may be interpreted thus, “Pharaoh king of Egypt is a king of noise” a noisy, big and blusterous king in words, but in deeds nothing.
18 “As I live,” saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, “surely as Tabor is among the mountains and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come. — Tabor, which is a mountain in Galilee; and Carmel is by the sea of Galilee.
19 O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity; for Noph shall be waste and desolate, without an inhabitant. — furnish thyself to go into captivity; or “prepare for thyself vessels of captivity” or such things as are proper for captives, as suitable clothes to travel in, shoes to walk in, scrip and staff and the like; expect captivity and be prepared for it;
— for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant; that not an inhabitant should be left in it: the devastation of this city is put for that of all the rest, and as a sure token of it and the whole nation going into captivity.
20 “Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north. — the Targum says, “Egypt was a beautiful kingdom.”
— but destruction cometh, it cometh from the north; that is, the destruction of Egypt, which should come from Chaldea, which lay north of Egypt; and this threat is repeated.
21 Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and have fled away together. They did not stand, because the day of their calamity had come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
— all her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; or “bullocks of the stall” soldiers of other countries that were hired into the service of Egypt and lived so deliciously there, that they were unfit for war and were like fatted beasts prepared for the slaughter.
— the Targum interprets it, her princes; who had the care of this heifer and of the feeding of this princeling; these themselves were like that, nourished for the day of slaughter.
22 The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood. — the voice thereof shall go like a serpent; that is, the voice of Egypt as she flees away from the enemy shall be like the voice of a serpent hissing;
— like a serpent hissing impotently at the woodcutters who disturb its retreat through the thick underwood; signifying, that their voice should be low and submissive and should not speak one big or murmuring word to their conquerors;
— for they shall march with an army; the Targum adds, against you; the meaning is that the Chaldeans should come with a great army, and march against the Egyptians with great strength, force and fury:
— and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood; with battle axes as if they came to cut down trees; nor would they spare the Egyptians any more than such hewers do the trees; nor would they be able any more to resist them than trees can resist hewers of wood.
23 They shall cut down her forest,” saith the Lord, “though it cannot be searched, because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.
— they shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord; the land of Egypt compared to a forest for the multitude of its cities, towns and their inhabitants; which should be destroyed by the Chaldeans as a forest is cut down by hewers of wood;
— the metaphor is continued with the Targum interpreting this as the princes of Egypt and their destruction; because they are more than grasshoppers, are innumerable; which creatures come in large numbers, and eat up every green tree and herb; and so the Chaldean army, being alike numerous, would easily cut down the trees of this forest.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.” — the daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; brought to shame before all the nations of the earth, being conquered by the Chaldeans; that is, the kingdom of Egypt, as the Targum says; or the inhabitants of it, being subdued and carried captive:
— she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north; the Chaldeans, who dwelt northward of Egypt, as is manifest from what follows.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: “Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods and their kings, even Pharaoh and all them that trust in him.
— behold, God will punish the multitude of No; the inhabitants of it, which were many, called “populous No” in Nahum 3:8; a famous city in Egypt. Some take it to be Diospolis or Thebes; and others the same that is now called Alexandria; and so the Targum renders it;
— and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings; and all their numerous idols, which were many indeed; and the several governors of the nomes or provinces into which the land was distributed; these should be punished and suffer in the general calamity.
26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants; and afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” saith the Lord.
— and afterwards it shall be inhabited as in the days of old, saith the Lord; after forty years, as Ezekiel prophesied, Ezekiel 29:11-13; not that it should rise to the same glory and dignity as before, for it would be a base kingdom; but whereas it was desolate and uninhabited after this destruction, it should now be inhabited again.
27 “But fear not thou, O My servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel; for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
— I will save thee from afar off; these maybe the righteous in Egypt, who were carried there by Johanan against their will; and these small remnant should escape, Jeremiah 44:28; and these words are intended to comfort those in captivity, with a promise of their return, lest they should be discouraged, in hearing that the Egyptians should inhabit their own land again, and they not theirs;
— and a remnant from Jacob shall return initially, and be in rest, and at ease, and none shall make him afraid: but this will have its full accomplishment in the latter day; as Jacob includes the other ten tribes when all Israelites return to their own land and never be disturbed any more.
28 Fear thou not, O Jacob My servant,” saith the Lord, “for I am with thee. For I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure. Yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.”
— fear thou not, O Jacob, my servant, saith the Lord, for I am with thee; though afar off in foreign lands and in captivity: this exhortation is repeated to strengthen their consolation and against their fears of being cast off forever by the Lord;
— but correct thee in measure for the full house of Jacob; with judgement and in mercy: yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
Sobering thoughts, and below are a few Scriptures for reflections:
And He said unto me, “Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this scroll that I give thee.” Then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetnes,” Ezekiel 3:3 (good to read the whole chapter);
And I went unto the angel and said unto him, “Give me the little book.” And he said unto me, “Take it and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”
“And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter,” Revelation 10:9-10.
On 6 May 2023, Charles III will be crowned on the sacred Stone of Scone – an ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty whose history is mired in controversy and legend.
The ‘Stone of Destiny’ was used for centuries in the coronation ceremonies
Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world and one of London’s key tourist sites. Built by King Edward I (Edward the Confessor) in 1040, it has been the site of royal coronations since 1066. Anyone who watched the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will have seen its elegant gothic exterior and magnificent vaulted ceilings, while visitors will have walked by the graves and memorials of illustrious artists and writers, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Shakespeare and the Bronte sisters.
And this year, in the run up to the coronation of Britain’s latest king, Charles III, visitors are paying particular attention to the Coronation Chair, the seat on which English monarchs have been crowned since 1308.
“You can find it behind glass in St George’s Chapel, just near the Great West Doors of the Abbey beside a portrait of Richard II seated there,” said Sue King, a Blue Badge tourist guide for London and the Abbey. “What you see is an old brown wooden chair, but there are accounts of how it was painted with images of kings, foliage and birds, gilded and fitted with precious stones. It’s probably the oldest piece of furniture still in use in England.”
Despite its age, the chair is only part of the coronation story. Underneath the seat, along with a few initials carved by naughty schoolboys from Westminster School, is a wooden platform. This was designed by Edward I to house the Coronation Stone, a sacred rock with mysterious origins that he brought from Scotland in 1296.
The platform is currently empty – but before the coronation on 6 May, the stone will be brought from Edinburgh Castle (where it’s housed alongside the Scottish Crown Jewels) to the Abbey when Charles III is crowned king of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Coronation Stone – also known as the Stone of Scone or Stone of Destiny – is an ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty with links to Ireland and Spain, stolen by the English and even associated with biblical lore.
However, while it has a long (and controversial) history, it actually looks like a fairly unremarkable rock: a rectangular slab of pinkish sandstone the size of a small suitcase that weighs around 152kg. Its only decoration is a roughly incised cross. At each end, iron rings are fitted. No one is quite sure when they were attached or whether their purpose was to make the stone easier to move or to chain it in place. And that’s just one of many mysteries surrounding the stone.
According to legend, it was the same stone used by the biblical figure Jacob (the father of the Israelites) as a pillow in Bethel when he dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven. From here, one of Jacob’s sons is said to have taken it to Egypt, from where it travelled to Spain and later to Ireland when the Spanish king’s son, Simon Brech, invaded the island in 700 BCE.
There it was placed on the sacred Hill of Tara near Skryne in County Meath and named the Lia Fail, or “speaking stone” because it was said to groan aloud if the claimant was of royal blood but remained silent if he was a pretender.
“There are a number of Lia Fail in ancient Irish history,” said Dr David Hume, an Ulster Scots historian, journalist and broadcaster. “In 496 CE, a stone was in the possession of King Fergus Mór mac Eirc who ruled Dalriada, a kingdom that spanned the Irish Sea and incorporated parts of Western Scotland.”
According to Hume, the story goes that Fergus took the Lia Fail stone from Ireland to Scotland when he moved his royal seat to Dunnadd in Argyll in 498 CE. However, it’s uncertain just how much of the story is true. The main evidence for it is in the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 CE, signed by the Scottish nobles in an appeal to the Pope to recognise Scottish independence, which mentions an “honour” passing through the Mediterranean Sea and coming from Israel.
Whatever the truth, we know that the stone was taken to Scone Abbey in Perthshire after Kenneth I – who united the Scots and Pictish kingdoms and is known as the first King of Scotland – moved his capital from Western Scotland to Scone in around 840 CE. This “Stone of Destiny” was used for centuries in the coronation ceremonies of Scottish monarchs.
But following his victory at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296, England’s King Edward I marched north, seized the stone from Scone Abbey and had it fitted into the base of a specially crafted wooden Coronation Chair on which English – and later British – monarchs have been crowned inside London’s Westminster Abbey ever since.
However, even this history remains disputed.
There is a rumour that the monks at Scone Palace actually hid the real stone in the River Tay and tricked the English troops into taking a substitute. In addition, geologists have proven that the stone seized by Edward I was quarried in the vicinity of Scone rather than in biblical Judea. It’s likely that a more ancient stone was used to crown the kings of Ireland, and this was probably brought first to Antrim from Tara and then to Scotland by King Fergus, but sometime after that it was replaced by the present stone that was quarried close to Scone.
However, no one has ever found the hidden stone and, even though Scotland was not yet part of a United Kingdom, the stone that Edward took symbolically gave the future English kings dominion over Scotland. Because of this, the present stone’s physical representation of the seat of monarchy has, over the years, made it a target for political activists.
In 1914, suffragettes detonated a bomb under the chair. During World War Two, concerns about German bombing led to the stone being secretly buried under Westminster Abbey, while the Coronation Chair was moved to Gloucester Cathedral until the war was over.
But not long after they were returned, a group of Scottish Nationalist students broke into the Abbey on Christmas Eve 1950. They removed the stone, which broke in the process (probably due to damage caused by the suffragette bomb) and hid it until it had been repaired. Four months later it was placed on the high altar at the ruined Arbroath Abbey – a building long associated with Scottish independence.
It was a spectacular stunt, and although the stone was returned to Westminster, the students were never charged and calls for Scottish independence continued to grow. In 1996, then British prime minister, John Major, tried to silence these calls with a curious PR move, announcing the stone would be returned to Scotland on the proviso that it would be brought back to Westminster for use in further coronations.
Granting permission for this to happen was only half the battle. Removing the stone itself was an arduous task.
“When the Stone was returned to Scotland in 1996, the process of removing it from the chair required great care to ensure both were protected throughout,” explained Kathy Richmond, head of Collections & Applied Conservation at Historic Environment Scotland. The slow and carefully planned operation of lifting the Stone out of the Coronation Chair took a significant amount of time, with collection and conservation specialists working into the early hours.
This same procedure will be repeated later this year, when the stone is brought to London for the crowning of King Charles. Once the stone is laid under the Coronation Chair, they will be moved from their place by the West Door to the Coronation Theatre, an area in the middle of Westminster Abbey at the centre of the lines of the cross on which the abbey is constructed. Historically this area was decorated with bright wall paintings. Today its most striking feature is a bold medieval mosaic floor known as the Cosmati pavement.
“Here the king will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury,” said King. “For this private part of the ceremony, a canopy is placed over the chair by four Knights of the Garter. The then-king will be handed the Sword of Offering (which he hands back) and then the Sovereign Sceptre and Golden Orb before he is finally crowned with Edward’s Crown.”
The Stone of Scone is usually housed at Edinburgh Castle alongside other Crown Jewels
These items of coronation regalia are the heart of the Crown Jewels collection on display at the Tower of London. But current visitors to the Tower will not see quite as much as usual. The crown is being resized to fit King Charles III, and many other items will be borrowed to be worn by other members of the royal family.
The Abbey will also be closed to the public in the days leading up to 6 May – as will Edinburgh Castle when the Stone of Destiny is removed. Given the stone’s history and significance, the exact details of when and how it will be transported are a closely guarded secret.
But while these ancient buildings and artefacts are a magnet for tourists to the UK, the coronation will serve as a reminder of their history – a history that is entwined with that of the British Isles, and perhaps even the ancient father of the Israelites.
Chapter 43 sets the background that lead to Chapter 44, where the impudent and impious contempt which the remnants of the Jews put upon this admonition, and their declared resolution to persist in their allegiance to the Queen of heaven and other idolatries, in despite both being warned from God and his prophet Jeremiah.
God’s judgement upon them for their obstinacy are shift; that they should all be cut off and perish in Egypt, except a still smaller number of which will escape; because the Pharaoh of Egypt should shortly fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and be unable to protect them any longer.
Jeremiah 43
1 And it came to pass that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
2 then spoke Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, “Thou speakest falsely. The Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, ‘Go not into Egypt to sojourn there.’
— and Johanan and all the proud men; Johanan who had saved them earlier, who are commonly proud of their greatness; of their descent, their family and blood; of their wealth and riches, and posts of honour; perhaps the captains of the forces are meant, who elsewhere are mentioned along with Johanan, Jeremiah 40:13;
— these were men having a high opinion of their own wisdom; and could not bear to be contradicted or advised by the prophet, nor even by the Lord himself; and are justly called, by the Targum, as wicked men; their pride was the cause of their rebellion against God and disobedience to him;
— saying unto Jeremiah, thou speakest falsely: or “a lie” it being contrary to their minds: so the prophets of the Lord and even the word of God itself are charged with falsehoods;
— the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, go not into Egypt to sojourn there; they did not care to own it was the word of the Lord; whatever convictions they had in their minds; they would not openly appear to be opponents against God; but deny that the prophet was sent byGod.
3 But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death and carry us away captives into Babylon.”
— but Baruch the son of Neriah sets you against us to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death and carry us away captives into Babylon; upon this suspicion and accusation, these men based their opposition to Jeremiah’s counsel which conveyed to them the warnings of the Lord.
4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people obeyed not the voice of the Lord to dwell in the land of Judah. — so Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord to dwell in the land of Judah.
5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah, who had returned from all nations whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah
— these are those who had fled to other countries, but now were returned from thence, in order to settle in the land of Judah; having heard that a governor from among the Jews was appointed over it; as from Moab, Ammon, Edom and other countries; Jeremiah 40:11;
6 even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
— men, women, children, even the king’s daughters, the princesses of the royal household, Jeremiah 41:10, and every person that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah, the governor,
— and even Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the scribe; all of these people were obliged to join the caravan of refugees, but the Q is, why didn’t Jeremiah and Baruch resist? And go their own way?
7 So they came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord; thus came they even to Tahpanhes. — so the Jews and the king’s daughters came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord, as made known by the mouth of Jeremiah; thus came they even to Tahpanhes, the city of Daphne on one of the eastern delta-arms of the Nile.
8 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, — so Jeremiah was among his fellow treacherous Israelites, also came into Egypt; did he not rebelled against God, or was he bound and lacked freedom?
9 “Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; — Tahpanhes is the seat of the Pharaoh of Egypt where the Jewish refugee came for;
— the palace of Pharaoh included not only the buildings proper, but their entire enclosure as well, surrounded by a high wall. Opposite the entrance of this enclosure the bricks for the building or for the repairing of the royal palace were made, and it was in the clay of this kiln among the stones that Jeremiah and others were to be hidden;
— Tahpanhes is the same with “Hanes” in Jeremiah 2:16 and Tahpanhes, Jeremiah 43:7 as the Targum calls it; it is thought to be the same with Daphnae Pelusiae; here Pharaoh had a house or palace; Jeremiah 43:9 and this is the reason that the entourage from Judah and the king’s daughters had good refuge to go there for protection.
10 and say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
— now God expounds his meaning in his former command: he ordered Jeremiah to take stones and hide themselves in a place near the king of Egypt’s palace; thus they most probably didn’t meet the Pharaoh’s entourage;
— thus saith the God of Israel, Behold, I will send Nebuchadnezzar, my servant, in carrying out my purpose upon Egypt, and will set Nebuchadnezzar’s throne upon these stones that I have hidden the refugees; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them, namely, the rich tapestry which formed the curtains over the throne when the king sat to judge;
— God makes one wicked man or a wicked nation, a scourge and plague to another; he calls Nebuchadnezzar his servant, his horsewhip, because in this instance he should execute God’s will, accomplish his purposes, and be instrumental in carrying on his designs; Ezekiel 29:18-20;
— upon these stones that I have hidden the Prophet Jeremiah and his close ones, Baruch and the king’s daughters; God inspired the stones to be laid by himself, because here the Scripture revealed they were laid at his command and even spread his royal pavilion over them, but put Nebuchadnezzar, his servant, to sit on that throne to judge!
11 And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death, and such as are for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the sword.
— and when Nebuchadnezzar cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt and deliver such as are for death, principally by the sword, rather than by famine and pestilence to death, and such as are from captivity to captivity, and by the sword, that is, as if death in battle, to the sword;
— in this way, as the scourge of the Lord, he would also act as the servant of the Most High; both the act of laying the stones and the words spoken of are significant; for the stones of the throne’s foundation are symbolical of the power and firmness of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, while the clay of Pharaoh’s palace signifies the weakness of his power.
12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captives; and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
— and God will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, to show the helplessness of their idols in the country whose security the Jews seeked; including the Queen of heaven, Astarte; and he, Nebuchadnezzar, shall burn them and carry them away captives, the very gods of Egypt who they serve; and he shall array himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd putteth on his garment, and he shall go forth from thence in peace;
— the point of comparison is the freedom and the ease of the act; for just as easily and quickly as a shepherd takes up his mantle, practically his garment and wraps it about him, so will Nebuchadnezzar easily take hold upon Egypt and the whole country in his hand, leave without hindrance and none opposing him.
13 He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh [the House of the Sun] that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.’”
— Nebuchadnezzar shall also break the images of Bethshemesh that is in the land of Egypt, the renowned Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis. “The images of Bethshemesh are, above all, the obelisks, of which there was an unlimited number in the city. Of the oldest, however, were not the largest, one still remains in its place.”
— the images of the Bethshemesh; that is, the “city of the sun” as the Septuagint says; and so “Bethshemesh” signifies the “house of the sun” either it designs the temple of the sun, or the city where it was worshipped; as Heliopolis was famous for the worship of the sun, and for a magnificent temple in it; but is foretold of its destruction by Isaiah, Isaiah 19:18;
—where the Targum expressly calls it the city Bethshemesh, that is to be destroyed; in this manner would all the representatives of Egyptian idol-worship fall before the power of Nebuchadnezzar, and the hope and trust of the Jews who fled to Egypt would find themselves worshipping these gods of woods and stones in vain.
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Another parallel on Sun worship in Ezekiel 8 by the house of Judah with comments embedded below
15 Then said He unto me, “Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.”
16 And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’S house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.
— the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood, led by the high priest, making up the “twenty five men” were not only worshipping the sun: they were doing so in the very temple of God, with their backs turned upon the presence of God!
— the worship of heavenly bodies was against God’s will which Moses had warned the people (Deuteronomy 4:19, 17:3, whose penalty is to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 17:5 ’till they die). These 25 men corrupted themselves by worshipping the sun; and so the Targum renders it, “and, lo, they corrupted themselves, worshipping facing the east the sun; their backs toward the temple of the Lord” — turned their backs to the most holy place; which is an aggravation of their impiety; casting the utmost contempt for God:
Moses’ warnings in Deuteronomy 17
3 And [if you] hath gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, 4 and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently, and behold, it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel, 5 then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die. Deuteronomy 17:3-5
— today, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east; whose penalty is to be stoned to death – ’till they die.
— also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday; always on a SUNday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty – ’till they die!
Jeremiah 44
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
— the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which seeked refuge in Egypt, in spite of the earnest remonstrances of Jeremiah, which dwell at Migdol, on the northeastern boundary of Egypt,
— and at Tahpanhes, in the delta of the Nile, and at Noph, or Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt, and in the country of Pathros, that is, Upper Egypt, for in the intervening years the Jews had selected different parts of Egypt for temporary omes;
— but if Jeremiah and Baruch were faithful servants of God WHY did they allowed themselves to come to Egypt with Johanan the son of Kareah? Jeremiah and Baruch were not in chains so why didn’t they remain in Judah?
Recent discoveries of Papyri in the ruins of Elephantine (an island in the Nile, opposite Assouan), dating from the fifth century BC, bear witness to two great facts:- (1) That Jews were then dwelling there (in 424-405 BC) (2) That they were observing the Feast of the Passover, “as it is written in the law of Moses.”
2 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem and of Judah, most of the Jews addressed having been witnesses of the terrible catastrophe; and behold this day they are a desolation and no man dwelleth therein, the entire land, formerly so rich, fruitful and populous had become an uninhabited desert;
3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
— because of your wickedness to provoke me to anger in that you went leaving the path of God and duty set before them by the Word of God, to burn incense and to serve other gods, by such act of worship, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
4 Nevertheless, I sent unto you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, ‘Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.’
— however, I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, full of merciful eagerness to prevent the threatened catastrophe, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate, which filled him with loathing.
5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods. — but they hearkened not nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, they paid not the slightest attention to Yehovah’s admonitions and warnings, and not to burn incense to other gods.
6 Therefore My fury and Mine anger was poured forth and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
— wherefore my fury and anger was poured forth, like an overturned vessel spilling all its contents at once, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, for the fire of destruction was a manifestation of divine anger; and they are wasted and desolate.
7 “Therefore, now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why commit ye this great evil against your souls to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah to leave you none to remain,
— therefore, thus saith the God of Israel, Why commit ye this great evil to the destruction of their own lives, for they were not injuring the Lord, but merely themselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, in a judgement of complete extermination, to leave you none to remain,
8 in that ye provoke Me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt whither ye have gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
— provoking me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, having profited nothing by the example of Jerusalem’s destruction, that you might cut yourselves off, and that you might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
— that they were looked upon as an accursed people of God, and their names were taken up for a proverb and a reproach everywhere; because of their dwelling there, Egypt was invaded; for if they hadn’t gone there, Egypt would have been left alone;
— whereas the manifestation of God’s glory was limited in the days of Egypt during the Exodus, the manifestation of God’s glory during the endtime would be unlimited; this comes as a result of our advancement in satelite communications, 4G, 5G and even 6G by then.
9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives which they have committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
— have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, their evil doings and wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
— the queens of Judah, together with the women throughout the country, had been the chief promoters of idolatry; for just as women may be the chief upholders of virtue, they may also be the chief agents for the spreading of wickedness.
10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in My law, nor in My statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
— they are not humbled even unto this day, they had not yet learned to turn to the Lord with contrite hearts, neither have they feared nor walked in my Law nor my Statutes that I set before them and before their fathers;
— they had deliberately ignored the norm and rule which the Lord had given them to follow, and the Lord speaks of them partly in the third person to give expression to the supreme disgust which filled his heart at their behavior;
— the Targum says, “they cease not unto this day;” that is, from committing the same things; which shows they had no true humiliation and contrition for them. This is to be understood not of the Jews in Babylon only, but chiefly of those in Egypt.
11 “Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set My face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. — and to cut off all Judah; not the whole tribe; not those that were in Babylon, which were by far the greatest number of that tribe; but those that were in Egypt.
12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine. They shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine; and they shall be an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
— that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt, despites all the remonstrances made to them to the contrary; and were now actually sojourners there: this describes such persons who wilfully go against God’s will and of their own accord;
— and they shall all be consumed in Egypt; not by natural death, one after another; but by the judgements of God, even be consumed by the sword and by famine; by a foreign army and sieges; by the sword of the king of Babylon;
— they shall die; from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine; which is repeated for the confirmation of it, to persons of every age, state and condition, rank and degree, young and old, high and low, rich and poor: and they shall be an execration, an astonishment and a curse.
— that they were looked upon as an accursed people of God by the Egyptians, and their names were taken up for a proverb and a reproach everywhere; because of their dwelling there, Egypt was invaded; for if they hadn’t gone there, Egypt would have been left alone
— such a scene would be repeated at the endtime, the Goyim would be wondering why the house of Jacob is such a curse; surely they are the blessed people; collectively the birthright people, Ephraim the firstborn;
Below are a few Scriptures for reflections:
And He said unto me, “Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this scroll that I give thee.” Then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetnes,” Ezekiel 3:3 (good to read the whole chapter);
And I went unto the angel and said unto him, “Give me the little book.” And he said unto me, “Take it and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”
“And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it up, and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter,” Revelation 10:9-10
13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, — God ensures those that disobeyed wouldn’t be able to escape;
14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah to which they have a desire to return to dwell there; for none shall return but such as shall escape.”
— so that none of the remnant of Judah which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall escape or remain that they should return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there, they were literally, “lifting up their souls with eagerness” and hoped to make Judea their home once more;
— for none shall return but such as shall escape; out of the hands of Johanan and the rest of the captains; nor should they get out of the land of Egypt before the Chaldeans came into it;
— perhaps Jeremiah and Baruch did escaped, together with the king’s daughters, whose mission was to build up and to plant; another commission of Jeremiah taken up by Ezekiel 17; of bringing down the high tree and exalting the low tree.
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great multitude, even all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
— then all their wives that had burned incense unto other gods and other women that stood by, a great multitude, from which many have concluded that the festival was to honor the Queen of Heaven, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, where this meeting was held,
16 “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. — even the men, greatly influenced by the women, who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, rebelled against Jeremiah, saying, “we will not hearken unto thee.”
17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of bread, and were well and saw no evil.
— but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, the vows which they had made when they embraced idolatry, to burn incense unto the Queen of heaven, that is, Ashtaroth or Astarte, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem;
— such statement amounts to revolting boastfulness; for then had we plenty of victuals, literally, “we were satisfied with bread,” having food of every kind in sufficient amounts, and were well and saw no evil; enjoying good fortune and happiness as they believed.
18 But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings unto her, we have been wanting in all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.”
— but since we stopped to burn incense to the Queen of heaven, and to pour drink offerings unto her, we have had scarceness of everything, and we have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
Mary is called Queen of Heaven, the “Queen Mother of Israel”
19 “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her without our men?” — “without our men” that is, without their husbands’ knowledge and consent;
— the Queen of heaven: that is, they sacrifice to the sun, moon and stars, which they called the queen of heaven;
— the Phœnicians called the moon Ashtoreth or Astarte: the wife of Baal or Moloch, the king of heaven; today the virgin Mary Queen of heaven and so out of the virgin and mother of Jesus Christ, made an idol; for here the prophet condemns their idolatry. (the Queen of heaven, that is, Ashtaroth or Astarte: more at the end)
20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people — to the men, and to the women, and to all the people who had given him that answer, saying,
21 “The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into His mind?
— the incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah and in Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, of which they in their wickedness, did not the Lord remember them and came it not into his mind?
22 So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which ye have committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, and an astonishment and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
— so that the Lord could no longer bear because of the evil of your doing’s and because of the abominations which ye have committed, with all his long-suffering he could no longer endure it;
23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in His law nor in His statutes nor in His testimonies, therefore this evil has happened unto you, as at this day.”
— therefore is your land a desolation and an astonishment and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. The evidences of his wrath upon the Land of Promise were still evident and all on account of their idolatry, as the prophet now repeats once more, for the sake of emphasis.
24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt.
25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings unto her.’ Ye will surely accomplish your vows and surely perform your vows!
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, you and your wives have both spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the Queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her; ye will surely accomplish your vows and perform your vows;
— here is a bit of irony; for as Jeremiah states, no one could accuse them of unsteadiness in keeping their idolatrous promises. If they had only been as steadfast toward Yehovah, the God of the covenant, yet they vowed and burned incense to the Queen of heaven!
26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ saith the Lord, ‘that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God liveth.”
— that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, the Lord God liveth: or of their being called by his name, and reckoned his people, since this respects not a name by which they should be named, but which they should name; and intends their use of the divine name in an oath, of which this is a form, “the Lord God liveth”:
— or as sure as the Lord lives, or by the living God, especially as used in their vows to burn incense to the Queen of heaven, they vowing by the living God that they would do so, which must be very abominable to him; and therefore he solemnly swears there should not be a Jew in all Egypt that should use it; the reason is, because everyone of them that did should be cut off.
27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil and not for good; and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
— and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword, or by famine until there be an end of them; that is, the greatest part of them, excepting a few that shall escape, hereafter mentioned, particularly Jeremiah, Baruch and the king’s daughters;
— but as for the main body of such, who went of their own accord to Egypt, and settled, and fell: into the idolatry of the country; these should all perish till there were none of them left; either by the sword of the king of Babylon; or by famine, which his army and sieges would produce; or by pestilence, though not here mentioned, yet is in Jeremiah 44:13.
28 Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there shall know whose words shall stand, Mine, or theirs.
— yet a small number that escaped the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah; they shall make their escape out of the land of Egypt, where they did not go willingly; and by one providence or another, shall come back to their native country, the land of Judea, were the rest will not;
— and all the remnant of Judah that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know what words shall stand, mine or theirs; those that are left of the sword, famine and pestilence, shall know by facts before them, whose words have their effect and accomplishment; whether theirs, that promised impunity and safety, peace and prosperity in their idolatrous practices.
29 And this shall be a sign unto you,’ saith the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that My words shall surely stand against you for evil.’
— and this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place; in Egypt as before; and what follows is a confirming sign that so it would be; and which, when observed by some, gave the hint to them to make their escape; though others, being hardened in their idolatry, impenitence and unbelief, continued and perished.
30 Thus saith the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of them that seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’”
— as God gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon that sought his life; and God puts the Jews in mind of what they had done to him; and might from hence conclude that this as a sign of their own ruin; and which they might know that it was indeed, the king of Egypt, in whom they trusted, being taken by his enemies, and his country wasted, they must in course fall prey to the conqueror.
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More on the Queen of heaven: Astarte, or Easter
Easter (which is how you pronounce Ishtar) is originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, in its entry “Easter,” states:
“The term ‘Easter’ is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch [Passover] held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast . . . From this Pasch the pagan festival of ‘Easter’ was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity” (W.E. Vine, 1985).
Ishtar was an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, fertility, and sex. She is featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the “Ishtar Gate” was part of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon. Her worship involved animal sacrifices; objects made of her sacred stone, lapis lazuli; and temple prostitution.
Superimposed over an image of Ishtar are these words: “This is Ishtar: pronounced ‘Easter.’ From Ishtar the name Easter was derived. It’s well known that Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and the bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols.
Back at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, Constantine read out the letter that he would subsequently send to churches everywhere: “When the question arose concerning the most holy day of Easter it was decreed by common consent to be expedient, that this festival should be celebrated on the same day by all, in every place… Let us then have nothing in common with … the Jews” sums up one of the key movement for the establishment of Easter to be cerebrated in the Church today.
After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. And everything Jewish were understood to be totally incompatible with Christianity. But at its roots, Easter is outwardly all about celebrating fertility and sex but inwardly it’s paying homage to a Mesopotamian goddess, the Queen of heaven, Ishtar.
Russia has been sending Western-supplied weapons captured on the battlefields of Ukraine to its ally Iran, which may be able to reverse-engineer the technology, according to CNN.
US, NATO, and other Western officials have observed several instances of Russian forces capturing US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft systems that the Ukrainian army has left behind, CNN reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
According to the sources, Russia has flown some of these weapons to Iran, likely so that it can take them apart and analyze the technology in order to create its own versions of the weapons.
Ukraine has received billions of dollars worth of weapons from the West, with the US supplying FGM-148 Javelins and FIM-92 Stingers from its own military stockpile.
Russia also believes that providing the captured weapons to Iran encourages the maintenance of an alliance between the two countries, the sources said.
Earlier reports have suggested that Iran is sending ammunition and military drones to Russia, with US and NATO officials telling Foreign Policy this month that Russia and Iran are increasing defense ties.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted the closer ties between the two countries during a speech in Israel on Thursday.
According to CNN, US officials don’t think the issue of weapons being sent to Iran is widespread, but noted that it is difficult to track.
The media outlet reported that it’s unclear if Iran has successfully reverse-engineered any US weapons seized in Ukraine, but it added that the country has a track record of doing so.
“Iran has demonstrated the capability to reverse-engineer US weapons in the past,” Jonathan Lord, a senior fellow and director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN.
“All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer care for you anymore. I have wounded you as an enemy would. I have punished you as the cruel would, because your guilt is so great, because your sins are so many” Jeremiah 30:14.
“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador: “Why don’t they (the United States) take care of their problem of social decay?”
MEXICO CITY — One week after two Americans were killed and two others were kidnapped by a drug cartel just south of the border in Matamoros, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that calls for US military action against drug trafficking organizations are “irresponsible.”
The rebuke comes after multiple Republican lawmakers called for the US military to take direct action against the cartels.
“This is a problem of mass poisoning of the citizens of the United States and the cartels are directly responsible,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who introduced a bill earlier this year to authorize military force against the cartels, said in a message to López Obrador on Wednesday.
“My questions to you are the following: Why do you reject aid from the United States? Why do you protect the cartels? They are your enemy and the United States is your friend.”
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared to depict the synthetic opioid epidemic largely as a US problem, and said the United States should use family values to fight drug addiction.
“We are not going to permit any foreign government to intervene in our territory, much less that a government’s armed forces intervene,” López Obrador said.
His statement came during a visit to Mexico by Liz Sherwood-Randall, the White House homeland security adviser, to discuss the fentanyl crisis. It also comes amid calls by some US Republicans to use the US military to attack drug labs in Mexico.
The Mexican government has acknowledged in the past that fentanyl is produced at labs in Mexico using precursor chemicals imported from China. Fentanyl has been blamed for about 70,000 opioid deaths per year in the United States.
“Here, we do not produce fentanyl, and we do not have consumption of fentanyl,” López Obrador said. “Why don’t they (the United States) take care of their problem of social decay?”
He went on to recite a list of reasons why Americans might be turning to fentanyl, including single-parent families, parents who kick grown children out of their houses and people who put elderly relatives in old-age homes “and visit them once a year.”
His statement contrasted sharply with a Thursday tweet from US Ambassador Ken Salazar saying a meeting between Sherwood-Randall and Mexico’s attorney general was meant “to enhance security cooperation and fight against the scourge of fentanyl to better protect our two nations.”
There is little debate among US and even Mexican officials that almost all the fentanyl consumed in the United States is produced and processed in Mexico.
In February, the Mexican army announced it seized more than a half million fentanyl pills in what it called the largest synthetic drug lab found to date. The army said the outdoor lab was discovered in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state.
In the same city in 2021, the army raided a lab that it said probably made about 70 million of the blue fentanyl pills every month for the Sinaloa cartel.
“The president is lying,” said Mexican security analyst David Saucedo. “The Mexican cartels, above all the CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel) and the Sinaloa Cartel have learned to manufacture it.”
“They themselves buy the precursor chemicals, set up laboratories to produce fentanyl and distribute it to cities in the United States and sell it,” Saucedo said. “Little by little they have begun to build a monopoly on fentanyl because the Mexican cartels are present along the whole chain of production and sales.”
While it is true that fentanyl consumption appears to remain low in Mexico and largely confined to northern border areas, that may be because the Mexican government is so bad at detecting it. A 2019 study in the border city of Tijuana showed that 93% of samples of methamphetamines and heroin there contained some fentanyl.
Saucedo said fentanyl exports to the US are so lucrative for Mexican cartels that they previously had not seen a need to develop a domestic market for the drug.
“It is true that fentanyl consumption in Mexico is marginal, but some mid-level cartels have begun selling it in border cities and in big cities like Leon, Mexico City and Monterrey,” Saucedo said.
On Wednesday, US Sen. Lindsey Graham held a news conference, saying he wanted “to unleash the fury and might of the U.S. against these cartels.”
“The second step that we will be engaging in is give the military the authority to go after these organizations wherever they exist,” Graham said. “Not to invade Mexico. Not to shoot Mexican airplanes down. But to destroy drug labs that are poisoning Americans.”
US Sen. Lindsey Graham held a news conference, “to unleash the fury and might of the US against these cartels.”
López Obrador said Mexico would not accept such threats, calling them “an insult to Mexico and a lack of respect for our independence and sovereignty.”
López threatened to start a campaign in the United States asking Mexicans and Hispanics who live there not to vote for Republicans.
“We are going to issue a call not to vote for that party, because they are inhuman and interventionist,” López Obrador said.
Security analyst Alejandro Hope said López Obrador appeared trapped between his own “hugs, not bullets” strategy of not confronting cartels — which plays well among his supporters — and increasing US pressure, especially from Republicans.
Hope said the Mexican president may not realize how much the issue of declaring Mexican cartels terrorist organizations could become a conservative rallying cry in the 2024 US elections, just as former President Donald Trump’s call for a border wall was in 2016.
“The problem is that it puts the Biden administration in a terrible position, it puts it between the Republicans’ intransigence and López Obrador’s intransigence,” Hope said.
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s top diplomat, wrote in his Twitter account Thursday that proposals like Graham’s would be “catastrophic for bilateral anti-drug cooperation.”
“They (Republicans) know that the fentanyl epidemic did not originate in Mexico, but in the United States,” Ebrard wrote. “They know that more work is being done against fentanyl now than ever.”
Later, Ebrard said that Mexico had seized over six tons of fentanyl — he didn’t specify over what time period or the purity of drugs — and that things would have been worse for Americans if that hadn’t been done.
“All the fentanyl seizures in Mexico, if they hadn’t been carried out, these pills would be causing or would have caused, not hundreds, (but) thousands of deaths in the United States. So no, there isn’t any tension with the United States,” he said.
Mexicans, both in government and outside it, are clearly afraid of fentanyl use increasing in Mexico. A civic group has launched a campaign of painting walls with the slogan “Mxsinfentanilo” — “Mexico without fentanyl” — and López Obrador has launched a series of anti-drug TV ads.
Still, López Obrador’s government appears to view fentanyl as a US problem. In the ads launched in November, the government used videos of homeless people and open-air drug users in Philadelphia to try to scare young people away from drugs.
“All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer care for you anymore. I have wounded you as an enemy would. I have punished you as the cruel would, because your guilt is so great, because your sins are so many” Jeremiah 30:14.
“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.
The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Hence, for ignoring the Targum as an authority for Understanding and Truth, the endtime Churches of God is being discribed as wretches, blind and naked; and would be thus justifiably destined to be spewed out of God’s mouth!
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20;
In the “latter days” that is, in the distant future; in the latter days ye shall understand it clearly, viz. that the calamities which will have come upon you are the divine judgement upon your sins. Only in the endtime would you be able to understand this.
Jeremiah 41
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)
1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed and the princes of the king, came with ten men unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah.
— Ishmael was not only a Jew but a royal seed of king David. Josephus says it was thirty days after Johanan had departed from Gedaliah, having given him information of the conspiracy against him;
— now it came to pass in the seventh month; the month Tisri, which answers to part of our September and part of October; it was on the third day of this month, fifty two days after the destruction of the temple, that Gedaliah was slain; on which day a fast was kept by the Jews, after their return from captivity, on this occasion, called the fast of the seventh month, Zechariah 7:5;
“Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, ‘When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years, did ye fast at all unto Me, even to Me?” Zechariah 7:5 (for more, see The Unspoken Will of God)
“When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me?” MSG
— this event happened on the first day of the month, the beginning of the new year; but the fast was kept the day following, because the first day was a festival.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and slew him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
— and Ishmael slew Gedaliah; they all drew their swords and thrust at him; though it is probable that Ishmael gave him the mortal wound, since the phrase “and slew him” is singular. Josephus says that Gedaliah prepared a splendid table and made a sumptuous entertainment for them, and being drunk himself and all at table with him, took the opportunity and slew him;
— whom the king Babylon had made governor over the land; which mentioned; both to aggravate the crime they were guilty of, and to observe the reason of it and what it was that prompted them to it; for so the words may be rendered, “because the king of Babylon had made him governor over the land.”
The murder of Gedaliah, the governor of Judah
3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews who were with him, even with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there and the men of war. — Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with Gedaliah at Mizpah; not only those that were at table, but that were in the city also.
— Josephus says, that having slain those that were at the feast with him, he went out in the night, and slew all the Jews in the city, and the soldiers that were left by the Babylonians there.
4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it.
5 that there came certain ones from Shechem, from Shiloh and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven and their clothes rent and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand to bring them to the house of the Lord.
— that there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh and from Samaria; places of the ten tribes and which belonged to the northern house of Israel; so that it seems even at this distance of time, though the body of the ten tribes had been many years ago carried captive;
— yet there were still remnants (these could be of the house of Israel or even colonies of the Samaritans) remaining who had some regards to the Temple at Jerusalem.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went; and it came to pass as he met them, he said unto them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” — weeping all along as he go; pretending equal concern for the destruction of the land, city and Temple as they had;
— Ishmael said unto them, come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; as if he was alive, and as if he sympathized with them; and thought that this would be an inducement to come along with him: this he said perhaps to try them, whether they had heard anything upon the road of his death;
7 And it was so when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them and cast them into the midst of the pit, he and the men who were with him. — and it was so, when they came into the midst of the city; there Gedaliah’s house was, to which he invited them; and as they went in, he shut up the court,
— as Josephus says, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit; when he had slain them, the fourscore men he had enticed into the city, except ten of them, he cast their dead bodies into a pit near at hand:
— he, and the men that were with him; that is, Ishmael and the ten princes, all royal blood, with what servants they brought with them; these were all involved in the killings of these men: the remnants from Shechem, from Shiloh and from Samaria.
8 But ten men were found among them who said unto Ishmael, “Slay us not; for we have treasures in the field of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey.” So he forbore, and slew them not among their brethren. — thus arises a game of lying and deceptions.
9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel; and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were slain.
— now, the pit where Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies slain because of Gedaliah, literally, “at the hand of Gedaliah,” that is, next to Gedaliah, whom he had first cast into this trench or cistern, was it which Asa, the king, had made for fear of Baasha, king of Israel, and Ishmael, a royal son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain, a gruesome heap of his victims.
10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people who were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
— then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, all the princesses of the royal household, including the daughters of Zedekiah;
— and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, putting them into his care as people who had professed their loyalty to the Babylonian rule; and Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, carried them away captive and departed to go over to the Ammonites;
— his intention being either to have his captives settle in the territory of the Ammonites, in the service of whose king he seems to have placed himself, or to sell them outright as slaves. Such is the way of men who yield to a life of sin: one crime leads to another, until they are fairly steeped in sins;
— even the king’s daughters; whether they were the daughters of Zedekiah, Jehoiakim or Jehoiakim, we know not; but it is most likely that they were the daughters of Zedekiah the last king, and who was just taken and carried captive;
— and so Josephus expressly calls them; these the king of Babylon regarded not, because they could neither fight, nor claim the kingdom; only the sons of the king, whom he slew before his eyes; though it may be these were not his daughters by his lawful wife, but by his concubines and so were not properly of the royal family and less regarded.
11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
12 then they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. — and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon; taking this road to the country of Ammon,
— though it was not quite the direct road; either to avoid the forces of Johanan or rather for the sake of the hidden treasure at Shechem or Shiloh or Samaria, the ten men had promised him for their lives.
13 Now it came to pass, that when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad.
— saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, they were glad; looking upon them as their deliverers; hoping by their means to be preserved from being carried captives to the king of Ammon.
14 So all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.
— so all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about; or turned about, and wheeled off from Ishmael and deserted him at once; not at all regarding his authority nor fearing his menaces or his power; being in sight of the captains and their forces,
— they were determined to join and put themselves under their protection, knowing them to be their friends and that they came to deliver them; and returned and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah; turned their backs on Ishmael and marched directly to Johanan and the captains of the forces under them.
15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.
16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam — even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs whom he had brought again from Gibeon.
— then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him; after Ishmael had made his escape, whom they did not think fit to pursue, and the people had committed themselves to their care and protection; and having brought them to Mizpah again, they took them from thence;
— all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: those whom he had rescued from Ishmael and had returned to Mizpah be persuaded to go with him from thence;
— even mighty men of war and the women and the children and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon; or “men, [even] men of war” warlike men, soldiers; by which it appears that Ishmael must have more than ten men with him when he came to Mizpah,
— to do what he did there, to carry away such a number of captives, among which were mighty men, men of war, some of whom he had slain besides women and children, to which are added eunuchs not mentioned before, such as the king of Judah had in his court.
17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt, — and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem: so called perhaps from Chimham, the son of Barzillai the Gileadite, to whom David or Solomon might give this place to dwell in, II Samuel 19:37;
— the Targum is express for the former, calling it “the habitation which David gave to Chimham, the son of Barzillai the Gileadite;” as it was near Bethlehem;
— to go into Egypt; where they had an inclination to do; having still a friendly regard to that people, and a confidence in them, as appears by some following chapters; and that they might be ready and at hand to flee thither, should the Chaldeans come against them, which they feared.
18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land. — because of the Chaldeans; which clause some think should have been joined to verse 17;
— this is a reason given why they departed from Mizpah, and dwelt at the habitation of Chimham in the way to Egypt; for they were afraid of them; at least this they pretended that the Chaldeans would come upon them and cut them off;
— because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land; no doubt it was provoking to hear that the governor of the king of Babylon was slain in this manner; and still more so as there were many Chaldeans slain with him;
— but there was no reason to believe that the king of Babylon would carry his resentment against the Jews and Johanan or take vengeance on them, who had so bravely fought against the murderers, and had rescued the captives out of their hands:
— this excuse seems only a pretence for their going into Egypt; for though they were promised safety in Judah by Prophet Jeremiah, yet they were still opting for Egypt as the following chapters show.
Jeremiah 42
1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near
— then all the forces of the captains; having taken up their residence at Chimham; and pretending of being afraid of the Chaldeans, because they were desirous of going their way to Egypt;
2 and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, “Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us),
— for we are left but a few as thine eyes do behold us; the number of the people had been very large, but by the judgements of the sword, famine, pestilence and captivity, they were greatly reduced; here was their whole number tiny before the prophet; his eyes beheld them;
— and the condition they were in: this they said to move Jeremiah’s compassion, and very likely to suggest to him how improbable it was that they should ever be able to continue in their own land; but that it would be better to live under the protection of Egypt; and hoped to have a word from the Lord to direct them there.
3 that the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk and the thing that we may do.”
4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, “I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.”
— behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God, according to your words; be an intercessor for them; use his connection with his God and their God; and might expect to be heard; whom he would humbly entreat to direct what they should do as they desired.
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do even according to all things for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us.
— if we do not according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us; they promise to do everything the Lord should signify by the prophet as his will; and if they did not, wish the severest judgements of God might fall upon them.
6 Whether it be good or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send thee, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
— that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God; for so it was, that it was well or ill with those people as they obeyed or disobeyed the voice of the Lord; and yet they acted not according to it; and what was worse, did not intend to. What a wretched scene of hypocrisy here!
7 And it came to pass after ten days that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah.
8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
— all the captains of the forces which were with him and all the people from the least even unto the greatest; they were all convened together as it was proper they should to hear the word of the Lord; since they all joined in a request to the prophet, Jeremiah 42:1.
9 and said unto them, “Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before Him:
10 ‘If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up; for I repent of the evil that I have done unto you.
— if ye will still abide in the land of Judea, their native country where they had always lived; and yet they thought of going out of it, which the Lord knew; and therefore to encourage them to abide in it and not think of departing into Egypt;
— and not pluck you up; that is, they should be firm and stable, happy and prosperous; and abound with all kind of blessings and increase in numbers, wealth and riches. The metaphors are taken from building houses and planting fields and vineyards:
— for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you; not that he had done any unjust thing to them; or that he changed his mind concerning them; but that he had compassion on them and would change his way and course of providence towards them according to his unchangeable will.
11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.
— be not afraid of the king of Babylon of whom ye are afraid; lest he should revenge the death of Gedaliah upon them, which was a groundless fear; Jeremiah 41:18; or that they should be dealt hardly with by him and be cruelly oppressed and not able to live in subjection to him; Jeremiah 40:9;
— be not afraid of him, saith the Lord; being consistent: who being a greater King than the king of Babylon, the King of king? they had no reason to fear anything from him since they were under his protection;
— for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand; from his avenging and oppressing hand; though they were not to be delivered as yet from subjection to him, or being tributaries to him; which they might be and yet dwell in peace and safety.
12 And I will show mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you and cause you to return to your own land.’ — and I will show mercies unto you, literally, “I will give you to experience mercies,” that he, the king of Babylon would have mercy upon you and cause you to return to your own land which they were now leaving in abject flight.
13 “But if ye say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ neither obey the voice of the Lord your God, — but if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God, thereby once more becoming guilty of open rebellion against God;
14 saying, ‘No, but we will go into the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger for bread, and there will we dwell’
— saying, No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, a rebellious plan which they had been discussing, if they had not yet decided upon it, where we will see no war nor hear the sound of the trumpet as it called the soldiers to the battle,
— nor have hunger of bread in the various unfortunate conditions accompanying war with which they had become so familiar in the last year and there will we dwell.
15 and now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah! Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there,
— and now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; a small remnant indeed, a few that were left in the land who ought therefore to have admired the distinguishing goodness of Providence in preserving them; where they should have continued and made use of their privilege to the glory of God and their mutual good:
— if you wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt: are resolved upon it and are actually engaged in it; turning their faces from Judea towards Egypt and obstinately pursuing it; their posture expresses their resolution, impudence and obstinacy;
— and go to sojourn there: to be sojourners and strangers there as their fathers had been before; the remembrance of which should be enough to set them against going into Egypt any more.
16 then it shall come to pass that the sword which ye feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine whereof ye were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
— then it shall come to pass that the sword which ye feared, contrary to the assurance of the Most High, Yehovah, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine whereof ye were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt, pursuing you with unrelenting fierceness; and there ye shall die.
17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there. They shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.’
— so shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there, having definitely made up their mind to that effect: they shall die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence, which by God’s punishment, could strike them in Egypt as well as in Judea; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
18 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As Mine anger and My fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall My fury be poured forth upon you when ye shall enter into Egypt. And ye shall be an execration and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.’
— as mine anger and fury hath been poured upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; like a large hasty shower of rain; or rather like melted metal which suddenly and swiftly runs, and spreads itself and burns and consumes with a violent heat; such was the wrath of God on Jerusalem in its destruction by the Chaldeans:
— so shall my fury be poured forth upon you when ye shall enter into Egypt; as soon as they had well got there, quickly after they were settled there; for it was in the time of the then king of Egypt, Pharaohhophra, and by the then king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, that the destruction of Egypt was, in which these Jews suffered;
— and ye shall be an execration and an astonishment, a curse and a reproach; men should be astonished at the hand of God upon them;
— and ye shall see this place no more; and so their case would be worse than their brethren in Babylon; who after a term of years were expired, would return to their own land, but these they would never see any more.
19 “The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah: ‘Go ye not into Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
— the Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah, so the prophet now elaborates upon the direct prophecy of Yehovah, Go ye not into Egypt; know certainly that I have admonished you this day, testifying against you and warning you.
20 For ye dissembled in your hearts when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.’
— and according to all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us and we will do it; they pressed him to a faithful declaration of the will of God to them, and promised they would act according to it. Now he had done all this; prayed unto him as they requested, and had brought them his mind and will, and yet they rebelled again against it; so that their sins and deceits were greatly magnified.
21 And now I have this day declared it to you, but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for which He hath sent me unto you.
— and now I have this day declared it to you; that ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, your God, nor anything for the which He hath sent me unto you.
22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.”
— that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence; by one or another, or all of them; some by one, and some by another, as before threatened; evils they thought to escape by going thither, but which should surely follow them and overtake them;
— in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn; that is, in Egypt, to which they had a strong inclination where they greatly desired to be, pleased themselves with the thoughts of it and which they chose of their own will and pleasure for their own destruction;
— no mention was made of Jeremiah; did he go? was he kidnapped to go along? or had he managed to leave the group and found another way to obey God; the Scriptures are silent about this!
Why Norway? In my account of the Biden Administration’s decision to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, why did much of the secret planning and training for the operation take place in Norway? And why were highly skilled seamen and technicians from the Norwegian Navy involved?
The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence. Five months ago that teamwork—about which we still know very little—resulted in the destruction of two pipelines, on orders of President Biden, with international implications yet to be determined.
And six decades ago, so the histories of those years have it, a small group of Norwegian seamen were entangled in a presidential deceit that led to an early—and bloody—turning point in the Vietnam war.
After the Second World War, ever prudent Norway invested heavily in the construction of large, heavily armed fast attack boats to defend its 1,400 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline.
These vessels were far more effective than the famed American PT boat that was ennobled in many a postwar movie. These boats were known as “Nasty-class,” for their powerful gunnery, and some of them were sold to the US Navy.
According to reporting in Norway, by early 1964 at least two Norwegian sailors confessed to their involvement in CIA-led clandestine attacks along the North Vietnam coast. Other reports, never confirmed, said the Norwegian patrol boats where manned by Norwegian officers and crew.
What was not in dispute was that the American goal was to put pressure on the leadership in North Vietnam to lessen its support of the anti-American guerrillas in South Vietnam. The strategy did not work.
None of this was known at the time to the American public. And the Norwegians would keep the secret for decades.
The CIA’s lethal game of cat-and-mouse warfare led to a failed attack on August 2, 1964, with three North Vietnamese gunships engaging two American destroyers—the USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy—on a large body of contested water known as the Gulf of Tonkin that straddled both North and South Vietnam.
Two days later, with the destroyers still intact, the commander of the Maddox cabled his superiors that he was under a torpedo attack. It was a false alarm, and he soon rescinded the report.
But the American signals intelligence community—under pressure from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was doing President Johnson’s bidding—looked the other way as McNamara ignored the second cableand Johnson told the American public there was evidence that North Vietnam had attacked an American destroyer.
Johnson and McNamara had found a way to take the war to North Vietnam.Johnson’s nationally televised speech on the evening of August 4, 1964, is chilling in its mendacity, especially when one knows what was to come.
“This new act of aggression,” he said, “aimed directly at our own forces, again brings home to all of us in the United States the importance of the struggle for peace and security in Southeast Asia. Aggression by terror against the peaceful villagers of South Vietnam has now been joined by open aggression on the high seas against the United States of America.”
Public anger swelled, and Johnson authorized the first American bombing of the North. A few days later Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution with only two dissenting votes, giving the president the right to deploy American troops and use military force in South Vietnam in any manner he chose.
And so it went on for the next eleven years, with 58,000 American deaths and millions of Vietnamese deaths to come.
The Norwegian navy, as loyal allies in the Cold War, stayed mum, and over the next few years, according to further reporting in Norway, sold eighteen more of their Nasty Class patrol boats to the U.S. Navy. Six were destroyed in combat.
In 2001, Robert J Hanyok, a historian at the National Security Agency, published Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds, and the Flying Fish: The Gulf of Tonkin Mystery, 2–4 August 1964,a definitive study of the events in the gulf, including the manipulation of signals intelligence.
He revealed that 90 percent of the relevant intercepts, including those from the North Vietnamese, had been kept out the NSA’s final reports on the encounter and thus were not provided to the Congressional committees that later investigated the abuse that led America deeper into the Vietnam War.
That is the public record as it stands. But, as I have learned from a source in the US intelligence community, there is much more to know.
The first batch of Norwegian patrol boats meant for the CIA’s undeclared war against the North Vietnamese actually numbered six. They landed in early 1964 at a Vietnamese naval base in Danang, eighty-five miles south of the border between North and South Vietnam. The ships had Norwegian crews and Norwegian Navy officers as their captains.
The declared mission was to teach American and Vietnamese sailors how to operate the ships. The vessels were under the control of a long-running CIA-directed series of attacks against coastal targets inside North Vietnam.
The secret operation was controlled by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington and not by the American command in Saigon, which was then headed by Army General William Westmoreland.
That shift was deemed essential because there was another aspect of the undeclared war against the North that was sacrosanct. US Navy SEALs were assigned to the mission with a high-priority list of far more aggressive targets that included heavily defended North Vietnamese radar facilities.
It was a secret war within a secret war. I was told that at least two SEALs were ambushed by the North Vietnamese and severely wounded in a fire fight. Both men managed to make their way to the coast and were eventually rescued. Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor, America’s highest decoration, in secret.
There also were far less dramatic movements as the war unraveled. At some later date, it was decided to arm bats with incendiary devices and drop them, by air, over areas of high interest in the south. The release came at high altitude, and the bats quickly froze to death.
This bit of top secret and heretofore unknown history raises, to this reporter, an obvious question: what else do we not know about the secret operation in Norway that led to the destruction of the pipelines? And is there anyone in the Senate and the House, or in the American press, interested in finding out what was going on—and what else we do not know?
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled,” Hosea 6:10
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20;
In the “latter days” that is, in the distant future; in the latter days ye shall understand it clearly, viz. that the calamities which will have come upon you are the divine judgement upon your sins. Only in the endtime would you be able to understand this.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.
The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Hence, for ignoring the Targum as an authority for Understanding and Truth, the endtime Churches of God is being discribed as wretches, blind and naked; and would be thus justifiably destined to be spewed out of God’s mouth!
Jeremiah 39
1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. — in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah; that would be around 588 BC; in the tenth month of Tebet; so that it was winter the siege began;
— and they besieged it, provoked by Zedekiah’s breaking the covenant with him, rebelled against him, who had set him upon his throne, so Nebuchadnezzar was determined to revenge; and came even in winter for a long siege.
— the king of Babylon came in person at first; then begun the siege, supposing it would be a long one, retired to Riblah in Syria, either for pleasure or other issues. The time of beginning the siege exactly agrees with the account in II Kings 25:1.
2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into. — and in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month; the month Tammuz, which answers to part of June, and part of July: the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up; or taken by storm;
— the walls of it were broken by engines and battering rams, so that the Chaldeans could enter and take it. This was just a year and a half after it had been besieged, which would be around 586 BC; not being able to hold out any longer, because of the famine; Jeremiah 52:6.
3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 And it came to pass that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them and all the men of war, then they fled and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls; and he went out the way of the plain. — Zedekiah disobeyed God to submit himself to the princes and king of Babylon;
— at Riblah, Zedekiah had his eyes put out; so he was condemned to darkness who had shut his eyes against the clear light of God’s word.
5 But the Chaldeans’ army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgement upon him.
— but the Chaldean army pursued after them; being informed of the flight by those surrendered to them, as Josephus says; or not finding the king, his family, nobles and guards at the palace, where they expected them, and knowing which way they must take, pursued after them; not the whole army, only a part of it; for some must remain at Jerusalem to demolish the city and take the spoil of it:
— and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; not far from it, as Josephus says; that when his friends and generals saw the enemy near, they deserted him and fled and only a few were with him when being surrounded:
— and when they had taken him they brought him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in Syria; whither he had retired from the siege of Jerusalem, having left it to his generals to refresh himself in this pleasant place; or that he might be nearer in his own kingdom; however, here he was, and here the army brought Zedekiah to him;
— where he passed sentence on him, which was to have his eyes put out: he severely chide him and upbraided him for the perfidy he had been guilty of in breaking his oath;
— on Zedekiah, Josephus says of him:
“after he came to him, Nebuchadnezzar began to call him a wicked man and a covenant breaker, unmindful of promises he had made to preserve the country for him; he reproached him with ingratitude, in receiving the kingdom from him he had taken from Jehoiakim, and given to him, who had used his power against the giver; but, says he, the great God that hates thy manners has put thee into our hands.”
6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. — all his sons were killed but nothing said about the daughters; these must be very young, at least some of them; since Zedekiah at this time was only thirty two years of age;
— this must be a dreadful spectacle for him and the pains must be cutting, that it was owing to his own obstinacy in not taking the advice of the prophet Jeremiah to surrender to the Chaldeans, whereby he and his family would have been saved, Jeremiah 38:17;
— also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah; who did not come over to the Chaldean army and surrender themselves; as many of them as fell into the hands of the king of Babylon. Rashi says those “the nobles of Judah” were members of the Sanhedrin, who advised Zedekiah from his oath to Nebuchadnezzar.
7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains to carry him to Babylon. — moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes; hereby the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled, that his eyes should see the king of Babylon, as they did, before they were put out, and that he should not die by the sword, Jeremiah 34:3;
— and also the prophecy of Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 12:13; that he should be brought to Babylon, and yet should not see it; for his eyes were put out before he was carried there: a full proof of God’s foreknowledge of future events; of the certainty of prophecy and of divine revelation;
— and bound him with two brass or iron chains, or fetters, for both his legs; and thus bound and was carried to Babylon, where he remained to the day of his death.
Zedekiah Sees all Sons Killed
8 And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. — and the houses of the people, burned down with fire; the houses of the common people, as distinct from the king’s palace and the houses of the nobles, Jeremiah 52:13; but a den of thieves;
— and broke down the walls of Jerusalem; all the fortifications were entirely dismantled, that it might be no more a city of force and strength as it had been.
9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city and those who fell away, who fell to him, with the rest of the people who remained.
— carried away into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in Jerusalem; that were left of the pestilence, famine and sword; and who were found in it when it was taken.
10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. — but Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people which had nothing in the land of Judah;
— because they would have been of no service to the Chaldeans but a burden and because they had nothing to fear from them; they had no arms to rebel against them; and because it would be to their interest to have the land manured that they might have some tribute from it;
— and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time; as their own property to dress and cultivate, and receive the advantage though a tax laid upon them; or they were to pay tribute to the king of Babylon; they who before had nothing are now proprietors of vineyards and fields;
— when the former owners were carried away as captives: there might be much of the justice of God conspicuous in this affair; such who had been oppressed and ill used by the rich are now retaliated with their possessions.
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
12 “Take him and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.” — take him and look well to him; take him out of prison; take him under his immediate care; receive him kindly and use him humanely;
— provide everything necessary for him and let him not want for anything: or “set thine eyes upon him” look pleasantly at him, and let him be always under your view and inspection; treat him not with neglect and contempt but see to it that nothing is wanting to him;
— and do him no harm; no injury to his person by beating, imprisoning or starving him; nor suffer any to be done to him by the common soldiers or by his own people: let him have whatever he asks for: this was great favour from a heathen prince indeed and more than he met with from his own countrymen.
13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s princes.
14 even they sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home. So he dwelt among the people.
— even they sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison where he was, when Jerusalem was taken, Jeremiah 38:28; and where he remained until this order came;
— and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan; the father of this person seems to be the same who saved Jeremiah from being delivered into the hand of the people to be put to death by them in Jehoiakim’s reign, Jeremiah 26:24;
— and he himself was doubtless a prince of Judah that deserted to the Chaldeans during the siege and was in esteem with them, and appointed a governor over those that were left in the land.
15 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
16 “Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for evil and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord; and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword; but thy life shall be as a prize unto thee, because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the Lord.’” — because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord;
— what he had done in serving the prophet sprung from a principle of faith and confidence in the Lord and his prophet; without which works are not right; and without which it is impossible to please God; and which faith may be and be true where fears are.
Jeremiah 40
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive unto Babylon.
— here Nebuzaradan had further duty to do with his captives as they fell into his hands, among whom were Jeremiah when he was taken out of prison and out of Jerusalem and brought him to Ramah:
— still bound in chains Jeremiah; but without the knowledge of Nebuzaradan and through the inadvertency of inferior officers, he was taken and bound and with other prisoners brought to Ramah in order to be transported to Babylon for Ramah was to the north of Jerusalem as Babylon was.
2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said unto him, “The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. — this heathen captain acknowledges the hand of the Lord in all this;
— and said unto Jeremiah, the Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil on this place; the city of Jerusalem; and now in ruins; the houses burnt; the walls broken and the inhabitants carried captive. This was the evil which the Lord, he says, had “decreed” as the Targum renders it.
3 Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as He hath said: because ye have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you.
— this heathen captain acknowledges the hand of the Lord in all this; and suggests, that the king of Babylon himself, and the rest of the generals were only instruments the Lord made use of; which is very piously as well as wise; and more is here acknowledged by him than by the Jews.
4 And now behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will look well after thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear. Behold, all the land is before thee. Wherever it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.”
— and now, this heathen captain wil loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hands; Or rather are; for when he said these words, it is highly probable they were on him, though now ordered to be taken off;
— whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go; he left him to take his own way and do as he thought fit; and this agrees with his master’s orders to him, Jeremiah 39:12.
5 Now while he had not yet gone back, he said, “Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward and let him go.
— according to the Targum, these are the words of Nebuzaradan; “if thou wilt not return (that is, with him to Babylon, or rather to Jerusalem, or best to his own native place), or if thou wilt not dwell (that is, in this place), go back to Gedaliah.”
— or go wherever it seemed convenient unto thee; though he gave him his advice, he did not press it, but left Jeremiah his full liberty to take his own way and go into what part of the land he pleased to settle in:
— so the captain of the guard gave him victuals (food or provisions), and money and let him go; the prophet was just out of prison and destitute for the necessaries of life, and the land was laid waste by the enemy; and therefore he could not have subsisted without a supply which was liberally given by the captain;
— not only food for sustenance sufficient for his journey, whichever way he took, but an amount of money and clothes which was very kind treatment of a prophet by a heathen victor.
6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land. — Jeremiah might have been better with him had he gone along with the captain to Babylon;
— but he chose rather to dwell in his own land, and suffer affliction with the people of God, or perhaps inwardly inspired by another mission as he was made custodian of the king’s daughters (Jeremiah 41:10, 43:6), than to dwell at ease in a foreign and idolatrous land.
7 Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men and women and children, and the poor of the land of those who were not carried away captive to Babylon,
8 then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah — even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men;
— then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah; having heard that the Chaldean army was gone and so were in no fear of that; and also that Gedaliah was made deputy governor, one of their own, a pious, prudent man, a man of integrity under which was much preferable to captivity in a foreign country though a tributary to Babylon.
9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore unto them and to their men, saying, “Fear not to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
— saying, fear not to serve the Chaldeans, as if it was an evil to do it; or as if their yoke was hard and intolerable; or they should be always in danger of their lives:
— dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon; pay your tributes and it shall he well with you; settle in the land and do not rove about from place to place; nor go out of the land through fear of the king of Babylon, but continue to live in subjection to him and they will live comfortably and safely.
10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, who will come unto us; but ye, gather ye wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.” — as for Gedaliah, the governor, he will serve the Chaldeans;
11 Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the Ammonites and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, — these who were from Moab, and among the Ammonites and in Edom, started to plan an evil plan;
12 even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits in abundance. — at the taking of the city many escaped and fled to Moab, to Ammon, to Edom, some one way, some another, now they returned.
13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah
14 and said unto him, “Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.
— that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? very probably Ishmael, a royal seed of king David (Jeremiah 41:1), with the forces under him, fled to the king of the Ammonites when Jerusalem was captured; who, out of ill will to the Jews, always bore them by the Ammonites, envying their reestablishment under Gedaliah;
— and hoping to make a prey of them if their governor was removed, also being displeased that Gedaliah should be governor, which he might think was an office he had a better right to, being of the seed royal; and therefore readily agreed to be sent to take away the governor’s life;
— but Gedaliah believed them not; and knowing he had done nothing to disoblige him, couldn’t believe a person of such birth and dignity would ever be guilty of such a crime; yet he ought to have inquired further into it and provided for his own safety against the worst that might happen.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, “Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it. Why should he slay thee, that all the Jews who are gathered unto thee should be scattered and the remnant in Judah perish?”
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, “Thou shalt not do this thing, for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.” — but Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah; in answer to his request, and the motion made by him: thou shalt not speak of Ishmael of scheming this thing;
— or “do not do this thing” dissuading him from it as being unlawful to take away a man’s life in such a secret manner, without any legal process against him; though it seems to carry more in it, that he laid his commands upon him not to do it and threatened him if he did:
— for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael; or a false accusation or a slander; which isn’t describing Johanan well. The events in the following chapter shows that the information was good and that it was no lie that was told; and it would have been well for Gedaliah if he had taken the warning seriously.
China leads the US in the research of 37 out of 44 critical technologies. One key area in which China excels is the defence and space-related technologies; a potential example of critical advanced jet aircraft engines (including hypersonics) of the future to dominate and control the sky: ASPI
What could be especially worrying for America is that two areas where China really excels are Defense and Space-related technologies
In a nutshell: The Biden administration might be limiting China’s ability to manufacture advanced chips, but according to an independent think tank, the Asian nation is still ahead of the US when it comes to research in 37 out of 44 crucial and emerging technologies, including AI, defense, and key quantum tech areas.
Insider reports that the Canberra-based Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) believes China has a “stunning lead” over the US when it comes to high-impact research across the majority of critical and emerging technology domains.
ASPI lists some of the areas where China leads the US as defense, space, robotics, energy, the environment, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, and key quantum technology areas.
The think tank notes that for some of these technologies, the ten leading research institutions are based in China and are collectively generating nine times more high-impact research papers than the second-ranked country, which is usually the US.
What could be especially worrying for America is that two areas where China really excels are Defense and Space-related technologies. ASPI writes that China’s advancements in nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles took the US by surprise in 2021.
How is China so far ahead? Some of it is down to imported talent. The report notes that one-fifth of its high-impact papers are being authored by researchers with postgraduate training in a Five-Eyes country (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States).
However, most of China’s progress comes from deliberate design and long-term policy planning by President Xi Jinping and his predecessors.
The near-term effects of China’s lead could see it gaining a stranglehold on the global supply of certain critical technologies, while the long-term impact could result in the authoritarian state gaining more global influence and power.
The ASPI recommends that governments worldwide collaborate to catch up on China. It recommends technology visas, ‘friend-shoring,’ and R&D grants between allies.
It also notes the benefits of more funding for these sectors, and suggests governments consider restricting the movements of researchers who are experts in certain fields as “recruiting personnel to lead research programs in, for example, defense-relevant technologies in adversarial states poses a clear threat to a country’s national security.”
In related news, it was recently reported that Chinese companies are filling warehouses with chipmaking equipment in preparation for further export restrictions by the US and other countries. We also heard it is planning to launch 13,000 satellites to suppress and spy on Starlink.
“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.”
“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand, “a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favor to the young. “And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle and the fruit of thy land until thou be destroyed; he also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy cattle, or flocks of thy sheep until he have destroyed thee. “And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fortified walls come down wherein thou trusted, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land which the Lord thy God hath given thee,” Deuteronomy 28:44, 49-51
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20; that is, in the distant future; or in the latter days ye shall understand it clearly. Only in the endtime would we be able to understand this perfectly.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony, as many Churches do, is a disgrace. The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. Hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Jeremiah 37
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)
1 And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. — and King Zedekiah; the brother of Jehoiakim, whose untimely death, and want of burial, are prophesied of in the preceding chapter;
— the name of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, was Mattaniah before he was king; his name was changed by the king of Babylon, who made him king, II Kings 24:17.
2 But neither he nor his servants, nor the people of the land hearkened unto the words of the Lord, which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. — but neither he nor his servants, nor the people; the king, his courtiers and subjects the royal family, nobility and common people;
— all were degenerate and corrupt; that Jehoiakim was wicked, and so with all his people wicked but Zedekiah seems to possess one single righteous action of taking Jeremiah out of prison; although according to this account, both king and people were wicked.
3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now unto the Lord our God for us.” — to the Prophet Jeremiah, saying, pray now unto the Lord our God for us. This message was sent either upon the rumour of the Chaldeans coming against Jerusalem;
— or rather when it had departed from the city, and was gone to meet the army of the king of Egypt; so that this petition to the prophet was to pray that the king of Egypt might get a victory over the Chaldean army.
4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison. — now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; he was free to go in and out of the city whenever he pleased;
— or go to any part of the city and prophesy unto them; which he could not do in the latter part of Jehoiakim’s reign, who sent officials after him and Baruch to take them, and they hide themselves, yea, the Lord hid them, Jeremiah 36:19; but now he was under no restraint, as least as yet:
— for they had not put him into prison; not yet; they afterwards did, Jeremiah 37:15.
5 Then Pharaoh’s army came forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. — then Pharaoh’s army come forth out of Egypt; Zedekiah, though he had took an oath of homage to the king of Babylon, rebelled against him,
— and entered into a league with the king of Egypt; and who, according to agreement, sent his army out of Egypt to break up the siege of Jerusalem; for though the king of Egypt came no more in person out of his land, after his defeat at Carchemish by Nebuchadnezzar, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah 46:2; yet he sent his army to the relief of Jerusalem.
6 Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7 “Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, who sent you unto Me to inquire of Me: ‘Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
— thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me, to inquire of me; in an oracular way; for by this it seems that they were not only sent to desire the prophet to pray for them,
— but to obtain an oracle from the Lord, confirming it to them, that the Chaldean army which was gone would not return any more; this they were willing to believe, but wanted to have a confirmation of it from the Lord;
— and so the Targum says “to seek an oracle from me;” or to ask instruction from me: now these messengers are bid to go back and tell the king, his nobles and all the people of the land what follows:
— behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt, into their own land; being afraid to face the Chaldean army. Josephus says there was a battle fought between the Egyptians and Chaldeans, in which the latter were conquerors, and put the former to flight, and drove them out of all Syria;
— Rashi relates what seems like a fable, that the Egyptian army came by ships and that at sea they saw strange appearances upon which they said one to another, what means this? they replied, these are our fathers, whom the fathers of those we are going to help drowned in the sea; and immediately [fear struck them so they] returned to their own land.
8 And the Chaldeans shall come again and fight against this city, and take it and burn it with fire.’ — and the Chaldeans shall come again; to Jerusalem, after they have defeated or drove back the Egyptian army:
— and fight against this city, Jerusalem; with fresh rigour and resolution; being exasperated by the methods taken to oblige them to raise the siege: and take it and burn it to the ground; and they did, Jeremiah 39:8.
9 Thus saith the Lord: Deceive not yourselves, saying, ‘The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us,’ for they shall not depart. —
10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent and burn this city with fire.” — “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!” the children of Edom fanned the fire on the day of Jerusalem’s fall, Psalm 137:7
11 And it came to pass that when the army of the Chaldeans had broken off from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, — and it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans were broken up from Jerusalem; when the siege of the city was broken up and raised: or when they “went up from Jerusalem” were gone from it;
— for fear of Pharaoh’s army; or rather “because of Pharaoh’s army” the word “fear” is not in the text; nor did they leave Jerusalem for fear of his army, but to meet it and give it battle as they did; however, by this means there was a freer passage to and from the city.
12 then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to separate himself from thence in the midst of the people.
13 And when he was in the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans!”
— whose name [was] Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah: the grandson as some think, of that Hananiah the false prophet, of whose death Jeremiah the prophet prophesied, Jeremiah 28:16;
— and the Jews have a tradition that Hananiah ordered his son Shelemiah that if he ever had an opportunity to bring Jeremiah to ruin, to do it; and the same charge Shelemiah gave to his son Irijah, who, having this opportunity, laid hold on him;
14 Then said Jeremiah, “It is false! I fall not away to the Chaldeans.” But he hearkened not to him; so Irijah took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. — Jeremiah said: I fall not away to the Chaldeans; for the Chaldean army was gone from the city;
— nor did Jeremiah wanted to be with an idolatrous people; for after the city was taken, when Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard gave him his choice, either to go with him to Babylon, where he promised to take care of him; or to go to Gedaliah, who was made governor of Judah; he chose rather to be with Gedaliah and his poor company:
— so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes; the princes of Zedekiah’s court, or the princes of the people, the civil magistrates; or it may be the great Sanhedrin, who he knew had no good disposition towards the prophet.
15 Thereupon the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison. — and put Jeremiah in prison, in the house of Jonathan the scribe; such an one as Elishama was in Jehoiakim’s time, who had a house or apartment at court as he had, who was now dead or removed, Jeremiah 36:12.
16 When Jeremiah had entered into the dungeon and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,
17 then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out; and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is; for, said He: Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon!” — then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah out; after he had been in prison for some time;
— and the Chaldean army returned, and having renewed their siege, the king becomes frightened; and knowing the prophet was in prison, sends a messenger to take him out from thence, and bring him to him; which was accordingly done:
— is there any word from the Lord? he means any particular word of prophecy, any late one; for prophecy did not come at all times, nor even according to the will of man, but always according to the will of God, and when he thought fit; this the king knew very well, and he wanted a comfortable word, some good news of the failure of the present attempt:
— for, Jeremiah said, thou shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon; which was boldly said to the face of the king himself, risking his life in so doing; or, at least, exposing himself to severer treatment, if severer could be used.
Zedekiah the king of Judah and the Fall of Jerusalem
18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto King Zedekiah, “How have I offended against thee or against thy servants or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? — what have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? or “what have I sinned?” have I been guilty of treason against thee, O king?
— or of scandal and defamation of any of thy nobles and courtiers? have I done any injury to any of the king’s subjects? has there been any falsehood in my prophecies? has not everything appeared to be true that I have spoken, concerning the coming of the Chaldeans to invade the land and besiege the city? and concerning the return of the Chaldean army when broken up?
— why then should I be cast into prison, and detained there? is it not a clear case that what I have said comes from the Lord? and therefore ought not to be used in this manner.
19 Where are your prophets now who prophesied unto you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land’? — where your prophets now that prophesied unto you; your false prophets, as the Targum says; what is become of their prophecies? where is the truth of them, to which general credit has been given? where are they?
20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king. Let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee, that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.” — that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe; but that he might be discharged from his confinement;
— or however be removed into another prison, not so uncomfortable and disagreeable as this man’s house or prison was; and which perhaps was still the worse through his cruel and ill natured carriage to him; and which all together endangered his life: wherefore he adds;
— lest I die there; for though he had continued there many days, yet the place was so exceedingly noisome, that he thought he could not long continue there, was he remanded back to it.
21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
— then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison; Zedekiah did not think fit to discharge him entirely, lest it should give offence to the princes, who had committed him; but he ordered him to be put in a court belonging to the prison, where he might breathe in a freer air, and have liberty of walking to and fro;
— and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street; it seems there was a street in Jerusalem so called, where the bakers lived; and perhaps the king’s bakers; who had orders to deliver to the prophet every day a piece or loaf of bread, as much as was sufficient for a man;
— until all the bread in the city was spent; that is, as long as there was any. These were the king’s orders: thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison: until the city was taken; unless a small time that he was in the dungeon of Malchiah, out of which he was taken again, and restored to the court of the prison, and there continued; Jeremiah 38:6.
Jeremiah 38
1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying, — these are the princes liked to king Zedekiak;
2 “Thus saith the Lord: ‘He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life as a prey, and shall live.’
— but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live: that goes out of the city, throws down his arms, delivers himself up to the Chaldean army, and submits to their mercy, shall have quarters given him, and his life shall be spared.
3 Thus saith the Lord: ‘This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’” — thus saith the Lord, this city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army; when those found in it should be put to the sword, or carried captive;
4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, “We beseech thee, let this man be put to death; for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words unto them; for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.”
— we beseech thee, let this man be put to death; or, “let this man now be put to death,” as the Targum says; this is in contrast to how king Hezekiah submitted himself and called for mercy upon the Most High: II Kings 19:
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, “O Lord God of Israel, who dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth. 16 Lord, bow down Thine ear, and hear; open, Lord, Thine eyes, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech Thee, save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord God, even Thou only.”
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: ‘That which thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.’
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37 And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.” — in your power, to do with him as you please; this is a grant of the weak king, allowing them to do as they thought fit;
6 Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah, the son of Hammelech, which was in the court of the prison; and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; so Jeremiah sank in the mire.
7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the Gate of Benjamin), — in the gate of Benjamin; this was on the northern wall of the city, the most exposed to the attack of the invading army,
8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying, — Ebedmelech, a Gentile went forth and spoke; not privately, but in public; a proof of fearless magnanimity; compare this to Yeshua’s time, where Simon of Cyrene, likely from north Africa or a Greek outpost, Carried the Cross on Christ’s behalf!
9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die of hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the city.” —
10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.” — and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he die; the king speaks honourably of Jeremiah, giving him his title as a prophet, and expresses great concern for him;
11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from thence old castoff clothes and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, “Put now these old castoff clothes and rotten rags under thine armpits, under the cords.” And Jeremiah did so. — even when Jeremiah had been drawn out in this way from the deep pit of mire, he remained in the court of the prison.
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.— Ebedmelech has no warrant to set Jeremiah full liberty;
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the principal entry that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said unto Jeremiah, “I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.”
— the principal entry that is in the house of the Lord; in II Kings 16:18 we read of” the king’s entry without,” an outside entrance, and of “a covert,” or covered gallery, both leading from the palace to the Temple.
15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, “If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? And if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?” —
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord liveth, who made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men who seek thy life.” —
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, “Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you will surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then your soul will live and this city will not be burned with fire. Thus you and your household will live.’
— if thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes; the generals of his army; the king not being with his army at this time, that is, if he would open the gates of Jerusalem, and go forth from thence to the Chaldean army, and surrender himself themselves into the hands of the princes their general officers:
— then thy soul shall live; in thy body and not be separated from it; or live comfortably in peace and safety though not in so much splendour and glory as he had done; and thine house; not only himself, but his wives, children and servants.
— and this city shall not be burned with fire; as had been threatened; and as the Chaldeans would be provoked to do, should it hold out to the last extremity; but should preserve it upon a surrender; but Zedekiah rebelled and was captured but at Riblah, Jeremiah 39:5;
18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.’”
— but if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes; and surrender to them: then shall this city be given into the hands of the Chaldeans; if not willingly delivered up by the king of Judah, it shall be forcibly taken by the king of Babylon’s army.
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.” — Zedekiah said he was afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans; who did go out of the city, and surrendered to the Chaldeans;
— lest they deliver me into their hands, and they mock me; that is, lest the Chaldeans should deliver him into the hands of the Jews, and they should jeer and scoff at him, for doing the same thing he had forbidden them on the severest penalty; or lest they should put him to death in the most revengeful and contemptuous manner, but all this was either a mere excuse, or showed great weakness.
20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee; so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live. — obey, Jeremiah beseech them, the voice of the Lord, which he spoke unto thee;
— the counsel Jeremiah had given Zedekiah to surrender to the Chaldeans was not from himself but from the Lord: and since it came from the Lord, it ought to be attended to, so he might be assured of the divine protection, should he act according to it:
— so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live; that is, it would not only be much better with him than he feared, but than it would be with him should he obstinately stand out to the last; he should have more respect and honour from the king of Babylon; and not only have his life spared, but enjoy more of the comforts of life; particularly the sight of his eyes.
21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord hath shown me:
22 And behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, ‘Thy friends have set thee up and have prevailed against thee. Thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they have turned away back.’
— and, behold, all the women that are left in the royal palace when Jehoiakim and Jeconiah were carried captives; or which were left of the famine and pestilence in Zedekiah’s house; or would be left there when he should flee and make his escape; meaning his concubines, maids of honour, or court ladies;
— and those women shall say, thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: or “the men of thy peace” the false prophets and the princes that hearkened to them, and promised and flattered him with peace and prosperity, these deceived him; they set him on to hold out against the Chaldeans, and not believe the Prophet Jeremiah;
— and they are turned away back; meaning either his feet, which were distorted, and had turned aside from the right way; or now could go on no further against the enemy, but were obliged to turn back and flee;
23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans. And thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon; and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.”
— so they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; not the citizens of Jerusalem; but the Chaldeans that should enter the city shall bring them “thy wives and thy children” out to the Chaldeans: all their wives, concubines and children, or sons rather; for at the taking of the city no mention is made of daughters, only of sons, who were slain before his eyes, Jeremiah 39:6;
— and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon; by his army, who having taken him, brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, and delivered Zedekiah into his hand, Jeremiah 39:5;
— and thou shalt cause this city to be burnt down; or “thou shall burn this city with fire” be the moral cause of it; through his sin and obstinacy, impenitence and unbelief, the burning of the city might be laid to his charge; his sin was the cause of it.
24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. — wanting it to be a secret, Zedekiah must be, by now, ashamed of his deeds; the princes never got to know what was the principal subject of the king’s conference with the prophet;
— “and thou shalt not die” shows that king Zedekiah has limited power, for if it were made known, Jeremiah would risk his life; because the princes would like to put the prophet to death.
25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee and say unto thee, ‘Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, also what the king said unto thee; hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death,’
— and say unto thee, declare unto us; hide it not from us and we will not put thee to death; the king knew how inquisitive they would be, to know both what the prophet said to the king, about the state of affairs respecting the Chaldeans and the surrender of the city to them.
26 then thou shalt say unto them, ‘I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house to die there.’” — then thou shalt say unto them; here the king puts words into the prophet’s mouth, what he should say to the princes, and so keep the matter a secret:
— that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there; this he had entreated of the king before, Jeremiah 37:20; and now, no doubt, renewed his request, having this fair opportunity with the king alone to do it;
— or it is probable he did it upon this hint of the king. This shows how much the king stood in fear of his princes in this time of distress; and that he had only the name of a king and had not courage and resolution enough to act of himself, according to the dictates of his mind; yea, that he, unlike Hezekiah, feared men more than he feared the Lord.
27 Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah and asked him, and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.
— for the matter was not perceived; or “was not heard” though there were persons that saw the king and the prophet together, yet nobody heard anything that passed between them; and therefore Jeremiah could not be confronted in what he had said or be charged with concealing anything.
28 So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken, and he was there when Jerusalem was taken. — the Targum, rendering it, “and it came to pass when Jerusalem was taken.”
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
West created ‘Nazi paradise’ in Ukraine to fight Russians – Dugin
Kiev’s backers, however, ultimately don’t believe it will win, the political philosopher said
The West has fostered the creeping “nazification” of Ukraine in order to make its people hostile to Russia, political philosopher and author Aleksandr Dugin has told RT. In an exclusive interview aired on Saturday, he said that Kiev’s backers have tried to hide from their own citizens the growing tolerance of nationalists and neo-Nazis in the country.
“The West thinks in such a manner: We could not create artificial nationalism in Ukraine and push Ukrainians to fight Russians [any other way],” Dugin said.
“For a traditional society, liberal values cannot be the goal to defend. So they need something [else]. The most radical [tool] to create and promote this artificial pseudo-consciousness is nationalism … or Ukrainian Russophobic fascism. And it is being used by the [globalist] liberals.”
Dugin said the West supported radicals in Kiev, despite cracking down on similar groups at home. “They destroy any kind of nationalism on their [own] territories. But in Ukraine, on the other hand, they make it flourish.” In the end, “a Nazi paradise” has been created in Ukraine, he claimed.
According to Dugin, such an approach will ultimately lead to the destruction of the Ukrainian state. “I don’t think they seriously believe in the possible victory of Ukraine,” he stated.
Ukraine’s Azov Battalion is among the units that welcomes fighters with openly nationalist and neo-Nazi views. Ukrainian soldiers have repeatedly been filmed and photographed bearing Nazi insignia and tattoos. Russian President Vladimir Putin listed “denazification” as one of the objectives of the military operation Moscow launched in the neighboring state a year ago.
Last year, Dugin’s daughter, journalist Darya Dugina, was killed by a bomb planted under the car she was driving. Moscow said Ukrainian agents were behind the assassination. Kiev denied its involvement. Nevertheless, the New York Times later reported that US intelligence officials believe that the Ukrainian authorities had authorized the attack.
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20; that is, in the latter days, in our time, shall ye understand it clearly. Only in the endtime would we be able to understand this book of Jeremiah perfectly.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony, as many Churches do, is a disgrace. The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. Hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Jeremiah 35
1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, — the time indicated would be around 609-598 BC during Jehoiakim’s reign.
2 “Go unto the house of the Rechabites and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.” — go unto the house of the Rechabites; or “family” these are the same with the Kenites, who descended from Hobab or Jethro, Moses’s father in law, Judges 1:16;
— these, as their ancestors were proselytes to Israel, and living among them, though a distinct people from them; these had their name from Rechab, a famous man in his time among those people.
3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brethren and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites, — this Jaazaniah must be the son of another Jeremiah; because our Jeremiah the prophet wasn’t allowed to get married (Jeremiah 16:2);
4 and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door.
5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups; and I said unto them, “Drink ye wine.”
6 But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever. — for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father; not their immediate father, but their progenitor;
— perhaps the same Jonadab is meant who lived in the times of Jehu, and rode with him in his chariot; by which it appears he was a man of note and who lived near three hundred years before this time, II Kings 10:15; and is the father of the present Rechabites;
— commanded us, saying, ye shall drink no wine, nor your sons, for ever. What was the reason of this command; perhaps to prevent quarrels and contentions, luxury and sensuality; or to inure them to hardships in remembrance that they were strangers in the land in which they once lived;
— or to retain them in the original course of life their ancestors had lived in, feeding cattle; but whatever it may be, these sons thought themselves under obligations to observe; perhaps by experience, they found it good so to do.
7 Neither shall ye build a house, nor sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor have any; but all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land where ye are strangers.’
— neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard; for themselves, for their own profit and advantage; nor possess either of these through purchase or gift: partly because they were strangers in the land of Israel;
— and partly because the pastoral life was what their ancestors had lived; and therefore it should be continued in his posterity; as well as because by this means they would live not envied by the Israelites; since they did not covet to get any part of their possessions.
8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he hath charged us: to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters,
9 nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed.
10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians.’ So we dwell at Jerusalem.”
— so we dwell at Jerusalem, making use of the city as a temporary refuge, until they might return to their home-land. The Rechabites thus offered a fine example of willing obedience to the command of their tribal head.
12 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,
13 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to My words?’ saith the Lord.
14 ‘The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment. Notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, but ye hearkened not unto Me.
— the words of Jonadab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, has been carefully observed; which, though so agreeable to the nature of man, what cheers the heart of God and man, and was not prohibited them by any law of God; yet, being forbidden by their father, they abstained from it:
— for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment; though prescribed them three hundred years ago; during all which time they had punctually observed it, even to that very day; which might with great truth and strictness be said; since they had that very day refused to drink any:
— notwithstanding God have spoken unto you, rising early, and speaking; who am the eternal God; able to save and to destroy; given them laws as soon as they were a people, very early, in the times of Moses, on Mount Sinai and Horeb; and of which they had been reminded time after time;
— whereas the command of Jonadab was that of a mere man, not over three hundred years ago, and of which his posterity had never been put in mind, but as it was handed down from father to son; and this they observed: but ye hearkened not unto me; so that the house of Judah’s disobedience was greatly aggravated.
15 I have sent also unto you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, “Return ye now every man from his evil way and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers.” But ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto Me.
16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people hath not hearkened unto Me,
17 therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken unto them but they have not heard, and I have called unto them but they have not answered.’”
— behold, God himself will bring upon all the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem all the evil that he had pronounced against them: all the curses that God had pronounced upon them; namely, that the Chaldean army should come into their land, besiege Jerusalem and take it and to carry them away as captives:
— because God have spoken unto them, but they won’t listen; he spoke to them by his prophets, he called to them in his providences and took every method to warn them of their sin and danger and bring them to repentance; but all to no result;
— the Targum says, “because I sent unto them all my servants the prophets, but they obeyed not; and they prophesied to them, but they returned not.”
18 And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according unto all that he hath commanded you,
19 therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack for a man to stand before Me for ever.’” — Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever;
— which may be understood of a long time, of ages to come; the posterity of this man should continue: or “a man shall not be cut off from Jonadab” his offspring shall never fail. It is certain that some of this family returned from the Babylon captivity, 1 Chronicles 2:55;
— the Targum paraphrased, “ministering before me;” serving and worshipping God, for they were religious people; that is, in their own families, carrying on religious worship among themselves, though not in the Temple, where they had no office, and did no service; though some think they had, some being called scribes.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony, as many Churches do, is a disgrace. The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. Hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Jeremiah 36
1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: — and it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; this would be around 606 BC; eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem.
2 “Take thee a scroll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel and against Judah and against all the nations from the day I spoke unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.
— and write therein all the words that Jeremiah have spoken against Israel and Judah; for though Israel was carried captive before the times of Jeremiah, and his prophecies were chiefly directed against Judah;
— and against all the nations; such as Egypt, Edom, Ammon and Moab, Jeremiah 9:26;
— now all his discourses and prophecies he had delivered out against one and another, during this time, must all be written in one roll or book, that that they might be read. This roll could probably be the book of Lamentations, and if so, the book of Lamentations should serve as a appendix to the book of Jeremiah.
3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them, that they may return every man from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken unto him upon a scroll of a book.
— then Jeremiah called upon Baruch to write from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, upon a roll of a book; it seems that Jeremiah had not committed any of his prophecies to writing; but now he would readily repeat them to Baruch, who took them down in writing on a roll of parchment.
5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the Lord.
6 Therefore go thou, and read in the scroll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the Lord’S house upon the fasting day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities.
— upon the fasting day; the day of atonement; the great fast, which was on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; where it was a very proper time to read it in, when the people were fasting and humbling themselves before the Lord;
— but a different time comes from reading of another fast in Jeremiah 36:9; where some think this was a fast proclaimed by Jehoiakim, a shallow repentence to avert the vengeance threatened by the Chaldean army.
7 It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, and will return every one from his evil way; for great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people.”
8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’S house.
9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
— and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem: these proclaimed the fast; they applied to the government order for one, or however obeyed the king’s orders, and proclaimed a fast; not only the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but those who came from other cities on the king’s order.
10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the higher court at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’S house in the ears of all the people.
11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord,
12 then he went down into the king’s house into the scribe’s chamber; and lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.
— and all the princes, who were either members of the great Sanhedrin, or other royals; it appears from hence that this court was very profane and irreligious; for though they had proclaimed a fast, to make a show of religion, or at the importunity of the people; yet they did not attend Temple worship, but were all together in someone’s office, very probably about politics.
13 Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi unto Baruch, saying, “Take in thine hand the scroll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came unto them.
15 And they said unto him, “Sit down now, and read it in our ears.” So Baruch read it in their ears. — so Baruch read it in their ears; without any fear or dread, though in the king’s palace, and before an assembly of princes;
— nor did he excuse himself on account of weariness, having just read it to the people; or upbraid the princes with not being in the Temple, where they might have heard it.
16 Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and the other, and said unto Baruch, “We will surely tell the king of all these words.”
17 And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us now, how didst thou write all these words from his mouth?” — that is, from Jeremiah’s mouth;
18 Then Baruch answered them, “He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.”
19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, “Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.” — go hide thee, thou and Jeremiah, and let no man know where ye be. Some of these princes at least seem to be good and had regards for the prophet and his scribe, and were concerned for their welfare;
— and knowing the furious temper of the king, provided against the worst; and in point of prudence advised Baruch and Jeremiah to abscond and not let anyone know where they were, lest they should be betrayed; nor did they, the princes, desire to know themselves.
20 And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.
21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the scroll; and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king and in the ears of all the princes who stood beside the king. — literally, “over the king” for since they were standing in his presence, their heads were higher than his;
— and Jehudi read it in the ears of the king and in the ears of all the princes that stood by the king: as he doubtless was ordered; and which he did so loudly, clearly and distinctly, that the king and all the princes could hear.
22 Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
23 And it came to pass that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. — hence the fast proclaimed earlier by Jehoiakim was a shallow repentence to avert the vengeance threatened by the Chaldean army; not a real turn-around.
24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. — yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments; they were not struck with horror at such an impious action as the burning of the roll;
— nor afraid of the judgements and wrath of God; nor did they rend their garments in token of sorrow and mourning on account of either as used to be when anything blasphemous was said or done, or any bad news were brought.
25 Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he should not burn the scroll; but he would not hear them.
26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the Lord hid them.
— but the Lord hid them; the princes advised them to hide themselves and they did, very probably in a house of some of their friends; but this would not have been sufficient, had not the Lord took them under his protection.
27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28 “Take thee again another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. — dishonoring God’s word, Jehoiakim did a wicked thing to burn the scroll;
29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Thou hast burned this scroll, saying, “Why hast thou written therein, saying: the king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?”
30 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat and in the night to the frost.
— he shall have none to sit upon the throne of David; that is, none of his seed that should reign after him on the throne of David and kingdom of Judah; for his son Jeconiah reigned but three months, which is reckoned as nothing, and could not be called sitting upon the throne;
— but Zedekiah, who followed, was not his lawful successor, not his seed but a brother to Jehoiakim, and was set up by the king of Babylon in contempt of the latter.
31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the men of Judah all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.’”
— and God will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah, all the evil that he had pronounced against them; the sword, famine and pestilence; the destruction of their land, city, and Temple; and their captivity in Babylon.
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah who wrote in it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And there were added to them many like words.
— many like words of the same nature and argument were added; besides, the discourse delivered in the Temple court was revised and enlarged, dictated to Baruch as before, and in this shape has probably come down to us through the fresh inspiration of God’s spirits,
— from hence we may infer that God did not always use the very form of words which the writers have set down, but directing them in general to express his sense with new dimensions, with a heavier denunciation of his wrath and vengeance.
China’s newly-released plan to promote peace talks between Ukraine and Russia conspicuously fails to say clearly whether Moscow should withdraw its troops from the Donbas region now.
China’s foreign ministry released a 12-point statement on Friday, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling on both sides to cease fire and open a dialogue to resolve their conflicts politically. The statement does not go beyond saying in generalized language that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries should be protected in accordance with international laws, including the UN Charter.
There is some irony here in the fact that China has, this very month, made a politically sensitive change in its official worldview – a change that affects Russia.
The Ministry of Natural Resources on February 14 published a new version of its world map – directing a return to using the Chinese names of eight cities and areasoccupied by the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Qing government lost large expanses of land in the northern region due to the invasion of the Russians. As Wikipedia recounts it, the story is that
The Treaty of Nerchinsk, signed in 1689 after a series of conflicts, defined the Sino–Russian border as the Stanovoy Mountains and the Argun River, affirming Qing China’s sovereignty over the region now known as Outer Manchuria. However, after losing the Opium Wars, Qing China was forced to sign a series of treaties that gave away territories and ports to various Western powers as well as to Russia and Japan; these were collectively known as the Unequal Treaties. Starting with the Treaty of Aigun in 1858 and the Treaty of Peking in 1860, the Sino–Russian border was realigned in Russia’s favour along the Amur and Ussuri rivers. As a result, China lost the region now known as Outer Manchuria (an area of more than 1 million km2) and access to the Sea of Japan.
Under Beijing’s new directive, Vladivostok once again is called Haishenwai (meaning Sea Cucumber Bay) while Sakhalin Island is called Kuyedao. The Stanovoy Range is back to being called the Outer Xing’an Range in Chinese.
It hasn’t been unusual for some Chinese columnists to write, from time to time, articles to remind readers how much of the country’s land was taken by foreign powers from the middle of the 19th century.
These articles are permitted to be posted online and circulated on the internet – even at times like this when Beijing wants to strengthen its economic ties with Moscow. It is, nevertheless, surprising that Beijing changed its map during this sensitive time.
Ou Hanzong, a Jiangsu-based columnist, saidon February 20that Chinese people has lost 1.7 million square kilometers of territory including what’s now called the Russian Far East region, Mongolia and some areas in present-day Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, to the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union under unequal treaties since the late 19th century. [comparable to the total area of Alaska, which covers 1,717,900 square kilometers]
Ou said the reuse of Chinese names of the Far East cities reminds Chinese people of their wishes to recover the lost territory.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the issue. However, it is arguable whether Moscow can complain about it because Beijing, while reverting to the use of the old Chinese names of the eight places, has not changed the English names.
Modern Vladivostok – or in Chinese, Haishenwai (Sea Cucumber Bay)
Ambiguous stance
Although China in its latest statement on the Ukraine War urged all parties to prevent humanitarian and nuclear crises in Ukraine, its political stance on the matter remains ambiguous, said some commentators.
Simon Lau Sai-leung, a Hong Kong political commentator, said it is not so meaningful that China called for peace talks but did not ask Moscow to withdraw its troops.
Lau said it is obvious that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to retreat while Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will not join any peace talks as long as the Russian troops are still in the Donbas region.
The Ukraine-Russian war will continue in the spring, he said, adding that such a trend might suit Beijing’s interests. Lau said China can buy Russian energy at lower prices if Moscow needs Beijing’s help.
The statement did spend many paragraphs blaming NATO’s expansion for causing the conflicts and blaming the West’s sanctions for escalating the situation.
“A country’s security should not be achieved at the expense of another country’s, while regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or expanding military blocs,” said the statement. “The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed.”
China’s UN Ambassador Dai Bing in his speech at a special UN meeting on Thursday said it is urgent to arrange a ceasefire in Ukraine as sending weapons there will not bring peace.
“Cruel facts have shown that the delivery of weapons will not bring peace but only escalate the conflicts,” Dai said. “Prolonging the conflicts will only make ordinary people suffer.”
He said relevant countries (a reference to the United States and European countries) should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction” and do something beneficial to ease the tensions.
UN resolution
The statement came after the United Nations General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution on Thursday that calls for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. Originally, Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to deliver a speech on the matter on Friday but he did not.
The UN resolution won approval by 143 countries. Seven countries, including Russia, Belarus, Nicaragua, Syria, North Korea, Eritrea and Mali, voted against it. Thirty-two countries, including China, India, Venezuela and Iran, abstained.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said it was possible that Beijing had approved of Chinese firms providing Russia non-lethal, “dual-use” support for its war in Ukraine.
Der Spiegel, a German weekly news magazine, added particulars when it reported that a Xian-based company would deliver 100 strike drones to Russia as soon as April.
China’s foreign ministry said all these accusations were groundless. Chinese columnists agreed and gave a reason: China would not risk sacrificing its trade with the West by sending weapons to Russia.
“China does not necessarily need to help Russia despite their good relations,” said a writer surnamed Tang. “If China blindly supports Russia and faces sanctions, how can its small trade with Russia offset the loss of its trillion-dollar businesses with Europe and the US?”
Tang said China achieved its economic success through international trade so it would not seek to get involved in a conflict that was unrelated to it.
SYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) – China has a “stunning lead” in 37 out of 44 critical and emerging technologies as Western democracies lose a global competition for research output, a security think tank said on Thursday after tracking defence, space, energy and biotechnology.
The study, funded by the United States State Department, found the United States was often second-ranked, although it led global research in high-performance computing, quantum computing, small satellites and vaccines.
“Western democracies are losing the global technological competition, including the race for scientific and research breakthroughs,” the report said, urging greater research investment by governments.
China had established a “stunning lead in high-impact research” under government programs.
The report called for democratic nations to collaborate more often to create secure supply chains and “rapidly pursue a strategic critical technology step-up.”
ASPI tracked the most-cited scientific papers, which it said are the most likely to result in patents. China’s surprise breakthrough in hypersonic missiles in 2021 would have been identified earlier if China’s strong research had been detected, it said.
“Over the past five years, China generated 48.49% of the world’s high-impact research papers into advanced aircraft engines, including hypersonics, and it hosts seven of the world’s top 10 research institutions,” it said.
In the fields of photonic sensors and quantum communication, China’s research strength could result in it “going dark” to the surveillance of western intelligence, including the “Five Eyes” of Britain, United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it said.
National talent flows of researchers were also tracked and monopoly risks were identified.
China was likely to emerge with a monopoly in 10 fields including synthetic biology, where it produces one-third of all research, as well as electric batteries, 5G, and nano manufacturing.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, a government research body, ranked first or second in most of the 44 technologies tracked, which spanned defence, space, robotics, energy, the environment, biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced materials and quantum technology.
China was bolstering its research with knowledge gained overseas, and the data showed one-fifth of the top Chinese researchers were trained in a Five Eyes country, it said.
The study recommended visa screening programs to limit illegal technology transfers and instead favour international collaboration with security allies.
Australia’s universities have said they are complying with foreign influence laws designed to stop the illegal transfer of technology to China, but also noted international collaboration is an integral part of university research.
Flags of China, United States, India, Italy, Great Britain, Iran [in other catergories they include South Korea, Germany, Australia and Japan]
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One key area in which China excels is the defence and space-related technologies; a potential example of critical advanced jet aircraft engines (including hypersonics) of the future to dominate and control the sky: ASPI
Who are the individuals publishing the high-impact research that’s propelled China to an impressive lead? Where did they study and train? In advanced aircraft engines (including hypersonics), in which China is publishing more than four times as much high-impact research as the US (2nd place), there are two key insights.
First, the majority (68.6%) of high-impact authors trained at Chinese universities and now work in Chinese research institutions.
Second, China is also attracting talent to the workplace from democratic countries: 21.6% of high-impact authors completed their postgraduate training in a Five-Eyes country (US = 9.8%, UK = 7.8%, Canada = 3.9%, Australia = none, New Zealand = none), 2% trained in the EU, and 2% trained in Japan.
Although not quantified in this work, this is very likely to be a combination of Chinese nationals who went abroad for training and brought their newly acquired expertise back to China, and foreign nationals moving to China to work at a research institution or company.
World-leading research institutes typically also provide training for the next generation of innovators through high-quality undergraduates, masters and PhDs, and employment opportunities in which junior researchers are mentored by experts.
As China claims seven of the world’s top 10 research institutions for advanced aircraft engines (including hypersonics), its training system is largely decoupled, as there’s a sufficient critical mass of domestic expertise to train the next generation of top scientists.
However, a steady supply of new ideas and techniques is also provided by individuals trained overseas who are attracted to work in Chinese institutions.
A crucial question to ask is whether expertise in high-impact research translates into (sticking with the same example) the manufacture of world-leading jet engines. What of reports of reliability problems experienced with Chinese-manufactured jet engines?
The skill set required for leading-edge engine research differs from the expertise, tacit knowledge and human capital needed to manufacture jet engines to extreme reliability requirements. This is an important caveat that readers should keep in mind, and it’s one we point out in multiple places throughout the report.
As one external reviewer put it, ‘If you’re good at origami but don’t yet excel at making decent paper, are you really good at origami?’ Naturally, manufacturing capability lags research breakthroughs.
However, in the example of jet-engine manufacturing, China appears to be making strides and has recognised the ‘choke-point’ of being entirely reliant on US and Swedish companies for the precision-grade stainless steel required for bearings in high performance aircraft engines.
China’s excellent research performance in this area most likely reflects the prioritisation and investment by the CCP to overcome the reliability, and choke-point, hurdles of previous years.
“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.”
“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand, “a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favor to the young. “And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle and the fruit of thy land until thou be destroyed; he also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy cattle, or flocks of thy sheep until he have destroyed thee. “And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fortified walls come down wherein thou trusted, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land which the Lord thy God hath given thee,” Deuteronomy 28:44,49-51
Question: Would Nato kick out Türkiye in order to admit Finland and Sweden? Then Nato would be enlarged, which is their aim, so would BRICS!
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)
For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South! For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
Jeremiah 33
1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, — Jeremiah was still shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king’s palace;
2 “Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name: — the Lord isn’t his name, the Lord is a title; God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה YHVH; Yehovah is his name (more at the end)
3 ‘Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.’ — some copies read it, “things reserved” as the Targum says; and so Rashi interprets it of things future, of things reserved in the heart of God;
— which thou knowest not; until revealed; canst be known without further revelation; that by these great and hidden things are not meant the destruction of Jerusalem, nor the seventy years’ captivity,
— nor return from that, nor things which Jeremiah had been made acquainted with time after time, and had prophesied of them; but something not revealed as yet; such great and hidden things might be “sweet as honey in the mouth but would make thy belly bitter,” Revelation 10:9-10
4 For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the siege mounds and by the sword: — the Targum says, “which they pulled down, and threw up mounts to strengthen the wall, against those that kill with the sword.”
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. Hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
5 ‘They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I have slain in Mine anger and in My fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid My face from this city.
— and for all whose wickedness God have hid his face from the city; had no pity for it, showed no mercy to it, gave it no help and assistance, or protection, having withdrawn his presence from it. So the Targum says, “I have caused my Shekinah to depart from this city, because of their wickedness.”
6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure; and I will cure them and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.
7 And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to cease, and will build them as at the first. — and I will cause the captivity of Judah and of Israel to return;
— mention being made of the return of the captivity of Israel, or the ten tribes, as well as that of Judah, shows that this prophecy does not relate to the return of the Jews from their seventy years’ captivity in Babylon; but is to be understood to be yet in the future;
— according to the Septuagint of Ezekiel 4, the captivity of Judah is 40 years whereas the captivity of Israel will be 190 years. For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years.
8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against Me; and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against Me.
— only after paying the iniquity would both the house of Israel (190 years) and the house of Judah (40 years) be cleansed. For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years
9 And it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I provide unto it.’
— and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that God procure unto it; that is, they shall fear the Lord, and tremble at his word; not only with a slavish, but also filial fear, which is consistent with joy, gladness and a reconcilation with God.
10 “Thus saith the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place (which ye say shall be desolate, without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast),
11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, “Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy endureth for ever”
— and of those who shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captives of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.
— such wild partyings the likes of Paris Hilton’s would ease and instead they would ask, “Why hath the Lord pronounced all these evils against us? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?”
12 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Again in this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof shall be a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.
13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that counteth them,’ saith the Lord.
14 “‘Behold, the days come,’ saith the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. — behold, the days are coming; there shall come a time when he will verify every good word which he hath spoken to, or concerning his people.
15 In those days and at that time will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and He shall execute judgement and righteousness in the land. — this will be during the Millennium, where the Messiah, a Branch of David, will reign.
16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’
17 “For thus saith the Lord: ‘David shall never be in want for a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; — David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
— or “there shall not be cut off unto David a man” and this is to be understood of the temporal kingdom of David, which has mysterious been preserved from even a long time ago. For more on how this riddle ist expounded, see “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by J.H. Allen (1847-1930).
18 neither shall the priests, the Levites, be in want for a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.’” — neither shall the priests the Levites for want a man before me; although the work of the Levitical priesthood has been abandoned long ago, their line, clan or tribe had mysterious been preserved.
19 And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying,
20 “Thus saith the Lord: ‘If ye can break My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season, — thus saith the Lord, if you can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night; the same with the ordinances of the sun, moon, and stars, Jeremiah 31:35;
— the original constitution and law of nature, settled from the beginning of the world and observed ever since, in the constant revolution of day and night; and which was formed into a covenant and promise to Noah, after the deluge, that day and night should not cease, as long as the earth remained,
21 then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites the priests, My ministers.
22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David My servant and the Levites who minister unto Me.’”
23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,
24 “Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord hath chosen, He hath even cast them off’? Thus they have despised My people, that they should be no more a nation before them.
— with respect to the two families, these two families being the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah; their neighbors have “despised my people,” claiming that they had rejected God and then Jesus and hence our well-accepted paganized “Christians” are the chosen of God; hence the birth and prominence of the replacement theology today;
— replacement theology is the view that our modern Ishtar- and Mithras-worshipping church is the new or true Israel that has permanently replaced or superseded Israel as the people of God.
25 Thus saith the Lord: ‘If My covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, —”Not so” the Lord says;
26 then will I cast away the seed of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to cease, and have mercy on them.’”
— from the MSG Bible:
“Well, here’s God’s response: ‘If my covenant with day and night wasn’t in working order, if sky and earth weren’t functioning the way I set them going, then, but only then, you might think I had disowned the descendants of Jacob and of my servant David, and that I wouldn’t set up any of David’s descendants over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as it is, I will give them back everything they’ve lost. The last word is, I will have mercy on them.’” (MSG)
~~~
More on God’s name, Yehovah.
God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה YHVH Yehovah, which are embedded in the Masoretic text over 6000 times, yet when translated into our English language most had been translated as Lord, or LORD, which are titles, but not his name. His name is יהוה Yehovah, or YEHOVAH (but there are no capital letters in Hebrew).
It wasn’t until 1524 that Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian Renaissance grammarian, invented the letter J that this new letter started to take a hold in the writings of western Europe. Even in 1611 when the English Bible the King James has our subject of study by the prophet Jeremiah, he was known as Ieremiah. So Jehovah is a very late comer.
The following verses with the LORD erred in translation. His name Yehovah should be used:
I am the LORD; that is My name. And My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Joel 2:32
“I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought Me not. I said, ‘Behold Me, behold Me,’ unto a nation that was not called by My name. Isaiah 65:1
When we call our God, the LORD, we err, because his name is not the LORD, which is a title. His name is YEHOVAH! May We all ask for his forgiveness, and may Our merciful God forgive us all.
Jeremiah 34
In this chapter, because of their breach of covenant to let servants go free, it is another cause of the taking and burning of Jerusalem; of the captivity of Zedekiah king of Judah; and of the destruction of the whole land.
1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem and against all the cities thereof, saying,
2 “Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
— behold, God will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire; Jeremiah 32:3; which was exactly accomplished, Jeremiah 52:13.
3 And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.
— and thou shalt not escape from his hand, but shalt certainly be seized and delivered into his hand; and his mouth shall speak with thy mouth; such atmosphere will help Zedekiah to fear God and trembled at his word, even belatedly;
4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah. Thus saith the Lord of thee: Thou shalt not die by the sword, — yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; which, though a king destined to be a captive, he ought to hearken to the Lord;
— thus saith the Lord, thou shalt not die by the sword: of Zedekiah king of Judah of a violent death; and therefore fear not to deliver thyself and city into the hands of the king of Babylon; for Zedekiah fears he would put him to death immediately.
5 but thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings who were before thee, so shall they burn incense for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, “Ah, lord!” For I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.’”
— Zedekiah apparently repented (Jeremiah 38:14-17); thus received some mercy; and thus shall not die a violent death through the sword, but in peace and be buried with honour; unlike Jehoiakim.
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
King Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign
7 when the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah.
— and against all the cities of Judah that were left; unconquered by him; when Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land and ravished all the cities that lay in his way; and it seems there were none that stood out against him but Jerusalem, now besieged by him, and two others, mentioned below;
— against Lachish, and against Azekah; for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah; two cities that had been fortified by Rehoboam, II Chronicles 11:9; and were still standing besides Jerusalem, which as yet had not fallen into the army of Babylon.
8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty unto them:
— the word from the Lord came to Jeremiah, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people to proclaim liberty unto them, according to the Lord’s ordinance for Hebrews to keep the members of their own nation as bond-servants for only six years, and on the seventh year be given their liberty, Exodus 21:22;
9 that every man should let his manservant and every man his maidservant, being a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free, that none should be served by them, to wit: by a Jew, his brother. — cause or compel them to be bond-servants, to wit, of a Jew, an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, for the Law concerned these only, not the slaves of another nationality.
10 Now when all the princes and all the people, who had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant and every one his maidservant go free, that none should be served by them any more, then they obeyed and let them go.
— they hearkened, and let them go free. That is, they conformed to the obligations of the covenant, which they had entered into at the instigation of their princes.
11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids whom they had let go free to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
— but afterwards they relented, having cold feet from the law of God, and their own agreement, and returned to their former usage of their servants; they changed their minds and measures.
12 Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
13 “Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,
14 ‘At the end of seven years let go every man his brother, a Hebrew who hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee.’ But your fathers hearkened not unto Me, neither inclined their ear.
— this is another sin of Israel, the year of release of (1) a slave and (2) release of debt; (3) the release of the land, a year of rest; but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear; to obey the laws of God;
— this is not to be understood of the fathers with whom the covenant was first made; but their posterity in later times, who yet lived long before the present generation, and so it appears that this law had been long neglected.
15 And ye had now turned, and had done right in My sight in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.
— if they couldn’t grant bonded servants their liberty, neither would God grant them freedom, hence off into Babylon they go;
16 But ye turned and polluted My name, and caused every man his servant and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
17 “Therefore thus saith the Lord: Ye have not hearkened unto Me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every man to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim a ‘liberty’ for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
— thus saith the Lord: ye have not hearkened unto me in proclaiming liberty, hence off you go to the sword, to pestilence, to famine and into captivity; for seventy years.
18 And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before Me when they cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof—
19 the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf—
20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of them that seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven and to the beasts of the earth.
— off to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven and to the beasts of the earth.
21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army which has gone up from you. — once God has decreed somthing, he is determined to carry it through.
22 Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.”
— and your enemies shall fight against you and take your cities and burn them down; they fought against it by shooting arrows from their bows, casting stones from their engines and by beating down the walls with their battering rams; with which making breaches, they entered in and took the city; burnt the Temple and palaces with fire; Jeremiah 52:4;
— and God will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant: many of them were already; the king of Babylon having taken, ravaged and plundered them before he came to Jerusalem; and whither the inhabitants of them, that escaped the sword, fled for security; and others of them, that were not, now should be made desolate upon the taking of Jerusalem,
— as Lachish and Azekah, Jeremiah 34:7; which should fall into the hands of the enemy, and the inhabitants thereof be forced to flee into other countries, or would be carried away as captives; so that they would be but few, if any, to dwell in these two cities.
Mass production of photonic chips in China is imminent; this would be a Game-changer. The “Made in China 2025” initiative, which calls for 70% self-sufficiency in core components for critical technologies by 2025, would be achievable.
And by 2030, China would dominate the projected one trillion-dollar chip industry like the way TSMC, Samsung, ASML, Qualcomm and Intel dominate the global market today!
China’s Mass production of photonic chips is a Game Changer!
After the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the breakthrough of 3nm photonic chip transistor technology, Zhongke Xintong announced the news: the first multi-material photonic chip production line in China will be put into production in 2023.
This means that China has bypassed the stuck EUV lithography machine and found a way to achieve Chips supremacy by changing lanes and overtaking.
(1) The first domestic photonic chip production line is about to be mass-produced
In October 2022, “Beijing Daily” reporter Sun Qiru interviewed Sui Jun, the legal representative and president of Zhongke Xintong Microelectronics Technology (Beijing) Co, Ltd, and reported:
Zhongke Xintong is currently preparing to build the first domestic “multi-material, cross-dimensional” photonic chip factory. The photonic chip production line will be completed and put into production in 2023.
By that time, it will be able to meet market demand in the fields of communications, data centers, lidar, microwave photonics and medical testing.
After the completion of the production line, it will fill China’s gap in the field of optical quantum chip wafer foundry, and is expected to accelerate the large-scale process of domestic photonic chip production and the elimination of other means of production.
(2) China’s chip industry has gone through a difficult development process
Looking back at China’s chip industry, there are four main stages:
The first stage is the initial R & D from 1965-1978
The second is the introduction and improvement from 1978-1990
The third is the key development and construction of 1990 to 1999
The fourth is 2000 to our current stage of rapid development
After decades of development, China’s chip industry is responsible for the packaging and testing links downstream of the industrial chain, while the design and manufacturing links upstream of the industrial chain are concentrated mainly in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States.
Although the Kirin 9000 high-end chip independently developed and designed by Huawei HiSilicon represents the world’s most advanced chip level, its key core technology, key equipment and materials of chips have been under the control of foreigners.
For example, EDA tools, wafers and lithography machines are monopolized by developed countries for import. As a result, after the United States decided to sanction Huawei in 2018, Huawei, as the global leader in 5G technology, has been unable to ship Huawei 5G mobile phones because TSMC refused to manufacture 5G chips.
(3) Breakthroughs in photonic chip technology by changing lanes to overtake.
In 1969, Bell Laboratories in the United States first initiated and proposed the concept of photonic chips.
By 2016, China successfully launched the world’s first quantum experiment satellite into space. The quantum satellite was developed independently by China, and it also achieved the first quantum call with Austria. This marks the official launch of photonic research in China.
In 2018, Jin Xianmin’s team at Shanghai Jiaotong University successfully developed China’s first photonic computing chip.
In 2018, the United States sanctioned Huawei, a global leader in 5G communications. After the chip supply channel was cut off, Huawei launched the research and development of optical quantum chips. At present, it has successfully developed photonic chip design software, which is also the fastest quantum logic gate software in the world, helping the industry to develop on a large scale.
Huawei has never given up on research and development in the chip field. Huawei has taken the initiative to invest in Weiyuan Photonics and Everbright Huaxin. The Kirin chip is expected to return next year, a combination of silicon-based chips and photonic chips.
On May 27, 2019, Hong Kong’s “South China Morning Post” website reported that Yin Huaxiang, an expert in the field of microelectronic equipment and integration technology at the Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team have developed a 3-nanometer transistor.
In July 2020, the Chinese Academy of Sciences issued a chip mobilization target, requiring a 70% self-sufficiency rate of domestic chips by 2025. For this purpose, the “Chip University” was established, the “Oriental Chip Port” was built with huge sums of money allocated: subsidies, tax-breaks, grants and numerous other incentives.
The Results
Among them, it includes simultaneous breakthroughs in the two technical routes of photonic chips and traditional electronic chips. In February 2021, the Tsinghua team discovered a new light source that can be used in photonic chips.
In August 2021, Guo Guangcan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led a scientific research team to a major breakthrough in the core technology of photonic chips.
In 2022, according to the “Peking University News Network,” the latest Nature article reported by Professor Wang Xingjun’s team has made a major breakthrough in photonic integrated chips and microsystems; that is, optoelectronics integrated system on a chip.
Pan Jianwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in an interview that with the breakthrough of photonic chip technology, China will get rid of the chip stuck in the past and lead the development of the global semiconductor industry in the future.
(4) Domestic photonic chip “lithography machine” is available
The NDPT-100 non-destructive probe electrical measurement platform, which is 100% independently developed by Hefei Benyuan Quantum Computing Technology Co Ltd, has a minimum measurement range reduced to the micron level, and the minimum diameter of the film scar caused by the probe is within 1 micron, and the measurement process does not affect the coherent performance of superconducting qubits has the advantages of high stability and high motion precision.
Dr Jia Zhilong, deputy director of the Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center, said that this non-destructive probe station is like a lithography machine on a traditional chip production line.
Accurately identify which qubits are unqualified and where they are unqualified, which greatly shortens the research and development cycle of photonic chips and effectively improves the yield rate of photonic chip manufacturing. The use of this equipment proves that China has completely opened up the photonic chip production line.
(5) The performance of photonic chips is far superior to electronic chips
The biggest difference between a photonic chip and a traditional electronic chip is that it uses light as a carrier, replaces electricity with light, and uses micro-nano processing technology to integrate a large number of photonic quantum devices on the chip. Compared with electronic chips, this photonic chip is more integrated, more accurate, more stable, and has better compatibility.
Because of the different manufacturing processes, optical quantum chips can be produced without a lithography machine. This means that the current most advanced 5nm and 3nm chip manufacturing processes will no longer be the top chip technology, and the pursuit of smaller nanometer chips will be completely meaningless.
The limit of electronic chips is 0.1 nanometers, which is the physical limit of electronic chip manufacturing equipment lithography machines.
Compared with electronic chips, photonic chips have lower requirements on the structure, generally on the order of hundreds of nanometers, thus reducing the dependence on advanced technology. This means that China’s current 14nm-level production technology can fully meet the production needs of photonic chips.
Photonic chips herald a larger application space
In terms of performance, photonic chips can compute about 1,000 times faster than electronic chips. The ability to quickly transfer large amounts of information makes optical processors well-suited to handle the massive calculations that drive artificial intelligence models.
For example, the artificial intelligence photonic chip is a chip design that highly matches the photonic computing architecture and artificial intelligence algorithm, and has the potential to be widely used in autonomous driving, security monitoring, speech recognition, image recognition, medical diagnosis, games, virtual reality, industrial Internet of things, enterprise servers and data centers and other key areas of artificial intelligence.
At the same time, photonic chips consume less power than electronic chips. Under the same circumstances, the power consumption of photonic chips is 1/100 of that of electronic chips, or just one percent.
In 2020, the annual power consumption of domestic data centers was estimated to be 204.5 billion kWh, accounting for 2.7% of the electricity consumption of China, while the power generation of the Three Gorges Power Station in that year was 111.8 billion kWh.
In other words, the electricity consumed by data storage for one year is close to the power generation of two Three Gorges Power Stations. Electricity alone accounts for 60%-70% of the total operating cost of the entire data center. If photonic chips are used instead of electronic chips, only one item of data is stored, and 200 billion kWh of electricity can be saved in a year!
Combining the above advantages, the photonic chip is considered to be one of the most promising solutions in the fields of large-capacity data transmission and artificial intelligence accelerated computing in the future, and it also provides a good opportunity for the domestic chip industry to “change lanes and overtake.”
Upgrading from electronic chips to photonic chips is a major strategic opportunity for China’s chips to change lanes and overtake
(6) The transformation of chips from electronic (or electricity) to light is a strategic opportunity for China to overtake
In terms of basic theory, China and the United States are basically at the same level. American scientists invented the world’s first ruby laser in 1960. In 1961, the Changchun Institute of Optics and Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed China’s first ruby laser.
In terms of technology, both China and foreign countries have their own advantages. For example, in terms of photonic integration technology research, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Microsystems, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, etc. have conducted long-term research.
In terms of the sales market, 1.15 trillion chips was be sold worldwide in 2021, a record US$555.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 26%. China remains the world’s largest chip consumer market, with sales up 27.1% year-on-year to $192.5 billion. The semiconductors market is projected to reach $726.73 billion by 2027; and research by McKinsey & Company to become a trillion-dollar industry by 2030.
The decisive force for the development of photonic chips is the market. Only strong market demand can bring huge technology research and development funds for photonic chips. The massive investment is the guarantee for the development of photonic chip technology.
In terms of industrial chain, China has the most complete industrial chain in the world. Once the commercial market in the field of photonic chips is opened, Chinese companies are bound to become the major force in this field.
Recently, Huawei took a stake in Weiyuan Photonics and Everbright Huaxin, GlobalFoundries launched new silicon photonics technology, and New Cisco launched the world’s first open silicon photonics platform… A group of domestic and foreign manufacturers have accelerated their exploration of the “optical chip” track.
From this point of view, China is fully capable of seizing the major strategic opportunity of upgrading from electronic chips to photonic chips, so as to realize the overtaking of Chinese chips in the global market, both in production and application. History will once again confirm the classic quote that Bill Gates once said: “Suppression will only accelerate China’s growth and surpass.”
“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1
“And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim” Jeremiah 7:15
“The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet” Isaiah 28:3
Chapter 31 is connected with the house of Israel and is full of prophecies and judgement of the house of Joseph. It begins with the principal promise of the covenant, confirmed by past experience, and with a fresh declaration of God’s everlasting commitment to Israel; “Rachel, weeping for her children,” the firstborn being Ephraim; but who are of the house of Joseph today?
The house of Joseph learning fear by the sword, by famine and by pestilences, and by captivity
Jeremiah 31
1 “At the same time,” saith the Lord, “will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” — the Lord saith, I be the God of all the families of Israel;
— that is, the house of Jacob; not one or two families, but of every family; which means this will be prophetic, yet in the future as the full house of Israel has never return.
2 Thus saith the Lord: “The people who were left from the sword found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.”
— thus the Lord saith, the people which were left of the sword; which were not consumed by the sword of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and who survived through his cruel edicts, and by his sword, famine and pestilence.
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
A Timbrels or a Tambourine for dance
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel; thou shalt again be adorned with thy timbrels, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. — the Israelites have the title of “virgin of Israel” bestowed upon them to imply that, in consequence of their repentance after captivity,
— “they should be washed from the stains of their idolatries,” and they did; but other problems developed over the years: hypocrisies, over application of the laws, strigent Sabbath-keepings ordinances while forgetting justice, mercy and faith;
5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. — “the mountains of Samaria” is situated in today’s West Bank, which is populated by Palestinians and under their control;
— the ten tribes, especially Ephraim, haven’t regain their land yet; perhaps B’ney Yosef (Children of Joseph) the North America branch could spearhead their recovery and set up the continent of North America for a global Hebraic awakening?
6 For there shall be a day that the watchmen upon Mount Ephraim shall cry, ‘Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.’” — is B’ney Yosef their watchman? Let’s wait and see;
— but since God has foretold that a watchman will arise, so there will be one, whether is it B’ney Yosef or not we couldn’t be sure yet; or would there be another organization? Perhaps there are a few watchmen, [one namely wulfstein.org 😉 ] it’s in the plural – watchmen.
7 For thus saith the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; proclaim ye, praise ye, and say, ‘O Lord, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel.’
— “the chief of the nations” is obviously Ephraim, the United States of America; that’s the topdog! Hence whoever the watchmen is upon Mount Ephraim, he will cry aloud, “Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion”
— again, there is a parallel passage from Ezekiel 6 with some comments below:
2 “Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them
— Son of man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel; or cities of Israel, the future inhabitants of them; not the ancient ten tribes, for they had been carried captive long before this time, even in the times of Hezekiah; but far more likely, into the far future unless it can be thought that this prophecy is designed to show the reason of their captivity, which isn’t.
3 and say: ‘Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys: Behold I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. — this message to the “mountains of Israel;” these mountains refer to the United States, UK and France…
— “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;
— and to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves” and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her that travaileth with child together; a great company shall return thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.
— for am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn; and so very dear to him, as in Jeremiah 31:20. So the Targum says “and Ephraim is beloved before me;” all the blessings which God bestows upon men, whether Israelites or not, all flow from being as Abraham’s children;
— Abraham is a father to them in covenant; and bestows his children’s blessings on them. The indication is to Joseph’s having the birthright, and whose younger son, Ephraim, was preferred to Manasseh the elder, 1 Chronicles 5:2. Ephraim becomes the head of Israel, the ten tribes, but excludes Judah, who has the scepter.
10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock.’
11 For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord—for wheat and for wine and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
— for a country like the United States now, with thick layers of filths, to be a virgin, it has to undergo much purifications, which in God’s eye has to undergo a prolonged captivity, each layer of onion to be pilled off one by one; for 190 years;
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness,” saith the Lord.
15 Thus saith the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were no more.” — Ramah was a city of Benjamin, near which Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, was buried;
— Rachel weeping for her children; not really and in person, but by a figurative way for dark days in Ephraim and Manasseh. Rachel being the mother of Joseph and Benjamin; Joseph being the father of Ephraim and Manasseh.
— Judah’s experience under Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was just a preamble; just 70 years; currently a great captivity for Ephraimfor 190 years is in the making! Perhaps a super hyperinflation caused by a de-petroldollarization would be a start? (more on this de-petroldollarizationat the end)
16 Thus saith the Lord; “Restrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded,” saith the Lord; “and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. — refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears; though sorrow on such an occasion may be lawfully indulged,
— yet it ought to be moderated; and attention should be given to those things which may serve to relieve it, and especially when they come from the Lord himself; then a stop is to be put to the mournful voice, and wet eyes are to be dried up.
17 And there is hope in thine end,” saith the Lord, “that thy children shall come back to their own border.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: ‘Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; turn Thou me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art the Lord my God.
— thou hast chastised me and I was chastised; one possibility is that Ephraim has to undergo a cleaning of 190 years, and Judah 40; why the difference? Perhaps Judah had undergo numerous pogroms and cleanings whereas Ephraim has none since the day when went captivity and into apparent oblivion;
— Ephraim chastised . . . as a bullock; see, Ephraim is being symbolized by the bullock or ox again:
More on the Ox and the Unicorn:
His glory is like the firstling of his ox (bullock), and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh,” Deuteronomy 33:17.
In the above verse, the Ox and Ephraim are named first, the firstborn of his (Joseph’s) “bullock is his glory” the reference being to Ephraim; followed by Unicorn and Manasseh, which is embedded in the British Coat of Arms.
The Unicorn Embedded in the British Coat of Arms
Although Manasseh was the firstborn, Joseph the father crossed his hands and placed Ephraim as firstborn, hence Ephraim, often known as the thirteenth tribe, represents not just the house of Joseph, but more often the house of the Northern 10-tribes Kingdom.
— Ephraim bemoaning himself; but today Ephraim, with 7 fleets and the largest army/navy in the world, is proud and arrogant; boastful, drunk and amusing herself with her harlotries; but that will change!
19 Surely after I was turned, I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ — surely after that I was turned, I repented; Ephraim’s prayer was answered;
— as he prayed he might be turned, he was; and when he was turned, then he repented, not only of sin in general, but of such sins as he had been particularly guilty of; not only of the grosser actions of life, but of inward sins: lusts, lies and corruptions.
20 Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart is troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him,” saith the Lord. — I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord;
— or show mercy to him; as the Lord does to his children, by receiving them graciously upon their return; by manifesting and applying pardoning grace; by bestowing fresh favours on them; and by bringing them safe to eternal glory and happiness.
21 “Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps; set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest; turn back, O virgin of Israel, turn back to these thy cities. — set thee up way marks, make thee high heaps; of stones, raised up as pillars,
— or like pyramids; or upright, as palm trees; to be marks and signs, to know the way again upon a return. The Targum says, “O congregation of Israel, remember the right works of thy fathers; pour out supplications; in bitterness set thy heart.”
— turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities; an invitation and encouragement to Ephraim to turn again to their own land; from a “Babylonish captivity” to come, so from all lands in the latter day; after 190 years of purification, which is yet to be fulfilled, and to which the prophecy more properly belongs.
22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall compass a man.”
23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring them back from captivity: ‘The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice and mountain of holiness.’
— as yet they shall use this speech in the land of Israel, and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again back from their captivity; not the Babylonish captivity, but a futuristic one; when, by way of salutation and prayer, the following words “The Lord bless thee” they rejoice in saying;
24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”
26 Upon this I awaked and beheld, and my sleep was sweet unto me.
27 “Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. — that God will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah,
— with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast; that is, will multiply both man and beast, so that there shall be a great increase; whereas, through war, famine, pestilence and captivity, their numbers were greatly reduced.
28 And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down, and to throw down and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant,” saith the Lord.
— to build and to plant, saith the Lord; to build their city and temple, and to plant them in their own land; the temple which God will be building, whose foundation he lays, the superstructure of which he rears up, and will complete it in his own time;
— the allusion is to the sowing of a field with seed, which in due time springs up, and produces a large increase. Some understand this of the spiritual blessing of regeneration; but of incorruptible seed by the word of God: though afterwards an account is given of the new covenant.
29 “In those days they shall say no more: “‘The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ — that is, the fathers have sinned, and the children are punished for their sins. So the Targum says, “the fathers have sinned, and the children are smitten.”
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 “Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — “Behold, the days will come,” again, this is prophetic, especially with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; yet in the future.
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband unto them,” saith the Lord.
— not according to the covenant that God made with their fathers; meaning not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; or their ancestors that came out of Egypt, as appears by what follows; which was the covenant made at Sinai.
33 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days,” saith the Lord, “I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My people.
— God will put his law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; which will be implanted in the genre by the spirit and power of God; the tables on which this law or laws are written are not tables of stone, but the fleshly tables of the heart; the heart is the proper seat.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ For they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,” saith the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
35 Thus saith the Lord, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is His name:
36 “If those ordinances depart from before Me,” saith the Lord, “then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.”
37 Thus saith the Lord: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” saith the Lord.
38 “Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that the city shall be built to the Lord from the Tower of Hananeel unto the Gate of the Corner. — behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord; this prophecy refers to future times in the latter redemption, which were never fulfilled during the second Temple period;
— that the city of Jerusalem shall be built to the Lord; which will be rebuilt upon the return of all Israelites from captivity, and under the direction of the Messiah, so for his service and worship; in the Ezekiel Temple, and divine worship restored; and the city, built up a dwelling for God, where he is worshipped, feared and glorified.
39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth opposite it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the Brook of Kidron unto the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east shall be holy unto the Lord. It shall not be plucked up nor thrown down any more for ever.”
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The great de-petroldollarization by BRICS, which is an acronym for five leading emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has continuously being expanding and strengthening.
Potential further expansion
Since South Africa joined the BRIC grouping (now BRICS) in 2010, numerous other countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc, including Argentina and Iran. Both signaled their intent to join BRICS during meetings with senior Chinese officials, the current BRICS chair, over the course of the summer of 2022.
Beijing backed Argentina’s potential accession following a meeting between Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit in Indonesia.
China once again reiterated their support for Argentina’s potential application during a subsequent meeting between Cafiero and Yi on the margins of the 77th UN General Assembly. Likewise, it is understood that both Russia, India and Brazil support Argentina’s application.
Iran also submitted an application in June 2022 to Chinese authorities to join the economic association of emerging markets. Relations between Iran, China and Russia have warmed in recent months as all three governments seek new allies against increasing Western opposition.
The great de-petroldollarization by a continuous expanding BRICS
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Afghanistan are interested, along with Indonesia, also expressed their interest in joining BRICS but have not yet submitted formal requests.
There is no formal application process as such to join BRICS, but any hopeful government must receive unanimous backing from all existing BRICS members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to receive an invitation. Other potential members are: Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Senegal, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
The New Development Bank, informally referred to as the BRICS Bank, is a multilateral bank operated by the five BRICS countries. Recently Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay were added as new members of the BRICS Bank.
At the 2015 BRICS summit in Russia, ministers from BRICS nations, initiated consultations for a payment system that would be an alternative to the US-controlled SWIFT system.
Jeremiah 32
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. — in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar;
— that would be 597 BC, the same with Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a year before the taking of the city by him; for that was in the eleventh of Zedekiah, and the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar; Jeremiah 52:1.
2 For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house. — and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king’s palace;
3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why dost thou prophesy and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
— king Zedekiah showing himself great stupidity and hardness of heart, together with his courtiers and elders, to imprison a prophet of the Lord when surrounded by an enemy’s army and that according to the prediction of a true prophet; who warned them of the taking of their city, and carrying them off as captives, would be fulfilled.
4 and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
— and Zedekiah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans; this is a continuation of the prophecy of Jeremiah, repeated to the king, as he was more of himself; who, upon the taking of the throne, he would endeavour to scheme his escape as he did; but wasn’t successful, Jeremiah 52:8.
5 and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until visit I him, saith the Lord; though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper’?” — and Nebuchadnezzar shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon; as he did in chains from Riblah, where he was brought unto Nebuchadnezzar after he was taken, endeavouring to make his escape, Jeremiah 52:8.
6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came unto me, saying: — this would be a new vision;
7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, ‘Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.’ — behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee; Hilkiah, the father of Jeremiah, and this Shallum, were own brothers; so that Jeremiah and Hanameel were brothers’ sons, or first cousins:
— saying, buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; the place from whence Jeremiah came, about two or three miles from Jerusalem, and therefore must be in the possession of the Chaldean army; wherefore it may seem very strange in Hanameel to propose it to sale, and stranger still for Jeremiah, who was in the palace’s prison, to buy it.
8 So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, ‘Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
— the words “the right of inheritance is thine” indicate that Hanameel had no children, and although we are not told what led Hanameel to make the offer of sale; Leviticus 25:25 says such a sale could put the property within the family’s estate according to the Law of inheritance. Numbers 35:5 designates how and where land are to be set aside for Levites and priests;
— if not sold, a foreigner, like the Chaldeans, might misappropriate the property since he hasn’t any heir. But Jeremiah, being in prison for his prophecy, also don’t have any heir, he was not even allowed to get married (Jeremiah 16:2).
— one possibility is that Hanameel was dying and now at his death trip? But there was no evidence he was dying. Another possibility is that he was designated to go to Babylon as a captive, hence he would like to sell it, have some reserve, buy a house and dwell in Babylon in compliance to God’s word in Jeremiah 29:5 “Build ye houses and dwell in them,”
9 “And I bought the field from Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. — has been thought a small price; as compared with the four hundred shekels paid by Abraham for the field of Ephron (Genesis 23:16); or the fifty paid by David for the threshing-floor and oxen of Araunah, II Samuel 24:24;
10 And I subscribed the evidence and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. — being a just man, Jeremiah did all to comply with God’s ordinances and legal procedures in the property transfer;
11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom and that which was open;
— Jeremiah oblidged to Hanameel’s requst as it seemed his cousin needed the money; as he could be designated to go to Babylon, willingingly or unwillingly, as a captive, and in compliance to God’s word in Jeremiah 29:5 to build houses and dwell there; plant gardens and eat the fruit of them.
12 and I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.
— in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son; of whom the purchase was made: the word “son” is not in the text, which has led some to think that both were present at this bargain, both the uncle and the uncle’s son;
13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
14 ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed and this evidence which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.
— the “earthen vessels” in which they kept their most precious treasures; was obviously a better protection against damp or decay than one of wood, and was the security of the household;
— “may continue many days” implied the captivity would be long; and the captives need to settle down; build houses and dwell there; plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; and so might continue many years, to the end of the captivity, all for seventy years.
15 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.’ — Jeremiah, being in prison for his prophecy, purchased a piece of ground;
— this was to signify, that though Jerusalem was besieged, and the whole country likely to be laid waste, yet the time would come, when houses, and fields and vineyards and all the laws and ordinances pertaining to inhertinance of land and property would be restored.
16 “Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying:
17 Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and outstretched arm; and there is nothing too hard for Thee.
— and there is nothing too hard for thee; or “hidden from thee” which his wisdom and knowledge did not reach, or his power could not effect: or which is “too wonderful for thee.”
18 Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts is His name, — kindness, grace and justice are all over the OT era, not something new that just pop up in the NT;
— God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה YHVH Yehovah; not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century;
19 great in counsel and mighty in work. For Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings; — to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
20 who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even unto this day, and in Israel and among other men, and hast made Thee a name, as at this day;
21 and hast brought forth Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt, with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror; — with signs and with wonders; which he wrought for them at the time of their deliverance, slaying the firstborn; and at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, after he brought them out of Egypt,
22 and hast given them this land which Thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. — a land flowing with milk and honey; that is, abounding with all necessary things, and all pleasant things.
23 And they came in and possessed it, but they obeyed not Thy voice, neither walked in Thy law: they have done nothing of all that Thou commanded them to do. Therefore Thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.
24 Behold the siege ramps! They have come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, who fight against it, because of the sword and of the famine and of the pestilence. And what Thou hast spoken has come to pass, and behold, Thou seest it. — and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; what was foretold by the prophets, and by himself, was now fulfilling:
25 And Thou hast said unto me, O Lord God: ‘Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses,’ for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
26 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,
27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there any thing too hard for Me? — is there anything too hard for me? suggesting, that though the city of Jerusalem should be destroyed, and the inhabitants carried captive, yet he could return them again to their own land;
28 Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. — which Nebuchadnezzar could not do, notwithstanding his powerful army, had not the Lord delivered it into his hands.
29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods to provoke Me to anger. — they have polluted this Temple by idolatry, they have offered incense and paid homage to the idol Baal;
30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked Me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. — both the northern house of Israel and the southern house of Judah have done evil before God;
31 For this city hath been to Me as a provocation of Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it even unto this day, so that I should remove it from before My face — instead having joy and a blessing, Jerusalem had became a provocation of sourse of God’s anger and fury;
32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger — they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
— again, both the northern house of Israel and the southern house of Judah have done evil before God; “they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets,” that is, their false prophets,
33 And they have turned unto Me the back and not the face. Though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction; — sometimes God is explicit in expressing why Israel sinned, like idolatories;
— but other times God just hint at what’s wrong with his people; here is another one: “they have turned unto me their back and not the face” for which the more details are found in the writing of another prophet, Ezekiel (more at the end)
34 but they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name to defile it. — the house which is called by my name, that is, in the Temple; Rashi: On the day that the Temple was founded, Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter.
35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech, which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
— to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech: the phrase, “through the fire” is not in the text; but is well enough supplied from other places.
36 “And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city whereof ye say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence’: — the learning process by being “delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence” is to learn the fear of the Lord.
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in Mine anger and in My fury and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. — again, this is to learn the fear of the Lord; simply because the current crop of kings, princes, priests and false shepherds has no fear of the Lord;
— they lied, they cheat, and they looted; and they thought they can get away with it:
38 And they shall be My people, and I will be their God;
39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them and of their children after them. — “that they may fear me for ever” a parallel in the reverse of the wicked is expressed in Jeremiah 2:19 “and that the fear of Me is not in thee,” saith the Lord God of hosts.”
— and the only way you will learn to fear God is to be “delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence.” of course, a new Babylon is upon the horizon, for more, see The Sword from the South!
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. — surely this is not after the return from the Babylonish captivity; but during the Millennium, when God will install a new covenant, and “I will put my fear in their hearts.”
41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul. — upon repentence, God will whole heartedly rejoice over them;
42 “For thus saith the Lord: As I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. — giving them one true heart and one way; putting God’s fear into them; causing them to persevere to the end.
43 And fields shall be bought in this land whereof ye say, ‘It is desolate without man or beast. It is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ — this is after the return from the Babylonish captivity.
44 Men shall buy fields for money, and sign evidences and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return, saith the Lord.”
15 Then said He unto me, “Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.”
16 And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’S house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.
— the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood, led by the high priest, making up the “twenty five men” were not only worshipping the sun: they were doing so in the very temple of God, with their backs turned upon the presence of God!
— the worship of heavenly bodies was against God’s will which Moses had warned the people (Deuteronomy 4:19, 17:3, whose penalty is to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 17:5 ’till they die). These 25 men corrupted themselves by worshipping the sun;
— and so the Targum renders it, “and, lo, they corrupted themselves, worshipping facing the east the sun; their backs toward the temple of the Lord” — turned their backs to the most holy place; which is an aggravation of their impiety; casting the utmost contempt for God:
3 And [if you] hath gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,
4 and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently, and behold, it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel,
5 then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die. Deuteronomy 17:3-5
— today, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east; whose penalty is to be stoned to death – ’till they die.
— also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday; always on a SUNday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty – ’till they die!
Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the possibility of Russia facing a breakup in the future, with its population to be divided into separate nations, the country’s news agency TASS reported on Feb. 26.
Putin’s interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel marks the first time that the Russian dictator has publicly commented on the potential disintegration of Russia.
According to him, “if the West manages to make the Russian Federation collapse and to assume control of its fragments,” the Russian people may not survive as a nation.
“If we go down this path (of Russia’s collapse — ed.), I think that the fate of many peoples of Russia, and first of all, of course, the Russian people, may change drastically,” Putin said.
“I even doubt that such an ethnic group as the Russian people will survive as it is today, with some Muscovites, Uralian and others remaining instead.”
In addition, the Russian president claimed that “these plans are set out on paper.”
“But it’s all there, it’s all written, it’s all on a piece of paper,” Putin said.
“Well, now that their attempts to reshape the world exclusively for themselves after the collapse of the USSR have led to this situation, well, of course, we’ll have to respond to this.”
He emphasized that the West’s sole goal is to allegedly “liquidate Russia in its current form.”
“They have one goal of liquidating the former Soviet Union and its main part, the Russian Federation. And later, [after liquidating Russia] they will probably admit us to the so-called family of civilized peoples, but only by parts, each part separately,” he said.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov earlier said that the West has not yet made a final decision on what to do with Russia and does not understand how the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine should end. However, the world should prepare for the collapse of Russia.
Previously, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that after the war is over, Russia will disintegrate into separate statelets, while Ukraine will retain its sovereignty and independence.
Chapter 29 involves Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles and its Consequences.
Just as certain false prophets had tried to arouse and maintain false hopes among the inhabitants in Jerusalem, there were also certain men who were active among the exiles in Babylon. The result was that a spirit of discontent and restlessness took hold among the captives, which not only increased the bitterness of their affliction, but also tended to be confused who was a true prophet of God and who wasn’t.
Jeremiah therefore, by God’s command, sent a letter to the exiles, in which he reaffirmed them some prophetic insights if they were to accept God’s words that they obey the Chaldeans, not be fostered by false prophets, who urged the people to rebel against their conquerors; but built houses, plant vineyards and be prepared for a long stay in Babylon.
Jeremiah 29
The Contents of the Letter.
1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders who were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
— now, these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem unto the elders of the exile, to those who had survived the hardships up to that time;
— and to the captives, the priests, prophets and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon, to the congregation of the exiles, disorganized as it was in the conditions of their living situation;
— and the prophets: including one true prophet that was carried captive, and that was Ezekiel, which was granted numerous visions from God and compiled into another prophetic book, Ezekiel, after his name; but of false prophets there were many.
2 (after Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem), — after that Jeconiah (Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597)), the king, and the queen, Nehushta, the dowager, daughter of Einathan,
— and the eunuchs, the courtiers or chamberlains, high court officers, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, all the artisans and craftsmen of the city, II Kings 24:16, were departed from Jerusalem.
3 by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying:
4 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all who are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon: — the Introduction of the Letter;
5 Build ye houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them. — the Contents of the Letter; the exile would be 70 years, not just 2 years! So build houses;
— the endtime iniquite, which could be a form of an exile, of whom Ezekiel was one for “bearing their iniquity” for the house of Israel could be 190 years, and not just 3 and a half years; see Ezekiel 4.
6 Take ye wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
— take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; that is, such as had no wives, who were either bachelors or widowers; not that they were to take wives of the Chaldeans, but of those of their own nation; for intermarriages with heathens were forbidden them; in order to propagate their posterity and keep up a succession.
7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. — and seek the peace of the city; the prosperity and happiness of Babylon, or any other city in Chaldea, where they were placed:
— this they were to do by prayer and supplication to God, and by all other means that might be any ways conducive to the good of the state where they were.
8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets and your diviners who are in the midst of you deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. — let not your prophets and your diviners that be in the midst of you, deceive you;
— these are false prophets as the Targum says; and there were many; who pretended to foretell future events, and so impose upon others, who were too apt to believe them; these insinuated, that in a little time they should have their liberty, and soon return to their own land, contrary to the prophecies that came from the Lord himself.
9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in My name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
10 “For thus saith the Lord: That after seventy years are accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, causing you to return to this place. — for thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon;
— these seventy years are not to be reckoned from the last captivity under Zedekiah; nor from the present time; nor from the first of Jeconiah’s captivity; but the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and the first of Nebuchadnezzar, when he came up against Jerusalem; Jeremiah 25:1.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me and I will hearken unto you. — then shall ye call upon me; when the expected end is about to be drawn near;
— and ye shall go and pray unto me: walk in my ways; or rather ye shall go into your private closets where prayers are made, and there put up your petitions; that they should continue praying without ceasing, until they enjoyed the blessing, and had the expected end given:
— and I will hearken unto you: God is a God hearing Being; he listens to the requests of his people, but answers them in his own time and way; which is no small encouragement to pray unto him.
13 And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found by you, saith the Lord, and I will return you from captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you back into the place from whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
— since the return from captivity is not just from Babylon but “from all the nations” this hint is subtle, “from all the places whither I have driven you” it hints at a prophetic message, and this message is for the endtimes.
One parallel passage from Ezekiel 6:
2 “Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them — Son of man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel… or cities of Israel, the future inhabitants of them; not the ancient ten tribes, for they had been carried captive long before this time, even in the times of Hezekiah; but far more likely, into the far future unless it can be thought that this prophecy is designed to show the reason of their captivity, which isn’t.
3 and say: ‘Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys: Behold I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. — this message to the “mountains of Israel;” these mountains refer to the United States, UK and France… “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;
— and to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves;” and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.
15 “Because ye have said, ‘The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon’ — the Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; this is meant to be false prophets who foretold nothing but peace and prosperity;
— there is no need of other prophets if they have listened to those in Judea and in Jerusalem; but these are false prophets; yet, being such that prophesied to them things that could be agreeable, who speak smoothly, foretold nothing but peace and prosperity; and as such, considered themselves as prophets sent by God, when they are not.
16 know that thus saith the Lord of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren who have not gone forth with you into captivity;
— these are those that refused to go into Babylon, saith the Lord, and be well with them; but those who refused to go are actually disobeying God.
17 thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. — when they are actually disobeying God, they could expect to face the consequences; and that is “the sword, the famine and the pestilence.”
18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an astonishment and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,
— and I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence; or “follow after them” such as their escape out of the city and go into Egypt or other countries for shelter and safety; should be pursued by the vengeance of God and should fall by sword, famine or pestilence.
19 because they have not hearkened to My words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.
— because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord; words which were spoken to them by the prophets; not hearkening to them, but despising them, a contempt of God and his words, were the cause of their ruin.
20 “Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. — all ye of the captivity; some parts of this letter are directed to one region of the captives, and others to another part; some being good men, some bad;
21 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie unto you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes.
— Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you: two false prophets, of whom we have no account anywhere else but only here; and are, no doubt, false prophets, that they of the captivity boasted of that God had raised unto them in Babylon.
22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,’
— “taken up a curse” or “burnt them” not at once, but with a slow fire; burning persons with fire, and casting them into a fiery furnace, were ways used by the Chaldeans in putting persons to death, Daniel 3:6.
23 because they have committed villainy (wicked or criminal behaviour) in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name which I have not commanded them. Indeed I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.”
24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, — or, Shemaiah “the dreamer” because he pretended to have dreams from the Lord;
— or because what he delivered as prophecies were mere dreams; as that the captives should quickly return to their own land; so the Targum, paraphrasing “who was of Halem;” he was another of the false prophets in Babylon.
25 “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
— this is an example of taking God’s name in vain, by not giving credit to God; he was ignoring God as originator of the message, even if he was writing in the Lord’s name; this is from MSG
And this is the Message for Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says: You took it on yourself to send letters to all the people in Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and the company of priests. In your letter you told Zephaniah that God set you up as priest replacing priest Jehoiadah. He’s put you in charge of God’s Temple and made you responsible for locking up any crazy fellow off the street who takes it into his head to be a prophet.
— there is no authorisaton such as “Thus saith the Lord to me:” Jeremiah 27:2; or “The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah . . . which Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto all the people of Judah,” Jeremiah 25:1-2; or, “Thus saith the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,” Jeremiah 22:1
26 ‘The Lord hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord for every man that is mad and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
27 Now therefore, why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, who maketh himself a prophet to you? — now therefore why hast thou not reproved (reprimand) Jeremiah of Anathoth; this must be another Jeremiah, the original true one is “Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,” Jeremiah 1:1;
— or, he was Shemaiah “the dreamer” writing as “Jeremiah of Anathoth,” resembling closely to “Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah” the true prophet.
28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying: This captivity is long; build ye houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them.’” — for therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying; “this captivity is long; build ye houses and dwell in them . . .”
— this, even where “Jeremiah of Anathoth,” didn’t change Jeremiah’s message, it is unacceptable in God’s sight!
— and this is from MSG
“So why haven’t you done anything about muzzling Jeremiah of Anathoth, who’s going around posing as a prophet? He’s gone so far as to write to us in Babylon, ‘It’s going to be a long exile, so build houses and make yourselves at home. Plant gardens and prepare Babylonian recipes.’” — this is pilgarising Jeremiah’s message without giving due credits; and it is a sin.
29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. — in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet: to let him know who were his enemies abroad; who normally stir up trouble against him; in pretence of proceeding equitably with him; not different in his message, or brought up any accusation and charge against him.
30 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, — this Word is to “Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah” the true prophet.
31 “Send to all those of the captivity, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not and he caused you to trust in a lie, — this message is to Shemaiah the liar; or Nehelamite “the dreamer”
32 therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good that I will do for My people, saith the Lord, because he hath taught rebellion against the Lord.’”
— behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite “the dreamer” and his seed; not him only, but his posterity also: thus God sometimes visits the sins of parents on their children, they being, as it were, a part of themselves, and often times partners with them in their iniquities:
— he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; either at Babylon, or at Jerusalem, whither he had promised a speedy return:
— neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; by returning them, after seventy years captivity, to their own land, and to the enjoyment of all their privileges, civil and religious.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony, as many Churches do, is a disgrace. The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. Hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 “Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. — saying, write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book; being issues of consequence, that they might remain to after ages; and be read to the use, study and for edification of the Lord’s people in times to come.
3 For lo, the days come,’ saith the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ saith the Lord; ‘and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’”
— and God will cause them to return to the land that he gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it; the land of Canaan, given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and which shall be again by the Jews and Israelites their posterity; for, we see may not mediate how we can understand this and other prophecies.
4 And these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah: — and these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel, and concerning Judah. Which follow in this chapter and the next; first concerning Israel, the ten tribes; and then concerning the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin,
— even concerning all Israel; whereas, if this prophecy only respects the return from the captivity in Babylon, there is very little in it which concerns the ten tribes, or but a very few of them. The words may be rendered, “unto Israel, and unto Judah” as being the persons to whom they were directed, as well as were the subjects of them.
5 “For thus saith the Lord: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear and not of peace. — we have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace;
— which is to be understood, of the fear and dread injected into them by the Babylonians when they besieged their city, and burned that, and their Temple; nor of the fear and dread which came upon the Babylonians at the taking of their city by Cyrus, upon which followed the deliverance of the Jews.
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
— wherefore do I see every man with his hands his loins, as a woman in travail; the usual posture of women in such a condition, trying hereby to abate their pain, and ease themselves. This metaphor is made use of, both to express the sharpness and shortness of this distress; as the pains of a woman in travail are very sharp, yet short, and, when over, quickly forgotten;
— and so it wilt be at this time; it will be a sharp trial of the church and people of God; but it will last but for a short time; and the joy and happy times that will follow will soon cause it to be forgotten.
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. — the “time of Jacob’s trouble” could parallel Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years (or Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years).
8 “‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more be served by him.
9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. — and David their king; not literally, but one who shall be raised up from the dead, and reign over them.
10 “‘Therefore fear thou not, O My servant Jacob,’ saith the Lord; ‘neither be dismayed, O Israel; for lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. — this is prophetic, into our times, their return are “from afar” whereas Babylon is nearby comparatively.
11 For I am with thee,’ saith the Lord, ‘to save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.’
— though I will make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; a full end has been made of the Assyrians, Chaldeans and Egyptians; these people and their names are no more;
— the destruction of the national life of the heathen nations on whom judgement was to fall should be complete and irreversible, so that Moab, Ammon and Edom, should no more have a place in the history of the world;
— the Targum says, “in destroying I will not destroy thee.”
12 “For thus saith the Lord: ‘Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.
13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up; thou hast no healing medicines.
14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one for the multitude of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased.
— all thy lovers have forgotten thee… the Egyptians and Assyrians were historic, but Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Spain and Mexico could be futuristic, whom they sought unto for help, and entered into an alliance with, and who promised them great things; but forgot their promises and forsook them (more at the end)
15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? Thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured, and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that despoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. — and all thine adversaries, everyone of them, as were the Assyrians, Egyptians, Chaldeans, Grecians, Romans and the Papacy, shall also go into destruction; Revelation 13:10.
17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds,’ saith the Lord, ‘because they called thee an outcast, saying, “This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.”’
18 “Thus saith the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back from captivity Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be built upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
— and have mercy on his dwelling places; by restoring the full house of Israel or Jacob’s posterity, to their dwelling places in Jerusalem, and other places rebuilt by them and for them;
— the Targum says, “I will have mercy on his cities.”
19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children also shall be as in former time, and their congregation shall be established before Me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me; for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto Me?’ saith the Lord.
22 ‘And ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.’”
23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind; it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has done it, and until He has performed the intents of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it.
— in the latter days ye shall consider it; and in the latter day you shall understand it; and see it wholly and fully accomplished. The eyes of his shepherd will finally be opened; thus that means that today’s shepherd are blind, naked and wretched!
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness Ezekiel 16:37:
— when the going gets tough, the tough gets going and American allies (Germany, Italy, Turkey and Spain; Brazil, Argentina and Mexico; South Africa, Algeia and Egypt; Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan; S Korea, the Philippines and Japan?) will take their own interests first, team up with other enemies of the United States (Venezuela, Iran, N Korea, Russia and China) and will turn against the United States.
And this is not these countries’ doings, but it is God’s will that will cause these allies to be against the United States, and it is again God’s will through His Spirits that will trap the United States in a snare “And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My [not China’s nor Russia’s] snare,” Ezekiel 17:20; and he will be like a beast caught in a cage squealing away to no avail, then uncover her nakedness, American nakedness.
For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South! For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand” Micah 2:1
US Congressman Says Nuland & Blinken ‘Are Dangerous Fools Who Can Get Us All Killed’
Which Fools Can Get Us All Killed? Nuland & Blinken!
“Nobody is pushing this war more than Nuland,” Elon Musk said on 22 February, in response to a US media report about Russia’s reaction to recent comments by the US State Department official in support of strikes on Crimea. Victoria Nuland’s words confirm Washington’s intimate involvement in the Ukraine conflict, Russia had stated.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US State Department official Victoria Nuland “are dangerous fools who can get us all killed,” warns Paul Gosar, a Republican Representative of Arizona’s 9th Congressional district, in a reference to the two officials’ warmongering stance on the Ukraine conflict.
In a subsequent post on Twitter, Gosar pointed out that Nuland was “willing to endorse violence and war.” He lambasted the former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, who in 2014 helped to orchestrate the coup that saw Ukraine’s democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, ousted and replaced with the pro-Western Petro Poroshenko.
In 2014, a leaked conversation purportedly between Nuland and then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt revealed that the US officials had been discussing who they would like to see take power in Ukraine among opposition leaders.
Nuland “endorsed regime change in Russia, celebrated the US’ destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, and called for the indefinite flow of arms into Ukraine,” tweeted Gosar.
Gosar told Sputnik earlier that the United States should adopt a recent resolution introduced by lawmakers of the US House of Representatives, which calls for an immediate end to US assistance to Kiev and a peace settlement in Ukraine.
“America should not help to prolong a needless war and add to the body count. The current posture is untenable and a pathway to peace is long overdue. Months of escalation in weaponry and rhetoric endangers not just the citizens of Russia and Ukraine, but the whole world. It’s long past time to seek a peaceful resolution and end the unfortunate death and destruction plaguing both countries,” Gosar said.
Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida’s 1st Congressional district, introduced the ‘Ukraine Fatigue’ resolution arguing that the US should stop arming and funding Kiev and persuade warring parties to reach a peace agreement. Ten House Republicans have co-sponsored the resolution.
In response to Thursday’s Twitter post by Gosar, his followers on the internet commented that it was time to stop sending “billions of more cash to Ukraine.”
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled,” Hosea 6:10
“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished,” Ezekiel 6:6
Question: Would Nato kick out Türkiye in order to admit Finland and Sweden? Then Nato would be enlarged, which is their aim, so would BRICS!
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20;
— in the “latter days” that is, in the distant future; in the latter days ye shall understand it clearly, viz. that the calamities which will have come upon you are the divine judgement upon your sins. Only in the endtime would you be able to understand this.
The Targum is another source of the Bible, much like the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint; and to dismiss it as another testimony for spiritual inspiration and understanding, as virtually all the endtime Churches do, is an absolute disgrace.
The Targum was started by Ezra for those returning from the Babylon exile and for these returnees they could only understand the Scriptures in Aramaic. That is, the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us today from the Hebrew Bible quoted.
Hence, for ignoring the Targum as an authority for Understanding and Truth, the endtime Churches of God is being discribed as wretches, blind and naked; and would be thus justifiably destined to be spewed out of God’s mouth!
Jeremiah 27
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586).
The year in that Jeremiah began to prophesy, Jeremiah 1:2 in the thirteenth year of Josiah reign would be around 628 BC, and he preached for the last 19 years of Josiah’s life, until 609 BC when Josiah died. By the time the kings of Judah reigns ended with Zedekiah being exiled to Babylon and his reign ended in 586 BC, Jeremiah’s prophesying life work in and around Jerusalem would have lasted some 42 years.
Jeremiah in bonds and yokes
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, — Jehoiakim reign from 609 to 598; so this is another relaying, with more details, of the same scenes we have gone through before.
2 Thus saith the Lord to me: “Make thee bonds and yokes and put them upon thy neck, — thus saith the Lord to Jeremiah; make thee bonds and yokes; the yokes were made of wood, as appears from Jeremiah 28:13; and the bonds were strings or thongs, which bound the yoke together, that it might not slip off the neck, on which it was put:
3 and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah.
— all neighbouring kings and states: Edom, children of Moab and Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, to whom the wine cup of God’s wrath was to be sent, and they made to drink of it.
4 And command them to say unto their masters, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; thus shall ye say unto your masters: — and all nations shall serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his land come, and many nations and great kings serve Nebuchadnezzar, my servant;
5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. — even the beasts of the field also have God given to Nebuchadnezzar to serve him.
6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. — and now I have given to Nebuchadnezzar all these lands: Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon and Judea:
— into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, God’s servant; whom God used as a horsewhip in correcting and chastising the nations; and who obeyed his will, though he knew it not; yet had the honour of being called his servant, and of being rewarded with a very large empire;
— and the beasts of the field haveGod given him also to serve him; and his armies for the invasion and taking the above countries; or the cattle found there, which belonged to these countries, and the inhabitants thereof, which would fall into his hands.
7 And all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s son, until the very time of his land comes; and then many nations and great kings shall themselves be served by him. — and his son, and his son’s son; their Scripture names were Evilmerodach and Belshazzar, Jeremiah 52:31.
8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword and with the famine and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
— that nation disobeyed, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, famine and pestilence; with one judgement after another; some will perish by the sword of the enemy, sallying out upon them, or endeavouring to make their escape; others by famine their provisions being spent through the length of the siege;
— and others by pestilence, or the plague, or by the hand of God: until I have consumed them by his hand; Nebuchadnezzar’s; by any means of him; by his sword and strait besieging them; or “into his hand”
— and so the Targum says, “until I have delivered them into his hand;” having consumed multitudes by the sword, famine and pestilence, will deliver the rest into his hands to be carried away as captives.
9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, who speak unto you, saying, “Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon.”
— which speak unto you, saying, ye shall not serve the king of Babylon; meaning, either that they ought not to become tributary to him; or they should not be brought into subjection by him: and so were stirred up to oppose him and not submit to him.
10 For they prophesy a lie unto you to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out and ye should perish. — from MSG:
“‘So don’t for a minute listen to all your prophets and spiritualists and fortunetellers, who claim to know the future and who tell you not to give in to the king of Babylon. They’re handing you a line of lies, barefaced lies, that will end up putting you in exile far from home. I myself will drive you out of your lands, and that’ll be the end of you. But the nation that accepts the yoke of the king of Babylon and does what he says, I’ll let that nation stay right where it is, minding its own business.’”
11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord, and they shall till it and dwell therein.’” — but the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him; that at once, and readily submit unto him and pay him tribute.
12 I spoke also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
— bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; you, O king, your nobles, and your people. Zedekiah was set upon the throne by the king of Babylon, was a tributary to him and had took an oath to be faithful to him;
— and yet was meditating against him; consulting and entering into a confederacy with neighbouring nations to throw off the yoke and be independent from him.
13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
— why will ye die, thou and thy people; by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; through a blockade of the Chaldean army, which would invade their land and besiege their city, upon a refusal to be subject to their yoke.
14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets who speak unto you, saying, ‘Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie unto you.
— therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets; these are false prophets, as the Targum says; such bad kings always had them, to whom they listened, and which often brought forth bad and terrible consequences.
15 ‘For I have not sent them,’ saith the Lord, ‘yet they prophesy a lie in My name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye and the prophets who prophesy unto you.’”
— ye, and the false prophets, as the Targum again calls them, that prophesy unto you; for it would end in the ruin and destruction of them; both their false prophets and those that listened to their prophecies; both would fall into the ditch.
16 Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus saith the Lord: Hearken not to the words of your prophets who prophesy unto you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the Lord’S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon’; for they prophesy a lie unto you.
— also Jeremiah spoke to the priests, and to all this people, from the court of the Temple, and spoke to the priests that were ministering there and place to meet with the people and the priests; which latter especially had a concern in what he had to say especially the vessels of the Temple;
— behold, your false prophets claimed the vessels of the Lord’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon; which were carried thither, both in the times of Jehoiakim, and of Jeconiah, II Chronicles 36:7; these vessels carried off would in a short time be returned; that the king of Babylon, would send them back; so little reason had they to fear an invasion from him or captivity by him.
18 But if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem go not to Babylon.
— that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon; instead of prophesying about the return of what are gone, let them pray for the preservation and continuance of what are left, that they do not go also; of which there was great danger of following the same route of being taken away to Babylon,
— yea, certainty, in case of non-submission to and rebellion against, the king of Babylon; there were some vessels of the sanctuary which yet remained, as well as others in the king’s palace and in the houses of the noble and rich men in Jerusalem; for the keeping of which they would do well to show a proper concern; and nothing more effectual than prayer to God; and, next to that, submission to the Chaldean yoke.
19 For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city, — for thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars; the pillars of brass that stood in the Temple; the one called Boaz, and the other Jachin, 1 Kings 7:15;
— and concerning the sea; the sea of molten brass, which stood upon twelve oxen, 1 Kings 7:23; and concerning the bases: the ten bases, which also were made of brass, 1 Kings 7:27; and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city; in the king’s palace, and in the houses of the noblemen, and of the rich and wealthy of Jerusalem.
20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem”
— which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not; for he seems only to have taken the vessels of gold and silver, and left the vessels of brass, as the above were; II Kings 24:13;
— when he carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; II Kings 24:12.
21 yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem:
22 ‘They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them,’ saith the Lord. ‘Then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.’” — they, too, shall be carried to Babylon; as they were; and with others, there is a particular account in II Kings 25:13;
— and there shall be until the day that I visit them, saith to the Lord; the Chaldeans in a way of wrath, and the Jews as captives and slaves; which was at the end of the seventy years’ captivity; and so long the vessels of the sanctuary continued there; here we read of them as in use the very night that Belshazzar was slain, and Babylon taken, Daniel 5:2;
— then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place; which was fulfilled when the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia to give leave to the Jews to return to their own land, and rebuild their Temple; and at the same time delivered into the hands of Sheshbazzar, to the prince of Judah, the vessels of the Temple, Ezra 1:1.
Jeremiah 28
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586).
1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke unto me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
— since Zedekiah ruled for 12 years, his fourth could still be rendered the beginning of his reign, which would be around 594 BC;
— or for another explanation: it was the fourth of Zedekiah’s reign, the same year in which he paid a visit to the king of Babylon, Jeremiah 51:59; there in Babylon, Zedekiah had his kingdom was confirmed to him, and was even enlarged, and was made king over five neighbouring kings; and so this, though the fourth of his reign over Judah, was the first of his enlarged dominions.
— Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet; the false prophet, as the Targum and Septuagint call him; spoke unto him in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests, and of all the people; he came to the Temple where Jeremiah was to confront him; the priests and all the people being present;
— the land Gibeon was allocated to the tribe of Benjamin; but Gibeonite may not even be Israelites, but one of the Canaanites who deceived Joshua into making a covenant with them so they may live, and not wiped out; when Joshua found out he condemned them to be hewers of wood and a drawers of water (Joshua 9:21, 23).
2 “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. — thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; using the language of the true prophets,
3 Within two full years will I bring back into this place all the vessels of the Lord’S house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried them to Babylon. — within two full years; or as the Targum says, “at the end of two years;”
— what the false prophets before had said would be done in a very little time; this fixes the precise time of doing it; a very short time; in comparison of the seventy years that Jeremiah had spoken of, Jeremiah 25:11;
— will God bring again into this place all the vessels of the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place; where he now was; namely, all such vessels as before this time had been taken by him, both in Jehoiakim’s reign and at the captivity of Jeconiah.
4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went into Babylon,’ saith the Lord; ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
— and God will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah; this he knew would please the people, who looked upon Zedekiah only as a vessel to the king of Babylon, and not properly their king; but Jeconiah, as he is here called; and he knew that Zedekiah dared not resent this, but was obliged to feigned a desire of Jeconiah’s return, though otherwise not agreeable to him;
— with all the captives of Judah that went into Babylon, saith the Lord; the princes, officers and others that should be living at the time fixed: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon; weaken his power over other nations, and particularly deliver the king of Judah from his bondage, and from subjection to him.
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord,
6 even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen. The Lord do so. The Lord perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’S house and all that is carried away captive from Babylon into this place. — even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen; or “so be it”- he wished it might be so as Hananiah had said, if it was the will of God; as a prophet he knew it could not be;
— to bring again the vessels of the Lord’s house, and all that is carried away captive, to Babylon into this place; as a priest, this must be very desirable to Jeremiah, the Jews observe, since he would be a gainer by it; being a priest, he should eat of the holy things; when Hananiah, being a Gibeonite, would be a hewer of wood and a drawer of water to him (Joshua 9:21, 23).
7 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears and in the ears of all the people:
8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries and against great kingdoms, of war and of evil and of pestilence.
— the prophets that have been before me and before thee of old; such as Isaiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and others: these prophesied both against many countries and against great kingdoms; as Egypt, Babylon, Syria, Ethiopia and Moab as Isaiah particularly did.
9 The prophet who prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known that the Lord hath truly sent him.”
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and broke it. — then Hananiah took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck; which he wore as a symbol of the subjection of Judea and other nations to the king of Babylon: but more so, it was the command of God that he made it, and wore it;
— but now he took the prophet’s yoke from his neck; and broke it; being made of wood, as it afterwards appears and so might easily be broken.
11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus saith the Lord: ‘Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.’” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. — thus saith the Lord where the Lord has not spoken; hence taking his name in vain;
— even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations, within the space of two years; the time he had fixed for the bringing back of the vessels of the sanctuary, Jeremiah 28:3;
— and the prophet Jeremiah went his way; showing thereby his dissent from him, and his dislike and detestation of his lies and blasphemies; patiently bearing his affronts and insolence; and prudently withdrawing to prevent riots and tumults; returning no answer till he had received one from the Lord himself, which he quickly had.
12 Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the prophet (after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah), saying,
13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Thou hast broken the yokes of wood, but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. — thou hast broken the yokes of wood: or “bonds” or “the thongs” with which the yokes of wood were bound and fastened;
— but thou shall make for them yokes of iron; but Jeremiah said; who went on to prophesy of a more severe bondage the nations be brought into by Nebuchadnezzar; instead of wooden yokes, they would have iron ones; which would be heavier, and harder upon them, and which could not be broken nor taken off.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; and I have given him the beasts of the field also.’” — that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; directly contrary to what Hananiah had prophesied,
— and I have given him the beasts of the field also; as God had said he would, Jeremiah 27:6; and which is repeated, to show that the whole would be punctually fulfilled; that not only those nations, the men, the inhabitants of them, would be delivered to him; but even the very cattle, and all that belonged to them.
15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth. This year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.’” — behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth; with the utmost indignation and abhorrence,
— as not worthy to live upon it: it signifies that he should die, and that not a natural, but violent death, by the immediate hand of God, by some judgement upon him; and so be by force taken off the earth and buried in it and be no more seen on it;
— this year thou shalt die; within the same year, reckoning from this time; so that, had he died any time within twelve months from hence, it would have been sufficient to have verified the prophecy:
— because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord; to despise his word by his prophet Jeremiah; to contradict his will; to refuse subjection to the king of Babylon; to neglect his instructions, directions and exhortations; and to believe a lie.
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. — in the seventh month: it was two months after he had prophesied; for it was in the fifth month that he prophesied and in the seventh he died.
“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20;
— in the “latter days” that is, in the then distant future, in the then distant future; in the latter days ye shall understand it clearly, viz. that the calamities which will have come upon you are the divine judgement upon your sins.
Jeremiah 25
The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586).
The year in that Jeremiah began to prophesy, Jeremiah 1:2 in the thirteenth year of Josiah reign would be around 628 BC, and he preached for the last 19 years of Josiah’s life, until 609 BC when Josiah died. By the time Zedekiah’s reign ended in 586 BC by being exiled to Babylon, Jeremiah’s prophesying would have lasted some 42 years.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), — the fourth year of Jehoiakim would be perhaps 606 BC or whereabout;
— before the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the shepherds, elders and kings of Judah only, Jeremiah 23 and 24; now his message is to all the people.
2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: — which Jeremiah the prophet spoke “unto all the people of Judah” perhaps at one of the three feasts: at Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles; at which all the males appeared in Jerusalem as commanded.
3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even unto this day (that is, the three and twentieth year), the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
— from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day; the year in which Jeremiah began to prophesy, Jeremiah 1:2; which would be around 628 BC.
4 And the Lord hath sent unto you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. — but ye have not hearkened; they remained stiffnecked; turned a deaf ear to God; however, did not obey or act as they were directed and exhorted to.
5 They said, “Turn ye again now every one from his evil way and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever.
— turn ye again now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of their doings; repent of sins; particularly their adulteries, lyings and idolatries (Jeremiah 23), to which they were prone, and are after mentioned.
6 And go not after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and provoke Me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
— and God will do you no hurt; by sword, or famine, or pestilence or captivity; provided they forsook their their adulteries, lyings and idolatrous worship; God does not hurt his true worshippers; yea, he makes all things work together for their good.
7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto Me,” saith the Lord, “that ye might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.”
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: “Because ye have not heard My words,
9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” saith the Lord, “and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them and make them an astonishment and a hissing and perpetual desolations.
— Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon is God’s servant! though a great king, he was a servant of the Lord of hosts; a pawn both as a creature of his make, and as a king that ruled under him; and as he was an instrument in his hand to chastise his people the Jews;
— and against all these nations round about; Egypt and others; partly so that the Jews could have no help from them; nor an alliance with them;
— and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, an hissing and perpetual desolations; both the Jews and their neighbours; who should be an astonishment to some and a hissing to others and remain desolate for a long time; even till the seventy years had ended.
10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the candle.
— such wild partyings the likes of Paris Hilton’s would ease and instead they would ask, “Why hath the Lord pronounced all these evils against us? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?”
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. — and these other nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years;
— both the Jews, and other nations of Egypt, reckoning from the date of this prophecy, the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign, when Daniel and others were carried captive, Daniel 1:1; to the first year of Cyrus.
12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,” saith the Lord, “for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. — captivity for seventy years;
— that God will punish the king of Babylon, and other nations, for their iniquity; the king for his tyranny, and the nation for their lying, adultery and idolatry; and all for these and other sins they were guilty of.
13 And I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
— even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the other nations: the Egyptians, Philistines, Lebanon (Phoenicians: Tyre and Sidon), Moabites, Edomites, Arabians, Persians, and also the Babylonians.
14 For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves by them also; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.”
— for many nations and great kings shall make them their servants; take their cities, seize their kingdoms, spoil them of their wealth and riches, and bring them into servitude:
— these “many nations” which should and did all this, were the Chaldaeans, then the Medes and Persians, and those that were subject to them or their allies in such expeditions; and the “great kings” were Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus and Darius.
15 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me: “Take the wine cup of this fury at My hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it.
— take the wine cup of this fury at my hand; in a vision the Lord appeared to Jeremiah with a cup of wine in his hand, which he bid him take of him. It is usual in Scripture for the judgements of God on men to be signified by a cup of hot and intoxicating liquor, Isaiah 51:17.
16 And they shall drink and be moved, and be mad because of the sword that I will send among them.” — the evil and the good events of life are often represented in Scripture as cups;
— and they shall drink and be moved, and be mad; the judgements foretold shall come upon them; which as intoxicating liquor has on drunken persons, will make them shake and tremble, and reel to and fro, and toss and tumble about, and behave like madmen.
17 Then took I the cup at the Lord’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me, — and made all the nations to drink, unto whom, the Lord had sent me;
— as an emblem of what wrath would come upon them, and they should drink deep of; but this was done in vision, and also in prophecy; the prophet proclaiming the will of God, all his judgements upon the nations, and what would befall them.
18 to wit: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day;
— to make them a desolation, an hissing and a curse; to strip them of their crowns and kingdom, of their wealth and riches, and bring them into slavery; so that they became an astonishment to some, to see the change that was made in them; and were hissed and cursed:
— as it is this day; which is added, this very year; though more fully in Jeconiah’s time, or in Zedekiah’s; or rather might be added by Jeremiah after the captivity; or by Baruch or by Ezra, and seems to be added by another hand.
19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; — Pharaoh king of Egypt; who is mentioned first after the kings of Judah; not only because the Jews were in alliance with Egypt, and trusted to them;
— and therefore this is observed, to show the vanity of their confidence and dependence; but because the judgements of God first took place on the king of Egypt; for in this very year, in which this prophecy was delivered, Pharaohnecho king of Egypt was smitten by Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah 46:2.
20 and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod.
21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon; — Edom and the children of Moab and Ammon; all well known and implacable enemies of Israel; the Edomites descended from Esau; and the Moabites and Ammonites, the two descentants of Lot by his daughters. Their destruction is prophesied of in Jeremiah: chapters 48-49.
22 and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea; — and all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Sidon; two very ancient cities in Phoenicia, frequently mentioned together, being near each other; their ruin were also foretold by prophet Ezekiel; chapters 26-28.
23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners;
24 and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert;
25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;
26 and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. — and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them; or the king of Babylon, as the Targum says;
— and that Babylon is meant by “Sheshach” is certain from Jeremiah 51:41; the Jewish writers make it to be the same with Babylon; you have “Sheshach” which is thought to be used rather than Babylon, that Nebuchadnezzar, now besieging Jerusalem.
27 “Therefore thou shalt say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye and be drunken, and spew and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.’ — drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more;
— as is sometimes the case of drunken men; they drink till they are quite intoxicated; and become drunk and then they spew up what they have drunk; and attempting to walk, fall and sometimes so as never to rise; not only break their bones, but their necks, or fall into places where they are suffocated, where they could loose their lives.
28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Ye shall certainly drink.
— then shalt thou say unto them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, ye shall certainly drink; or those judgements shall certainly be inflicted; there will be no possibility of escaping, for thus saith the Lord of hosts, who does what he pleases with the armies of heaven over whom he has power and authority on earth.
29 For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by My name. And should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts.’ — judgement often begins at the house of God, for the correction of his people, and to be a warning to others;
30 “Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them: “‘The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar upon His habitation; He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
— the Lord shall roar from on high: from heaven, like a lion in violent claps of thunder; or in such dreadful dispensations of his providence, as will be very amazing and yet terrifying;
— he shall give a shout, as a thunder does, against all the inhabitants of the earth; or “answer a shout” give the onset for battle against the inhabitants of the earth, as the general of an army; which is accompanied with a shout, a thunder.
31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth, for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations. He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword,’” saith the Lord.
— a noise shall come to the ends of the earth; the report of these calamities and confusions shall reach the most distant countries; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations God enters into judgement with men for their impieties (lack of piety or reverence for God).
32 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.” — thus saith the Lord of hosts, behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation; Rashi: whom I incite against one another; begin in one nation, and then go on to another;
— first in Judea, and then in Egypt; and so on, like fire that first consumes one house, and then another; and thus shall the cup go round from nation to nation, before prophesied of: and the Babylon were destroyed by the Medes and Persians; and then they by the Macedonians; and then the Romans;
— and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth; or “from the sides of it” that is, “from the ends of it” as the Targum paraphrases it, “and many people shall come openly from the ends of the earth;”
— this was first verified by the Chaldean army under Nebuchadnezzar, compared to a whirlwind, Jeremiah 4:13; and then by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus; and after that by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, and last of all by the Romans under Titus Vespasian.
33 And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
— shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and like Covid-19 not that this should be at one and the same time; for there never was such a time, that there was such a general slaughter in the world, that the slain should reach from one end to the other;
— Covid-19 could just be the beginning in which the cup should go round to all nations, meant by “at that day” the slain of the Lord would be in all parts of the world; or that, according to his will, there would be a great slaughter everywhere as the cup went round, or the sword was sent, first ravaging one country and then another.
34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye leaders of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished, and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.
— howl, ye shepherds, and cry; the Targum says, “howl, ye kings, and cry” and the rulers and governors of the nations before threatened with destruction are meant; who are here called upon to lamentation and mourning for the ruin and loss of their kingdoms.
35 And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the leaders of the flock to escape. — and the shepherds shall have no way to flee; Or “and flight shall perish from the shepherds” though they may attempt it, they shall not be able to accomplish it;
— neither the dignity of their persons, the greatness of their power, or the abundance of their riches, would make a way for them; their enemies being so numerous, powerful and watchful.
36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a howling of the leaders of the flock shall be heard; for the Lord hath despoiled their pasture. — a voice of the cry of the false shepherds; those are great calamities indeed that strike such a terror upon great men, and put them into this mighty consternation;
— for the Lord hath spoiled their pastures; in which they fed themselves; the spoiling of this makes them cry out; the prophet Jeremiah indicates to their great fright into which shepherds are put when they hear a roaring lion coming toward them, and find that neither they nor their flocks can escape.
37 And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the Lord. — and the peaceable habitations are cut down; shall now be exposed to all the calamities of war, and shall be thereby destroyed;
38 He hath forsaken His covert as the lion; for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the Oppressor, and because of His fierce anger. — he hath forsaken his covert as a lion; some understand of God leaving Jerusalem, or the Temple, where he dwelt;
— who, while he made it his residence, protected it; but when he forsook it, it became exposed to the enemy; that is true with the destruction of the first temple by Nebuchadnezzar; but also true with the destruction of the second temple; that is, by the Romans;
— because of the fierceness of the oppressor; the tyrant Nebuchadnezzar, and later by Hadrian; or the “oppressing sword” as some supply it and so the Targum says, “from before the sword of the enemy.”
Jeremiah 26
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word from the Lord, saying, — in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; so that the prophecy of this chapter were before the preceding chapter;
— that being in the fourth year, this in the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign; so here is another flashback. Josiah was dead, Jehoahaz his son reigned for three months, then deposed by Pharaohnecho king of Egypt; and this Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, also called Eliakim, was set on the throne.
2 “Thus saith the Lord: ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word.
— and speak unto all the inhabitants of Judah; of them; not only to those that dwelt at Jerusalem but also to the smaller cities of Judah; for what he was to say concerned them all, they having all sinned and needed repentance; without which they would be involved in the general calamity of the nation:
— which come to worship in the Lord’s house; as they did three times in the year, at the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles; and this could be the last of these, when this prophecy was to be delivered.
3 It may so be they will hearken and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent Me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.’ — “because of the evil of their doings” ~ more specifically: their adulteries, lyings and idolatries;
4 And thou shalt say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord: If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you,
5 to hearken to the words of My servants the prophets whom I sent unto you, both rising up early and sending them, but ye have not hearkened — to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets; the interpretations they give of the law;
— the teachings they deliver; the exhortations, cautions and reproofs given by them in the name of the Lord; and therefore should be hearkened to; since hearkening to them is hearkening to the Lord himself, in whose name they speak, and whose message they deliver.
6 then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.’” — this house like Shiloh; where the ark was until it was taken by the Philistines; and then the Lord forsook his tabernacle there, Psalms 78:60; and so he threatens to do the like to the Temple at Jerusalem, should they continue in their disobedience;
— and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth; that is, the city of Jerusalem, which should be taken up, and used proverbially in all countries; who, when they would curse anyone, should say, the Lord make thee as Jerusalem, or do unto thee as he has done to Jerusalem.
7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. — heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord; in theTtemple; in the court of Israel; they heard him out, and did not interrupt him while he was speaking;
— and having heard him, they were angry with him and were witnesses against him; they did not hear him so as to obey his words, receive his instructions and follow his directions; but they heard him with indignation, and were determined to prosecute him unto death.
8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, “Thou shalt surely die!
— that the priests and the false prophets and all the people took him; the priests and prophets were the leading men in this action; they stirred up the people against him and through their instigation he was seized and laid hold on;
— saying, thou shall surely die; signifying that they would bring a charge against him, and which by the law would be death; unless they meant in the manner of zealots to put him to death themselves, without judge or jury; and which they would have put in execution, had not the princes of the land or the great Sanhedrin heard of it; and therefore to prevent it came to the Temple, as is afterwards related.
9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
— and all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the Temple; besides those that were around the Temple that heard him, others, upon a rumour that he was apprehended by the priests and prophets in the Temple, got together in a mob about him: or they were “gathered to” to hear what he had to say in his own defence; but it appears afterwards that the princes were on his side, Jeremiah 26:16.
10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’S house.
— and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord’s house; as a court of judicature, to hear and try the cause between the false prophet and his accusers. This gate of the temple is thought to be the upper gate, which Jotham built, II Kings 15:35;
— the Targum calls it the eastern gate; but Jeremiah called it the New Gate, because being newly repaired, or some new structures added to it, it gives this reason for its being called new; that when Jehoiakim was carried captive, and some of the vessels of the Temple, Nebuchadnezzar’s army broke the eastern gate, which Zedekiah afterwards repaired and made new.
11 Then spoke the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, “This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.” — to these priests and false prophets, to prophesy against Jerusalem is a sin;
— for he hath prophesied against this holy city; the city of Jerusalem; saying that it should be a curse to other nations; or as they interpreted it, that it should be utterly destroyed, and become desolate and none should inhabit it.
12 Then spoke Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.
— the Lord sent me to prophesy against this house, and against this city, all the words that ye have heard; he does not deny but that he had prophesied against the city of Jerusalem and against the Temple, and that they should both come to ruin, unless the people repented;
— but then he urges that he was sent by the Lord and that every word that he had said, and they had heard, he was ordered to say by the Lord; and surely was not to be blamed for doing what the Lord commanded him to do; besides, all this was threatened only in case they continued being obstinate and impenitent.
13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent of the evil that He hath pronounced against you. — unless ye amend and repent; all the evils will come to you;
14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
— do with me as seemeth good unto you; he readily submitted to their pleasure, and should patiently endure what they thought fit to inflict upon him; it gave him no great concern whether his life was taken from him;
15 But know ye for certain that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof; for truly the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.”
16 Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets, “This man is not worthy to die, for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God!”
— then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and the false prophets; hearing Jeremiah’s testimony for themselves, it appeared that he was justified in what he had said and done; hence they acquitted him; and the people, who before were on the side of the priests and false prophets;
— yet hearing what Jeremiah had testified for himself and also the judgement of the princes, they joined with the court in an address to the priests and false prophets, who were the chief accusers, and who would fain have had him brought in guilty of death; that
— this man is not worthy to die; or “the judgement of death is not for this man” we cannot give judgement against him; he is not guilty of any crime deserving death;
— for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God; not in his own name; but in the name of the Lord, and by his order; and therefore was not a false, but a true prophet: his integrity and firmness of mind; the plain marks of seriousness and humility, and a disinterested view, made them conclude in his favour.
17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18 “Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “‘Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.’
19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? Did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented of the evil which He had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.”
— did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? no, they did not: neither the king, by his own authority; nor the Sanhedrin, the great court of judicature, for the nation; they never sought to take away his life, nor sat in council about it; they never arraigned him, and much less condemned him:
— did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord; that is, Hezekiah; he did, as knowing that Micah was a prophet of the Lord, and sent by him; wherefore he received his prophecy with great awe and reverence, as coming from the Lord, and made his supplications to him that he would avert the judgements threatened:
— and the Lord repented of the evil which he had pronounced against them? the king and his people, the city and the Temple; and so the threatened evil came not upon them in their days.
20 And there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. — this is prophet Urijah whom we seldom heard of; he heard it from Jeremiah, hence not a true prophet;
21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled, and went into Egypt.
22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him into Egypt.
23 And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death. — nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah;
— though this instance was urged as a precedent to go by, Ahikam was one of those whom King Josiah, when struck by the words of the book of the law, who had been one of Josiah’s courtiers and counsellors, who stood by Jeremiah, and used all his power, authority, and influence in his favour:
— that they should not give Jeremiah into the hand of the people to put him to death; that the Sanhedrin should not; although might incline to it; but Ahikam, having several brothers, as well as other friends, that paid a regard to his arguments and solicitations; he prevailed upon them not to give leave to the people to put Jeremiah to death;
— his son, Gedaliah, followed in his father’s steps, so that he was chosen by the Babylonians as the one to whom they committed Jeremiah for safety after taking Jerusalem.
“Nobody is pushing” the conflict in Ukraine more than US State Department official Victoria Nuland, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday. Nuland, who helped to orchestrate the pro-Western coup in Kiev in 2014, has backed military strikes on the Russian territory of Crimea.
Nuland’s declaration last Thursday that Russian military bases in Crimea are “legitimate targets” for Ukrainian forces was interpreted by the Kremlin as proof of “US involvement in the Ukraine conflict.” In a post on Telegram, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Moscow would respond to such attacks “using weapons of any kind.”
“Nobody is pushing this war more than Nuland,” wrote Musk, who has previously warned that nuclear war could break out unless Ukraine abandons its claims to Crimea and both sides agree to peace talks.
A hawkish Crypto Russian speaking Victoria Nuland demonstrates her collective Nato’s dive into Armegaddon in Ukraine!
Nuland’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict predates Russia’s military operation, ordered one year ago by President Vladimir Putin.
As assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs in 2014, Nuland helped organize the coup that saw Ukraine’s democratically-elected president, Viktor Yanukovich, replaced with the pro-Western Pyotr Poroshenko, who then began a campaign of military repression against the people of Donetsk and Lugansk.
During the coup, Nuland handed out cookies to protesters in Kiev and promised pro-Western politicians military aid and a billion-dollar loan guarantee program. In an infamous leaked call between Nuland and then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, the two discussed which person should replace Yanukovich from a list of opposition politicians.
After leaving the State Department during Donald Trump’s presidency, Nuland is now serving as President Joe Biden’s deputy secretary of state for political affairs. In recent months, she has endorsed regime change in Russia, celebrated the US’ alleged destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, and called for the indefinite flow of arms into Ukraine.
Musk is not the only prominent American to condemn Nuland’s role in instigating the conflict in recent days. In a campaign video released on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump calledNuland and “others like her” in the Biden administration “warmongers and ‘America Last’ globalists.” Nuland was“obsessed with pushing Ukraine towards NATO,” he declared, claiming that the conflict would have “never happened if I was your president.”
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15
“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37
John Mearsheimer has brilliantly emphasized the United States are protected by fish to the left and fish to the right, but foolishly negates to address America’s broken border in the South: Ukraine and Taiwan are two great distractions, the Scriptures say that America’s main “enemy” comes from the porous South. For more, see A Sword from the South!
Ukraine has always been a nation divided: northwestern and central Ukraine, which had once been part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, have always faced west to Europe; the southeast, long part of the Russian Empire, has always faced east to Russia.
Historically, western Ukraine has voted for presidential candidates with European-oriented policies, and eastern Ukraine has voted for presidents with Russian-oriented policies. It is a national tug-of-war that always risked ripping the country in two.
Victim of Big Powers Politics: between the United States and Russia
The tug-of-war became overt during the 2004 election between Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian-leaning eastern base and Vikto Yushchenko and his American and European-leaning western base. When Yushchenko was forced to appoint Yanukovych as his prime minister, the nation and its government was being dangerously pulled in opposing directions.
Though they [the four wars] are being fought in the confusion of a single catastrophic conflict, there are four closely related, but distinct, wars being fought in Ukraine.
The first is the war within Ukraine.
The second is the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The third is the proxy war between NATO and Russia.
And the fourth is the direct war between the United States and Russia.
Deconstructing this single conflict into its four real wars may be necessary to understand the issues that must be resolved if a negotiated settlement is to be possible.
The latent domestic problems that have been ripped open by this war are not new. They are the torn fabric of the Ukrainian nation. They go back long before the war, and the war will not be safely resolved before they too are finally resolved.
For the first time, the nationalist view that saw only western, European Ukraine as truly Ukrainian was represented, through Yushchenko, in government. It polarized the nation.
Soon the most unpopular government in the history of Ukraine, and six years later, Yushchenko would receive only 5.5% of the national vote.
Yanukovych’s subsequent election was a bitter defeat for the nationalists. Nicolai Petro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island and the author of The Tragedy of Ukraine, says that “it was seen as a betrayal that proved that elections alone could no longer be relied upon to guarantee Ukrainian independence.” That set the stage for the coup four years later.
The US sponsored coup of 2014 [spearhead by Susan Rice, a hawkish Crypto Russian speaking Victoria Nuland, or a man like John Bolton] took Yanukovych, who was acceptable to Russia, out of power and replaced him with a Western-leaning president who was hand picked by Uncle Sam.
The western and nationalist participants in the coup saw it as a vehicle to pull Ukraine back from Russia and return it to its European-Ukrainian identity. Petro quotes Igor Guzhva, who says that “for the first time in modern Ukrainian history, a change of regime had taken place through the assault of one part of the country on the rights of another.” The ethnic Russian regions of Ukraine had been defeated in a coup.
The 2010 Ukrainian Presidential Election won by Viktor Yanukovych
The new government guaranteed amnesty for all acts of violence that defended the coup. (There were many.) Petro explains that the new government had to rely on radical, nationalist elements and their militias. The ethnic Russians of the Donbas would subsequently suffer attacks on their language, their culture, their rights, their property, and their lives.
The first elected government after the coup, the government of Pyotr Poroshenko, became, in Petro’s words, the “prime sponsor…of Ukrainian nationalism.” Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics at Kent, says, “Poroshenko inherited a government largely made up of militants.” His government represented “a monist vision of Ukraine statehood that denied the pluralist alternative demanded by the Donbas…”
The Donbas rebelled against the coup government, and by May 2014 had approved referendums declaring some form of autonomy. The war within Ukraine had begun.
It was the US supported coup [spearhead by Susan Rice, a hawkish Crypto Russian speaking Victoria Nuland, or a man like John Bolton] that exploited the inherent rip in Ukraine and was the catalyst for the first war.
If the US bears a large share of the blame for the war within Ukraine, Russia bears the blame for the war between Russia and Ukraine.
That is not to accept the Western mantra of the “unprovoked” war. Russia has legitimate security concerns and may truly have felt that, in the words of its ambassador to the US, they had “come to the point when we have no room to retreat.”
But that does not justify the assault on Ukraine. The war was a choice made by Russia without authorization by the United Nations or an immediate need for self-defense. It is an illegal war. And Russia bears responsibility for starting it.
In a February 7 opinion piece in The New York Times, Christopher Caldwell asks, “Russia started the war between Russia and Ukraine. Who started the war between Russia and the United States?”
The US and its NATO allies are providing Ukraine with the money, the weapons, the training, the intelligence, and the targeting to fight Russia.
They are providing the plans and the war-games.
They are providing an ever-increasing list of advanced weapons that cross previously self-imposed red lines. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy.
War means war.” The speaker of the Russian Duma drew a similar conclusion: “The US is taking part in the military operations in Ukraine. Today, Washington is basically coordinating and engineering military operations, thus directly participating in the military actions against our country.”
In his Times piece, Caldwell points out that “In an age of smart devices, robotics and remote control, the United States’ involvement in the war has always been greater than it appeared.” He explains that “Most of the new weapons’ destructive power comes from their being bound into an American information network…So the United States is participating in these military operations at the moment they happen. It is fighting.”
So, the US and NATO bear their share of responsibility for the proxy war against Russia militarily. But they also bear responsibility diplomatically. Twice, in March and April 2022, Ukraine and Russia were ready to negotiate an end to the war that satisfied both their interests. But twice the US and the United Kingdom intervened and put an end to these negotiations.
Up to that moment, the war between Russia and Ukraine was Russia’s responsibility; from that moment on, the US and the UK shared respon
