Destined to be Caught in a Snare, how this Prophecy is to be Fulfilled: And notice a Composite Message of Sweetness and Bitterness! “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” Amos 3:2
Among the last of the Prophets, Zechariah’s writing is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, yet Jews pray everyday at the Wailing Wall for the coming of the Messiah. “Oh blind Guides!” Would God have any obligation to hear such prayers? Or, would he prefer to kindle a fire in the midst of them?
Chapter 1
— Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Turn ye unto Me, —‘and I will turn unto you,’ saith the Lord of hosts — ‘Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings’ — but they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord — I saw by night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse — and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white — Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold, four horns — “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem”
~ Chapter 2
— And he said unto me, “To measure Jerusalem to see what is the breadth thereof — and what is the length thereof” — “Run, speak to this young man, saying, — ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls’ — Come forth, and flee from the land of the north,” saith the Lord — for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye — “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come — and I will dwell in the midst of thee,” saith the Lord
— Joshua was clothed with filthy garments — “Take away the filthy garments from him” — “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee” — For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua — upon one stone shall be seven eyes
~ Chapter 4
— “What seest thou?” And I said, “I have looked and behold, a candlestick — all of gold with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon — and seven pipes to the seven lamps which are upon the top thereof — and two olive trees, one the right side of the bowl, the other upon the left — “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel — saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ saith the Lord of hosts — Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain — “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; — his hands shall also finish it — the Targum testifies that Zerubbabel is one sent the Father — testifies that Zerubbabel is the Son of God, the Messiah
— a flying roll, the curse that goeth forth over the face of the earth — one side for one who steals, the other side for one who swears — two categories of curses — similar to what Ezekiel saw: of lamentations, mourning and woe — the ephah was the measure of unrighteousness and of deceits — a woman who sitteth in the midst of the ephah — and behold, there came out two women — to build it a house in the land of Shinar
~ Chapter 6
— there came four chariots out from between two mountains — in the first chariot were red horses; of wars and bloodshed — and in the second chariot black horses; north; of mourning and death — and in the third chariot white horses; north; implying joy and victory — and in the fourth chariot grizzled and bay horses; south — these are the four spirits of the heavens
— ‘the Unspoken Will of God — 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? — execute true judgement, and show mercy and compassions — and oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor — and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart — “Therefore it has come to pass that as He cried and they would not hear, — so they cried and I would not hear,” saith the Lord of hosts
~ Chapter 8
— “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy — and I was jealous for her with great fury’ — “Thus saith the Lord: ‘I am returned unto Zion — that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid — that the [Ezekiel] Temple might be built — “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth — the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth — shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
— the burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Syria and Damascus — together with Damascus, Tyre and Sidon; cities of Phenicia — Ashkelon and Gaza shall see Tyre’s destruction and fear; and be very sorrowful — and the Lord will encamp about His house, His Temple — and I will cause My glorious Shekinah to dwell in My Sanctuary — O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! — He is just and lowly, and riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass — O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece; and shall go with whirlwinds of the South
~ Chapter 10
— there would be early spring and the latter autumn rain — for the idol shepherd have spoken vanity, lies and false dreams — the Targum says about His people, “they are scattered as sheep are scattered” — “And I will strengthen the house of Judah and the house of Joseph” — “And I will strengthen them in the Lord — and they shall walk up and down in His name,” saith the Lord
— Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars — saith the Lord my God: “Feed the flock for the slaughter — give the flock the reasons why they would soon be suffering with captivity — a shepherd with two staves (a) Pleasantness, like “Josiah, the anointed” — and (b) Destroyers, like “Nebuchadnezzar, my servant” both are the Lord’s staves — Three shepherds also I cut off in one month — and my soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me — Could these three be Fred Coulter, Frank Nelte and John Ritenbaugh?
~ Chapter 12
— The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel — I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about — when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. — And I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem — And I will pour upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication — and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced — and they shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son — and shall be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn
— “In that day there shall be a fountain opened — to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem — and God will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit — who speaks through the false prophets to pass out of the land — “Awake, O sword, Smite the Shepherd — and the sheep shall be scattered — and I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones. — “two parts therein shall be cut off and die — And I will bring the third part through the fire — and will refine them as silver is refined
~ Chapter 14
— Behold, the day of the Lord cometh — For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle — Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations — And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives — 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
Let’s start with the basics. Roughly 5% of the human race currently live in the United States of America. That very small fraction of humanity, until quite recently, enjoyed about a third of the world’s energy resources and manufactured products and about a quarter of its raw materials.
This didn’t happen because nobody else wanted these things, or because the US manufactured and sold something so enticing that the rest of the world eagerly handed over its wealth in exchange. It happened because, as the dominant nation, the US imposed unbalanced patterns of exchange on the rest of the world, and these funnelled a disproportionate share of the planet’s wealth to itself.
There’s nothing new about this sort of arrangement. In its day, the British Empire controlled an even larger share of the planet’s wealth, and the Spanish Empire played a comparable role further back. Before then, there were other empires, though limits to transport technologies meant that their reach wasn’t as large.
Nor, by the way, was any of this an invention of people with light-coloured skin. Mighty empires flourished in Asia and Africa when the peoples of Europe lived in thatched-roofed mud huts. Empires rise whenever a nation becomes powerful enough to dominate other nations and drain them of wealth. They’ve thrived as far back as records go and they’ll doubtless thrive for as long as human civilisations exist.
America’s empire came into being in the wake of the collapse of the British Empire, during the fratricidal European wars of the early 20th century. Throughout those bitter years, the role of global hegemon was up for grabs, and by 1930 or so it was pretty clear that Germany, the Soviet Union or the US would end up taking the prize.
In the usual way, two contenders joined forces to squeeze out the third, and then the victors went at each other, carving out competing spheres of influence until one collapsed. When the Soviet Union imploded in 1991, the US emerged as the last empire standing.
Francis Fukuyama insisted in a 1989 essay that having won the top slot, the US was destined to stay there forever. He was, of course, wrong, but then he was a Hegelian and couldn’t help it. (If a follower of Hegel tells you the sky is blue, go look.)
The ascendancy of one empire guarantees that other aspirants for the same status will begin sharpening their knives. They’ll get to use them, too, because empires invariably wreck themselves: over time, the economic and social consequences of empire destroy the conditions that make empire possible. That can happen quickly or slowly, depending on the mechanism that each empire uses to extract wealth from its subject nations.
The mechanism the US used for this latter purpose was ingenious but even more short-term than most.
In simple terms, the US imposed a series of arrangements on most other nations that guaranteed the lion’s share of international trade would use US dollars as the medium of exchange, and saw to it that an ever-expanding share of world economic activity required international trade. (That’s what all that gabble about “globalisation” meant in practice.)
This allowed the US government to manufacture dollars out of thin air by way of gargantuan budget deficits, so that US interests could use those dollars to buy up vast amounts of the world’s wealth. Since the excess dollars got scooped up by overseas central banks and business firms, which needed them for their own foreign trade, inflation stayed under control while the wealthy classes in the US profited mightily.
Why did the Spanish Empire collapse?
The problem with this scheme is the same difficulty faced by all Ponzi schemes, which is that, sooner or later, you run out of suckers to draw in. This happened not long after the turn of the millennium, and along with other factors — notably the peaking of global conventional petroleum production — it led to the financial crisis of 2008-2010.
Since 2010 the US has been lurching from one crisis to another. This is not accidental. The wealth pump that kept the US at the top of the global pyramid has been sputtering as a growing number of nations have found ways to keep a larger share of their own wealth by expanding their domestic markets and raising the kind of trade barriers the US used before 1945 to build its own economy. The one question left is how soon the pump will start to fail altogether.
When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US and its allies responded not with military force but with punitive economic sanctions, which were expected to cripple the Russian economy and force Russia to its knees.
Apparently, nobody in Washington considered the possibility that other nations with an interest in undercutting the US empire might have something to say about that. Of course, that’s what happened. China, which has the largest economy on Earth in purchasing-power terms, extended a middle finger in the direction of Washington and upped its imports of Russian oil, gas, grain and other products. So did India, currently the third-largest economy on Earth in the same terms; as did more than 100 other countries.
Then there’s Iran, which most Americans are impressively stupid about. Iran is the 17th largest nation in the world, more than twice the size of Texas and even more richly stocked with oil and natural gas. It’s also a booming industrial power. It has a thriving automobile industry, for example, and builds and launches its own orbital satellites. It’s been dealing with severe US sanctions since not long after the Shah fell in 1978, so it’s a safe bet that the Iranian government and industrial sector know every imaginable trick for getting around those sanctions.
Right after the start of the Ukraine war, Russia and Iran suddenly started inking trade deals to Iran’s great benefit. Clearly, one part of the quid pro quo was that the Iranians passed on their hard-earned knowledge about how to dodge sanctions to an attentive audience of Russian officials.
With a little help from China, India and most of the rest of humanity, the total failure of the sanctions followed in short order. Today, the sanctions are hurting the US and Europe, not Russia, but the US leadership has wedged itself into a position from which it can’t back down. This may go a long way towards explaining why the Russian campaign in Ukraine has been so leisurely. The Russians have no reason to hurry. They know that time is not on the side of the US.
For many decades now, the threat of being cut out of international trade by US sanctions was the big stick Washington used to threaten unruly nations that weren’t small enough for a US invasion or fragile enough for a CIA-backed regime-change operation.
Over the last year, that big stick turned out to be made of balsa wood and snapped off in Joe Biden’s hand. As a result, all over the world, nations that thought they had no choice but to use dollars in their foreign trade are switching over to their own currencies, or to the currencies of rising powers. The US dollar’s day as the global medium of exchange is thus ending.
It’s been interesting to watch economic pundits reacting to this. As you might expect, quite a few of them simply deny that it’s happening — after all, economic statistics from previous years don’t show it yet, Some others have pointed out that no other currency is ready to take on the dollar’s role; this is true, but irrelevant.
When the British pound lost a similar role in the early years of the Great Depression, no other currency was ready to take on its role either. It wasn’t until 1970 or so that the US dollar finished settling into place as the currency of global trade. In the interval, international trade lurched along awkwardly using whatever currencies or commodity swaps the trading partners could settle on: that is to say, the same situation that’s taking shape around us in the free-for-all of global trade that will define the post-dollar era.
One of the interesting consequences of the shift now under way is a reversion to the mean of global wealth distribution. Until the era of European global empire, the economic heart of the world was in east and south Asia. India and China were the richest countries on the planet, and a glittering necklace of other wealthy states from Iran to Japan filled in the picture.
To this day, most of the human population is found in the same part of the world. The great age of European conquest temporarily diverted much of that wealth to Europe, impoverishing Asia in the process. That condition began to break down with the collapse of European colonial empires in the decade following the Second World War, but some of the same arrangements were propped up by the US thereafter.
Now those are coming apart, and Asia is rising. By next year, four of the five largest economies on the planet in terms of purchasing power parity will be Asian. The fifth is the US, and it may not be in that list for much longer.
In short, America is bankrupt. Our governments from the federal level down, our big corporations and a very large number of our well-off citizens have run up gargantuan debts, which can only be serviced given direct or indirect access to the flows of unearned wealth the US extracted from the rest of the planet. Those debts cannot be paid off, and many of them can’t even be serviced for much longer.
The only options are defaulting on them or inflating them out of existence, and in either case, arrangements based on familiar levels of expenditure will no longer be possible. Since the arrangements in question include most of what counts as an ordinary lifestyle in today’s US, the impact of their dissolution will be severe.
In effect, the 5% of us in this country are going to have to go back to living the way we did before 1945. If we still had the factories, the trained workforce, the abundant natural resources and the thrifty habits we had back then, that would have been a wrenching transition but not a debacle.
The difficulty, of course, is that we don’t have those things anymore. The factories were shut down in the offshoring craze of the Seventies and Eighties, when the imperial economy slammed into overdrive, and the trained workforce was handed over to malign neglect.
We’ve still got some of the natural resources, but nothing like what we once had. The thrifty habits? Those went whistling down the wind a long time ago. In the late stages of an empire, exploiting flows of unearned wealth from abroad is far more profitable than trying to produce wealth at home, and most people direct their efforts accordingly.
That’s how you end up with the typical late-imperial economy, with a governing class that flaunts fantastic levels of paper wealth, a parasite class of hangers-on that thrive by catering to the very rich or staffing the baroque bureaucratic systems that permeate public and private life, and the vast majority of the population impoverished, sullen, and unwilling to lift a finger to save their soi-disant betters from the consequences of their own actions.
The good news is that there’s a solution to all this. The bad news is that it’s going to take a couple of decades of serious turmoil to get there. The solution is that the US economy will retool itself to produce earned wealth in the form of real goods and non-financial services.
That’ll happen inevitably as the flows of unearned wealth falter, foreign goods become unaffordable to most Americans, and it becomes profitable to produce things here in the US again. The difficulty, of course, is that most of a century of economic and political choices meant to support our former imperial project are going to have to be undone.
The most obvious example? The metastatic bloat of government, corporate and non-profit managerial jobs in American life. That’s a sensible move in an age of empire, as it funnels money into the consumer economy, which provides what jobs exist for the impoverished classes.
Public and private offices alike teem with legions of office workers whose labour contributes nothing to national prosperity but whose pay cheques prop up the consumer sector. That bubble is already losing air. It’s indicative that Elon Musk, after his takeover of Twitter, fired some 80% of that company’s staff; other huge internet combines are pruning their workforce in the same way, though not yet to the same degree.
The recent hullaballoo about artificial intelligence is helping to amplify the same trend. Behind the chatbots are programs called large language models (LLMs), which are very good at imitating the more predictable uses of human language. A very large number of office jobs these days spend most of their time producing texts that fall into that category: contracts, legal briefs, press releases, media stories and so on.
Those jobs are going away. Computer coding is even more amenable to LLM production, so you can kiss a great many software jobs goodbye as well. Any other form of economic activity that involves assembling predictable sequences of symbols is facing the same crunch. A recent paper by Goldman Sachs estimates that something like 300 million jobs across the industrial world will be wholly or partly replaced by LLMs in the years immediately ahead.
Another technology with similar results is CGI image creation. Levi’s announced not long ago that all its future catalogues and advertising will use CGI images instead of highly-paid models and photographers. Expect the same thing to spread generally. Oh, and Hollywood’s next.
We’re not too far from the point at which a program can harvest all the footage of Marilyn Monroe from her films, and use that to generate new Marilyn Monroe movies for a tiny fraction of what it costs to hire living actors, camera crews and the rest. The result will be a drastic decrease in high-paying jobs across a broad swathe of the economy.
The outcome of all this? Well, one lot of pundits will insist at the top of their lungs that nothing will change in any way that matters, and another lot will start shrieking that the apocalypse is upon us. Those are the only two options our collective imagination can process these days. Of course, neither of those things will actually happen.
What will happen instead is that the middle and upper-middle classes in the US, and in many other countries, will face the same kind of slow demolition that swept over the working classes of those same countries in the late 20th century. Layoffs, corporate bankruptcies, declining salaries and benefits, and the latest high-tech version of NO HELP WANTED signs will follow one another at irregular intervals.
All the businesses that make money catering to these same classes will lose their incomes as well, a piece at a time. Communities will hollow out the way the factory towns of America’s Rust Belt and the English Midlands did half a century ago, but this time it will be the turn of upscale suburbs and fashionable urban neighbourhoods to collapse as the income streams that supported them disappear.
This is not going to be a fast process. The US dollar is losing its place as the universal medium of foreign trade, but it will still be used by some countries for years to come. The unravelling of the arrangements that direct unearned wealth to the US will go a little faster, but that will still take time. The collapse of the cubicle class and the gutting of the suburbs will unfold over decades. That’s the way changes of this kind play out.
As for what people can do in response this late in the game, I refer to a post I made on The Archdruid Report in 2012 titled “Collapse Now and Avoid the Rush.”
In that post I pointed out that the unravelling of the American economy, and the broader project of industrial civilisation, was picking up speed around us, and those who wanted to get ready for it needed to start preparing soon by cutting their expenses, getting out of debt, and picking up the skills needed to produce goods and services for people rather than the corporate machine.
I’m glad to say that some people did these things, but a great many others rolled their eyes, or made earnest resolutions to do something as soon as things were more convenient, which they never were.
Over the years that followed I repeated that warning and then moved on to other themes, since there really wasn’t much point to harping on about the approaching mess when the time to act had slipped away.
Those who made preparations in time will weather the approaching mess as well as anyone can. Those who didn’t? The rush is here. I’m sorry to say that whatever you try, it’s likely that there’ll be plenty of other frantic people trying to do the same thing. You might still get lucky, but it’s going to be a hard row to hoe.
Mind you, I expect some people to take a different tack. In the months before a prediction of mine comes true, I reliably field a flurry of comments insisting that I’m too rigid and dogmatic in my views about the future, that I need to be more open-minded about alternative possibilities, that wonderful futures are still in reach, and so on.
I got that in 2008 just before the real estate bubble started to go bust, as I’d predicted, and I also got it in 2010 just before the price of oil peaked and started to slide, as I’d also predicted, taking the peak oil movement with it. I’ve started to field the same sort of criticism once again.
We are dancing on the brink of a long slippery slope into an unwelcome new reality. I’d encourage readers in America and its close allies to brace themselves for a couple of decades of wrenching economic, social, and political turmoil. Those elsewhere will have an easier time of it, but it’s still going to be a wild ride before the rubble stops bouncing, and new social, economic, and political arrangements get patched together out of the wreckage.
“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.
“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25
During the Millennium the Feast of Tabernacle is prophesied to be reinstated, but sacrifices, the foremost of which is the Passover, is also hinted at. The differentiations of nationalities are reduced in importance and so are the sexes—there wouldn’t be Gentiles nor Jews; or a Court for the Women and another for the Gentiles in the Ezekiel Temple in Jerusalem, but only designated as Inner Court or Outer Court.
Zechariah 13
1 “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
— the Lord declares, “On that day a fountain will be opened for David’s family and for those who live in Jerusalem to wash away their sin and stain.
2 And it shall come to pass in that day,” saith the Lord of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
— and it shall come to pass that God will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, so that the very names which had formerly been in the mouths of men everywhere were no longer mentioned, and they shall no more be remembered;
— and God will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit who speaks through the false prophets, to pass out of the land. This is one of the results of the preaching of the Truth, as we see also in the case of the people of Ephesus when Paul proclaimed the true God to them. Cf Acts 19:19.
3 And it shall come to pass that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother who begot him shall say unto him, ‘Thou shalt not live, for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord’; and his father and his mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
— if a man still prophesies presumptuously, his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will say, ‘You don’t deserve to live because you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will stab him when he still prophesies; this is in line with the command of the Lord in the Old Testament. Cf Deuteronomy 18:20.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a garment of hair to deceive.
— and if those prophets still assert presumptuously that they possess the power to prophesy, they shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment, after the manner of Elijah to deceive, to impress men with their status as prophets, just as men nowadays affect the dress, speech and manners of certain professions in order to make an impression;
5 But he shall say, ‘I am no prophet; I am a husbandman, for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’ — but he shall say, ‘I am no prophet, I am an husbandman,’ vehemently disclaiming any connection with the prophetic profession; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth, rather, “a man has purchased me from my youth.”
6 And one shall say unto him, ‘What are these wounds in thine hands?’ Then he shall answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
— and one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? the scars which he bore as a result of his wounding himself in the service of idols, 1 Kings 18:28. Then he shall answer, in trying to evade the issue and to place the blame elsewhere;
— those with which he was wounded in the house of his friends, possibly when lie was chastised in his capacity as slaves; and may be taken as a warning in our days when men are turning to deceivers for counsel and guidance.
7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My fellow,” saith the Lord of hosts. “Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones.
— awake, O Sword, against my Shepherd, concerning his Son, whom he calls “my Shepherd” the same one who addressed the people in Zechariah 11:12 (thirty pieces of silver),;
— and against the Man that is My Fellow, him who is also God, together with the Father, for the Messiah is the Son of God, who was in the bosom of the Father and by him begotten in the great scheme of things, who here summons the Sword for the Messiah’s Sacrifice, to carry out the infliction of suffering by which the redemption of mankind is to be carried out;
— smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered, to smite the Messiah even unto death; a word which Jesus applied to himself on the evening before his death, Matthew 26:31; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones, literally, “I will bring back my hand upon the little ones” for he intended to redeem the wretched, the poor and lowly, for of these were to make up his Elect.
8 And it shall come to pass that in all the land,” saith the Lord, “two parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein.
— and it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two thirds therein, the great majority of the people, shall be cut off and die, being offended in him and therefore rejected from his herd; but the third, only a small part, shall be left therein;
— “in all the land” Q, is this all Israel or all the earth? the context seems to indicate the later as this chapter and the next is concerning God dealing with all the nations. Just a thought, this would be something like 4 to 5 billion people dead! Could a soon new and vibrant Covid-2X (or a hybrid variant) do this job of killing thousands falling by the wayside? — as in Psalms 91 which prophesied what a Godsend pandemic could do
Nor of the pestilence that walk in darkness, nor of the destruction that lay waste at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Psalms 91:6-7
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will hear them. I will say, ‘It is My people’; and they shall say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
— and God will bring the third part through the fire, the test of affliction and persecution as it soon came to the first congregation, and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried, Cf 1 Peter 1:6-7;
— they shall call on my name, and I will hear them, graciously giving them the attention which assured them of his certain assistance; God will say, ‘It is my people, and they shall say, Yehovah is my God.’ This has ever been the relationship obtaining between the God of the covenant and His Elect on earth, and this intimate communion is one of the miracles of the Chosen till the end of time. Cf John 14:23;
— they shall call on my name; my name is Yehovah (YHVH); 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; (more on this at the end)
“The Lord’s Day” is actually “the Day of Judgement” (Encyclopedia Biblica, “Lord’s Day”)
Zechariah 14
1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. — behold, the day of the Lord cometh, the Day of Judgement or the Lord’s Day; there is a parallel in Revelation “the Lord’s Day” of Revelation 1:10;
— and thy spoil that gained by the enemies in overcoming Jerusalem, that shall be divided in the midst of thee, the enemies then being at leisure and secure in the conquered city;
— further on “the Lord’s Day” is actually “the day of Judgement” (Encyclopedia Biblica, article “Lord’s Day”); in later years, when the Roman Catholic Church were getting so powerful this was reinterpreted to mean the day of Christ’s resurrection, Sunday; hence today, “the Lord’s Day” has presumptuously being transformed into a day of worship on Sundays.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished. And half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
— on the Day of Judgement, God will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, the enemies being recruited from all countries of the world; and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled and the women ravished, a picture of an apparent complete overthrow of the Judah such as she experienced before the Chaldean captivity;
— and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, yielding to the power inspired by a Destroyer, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city, some at least would remain faithful to the true God despite the ravaging of the enemies.
3 Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. — then the Lord shall go forth and battle against those nations as he fought like “at the Red Sea” which the Targum adds and on the many occasions when he went forth to fight with them and for them as King David and many others did.
4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south.
— and on that day, God’s feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, this location being considered the center of the earth and the throne of the Lord as he makes ready for judgement, which is before Jerusalem on the east;
— and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, an earthquake having this effect as the earth trembled under the footsteps of the Almighty;
— and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south, thus opening a road from Jerusalem straight toward the east.
5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal. Yea, ye shall flee as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.
— and ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains for safe hiding-places; see, Isaiah 2:19; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal, a small town east of Mount Olivet;
— yea, ye ‘shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah; and the Lord, my God, shall come; his advent being looked for by his elect ‘with joyful expectation, and all the saints, the holy angels, with thee.
6 And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark. — on that day there shall be no light nor dark, cold nor frost, literally, “the glorious things will withdraw themselves,” evidently said of the lights of heaven, the sun, moon and stars;
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord — neither day nor night; but it shall come to pass that at evening (‘e·reḇ) time it shall be light.
— and it will be a day unlike any other, for it will be one continuous day, known only to the Lord, and there will be no more day nor night for there will be light even during the evening; that is, from 6 pm to midnight.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the hinder sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.
— in both summer and winter, life-giving streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea (but the Targum differs, saying it is the Persian Sea) in the east and half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.
— and the Lord will be the King of kings over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped; the Lord to be glorified wherever his Word is proclaimed.
10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s Gate unto the place of the First Gate unto the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel unto the king’s wine presses.
— the land will stretch out spaciously around Jerusalem—from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the south, with Jerusalem towering at the center and the commanding city gates—Gate of Benjamin to First Gate to Corner Gate to Hananel Tower to the Royal Winery—ringing the city full of people;
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
— and men shall dwell in Jerusalem and there shall be no more danger nor any destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited; never again will Jerusalem be destroyed; but will be a safe city.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people who have fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
— and when the vials are poured out there shall be more plagues, whereby the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem, those who oppose the Kingdom and its work;
— their flesh shall rot away while they stand upon their feet, so that they would rot away in a living death, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth, all these punishments making them unfit for further attacks upon the city of God.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
— and on that day there will be a great tumult, a confusion and panic; there will be a revolution from the Lord; and everyone shall lay hold of his neighbor, and every hand fighting against another. Mass hysteria when that happens. Panic! fellow citizens became soldiers fighting and killing each other—total terror!
14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together: gold and silver and apparel in great abundance.
— and Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, its citizens taking part in the warfare against the enemies threatening their lives; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, the treasures of the enemy, their most precious possessions, gold and silver and apparel, in great abundance.
— other translations say, even Judah shall fight against Jerusalem; this could only be possible if (a) there is a civil war; or (b) Jerusalem is composed of descending heavenly saints, of whom the Jews of Judea couldn’t even recognize the returning Messiah with his multitudes of Revelation 19; so they fight each other.
15 And so shall be the plague on the horse, on the mule, on the camel and on the ass, and on all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
— and so shall be the plagues of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass and all the livestock and beasts that shall be in their camps, as this plague so that the defeat of the enemy would be complete in every way; that is, all the enemies of the Kingdom of God who persist in their enmity will inevitably be destroyed.
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.
— and everyone that survives of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King of kings, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, to join with the Kingdom in its worship of the one true God.
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.
— and it shall be that whoever refuses to go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain and all the other physical and spiritual blessings of the Lord being withheld from them.
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.
— and if the family of Egypt, representative of anyone who still refuses to go up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, there should have no rain, or the lack of rain would be its plague or infliction; there shall be the plague whereby the Lord will smite the nations that refuse to be received into the Kingdom and take part in its worship.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
— this shall be the punishment of Egypt all nations that refuse to come and keep the Feast of Tabernacles; in opposing his Kingdom and refusing to accept his Word, entrench themselves behind a wall of their own foolishness and shut themselves out from the highest physical and spiritual blessings, but to keep the Feast of Tabernacles;
— and not Easter, which is a form of worshipping Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven, the 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;
— nor Mithra or Mitra (the Sun-God whose birthday many drunks honor and celebrate on December 25th which they christianised as Christmas); Zeus and others; called “gods of the earth” in distinction from the God of heaven; and men shall worship these earthly gods, acknowledging their supremacy, everyone from his place today, Protestants or Catholics alike;
— those who rebel and continue to resist will be horsewhipped! Nar, those who resist would suffer judgement by the sword, by famine, by pestilence and spending years in captivity to repent there (for more see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years and A Sword from the South!).
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;
— on that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, or “upon the trappings of the horses” as the Targum renders it; and this intends either the horses slain in war, whose bells or trappings should be devoted and applied to holy uses; or the horses that carried the people up to Jerusalem to worship there, or horses in common;
— holiness unto the Lord; and the “pots” in which they cooked the sacrifices shall be like “the bowls before the altar” which held the blood of the sacrifices to be sprinkled at the altar; yea, all festivals in Leviticus 23 will be reinstated as prophesied in Ezekiel 46;
— every pot that were used to remove the ashes, they too will be like gold and of silver, like the sprinkling basins that are before the altar; either like them for number; they shall be many because of the numerous nations coming to offer sacrifices like the Jews did, like them as the Targum paraphrases it, shall be many;
— Rashi: there will be upon the bells of the horses: On the bells that are hung on the horse for beauty between its eyes (Pesachim 50a). Those, too, will be consecrated to make service vessels: sprinkling basins for the blood and pots to cook the flesh of the many sacrifices.
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.
— yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts, all the ceremonies of the Law for which the foremost is the Passover, which would still be kept as a memorial, not just by Jews but by all nations;
— and all they that sacrifice shall come and participate in the Jerusalem Temple, preparing for the sacrificial feasts demands extra utensils, hence pots would be used as bowl to collect blood for the altar and both would be deemed holy;
— and on that day there shall be no more differentiation of being Canaanite nor Jews in the house of the Lord of hosts, no godless people being permitted as members of the Kingdom of God, but are all Godly;
— the nearer the Kingdom approaches its perfection, the clearer is shown there is no cleavage between those who are in truth the servants of the Lord and those not, because all will bear the name of his people after the day of redemption; and those who were against the Lord Almighty would have collapsed long before the Last Day but during the Day of Judgement. Selah!
~~~
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.
BERLIN (Sputnik) – Before the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, many countries were not interested in the diplomatic solution of the crisis, while diplomacy is still a necessity, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
“I used everything at my disposal to prevent this situation. The fact that I couldn’t do it does not prove me wrong to try,” Merkel said in an interview with the German daily, published on Saturday.
While she was a chancellor, only France and Germany stood for the Ukraine conflict’s settlement in the Council of the European Union, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told her that the Minsk agreements were unfeasible, Merkel added.
“It was important to me – and I always tried to achieve this – that we did not limit our ideas too much,” she said.
For instance, if someone thinks that negotiations must be reopened sooner or later, they should not be silenced right away, Merkel added.
“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.
“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25
Chapter 11 contains a prophecy of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and which took place just before our Lord’s return to glory and its redemption.
Under the symbol a shepherd with two staves (a) Pleasantness, like “Josiah, the anointed” and (b) Destroyers, like “Nebuchadnezzar, my servant” both are the Lord’s staves to deal with his People.
Zechariah 11
1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. — Open thy doors, O Lebanon, the region on the northernmost border of the Holy Land that the fire may devour thy cedars;
— instead of describing the destruction of the land outright, the prophet calls upon Lebanon for judgement, its border to open its doors; its people are found wanting, for which is the consuming fire;
— Jonathan renders: O peoples, open your gates; the Targum paraphrases this judgement, “and the fire shall consume your fortresses.”
2 Howl, fir tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the mighty are despoiled; howl, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the forest of the vintage is come down.
— howl, fir-tree; the fir-tree seems to denote the lower people, the uninitiated; who are bid to howl because even their superiors, signified by the cedar, could not withstand the storm;
— for the cedar is fallen, because the mighty are spoiled; even the cedars (the highest in the state) are not spared, by which are designed the princes, nobles and magistrates of the land: so the Targum interprets them of kings and princes;
— howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; governors of provinces and men of power and authority, for the forest of the vintage is come down; or rather “the fortified forest” could also mean the city of Jerusalem which was a fortified place and like a forest full of trees but now cut down and destroyed;
— see a parallel Scripture in Isaiah 10:16, “Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among His fat ones leanness; and under His glory He shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.”
3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled; a voice of the roaring of young lions, for the pride of Jordan is despoiled.
— there is a voice of the howling of the shepherds, their shepherds; their religious and civil rulers; shepherds are governors, magistrates, and civil officers, together with priests and prophets, who are over the people as shepherds over the flocks;
— their glory, the fine pasture on which they depended is spoiled; a voice of the roaring of young lions for the pride of Jordan, young lions; their princes, so described on account of their cruel rapacity; the thickets along the river which offered excellent opportunities for dens is spoiled;
— the description is short and bold but comprehensive enough to indicate that the Lord is speaking of another desolation of the Holy Land by which everything that was great and mighty in the country would be overthrown and the Holy Land once more become a wilderness.
4 Thus saith the Lord my God: “Feed the flock for the slaughter, — thus saith the Lord of Zechariah to their chief priests, princes, and rulers, with regard to the congregation of Israel, ‘Feed the flock for the slaughter,’
— that is, give the flock the reasons why they would soon be suffering with captivity, oppression or death at a latter time, so that mentally they are well prepared for a coming slaughter; why they have to go through suffering with captivity,
5 whose possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty; and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their own shepherds pity them not.
— whose possessors, or captors, slay them and hold themselves not guilty, the buyers and masters of the covenant people dealing with them as they pleased, without incurring blame; 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;
— and they that sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich,’ the expression fitly describing the self-satisfaction felt by the hard-hearted masters in enriching themselves at the expense of the flock; and their own shepherds pity them not.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” saith the Lord. “But lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.”
— for God will have no more pity upon the inhabitants of the land, no longer spare them after a last effort to save them; but, lo, God will deliver the men everyone into his neighbor’s hand, so that internal strife and dissension would ruin the country;
— and into the hand of his king as God’s servants, the foreign emperor or governor; and they shall smite the land, the house of Judah for 40 years and the house of Israel for 190 years (Ezekiel 4) oppressing it in various ways; and out of their hand, out of the power of such oppressors, God will not deliver them.
7 And I will feed the flock for slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
— and God will feed the flock of the slaughter, rather, “I fed the flock,” for the prophet here describes how he undertook the commission which the Lord gave him, even you, O poor of the flock, those in his charge being in a very sad condition, lacking in spiritual knowledge;
— and God took unto for himself two staves, or rods (Psalms 23:4), such as shepherds used in their work; the one I called Pleasantness (H5278 – nōʿam נֹעַם kindness, pleasantness, delightfulness, beauty, favour), or “loveliness, favor” or delight, like “Josiah, the anointed” such as the Lord intended to show His people through the work of his servants, the prophets: Isaiah, Hosea, Jeremiah, Micah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Amos, etc;
— and the other God called Destroyers, (H2254 – ḥāḇal חָבַל; to destroy, spoil, deal corruptly, offend, to pervert) like the second Personage in the Garden of Eden; or like “Nebuchadnezzar, my servant” or like wolves and foxes, allowing them to roam around as often the Lord’s people are stiffed-necked and needed a longer way (like taking an extra 40 years to reach the Promised Land);
— and harder (like spending 70 years in captivity in Babylon) to learn before they genuinely wanted to be his people and to feel the blessings over the oppression by all their enemies; and God fed the flock, performing his work as a true shepherd according to the intend of the first staff.
— Rashi: and one I called Destroyers: Rehoboam told his kingdom that his father hath chastised you with whips, but he would flog them with scorpions (I Kings 12:11). [Zechariah] calls their rulers staffs because it is customary to lead flocks with staffs.
8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me. — three shepherds also God cut off in one month; my soul loathed them; hated their treachery; these are wicked shepherds and the scribes of the nation being probably meant;
— who were removed from power in a very short time; for God loathed them, since he, the type of the one Good Shepherd and Ruler of his Kingdom, became impatient with their perverse impenitence, and their soul also abhorred God, the sheep foolishly refusing to follow the kind leadership of their shepherd;
— Zechariah 11:8 is one of the most intriguing verse in the Scriptures. Who are these three shepherds? Could one series of these three be Fred Coulter, Frank Nelte and John Ritenbaugh? (JR died May 28, 2023; ”Pentecost,” Sunday) All three have accused Ezra, a man of God, of forging the Scriptures, especially Deuteronomy 16. Forging God’s Word are serious charges, whose penalty is death (Revelation 22:18-19).
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.
“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book,” Revelation 22:18-19.
But on the other hand, if Ezra isn’t guilty of forging, then these three accusers are wolves in shepherd clothings that are also destroyers at the beginning of verse eight above.
9 Then said I, “I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die, and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.”
— because of the continual sins of Israel and Judah, said the Lord, ‘I will not feed you,’ declaring that he would no longer be their shepherd; that if the sheep die, let them die, he would let them rush to their own ruin since they refused to be guided by the good staff;
— and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off, to be destroyed, let it be destroyed by the power of their oppressors; and let the rest eat everyone the flesh of another, that is, in a typical civil war, such as preceded the final destruction of Jerusalem; and as now, more and more intense talks of a second civil war looming over the United States.
10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
— and God took his staff, even Beauty, one of a gentle approach, one favoured, one of Pleasantness, and cut it asunder, to indicate the withdrawal of God’s favor from His people, ‘that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.’
11 And it was broken on that day, and so the poor of the flock who waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord. — and it was broken in that day, the covenant being annulled by Israel’s disobedience;
— and so the poor of the flock, sheep that were not fed, that waited upon the Lord, the lowly among the people, but knew that it was the word of the Lord. It was from among the poor and lowly, the uninitiated, that the Lord, the righteous among them who kept his statute understood; even in those latter days, they’ll understand.
12 And I said unto them, “If ye think it be good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.” So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. — and God said unto them, to those destroyers of Israel, those not recognizing the things of peace, ‘If ye think it be good, if ye think good, give me my price;’
— give me my price; and if not, forbear, see Ezekiel 2:5, “And they, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.” So they weighed the value of a slave that had been killed, Exodus 21:32, the ordinary price of a female slave, Hosea 3:2. Cf Matthew 26:15.
13 And the Lord said unto me, “Cast it unto the potter” — a goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
— and the Lord said unto Zechariah, Cast it unto the potter, thereby rejecting the insult which they offered. A goodly price that Zechariah was prized at of them! this being said in impressive irony;
— and Zechariah took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. This statement has no meaning in this connection, but it receives a meaning through its fulfillment, for the thirty pieces of silver which the rulers of the Jews weighed to Judas for his betrayal of the Lord were by him cast into the Temple, the money later being used for the purchase of a potter’s field. Cf Matthew 27:1-10 and Jeremiah 32:6-15.
14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. — then God cut asunder his other staff, even Bands, the Destroyer, that God might break the gentle approach he used to shepherd the children of Israel,
— so that, by the punishment of God, which, in the latter days of the people, contributed much toward the numerous tribulations of each nation. Sin is a reproach to any people, but the height of folly is the denial and rejection of God, the staff called Beauty, then later the Bands, the one Shepherd using both a pationate Shepherd as well as a Destroyer that come with the Lord’s judgement for destruction and corrections.
15 And the Lord said unto me, “Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. — and the Lord said unto Zechariah, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd, of a wicked Destroyer, who bears the insignia of a true shepherd, wolves in sheep skin, but cares nothing for the sheep;
— the punishment of rejecting the Good Shepherd was to be not only the loss of him, but the substitution of an evil shepherd in his place; but who is he? a man like the Pope, or an anti-Christ?
16 For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who shall not visit those that are cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which standeth still; but he shall eat the flesh of the fat and tear their claws in pieces.
— for, lo, God will raise up a shepherd in the land, in the singular number, one pretending to function like that of a true shepherd, which shall not visit those that be cut off, paying no attention to those who perish;
— neither shall seek the young one, those that have gone astray, nor heal that that is broken, suffering with broken limbs, nor feed those that could stand still, those who are still strong, but in need of food; but he shall eat the flesh of the fat and tear their claws in pieces, in order to get even the last vestige of meat from the bones.
17 “Woe to the sham shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.”
— woe to the idol shepherd, or of no value, or the Destroyer, who calls himself the shepherd, ruler, or teacher of the people, but is in reality nothing less; those worthless shepherding that leaveth the flock, neglecting his chief duty toward its members;
— the Sword shall be upon the arm of the wicked shepherd, and upon his right eye, so that he’s blind; his arm shall be clean dried up; his secular power shall be taken away from him; and his right eye shall be utterly darkened, so he couldn’t see; his knowledge of the Scriptures, judgement in errors, and even the infallibility pretended by these shepherds will cease;
— it will hardly do to limit this prophecy to an earthly, temporal power. It seems rather that the Spirit of the Lord, looking forward in the history of Israel, outlined in a few strokes by the Destroyer, which originated in the Garden of Eden, in the midst of those who are willing to reject the Truth of God, indicating at the same time that this same power would still be promoted by the power of the same Destroyer, as it is evidenced in the “Churches” today.
Zechariah 12
1 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him:
— this is the Lord’s oracle about Israel; it is a prophetic revelation from the Lord—who spread out from the heavens;
— and layeth the foundation of the earth, which if it were not upheld by his power would wander from its orbit and fall into ruins; and formeth the spirit of man within him, controlling the thoughts and purposes of men so as to accomplish his own plans through them.
2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
— behold, God will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling, a vessel filled with the intoxicating beverage of his wrath, unto all the people round about, the neighboring nations, reeling and falling in hopeless weakness and misery;
— when the nations around shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem, literally, “and also upon Judah shall it be in the siege of Jerusalem,” the entire country and its capital being involved in the severe trial which would come from among its neighbors.
3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. All who burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
— on that day God will make Jerusalem a stone too heavy for all the nations to lift; all who try to lift it will be severely injured. All the nations in the world will gather to fight against Jerusalem; all the powers of evil being united in an effort to overthrow the city of the Lord.
4 In that day,” saith the Lord, “I will smite every horse with astonishment and his rider with madness. And I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness;
— on that day, God will smite every horse with panic and every rider with madness, all the warlike forces finding themselves at a loss to effect their evil purposes;
— and God will keep his watch upon the house of Judah with his protecting care and will smite every horse of the nations with blindness so that the hostile forces would not be able to find their way;
— the Targum paraphrases it, “and upon those of the house of Judah, I will reveal my power to do them good.”
5 and the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’
— and the leaders and princes of Judah shall say in their heart, the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall have God’s strength, a reliable source of confidence, in the Lord of hosts, our God, because the Lord has chosen this city, his Kingdom, and by virtue of this choice is bound to redeem his people.
6 “In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, and they shall devour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
— on that day will God make the leaders and princes of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, so that they would consume their enemies like a basin of fire devouring wood; the Targum renders it, “as a garment of fire among wood;”
— and like a torch of fire in a sheaf, burning up the dry straw; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left, so that none of the adversaries can hold out against them; and Judah shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem, so that the renewed people could fitly become the nucleus of the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem.
7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
— the Lord also shall save the dwellings of the country outside of the capital of Judah first, with its stone palaces, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah, the house of David being the royal family.
8 “In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
— as with a shield against their enemies on that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, by a special strengthening against the foe; and he that is feeble among them, literally, “the stumbler,” one who can hardly hold himself up, being very weak;
— on that day shall be as David, to the Jew the highest type of strength and courage; and the house of David shall be as God, like a supernatural being, as the Angel of the Lord before them, like the Son of God in his Old Testament form, whose power lived in all his believers.
9 And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. — on that day and using the second staff, God will seek to destroy all the nations who attack Jerusalem;
— even while Jerusalem was exalted to a degree of strength and glory far transcending anything in its past experience, God will destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn.
— and God will pour upon the house of David, the entire royal family, the royal priesthood of the Kingdom of God, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the members of his congregation in general, the spirit of grace and of supplications, him who works in the heart of man the certainty of the divine grace and urges him to seek forgiveness of sins by fervent prayers and fastings;
— and the house of Judah shall look upon me whom they have pierced (H1856 – dāqar דָּקַר to pierce, piercing through), as they nailed their Messiah to the cross, John 19:34; Revelation 1:7, or by piercing His side with a spear; and they shall mourn for him as one mourn for his only son, acknowledging their transgression in killing the Prince of Life, Acts 3:15, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn, almost the greatest grief and sorrow known to the Jews;
— Rashi: as one mourns over an only son: As a man mourns over his only son. And our Sages expounded this in tractate Sukkah (52a) as referring to the Messiah, son of Joseph, who was slain;
— Rashi rightly quoted the Targum Sukkah (52a) about the Messiah to come from one Yeshua, a son of Joseph, of the house of David, yet they are blindsided to him as the Son of God and as the fulfilment of the Messiah’s first coming; (reference to this “piercing” disappeared in the Masoretic Text, an example of the lying pen of the scribes: Jeremiah 8:8; or perhaps the lying tongues of their Sages).
11 “In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo.
— on that day, when the greatness of their crime in putting their own Messiah to death, would be brought home to some of the people, shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem as is ever the case when men realize that their sins were the cause of Christ’s death;
— as the mourning of Hadadrimmon, when the men of Judah mourned so bitterly over the death of their King Josiah, who was mortally wounded near that place in the Plain of Esdraelon, II Chronicles 35:22 ff. in the Valley of Megiddon.
12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart: the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
— and the land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of David by itself, and the wives by themselves; the family of Nathan by itself, and the wives by themselves;
13 the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; — the family of Levi by itself, and the wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and the wives by themselves;
14 all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. — all the families that remain, that is, the whole nation shall be born; every family apart and their wives separately. Nor would this sorrow of true repentance be in vain. Zechariah 13:1
— on that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to the entire nation, as representative of the Kingdom of God in the Millennium, in whose members the blood of the Messiah, shed for the sins of the world, has prepared a water which thoroughly cleanses sinners from their uncleanness. Cf 1 John 1:7. It is the washing of regeneration and renewing of the spirits of God which is shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, or Yeshua the Messiah, Titus 3:5-6.
“Don’t pick up the phone” might not be a formal agenda during meetings for the next Brics+ conference in South Africa comes August, 2023; but surely it will be a hot topic during coffee breaks! “So that you won’t be shouted down!”
But Australia has been an ally since the end of WWII, with the establishment of ANZUS, a 1951 security agreement between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, so Australia always pick up the phone; even if it is from a dangerous ally. For more see, here “Dangerous Allies!”
Now Australia’s AUKUS partners are red-faced after their sub files are found in a pub’s toilet: the worst deal in history
London: Australia’s partner in the $368 billion AUKUS defence deal has been left red-faced after official documents about one of its Astute-class submarines were found in the toilets of a local pub.
Files carrying details about HMS Anson were left in the Furness Railway in Cumbria, alongside a Royal Navy lanyard, and showed the inner workings of the nuclear-powered submarine and were used by submariners learning how to isolate and depressurise elements of its system.
The pub is a short distance from a BAE systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, where Australian submariners will undergo training as part of the agreement with Britain and the United States over the cutting-edge nuclear submarines.
The Royal Navy has played down part of the report carried in Britain’s The Sun newspaper, which said the files, marked “official sensitive”, were discovered on the floor of a cubicle.
Government guidance says that information marked “Sensitive” must only be shared on “genuine need to know” and could have damaging consequences if lost, stolen or published.
The Royal Navy said it would investigate the breach, but said the papers were generic resources and did not contain any classified information.
“These are generic training documents that carry no classified information,” a Royal Navy spokesman said. “However, we take all security matters extremely seriously and will investigate the circumstances of their discovery.”
HMS Anson is the fifth of the new Astute-class attack submarines to join the Royal Navy fleet. The vessels are capable of firing tomahawk missiles and described as the “largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines” ever used.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is anticipated to visit the secure facility when he travels the UK next week ahead of attending King Charles III’s coronation. In the past year, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy have visited the base, as well as South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Last month it was revealed the first Australian-built nuclear-powered submarines, fitted with vertical launch systems to fire cruise missiles, would be British-designed and incorporate US technology.
The submarines will be developed by BAE Systems at its Barrow-in-Furness shipyard before Australia expands it capability at Osborne, west of Adelaide. The SSN-AUKUS class will replace the Royal Navy’s Astute-class boats when they enter into operation.
The AUKUS pact is intended to help Australia secure nuclear-powered submarines as part of a wider push to counter China’s military might, but will also eventually result in the three nations co-operating in other areas, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cyber warfare.
Albanese has described AUKUS as the “single biggest leap” in Australia’s defence capabilities, but concerns remain about Australia’s reliance on the US and the maze of export controls that could slow the transfer of the nuclear-propulsion or other technology. But Paul Keating sas it is the worst deal in history.
“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.
“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25
China is expected to stop the war in Ukraine, so says the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, because in her mind, China is a permanent member of the UN, and thus should be a responsible member working for world peace.
But Baerbock doesn’t notice that the other two permanent members, the UK and the US, have been so irresponsible in speading depleted uranium in Ukraine.
Now, British depleted uranium is already in Ukraine. And that, Baerbock has no complaint!
How often has Baerbock been shouted down since being appointed as Foreign Minister of Germany?
British Army trains Ukrainian tank crews on Challenger 2
The UK Ministry of Defence says it has no obligation to help clean up areas contaminated by the radioactive munitions
The UK government has already started shipments of depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said, noting that the British military would not attempt to track where the weapons are used.
In response to questions from Scottish MP Kenny MacAskill, Heappey confirmed on Tuesday that DU munitions for the UK-made Challenger 2 tank had already arrived in Ukraine, though declined to comment on Kiev’s “usage rates for the rounds provided.”
“We have sent thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds,” he said, adding the weapons “are now under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)” and that the Defence Ministry “does not monitor the locations from where DU rounds are fired by the AFU in Ukraine.”
Asked whether the government has a responsibility to “help clear up depleted uranium rounds” used in Ukraine after the conflict, the minister stated it has “no obligation” to do so, instead stressing “Ukraine’s immediate needs.”
While Heappey has claimed that the health and environmental risks posed by depleted uranium are “low,” citing the “monitoring of UK military veterans” performed for a government study in 2007, more recent research suggests the munitions could carry health hazards after all. The US used DU ammunition heavily during its two wars in Iraq, with some researchers claiming the weapons could be linked to a spate of birth defects later observed in the country.
According to Doug Weir, an expert with the Conflict and Environment Observatory, when DU penetrators strike a target, “they fragment and burn, generating chemically toxic and radioactive DU particulate that poses an inhalational risk to people.” Both the US and UK governments have long disputed the alleged dangers, however.
In March, British and American advisers oversaw special training for Ukrainian troops for how to handle DU rounds, which will primarily be used for the Challenger 2 tank. London previously vowed to send a total of 14 of the tanks to Ukraine, though it is unclear whether any have reached the battlefield.
Moscow has repeatedly urged against foreign arms shipments to Kiev, especially the British DU munitions, with the Foreign Ministry condemning London for “absolute recklessness, irresponsibility and impunity.” Last month, the Russian military also warned that the use of uranium shells is likely to “cause irreparable harm” to the health of Ukrainians and inflict “tremendous economic damage to the agro-industrial complex” in the region, citing the weapon’s impact in Iraq.
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel” Hosea 6:10
“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 8:9-10
“The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness” Deuteronomy 28:28-29
Prayers have layers of sophistication. For a point of reference, we’ll start with Daniel’s Prayer, as his prayer should be the cornerstone of the Study of Prayer.
Daniel’s Prayer
Daniel’s Prayer is an example for us to study and emulate, especially for forgiveness against the Law of Moses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28); Daniel’s prayer was not merely praying for his comfort and protection in the darkness. His concern was to pray for God’s people, the acknowledgment of their sins and asking for forgiveness and mercies.
Making no excuses, Daniel confessed his people’s sin and acknowledged the justice of God’s judgement, severe though it had been. “We have sinned, we have done wickedly” Israel suffers because of her own sins; Period! In response from God, Daniel was greatly praised by the angel Gabriel, who was sent with further revelation or prophecy and said to Daniel, “I have come to show thee, for thou art greatly loved.”
Daniel is greatly loved, his example of a Prayer should be emulated and studied today. For example:
(1) Daniel does not say “they” but instead he says “we” incorporating the reality that all have sinned and all need forgiveness;
(2) instead of justifying like King Saul did, Daniel freely knowledges his and his nation’s iniquities, wickedness and rebellion against the Most High;
(3) nowhere in Daniel’s prayer did he put the blame on the wicked Chaldeans nor on Nebuchadnezzar, but squarely on themselves; and
(4) asks, “Open Thine ear and hear,” asks “O Lord, forgive! O Lord,” for forgiveness and for His great mercies on behalf of his people.
Daniel’s Prayer would be highly rated Prayer; it should be at least a 401 Prayer in University Rating Standard. For details, click Daniel’s Prayer here.
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, came to understand by books the number of the years, according to the word of the Lord as it came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would spend seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
— seventy years of captivity in Babylon, for the house of Judah had forgotten God’s warning: “And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste,” Leviticus 26:33.
3 And I (Daniel) set my face unto the Lord God, seeking by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.
4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession and said, “O Lord, the great and fearsome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him and to them that keep His commandments,
5 we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgements.
— instead of justifying like King Saul did, Daniel freely knowledges his nation’s iniquities, wickedness and rebellion against the Most High, departing from His precepts and from His judgements.
6 Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, who spoke in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day: to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel who are near and who are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him;
10 neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.
11 “Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.
— for not obeying God’s voice and transgressing upon His laws, Daniel freely admits “the curse is poured upon us” and Daniel offers no stupid excuses, unlike his latter-days pretenders and other stout-hearted;
— three times Nebuchadnezzar was described as “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant,” (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, 43:10); a savaging Nebuchadnezzar was just an instrument being used by God to horse-whipped Israel into shape;
— Ezra also freely admitted it was their sin or their fathers’ sin, “But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon,” Ezra 5:12
— by trying to divert sins is very much like what God’s anointed King Saul did. When asked why he disobeyed God by not destroying Amalek and all that they have, his defence was “but the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen,” and as a result he lost God’s favor: he lost a sound mind, consulted a witch and his kingdom was taken away from him.
12 And He hath confirmed His words which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us. Yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Thy truth.
14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth, for we obeyed not His voice.
15 “And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought Thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast made Thee a name, as at this day — we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all Thy righteousness, I beseech Thee, let Thine anger and Thy fury be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people have become a reproach to all who are about us.
17 “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
18 O my God, incline Thine ear and hear. Open Thine eyes and behold our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we do not present our supplications before Thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of Thy great mercies.
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hearken and do! Defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God; for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.”
— nowhere in Daniel’s prayer did he put the blame on the wicked Chaldeans nor on Nebuchadnezzar, but squarely on themselves; the vicious and ravaging Chaldeans were just mere instruments used by God as three time Nebuchadnezzar was described as “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant,” (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, 43:10) to carry out His will;
— at no instance did Daniel called upon God to take revenge. Gentiles are not lilywhites, but God’s will for the Gentiles is His business alone, and He will carry out His judgement and revenge in His own space and time.
Hezekiah’s Prayer
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.” II Kings 19:15-19
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. — 185,000 soldiers dead overnight! II Kings 19:35
Some observation
Hezekiah wasn’t in captivity; he was just threatened and his trial was pretty short-lived, compared to Daniels; hence we’ll rate his as 301, one notch below Daniel’s.
9 Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
10 Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
This Prayer, which Jesus gave as an example, has the context in the previous chapter (Matthew 5); after giving his sermon to the multitude, the vast majority who asked him are people from the countryside, farmers, fishermen, not too educated as those from Jerusalem.
The Context was: “And seeing the multitudes, He went up onto a mountain; and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.
And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” Matthew 5:1-3
Thus it was a start for beginners, like students staring their university studies, who ask how to pray; hence we’ll rate it as a foundational Prayer 101.
David’s Prayer
David, being convinced of his sin when prophet Nathan approached him, poured out his soul to God in prayer for mercy and forgiveness. His Prayer is recorded in Psalm 51:
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight, that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
— because in sin did my mother conceive me, therefore I was brought forth in iniquity;
— despite being a good prayer as a whole, especially coming with “a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart,” and David being described as a friend of God, he attempts shifting his sins to his mother being born into this world;
— that is, he was saying that his sin could be traced back to his “very birth” rather than to himself. There was no record that an angel was despatched to pat on his back, “this is such a good prayer” or something similar.
6 Behold, Thou desirest truth in my inward parts; in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. 16 For Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion; build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar. Psalm 51
Observation: David has the propensity to sin, and he committed many sins more hideous than even his predecessor, King Saul; only that he acknowledges his sins (adultery, murder, etc) and asks for forgiveness.
But what if God didn’t send a prophet to reveal David’s sin? Yet somehow David seems to justify himself in his prayer, “Behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me,” sort of blaming his mother who conceive him. We’ll rate it as 201.
Solomon’s Prayer
Solomon’s Prayer is another example for us to study and emulate, especially what we should ask for if we are asking for something. When Solomon was “but a little child” his concern was already for God’s people, and he asked for wisdom to judge his people, which requires the ability of discernment.
“Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?” 1 Kings 3:9
His request was a wonderful thing: “an understanding heart to judge” that is, wisdom, instead of “long life, riches, nor the life of thine enemies,” and for this, he was rewarded those that he “hast not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.”
As Solomon was pretty sinless, yet as a child he knew how to ask for wisdom so as to serve his people in betterment of his countrymen; we would, perhaps, rate such a prayer as 301.
7 “Since the days of our fathers we have been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a constant and sure abode in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving to set up the house of our God and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Thy commandments.”
— note that both Grace and Mercy are mentioned in Ezra’s prayer: that is, they are not a NT thing, as many have falsely alleged;
11 Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; 14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
15 O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this. Ezra 9:7-15
4 “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
6 Let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes open, that Thou mayest hear the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee now day and night for the children of Israel Thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against Thee. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.
7 We have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments which Thou commanded Thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer” Nehemiah 1:4-11
Both Ezra and Nehemiah coming out of Captivity, both didn’t make excuses, both expressing great gratitude to God for their release from Captivity; are excellent examples of great prayers: they would be rated as 401.
Further, on Nehemiah prayer; in fact, an imprecation (cursing):
4 “Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity;
5 “Therefore cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders“ Nehemiah 4:4-5
MSG: Nehemiah prayed, “Oh listen to us, dear God. We’re so despised: Boomerang their ridicule on their heads; have their enemies cart them off as war trophies to a land of no return; don’t forgive their iniquity, don’t wipe away their sin—they’ve insulted the builders!”
14 “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid” Nehemiah 6:14
MSG: “O my God, don’t let Tobiah and Sanballat get by with all the mischief they’ve done. And the same goes for the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to undermine my confidence.”
Jesus’ Prayer
Jesus’ Prayer could be found in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John:
but for this purpose we’ll just study Matthew version here
The Prayer in the Garden; Matthew 26:
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:36-46
Unfortunately, Jesus’ request of “let this cup pass from me” wasn’t granted. The Father requires that he went through pains and death: the fate of humanity lies on his hand, and it was laid before the foundation of this world. Although his prayer wasn’t granted it was intense, sweats flow from his body. We’ll designate this prayer as 501.
The Son of God lead and end with a reward ending in style, “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” Revelation 22:13
And the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, summoning his people to the attack, and shall go with whirlwinds of the South, which were always the most violent of all — Q, Could this “whirlwinds of the South” be referring to a parable in Ezekiel 20:45-40 and 21:1-5?
To “all the tribes of Israel”
Zechariah 9
1 The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach and Damascus, shall be the rest thereof, when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord.
— the words of burden to “all the tribes of Israel” the sentence of a heavy judgement of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, a term which seems to apply to the entire Medo-Persian empire as the world-power opposed to the people of God;
— and Damascus shall be the rest thereof, the Syrian capital being the place on which the burden of the Lord’s wrath rests, the Targum paraphrases it, “and Damascus shall be converted;” and closeby is Antioch where the Gospel was preached, and many converted, and a church, consisting of Jews and Gentiles, was formed; and here the disciples were first called Christians, Acts 11:26;
— when the eyes of man as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be drawn toward the Lord, both the house of Israel and the house of Judah being directed to the Lord at this evidence of his anger when he goes about to establish a more equitable proportion between peoples of the nations.
2 And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyre and Sidon, though it be very wise. — and Hamath also shall border thereby, or “Hamath” the district bounding Palestine on the north, “which borders thereon,”
— this, together with Damascus, representing Syria; Tyre and Sidon, the cities of Phenicia, though it be very wise, or “because their inhabitants were wise in their own conceit,” multiplying wealth and power and trusting in them.
3 And Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
— and Tyre did build herself a stronghold, the city proper being on an island surrounded by a double sea-wall, which made it practically impregnable in those days, and heaped up silver as the dust and fine gold as the mire of the streets for the commerce of Tyre had made her immensely wealthy.
4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and He will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
— behold, the Lord will seize her through the agency of some earthly conqueror; in this case Alexander and God will smite her power in the sea as represented by her army and her navy; and she shall be devoured with fire so that everything on which her inhabitants depended was consumed and exterminated.
5 Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall see it and be very sorrowful, and Ekron for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
— Ashkelon shall see God’s judgement, they shall be “ashamed because of their iniquities” namely, the punishment descending upon them; and fear, Gaza also shall see God’s judgement and be very sorrowful, and be exceedingly troubled;
— and the king shall perish from Gaza, the ruler being removed entirely, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited, its citizens being killed or dragged into captivity.
6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
— and a bastard or mongrel, one of blemished birth shall dwell in Ashdod and God will cut off the pride of the Philistines, four of whose city-states are mentioned here as representative of the entire country.
— Rashi: And the strangers shall dwell in Ashdod: And a strange people shall dwell in Ashdod. Those are the Israelites, who were strange in it.
7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; but he that remaineth, even he shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
— and the Lord will take away his blood out of his mouth; the Targum says, “I will destroy them that eat blood” or against those, [like Esau], who breathe out threats of slaughtering his elect or persecute the people of God;
— Rashi: And I will remove his blood from his mouth: From the mouth of Esau; this is their house of Bamia [one of Edom’s principal deities, where they would sprinkle the blood of their sacrifices. . . . some interpret this to mean the bloodshed, that the [Edomites] would shed the blood of Israel.
— and his abominations from between his teeth, striking him down while he is engaged in such criminal behavior; but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God; the Targum paraphrases it, “and the proselytes that remain among them, they also shall be added to the people of our God;”
— and he shall be as a governor in Judah, like the prince of one of the tribes, the Targum says, “they [the Gentiles mentioned above, especially the Jebusites] shall be as the princes of the house of Judah” and Ekron, a Jebusite, for as the Jebusites were amalgamated with the children of Judah so these heathen nations and others, would be joined to the true people of God; the Targum says, “and Ekron shall be filled with the house of Israel, as Jerusalem.”
Remember that the Targum is another source of the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning exiles from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the verses quoted.
8 And I will encamp about Mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more, for now have I seen with Mine eyes.
— and the Lord will encamp about his house; the Targum says, “and I will cause my glorious Shekinah to dwell in the house of my sanctuary, and the strength of the arm of my power shall be as a wall of fire round about it,”
— because of the army, because of him that passed by, and because of him that returned, enemies marching to and fro, looking for an opportunity to attack; in the times of the Ptolemies and Seleucidae, the kings of Egypt and Syria during whose commotions, their passing to and fro against each other and against them, were still continuing through numerous years;
— and no oppressor shall pass through them any more, no enemy daring to disturb the Lord’s people, his holy Kingdom; for now have I seen with my eyes, he was exercising his providential control and the power of his mercy.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! He is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.
— rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion! the members of the Lord’s people; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! with a shout of gladness. Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, the Messiah himself appearing in her midst;
— he is just, possessing righteousness as the first requisite of a true ruler, and having salvation, bearing the salvation which the Lord had planned, lowly, and riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass; this passage is quoted by Matthew 21:4, and John 12:15, as having been fulfilled when the Lord entered Jerusalem on the tenth of Nisan before Passover;
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak peace unto the heathen, and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
— and the Lord will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle-bow shall be cut off; the Targum paraphrases it, “I will break the strength of those that make war, the armies of the people,” for the Lord does not build his kingdom with might of arms, but of peace;
— and he shall speak peace unto the nations, this being the gist of his Kingdom; and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea and from the river, the Euphrates, as the extreme eastern boundary of the then known world even to the ends of the earth, that is, the Kingdom of God would be established throughout the earth; it would be a universal kingdom.
11 As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. — as for thee also so the Lord addresses the entire nation of his people which afterward in the ideal sense merged into his Kingdom by the blood of thy covenant on account of the blood of the covenant, Exodus 24:8,
— by which Israel was separated from the rest of the nations and accepted into the most intimate fellowship with the Lord, for he has sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit where there is no water, delivering them from the oppression of the world-power from all the hostile forces of the earth.
12 Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee, — turn you, or “return,” to the stronghold, the fortified city in opposition to the pit which had just been mentioned;
— ye prisoners of hope, that is, who in spite of afflictions, maintain hope in God; “that hope for redemption” as the Targum paraphrases it; even today do God declare that he will render double unto thee, namely, a double measure of glory instead of the tribulations endured.
13 when I have bent Judah for Me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
— when the Lord has bent Judah as a bow in his hand, filled the bow with Ephraim, as the arrows in his hand, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, stirring them up for war,
— against thy sons, O Greece, for here was another world-power with its hostility against the people of the Lord, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man, so that the Lord’s people are able to wage the Lord’s wars.
14 And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
— and the Lord shall be seen over them, appearing above them or at their head, as he who fights from heaven on their behalf, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning, bringing instantaneous destruction to his foes;
— and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, summoning his people to the attack, and shall go with whirlwinds of the South, which were always the most violent of all;
— Q, Could this “whirlwinds of the South” be referring to a parable in Ezekiel 20:45-40 and 21:1-5?
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.’
The Scriptures above are shrouded in coded language or hidden in a parable, and so the Q is: how would such scenarios be played out?
For more about a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
15 The Lord of hosts shall defend them, and they shall devour and subdue with slingstones; and they shall drink and make a noise as through wine, and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
— the Lord of hosts shall be acting as their Shield against the weapons of the enemy; and they shall devour and subdue with sling-stones, treading down the enemy like pebbles of the brook, Cf Numbers 23:24;
— and they shall drink, consuming the blood of the enemies, and make a noise as through wine, noisy as though under the influence of wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, the vessels in which the priests caught the blood of the sacrifices, and as the corners of the altar.
16 And the Lord their God shall save them in that day, as the flock of His people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.
— and the Lord, their God, shall save them in that day as the flock of his sheep, with the deliverance of the Messiah’s redemption; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land, Zion’s sons and daughters being like jewels of a crown which sparkles over the Lord’s land as he proudly marches through the territory belonging to him.
17 For how great is their goodness, and how great is their beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.
— for how great is their goodness, and how great is their beauty! Cf Psalms 45:3. Corn shall make the young men cheerful and new wine the maids, the reference being to the blessings of God as bestowed upon his people through the Word.
Zechariah 10
1 Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. — ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, that is, the latter rain in its due time,
— there was the former spring and the latter autumn rain, of which see Hosea 6:3. making their appeal to him in all confidence as they were in need of his blessings;
— so the Lord shall make bright clouds, create lightnings and give them showers of rain, in a refreshing thunder-shower to every one grass in the field, all the crops of the field.
2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie and have told false dreams. They comfort in vain; therefore they went their way as a flock; they were troubled, because there were no shepherd.
— for the idols, to whom the children of Israel had formerly applied for help, have spoken vanity, their household oracles not being dependable, and the diviners have seen a lie, they have announced deceitful oracles;
— and have told false dreams, proclaiming their own inventions as revelations from above; they comfort in vain because their words are a hollow mockery; therefore they, the people who relied upon their words went their way as a flock, wandering astray, they were troubled because there were no shepherd, no reliable leader and guide; the Targum says, “they are scattered as sheep are scattered.”
3 “Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats; for the Lord of hosts hath visited His flock, the house of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the battle. — my anger was kindled against the shepherds, the rulers of Israel to whom he had entrusted the leadership;
— and the Lord punished the goats, visiting them with a severe punishment; they were not the Seleucidae, nor the successors of Alexander, signified by the he goat in Daniel 8:5 but rather the monks and friars, comparable to these for their filthiness and uncleanness; and because they pretend to be guides of the people, and yet use them ill and push them with their horns of power; wherefore God will punish them, and kill those children of Jezebel with death, Revelation 2:22;
— for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, this denotes that the Jews, when converted, looking after them with tender care, and hath made them as his horse in the battle, like the glorious charger on which the general leads his troops to battle.
4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together. — out of him, namely, Yehovah, came forth the corner,
— that is, “cornerstone” by which is meant a king or ruler, the corner-stone on which the entire building of the new Kingdom rests; out of him the nail; the Targum says, “out of him his Messiah” the pegs of the wall, from which the household utensils were suspended, types of the dependable men in a state;
— out of him the battle-bow, the means for carrying on the Lord’s wars; Christ makes war in righteousness; the armies of heaven follow him; out of him every oppressor together, every mighty ruler whom Judah would need in its wars against the enemies.
5 And they shall be as mighty men, who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
— and they, the Lord’s people, shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets, Cf Zechariah 9:15, in the battle; and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, always in the majority because of his help, and the riders on horses shall be confounded, cavalry being mentioned as the chief part of the enemy’s army.
6 “And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back to place them, for I have mercy upon them. And they shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am the Lord their God and will hear them.
— and the Lord will strengthen the house of Judah, and he will save the house of Joseph, the southern and the northern kingdom together being typical of the Kingdom of God;
— and the Lord will bring them again to place them; there is but one word in the original text; it is composed of two words, of שוב, “to return,” and ישב “to sit” or “dwell” quietly, constantly and at ease; and the meaning is that these people, the full house of Jacob, should be returned from the state and condition and from each of the places they are in and be settled either in their own land, letting them dwell in safety;
— for the Lord has mercy upon them, his mercy is the one reason for his kindness toward them; and they shall be as though he had not cast them off, as in the time before the captivity; for he is the Lord, their God, and will hear them, they could be sure of his gracious attention to all their needs; the Targum says, “and I will receive their prayer.”
7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
— and they of Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, the spiritual children of him who was given the right of the first-born in the house of Jacob, shall be like a mighty man, like a hero;
— and their heart shall rejoice as through wine, with a fierce exultation; yea, their children shall see it and be glad, a fact which indicates that the joy would be lasting; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord, giving all honor to Him who granted them such a glorious victory; the Targum says, “their heart shall rejoice in the word of the Lord.”
8 “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased. — the Lord will hiss for them, or “whistle for them” as a signal for them to assemble and gather them,
— for the Lord has redeemed them, both by entering into a covenant with them and by promising them the Redeemer; and they shall increase as they have increased, that is, the growth of the people of God in the Millennium would be like that of Israel when it first came to the Promised Land.
9 And I will sow them among the people, and they shall remember Me in far countries; and they shall live with their children and turn again.
— and the Lord will sow them among the people, as a token of their quick increase; and they shall remember me in in their scattered countries around the globe, wherever the children of Israel could be found;
— and they shall live with their children, enjoying the blessing of the Lord in a permanent flow of blessings, and turn again, returning to the fellowship of the Lord in His Kingdom.
10 I will bring them back also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, and a place shall not be found for them.
— the Lord will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria, the two world-powers being named as representative of two empires that have held the house of Israel in captivity as their enemies and oppressors;
— and the Lord will bring them into the land of Gilead, a land of green pastures, beside the still waters and Lebanon, a land of goodly mountain and hill of frankincense, and where cedars grew, to occupy the land on both sides of Jordan once more; and place shall not be found for them, there will not be sufficient room for them to expand, the number of the spiritual children of Israel being so great.
11 And He shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away.
— and he shall pass through the sea with affliction, rather, “of distress,” in allusion to the affliction felt by the children of Israel when they passed through the Red Sea, and shall smite the waves in the sea, keeping them under control by His powerful word;
— and all the deeps of the river shall dry up, both the Nile (see also Isaiah 19:5 and Ezekiel 30:12), and the river Euphrates: Revelation 16:12 the drying up of which signifies the destruction of both the Egyptian and the Persian empires; and the Targum paraphrases it, “all the kings of the people shall be confounded.”
— and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down; the pride of the Ottoman empire, of which the old Assyria is a part, and which has been large and powerful, that shall be destroyed; and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away so that none of the former oppressors would remain.
12 And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in His name,” saith the Lord.
— and the Lord will strengthen them in their faith in the Lord, their covenant and commitment with him, and they shall walk up and down in his name, so that they would live under his protection and in accordance with his will:
— those that are written, those that are spoken and even those that are unspoken. The entire connection brings out the characteristics of the Kingdom of God in the Millennium, whose members form a royal priesthood and find delight in walking in the ways of the Lord.
Western countries’ weapon supplies to Ukraine show no sign of abating, with Russia warning that such deliveries will only prolong the conflict.
The West knows the weapons they deliver to Ukraine are being sold on the black market, something mainstream media has tried to hush up, US investigative journalist Seymour “Sy” Hersh has told Russian media.
He said that he had not written about the topic but he “obviously heard about it.”
Hersh added that “very early, Poland, Romania, [and] other countries on the border were being flooded with weapons we’d been shipping for the war to Ukraine,” where the Russian special military operation is underway.
American hand held stinger missiles
“In other words, commanders of various […] levels – often they were generals or colonels and others – were given with shipments of some weapons [and] personally [they] re-sold or retailed them back to the black or dark market,” the Pulitzer Prize-winner stressed.
According to the journalist, the weapons included “hand missile guns” designed to down a warplane flying “at a considerable height.”
“There was a lot of concern about that and one time about six months ago, maybe more, CBS [News] wrote a story about it that they were forced to retract,” Hersh added.
He spoke after Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told reporters that Moscow has “serious concerns” that part of US military supplies to Ukraine will end up on the black market.
“Where will weapons pop up? Who will bear responsibility when the materiel falls into the hands of some terrorist groups and criminal organizations?” Antonov said, adding that such a policy jeopardizes the security of the entire Europe and increases the risk of a direct clash between Russia and NATO.
4 Stinger missiles on a Dutch Army Fennek reconnaissance vehicle
He was echoed by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu who said that part of the weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine are already spreading across the Middle East region.
Denis Pushilin, acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which became part of Russia last year, likewise told Sputnik that foreign weapons being supplied to Ukraine, including the Javelin anti-tank systems, are now being sold on the black market. He added that “this kind of weaponry is being moved in large quantities to African [South American] countries, too.”
“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.
“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25
Surprisingly, there are unspoken Will of God existing today! Like parents, God have their secret wishes for their children. So God sometimes has human characteristics.
But how do we know God’s unspoken Will if they were unspoken? To be unspoken would also mean unwritten, so what are they? Do they really exist?
The 9th of Av: destruction of First and Second Temple, God’s dwelling place on earth!
Zechariah 7
1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius that the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu,
— and it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius, in the year 518 BC that the word of the Lord, by special inspiration, came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, in Chisleu, the ninth month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year;
— the year 518 BC is two years after the foundation of the Temple was laid, Haggai 2:10 and nearly two years before it was finished, Ezra 6:15 when the work was going forward, and there was a great deal of reason to believe it would be completed;
2 when they had sent Sherezer and Regemmelech and their men unto the house of God to pray before the Lord,
— when they send righteous Jews with Chaldean names Sherezer and Regemmelech and other men to pray before the Lord, they prayed in their half completed Temple, that is, by the returning exiles of Judea, these are first ones evidently having been born in exile and still bearing their strange names, to entreat Yehovah, literally, “to conciliate by caresses,”
3 and to speak unto the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep (mourn and fast) in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done these so many years?”
— and to speak unto the priests who ministered the sanctuary as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices and who were still to be consulted in matters of religion, Malachi 2:7;
— and to the prophets, also servants of the true God in the more specific sense, saying, Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, the month Ab: II Kings 25:8, the Temple was burnt by the Chaldeans; and according to Jeremiah 3:12, it was on the tenth of this month which day was kept by the Jews as a day of fasting and humiliation in commemoration of it;
— as I have done these so many years? for this fast had become a custom since the Babylonian captivity; and now that the Jews were once more living in Palestine, this question was asked because of its importance for all the Jews, both at home and abroad.
4 Then came the word of the Lord of hosts unto me, saying,
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?
— speak unto all the people of the land and to the priests; his message concerning them all, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, the latter observation being in memory of the murder of Gedaliah, Cf Jeremiah 41;
— fifth month: 9th of Av, the destruction of the Temple, God’s dwelling place on earth; Exodus 25:8; God does want to be just the God who exists in the heavens, he is the God who wants to come down to dwell among men, in his Sanctuary; he wants to be with us but his dwelling place was destroyed;
— seventh month: 3rd of Tishri; when Gedaliah was assassinated; although Gedaliah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, this Babylon king was just an instrument in God’s hand; Jerusalem being his holy city and Judae being his holy land; allowing a Jewish Governor to rule over the land despite the majority of the people going into captivity;
— even those seventy years, during the entire captivity, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? Had it really been done in God’s honor, for the purpose of serving him: Feeling the same pain as he has? Sympathy with him for not having a home with us on earth? Or an feeling that his holy land was in ruin and under the control of the heathens? (for more on this, see the Unspoken Will of God)
6 And when ye ate and when ye drank, did not ye eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? — did not ye eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? asked the Lord;
— is it merely for your own refreshment and pleasure, and not for the glory of God; though that ought to be the principal end in eating and drinking, 1 Corinthians 10:31.
7 Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?’”
— should ye not hear the words who hath cried by the former prophets; as Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others; suggesting that it would have been much better for them to have regarded the exhortations and instructions which the Lord sent them by his earlier prophets, which would have prevented their captivity; and so would have had no occasion of fasting and mourning;
— when men inhabited the south when Jerusalem and the cities about it were full of people and enjoyed all the blessings of life in great plenty; and similarily with the plain, the land of Judea;
8 And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying, — and the word of the Lord saying; giving him orders to repeat what the former prophets had said;
9 “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, ‘Execute true judgement, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother.
— thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, rather, “Thus spoke Yehovah,” in addressing the children of Judah in former days, before the exile, saying, Execute true judgement, literally, “judge the judgement of truth,”
— execute true judgement and check that the rich and mighty won’t escape judgement: see the on-going of today’s stories of Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Giuffre, Ghislaine Maxwell, UK royal Prince Andrew with protection from Royalty; and those hovering around in Epstein’s private airplane: ex presidents Clinton and Trump; how are they going to face judgement from God?
— and show mercy and compassions every man his brother, those in poverty, the homeless, those in want of food, raiment or in whatsoever distress, whether of body or mind; so that kindness, mercy and compassion should be practiced at all times, Isaiah 58:6-7; Jeremiah 7:28;
10 And oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.’ — and oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, the orphans, the stranger nor the poor, these four classes ever being in the care of the Lord, Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 5:28;
— and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart; thoughts of evil are sinful, and forbidden by the law of God, as well as actions, which agrees with our Lord’s sense of the law,
11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
— but they refused to hearken, they were consistently rebellious, and pulled away the shoulder, like an ox who refuses to accept the yoke on his neck, and stopped their ears, Cf Isaiah 6:10, that they should not hear, like a backsliding heifer or a deaf adder.
12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.
— yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, like the hardest stone, impervious to every impression from without;
— lest they should hear the Law, the books of Moses, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit, inspired by his spirit, by the former prophets, who were the instruments of God in making known his will; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts as shown in the captivity of Judah.
13 “Therefore it has come to pass that as He cried and they would not hear, so they cried and I would not hear,” saith the Lord of hosts.
— therefore it is come to pass, the Lord by the former prophets called them to repentance and obedience: that as God cried, in the exhortations of his prophets, and they would not hear, so when they called and cried when in trouble, now it was God’s turn not to hear, saith the Lord of hosts;
14 “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned; for they laid the pleasant land desolate.”
— so I scattered them with a whirlwind, denoting the fierceness of his wrath, and the strength of his fury, among all the nations whom they knew not, strange to them in language, customs and religion;
— thus the land was desolate after them that no man passed through nor returned, all of Judea practically being a wilderness; especially after the Jews were carried captive into Babylon; for the rest, after the death of Gedaliah, fled into Egypt: for they laid the pleasant land desolate,
— the children of Judah themselves being to blame for the desolation which came upon the land, a land flowing with milk and honey; but later they received the just punishment of their sins, their land became desolate: they have but themselves to blame for their afflictions, though their pride would attempt to deny it;
— “scattered them . . . among all the nations” Judah was scattered only to Babylon, but this captivity together with Israel, is going to be like a whirlwind among all the nations “whom they knew not,” hence this is prophetic for the endtime, in our time.
“But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations”
Zechariah 8
1 Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, — the phrase, “to me” is not in the Hebrew text; but is implied there as the Masora observes; and undoubtedly it is to be understood; as it is by the Targum, “with me.”
2 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.’
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy “for Jerusalem and for Zion” as in Zechariah 1:14; I am jealous in a most vehement affection toward Jerusalem as in Zion.
Flashing Forward
3 “Thus saith the Lord: ‘I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’
— thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion or as the Targum renders it, “I will return to Zion” once more occupying the dwelling-place of his honor in the midst of his people, which he had forsaken because of the wickedness of the idolatrous nation;
— and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, where the Lord’s truth is, the truth of his eternal Word, would once more be found; where his Temple stood, the holy mountain because it is the center of the true worship of God;
— the mountain of the Lord of hosts; which will be established upon the top of the mountains, Isaiah 2:2; and where the Lord will be seen and exalted in his glory, even the Lamb, with the hundred and forty four thousand with him.
4 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand because of great age.
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, since they would not be torn away in the fullness of their strength by war and pestilence, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age, literally, “because of the multitude of his days.”
5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.’ — without any fear of any enemy, the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof;
— it is a beautiful picture representing the extremes of life dwelling in all security and happiness in the midst of the Holy City, the blessings of the Messianic Age.
6 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvelous in Mine eyes?’ saith the Lord of hosts.
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, If it be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, in the eyes of those who had returned from captivity, should it also be marvelous in the eyes of the Lord.
7 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the east country and from the west country;
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will save my people from the East country, from the rising of the sun, and from the West country, from the setting of the sun, so that Yehovah would rescue his people from all lands, as far as the sun shines;
After the Babylonian captivity, the Return was only from the East, but this includes the West, thus the Return must be prophetic for the endtime;
8 and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.’
— and I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. This is truly the glory of the Millennium when as John writes, we saw his glory, the glory as of the begotten Son and the Father.
9 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, who were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, Let your hands be strong, full of good courage for doing the work of the Lord ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, namely, Haggai and Zechariah;
— which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the Temple might be built. These prophets had begun their activity at the time when the foundation of the second Temple had already been built, hence this could be referenced the Ezekiel Temple among the returning exiles.
10 For before these days there was no hire for man nor any hire for beast, neither was there any peace for him that went out or came in because of the affliction; for I set all men, every one, against his neighbor.
— for before these days there was no hire for man nor any hire for beast, for the yield of the land at that time was so small as hardly to be called fair wages, Haggai 1:6-11;
— neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction, there was so much envy and hostility among the people themselves, and on account of jealousy stirred up by the Samaritans, that the ordinary life were continually being interfered with; for I set all men every one against his neighbor, as the account of Nehemiah shows.
11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days,’ saith the Lord of hosts. — but now, since their relationship was restored,
— the Lord will not be unto the residue of this people, to the small congregation which had returned from Babylon as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts, being ready once more to gladden them with the rich blessings of His goodness and mercy.
12 ‘For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
— for the seed shall be prosperous, or “there shall be a seed of peace” the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, all crops showing great productivity;
— and the heavens shall give their dew, affording the necessary moisture to secure growth; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things, these being evidences of His goodness.
13 And it shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.’ — note; the house of Israel included;
— and it shall come to pass that as ye were a curse among the nations, 0 house of Judah and house of Israel, Jeremiah 42:18, so will I save you and ye shall be a blessing, an example of God’s blessings of mercy. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.
14 “For thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘and I repented not,
— for thus saith the Lord of hosts, As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, Jeremiah 31:28, and he could not, in point of fact, without denying his own holiness, fail to execute his judgement,
15 so again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear ye not.
— so again have I thought in these days, now that the covenant relation was once more established with Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Fear ye not, since God is gracious for the sake of the Messiah, therefore the men of Judah have no reason to fear as long as they put their trust in him.
16 These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgement of truth and peace in your gates;
— these are the things that ye shall do, as an evidence of the new relation which obtained between them and the God of the covenant, Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor. In your gates so that all their dealings, particularly those pertaining to their courts of law, would be in agreement with God’s laws and principles,
17 and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ saith the Lord.”
— and let none of you imagine evil In your hearts against his neighbor, deliberately planning harm and love no false oath, for perjury makes the administration of justice impossible;
— for all these are things that the Lord hates. It is a most emphatic declaration, spoken with great solemnity and it holds true for all time. God hates and despises wickedness in every form and he wants those who are his children to wage continual warfare against every transgression of his Laws and Judgements.
18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying,
19 “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.’
— 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, special days of fasting and affliction which the Jews had observed during their captivity in memory of certain dark days in the history of their nation, Cf Zechariah 7:3;
— shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts, of highest happiness, but why? They are not commended fasts? Why would they burst out with joy and gladness?
(1) the fast of the fourth month: 17th of Tammuz; Jeremiah 52:6-30 the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem before its fall in 587 BC and in 70 AD (July 6, 2023)
(2) the fast of the fifth month: 9th of Av; II Kings 25:2-10 the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC; the Second Temple in 70 AD on the same dates (July 27, 2023)
(3) the fast of the seventh month: 3rd of Tishri; Jeremiah 41 when Gedaliah was assassinated in 582/1 BC (September 18, 2023)
(4) the fast of the tenth month: 10th of Teveth; II Kings 25:1 the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BC (December 22, 2023)
— those who keep those fasts above will burst out with “joy and gladness and cheerful feasts!”
— as to a hint of why these fasts are instituted, the Lord of Hosts asks,
“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 on understanding such joy and blessings, and those who love the truth and peaces, see the Unspoken Will of God
20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘It shall yet come to pass that there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities.
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to pass that there shall come people, representatives of all nations and the inhabitants of many cities, of the foremost centers of the world;
21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also.”
— and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another in mutually encouraging and admonishing one another, saying, Let us go speedily, literally, “Going let us go, with speed and earnestness,”
— all nations to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts in an invitation and exhortation to worship the one true God; I will go also, the vivid form of speech showing the alacrity with which men would respond.
22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.’
— yea, many people and strong nations, the foremost countries of the world shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem to become members of his holy congregation and to pray before the Lord, to worship Yehovah.
23 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days it shall come to pass that ten men out of all the languages of the nations shall take hold, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, that is, men of all different nations, speaking so numerous tongues, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, in great eagerness;
— saying, We will go with you, casting their lot with the people of the Lord in every way, for we have heard that God is with you. This has been fortasted during the New Testament era, when people from various nations have actually come and begged Christian missionaries to come to them and preach the Kingdom of God. The glorious conversion of all nations in the age of the Millennium is here clearly foretold, and in a most graphic manner.
“Don’t pick up the phone” might not be a formal agenda during meetings for the next Brics+ conference in South Africa comes August, 2023; but surely it will be a hot topic during coffee breaks! “So that you won’t be shouted down!”
Now, Russia Threatens To Give North Korea Advanced Weapons If Seoul Arms Ukraine
Former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has threatened that the Kremlin could give advanced weapons to North Korea if South Korea moves to send military aid to Ukraine.
This comes in response to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol floating the possibility of a drastic policy shift. He’ll travel to the United States next week for an official visit. He said in a Reuters interview published Wednesday, “If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war, it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support.”
“I believe there won’t be limitations to the extent of the support to defend and restore a country that’s been illegally invaded both under international and domestic law,” Yoon explained. “Considering our relationship with the parties engaged in the war and developments in the battlefield, we will take the most appropriate measures,” he added.
As Reuters notes, “It was the first time that Seoul suggested a willingness to provide weapons to Ukraine, more than a year after ruling out the possibility of lethal aid.”
Last year, US officials and Western media made accusations that North Korea was supplying Russia with artillery ammo and other defense items.
But if Russia actually gave advanced weapons to Pyongyang and the Kim Jong-Un regime, Washington would go ballistic, particularly at this sensitive moment of heightened tensions following repeat missile tests by the north.
But Medvedev is threatening just that, according to Russian media:
“I wonder what the residents of this nation would say when they see the newest example of Russian weapons in possession of their closest neighbors, our partners from the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]?” Medvedev wrote on social media.
The threat certainly ups the ante and is likely to impact Seoul’s decision-making.
Some South Korean officials have reportedly mulled the possibility of indirectly aiding Ukraine, which would involve making the weapons available to a third-party country which in turn would arm Kiev. Likely this scenario is something the Biden administration would support.
“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
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth—blood and fire and columns (pillars) of smoke” Joel 2:30
“Don’t pick up the phone” might not be a formal agenda during meetings for the next Brics+ conference in South Africa comes August, 2023; but surely it will be a hot topic during coffee breaks! “So that you won’t be shouted down!”
A Russian precision strike supposedly destroyed an underground “NATO command center” in Ukraine earlier this month, with “dozens” of Western officers and military personnel purportedly killed in the “Kinzhal” (or “Dagger) missile attack.
At least, that is the claim circulating on some social media channels, including those known for spreading pro-Kremlin talking points and Russian propaganda.
In some cases the claim was supported by a photo of the supposed strike site, showing large-scale devastation and a burned-down building.
But is there any factual basis to the claim? Newsweek Misinformation Watch pulled at the threads—and found that most of the elements and sources contained in the claim do not stand up to scrutiny.
Several Twitter and Telegram posts, totaling hundreds of thousands of views in late March 2023, purported that a NATO HQ in Ukraine was destroyed, with “up to 300 people” killed in the strike.
“A terrifying strike of the Russian supersonic missile ‘Dagger’ at a depth of 130 meters on the NATO command center in Ukraine!”: Greek Pronews writes about the huge losses among NATO officers as a result of the missile attack,” one post read.
“40 corpses, dozens more bodies remain under the rubble – details of the Russian “retaliation strike” on the NATO command center have appeared,” wrote the account named “Russian Victory is Inevitable.”
“Greek media: dozens of NATO officers are buried in a secret bunker destroyed by “Daggers” in Ukraine. According to the Greek portal Pronews, received by the editors from “American sources,” another post said.
MiG-31 supersonic interceptor jet with Kinzhal (Dagger) missile at Mach 12
Most of the posts on Twitter and Telegram appeared to base the claim on one of two sources: An obscure Greek news website ProNews and an outlet called “The Intel Drop.” The trustworthiness of both sources is highly questionable, however.
TheIntelDrop describes itself as “an unaligned news source for the intelligence and financial community,” but the awkward wording, basic grammar mistakes (“oversite”) and strange terminology, such as “black propaganda,” raise suspicions, indicating that it likely was not written by a native English speaker.
Is Ukraine’s army now the best in the world? Major countries compared
There is also no information about the news outlet’s background or ownership. All of the website affiliation data has been “redacted for privacy,” according to domain checker WhoIS.
It lists an American conspiracy theorist Gordon Duff among its board members; Duff was previously the chairman of “Veterans Today,” a fringe conspiracy and anti-Semitic outlet. Duff himself said “about 30% of what’s written on Veterans Today, is patently false.”
TheIntelDrop’s report cites a number of unverified Twitter accounts and the ProNews article as its source for the claim.
ProNews did indeed publish such an article, though references to it misleadingly suggest this was a recent development, whereas the article was in fact published earlier this month, on March 12.
MiG-31 carrying a hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missile at Mach 12
Back then the article was picked up and shared by pro-Russian users, including one claiming “NATO command and control HQ in #Kiev was struck by Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, many #Pentagon top officials perish in this strike.”
However, the Greek website, which has a history of publishing sensationalist and misleading material, such as one article claiming that Florida is seceding from the United States, offers very little in the way of evidence in the original story about the supposed strike.
“Dozens of dead NATO and Ukrainian officers,” the article opens, translated from Greek. “Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile with a target impact speed of Mach 12 (twelve times the speed of sound) managed to hit the Ukrainian-NATO joint command, control and communications center installed at a depth of 130 meters!”
The author simply states: “The Russians say they have pulled 40 dead from the wreckage of the underground headquarters so far, but most will never be recovered as they were buried by the debris.”
No specific sources or outlets are mentioned anywhere in the story, which instead proceeds to quote Ukrainian officials, who make no mention of NATO casualties.
While it is unclear what “Russian” sources ProNews based its reporting on, a large-scale shelling of Ukraine did indeed take place on the night of March 9, 2023, as Newsweek reported at the time.
“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.
“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25
Zechariah Chapter 5 concerns two visions regarding the cleansing of God’s people; and the message conveyed is cryptic. The first is of a flying scroll, which signifies the curse of God; the other is the vision of an ephah, and a woman sitting in it, and a talent of lead cast upon the mouth of it, which signified wickedness. What do all these symbols mean?
Without the vowels, the consonents for these three words are the same
Second; on reading the passage with its literal meanings, the chapter doesn’t make much sense, but by stretching the meanings slightly, as the flying scroll signifies the curse of God, a warning is being conveyed; perhaps the woman signifies on fire; our modern missiles; the chapter makes more sense: that is, those missiles are loaded with an ephah: or nuclear weapons; and all about our modern warfare with the potential of nuclear bombs devastating the whole world, a coded and hidden warning of a world reaping a curse from God from its own wickedness. Such a new perspective makes more sense.
1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a flying scroll. — after a time interval, Zechariah turned and lifted up his eyes and looked: behold a flying scroll, a book-scroll or parchment of great size or consisting of many large leaves fastened together;
— a parallel scene of a book-scroll of what Ezekiel saw, in Ezekiel 2, “and in it was written lamentations and mourning and woe.”
And I saw, and behold, a hand stretched out to me, and behold, in it was a scroll of a book. And he spread it out before me, and it was inscribed before and behind, and there was written upon it lamentations and murmuring and woe. Ezekiel 2:9-10
2 And he said unto me, “What seest thou?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll. The length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits.”
— and the angel said unto Zechariah, What seest thou? And Zechariah answered, I see a flying scroll, a parchment loose or unrolled moving through the air; the length thereof is twenty cubits and the breadth thereof ten cubits, the dimensions approximately ten yards by five yards.
A flying scroll, one side for one who steals, the other side for one who swears
3 Then said he unto me, “This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth; for every one who stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it, and every one who sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.
— without waiting for a question on the part of the prophet, the angel then said unto Zechariah, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth, as written on the scroll;
— the two sins of theft and false swearing; for whosoever that steal shall be cut off as on this side according to it, and anyone who swears, especially modern politicians, White House officials that had taken a false oath to tell the truth shall be cut off as on that side according to it, that is, the sinners who refuse to repent, who persist in their wickedness, must be cut off and removed;
— the one being against the second, as two categories of curses; show that the curses of the law reaches all sorts of sins and sinners; pretty much similar to what Ezekiel saw: “of written lamentations and mourning and woe.” The message of Ezekiel is primarily a warning to the house of Israel (mentions 169 times); to Ephraim, the chief tribe.
4 ‘I will bring it forth,’ saith the Lord of hosts,‘ and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name. And it shall remain in the midst of his house and shall consume it, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.’”
— the Lord will bring it forth, namely, the curse and the judgement with it, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name, these two classes of sinners being named as representatives of all unrepentant transgressors;
— and it shall remain in the midst of his house, lodging there, dwelling there permanently, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof, not leaving a vestige of it. These words are properly expressive of the curse and of the punishment of God upon these form of deliberate transgression; which would be like a consuming fire upon anyone and everyone who steal and swear falsely;
— Rashi: I have brought it forth: to walk to and fro in the land and to wreak vengeance upon the thieves and the swearers of falsehoods from now on; and it shall come into the house of the thief, etc;
— and a saying goes: “a man that swears much shall be full of iniquity, and the plague shall not depart from his house,” and “if a man swears in vain, he shall not be innocent or justified, for his house shall be full of calamities.”
5 Then the angel who talked with me went forth and said unto me, “Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth.”
— then the angel that talked with Zechariah, and said unto Zechariah, ‘Lift up now thine eyes and see what is this that goeth forth,’ appearing before his eyes, something that Zechariah should observe very closely.
6 And I said, “What is it?” And he said, “This is an ephah that goeth forth.” He said moreover, “This is their resemblance through all the earth.”
— ‘This is an ephah that goeth forth,’ the ephah being a dry measure corresponding roughly to our peck; the object in the vision was evidently a receptacle having the shape of an ephah, and the ephah was chosen because it was often called the measure of unrighteousness and of deceits;
— the angel said, ‘This is their resemblance through all the earth,’ literally, ‘this their eye in all the land,” that is, this is the object of their gaze, all eyes are centered upon it.
7 And behold, there was lifted up a weighty piece of lead, and this is a woman who sitteth in the midst of the ephah. — first appearance of a woman, perhaps a church, one of wickedness, the Roman Church? Or a fire, the afterburner of a missile? the missile being covered by a layer of lead;
— and behold there was lifted up a talent of lead, a great round piece, weighing about a hundred pounds; and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah, the female personification of wickedness held within the ephah by the great weight;
The afterburner of a Russian Naval Hypersonic Missile
— is God trying to convey to the people of the endtime, that there would be nuclear weapons carried by missiles caused by cheatings and false swearings that result in “great wickedness”?
8 And he said, “This is wickedness.” And he cast it into the midst of the ephah, and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
— and the angel said, ‘This is wickedness,’ Israel being imbued with false doctrines, and godlessness personified. And the angel cast it into the midst of the ephah, thus preventing her escape; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof, this acting as a cover keeping her shut up within the measure.
9 Then I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings (for they had wings like the wings of a stork), and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
— fascinated by a further wonderful thing that happened, then lifted Zechariah up his eyes and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings, aiding them in their movement forward as they carried the ephah;
— two women appear; perhaps two entities: church and state? Or two missiles?
— for they had wings (missiles) like the wings of a bird; and they lifted up the ephah (with nuclear payload) between the earth and the heaven, carrying missiles or drones flying along quickly, all over the world, between the earth and the first heaven.
10 Then said I to the angel who talked with me, “Whither do these bear the ephah?” — then asked Zechariah the angel who talked with him, “Where do these bear the ephah?”
11 And he said unto me, “To build it a house in the land of Shinar; and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.” — and the angel said unto Zechariah, ‘To build an house in the land of Shinar,’ typical from olden times as the land of rebellion against the Lord;
— that is, in the province of Babylon, as the Targum paraphrases it; for Babel, or Babylon, was in the land of Shinar; Genesis 11:1-9; and it shall be established and set there upon her own base; representative of the ungodly world, a mystery of iniquity, Revelation 17:5; wickedness was to have its place; a place of wickedness;
— to-day, from a spiritual point of view, Washington DC and New York city could be considered the greatest and most perverted cities in the world, politically (one side of the scroll a warning for those who swears falsely under oath before the Bible upon taking office) and economically (the other side of the scroll meant for those who steals through Wall Street tradings: insider tradings, share manipulations and more);
— and perhaps this reference to Babylon could be meant for these end-time godless cities; that is, either one, or both, of these modern Babylonian metropolises could be destined to be blown up by a nuclear conflagration; verse 3 above indicate both cities destroyed;
— and second, the United States is so far the only country that has used two nuclear weapons against another, perhaps this verse “as you have done, it shall be done to you;” of a prophetic boomerang effect could shed some light that could flared up not just the United States but would even engulf the whole world:
“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
— and then appear the four chariots of horses in the next chapter!
Zechariah 6
Four chariots came out from between two mountains: Red, Black, White, Grey
1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of brass.
— Zechariah lifted up his eyes and looked, there came four chariots out from between two mountains in the mountainous country near Jerusalem, very likely between Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives; and the mountains were mountains of brass, firm and immovable.
2 In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot black horses, — in the first chariot, harnessed to it were red horses; and we would assigned them as signifying war and bloodshed; but the angel never elaborate further what the red horses are;
— Gill says: by these “red horses” must be designed the Babylonians and Chaldeans, so called because their soldiers were clothed in red, and their chariots were like flaming torches;
— red horses may signify bloody times, and for the endtime, a fiery execution of wrath, Revelation 6:4; and in Isaiah 63:1-4: “Who is this that cometh from Edom?”
1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments (with his garments stained crimson in other translations) from Bozrah, this that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
2 Why art thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat?
3 “I have trodden the wine press alone; and of the people there was none with Me. For I will tread them in Mine anger and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment.
4 For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come. Isaiah 63:1-4
For more about a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
— and in the second chariot black horses, the color of misfortune, of mourning, and of death;
3 and in the third chariot white horses, and in the fourth chariot grizzled and bay horses. — and in the third chariot white horses, implying Death and Hades; and in the fourth chariot grizzled and bay horses Cf Revelation 6:8;
— a black horses symbolizes famine and carries the scales; and the third white horses ride along with Death, accompanied by Hades;
— a chariot grizzled and bay horses? pestilences, like Covid-19 epidemics of coronal virus which we’re experiencing today; famines, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth;
Compare with Matthew 24:
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places.
4 Then I answered and said unto the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” — then Zechariah answered and said unto the angel, What are these?
— my lord (‘āḏôn not Yehovah יְהֹוָה) so the angel appeared as an ordinary angel to Zechariah.
5 And the angel answered and said unto me, “These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
— and the angel answered Zechariah, ‘These are the four spirits of the heavens,’ the four winds as the instruments of the Lord’s will, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. Cf Psalms 104:4; Psalms 148:8. The agency of the winds in the work of destructive judgement is mentioned also elsewhere in the Bible Cf Revelation 7:1.
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country, and the white go forth after them, and the grizzled go forth toward the south country.
— the black chariot horses (mourning, and of death) which are therein, that is, the chariot drawn by these horses, go into the North country, where the great world-powers, Assyria and Babylon; now represented bythe lost-10 tribes at the endtime, were situated;
— and the white chariot horses (Death and Hades) go forth after the North, too, victory following death and destruction; but the grizzled go toward the South country, where Idumea, Edom and Egypt were situated;
— a chariot grizzled horses? pestilences, like Covid-19 epidemics of coronal virus; famines with hunger and death?
7 And the bay went forth and sought to go, that they might walk to and fro through the earth.” And he said, “Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth.” So they walked to and fro through the earth.
— and from the South the bay spread forth and sought to go that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth, visiting all the countries of the world with terrible wars and bloodshed, with death and destruction; and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth, carrying out the Lord’s command upon the various nations.
8 Then cried he unto me, and spoke unto me, saying, “Behold, these who go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.”
— then cried the angel in great excitement to Zechariah and spoke unto him, Behold, these that go toward the North, and after executing God’s judgement on them, have quieted my Spirit in the North and was satisfied with the extent of the punishment inflicted upon them.
9 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
10 “Take from them of the captivity — even from Heldai, from Tobijah, and from Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon — and come thou the same day and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.
— take the exiles living in Babylon, who had come up to Jerusalem at that time, from Heldai, Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon, as a committee of the Jews residing at Babylon.
11 Then take silver and gold and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
— then take silver and gold, evidently of the precious metals sent by the Jews of Babylon, and make crowns, a double crown or one of several bands, and set them upon the head of Joshua, the son of Josedech, the high priest, as a type of the combined priesthood and kingdom which shall be conferred upon the Messiah;
12 and speak unto him, saying, ‘Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, “Behold the Man whose name is The Branch! And He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord.
— and speak unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is The BRANCH, and he shall grow up out of his place, Jeremiah 33:15, as a root out of a dry ground, Isaiah 53:2, and he shall build the Temple of the Lord, the real Sanctuary, the Kingdom of the New World;
— the Targum paraphrases the words, “behold the man Messiah is his name;” the Jews interprets this passage of a divine Person; who could only be the Son of God by whom no other than the Messiah could have meant;
13 Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne. And He shall be a priest upon His throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’
— even the Branch shall build the Temple of the Lord, accomplishing his great work in spite of the lowliness of his earthly origin; and he shall bear the glory, being adorned with kingly glory and honor, and shall sit and rule upon his throne as the true King of kings;
— and he shall be a Priest upon his throne, uniting in his person the offices of King and of Priest; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both, the two offices being united in one person. Psalms 110.
14 “And the crowns shall be for Helem and for Tobijah and for Jedaiah, and for Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.
— and the crowns shall be for a memorial in the Temple of the Lord so that future generations would be reminded of the example of others before them.
15 And those who are far off shall come and build the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent Me unto you. And this shall come to pass if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
— and they that are far off, like the men who had in this case brought their offerings, shall come and build the Temple of the Lord, representatives of various nations joining in the upbuilding of the Lord’s great spiritual Temple, his holy Kingdom,
— and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent him unto Zechariah, as the Messiah himself says, John 3:16. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord, your God, this being added by way of admonition lest anyone deliberately lose the blessings which are offered in and by the coming of the Messiah. Thus the establishment and growth of the Kingdom of God.
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
Only two years ago numerous alternative media sources including Zero Hedge were accused of spreading “conspiracy theories” and false information relating to the origins of the Covid-19 virus. Specifically, anyone who dared to suggest that the Level 4 virology lab in Wuhan, China (right across town from covid ground zero) might be the source of the outbreak, faced outright censorship on social media. The question many people should have been asking is: “Why?” – Why was the censorship so aggressive over clearly reasonable investigations into Wuhan lab operations?
Not only that, but why were the denials and spin from officials like Anthony Fauci so swift? Why not simply examine the evidence instead of dismissing it out of hand?
The real reason for the campaign to silence discussion on the Wuhan lab becomes evident as the connections between Fauci, the NIH and the lab are revealed. Elements of the US government including Fauci were in fact bankrolling gain of function research on coronaviruses at Wuhan, and shielding it from government oversight. It is undeniable. If one accepts that the most likely source for the covid pandemic was the Wuhan laboratory then one must also accept that Fauci and his associates helped to create the pandemic.
Fauci lied about these connections incessantly under oath. Here is Anthony Fauci defending his initial lie to Congress using further lies during questioning by Sen. Rand Paul:
Dr Anthony Fauci “Lied Under Oath”
Evidence of the research includes documents from the Department of Defense (obtained by Project Veritas) which confirm that EcoHealth Alliance approached DARPA in 2018 about gain of function research on bat borne coronaviruses under a proposal called Project Defuse. DARPA rejected the proposal on the grounds that it did not outline the risks of such experimentation and violated a moratorium on gain on function research. EcoHealth then went to Fauci and the NIH for funding, and Fauci was quick to support it using the labs in Wuhan.
Documents from the NIH itself also show that the group engaged in gain of function research at Wuhan focusing on developing coronaviruses that could be transferred from animals to humans. Fauci was aware of this research by at least 2021 (and was likely involved from the very beginning) and yet continued to lie about NIH involvement.
Meanwhile, the National Pulse– which has done multiple deep-dive investigations on the topic, uncovered in May of 2001 that the WIV scrubbed all mention of its partnership with the NIH from their website.
The former Director of National Intelligence agrees with the former CDC Director that Dr. Anthony Fauci lied to Congress under oath about funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab:
"Some of Dr. Fauci's testimony is inconsistent with some of the intelligence that we have… pic.twitter.com/raoVCBQdyR
Scrutiny over Fauci’s disinformation campaign may be too little too late, and we have to wonder if the man will ever face consequences for his actions. However, the exposure of Fauci and the NIH is so overwhelming that the former Director of National Intelligence now admits that Fauci misled Congress and the American public.
Hopefully, this revelation will help to discourage people from blindly following the claims of government bureaucrats during the next manufactured global crisis.
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel” Hosea 6:10
“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 8:9-10
“The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness” Deuteronomy 28:28-29
What If The Dollar Falls? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where no trap is for him? Shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? Amos 3:5
Helicopter Dollars Printing for the Last Seven Decades
The past few weeks, major countries have been moving away from the US dollar, raising doubts about the dollar’s long-dominant role in the world. Eight weeks ago, it was just pariah nations like Iran or Russia trying to de-dollarize. Now it’s Brazil, France, even Saudi Arabia—the lynchpin of the decades-long “petrodollar” arrangement. [adds Asean, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Laos and numerous African, the Middle East and Latin American countries]
If the dollar does lose its position as the global reserve currency, it will be catastrophic for the American economy. Catastrophic for the American people on whose backs 80 years of reserve status were built. And it will subject billions of foreigners, for whom the dollar has meant decades of being bullied, to history’s greatest bait and switch.
Dollar at Risk
In late March, Saudi Arabia announced it will price oil in Chinese yuan. Even CNN was worried, in a rare display of situational awareness, while Fox fretted about “Weimar”—hyperinflation.
The dollar has been the undisputed global reserve currency since the 1940s. Reserve currency status looks great on paper: You get to print stacks of green paper and foreigners give you cool stuff for it, like toasters, luxury cars, and copper mines [and even gold and rare earth]. The problem is who profits—who gets paid when foreigners crave the green paper?
Unfortunately, it’s not the American people; it’s whomever’s printing money: The Fed, meaning the Treasury, to whom they hand their ill-gotten profits, and—you guessed it—Wall Street. Commercial banks.
To see why, imagine foreigners didn’t want dollars. The Fed and banks could only print a little bit since printing a lot would create inflation, and voters would toss them out.
But if foreigners want a large number of dollars, the Fed and banks can print a matching amount. It’s like a river flowing into the money supply reservoir, matched up with a river flowing out to foreigners. The reservoir stays stable, and voters don’t riot.
But notice where the profits went. That river to foreigners didn’t go to we the dollar-holders—we are the reservoir; we are unchanged. The profits went right through us to the source of the river: the US Treasury and Wall Street.
So, like the rest of our crony financial system, it’s a hustle. The American people think they’re benefitting from reserve status, but the profits were sucked out and handed to the people who designed the institutional fleecing we call a financial system.
During the Weimar hyperinflation event of the early 1920s, wheelbarrows replaced wallets
Enter Weimar
Now, here’s the problem. What if foreigners suddenly don’t want dollars?
Maybe China’s paying them to sell oil in yuan, or maybe the Fed lost the plot and creates too much inflation; [what if all the BRICS plus 20 potential and hopeful members decide this August in South Africa to off-load their dollars?]
Demand dries up, the dollar starts to lose value, and foreigners start worry their life savings and corporate treasuries are melting. They sell out of the dollar. A little at first, more and more if it accelerates.
Now that river to foreigners reverses, it flows back into the reservoir. The dollar collapses. 70 years of Fed and Wall Street money printing comes rushing back like a tsunami running up a canyon. We’re talking double-digital inflation [more likely would be a triple-digits inflation], over multiple years, at a minimum.
If they screw this up, reserve currency status could turn out to be a trap, an absolute catastrophe for the American people.
What Are the Stages of De-dollarization?
So what happens if the dollar falls?
For starters, foreigners don’t need as many dollars. Meaning there are extra dollars nobody wants. This makes the price of the dollar fall—it gets weaker.
It’s usually slow at first, then picks up speed if it keeps going, a progressive rush for the exits. This is because the first ones out only lose a little bit, but the longer they waited, the more they’ll lose.
Who’s left holding the bag as the dollar becomes increasingly worthless? Easy: Americans. The only people on earth who are actually obligated to use the US dollar, thanks to an obscure law passed in 1862 as a wartime emergency that nevertheless managed to stick around for 151 years. [161 years]
So Americans have no choice: unless you swapped your dollars for gold, or Bitcoin, or goats, you go down with the ship.
What happens to those Americans? A falling dollar drives up the price of everything that comes into America. But it also drives up the price of anything traded on world markets. Meaning the raw materials and imported components that drive American factories and sustain American consumers.
The first to jump would be gasoline, heating fuel, and food prices—all of those are world markets. Along with prescription medicines since China has a creeping stranglehold thanks to our idiotic over-regulation—indeed, this is more or less true for every consumer product that China dominates: we shot ourselves in the foot, and now it’s coming back to bite us.
Next, those expensive commodities and input prices pour out through the supply chain. Yanking prices up in industry after industry—cars, construction materials like steel or concrete, clothes, furniture, TVs, computers, and medical devices.
Gone are the days of affordable luxuries—now you gotta work for them.
Inflationary banknotes: Everybody a billionaire?
The Main Event: Capital Flows
And that’s when the main event begins: capital flows.
If foreigners get nervous, they sell not only dollars, they sell assets denominated in dollars. Starting with the most liquid: stocks, bonds, and treasuries. These are easy to trade—IBM stock is easier to sell than a Taiwanese factory in Wisconsin—so they go first.
About 40% of American stocks are owned by foreigners and about one-third of corporate bonds. If foreigners start fleeing, both plunge. This could cut your 401k almost in half, and it could drive up borrowing costs for companies to impossible levels.
Leading to mass bankruptcies on top of the wave of bankruptcies the Fed’s already engineering to try and stop the inflation it started.
It doesn’t stop there: one-third of US treasuries are owned by foreigners—over $8 trillion in bonds. If foreigners start dumping those, it will either send US government debt service soaring by potentially hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Or, much more likely, it forces the Fed to step in and buy up all that foreign demand, flooding yet more trillions into the economy.
This would flip inflation overnight marching back towards double-digits; [more likely would be a triple-digits inflation; Argentina is already in a triple-digits inflation, and they don’t have all those rivers of reserve dollars flowing back].
Conclusion
There are ways to stop this. But given the Washington clown show to raise the debt ceiling yet again, paired with their obsession with sanctions that scare foreign countries off the dollar, Washington isn’t remotely close to the serious thinking it will take to right this ship.
Losing reserve currency status would savage the American economy, and it would savage the American people. No country needs reserve currency status—after all, it doesn’t benefit the people. But, like climbing a cliffside with no gear, once you go halfway, you better not let go.
For among My people are found wicked men; they lie in wait as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
How the hammer of the whole earth is cut asunder and broken! How Babylon hath become a desolation among the nations!
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.
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, Jeremiah 5:26; 50:23-25.
“Don’t pick up the phone” might not be a formal agenda during meetings for the next Brics+ conference in South Africa comes August, 2023; but surely it will be a hot topic during coffee breaks! “So that you won’t be shouted down!”
Now, failing banks, inflation, soaring interest rates and the flight from the petrodollar could become a disaster for ordinary Americans. Is this the End of American Exceptionalism?
Watching a once great nation commit suicide is not pretty.
President Joe Biden does not seem to understand that his role as elected leader of the United States is to take actions that directly or indirectly benefit the folks who voted for him as well as the other Americans who did not do so. That is how a constitutional democracy is supposed to work. Instead, Biden and the gang of introverts and neocon war criminals that the has surrounded himself with have done everything that can to inflict fatal damage on the economy through rash initiatives both overseas and at home.
A spending spree to buy support from the bizarre constituencies that make up the Democrat Party base while also fighting an undeclared war in Europe have meant that nearly two trillion dollars has been added to the national debt under Biden’s rule, a debt that was already unsustainable at nearly $30 trillion, larger than the United States’ gross national product. Plans to cancel student loan debts will add hundreds of billions of dollars more to the red ink.
And those actions undertaken overseas, to include continuing to expand the war in Ukraine against Russia, will do immeasurable more damage. Consider how the Democratic Party has long had it in for Russian Federal President Vladimir Putin, dating back to when Putin took power in 2000 and started kicking out the western scallywags who were looting his country. Subsequently, false intelligence and other innuendoes were contrived by Hillary Clinton and her team in 2016 to implicate Donald Trump as a Russian stooge who was secretly working for Putin.
When that didn’t work and Trump was elected, the Russians were accused by the media and Democrats of willy-nilly interfering in US elections more generally speaking, a much-exaggerated claim in contrast to the overwhelming silence surrounding the real electoral and policy interference, which has been coming from Israel and its fifth column inside the United States, who, not coincidentally, are the chief proponents of the war against Russia.
Placing a target on Vladimir Putin’s back appears to have an unfortunate consequence which Biden has yet to wake up to, namely the fact that the United States now has what might be described as a Ponzi scheme faux economy which is very vulnerable, particularly as much of the world has become disenchanted with the US style of global leadership.
Note for example the recent state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Beijing, where he embraced a “global strategic partnership with China” to bring about a “multipolar” world, freed of “blocs” that is not sheltering behind “Cold War mentality.” Macron also criticized the “extraterritoriality of the US dollar.”
And threats made by the Bidens against both China and Russia have accomplished little beyond drawing the two major political and military powers closer together. Beijing and Moscow entered into a trade agreement in their own currencies in 2014 and have openly taken steps to challenge US dominance of international currency exchanges, creating instead a global multipolar trading environment.
Europe aside, many nations are now eager to cut the tie that binds, which is the decades long American dominance of international financial mechanisms and also the general use of dollars to pay for oil and other energy supplies. The widespread use of petrodollars enables the buffoonish Janet Yellen at the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve banks to print unlimited unbacked fiat currency, knowing that there will always be a market for it.
Which brings us back to the Ukraine war, pursued “until we win” by Biden and his somnolent Secretary of State Antony Blinken. One of the first moves when Russia intervened in Ukraine was to block and eventually confiscate Russia’s 300 billion dollars-worth of foreign reserves in banks in the US and Europe. That sent a shock wave across currency markets all around the world.
Biden and Yellen had weaponized the US’s own national currency, which hitherto had been an untouchable step in international relations for nations that were not actually at war. Countries like China and India with large economies then realized that the US Treasury Department and the dominance of the dollar as an exchange currency had now become a weapon of war and a serious threat to the economies of all other nations.
As a consequence, the US Dollar is right now being rejected by many nations as the world’s reserve currency. Some nations all over the world have agreed to use the Chinese Yuan and Indian Rupee for any-and-all international currency transactions. Saudi Arabia continues to use the petrodollar but does not demand it.
Recently, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to permit the Saudis to sell oil to China in Yuan. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is now allowing multiple currencies to be used to purchase its oil, a major attack on the primacy of the US dollar and it also has accepted Chinese mediation to mend fences with the US and Israel’s arch enemy Iran. And the Saudis have even more recently refused a Biden Administration request that it start pumping more oil to reduce energy costs, signaling that the shift is both political and economic in nature.
Japan, a major economy, has also started purchasing oil and gas directly from Russia against the US imposed energy embargo while Brazil, another major economy, has agreed to use the Yuan in its increasing trade with China. As fewer nations utilize the US dollar, America’s ability to export and ignore its burgeoning domestic debt and inflation to other countries is being diminished.
This might have a decisive impact on the US currency as the drive to break with the petrodollar continues to grow and could produce something like a “perfect storm” impacting on the US economy. It threatens to drastically lower the standards of living of nearly all Americans within the next several years as the dollar loses value and purchasing power. As the US economy is heavily interconnected with many European economies, Europe is also likely to be a victim of the coming disaster.
The good news, of course, is that the United States will no longer be able to afford its endless wars and international interventions. Lacking its economic power, it will no longer be able to declare itself “exceptional” and the enforcer of a “rules based international order.” It would mean an ending of the funding of developments like the Ukraine proxy war and the troops will have to come home from places like Syria and Somalia. And it might even mark the ending of sending billions of dollars annually to a wealthy Israel.
Ending dollar supremacy would inevitably have an immediate impact on what passes for US foreign policy, making it more difficult for Washington to initiate and sustain Treasury Department sanctions on countries like Iran and North Korea. It could also create economic turmoil for many countries until the situation resolves itself by producing greater volatility in currency markets worldwide.
The Federal Reserve Bank will no doubt respond to the unfolding crisis by acting as it always does by raising interest rates to astronomical levels, thereby hurting most the Americans who can least afford the shock therapy.
And it did not have to turn out this way. It could have been avoided. If the US, which had no horse in the race, had left Ukraine alone Vladimir Putin would not have become a symbol of defiance against the “Rules Based International Order” and he would not have worked with China to establish multipolarity in the way the financial world operates.
Instead, we have a situation where Europe is being de-industrialized due to soaring energy prices and Washington’s destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines while the US is potentially confronting economic disaster as the dollar’s relevance to international trade sinks.
The ultimate irony is that Russia, and also the US/Israeli arch enemy Iran, are by comparison doing quite well economically as they sell their oil and gas to anyone in any currency. One has to conclude that when US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently made her secret trip to Kiev to promise the despicable Volodymyr Zelensky billions of taxpayer dollars the United States might just have been better served if she had stayed in Washington and made some minimal effort to address the mounting economic problems confronting us here at home.
“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, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the Lord. Amos 9:8
The vision of Zechariah is in the form of a judicial process: Joshua is the person accused, and is described standing before the Angel of the Lord; and by the filthy garments he had on, which were the ground of the charge against him. The accuser is Satan who stood at his right hand; and his Judge is the Angel of the Lord, before whom he was the Branch.
Also, the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven eyes of the Lord sent forth “to and fro” into all the earth; only a Divine Being could have seven eyes of the Lord “which run to and fro through the whole earth,” thus testifying that Zerubbabel is prophetically the Son of God, the Messiah.
Zechariah 3
1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. — the high priest Joshua is to be considered typically representing the condition of the priesthood in which office he was;
— and which was very low and mean, under the second Temple; which the high priest, were representatives of; and now, standing before the Angel of the Lord pictured as the Judge in a court of law, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him;
— to accuse him: to accuse him because Joshua’s sons were married to heathen women, as it is written in Ezra 10:18, “And it was found of the sons of the priests who had taken foreign wives, of the sons of Joshua the son of Jozadak …”
2 And the Lord said unto Satan, “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord who hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee! Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”
— and the Lord, (יְהֹוָה Yehovah), for he is also the Angel of the Lord, the Son, said unto Satan, The Lord (יְהֹוָה) rebuke thee, O Satan, the adversary and accuser being condemned instead of him whom he wanted to condemn,
— even the Lord (יְהֹוָה the Father) that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee; he has accepted the believers as his people and will not permit Satan with his choice.
— is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? A brand is a burnt, burning, or smoldering piece of wood. His people had been at the very brink of destruction, but the Lord had interfered before it was too late; therefore Joshua also, standing before the Lord as the representative of the sinful people, is shielded from condemnation.
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. — was wearing filthy garments: this is also explained according to the Targum: he had sons who had married women who were unfit to marry into the priesthood, and Joshua was accused because he did not interfere with his sons’ marriages.
4 And He answered and spoke unto those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And unto him He said, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
— and he, the presiding Angel of God, the Son answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, some of his ministering angels; or as the Targum paraphrases it, “and he said to them who ministered before him;”
The Targum is another source of the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to us from the verses quoted;
— saying, Take away the filthy garments from him, this signifying the removal of the people’s guilt; and unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, that is, by an act of complete forgiveness, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment, with the festival garments of a perfect righteousness.
5 And I said, “Let them set a clean miter upon his head.” So they set a clean miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
— and Zechariah said, the prophet here suddenly interposing in his eagerness to have, the work of cleansing completed, Let them set a fair miter upon his head, to give him the crowning assurance that the priesthood was restored, that the name of Yehovah was once more borne on the turban of the high priest;
— so they set a fair miter upon his head and clothed Joshua with garments; and the Angel of the Lord stood by, thus Joshua, the representative of the people, particularly of its priestly character, was restored to the full dignity of the olden days, and thereby the people were likewise restored to their position as the Lord’s people.
6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,
7 “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My ordinance, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these who stand by.
— thus saith the Lord of hosts, If thou wilt walk in my ways, as a true witness of God, and if thou wilt keep my charge, performing every part of the law with due faithfulness,
— then thou shalt also judge my house (the Father’s house), have charge of the Lord’s Temple, and shalt also keep my courts, in observing every provision of all the Law concerning worship, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by, that is, he would have open and unhindered access between the holy angels to the very throne of God; so that every believer may draw nigh to the Throne of God without hesitation;
— the Targum very agreeably paraphrases the words thus, “and in the resurrection or quickening of the dead, I will raise or quicken thee; and I will give thee feet walking among these seraphim.”
8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows who sit before thee; for they are men wondered at. For behold, I will bring forth My Servant the Branch.
— hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, his fellow-priests; for they are men wondered at, literally, “men of wonder are they,” that is, men about whom one might marvel;
— for, behold, I the Father, will bring forth my Servant, the branch, the Son, Cf Jeremiah 23:5-6; Isaiah 11:1. This Branch, of whom the priests of the Old Testament were but types, is the Servant of God in a most singular sense, who was to carry out the will of God concerning the redemption of the world. Cf Isaiah 53.
9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon one stone shall be seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the engraving thereof,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
— for behold the stone that the Father have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes, that is, omnipresent seven eyes, the number of perfection, would be directed upon him, the loving care of Yehovah being indicated, as he observes his people, the believers in him;
— behold, the Father will engrave the graving thereof, with beautiful ornamental sculpture, saith the Lord of hosts, and he will remove the iniquity of that land in one day, both the transgressions and their punishment. This great day is the day of Calvary, for it was then that God, in one day, took away the sins of the whole world; also the Church, now still clothed with a filthy garment;
— the seven eyes parallels the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars of Revelation 5:6 “And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and the four living beings, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.”
10 In that day,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.’” — in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig-tree,
— inviting him in Godly fellowship, doing Godly-work in calling others to enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of God. We thus have the entire plan of God in his seven thousand years plan outline in this one vision, a Godly message which might well be heeded by all men in our days.
Zechariah 4
1 And the angel who talked with me came again and waked me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep, — and the Angel that talked with me (identified earlier as the Son in chapter 1);
— he who intercedes between the Father and man in making known the message concerning the future, came again and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, out of his state of exhaustion. The Angel had evidently left the prophet Zechariah for a short while and now returned for the purpose of interceding further visions.
2 and said unto me, “What seest thou?” And I said, “I have looked and behold, a candlestick all of gold with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps which are upon the top thereof;
— and said unto Zechariah, What seest thou? thus calling the prophet’s attention to a new vision, whereas in the other instances Zechariah had asked for information. And Zechariah said, he have looked, he was even then observing very closely;
— and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, a round vessel, or reservoir, for oil, and his seven lamps thereon and seven pipes to the seven lamps, or seven feed-pipes to each of the seven lamps, to insure a plentiful supply of fuel, which are upon the top thereof, the candlestick in general being formed after that in the Tabernacle, Exodus 25:31-37;
3 and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.” — and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof, this being a new feature, indicating the source of the oil for the lamps.
4 So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, “What are these, my lord?” — so Zechariah answered, and spoke to the angel that talked with Zechariah, saying,
— What are these, my lord (‘āḏôn)? He, Zechariah, could not quite grasp the significance of it all, as if he thought as one who has just wakened out of his sleep, not realizing he was speaking to the Son, but just an angel;
— second, a further possibility is that the emphasis of the Son is to be shifted away from that of an interceder to that of Zerubbabel, the governor, the builder and the finisher for the building of the Temple of God; of the physical to that of the spiritual.
5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said unto me, “Knowest thou not what these be?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
— then the angel that talked with Zechariah answered and said unto him, Knowest thou not what these be? He was surprised that a man of Judah, a Zechariah of priestly descent, should not find some meaning in the vision of such a candlestick. But Zechariah said, No, my lord (‘āḏôn not Yehovah יְהֹוָה so he appeared as an ordinary angel to Zechariah).
6 Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ saith the Lord of hosts.
— then the angel answered and spake unto Zechariah, saying, This is the word of the Lord (יְהֹוָה) unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, that is, the force of armies, nor by power, namely, that of any earthly agency, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts;
— the candlestick of the Tabernacle was a type of the congregation of Israel, which was supposed to be a light shining in the darkness of the world. Its oil was a type of the holy spirits, and the high priests of the Covenant received the strength for the performance of the duties of their office from the Spirit symbolized in the light of the great candlestick;
— moreover, Zerubbabel, the governor of the people, was to be informed that the great work which he was to perform could be carried on only through the spirit of the Lord.
The Targum testifies that Zerubbabel is prophetically refering to the Messiah
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, ‘Grace, grace unto it!’” — this phase “0 great mountain” only used once in the Bible;
— who art thou, 0 great mountain? the building of the Temple being thus represented. Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain, he would easily overcome all the difficulties connected with the completion of this momentous work;
— and the angel shall bring forth the headstone thereof, the uppermost stone of its walls, the headstone in the building up of his church, fulfilled only by Christ;
— with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it! that is, May God grant grace to this stone and to the building which it represents, so that it may stand forever!
The Targum indeed paraphrases the words thus,
“and he shall reveal his Messiah [or Christ], whose name is said from eternity, and he shall rule over all kingdoms;”
— thus the Targum testifies that Zerubbabel is prophetically the Messiah (Ezra, the one who inspires the translationof the Sacred Text into the Targum, also knows about Zerubbabel being the Messiah!).
8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it. And thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
— the hands of Zerubbabel, the Messiah, have laid the foundation of this house, the elect, his hands shall also finish it, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you, whence it follows that the entire situation has a deeper significance than that of a mere earthly Temple, namely, that the Lord Yehovah, in the Word that was made flesh, was coming to complete the Temple of the kingdom of God;
— the Targum paraphrases them to this sense, “and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me to prophesy unto you;” thus the Targum testifies that Zerubbabel is one sent from God, the Father; hence Zerubbabel is the Son of God, the Messiah;
Remember, laying side by side along with the Masoretic Text, the Targum is another source of the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning from Babylon and Persia, these returnees they could only understand in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us today from the Hebrew Text quoted.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven. They are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
— for who hath despised the day of small things? It seemed indeed that the days in which Judah was then living were days of insignificant things, when the entire nation was living in deepest poverty and contempt; yet these days were the forerunners of the most momentous period in the history of the world;
— for they, the people concerned, shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, as the chief builder of the spiritual Temple, with those seven, they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth, Cf Zechariah 3:9. But if the eyes of God’s majesty rest upon this building with such evident joy and satisfaction, it surely must be a Temple of the greatest importance;
— “the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven” and these seven are “the seven eyes of the Lord” which are also the seven spirits of God, sent forth “to and fro” into all the earth; Revelations 5:6;
— only a Divine Being could have seven eyes or seven spirits of the Lord “which run to and fro through the whole earth,” thus the Targum testifies that Zerubbabel is the Son of God, the Messiah.
11 Then answered I and said unto him, “What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?”
— then answered Zechariah and said unto the angel, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? The candlestick was in the center with its arms extended on either side, and next to these arms stood the two olive-trees which were puzzling the prophet Zechariah.
12 And I answered again and said unto him, “What be these two olive branches, which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?”
— and Zechariah answered again and said unto the angel, What be these two olive-branches, literally, “ears,” because they were bunched to resemble ears of grain, which through the two golden pipes, special spouts, or funnels, placed under them, empty the golden oil out of themselves? so that the oil was fed directly from the trees into the pipes connecting with the reservoir of the candlestick.
13 And he answered me and said, “Knowest thou not what these be?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
14 Then said he, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
— then said the angel, these are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth as his servants; they are the two witnesses of Revelation 11:
3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”
4 These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the God of the earth.
— anointed by God for the performance of witnessing to the whole world for the work of perfecting the Kingdom of God;
— the meaning for our day is clear; the saints with the spirits of God are the Lord’s candlesticks, Matthew 5:14, and therefore has a great and important duty to fulfil in this world. This duty may not be performed by the power and might of mere men, but solely through the spirits of the Lord to his two specially anointed.
France, under Macron, manages to remain free, unlike Britain or even Germany, who have been shouted down by the US to become vassal states.
Now a former Mexican president has been identified in declassified papers to work for the CIA. Had Mexican presidents been shouted down by the US all over the years? Not the current one, I believe. He seems very capably of fighting back!
US guns keep flowing into Mexico and the rest of Latin America
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In Mexico, Tens Of Thousands Of Guns Come From The US
US guns, many of them exported legally, are flowing into Latin America in an “iron river” ending in the hands of drug cartels and abusive security forces, activists said on Monday, April 17th, calling for greater oversight from US law and federal agencies.
More than half of “crime guns” recovered and traced in Central America are sourced from the United States, according to the US gun control agency ATF. This level nears 70% for Mexico and is around 80% across the Caribbean.
“It’s called the iron river and it’s flooding countries to the South,” Elizabeth Burke of US non-profit Global Action on Gun Violence said at an event organized by the Center for American Progress in Washington.
Burke called for rules preventing manufacturers from selling to dealers with lax distribution practices. Manufacturers should also stop selling armor-piercing weapons and guns that can easily be modified to shoot hundreds of bullets at a time, she said.
John Lindsay-Poland, an activist from Stop US Arms to Mexico, added that lax license rules and enforcement helped facilitate the cross-border flow of arms – including military-grade weapons desired by cartels.
“Why would we be arming the very people that we say we are fighting?” he said, calling for more controls at the start of the supply chains.
Sixteen US states and a handful of Caribbean governments last month expressed support for Mexico’s appeal in a civil lawsuit against US gun manufacturers, which seeks to hold them responsible for facilitating the trafficking of deadly weapons.
US gunmakers have maintained that they sell firearms legally to Americans who pass a background check, and their lawyers have argued that holding them responsible opens the door for other lawsuits, such as the deaths of Russians killed by their weapons in Ukraine.
US stymied as guns flow to Mexican cartels
US government figures show last year that income from legal firearm shipments to Latin America increased by 8%, with most sales going to Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia.
The National Rifle Association and the State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
“We don’t want more tragedies in our families,” said Maria Herrera, who founded a national collective investigating the many forced disappearances in Mexico and where the number of gun homicides is surging.
“It destroys lives, breaks families apart, fills communities with pain and panic,” Herrera said at the event. “We can’t live like this.”
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
China is expected to stop the war in Ukraine, so says the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, because in her mind, China is a permanent member of the UN, and thus should be a responsible member working for world peace.
But Baerbock doesn’t notice that the other two permanent members, the UK and the US, have been sabotaging any peace process in Ukraine. And that, she has no complaint!
Weird! How often has Baerbock been shouted down since she was appointed as Foreign Minister of Germany?
The Ukraine government, headed by Volodymyr Zelensky, has been using American taxpayers’ funds to pay dearly for the vitally needed diesel fuel that is keeping the Ukrainian army on the move in its war with Russia.
It is unknown how much the Zelensky government is paying per gallon for the fuel, but the Pentagon was paying as much as $400 per gallon to transport gasoline from a port in Pakistan, via truck or parachute, into Afghanistan during the decades-long American war there.
What also is unknown is that Zelensky has been buying the fuel from Russia, the country with which it, and Washington, are at war, and the Ukrainian president and many in his entourage have been skimming untold millions from the American dollars earmarked for diesel fuel payments.
One estimate by analysts from the Central Intelligence Agency put the embezzled funds at $400 million last year, at least; another expert compared the level of corruption in Kiev as approaching that of the Afghan war, “although there will be no professional audit reports emerging from the Ukraine.”
“Zelensky’s been buying discount diesel from the Russians,” one knowledgeable American intelligence official told me. “And who’s paying for the gas and oil? We are. Putin and his oligarchs are making millions” on it.
Many government ministries in Kiev have been literally “competing,” I was told, to set up front companies for export contracts for weapons and ammunition with private arms dealers around the world, all of which provide kickbacks.
Many of those companies are in Poland and Czechia, but others are thought to exist in the Persian Gulf and Israel. “I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are others in places like the Cayman Islands and Panama, and there are lots of Americans involved,” an American expert on international trade told me.
The issue of corruption was directly raised with Zelensky in a meeting last January in Kiev with CIA Director William Burns. His message to the Ukrainian president, I was told by an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the meeting, was out of a 1950s mob movie.
The senior generals and government officials in Kiev were angry at what they saw as Zelensky’s greed, so Burns told the Ukrainian president, because “he was taking a larger share of the skim money than was going to the generals.”
Burns also presented Zelensky with a list of thirty-five generals and senior officials whose corruption was known to the CIA and others in the American government. Zelensky responded to the American pressure ten days later by publicly dismissing ten of the most ostentatious officials on the list and doing little else.
“The ten he got rid of were brazenly bragging about the money they had—driving around Kiev in their new Mercedes,” the intelligence official told me.
“O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away” Hosea 6:4
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10
“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
Attributed to the prophet Zechariah, the Book of Zechariah is included in the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Zechariah is specific about dating his writing (520–518 BC); after Ezekiel and Jeremiah who wrote before the fall of Jerusalem while continuing to prophesy in the early exile period.
Freedom eventually did come to many Jews when Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonians in 539 BC; and a year later, the famous Edict of Cyrus was released, and the first return took place under Sheshbazzar. After the death of Cyrus in 530 BC, Darius consolidated power and took office in 522 BC; and Zechariah’s prophetic career began during Darius’ reign where he wrote the book that bears his name.
Zechariah 1
1 In the eighth month in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, — in the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, that is, in the year 520 BC;
— in the second year of Darius I: king of Persia; not Darius, son of Ahasuerus, the Mede, who conquered the Babylonian empire in 539 BC at 62 of age; but this is Darius the son of Hystaspes:
— came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah; that is, “the word of prophecy from before the Lord” as the Targum paraphrases it; which came to him, either in a dream or in a vision;
The Targum is another source of the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us from the verses quoted.
2 “The Lord hath been sorely displeased with your fathers. — displeased with your fathers, who lived before and during the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and which was manifest by their captivity;
— all of which were occasioned by their sins, which they provoked the Lord to anger; and this is mentioned as a caution to their children that they may not follow their example and incur similar wraths and displeasure.
3 Therefore say thou unto them: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Turn ye unto Me,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will turn unto you,’ saith the Lord of hosts. — “saith the Lord of hosts” repeated three times;
— therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the almighty Sovereign of the universe, Turn ye unto Me, saith the Lord, a most impressive call to the children of the former trespassers to repent. and I will turn unto you.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings.’ But they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord.
— be ye not as your fathers, those before the exile, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings, this being the gist of many admonitions in the earlier prophets, Cf Isaiah 31:6; Jeremiah 3:12; Jeremiah 18:11; Ezekiel 18:30; Hosea 14:1; but they did not hear nor hearken unto Me, saith the Lord. Cf II Kings 17.
5 Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live for ever? — your fathers and the prophets, where are they? do they live forever? The former members of Israel and Judah had perished, as God had said;
— and if the people should say that the prophets also were dead, the Lord would remind them of the fact that His words, as spoken through these prophets are not dead, but had been abundantly fulfilled.
6 But My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? And they returned and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath He dealt with us.’”
— but my words and my statutes which I commanded my servants, the prophets, namely, that they should proclaim them, threatening of punishment in case of disobedience, did they not take hold of your fathers?
— the prophesied punishments having overtaken them like swift messengers. And they, the fathers before the exile, returned and said, in acknowledging their afflictions as the result of their wickedness, ‘Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, just as they had deserved it, so hath he dealt with us.’
7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying:
— upon the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, five months after the building of the Temple had been resumed, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, the prophet, saying,
8 I saw by night, and behold, a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.
— Zechariah saw by night in a night vision, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, the color of war and bloodshed;
— and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom, most likely by the “myrtle trees” may mean the Israelites; or by a valley in the neighborhood of Jerusalem; and behind him were red horses, speckled, or patches of bay and ohers, the color of fire and flames and burning, and white, in this connection the color of victory;
— after released from captivity, the Jews were now in a very low estate, like a grove of myrtle trees in a bottom, so a man riding upon a red horse is still on top of the Jews; but who is he?
9 Then said I, “O my lord, what are these?” And the angel that talked with me said unto me, “I will show thee what these be.”
— then Zechariah asked, O my lord (H113 ‘āḏôn), what are these? And the angel that talked with him said unto him, ‘I will show thee what these be,’ for the Lord wanted Zechariah to know the meaning of the vision in order that he might reveal it to others;
— my lord (H113 ‘āḏôn); this angel “that talked with me” a messenger for God; could he be revealed as the Son of God if verses 19 and 20 below be linked together? It should be linked together because v19 is a question and v20 is a continuation of the the angel’s answer by showing him four carpenters, who is revealed as the Lord (H3068 יְהוָה)!
10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.”
— and the man that stood among the myrtle trees, the first angel answered and said, ‘These are they whom the Lord (H3068 יְהוָה) hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth,’ to find out how matters stood everywhere.
11 And they answered the angel of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at rest.”
— and they, the host of angels answered the angel that stood among the myrtle trees (probably Michael the archangel, since he is the chief of the angels), and said, ‘We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at rest,’
— the great commotion among the nations, of which the prophet Haggai had spoken, 2:7-8, had not yet begun, that is, the time for the Messiah to appear in the flesh had not yet come, a statement which naturally had a most depressing effect upon the Jews. But the Lord has a word of comfort ready for them.
Haggai 2:7-8
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory,’ saith the Lord of hosts.
8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ saith the Lord of hosts.
12 Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, “O Lord of hosts, how long wilt Thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which Thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?”
— as the seventy years of the exile seemed extended, as though the affliction of the captivity would never end; then the angel (mal’āḵ; probably Michael) of the Lord asked the second person of the Godhead, the Son, who is One who talked with the prophet Zechariah;
— “O Lord of hosts, how long wilt Thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah?” the archangel Michael asked the Son (also call the Lord) who normally intercedes between Jerusalem/Judah and the Father; He, the Son, identified later as the Messiah, was already doing the job of a High Priest, interceding between the Father and man.
13 And the Lord answered the angel who talked with me, with good words and comforting words. — and the Lord the Father answered the Son that talked with Zechariah with good and comfortable words, words of prophecy and foresight, which was to pass immediately on to the congregation of Israel.
14 So the angel who communed with me said unto me, “Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
— so the Angel (mal’āḵ; probablythe Son) that communed with Zechariah, He who had first been given an understanding of the Father’s intentions as expressed in the vision, said unto Zechariah, “Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, ‘I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.’
15 And I am very sorely displeased with the heathen [nations] who are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.’
— and the Lord the Father was very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease, believing that they had been permanently victorious over the Jews; for the Father was but a little displeased, as his punishment went out upon his people for seventy years, and they helped forward the affliction, they rioted in the sufferings of helpless Israel and were anxious to prolong them.
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord: ‘I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house shall be built in it,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.’
— therefore, thus saith the Father, ‘I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies,’ for he had withheld them from his people for a time in order to punish them, but now he was once more ready to accept his repentant children;
— ‘my house shall be built in it,’ namely, the Temple, the Father’s house as the seat of the Lord’s merciful presence in the midst of his congregation, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem, in this case the builder’s line signifying the rebuilding of the city.
— throughout the Scriptures the Son has never lay claim that the Temple is his house; it is “My Father’s house” John 2:16.
17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts: ‘My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.’”
— cry yet, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, my cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad, overflowing with abundant growth as a stream overflows its banks; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion,’ and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
18 Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold, four horns. — then, after the first vision had fully come to an end, Zechariah lifted his eyes and saw, in a second distinct vision, four horns, the common Scriptural symbol of strength.
19 And I said unto the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
— and Zechariah said unto the Son (maybe Michael or one of the lesser angels; but the next verse indentifies him as the Son) that talked with him, What be these? And the Son answered Zechariah, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Jerusalem and Israel; the four horns are the nations that scattered the twelve tribes!
20 And the Lord (יְהוָה) showed me four carpenters. — and the Lord (H3068 יְהוָה; finally this ‘Angel’ is no ordinary angel but revealed himself as יְהוָה YHVH, the Son (he is the second Yehovah);
— the Son of God also carries the name יְהוָה Yehovah; he showed Zechariah four carpenters, rather, four craftsmen in iron, four smiths; or four craftsmen;
— the Son of God also moves around the heavens carrying messages for God the Father;
Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I (the Father) send an Angel (the Son) before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him (the Son) and obey His voice; do not provoke Him (the Son, Yeshua), for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name יְהוָה is in Him (hence Yehovah’s name, יְהוָה, is also in the Son;
Peshitta 23:21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him). 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 For My Angel (the Son) will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. Peshitta 23:21-24
— the Son of God, who later came to earth as Yeshua (or more commonly known as Jesus, is also Yehovah “for My name (that is, יְהוָה), is in Him.”
21 Then said I, “What come these to do?” And he spoke, saying, “These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man lifted up his head; but these [the four craftsmen] have come to frighten them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles who lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.”
— then said Zechariah, ‘What come these to do? What was the object in introducing them into the picture?’ And He (the Son, יְהוָה) spoke, saying, ‘These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head,’ being altogether discouraged; but these are come to fray them, to terrify the great powers of evil;
— the “four horns” = these are, first the Babylonians; second, the Greeks; third, the Romans and the fourth? Perhaps the Turks and Muslims; or perhaps the Russians and Chinese, or even the Latinos? or the number four may just point to Judah’s enemies coming from the four directions of the earth;
— the four craftsmen (perhaps these may be the Russians and Chinese, and the Spanish/Latinos?) to cast out the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah and Israel to scatter them. It has always been a nature of the Lord to use one nation; as an instruments, to punish another.
Zechariah 2
1 I lifted up mine eyes again and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. — in a state of vision, Zechariah lifted up his eyes again and behold, a man with a measuring-line in his hand, evidently a messenger or angel sent for a special purpose.
2 Then said I, “Whither goest thou?” And he said unto me, “To measure Jerusalem to see what is the breadth thereof and what is the length thereof.”
— then said Zechariah, addressing the angel, Whither goest thou? And he replied, To measure Jerusalem, the city of God, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof, to get the dimensions of the city even then in existence;
3 And behold, the angel who talked with me went forth; and another angel went out to meet him — and, behold, the angel that talked with Zechariah went forth, he was removed from the scene;
— and another angel went out to meet Zechariah, the second angel in this chapter; thus meeting him who acted as interpreter,
— this Angel that talked with Zechariah was identified in this Study as the Son in the previous chapter, but the question is, is He the same as the man with a measuring line in his hand? (verse 1 above)
4 and said unto him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle therein.
— and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, namely, Zechariah the prophet, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein. It is clearly not the old city to which the angel refers, but a wonderful revived city with an enlarged dimensions, the new Jerusalem with the Ezekiel’s Temple built within.
5 For I,’ saith the Lord, ‘will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.’”
— thus saith the Lord (יְהוָה), for I will be unto Jerusalem a wall of fire round about, so that the city of God would be secure under the sheltering wings of his power;
— and יְהוָה will be the glory in the midst of Jerusalem, so that his blessings would rest upon the Holy City and his name be praised within her. So much being established, Zechariah the prophet is given a summary of what he should proclaim to his people of the Lord.
6 “Ho! Ho! Come forth, and flee from the land of the north,” saith the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven,” saith the Lord.
— ho, ho, come forth; the Targum paraphrases it, “proclaim to the dispersed:” so the Lord יְהוָה addresses his people through his servant the prophet Zechariah to flee from the land of the North, out of “Babylon” as typical of all powers of evil banded together against his people Israel;
— for I the Lord; have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, namely, in his people Israel which extends to the most remote ends of the world;
— these are spread by the “four horns” in the previous chapter = first the Babylonians; second the Greeks; third the Romans and the fourth? Perhaps the Turks and Muslims; or perhaps the Russians and Chinese, or even the Latinos?
“For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven,” saith the Lord: two Parallel passages extracted from Ezekiel 6 and 36 worth a closer examination here:
— “the mountain of Israel” this prophecy is concerning the desolations of the United States, United Kingdom and France;
— “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys” these are 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;
— ye shall shoot forth your branches; that is, the trees that grew upon them should; the vines, and the olive trees, planted on hills and mountains; these could be their colonies: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa; American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (US); Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Virgin Islands (UK); Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Mayotte, Réunion (France).
7 “Deliver thyself, O Zion, ye that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.”
— deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon, or “Ho, Zion, save thyself!” the separation between the children of God and the children of the world being absolute, even if not local. Cf II Corinthians 6:17.
8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts: “After the glory hath He sent me unto the nations which despoiled you, for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye. — the “me “could be the Son;
— for thus saith the Lord of hosts, ‘After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you,’ the angel of the Lord (could be the Son in this instant) being sent to the nations to get back the glory which they, by their hostile treatment of his people, had taken from him;
— for he that toucheth me toucheth the apple of his eye, so dear are the believers, the members of his elect, in the eyes of the Lord. Every adversary who dares to touch the kingdom of God and its members thereby becomes guilty of a wicked act, which grieves the Lord most deeply and he will punish them.
9 For behold, I will shake Mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants. And ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.
— for thus saith the Lord of hosts: behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, swinging it back and forth over them in order to deliver a heavy blow, and they shall be a spoil to their servants, so that the latter become the lords of their former masters;
— and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me, yes the Son again, the Anointed, given great power and authority that through him the great Sovereign of the heavens could be carrying out his punishment upon the enemies of his saints. For this reason the people of the Lord are exhorted to sing praises to the Son; the returning Messiah.
10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee,” saith the Lord. — sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, or the “congregation of Zion” as the Targum paraphrases it;
— the people of Yehovah; for, lo, I come, the Messiah himself addressing those who were longing for his coming, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. This was so wonderfully fulfilled when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
11 “And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee. And thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
— and many nations, representatives of the various races and countries of the world, shall be joined to the Lord in that day, to be added to his elect;
— and shall be my people; and the Messiah will dwell in the midst of thee, in the city of God, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent the Messiah unto thee; the great God of the heavens sending his only-begotten Son for the salvation of his people.
12 And the Lord shall inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” — and the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the Holy Land, so that He would possess His people, and shall choose Jerusalem again, as the place of his dwelling and of his blessing.
13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord, for He is raised up out of His holy habitation. — be silent, O all flesh, in a spirit of awe and reverence, before the Lord;
— for he is raised up out of his holy habitation, he is preparing to rise from his throne in heaven to visit the enemies with his righteous punishment and to lead his children to glory.
The US is using Ukraine to manufacture components for biological weapons, the commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Forces told the State Duma on Tuesday. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov says the Russian military found ample evidence of this in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson.
“We have no doubt that the US, under the guise of ensuring global biosecurity, conducted dual-use research, including the creation of biological weapons components, in close proximity to Russian borders,” Kirillov told lawmakers.
He said the military has come to this conclusion after interviewing multiple eyewitnesses and going over some 2,000 pages of documentation found in Kherson Region and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The investigation also involved a parliamentary task force and federal law enforcement.
Moscow raised concerns over a network of secretive US-funded laboratories in Ukraine in the early weeks of the conflict, and has frequently made public evidence about the program ever since. The US government confirmed the existence of the labs last March, but insisted they were neither illegal nor intended for a military purpose, despite the fact that much of their funding went through the Pentagon.
According to Kirillov, the investigation has identified specific individuals involved in the military bio-research in the territory of the US and Ukraine. He also noted that the facts made public by the Russian Defense Ministry have not been disputed.
“No one, including Western countries, has had any doubts about the authenticity of the published documents,” the general said.
Moscow took the biolabs issue to the UN last October, requesting an international probe, but the motion was blocked by the US, UK, and France in the Security Council.
The program in Ukraine was previously known as ‘Joint biological research’ but has since been rebranded as ‘Biological control research’, according to documents Kirillov presented last week. The US has blamed an alleged “Russian disinformation campaign” for the increased public scrutiny of the biolabs.
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the Lord. Amos 9:8
“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
France, under Macron, manages to remain free, unlike Britain or even Germany, who have been shouted down by the US to become vassal states.
Now a former Mexican president has been identified in declassified papers to work for the CIA. Had Mexican presidents been shouted down by the US all over the years? Not the current one, I believe. He seems very capably of fighting back!
Former Mexican president Jose Lopez Portillo, who led the country from 1976 to 1982, was an asset of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), according to a new batch of declassified documents published by the US National Archives.
Among the papers, relating to a CIA probe into the murder of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, was a memo from a meeting of CIA agents on November 29, 1976.
In the discussions, US intelligence official Bill Sturbitts informed his colleagues that “Mexico will soon have a new president, a man who has had control of Liaison for a number of years.”
Lopez Portillo was not mentioned by name in the memo, but the meeting took place just a few days before he officially assumed the presidency.
He had run for office earlier that year as the sole candidate from the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled the country from 1929 to 2000. Lopez Portillo died in 2004 at the age of 83.
The meeting described in the memo was dedicated to the expected release in mid-December 1976 of papers from the CIA’s investigation into Lee Harvey Oswald – the man convicted for JFK’s murder. Oswald had visited Mexico shortly before the fatal shots were fired in Dallas, and US intelligence subsequently carried out a large-scale surveillance and phone-tapping operation in the country.
Authorities concluded that the Marine veteran shot the president from a sixth-floor window in a nearby building as the presidential motorcade was passing by. Oswald denied the accusations, telling the media that he was a “patsy.” He was shot dead two days after JFK’s assassination while in police custody. Oswald’s killer, Jack Ruby, was sentenced to death, but died of lung cancer while in prison.
Sturbitts said during the 1976 meeting that Mexico’s new leader “can be expected not to look favorably upon publicity of that relationship” with the CIA, according to the declassified paper.
Lopez Portillo has become the fourth former Mexican president named as a US intelligence asset. The other three are Luis Echeverria, who was in office between 1970 and 1976, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz (1964-1970) and Adolfo Lopez Mateos (1958-1964).
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
Bolton touts ‘grand strategy’ to counter Russia and China, especially China; he would love to take away any social welfare programs and double or even triple the defence budget to finance helping Taiwan to contain Communist China!
The notorious ‘hawk’ has floated a plan involving increased arms spending, nuclear tests, and a ‘global NATO’ to defend Taiwan
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has urged Washington to implement a new Cold War-style strategy against Russia and China. According to the long-time foreign policy hawk, the West should cut back on social programs to fund military spending, renew testing of nuclear weapons, and provide security guarantees to Taiwan.
Bolton, who served in the administration of President Donald Trump, described his “grand-strategy” approach to geopolitics in a Wall Street Journal column on Wednesday, urging candidates in the 2024 US presidential election to think in the same terms.
The US should have a “contemporary reincarnation” of NSC-68, Bolton argued, referring to the document adopted under President Harry Truman which laid the foundation for militarizing the confrontation with the USSR. He also claimed that in a new Cold War, the US and its allies would be pitted against a Chinese-Russian “axis” and “accompanying rogue-state outriders like Iran and North Korea.”
Bolton named several key points for his proposed strategy, including an immediate increase in military spending to Reagan-era levels, which he claimed should be maintained for the foreseeable future. He also asserted that Western nations should cut back on social spending, because “neither the obese welfare state nor massive income-redistribution schemes protect us from foreign adversaries.”
In addition, Bolton insisted that the US should upgrade its nuclear stockpiles, which would mean “the inevitable need to resume some underground testing.”
“Neither the obese welfare state nor massive income-redistribution schemes protect us from foreign adversaries,” Bolton
Bolton’s plan also advocated the “improvement and expansion” of American military alliances, possibly by making NATO a global organization. This would help “exclude Moscow from regional influence, along with Beijing,” the former official claimed.
The self-governed Chinese island of Taiwan should receive “much more military aid” from Western nations, which should “embed Taipei into collective-defense structures,” Bolton suggested. The recommendation comes despite the Chinese government identifying Taiwanese separatism as a major ‘red line’ which may trigger military action if crossed.
Finally, Bolton urged Washington to prepare for what happens “after Ukraine wins its war with Russia.” He claimed that such an outcome could lead to Russia’s fragmentation, and warned that China would then seize some of its territories, providing it with “direct access to the Arctic, including even the Bering Strait, facing Alaska.”
Moscow has alleged that the conflict in Ukraine is part of a US proxy war against Russia, and that Washington’s goal is to partition the country. The Russian leadership has argued that this threat leaves it with no other option but to succeed in Ukraine.
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the Lord. Amos 9:8
“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
Beijing’s terrifying new arsenal of hypersonic weapons are another bombshell revelation in a series of leaked top secret files.
Leaked documents reportedly show that China has developed a new missile which can evade US defences.
The top secret report by the Joint Chiefs of Staff intelligence directorate, compiled on February 28, shows China’s new DF-27 missile had been the subject of successful testing.
The new device is described as a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile and is part of the Dongfeng series – a group of missiles readymade to deliver nuclear warheads.
According to the leaked report, the weapon “possesses a high probability of penetrating” US ballistic missile defences.
Contents of the February 28 memo was part of an alleged breach by Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old National Guard member, who was arrested yesterday by the FBI and now faces criminal charges.
Intelligence suggests that the newly crafted missile is capable of flying at more than five times the speed of sound and is described as having a hypersonic glide vehicle.
This means it can shift in flight, making it incredibly difficult to shoot down.
The document noted the DF-27 flew for around 12 minutes, traveling 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles), The Washington Post reported.
Files claim the “the DF-27 is designed to enhance [China’s] ability to hold targets at risk beyond the Second Island Chain and possesses a high probability of penetrating US” ballistic missile defense.
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10
“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
Cash for Justice: ICC ‘Flooded’ With Western Government Funds After Issuing Putin Warrant
ICC prosecutor raised millions from NATO states by crafting an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin while freezing investigations into US and Israeli crimes
A new investigation from The Grayzone shows the top ICC prosecutor brought in millions after the legally-questionable court cooked up an arrest warrant for the Russian president, who has been charged with war crimes for having allowed children to be evacuated from a theater of combat.
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor general, Karim Khan, leveraged the news of his much-publicized ‘arrest warrant’ for Russian President Vladimir Putin to rake in millions of dollars from NATO states, a new report by independent US-based investigative outlet The Grayzone has revealed.
“Through his focus on Ukraine, Khan has presided over a massive surge in Western financial support for his office, with much of the money earmarked for his investigation into Russian officials,” wrote Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal, who pointed out that “the ICC’s issuance of Putin’s arrest warrant happened to coincide with a major donor’s conference for the court in London, England.”
That’s where, with numerous “justice ministers from the UK and UK allies on hand,” $5 million was raised during an event held by the British and Dutch governments in support of “the ICC’s mission to prosecute Russian officials,” the outlet reported.
And it’s not just critical and independent outlets taking notice.
At least one mainstream publication has linked the date with an important ICC fundraiser, implying Khan timed the publication of the warrant to coincide with a donor conference in London for the international court.
But according to the Grayzone, the ICC’s conspicuous fixation with Russia began well before last month’s warrant was issued.
A clear shift in the ICC’s priorities can be traced to the change in leadership that took place in 2021, when Khan replaced then-prosecutor general Fatou Bensouda, who had been slapped with sanctions and had her US visa revoked following her decision to investigate American war crimes in Afghanistan.
How NATO states sponsored ICC prosecutor’s Putin arrest warrant
Following Bensouda’s departure, that investigation was dropped – along with a probe into potential Israeli war crimes committed against Palestinians.
“With its two most contentious investigations out of the way, a clearly pliant figure in the prosecutor’s office, and Russian troops inside Ukraine, the previously battered ICC suddenly experienced a deluge of Western financial support,” the report states.
“Much of the money flowed directly to Khan’s office, with special earmarks for efforts targeting Russian officials,” the outler notes, pointing to comments by a Human Rights Watch official who told a French publication that “in the messaging around the various pledges that were made, states were not always that careful, and they often made the link between their contribution and Ukraine, thus creating this perception of politicization or selectivity in the court’s work.”
Khan has pledged to remain neutral in the ICC investigation, but has made little secret of his sympathies for the Kiev regime, having wrapped up his fourth visit to Ukraine in a single year last month.
While “the Ukrainian military was escalating its attacks on civilian targets throughout the independent Republicans of Donetsk and Lugansk, bombing markets and in one instance, massacring a bus load of commuters with a Tochka-U missile… [and] executing unarmed Russian prisoners of war and shooting them in the knees,” the report notes that Khan “remained studiously disinterested in the documented abuses his official hosts were carrying out right under his nose.”
Instead, “he had his eyes firmly fixed on Putin – and on the generous Western donations that propelled his mission,” the Grayzone report concluded.
“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
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. Hosea 5:14
The book of Habakkuk is a dialogue between what the Prophet Habakkuk saw and Questions he had for God and how God responded to him. That is, it is a dialogue between Habakkuk and God about the difficult scene he saw, at a latter day, and why was it the way it was.
The time seems to have been about 610 BC, when the Chaldeans attacked Jerusalem in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim, 605 BC. And Habakkuk, a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah, spoke of the Chaldeans as about to invade Judah (Habakkuk 1:6), and he seemed to have seen the people’s desperations of their attack that followed; hence he asked many questions. And although the oracle was relevant for his time, it was also prophetic; that is, it is for the endtime.
“For I will work a work in your days” (verse 1:5 below) means that the message of Habakkuk is really for us in the latter days, today. And this is reinforced in Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry.”
“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. The crtical statement is “In latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means, “you wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until you are living in the latter days after God had executed his judgement in anger and pertformed the thoughts of his heart!”
Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk made his observations and started them with a series of three Questions:
“The vision is yet for an appointed time.” Habakkuk 2:3 makes clear that this vision was not just for his time, but also for the end-time, and although it had a narrow vision for the house of Judah, its wider implication for the latter days is for the latter days house of Israel; the time shortly before the second coming of the Messiah.
1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet saw. — the prophet Habakkuk saw, did see, that is, foresee: a burden, the oracle, a grievous calamity or heavy judgment;
— not only in the sense of a message from God, but also in the sense of a heavy weight. It was heavy in its content, because Habakkuk announced the coming judgement on the house of Judah. It was also heavy in its source, because Habakkuk deals with tough questions he brings to God and God’s answer to those questions;
— “for I will work a work in your days” (verse 5 below) means that the message of Habakkuk is meant for us in the latter days, today at the endtime. And this is reinforced in Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie.”
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear? Even cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save? — Q (1): O Lord, how long shall I cry, and you will not hear? Q (2): Or cry to you, “Violence!” and you will not come to the rescue?
— Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040–1105, France): O Lord! How long: Habakkuk foresaw that Nebuchadnezzar was destined to be the ruler of the world and to cause trouble for Israel, as the matter is stated in his prophecy (1:6): “For behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, etc.”
— Habakkuk was asking a series of questions we all have today: when we ask and it seems God is not hearing; and when there is violence, it seems God is not saving! Or cry out to you, “Violence!” and you do not intervene?
3 Why dost Thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For despoiling and violence are before me, and there are those that raise up strife and contention. — Q (3): Why do you make me see wickedness, and cause me to see trouble? Plundering and violence; strife and contention everywhere.
— iniquity, plunder and violence are all before me; you look upon these mischieves, but you do not help; why He seems to see these and leave them unpunished?
4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgement doth never go forth. For the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgement proceedeth. —“Judgment” (that is, redress of evils); the law is “slacked” it means the law is powerless; it loses its force and vigour;
— so the first point is that the law is lacking in physical and moral strength! The law is applied weakly to evildoers; those who are guilty are hardly charged for their crimes. Judgement seldom has its enforcement; that there is little justice in the land;
— “the wicked compass about the righteous” means that the wicked surround the righteous, frequently in the form of rioting, to pressure the law-abiding population into accepting their criminal activities. “Therefore wrong judgement proceeds” means that justice is perverted;
— so the Targum says, “the law languishes;” loses its force and vigour.
Remember, the Targum, whose origin was in the Aramaic language, could be traced to Ezra speaking to the returning exiles who couldn’t understand Hebrew, but was expounded to them in a language they could understand.
The Lord’s Answer to Habakkuk’s first series of Questions:
5 “Behold ye among the nations and regard, and wonder marvelously; for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you. — look among the nations and watch, God said; wonder and be amazed! “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe, though it were told you.”
— “ye among the nations” the Jews during Habakkuk’s time were not among the nations (plural); hence this could only referenced the Jews, or the wider Israelites, as being of a different timeframe, they are to be amazed, or terrified, as one being yet-to-be scattered amongst the nations;
— the expression “in your days” tells us that this is a reference to the end-times when they are, again, to be scattered “among the nations” ~ the period preceding the return of the Messiah;
— this Scripture is speaking about very different type of work where people will not accept what is done as being “the work of God” something very extraordinary which the people will not believe, but only “wonder marvelously;”
— a parallel in Isaiah 29:14, “therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden” which means in the context of those in leadership positions lack wisdom and understanding today; perhaps drunk and incoherent;
— and bear in mind that only then, in the latter days, could we understand fully: “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 understand it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20;
6 For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. — God is going to send “the Chaldeans” or the Babylonians, that fierce and reckless nation; they will march throughout the earth to take possession of lands that don’t belong to them;
— to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs; the cities of Judea, and houses in them, as well as the palaces and dwelling places in Jerusalem, which they had no right unto, but what they got by the sword; or it could be interpreted another way:
— the land that the Jews dwelled in Judea and Jerusalem were actually their given land; already alloted and given during Joshua’s time; but this is talking of “dwelling places that are not theirs;” hence this could only refered to when they are in exile, in captivity.
— Q. Since this is speaking of the endtime, who would these new Chaldeans be?
7 They are terrible and dreadful; their judgement and their dignity shall proceed from themselves. — they “the Chaldeans” will be terrifying and fearsome with they assault, and cruelty with which they use their captives; they will carry out their own kind of justice and honor.
8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. And their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from afar; they shall fly as the vulture that hasten to eat. — they “the Chaldeans” fly like an eagle swooping down to devour;
— their horses will be faster than leopards and quicker than wolves in the evening; or are swifter than the eagles of the heavens. Their riders will gallop along proudly; their riders will come from far away; they will fly like a vulture that swoops down for carcases or its food; or they fly like an eagle swooping down to devour;
— taken historically, these verses can be seen as applying only to the Babylonians who took Judah into captivity; but prophecy are meant to be dual, so when we consider the context that follows, it should be clear that God is using the Babylonian captivity as a type of the yet future great tribulation on all Israel; and particularly on Ephraim, the head of Israel;
— a parallel scene in Ezekiel 20-21 (more details at the end)
9 They shall come all for violence; their faces shall consume as the east wind, and they shall gather the captives as the sand. — they, the “Chaldeans” will all come for violence; every face will be directed forward; they will gather prisoners as innumerable as the sand of the sea; remember, this prophecy is for the latter days;
10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them. They shall deride every stronghold, for they shall heap up dirt and take it. — the Babylonian soldiers laugh at kings; Jehoiakim as a tributary sovereign; then Zedekiah;
— they make fun of their rulers; they laugh at all their strong walled cities. They build dirt roads up to the top of their walls, then they capture the cities.
11 Then shall his mind change; and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.” — imputing this his power; rather, that his might becometh his god; they will move quickly and pass through like the wind. So they will be guilty, because their own strength is their god; made only of stones and wood.
Habakkuk’s Second Series of Questions
Habakkuk wonders why God would use a wicked nation to bring judgement on Judah.
12 Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, Thou hast ordained them for judgement; and, O mighty God, Thou hast established them for correction. — O Lord God, you’re from eternity, aren’t you?
Q (1) If thou art from everlasting, we are not going to die, are we? O Lord, you have appointed them, a nation more wicked than Judah, for judgement; and you, O Rock, have established them for correction.
— three times Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, described as God’s servant: Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, 43:10; and thou hast appointed the Chaldeans to execute thy judgments on sinners;
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Why lookest Thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest Thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? — the Lord with his eyes of omniscience beholds all things, good and evil, yet your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot look on wickedness.
Q (2) Why do you look on those who deal treacherously, and hold your tongue when the wicked devours the one who is more righteous than he?
14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things that have no ruler over them? — you make men like fish of the sea, that is, sufferest them to be used as the fishes of the sea, which are easily taken in the net, like crawling things that have no dignity; to be killed and devoured for food;
15 They take up all of them with the hook; they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag; therefore they rejoice and are glad. — some they take up as with the angle, one by one; others they catch in shoals, as in their net, and gather them in their drag, their enclosing net;
— the Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, they catch them in their net; they gather them in their lootings; therefore they rejoice and are laughing.
16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag, because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous. — therefore they sacrifice with their choicest booty and burn incense to their idols which they set in the heart; for by them their portion is extravagant, and their food plentiful;
— there have not indeed been lacking of savage nations, who indeed worshiped their arms; those of old worshiped spears as immortal gods; others designate their bow and arrow as the only beneficent deities whom they worship.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? — should these Chaldeans, when they have conquered one nation, and so filled their net with the spoil, carry it to Babylon, and there lay it up, and then proceed to fight against another kingdom and nation and plunder it in like manner?
Q (3) shall they continue to empty their net, and continually kill the nations while not sparing anyone? The Targum asks, “shall he send his armies continually to consume nations, and that without mercy?”
~~~
A Description of the Chaldeans, one from the East an anti-type of one similar coming from the South in the latter days:
“Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than evening wolves. Their horsemen charge on; their horsemen come from afar; they fly like the eagle that hastens to eat,” Habakkuk 1:8
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.’
The Scriptures above are shrouded in cryptic language, and so the Q is: how would such scenarios be played out?
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
1 I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. — the way Habakkuk says has a sense of arrogance, he was yet to be humbled;
— reproved: that is, how he will respond to my complaint: Habakkuk will stand at his watchtower and station himself; and he will wait and keep watch to see what God will say to him, and what he will answer when he expect himself to be reprimanded.
The Lord’s Answer to Habakkuk’s second series of Questions:
2 And the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it. — here Habakkuk is expecting some message or some instructions from God; and sure enough, God gave him specific instructions, which is: write this message down in big block letters, engraving it, for people to read it;
— it says “that he may run who reads it,” that none would need to make a stop while reading the message, but hold on his course in great haste of fleeing from those terrible times to come who take warning.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry. — for an appointed time; determined and fixed with God, though unknown to men; but where else but the present time;
— a witness for the appointed time, a testimony to the endtime; a prophecy for the latter days at the end; if it seems slow in coming; wait, it’s on its way; it will come right on time. If it delays, wait for it; it will not be delayed;
— a parallel Scripture in Jeremiah:
“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 latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means as a whole, “you wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until you’re are living in the latter days after God had executed his judgement in anger and pertformed the thoughts of his heart!”
4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. — look, his soul, the soul of the Chaldæan invader, is lifted up; or be puffed up or arrogant; it is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith; yes, not just the NT, but the OT talks of mercy (Ezekiel 39:25) and faith!
5 “Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people. — note well: wine and money deceives; the arrogant rich wouldn’t last;
— God sees the proud man and how the proud man cannot be satisfied; indeed, wine betrays the proud man, who does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite and like death he is never satisfied;
— they are like cemeteries filled with dead bones; like graveyards filled with corpses. Don’t give people like this a second thought. Woe to the Wicked, soon the whole world will be taunting them.
6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, ‘Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his (how long?) and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay’?
— shall not all these take up a taunt against him, with satire and riddles, and say, “Woe to him who increases what is not his—how long? And to him who loads himself with heavy debts!”
— to him that ladeth himself; woe to him that increaseth that which is not his, substance or goods, not his own, while he burdens himself with amassed treasures gathered by extortion and grievous, unjust gains!
7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake, that shall vex thee? And shalt thou be for booty unto them? — shall not your debtors rise up suddenly, or shall exact usury from thee? Then you will be their plunder; and those awake shall suddenly oppress you;
8 Because thou hast despoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall despoil thee, because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. — this threat applies to the Chaldaeans, as well as to Israel; because you Israel have plundered many nations, all the remnant of these nations will plunder you;
— and for the violence of the land, and of the city, and of all that dwell therein: because you did it through warfares, bloodsheds, deceits and violence; of the cities and all of the land where you live in them; it shall return like a boomarang;
— when you visit any museum of the house of modern Israel (London, Paris, New York), you’ll witness lots of plunderings of other nations over the centuries; thus one day “all the remnant of these people will plunder you.”
— and this from the Message Bible: Habakkuk 2:6-8
“‘Who do you think you are— getting rich by stealing and extortion? How long do you think you can get away with this?’ Indeed, how long before your victims wake up, stand up and make you the victim? You’ve plundered nation after nation. Now you’ll get a taste of your own medicine. All the survivors are out to plunder you, a payback for all your murders and massacres.
Here is one example of an article by Jason Hickel’s How Britain stole $45 trillion from India (from economist Utsa Patnaik – published by Columbia University Press) and thus funded the industrialisation of Britain. And during the entire 200-year history of British rule, income in India collapsed and millions died needlessly of policy-induced famine. India’s share of world’s GDP went from over 20 percent to less than 2 percent when India won her independence in 1947.
But the plundering of India wasn’t alone; after the British had conquered India, they then went to war with China (the First and Second Opium Wars: 1839–42; 1856–60), “trading opiums” for tea, porcelain and silk, promoting opium smoking as fashionable and resulting a quarter of China’s population hooked on opium. Not satisfied, they, together with the French, went to war again, burnt down Beijing’s Summer Palace after looting its arts and treasures. These plundered treasure are still hidden today by the rich and famous in their lofty homes, a few in their national museums.
Following Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492, the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 15th and 16th century with steel weapons and armor, they plundered the Aztecs and Incas of their gold and silver, as native weapons could not pierce Spanish armor nor could native armor defend against steel swords.
Later they came with rifles, firearms and cannons. In Mexico, conquistadors found great golden treasures, including great discs of gold, masks, jewelry, and even gold dust and bars. In Peru, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro demanded that the Incan Emperor Atahualpa fill up a large room once with gold and twice with silver in exchange for his freedom. The emperor complied, but the Spanish killed him anyway. All in all, Atahualpa’s ransom came to 13,000 pounds of gold and twice that much silver. This did not even count the vast treasures taken later when the Inca capital city of Cuzco was looted.
And following the Mexican-American War that ended in 1848, the United States plundered more than 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 square km) of land from Mexico, expanding US territory by about one-third. Mexico ceded nearly all the territory now included in the US states of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and western Colorado for $15 million and US assumption of its citizens’ claims against Mexico.
More recently, the Americans “assisted” American museums in acquiring vast quantities of Persian antiquities and archaeological finds; this was the looting of Persia’s mosques and shrines, the transfer of these religious artifacts first, to London, and the subsequent acquisition of some of the objects by such museums as the Metropolitan of New York.
God says He saw all these; and how these Godly Judgements will play out, we’ll have to wait and see; but there is a parallel from the Prophet Ezekiel; and this mystery is an “enemy” coming from the SOUTH:
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: 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.’
Q: Who is this enemy from the SOUTH, and how would such scenarios be played out? But God says He will kindle a fire and “all the remnant of the people shall despoil thee.”
9 “Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! — woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, that is, greedily seizing enormous wealth, not merely for himself, but for his family, to set his nest on high, an image is from an eagle (Job 39:27); the royal family or dynasty is meant.
10 Thou hast devised shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. — instead of bringing honour and glory to their nation, you have given shameful counsel to your house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting their lives.
11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. — for the stone will cry out from the wall, from wall of cruelty and oppression, and the beam of the woodwork will answer it.
— from the Message Bible: Habakkuk 2:9-11
“Who do you think you are— recklessly grabbing and looting, Living it up, acting like king of the mountain, acting above it all, above trials and troubles? You’ve engineered the ruin of your own house. In ruining others you’ve ruined yourself. You’ve undermined your foundations, rotted out your own soul. The bricks of your house will speak up and accuse you. The woodwork will step forward with evidence.
12 “Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity! — “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and sweat of the subjugated nations and establishes a city by cruelty and wickedness!”
13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? — is it not the Lord’s will that people labor to fan the flames, and the nations exhaust themselves for vanity?
14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. — for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas.
15 “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on his nakedness! — “Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink, pouring out your poison until they are drunk, that you may look on their nakedness with the utmost pleasure and delight!”
16 Thou art filled with the shame for glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered. The cup of the Lord’S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. — you will be filled with shame instead of glory; you yourself—drink and show your own uncircumcision!
— let thy foreskin be uncovered; in retaliation for uncovering the nakedness of others, now let thy own shame of sinning, like king David did with murder of Urioah after adultery with Bathsheba, be laid open before all nations of the world;
— the judgement of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you; the drunk and those who promote drunkenness loved their own cup full of drink; now a cup of shame after judgement shall be a cup of glory for them;
17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts which made them afraid, because of men’s blood and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
— since Lebanon was a mountain on the borders of the land of Israel, from whence cedar wood was brought, of which the Temple was built, so the Targum interprets it, “the violence of the house of the sanctuary shall cover thee;”
— the exploitation done to the forest of Lebanon for the house of the sanctuary, this a a type of Christ (and to a certain extent, Israel), will cover you; who because of his blood shed for all men and violence of the land, the desolation of the land of Judea and city of Jerusalem and all who live in them “shall cover thee.”
— and this from the Message Bible: Habakkuk 2:15-17
“Who do you think you are— inviting your neighbors to your drunken parties, Giving them too much to drink, roping them into your sexual orgies? You thought you were having the time of your life. Wrong! It’s a time of disgrace. All the time you were drinking, you were drinking from the cup of God’s wrath. You’ll wake up holding your throbbing head, hung over— hung over from Lebanon violence, Hung over from animal massacres, hung over from murder and mayhem, From multiple violations of place and people.
18 “What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it, the molten image and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein to make dumb idols?
— what profit is a carved image when its maker has carved it, their man-make dumb idols, a cast image, and a teacher of lies, that its maker trusts in what he has shaped when he makes graven and molten images?
19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, ‘Awake!’ To the dumb stone, ‘Arise, it shall teach!’ Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
— woe to him who says to the wood, “Awake!” To the silent stone, “Arise!” Can it teach? It is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath at all in any of them;
— and this from the Message Bible: Habakkuk 2:18-19
“What’s the use of a carved god so skillfully carved by its sculptor? What good is a fancy cast god when all it tells is lies? What sense does it make to be a pious god-maker who makes gods that can’t even talk? Who do you think you are— saying to a stick of wood, ‘Wake up,’ Or to a dumb stone, ‘Get up’? Can they teach you anything about anything?
20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.” — but the Lord is in His holy Temple; He is on His Throne; not in graven and molten images; not in idols of wood and stone, covered with gold and silver;
— or, as the Septuagint renders it, stand in awe, or stand in fear before him; let all the earth keep silence before Him;
— therefore the whole earth, that is, all the population of the earth, of every tribe and tongue, is to be still before Him: to submit silently to Him, and wait for His judgement;
— the point of this verse is that even though terrible times lie around, God is always in full control; the ultimate outcome will be exactly what God predicted; that is, that all question has a full and adequate answer before a God of Omniscience, Omnipresence and Omnipotence.
Habakkuk 3
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet: The first two chapters of Habakkuk presented the prophet’s question and answer time with God. Now that the Lord had answered Habakkuk, the prophet offered a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God “in wrath remember mercy” before keeping silence before Him and close the book.
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon “Shigionoth.” — this may be interpreted (by Ezra) according to the Targum: a prayer of Habakkuk because of his ignorance; concerning his errors of judgement:
— however, according to the apparent meaning, Habakkuk is begging for mercy for himself because he spoke rebelliously: (1: 4) “Therefore Torah is slackened,” and (verse 14) “You have made man like the fish of the sea.” Habakkuk also criticized the Divine standard of justice.
— Job, too, repented of his sin for questioning God; earlier, Job had stated that he had lived righteously before God and was undeserving of God’s punishment, as if God was unjust in his treatment of him:
“Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:3-6.
2 O Lord, I have heard Thy speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. — O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years: Habakkuk simply prayed for revival, knowing how God once worked and how His people once responded, and he wanted to see that again;
— this prayer of Habakkuk shows us that repentence is a work of God, not the achievement of man; there is something man can and must do for repentence; simply crying out to God and pleading for his mercy;
— notice the prayer: “revive thy work” – often, our prayers are really “revive my or our work,” but we must have a heart and mind for God’s work, far bigger than our portion of it;
— in wrath remember mercy: Habakkuk prayed, knowing well that they didn’t deserve revival, so he prayed for mercy. The idea is, “Lord, I know that we deserve your wrath, but in the midst of your wrath remember mercy.”
3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran [with everlasting might, Chabad Bible]. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise.
— Teman: Esau; Paran: Ishmael, as Scripture states (Genesis 21:21): “And he (Ishmael) dwelt in the desert of Paran.”
— having rejected Ismael and Esau, he came to the house of Jacob; or God’s might and wrath could possibly come from Teman (Esau) and Mount Paran (Ismael)?
— Selah; “stop and think.” Oh ye house of Jacob; stop and ponder: his glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise: All creatures bow down to him!
4 And His brightness was as the light; He had horns coming out of His hand, and there was the hiding of His power. — Oh house of Jacob; stop and ponder:
— God appeared in unparalleled splendour which shined from him, was as the light; pure, clear as the sun, but much more dazzling and overcoming.
5 Before Him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at His feet. — Covid-19 has been spreading around the globe; first the Delta variant, then the Omicron; and who knows what’s next? Could Covid-19, or another bioweapon, destroys a third of mankind eventually?
— and sparks went out at his feet: fiery angels came with him to witness the affairs of the heavens and earth. Could “burning coals” went forth at his feet be civil wars within nations? Witness the numerous civil strives within many western nations because of the various issues of how to manage Covid.
6 He stood and measured the earth; He beheld and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow. His ways are everlasting.
— He stood and judged the earth; he looked and shook the nations; as he did at Mount Sinai, now the whole world is experiencing it; the everlasting mountains were scattered: Ephraim and the other twelve, the heavenly princes of the nations; all are either scattered or bow low.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. — the curtains… quaked: all is to be understood according to the Targum.
8 Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? Was Thine anger against the rivers? Was Thy wrath against the sea, that Thou didst ride upon Thine horses and Thy chariots of salvation? — Habakkuk was asking another series of Questions: asking the question thrice, Was the Lord displeased against the rivers?
— was thy wrath kindled against the rivers? in the Nile, the Red Sea and the Jordan? God meant more by these acts; he showed his supremacy over all creation, and these rivers are no problem in the execution of his great design (Psalm 106:9; Psalm 114:3);
~ a Parallel in Ezekiel 6:3 on mountains, hills and rivers ~
— 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.
9 Thy bow was made quite naked according to the oaths of the tribes, even Thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. — your bow revealed itself: your might being revealed; thy bow was made quite naked; that is, the sheath of the bow was laid aside to make it ready for use;
— Rashi: You split the earth into rivers: according to the Targum, “for thou didst break strong rocks, rivers came forth overflowing the earth.”
10 The mountains saw Thee and they trembled; the overflowing of the water passed by; the deep uttered his voice and lifted up his hands on high. — the mountains saw thee, and they trembled; literally, were in pain, Septuagint, the words point to the phenomena of an earthquake, as Sinai shook at the presence of the Lord (Exodus 19:18; Psalm 114:6);
— there is a similar scene at the end-time in Isaiah: where, not just the Israelites, every being will have a Mt Sinai experience: the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard; the land utterly emptied! “The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again” Isaiah 24:20
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of Thy glittering spear. — as a similar scene in Isaiah 60:19‘: ‘the sun shall be no more for thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, and the Lord shall be to thee an everlasting light.’”
12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation; Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. — Habakkuk says, in fury you walkest through the earth, in wrath you stampest down the nations, both Israelites and others.
13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people, even for salvation with Thine Anointed. Thou wounded the head out of the house of the wicked, by uncovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. — Habakkuk says you went forth for the salvation of your people, for salvation with your Anointed:
— Selah; “stop and think.” Oh house of Judah; stop and ponder; don’t be stiff-necked: as Habakkuk remembered how God had saved in the past; this made him full of faith for what God could do in the present and in the future.
— He also declared that salvation is brought with your Anointed – and the Lord’s Anointed is none other than the Messiah (Isaiah 52:13 Targum says God’s suffering servant is the Messiah), Jesus Christ; others call him Yeshua (for Christmas is rightly called “the Mother of all paganism”).
Remember, the Targum, whose origin was in the Aramaic language, could be traced to Ezra speaking to the returning exiles who couldn’t understand Hebrew, but was expounded to them in a language they could understand.
14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages; they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me; their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. — Thou, O God, didst strike through with his staves;
— others interpret of Pharaoh and his host, who were destroyed by the steps and methods which they themselves took, going into the sea of themselves, and so were struck through with their own staves:
15 Thou didst walk through the sea with Thine horses, through the heap of great waters. — the gists of this interpretation rests upon the fact of the destruction of Pharaoh and his horsemen in the Red Sea.
16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice. Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
— when Habakkuk heard God’s voice, his body trembled: he showed the righteous response of man under the sovereign power of God, recognizing his own weakness and low standing before this God of all majesty and power;
— the Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar will invade him with his troops: the prophet Habakkuk remembered that the Babylonians were coming, and that this God of sovereign power and majesty would direct their work against Judah.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls—
— the prophet Habakkuk depicts the effects of the hostile invasion, which are such as to make the natural heart despair; though the fig tree may not blossom, no fruit on the vines; nor fruit on the vines;
— though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls; yet Habakkuk will still rejoice in the Lord, whom he knows, has full control from His throne;
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. — Habakkuk will rejoice in the God of his salvation: in a vision, he saw the Judean countryside desolate, perhaps from the invading Babylonian army or perhaps from natural calamity;
— sometimes when we see a day of trouble approach, we think, “If God is so great and powerful, how come we’re going through a hard time?” Habakkuk knew this was the wrong question and the wrong attitude; instead, he said: “I know you are strong and mighty, and if we are in desolate circumstances it is because we deserve it. I will praise You still, and even rejoice in You.”
— but in the midst of this almost complete loss, the cities and countryside desolate, Habakkuk could still rejoice in the Lord.
19 The Lord God is my strength; and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
— the Lord God is my strength: Habakkuk could only properly declare this after he prayed the prayer of faith in the previous verses. He rightly declared that his strength was not in fig trees or vines or fields or flocks, but only in the Lord God;
— Habakkuk’s prayer could also be adapted as a song of prayer and/or a prayer of reflection. Selah!
In summary, the theme of Habakkuk is “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry,” Habakkuk 2:3.; and we wouldn’t fully understand until the anger and God’s judgement had passed in the latter day; then and only then will we be able to understand fully:
“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 latter days you will understand it fully,” that is, it means as a whole: “we wouldn’t fully understand these prophecies until we are living in the latter days after God had executed his judgement in anger and pertformed the thoughts of his heart!” Selah!
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
France, under Macron, manages to remain free, unlike Britain, who had been shouted down by the US, has became a vassal state, now lack of dignity or respect for itself. For further study, see
Today’s Russia suffers from many vulnerabilities—oil and gas prices well below peak that have caused a drop in living standards, economic sanctions that have furthered that decline, an aging and soon-to-be-declining population, and increasing authoritarianism under Vladimir Putin’s now-continued rule.
According to their analysts, Russia remains a powerful adversary for the United States in certain fundamental sectors. To handle this opposition, the US and their allies will have to pursue a joint long-term strategy which exploits Russia’s vulnerabilities. So Rand analyses the various means with which to unbalance Russia, indicating for each the probabilities of success, the benefits, the cost, and the risks for the US.
Rand analysts estimate that Russia’s greatest vulnerability is that of its economy, due to its heavy dependency on oil and gas exports. The income from these exports can be reduced by strengthening sanctions and increasing the energy exports of the United States. The goal is to oblige Europe to diminish its importation of Russian natural gas, and replace it by liquefied natural gas transported by sea from other countries.
Another way of destabilising the Russian economy in the long run is to encourage the emigration of qualified personnel, particularly young Russians with a high level of education.
In the ideological and information sectors, it would be necessary to encourage internal contestation and at the same time, to undermine Russia’s image on the exterior, by excluding it from international forums and boycotting the international sporting events that it organises.
In the geopolitical sector, arming Ukraine would enable the US to exploit the central point of Russia’s exterior vulnerability, but this would have to be carefully calculated in order to hold Russia under pressure without slipping into a major conflict, which it would win.
In the military sector, the US could enjoy high benefits, with low costs and risks, by increasing the number of land-based troops from the NATO countries working in an anti-Russian function.
The US can enjoy high probabilities of success and high benefits, with moderate risks, especially by investing mainly in strategic bombers and long-range attack missiles directed against Russia.
Leaving the INF Treaty and deploying in Europe new intermediate-range nuclear missiles pointed at Russia would lead to high probabilities of success, but would also present high risks.
By calibrating each option to gain the desired effect – conclude the Rand analysts – Russia would end up by paying the hardest price in a confrontation, but the US would also have to invest huge resources, which would therefore no longer be available for other objectives. This is also prior warning of a coming major increase in US/NATO military spending, to the disadvantage of social budgets.
This is the future that is planned out for us by the Rand Corporation, the most influential think tank of the Deep State – in other words the underground centre of real power gripped by the economic, financial, and military oligarchies – which determines the strategic choices not only of the US, but all of the Western world.
The “options” set out by the plan are in reality no more than variants of the same war strategy, of which the price in sacrifices and risks is paid by us all.
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head” Obadiah 1:15
“The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet” Isaiah 28:3
The Pentagon leaks have revealed Washington’s concerns over a hypersonic-capable weapon
A new Chinese missile may be able to reach the Pacific island of Guam, making it more difficult for US forces based there to intervene on behalf of Taiwan, a Washington Post columnist claimed on Thursday. The article cited an “overlooked” revelation in one of the classified documents leaked from the Pentagon.
“China is quickly improving its capacity to strike thousands of miles from its shores and prevent the United States from intervening,” wrote Josh Rogin, citing the conclusions of US intelligence agencies.
The document Rogin is referring to is a report by the Joint Chiefs of Staff intelligence directorate, marked top secret and dated February 28. It briefs the generals on the February 25 test of the new “hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile,” dubbed DF-17 (Dongfeng, ‘East Wind’).
The briefing says that DF-17 has a “high probability of penetrating” US missile defenses and is designed to reach targets beyond the Second Island Chain, a Pentagon term for a line in the Pacific stretching from Japan to New Guinea.
The test involved the missile traveling a distance of 2,100 kilometers (1,305 miles) over 12 minutes, but a 2021 Pentagon assessment believes DF-17 may have a range of up to 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles). The new missile also has “hypersonic glide” capability, making it a better “carrier killer” than its predecessors, Rogin noted.
“If American ships can be held at bay and US forces in Asia can be targeted at will, any allied intervention in Taiwan’s defense would be more difficult and costly,” Rogin wrote.
The self-described “neoliberal” columnist and CNN political analyst argued that “peace in Asia depends on maintaining the credibility of the United States-led deterrent.” The US and its allies, Rogin wrote, need to “shift resources to nullify the new threat and shore up their ability to protect their assets.” How exactly that might be achieved, however, he did not say.
The US government has not officially confirmed the authenticity of the leaked documents, and has launched a manhunt for their source. Most of the initially released files dealt with the Ukraine conflict, while subsequent revelations expanded their scope. Israeli and South Korean officials have already denounced some of the claims in the documents as false.
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the Lord. Amos 9:8
“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
There is a Difference of 243 Years between the Secular Calendar and the Jewish Calendar! This year is 2023 AD but in the Jewish Calendar is 5783.
By using the year 6000 as the point of reference since creation, we are already off by 26 (23 plus 3) years, whereas Jewish Calendar are 217 years behind, making a total of 243 years difference. So where could we reconcile the discrenpancies?
This presentation from Archbishop Ussher viewpoint is an attempt to reconcile the difference; but is this correct?
Did the Jewish sages falsify the record for the Persian reign of 207 years to a mere 52/53 years (a difference of 165 years)?
“Annals Of The World by James Ussher – Part #2”
Appendix G:“The Seder Olam Rabbah” (Why Jewish Dating Is Different) or the “Book of the Order of The World,” was compiled by Rabbi Yose ben Halafta (who died 160 AD), and is to this day the traditional Jewish chronology.
From this ancient work, the Jewish people reckon the current year [2023 AD as 5783] and understand it to be the number of the years since the creation. [compare to James Ussher’s work published in 1658, a time gap difference of 1,500 years]
At the time the Seder Olam was compiled, the Jews generally dated their years from 312 BC – the beginning of the Seleucid era. For the next few centuries, the Seder Olam was of interest exclusively to only students of the Talmud.
When the center of Jewish life moved from Babylonia to Europe during the 8th and 9th centuries AD, calculations from the Seleucid era became meaningless. Over those centuries, it was replaced by that of the anno mundi era (AM = “from the creation of the world”) of the Seder Olam. From the 11th century, anno mundi dating became dominant throughout most of the world’s Jewish communities.
As Old Testament Scripture is the basis for Seder Olam dating, we would suppose the Jewish chronology to be similar to that of Ussher’s and thus expect them to place the creation date around 6,000 years ago. Yet rather than 4004 BC, the Seder Olam places creation at 3761. The question thus becomes: On what basis do the Jews number their years such that a 243 year shortfall occurs?
The Missing Years:
1. From the creation to the birth of Abraham: Ussher has – 2008 years from, 4004-1996 BC; Seder Olam has – 1948 years from, 3761-1811 BC (exclusive reckoning) a shortfall of 60 years. – Terah was 130 years old rather than 70 when Abraham was born. (Gen. 11:26 says, “Terah lived 70 years and begot Abram,” it doesn’t say he was 70 when he was born. Gen. 11:32 and 12:4 say, “Terah was 205 when he died in Haran and Abram was 75 when he departed from Haran with Lot.” So, 205 minus 75 equals 130. Thus the first deficit is about 60years.
2. From the birth of Abraham to the Exodus from Egypt: Ussher has – 505 years from, 1996 – 1491 BC; Seder Olam has – 500 years from, 1811 – 1311 BC, a shortfall of 5 years. – Abraham was 75 years old when the covenant was made in Gen. 12:4, the Exodus was 430 years later, Gal. 3:17, “The covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, the law, which was 430 years after cannot annul that it should make the promise of no effect.” Exodus 12:40-41 says, “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt [and Canaan] was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the very same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” Without New Testament revelation for clarification, the Seder Olam reckons five fewer years. The shortfall now totals 65 years.
3. From the Exodus to the laying of the Temple foundation, I Kings 6:1, “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.” Ussher has – 480 years from, 1491 – 1012 BC (inclusive reckoning); Seder Olam has 480 years from, 1311 – 831 BC, a shortfall of 0 years. As there is no difference the total shortfall remains at 65 years.
4. From the foundation of the first Temple to the consecration of the second Temple: Ussher has – 497 years from, 1012 – 515 BC; Seder Olam has 480 years from, 831 – 351 BC, a shortfall of 17 years. – Differing decisions in placing the dates of the kings of Israel with respect to the kings of Judah during the period of the divided monarchy account for these 17 years. Thus far, the Seder Olam reckons 82 (65+17) fewer years difference over a 3,489 year span (4004-515) from creation to the consecration of the second Temple of which the major part concerns the age of Terah at Abraham’s birth.
5. From the consecration of the second Temple to its destruction by Titus of Rome: Ussher has – 584 years from, 515 BC – 70 AD; Seder Olam has 420 years from, 351 BC – 70 AD, a shortfall of 164 years. – Here we see the main source of the discrepancy found in the Seder Olam’s shorter chronology. Its 420 years are divided into spans of 34, 180, 103, and 103 years of successive foreign rule over Israel. As shown in that which follows, it is remarkable that the 164 year span disparity is almost entirely from within the first or Persian period, which follow. The remaining three periods closely approximate that of the standard chronology.
a) 34 years (351-317 BC) for the remainder of the Persian rule over Israel: from the dedication of the second temple to Ptolemy I Soter’s invasion of Jerusalem (Ptolemy I was one of Alexander the Great’s favorite generals; also called Soter or Saviour, 367?-283 BC. After Alexander’s death in 323, he seized Egypt as his share of the divided Greek empire and assumed the title, “King of Egypt”).
b) 180 years (317-137 BC) for the Grecian rule: from Ptolemy’s invasion to the times when Simon the Maccabean became ruler in Israel and Rome recognized the independence of the Jewish state.
c) 103 years (137-34 BC) for the rule of the Hasmonean (Maccabean) family in Israel: from Simon to the beginning of the reign of Herod the Great.
d) 103 years (34 BC-70 AD) for the Herodian rule until the destruction of the temple.
There is some discrepancy with the standard dates in the later three periods (b, c & d). The standard date for Alexander’s defeat of Darius is 331 BC rather than the Seder Olam’s 321. It gives Simon’s rule as beginning in 142 BC (not 137) and Herod’s in 37 BC (not 34).
But what are we to understand from (a) where the Seder Olam only allows 34 years for the remainder of the Persian period? Indeed, by Seder Olam reckoning there are only 30 years from the dedication of the second temple to Darius’ defeat at the hands of Alexander in 321 BC and merely four years after that unto Jerusalem’s capture by Ptolemy following Alexander’s death.
Moreover, here the two systems exhibit a striking contrast. The Ptolemaic chronology lists eight Persian kings from Darius I Hystaspes to Darius III Codomannus, the king whom Alexander overcame. However, the Seder Olam identifies the Darius who was reigning during the dedication of the second temple as the same Darius that Alexander defeated.
Recording only five Persian monarchs, Seder Olam gives the following chronology for its 52/53 year depiction of Persian history:
1. Darius the Mede reigns 1 year – 3389 – 3390 AM (374 – 373 BC) Babylon is conquered and Daniel is in the lion’s den.
2. Cyrus reigns 3 years – 3390 – 3392 AM (373 – 371 BC, inclusive) The Jews return and the second temple construction begins.
3. Artaxerxes (Cambyses) reigns one-half of a year – 3393 AM (370 BC) Temple construction halted.
4. Ahasuerus reigns 14 years – 3393 – 3407 AM (370 – 356 BC) Esther is chosen queen and Esther bears Darius the Persian.
5. Darius the Persian reigns 35 years – 3407 – 3442 AM (356 – 321 BC) Temple construction resumes, 3408 AM (355 BC); Second Temple dedicated 3412 AM (355 BC); Ezra comes to Jerusalem 3413 AM (350 BC); Nehemiah comes to Jerusalem 3426 AM (337 BC); Darius defeated by Alexander 3442 AM (321 BC).
Thus the Seder Olam depicts the Kingdom of Persia as lasting a mere 53 years from 374 to 321 BC, rather than about 207 years from 538 to 331 BC. [Wikipedia: from 559 to 330, a reign of 229 years]
Indeed, it is manifestly apparent that the real reasons for the deliberate altering of their own national chronology in the Seder Olam were: (1) To conceal the fact that the Daniel 9:25 prophecy clearly pointed to Jesus of Nazareth as its fulfillment and therefore the long awaited Messiah; and (2) To make that seventy week of years prophecy point to Simon bar Kokhba!
The Rabbis in the century immediately following Christ Jesus had a tremendous problem with so direct a prophecy as Daniel 9:24-27. This chapter speaks of Messiah’s appearing 69 “weeks” (i.e. 69 sevens) or 483 years after the going forth of a commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls.
By removing the 164/165 years from the duration of the Persian Empire, Rabbi Halafta was able to make the 483 year Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy fall reasonably close to the years prior to the 132 AD revolt during which Bar Kokhba rose to prominence as Israel’s military and economic leader.
Then with Akiva proclaiming, “This is the King Messiah” followed by “all the contemporary sages regarding him as the king Messiah, ” the Jewish populace united behind their messianic hope.
Rabbi Halafta and his fellow compilers of the Seder Olam sought to terminate the 69 “weeks of years” as close to the 132 AD revolt as possible, but they were limited as to where they could make “the cuts.” Since the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy dealt with a decree that was biblically and historically issued by a Persian monarch, this left only the Persian period of history for them to exploit.
The Persians had been so hated by the Greeks and later by the Moslems that these two conquerors destroyed nearly all the Persian records. This has created great difficulty in recovering their sequence of kings, the length of their reigns, and thereby their chronology. Thus, the Persian period was readily vulnerable to manipulation.
This article is an extract mostly copied from Archbishop James Ussher’s book, “The Annals of the World,” Appendix G: the Seder Olam Rabbah – Why Jewish dating Is Different.”
“The Annals of The World” by ‘Archbishop James Ussher’ 10/29/12 Part #1
Some observations with this paper:
(1) The Jewish Calendar might not be perfect, perhaps there could be errors; but our Secular Calendar is already 27 years off the cliff; this paper is not a comprehensive attempt to rectify al possible errors; but to highlight various points;
(2) The compression of the Persian Empire as a deliberate altering of their chronology to a mere 52/53 years seems legitimate; as most empires reign around two to three hundred years;
(3) Another difficulty with this paper is that the Bar Kokhba revolt ended in failure in 136 AD while Rabbi Yose ben Halafta work on the Jewish Calendar was around 150 to 160 AD, some 20 years later, hence he would have amble time to reflect that Bar Kokhba wasn’t fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of Daniel 9:25-27. So why would he falsify the record as alleged?
(4) Daniel 9:24-27 tells us that Israel’s Messiah had to come before the destruction of their Temple and that happened in 70 AD, so if it wasn’t Jesus of Nazareth who began his preaching in 27 AD then who was it?
Failing with Bar Kokhba for an explanation, modern Rabbinic Jews and Rabbi Tovia Singer identify this “annointed” as Cyrus, Isaiah 45:1. Cyrus maybe God’s annointed but certainly he just couldn’t be the “Most Holy” Daniel 9:24.
To honour Cyrus as the “Most Holy” would be blemphemous. Further, Daniel 9 is a prophecy for a future “in the last days” which Daniel couldn’t figure out as he was dazzed and puzzled!
Egypt is typically closely behind Israel in terms of countries receiving the highest amount of US foreign aid each year. For example a State Department fact sheet has reviewed that “Since 1978, the United States has provided Egypt with over $50 billion in military and $30 billion in economic assistance.”
This is why the US administration was likely livid when it learned that Washington’s ally, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, was moving to ship tens of thousands of rockets to Russia as the Kremlin executes its war in Ukraine.
The revelation came via the trove of classified Pentagon files leaked online, and which is now subject of widespread reporting. The Washington Post, which has seen the leaked slide, said that Sisi recently ordered production of up to 40,000 rockets to be covertly shipped to Russia.
The top secret document is dated to Feb. 17 of this year, and purports to summarize conversations between the Egyptian president and his senior military officials. Artillery rounds and gunpowder are also mentioned.
“In the document, Sisi instructs the officials to keep the production and shipment of the rockets secret ‘to avoid problems with the West,'” the Washington Post writes.
Indeed, countries like Egypt caught shipping weapons into Russia would not only prove highly embarrassing, but could possibly trigger US sanctions on Cairo, or at least the freezing of defense aid to the country.
Per the report, “The Washington Post obtained the document from a trove of images of classified files posted in February and March on Discord, a chat app popular with gamers. The document has not been previously reported.”
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has predictably denied and downplayed the document, with FM spokesman, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, saying “Egypt’s position from the beginning is based on noninvolvement in this crisis and committing to maintain equal distance with both sides, while affirming Egypt’s support to the U.N. charter and international law in the U.N. General Assembly resolutions.”
Some pundits have pointed out that Russia is running up against its own military supply shortages, or at least expects to run low, after a year of waging war in Ukraine…
“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
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. Hosea 5:14
China has a “stunning lead” over the US. “China rocks in my opinion” Elon Musk
“China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep because when she wakes up, it will shake the world” Napoleon.
TECHSPOT: 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.
China has a “stunning lead” over the US
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.
~~~~
Concept art of a futuristic Chinese nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ~ AsiaTimes
As of 2022, the PLA-N was the world’s largest navy with 340 ships; the US Navy, in comparison, has only 280 ships. China also has 13 naval shipyards, with each facility having more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined.
Although Jewish authorities acknowledge this book of Daniel is a Sacred Text, they regarded it only among the Writings but not among the Prophets. They just dislike what Daniel had written, throwing out their contempt by kicking his writing and its prophecy downstair.
The greatest of the Prophets, Daniel’s writing is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, yet Jews pray everyday at the Wailing Wall for the coming of the Messiah. “Oh blind Guides!” Would God have any obligation to hear such prayers? Or, would he prefer to kindle a fire in the midst of them?
Chapter 1
— Daniel among children of Israel in captives — the king’s seed and of the princes — youths: no blemish, favored, skillful in wisdom — cunning in knowledge, understanding science — Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah — Belteshazzar; Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
~ Chapter 2
— Nebuchadnezzar dreamed; his spirit troubled — magicians, astrologers, sorcerers summoned — a great image, a statute in human form — this image’s head was of fine gold — his breast and his arms of silver — his belly and his thighs of brass — his legs of iron, feet part iron and part clay — image broken, became a great mountain
— Nebuchadnezzar made an huge golden image — upon the sound of music — ye fall down and worship the golden image — but there are certain Jews who bow not — Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego — bound into the midst of a burning fiery furnace — in their midst, a fourth, like the Son of God
~ Chapter 4
— Nebuchadnezzar giving his testimonies — a dream which made him afraid and troubled — a tree in the midst of the earth — and the height thereof was great — “Hew down the tree and cut off its branches — Let his heart be changed from man’s to beast’s — and let seven times pass over him”
— Belshazzar made a great feast before thousands — gold and silver vessels that were from the temple — the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand — and wrote on the wall of the king’s palace — that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin — Mene: God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it — Tekel: thou art weighed in and art found wanting — Peres: thy kingdom is given to the Medes and Persians
~ Chapter 6
— Daniel was preferred above the other princes — then governors, princes and counselors — conspired against Daniel — and they brought and cast him into the den of lions — “my God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths” — so Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius
— Daniel had dream and visions in his head — four great beasts came up from the sea — the first like a lion and had eagle’s wings — a second beast, like unto a bear — a third, a leopard, four wings and heads — a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible — up came among them a little horn — out of the fourth beast, ten horns
~ Chapter 8
— vision of a ram with two horns — but one was higher than the other — behold, a hegoat came from the west — the ram was the Medo-Persian Empire — horn on goat’s head – Alexander the Great — “little horn” will persecute the holy people — daily sacrifice transgressed and cast down — for two thousand and three hundred days
— seventy years destined for desolations of Judah — “we have sinned and have committed iniquity — Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law” — Gabriel “O Daniel, for thou art greatly loved” — “seventy weeks concerning thy people — after sixty-two weeks shall Messiah be cut off”
~ Chapter 10
— Daniel mourning for three full weeks — was left alone and remained no strength — “O Daniel, a man greatly loved — I have come to make thee understand — what shall befall thy people in the latter days — for yet the vision is for many days”
— Gabriel stood to strengthen Daniel — wars Syria and Egypt: Seleucids vs Ptolemies — the era of Antiochus (III) the Great — of Antiochus Epiphanes: a type of anti-Christ — king of the North vs king of the South — prophecy of Rome and the Papacy — of Islam — the Turks, Arabs and Muslims
~ Chapter 12
— at that time shall Michael stand up — there shall be a time of trouble — “a time of Jacob’s trouble” Jeremiah 30:7 — “O Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” — these words are sealed till the time of the end — from the time the daily sacrifice taken away — there shall be a prophecy of 1290/1335 days
A growing number of prominent Republicans are rallying around the idea that to solve the fentanyl crisis, America must bomb it away.
In recent weeks, Donald Trump has discussed sending “special forces” and using “cyber warfare” to target cartel leaders if he’s reelected president and, per Rolling Stone, asked for “battle plans” to strike Mexico. Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) introduced a bill seeking authorization for the use of military force to “put us at war with the cartels.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he is open to sending US troops into Mexico to target drug lords even without that nation’s permission. And lawmakers in both chambers have filed legislation to label some cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move supported by GOP presidential aspirants.
“We need to start thinking about these groups more like ISIS than we do the mafia,” Waltz, a former Green Beret, said in a short interview.
Not all Republican leaders are behind this approach. John Bolton, Trump’s third national security adviser who’s weighing his own presidential run, said unilateral military operations “are not going to solve the problem.”
And House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul (R-Texas), for example, is “still evaluating” the AUMF proposal “but has concerns about the immigration implications and the bilateral relationship with Mexico,” per a Republican staff member on the panel.
But the eagerness of some Republicans to openly legislate or embrace the use of the military in Mexico suggests that the idea is taking firmer root inside the party. And it illustrates the ways in which frustration with immigration, drug overdose deaths and antipathy towards China are defining the GOP’s larger foreign policy.
Nearly 71,000 Americans died in 2021 from synthetic-opioid overdoses — namely fentanyl — far higher than the 58,220 US military personnel killed during the Vietnam War. And the Drug Enforcement Agency assessed in December that “most” of the fentanyl distributed by two cartels “is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China.” [China denied the charge]
Democrats, meanwhile, are allergic to the Republican proposals. President Joe Biden doesn’t want to launch an invasion and has rejected the terrorist label for cartels. His team argues that two issued executive orders already expanded law-enforcement authorities to target transnational organizations.
The bill would “put us at war with the cartels,” Crenshaw boasted in a press release, “we must start treating them like ISIS – because that is who they are.”
“The administration is not considering military action in Mexico,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. “Designating these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations would not grant us any additional authorities that we don’t already have.”
Instead, Watson said the administration hopes to work with Congress on modernizing the Customs and Border Protection’s technologies and making fentanyl a Schedule I drug, which would impose the strictest regulations on its production and distribution.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs chair, told Defense One in an interview last month that invading Mexico was a bad idea. “I wouldn’t recommend anything be done without Mexico’s support,” he said, insisting that tackling the cartel-fueled drug trade is a law enforcement issue.
But should a Republican defeat Biden in 2024, those ideas could become policy, especially if Trump — the GOP frontrunner — reclaims the Oval Office.
As president, Trump considered placing cartels on the State Department’s terrorist blacklist. He also asked about using missiles to take out drug labs and cartels in Mexico, according to former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who wrote in his memoir that he rejected the idea at the time.
But Trump backed away from the move because of the legal complications and fears that bombing Mexico could lead to increased asylum claims at the southern border.
Now a candidate, Trump is reviving his hawkish instincts toward the drug lords. He has already vowed to deploy US special forces to take on drug cartels, “just as we took down ISIS and the ISIS caliphate.”
In one policy video released by his campaign, Trump said that if reelected, he would “order the Department of Defense to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other overt and covert actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure and operations.”
And during a recent presidential rally speech in Waco, Texas, Trump compared the number of deaths from fentanyl overdoses to a kind of military attack.
“People talk about the people that are pouring in,” Trump said. “But the drugs that are pouring into our country, killing everybody, killing so many people — there’s no army that could ever do damage to us like that still.”
Other 2024 candidates side with Trump. Using military force on cartels without Mexico’s permission “would not be the preferred option, but we would absolutely be willing to do it,” entrepreneur and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy said in an interview. What the cartels are doing “is a form of attack” on the United States, he added.
Ramaswamy also said he backs an authorization for the use of military force for “specific” groups: “If those cartels meet the test for qualifying as a domestic terrorist organization for the purpose of freezing their assets, I think that qualifies them for the US president to view them as an eligible target for the use of authorized military force.”
Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor and among the more moderate foreign policy voices in his party, openly supports the foreign terrorist organization label for the cartels. “They meet the definition,” he said weeks before announcing his entrance into the 2024 field this month.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is openly against any US military involvement in his country to take on the cartels. “In addition to being irresponsible, it is an offense to the people of Mexico,” he said in March.
But Waltz, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, noted that Colombia’s government was initially resistant to the idea of US military support, too, until both the Clinton and Bush administrations said they were going to send help anyway. “It was only once we delivered some tough messages that they started to shift,” he said, noting attitudes in Bogotá changed as the situation worsened in the country.
Furthermore, Waltz contends that US law enforcement is “overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem by the capability of the cartels.” America should use military cyber weapons to disrupt cartel communications and money flow, he suggested, adding: “If we need some drone support along the border, that’s not something that a law enforcement agency can do, that’s something the military needs to help with.”
But current and former US foreign policy and military officials, including Republicans, say there are glaring problems with the military proposals. “If you thought Iraq was a bad situation, wait until you invade a country on our border,” a House Republican congressional aide said. “Our grandchildren will be dealing with this.”
They cite two main concerns.
The first is that US Northern Command assesses that 30 to 35 percent of Mexican territory is ungoverned, giving space for the drug cartels to roam free. Should the US launch military operations in Mexico, a crush of people would find their way to US ports of entry seeking asylum and their claims would be stronger by fleeing an active war zone involving US-labeled terrorists.
“You’ve just legitimately made it harder to send thousands of people back,” the House GOP staffer said.
The second issue is that while using force against drug cartels might impact the supply side of the fentanyl crisis, it doesn’t address demand. And past examples of the US military working with a nation to combat drug groups, like in Colombia, were successful, in part, because the host country was committed to the fight and conducted the operations.
There are other complications, such as what the terrorist label would mean for people selling drugs online or shipping them — would a FedEx delivery person be jailed? — and how to stop the sheer volume of imports to Mexico. The Mexican Navy can’t intercept it all, and US forces asked to assist may only catch a small fraction more of what comes into the country.
Still, Republicans see military options as a last-ditch effort to address the crisis roiling Mexico and the United States, and they will continue offering suggestions until a president agrees with them.
“The worst thing we can do is continue to do nothing,” Waltz said.
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
According to Scriptures, names do matter, and they have great significance, since they stand for something or reveal something about a person’s character.
There are even several instances when God changed the names of His people, effectively giving them new capacities. For instance, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, Sarai’s was changed to Sarah, and Jacob’s was changed to Israel.
The names of God, as He has unveiled them in Scripture, should be particularly noteworthy to us because they reveal who He is, as well as aspects of His character, promises, authority, and power.
The Bible also tells us that in these last days, those who call upon God’s name will be saved:
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:31-32)
So what is God’s name? When Moses stood before God at the Burning Bush inquiring about His name, God understood how important it was that Moses was able to reveal to the Israelites this important piece of information.
In response, God told Moses, Ehye Asher Ehye (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה) or simply Ehye (אֶהְיֶה).
In most English Bibles this name is translated as I Am Who I Am or simply I Am. (Exodus 3:14); “God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Or ‘I Will Be Who I Will Be.’
The meaning God was intending to say is, “I am the One who was, who am and who will be.” Meaning that this Being has always lived, and He will always live. Besides, He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient; and will be whoever He chooses to be in any circumstance: saviour, healer, deliverer, provider, protector; He will be that for you.
Immediately after telling Moses to say to the Israelites that “I AM has sent me to you,” God also tells him, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD [YHVH]… has sent me to you.’”
To most preachers today, the expression I AM has been used to prove that Christ of the New Testament is the same as the Being of the Old Testament.
When Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and the elders, he said in John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.
Thus the espression I AM has been used to prove that the Personage of the Old Testament is the same as Christ of the New Testament. Typical is a justification in today’s Churches that read like this: [LCG, CBCG, UCG]
Jesus asserts that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” The Jews are infuriated by such claim and rebuked Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Then Jesus drops the bomb, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” The Jews knew exactly what He was saying: Jesus was blaspheming by proclaiming that He is the God speaking to Moses at Mount Sinai!
Therefore, the I AM of the Old Testament has to be exactly the I AM that the New Testament says it is, and He is the One Who became Jesus Christ. And thus the Father was not the God of the Old Testament speaking to Moses!
This is why the Jews took up stones to kill Jesus. In their twisted minds He was guilty not only lying but of the utmost blasphemy.
Is this correct? These Jews were blinded to the fact that the Being who had become Jesus was, in fact, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. They were standing right there talking to the One who was their God—and they did not know it.
Or are these false preachers who are themselves blind shepherd trying to deceive their sheep? It was prophecised in Scriptures that God’s people will know His name: “My people will know My name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it” (Isaiah 52:6)
First, it’s confusing to prove anything by mixing Greek with Hebrew. Christ was merely stating that He was present during Abraham’s time rather that His name is “I am.”
The phrase “I am” in Greek is “ego eimi.” In fact, when Yeshua spoke to the Jews, he used the phrase “ego eimi” at least twenty times and yet, in only one instance did the Jews seek to stone him (John 8:58).
Jesus (or Yeshua) said, “I am the bread of life” to a large crowd in John 6:35,48, yet no one opposed him. In verse 41, the Jews murmured because he said, “I am (ego eimi) the bread which came down from heaven.”
But in verse 42, the Jews questioned only the phrase, “I came down from heaven” and ignored “ego eimi.” The same is true of verses 51 and 52. Their complaints being that He claims He came down from heaven, not because of the “I am.” Yet they didn’t attempt to stone him.
In John 8:12,18,24, and 28, Yeshua used “ego eimi” with the Pharisees present (v13) and yet, no attempt at stoning. He again used it four times in John 10:7,9,11 and 14 with no stoning.
Yeshua said to his disciples, “…that…ye may believe that I am (ego eimi)” in John 13:19 without them batting an eye.
In fact, several other individuals beside Yeshua used “ego eimi” as well. In Luke 1:19, the angel Gabriel said, “Ego eimi Gabriel.” In John 9:9, the blind man whose sight was restored by Yeshua said, “Ego eimi.”
In Acts 10:21, Peter said, “Behold, ego eimi (I am) he whom ye seek.” Obviously, the mere use of “ego eimi” does not equate one to the “I Am” of Exodus 3:14.
A sleight of hand! A pigeon!
Only the claim of being present before Abraham caused the Jews to stone Him.
Later in the Garden of Gethsemane Yeshua was answering the question “Whom seek ye?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said unto them, “I am He,” John 18:4-5.
Jesus didn’t intend to mean he was the God of the Old Testament, the God who said he was the Ehyeh that appeared to Moses before the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).
Other translations have caught it true intended meaning, as follows:
WE (Worldwide English) translation of John 8:58: Jesus answered, `I tell you the truth. I already was before Abraham was born.’
TLB Jesus: “The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!” Same with Luke 22:70 where “I am” is just an affirmation of what His accusers were charging Him of in the WE version.
MAGIC!
A touch of Simon Magus from all the false prophets and false shepherd we have today!
The Leaked Intelligence Files are revealing the precarious state of the situation in Ukraine, yet the media and White House officaials are painting a rosy picture of the war there, even the possibility of retaking Crimea back from the Russians!
For example, one chart puts the Ukrainian death toll at around 71,000, a figure that is considered plausible. However, the chart also lists the Russian fatalities at 16,000 to 17,500. Fatalities include wounded, but the Ukrainian death toll is at 71,000.
The death rate has a ratio of seven to one in Russia’s favor, according to Judge Napolitano with Larry Johnson.
Could WH officials continue to lie about winning the Ukraine war with figures like these?
The breach could also prove embarrassing for Russia as it deals with the claims that US intelligence has penetrated deeply into the Russian Defense Ministry!
The highly classified Pentagon documents which were leaked online in recent weeks, but which began being confirmed and reported as authentic by The New York Times and others only in the past few days, contain some embarrassing revelations. This has sent DOJ and US intelligence officials scrambling to discover the source of the leaks.
CNN is confirming Monday based on one of the documents which appeared online that the US has been spying on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky – a disclosure which has caused officials in Kiev to be “deeply frustrated.”
“One document reveals that the US has been spying on Zelensky,” CNN reports. “That is unsurprising, said the source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak.”
The US intelligence document suggests that American officials have been worried about possible Zelensky decision-making to strike deep into Russian territory, which would escalate the war and potentially bring Russian and NATO into direct clashes:
The US intelligence report, which is sourced to signals intelligence, says that Zelensky in late February “suggested striking Russian deployment locations in Russia’s Rostov Oblast” using unmanned aerial vehicles, since Ukraine does not have long-range weapons capable of reaching that far.
An additional possibility is that the US intelligence community might be monitoring the Ukrainian presidency’s office as part of efforts to oversee and account for how the tens of billions in aid sent to Kiev is being utilized.
The Washington Postdetails that “many of the documents seem to have been prepared over the winter for Gen Mark A Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military officials, but they were available to other US personnel and contract employees with the requisite security clearances.”
Here are 14 more major revelations contained within the leaked intel document trove based on various media sources:
Locations of CIA recruitment efforts focused on human agents which have access to closed-door conversations of world leaders
Russia’s Wagner Group tried to obtain weapons from a NATO member: Turkey. Also, some of the internal future plans of Wagner are apparently known to US intelligence
Details of sensitive satellite technology used to track Russian forces, namely the “LAPIS time-series video” – described as an advanced satellite system, which up until now has been a closely guarded secret
Ukraine battlefield assessments prepared by the Pentagon
The Guardian:”One slide suggested that a small contingent of less than a hundred special operations personnel from NATO members France, America, Britain, and Latvia were already active in Ukraine.”
Descriptions of intelligence collection activities by the CIA, NSA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, law enforcement agencies and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
One Feb. 23 review of the battlefield situation in Ukraine’s Donbas forecasts a “grinding campaign of attrition” by Russia that “is likely heading toward a stalemate, thwarting Moscow’s goal to capture the entire region in 2023.”
WaPo: “The US intelligence community has penetrated the Russian military and its commanders so deeply that it can warn Ukraine in advance of attacks and reliably assess the strengths and weaknesses of Russian forces.”
WaPo: “A single page in the leaked trove reveals that the US intelligence community knew the Russian Ministry of Defense had transmitted plans to strike Ukrainian troop positions in two locations on a certain date in February and that Russian military planners were preparing strikes on a dozen energy facilities and an equal number of bridges in Ukraine.”
WaPo: A summary of analysis from the CIA’s World Intelligence Review, a daily publication for senior policymakers, says that Beijing is likely to view attacks by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory as “an opportunity to cast NATO as the aggressor,” and that China could increase its support to Russia if it felt the attacks were “significant.”
Ukraine’s robust Soviet-era air defenses — which have thus far minimized the participation of Russian aircraft – could run out of ammunition in next several weeks.
A purported CIA intelligence update — claimsIsrael’s Mossad supported protests against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Supreme Court reform scheme.
One report says internal discussions show that South Korean officials are wary of requests to hand over artillery shells to the United States to replenish American stockpiles, out of concern they’d end up in Ukraine.
Another report says that Ukrainian Air Defense is in peril if it’s not reinforced by Western allies.
Meanwhile, the expanding breadth of subject matter has many suggesting a US source is responsible. It’s being called “a nightmare for the Five Eyes” – and could damage intelligence-sharing relationships between the US and its partner countries.
The breach could also prove embarrassing for Russia as it deals with the claims that US intelligence has deeply penetrated some key areas of government, such as the Defense Ministry.
“The focus now is on this being a US leak, as many of the documents were only in US hands,” former Pentagon official Michael Mulroy told Reuters. As opposed to electronic downloads, it appears most or all of these leaks are in the form of photographs of paper documents.
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the Lord. Amos 9:8
“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
Although Jewish authorities acknowledge that this book of Daniel is a Sacred Text, they regarded it only as Writings but not among the Prophets. Some went even further by claiming that Daniel is a historical fiction. They just have a distaste for what Daniel had written, one who have fasted for them and whom Gabriel regarded as “greatly loved.”
Yet the Jewish authorities just throw out their contempt by kicking Daniel’s prophecy downstair. The greatest of the Prophets, Daniel’s writing is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, yet the Jews pray everyday at the Wailing Wall around the Temple Mount for the coming of the Messiah. “Oh blind Guides!” Would God have any obligation to hear such prayers? Or, would he prefer to kindle a fire in the midst of them?
Daniel 11
Chapter 11 is one of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible. It is most specific, with great details describing historical events up to the present in more features than any other prophecy; in fact, it is the longest prophecy in the Bible. It describes numerous wars in the past and an impending one in the future!
The chapter opens with an angelic being speaking to Daniel, foretelling what is to come in the days ahead. This angel could be Gabriel or one other than him, but without further evidence to the contrary, this work will dubbed him Gabriel, especially in Daniel 9:21-22 where he identified himself and said:
“O Daniel, I have now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding,” that is, to understand what shall befall God’s people in the latter days, (Daniel 10:14); “in the latter days” is the key phase; which is the endtime, our time.
Much of the historical details used below for the fulfilment of this Chapter have been drawn from “A Manual of Ancient History” (1871) by George Rawlinson.
And lastly, Chapters 11 could be broken into six sections as follows:
(1) verses 1-5: events in Ancient Persia and Greece; (2) verses 6-9: wars between Syria and Egypt (Seleucids vs Ptolemies); (3) verses 10-20: the era of emperor Antiochus (III) the Great; (4) verses 21-29: of Antiochus Epiphanes (a type of anti-Christ); (5) verses 30-39: prophecy of Rome and the Papacy; (6) verses 40-45: of Islam — the Turks, Arabs and Muslims.
1 “Also I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
— also I, in the first year of Darius the Mede; these words are more properly belong to the preceding chapter; and the “eleventh” chapter should have begun in the next verse; and this verse are not the words of Daniel, but Gabriel’s;
— thus: in the first year of Darius, Gabriel stood to confirm and to strengthen Daniel, the inference being that the various angelic spirits come to the support of one another when special efforts in behalf of the people or nations in their care are required.
2 “And now will I show thee the truth: Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
— and now Gabriel will show Daniel the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet, namely, after Cyrus, who was then king, three kings in Persia, whose names are commonly given as Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis and Darius Hystaspes;
— and the fourth king was Xerxes, who exceeded his predecessors in wealth and riches; literally, “shall acquire far greater riches than they all” and by his strength through his riches as he applied his immense wealth in order to fit out a mighty army, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece, Xerxes staking his all on the invasion of the rival kingdom beyond the Dardanelies;
— but in the west, the King Philip of Macedonia planned a great war to conquer the Persian Empire, with an army made up mostly of Grecians. He died before the plans were completed; but his son, Alexander the Great, took over his plans and invaded Persia. He met the Persian army at the Battle of Issus, 333 BC (Daniel 8:2, 5-6).
— Then he swept down into Egypt, and then to a final crushing defeat of the Persian Empire at the Battle of Arbella, 331 BC, after which Alexander marched on a conquest clear to India, sweeping all before him.
3 And a mighty king shall stand up, who shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will. — and a mighty king shall stand up, a heroic warlike king, namely, Alexander the Great of Macedonia and Greece,
— who rose up a hundred years after the expedition of Xerxes, shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will, not only in Greece but in the whole known world with tyrannical authority.
4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, and not to his posterity nor according to his dominion which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides those.
— and when Alexander was risen up to his highest pitch of grandeur, was sole monarch of the world, in the prime of his days, he was cut off by death; he left no inheritor, either of his power or of his projects; his kingdom was broken, no more united but seized by different generals,
— just as soon as his power is fairly established, the brief duration of Alexander’s rule shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, in a fourfold division of his kingdom after the battle of Ipsus, 301 BC;
— and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up; both of Alexander’s sons were put to death, so that the natural heirs and rightful successors of Alexander were eliminated; and after Alexander’s generals had broken up his empire into small divisions, out of this emerged four monarchs, but still Greek in character:
They were:
(1) Cassander, ruling Greece and Macedonia (2) Lysimachus, ruling Asia Minor (3) Seleucus (Nicator); Syria, Babylonia and east to India —”king of the North” (4) Ptolemy (Soter); Egypt, part of Syria and Judea — “king of the South”
5 “And the king of the South shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.
— and the king of the South, Egypt (Ptolemy I, called Soter), shall be strong, and one of his princes, Seleucus Nicator; and he shall be strong above him; in 312 BC, taking advantage of Ptolemy’s being tied up in a war, Nicator established himself in Syria, and assumed the diadem as king. and have a great dominion, which, as a matter of fact extended from Phrygia on the west to the Indus on the east.
6 And in the end of years they shall join themselves together, for the king’s daughter of the South shall come to the king of the North to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up with they that brought her, and him that begot her, and him that strengthened her in these times.
— and after several years have elapsed, they shall join themselves together, or “marriage union” the king of the South and the king of the North forming a confederacy, when Antiochus II Theos, the second successor of Seleucus Nicator, married Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemeus Philadelphus;
— at the end of 50 years, the Syria’s ruler, the king of the North, at this time was Antiochus II, called Theos. His wife was named Laodice. And, says Rawlinson’s Ancient History, page 251, “Her influence … engaged him in a war with Ptolemy Philadelphus [king of the South], BC 260, which is terminated, BC 252, by a marriage between Antiochus and Bernice, Ptolemy’s daughter.”
— for the king’s daughter of the South shall come to the king of the North to make an agreement, to establish just and peaceful relations by virtue of this marriage; but she will not retain the power of her position, nor will he retain his power; that is, neither of them retaining the power acquired through their marriage and the joining of their forces;
— but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times, when the critical position in which he found himself suggested the marriage to him. As soon as Ptolemy Philadelphus died in BC 247, Antiochus Theos expelled Berenice and recalled the formerly rejected Laodice.
— The latter, however, aimed for revenge and to achieve it, poisoned the king, and had her son by him, Seleucus II Callinicus, declared as his successor and sent assassins against Berenice who fled to the sanctuary of Daphne. The latter queen was slain, together with her little son, and the hope of the Ptolemies to behold one of their lineage on the throne of the Seleucidae was thus destroyed.
7 “But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come with an army and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them and shall prevail.
— her root would be her parent and so out of her roots would be someone from her parents; that is, a sibling; and history showed that her place in this controversy was her own brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes;
— who shall come with an army and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the North, against all the strongholds of the Northern power, and shall deal against them and shall prevail, this being done to the extent that the entire Syrian country from Cilicia to beyond the Tigris was conquered, numerous fortresses taken;
— then Ptolemy III carried back to Egypt immense booty and 2,500 molten images and idolatrous vessels which in 526 BC Cambyses had carried away from Egypt; and Laodice, the rival and murderess of Berenice, slain; he continued to rule until 222 BC while the king of the North, Seleucus II died in 226 BC.
8 And he shall also carry captive into Egypt their gods, with their princes and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.
— and Ptolemy III shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods with their princes, their molten or cast images and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold, all this being welcome booty;
— and he shall continue more years than the king of the North, holding out against him with his superior strength.
9 So the king of the South shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. — so Ptolemy III, the king of the South, shall come into his kingdom, rather, “and he” the last-named king of the North,
— “shall come into the kingdom of the king of the South,” and shall return into his own land to Syria. This was fulfilled in the expedition of Seleucus Callinicus in which he sent a fleet against Egypt which, however, was destroyed in a storm while his army was defeated and overthrown.
10 “But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through. Then shall he return and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
— but when Seleucus II died, his two sons took over the kingdom of the North; first Seleucus III, 226-223 BC, who ruled only three years, and then his brother Antiochus III, who became “the Great,” 223-187 BC. Both of these two sons of Seleucus II assembled immense forces to war against Egypt, avenge their father, and recover their port and fortress, Seleucia;
— and one shall certainly come and overflow and pass through; the activities of Antiochus the Great in his victorious advance upon Egypt; then shall he return and be stirred up, renewing his campaign against the Egyptians in the following spring, even to his fortress, very likely the fortified city of Gaza.
11 And the king of the South shall be moved with anger, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the North; and he shall set forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
— and the king of the South, Ptolemy Philopator, shall be moved with a fierce and sudden anger, and shall come forth and fight with the king of the North, Antiochus the Great, and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of Ptolemy by which he broke the power of Antiochus.
12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands, but he shall not be strengthened by it.
— the young Egyptian king, now Ptolemy IV (Philopater), was roused, and with an army of 20,000 inflicted severe defeat on Antiochus the Great, the king of the North; and Ptolemy IV shall cast down ten thousands, killing myriads in the battle of Raphia, near Gaza;
— but he shall not be strengthened by it; he killed tens of thousands and again annexed Judea to Egypt; but he was not strengthened, for he made a rash and speedy peace with Antiochus, and returned to dissipation, throwing away the fruits of victory because he did not follow up his victory with any degree of urgency.
13 For the king of the North shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
— for the king of the North shall return and set forth a greater multitude with a great army; thus 12 years later, in 205 BC, Ptolemy IV Philopator, king of the South, died, leaving his throne to an infant son, Ptolemy Epiphanes (or Ptolemy V). Then the king of the North, Antiochus III the Great, assembled a greater army, and won great victories,
— this was approximately thirteen years later when Antiochus III had strengthened himself by (1) successful campaigns against the kingdoms toward the east so that his army was composed of veterans and his equipment were of the very best; and he had (2) made a treaty allying Philip of Macedonia with him,
— and others, against Egypt, and they wrested Phoenicia and southern Syria from the king of the South; and also (3) they were assisted by some of the Jews. Josephus’ Jewish history says many Jews entered into a league with Antiochus the Great against Egypt.
14 “And in those times shall many stand up against the king of the South; also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall fall.
— and in those times many shall stand up against Egypt, particularly in insurrections and rebellions; also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, literally, “violent persons of thy [Daniel’s] people will revolt against him,”
— namely, when a number of Jews entered into a alliance with Antiochus against Egypt; but they shall fall, the Lord sending tribulations and afflictions upon them for their rebellion against the government, the reference probably being to the oppression of Antiochus the Great.
15 So the king of the North shall come and cast up a mound, and take the most fortified cities; and the armies of the South shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
— so Antiochus the Great shall come, advancing to the attack once more, and cast a mount and take the most fenced cities, literally, “city of fortifications,” a term used of the fortresses of the South in general; Antiochus also besieged and took Sidon from Egypt;
16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
— but Antiochus the Great, the victor of Paneas, he shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, that is, the Holy Land, and then Antiochus ruined the interests of Egypt in Judea at the Battle of Mount Panium, 198 BC, took possession of Judea and his chosen people; which by his hand shall be consumed, literally “and annihilation is in his hand.”
17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her; but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
— “upright ones” in Hebrew means “equal conditions, or marriage,” but the one he marries will not stand on his side. In 198 BC, Antiochus the Great arranged a marriage between his daughter, Cleopatra (not the Cleopatra of 31 BC in Egypt) and young Ptolemy Epiphanes, king of the South, by which he hoped subtly to gain complete possession of Egypt;
— thus shall he do, and he shall give him the daughter of women, namely, Cleopatra, who was then but a girl and in the care of her mother and others, who educated her, corrupting her, rather, “bringing destruction upon her” for the marriage, which took place five years later, resulted in the ruin of the land which she represented; but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him, that is, she was unable to carry out the plans of her father.
18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many. But a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach, he shall cause it to turn upon him.
— after this shall Antiochus the Great, the king of the North, turn his face unto the isles to conquer, 197 to 196 BC, the islands and coasts of Asia Minor; but the Roman general, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, utterly defeated him at the Battle of Magnesia, 190 BC; that is, the men in command of the islands and coastlands promptly repulsed his attacks.
19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
— as Antiochus the Great turned toward his own land, he was obliged to retire in peace to a fortress of his own land but he stumbled, for history records that he was slain in 187 BC in an insurrection of the inhabitants of Elymais.
20 “Then shall stand up in his place a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom; but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor in battle.
— but his heir, Philopator (187-176), second son of Antiochus the Great, in an effort to raise money, sent a tax collector, Heliodorus, through Judea. But Philopator reigned only 11 years, when Heliodorus, his former favorite, who sought the crown for himself, poisoned him: “destroyed neither in anger nor in battle.”
21 And in his place shall stand up a vile person to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom; but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
— Philopator left no heir, and Seleucus IV his brother-in-law, who succeeded him, also left no heir. Then Philopator’s brother, a younger son of Antiochus the Great, named Epiphanes (Antiochus IV), a vile, despicable and contemptible reprobate, came by surprise and through flattery (or through trickery as some versions say) seized the royal power and authority against the will of the nation and before the people really realized it. To his aid came his assistant, Eumenes;
— Antiochus IV borrowed the surname Epiphanes from Ptolemy V of Egypt, king of the South; the surname Epiphanes means “manifest” to indicate that he was a manifestation of a deity. Reinforcing a strong tradition of the Seleucids, Antiochus required his subjects to worship him as the Olympian god, Zeus (II Macc 6:2, also the temple on Mount Gerizim was to be officially named Temple of Zeus).
22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him and shall be broken, yea, also the prince of the covenant. — here “the prince of the covenant” does not refer to Christ, but was an attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes to replace Onias from the high-priesthood, and preferred an usurper, Jason, Onias’s brother, to that dignity,
— not for any crime committed against him by the former, but for great sums of money which were offered to him by the latter and that the Jewish high priest would be subservient to him; as a matter of fact he began a process where the king (years later, Herod the Great appointed Simon Boethus from Alexandria as high priest, hence starting the Boethusians sect in the Sanctuary in Jerusalem) could made one high priest after another according to his whim;
— further, in his enthusiasm for Hellenism and in his efforts to unify his empire, Antiochus made use of cultural and religious coercion such as had long ago been employed by the Babylonians and Assyrians (I Macc 1:41).
23 And after the league is made with him he shall work deceitfully, for he shall come up and shall become strong with a small people.
— and from the time that an alliance is made with him, Antiochus IV or Epiphanes, in this expedition down against the South, he shall work deceitfully, and he shall turned up unexpectedly; for Antiochus shall come up and shall become strong, this smaller force being sufficient for his purposes, because he used it so cleverly.
24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers: he shall scatter among them the plunder and spoil and riches; yea, and he shall plot his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.
— without warning and stealthily Antiochus Epiphanes shall come into the most productive places of a province or among the richest men of a province [of Egypt], and he shall do that which his fathers have not done nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall squander and distribute the plunder and spoil among themselves; causing the provinces to become impoverished—but only for a time [the period decreed by God].
25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army; and the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for they shall plot devices against him.
— threatened with war by the ministers of Ptolemy Philometor [now king of the South], who claim Coele-Syria and Palestine as the dowry of Cleopatra, the late queen-mother, Antiochus Epiphanes marches against Egypt in BC 171. But he was met by his nephew, Ptolemy Philometor, king of the South, with another immense army. But the Egyptian king was defeated through the treachery of his own officers and was outwitted by Antiochus.
26 Yea, those who feed from the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.
27 And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper, for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
— after Antiochus Epiphanes victory at Pelusium, he advanced to Memphis, plundered its wealth, and having obtained possession of the young king, Ptolemy Philometor, king of the South, endeavored to use him as a tool for “effecting the entire reduction of the country.”
— In 174 BC, the uncle of the king of the South sat at a banquet. Antiochus pretended to ally himself with the young Ptolemy, against his brother, Euergetes II, but each was trying to deceive the other;
— both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, in feigning friendship and thus trying to harm one another, and they shall speak lies at one table, all their protestations of high regard to each other being invented for the sake of playing politics;
— but it shall not prosper, neither one succeeding in carrying out the particular designs which he had in mind at this meeting, of which no accounts are found in secular history; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. — then shall Antiochus Epiphanes return into his land with great riches, in 168 BC,
— with much booty, firstly, those secured in Egypt; also, returning from Egypt with great plunder, Antiochus set himself against the Jews, massacred many, and then returned to Antioch with golden vessels from the Temple at Jerusalem.
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come toward the South, but it shall not be as the former or as the latter; — at the time appointed Antiochus returned and came toward the South,
— in another campaign against Egypt and the countries tributary to it; but with none of his former success, that is, the triumphs of the other expeditions were not repeated; because Philometor, king of the South, got help from Rome;
30 for the ships of Chittim shall come against him. Therefore he shall be grieved and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant. So shall he do; he shall even return, and have accord with those who forsake the holy covenant.
— for then the Roman fleet of Chittim had came against Antiochus Epiphanes, a fleet from Cyprus, that is, in this case a Roman embassy with a number of ships, the Roman emissaries landing in Alexandria in order to prevent the Syrian king from conquering Egypt; therefore Antiochus shall grieve and return, retracing his steps in discouragement and anger on account of being foiled in his design;
— and have indignation against the holy covenant. So shall Antiochus do, returning through Judea, smarting under the defeat, he vented his exasperation against the Jews in Jerusalem; he returned after having intelligence of them that they had forsaken the holy covenant, that is, he noted that the Temple was deserted and whole service omitted; the city was largely forsaken by its natives.
31 And armies shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place there the abomination that maketh desolate.
— Antiochus sent his “detestable ringleader” Apollonius with 20,000 men to destroy Jerusalem, two years after its capture by himself. Apollonius slew multitudes, dismantled and pillaged the city. The soldiers then, from a fortress which they built commanding the Temple, slayed “all those that were in their best age, and to sell the women and the younger sort;”
— and arms shall stand on his part, armed forces sent by him, and they shall pollute the Sanctuary of strength, the image of Jupiter Olympius, was placed upon the altar in the Temple of God by Antiochus; and the Temple itself was ordered to be called the Temple of Jupiter Olympius;
— and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate; abolished the daily sacrifice (see also Daniel 8:11, 24) and their daily prayers be removed (one account says on the 15th of Kislev, Hebrew calendar); and the “abomination” set up is their idolatrous worship on the altar, for they sacrificed swine upon them;
— also, Antiochus Epiphanes decreed that all persons, upon pain of death, to conform to the religion of the Greeks; and so the Jewish law was abrogated and the Temple was consecrated to Jupiter Olympus.
32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
— Antiochus perverted the Jews by flatteries, those who were willing to forsake their religion and such as do wickedly against the covenant, that is, by allowing themselves to be yielded to the tyrant’s demands, inducing them to return to apostasy by flattering promises of earthly gain, of worldly advantages;
— but the people that do know their God, that is, not surrendering their consciences to Antiochus’ impositions, who would bravely keep their ground at the time of awakening, beginning in 166 BC, when an old scribe Eleazar and the mother and her seven sons, known as the Maccabees brothers became strong and would resist all his blandishments and adhere to the covenant.
33 And those who understand among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil many days.
— and they that understand among the people, faithful Jews did understand. But most of the Maccabees brothers were put to death, and later, history indicates that later, Jesus or Yeshua and all the early apostles were martyred, except John; they all know the Lord and walk in His fear, and they dispersed and instruct many, making every effort to keep others in the right path;
— “many days” and martyrdom continued for many days or years; decades, even into the Middle Ages, when millions more were martyred for their faith.
34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
— now, when they shall fall, in sacrificing themselves for the sake of their religious principles, they shall be helped with a little help, for the theocratic kingdom was retained as a result of their efforts;
— but many shall cleave to them with flatteries, hypocritically casting their lot with the victorious party of the Jews in order to save themselves.
35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for a time appointed.
— and some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, EVEN TO THE TIME OF THE END: because it is yet for a time appointed, for all these afflictions would serve as trials in separating the dress or cosmetics from the genuine and pure.
— More about the purification process as we learn from the “wave sheaf” offering —
The “wave sheaf” as firstfruits, must be reaped on the morrow after the Sabbath by three persons, each with his own sickle and basket, until each had his basket full.
They then brought them to the courtyard of the Temple to be thrashed and parched and then to go through ALL of the thirteen sieves until it became very clean, and only one tenth the measure of the ‘omer’ were selected.
The resultant flour were then sieved through thirteenth sieves until it was pure and of very fine texture. Only ten percent of an ephah were chosen while the other ninety percent were rejected.
From this, now known as the omer, oil and frankincense were added, which is a weight of about 1.6 kg (the same weight the children of Israel were allowed to collect for their morning manna Exodus 16:16), was taken and then offered the next morning at about 9 AM, the time of the morning sacrifice in the Temple as a special annual offering waved before God.
The “wave sheaf” as firstfruits, represent humans having to go through purification through trials and often even martyrdom to be made pure and white to be regarded as Saints, ready and qualified to rule with the Messiah in the Millennium.
36 “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.
— in 65 BC, Syria was swallowed up by the Roman Empire, and became a Roman province; now the king of the North; the Roman emperor now controlled Judea, and therefore the king of the North, who will do according to his will, and he did,
— and he shall exalt himself, in the pride of his heart, exalting himself, and magnify himself above every god, and he did; for the Roman emperors required all to worship them and sacrifice to them, as a god. He was as a god. He was to speak arrogantly and blasphemously against the true God, and he did and persecuted true Christians;
— and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished, until the wrath of God upon His people would be fully carried out, until His punishment would accomplish its purpose; for that which is determined shall be done, it cannot be recalled, it must be executed.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
— neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, thereby breaking with the true worship of his nation, the proper service of God as it had existed since Abraham and even back to Adam, nor the laws promulgated by Moses and Ezra; nor the desire of women, that is, forbidding their priests, call Fathers, to marry were denying and rejecting the natural inclination of man toward woman, as implanted in the sexes by the Creator,
— nor regard any god, it being characteristic of him that he will set aside all reverence and all natural feeling, including that of the natural knowledge of God; for he shall magnify himself above all, both divine and human, in a challenging supercilious arrogance.
38 But in his place shall he honor the god of forces; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things.
— the Roman emperors honored the god of forces, or munitions and developed the greatest war-making power the world have ever known but in his estate shall he honor the god of forces, literally, “and the god of fortresses in his place shall he honor,” that is, he would make wars, the application of force, his god, would extend his power by means of arms and munitions, spreading his power to all nations;
— and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things, these are the gods that their fathers, Adam to Abraham, knew not:
(a) Ishta and Easters, a celebration of the Queen of heaven: Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; Jeremiah 7:18 the women knead their dough to make cakes to the Queen of heaven; in Egypt, Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25, this is Ishtar: pronounced ‘Easter.’
(b) Mithra and Christmas; Ezekiel 8:16 five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple; their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east; Christmas, which honor the Mithraism, birthday on December 25th – a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice.
— neither Moses nor Ezra would have taught them these strange practices.
39 Thus shall he do in the greatest strongholds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory. And he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
— thus shall the papacy in Rome do in the most strongholds with strange gods, that is, strange gods in their temples, churches and chapels, dedicated to angels and departed saints; deck and adorn their images with gold, silver, precious stones and with desirable things; as well as commit the grossest idolatries with this strange breaden gods; which they hold up in such places, cringe and bow to, and pay all religious worship and adoration to them:
— and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the land for gain; such as the new discovered land in the Americas, most were under the Romish jurisdiction, all their newly formed countries and states, which are divided among those tutelar saints; each of them have their proper country assigned them they are to defend; but this is not done without gain arising to the pope of Rome from those countries as a reward to those who accept his claims.
And now we come to our very twenty-first century; and thus a bit speculative, because we couldn’t be definitely sure how things are going to be played out:
40 “And at the time of the end shall the king of the South push at him. And the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
— and at the time of the end, namely, that of the present age of the world, during our very twenty-first century era, the king of the South, who would now be the Muslims countries, for Egypt was swallowed by the Mohammedians during the tenth century; who in turn, were conquered by the Ottoman Turks, who were also Muslims;
— shall push at the North, and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships, with the aid of powerful forces;
— now Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the current President of Turkey, seems to be actively re-exerting himself in nearby countries; another country is Iran, who also has high ambition and having proxies all around the Middle-East; we’ll have to wait and see;
— and whoever he is, he shall enter into the countries, the king of the South carrying forward his campaign with all energy, and shall overflow and pass over, disturbing the peace of the king of the North. who would then rush Southward.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand: even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
— he, namely, the king of the North, together with the papacy, shall enter also into the glorious land, the land of Palestine, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon, these ancient enemies of the people of God being representative of all the forces opposing the Lord, and therefore, from the beginning, allies of the king of the North, whom he would not need to overthrow.
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. — the king of the North shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, namely, in order to take possession of them; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
— but the king of the North shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, the possession of which was ever one of the chief objects of it Roman pope, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians, representative of the southernmost people of the world, shall be at his steps;
— we have here, in a few bold strokes, and in terms taken from the campaigns of the forces of the king of the North since the third and second centuries. Although the Roman papacy suffered temporary reverses on account of the secession of the Greek and Russian Orthodox Church and the rise of Mohammedanism, he still managed to subjugate one country after the other, so that his strongholds were found throughout the world.
44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him. Therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many. — but tidings out of the East and out of the North; perhaps the Orient and Russia shall trouble the revived Roman Empire;
— therefore the king of the North shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many when he heard of Gog and Magog coming like a storm, with the utmost rage and fury, and like a cloud for number, and threaten utter ruin and destruction to the nation of Israel in their homeland; this will be his end in view in coming out, but he will not be able to accomplish it; of all which see Ezekiel 38:2;
— another possibility of the army from the East and the North could also be an Islamic Army of 200 million of Revelation 9:16-18.
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
— and the king of the North and the papacy shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas, in the glorious holy mountain; some say the coming Roman Empire shall establish its palace as capital of the revived Roman Empire, and eventually its religious headquarters in Jerusalem! over against the mountain of the glory [or ornament] of holiness,” so that his palace was intended to be a rival of the ancient seat of God’s power in the midst of His holy people;
— yet the king of the North and the papacy shall come to their end (no more Easters, no more Christmas), their true nature being exposed and realized by at least some of those who could read the signs of the times, and none shall help them; although they will continue their campaign of deceit until the end of time.
Daniel 12
1 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time. And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one who shall be found written in the book.
— and at that time the Archangel Michael shall stand up, who has all the angels of heaven under him, and he shall “stand up” in the latter day and Michael, standing and on guard;
— stand for the children of thy people, as the protector of Israel, Daniel 10:13-21; and there shall be a time regarded as “a time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7); a time of tribulation and affliction for the house of Jacob, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time, the climax of the oppression brought upon the house of Israel by all opponent forces;
— a parallel scenario is available from Prophet Ezekiel
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.’
Q: how would such scenarios be played out?
— and at that time thy people, the true believers, shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book, whose name had been entered in the book of life; this prophecy begins with the kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, soon after the death of Alexander the Great — 2300 years ago.
— But it ends at the time of the resurrection and the Second Coming of the Messiah to bring peace to the region — and to the entire world! This prophecy is so long, but plain and this “2300 days” or years could also mean the period where his Saints are cleansed, made white and purified!
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. — and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
— literally, “many, a great multitude of those who sleep in the dust-land, shall awake,” shall return to life in the resurrection, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt, this being the division at the day of Judgement: believers destined for eternal glory, the wicked with their gnashing of teeth and torments.
3 And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
— and they that are wise, the true and righteous shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, in a wonderful glorification and they that turn many to righteousness, by instructing them in loyalty and faithfulness in the midst of the tribulations in the latter days and shine as the stars forever and ever;
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
— but thou, O Daniel, the greatest among the Prophets, shut up the words and seal the book, so that its contents during his time, would not be revealed to men, even perhaps to the time of the end, before the Millenium or the Messianic era; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased,
— literally, “many shall search it through, and thus understanding will become great.” It is true in general that the knowledge and interpretation of the prophecies of old comes to those who search the Scriptures most carefully, diligently comparing prophecy and fulfillment as indicated in the directions of the Lord.
5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and behold, there stood two others, the one on this side of the bank of the river and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
— then Daniel looked after the angel had finished his message, and behold, there stood two more angels besides the one who had spoken to him, on either side of the River Tigris.
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”
— and one, only one of these angels being introduced as speaking, said to the man clothed in linen (who could most probably be the Son of God, who later came and served humanity as the son of man, hence “a man clothed in linen” otherwise why the distinction?),
— which was upon the waters of the river, occupying a position above the water, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? literally, “Till when the end of these marvelous things?” the end being the period or era of the Messiah with all that happened in it.
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by Him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he shall have accomplished scattering the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
— and I heard the man clothed in linen (who could be the Son of God), which was upon the waters of the river, as though enthroned there or floating on the waters, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, in the gesture of a most solemn oath;
— and swore by him that liveth forever, by the one everlasting true God, that it, the period of these wonderful things, shall be for a time, times, and a half, the duration of the period being the same as that of Antichrist’s reign, a type of Antiochus Epiphanes; Cf. Daniel 7:25;
— and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, when the Church would have reached a point apparently near annihilation on account of the oppression of Antichrist, all these things shall be finished, including also the deliverance of the people of the Lord by the archangel Michael and everything else that had been included in the great prophecy of the angel.
8 And I heard, but I understood not. Then said I, “O my lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
— and Daniel heard, but he understood not; he did not grasp the meaning of the angel’s announcement; then said Daniel, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? He wanted a more exact explanation and interpretation of the period to which reference was made and to the sequence of events in that era, for Daniel was still in the dark concerning them.
9 And he said, “Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
— and be content with what has been made known to thee, Daniel, although the words bare encouraging they are closed up, all sealed till the time of the end, so that it would not be lost or mutilated throughout the times then coming and until the latter days.
10 Many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
— many shall be purified, tried and made pure and white, the time of tribulation bringing out and testing their faithfulness to their Lord, for they would read and interpret the signs of the times aright; but the wicked shall do wickedly, deliberately closing their eyes and minds to the lessons intended for them, and none of the wicked shall understand.
11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
— and from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, Cf. Daniel 11:31, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, in the idolatry introduced by Antiochus Epiphanes, the antitype of Antichrist, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (yā·mîm, not “bō·qer e·reḇ” as in Daniel 8:14) a period of time whose duration in days are determined exactly, but when it would start or how it would end would require some speculations.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
— blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (yā·mîm), evidently the end of the great trial intended to test the loyalty of the Lord’s children by a tyrant, a type of Antiochus Epiphanes we have seen in the last chapter.
13 But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” — but go your way, Daniel (now ninety years of age at least) till the end comes;
— for thou shalt rest in the peace of the grave, and stand in thy lot at the end of days (yā·mîm), calmly awaiting in death for deliverance. Blessed are all who await their death in this spirit of calm hopefulness and certain trust in the promise of God!
~~~
— More on an endtime fulfillment to a character similar to Antiochus Epiphanes —
In Daniel 11:21, referring in original, typical fulfillment to Antiochus Epiphanes, there ‘shall stand up a vile person…’ that was in 168 BC. Now, notice verse 31 — still speaking of Antiochus Epiphanes, ‘And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength’ — speaking of the Temple at Jerusalem, ‘… and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.’
What Antiochus placed there to defile the ‘Holy of Holies’ in God’s Temple, was the statue of Jupiter Olympus. The Mercy Seat of the Holy of Holies was the earthly representation of the very Throne of GOD in heaven. There will be another man similar to Antiochus Epiphanes, who will be a supreme religious leader, called ‘the False Prophet,’ [Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10] and the ‘man of sin,’ who will make this final fulfillment.
So once again before the second coming of Jesus (a Greek name which is Iesus which means ‘son of Zeus’, others say it is short for ‘Hail Zeus’ – there were no letter J until very recently, about 400 years ago only) or better in Hebrew, Jesus or Yeshua (which means ‘he will save’), or the Messiah, one theory is that another vile leader will stop the daily sacrifices being offered in the Temple (yet to be built) in Jerusalem, and will profane the Holy Place with an idol. But that is not all.
This same prophecy spoken by Yeshua is also reported by Luke in his Gospel. Notice Luke 21:20-24: ‘And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains…’
The typical fulfillment of this occurred in 66-70 AD. The Roman army under General Cestius was marching, late October, 66 AD, toward Jerusalem. They became established in sight of the gates of the city. But for some reason unknown Cestius’ army was pulled back.
The Nazarenes who heeded a divine warning fled to the hills of Judea and then northward east of the Jordan, a place call Pella — almost a century of 19-year time cycles ago. It was the Roman army under Titus, in 70 AD, which actually invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.
Another group, the Hillel branch of Pharisees also took warning, and fled west of Jerusalem to Yavne near the Mediterranean Sea and later to Tiberias where they flourished as Rabbinic Judaism.
The Sadducees, the Boethusians (who were closely allied to the Herodians), the Zealots and the Shammai branch of Pharisees, all deemed as tares, all perished in the AD 70 inferno; a magnificent manifestation of God’s judgement on man whose cause is still unknown to man.
So now, putting the two accounts of Yeshua’s Olivet prophecy together, Matthew 24 and Luke 21, two Events are to occur, just before the Great Tribulation. 1) There will very soon be a Temple in Jerusalem, with daily sacrifices once again being offered.
But the ruler of the soon-coming resurrected ‘Holy Roman Empire,’ a political-military union of ten European nations, will stop the daily sacrifices and profane the Holy Place in the Temple; and 2) Jerusalem will be surrounded and captured (Zechariah 14:1-2) by the Fascist-Nazi army of the European Empire, already starting to rise now out of the European Union. They will invade Jerusalem, and take charge of the Temple.
For the moment this is the only viable possibility being offered. Prophecies are fluid, especially those pertaining to the future which are always subjected to human bias, errors or perhaps unknowingly leaving out some relevant factors that should be incorporated in our analysis.
So, if readers have sported any discrepancies or leftouts, please feel free to share with us; thanks. As events unfold our visions would be clearer and we may see further possibilities. We’ll have to wait and see.
Skyrocketing fentanyl overdoses in the US and the latest high-impact attacks against Americans on Mexican soil have again led to demands that the US designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
Several congressional Republicans are behind the push.
They say designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations would give US authorities the tools they need to take them down.
It may seem to be a simple designation. But it is anything but that.
Here’s what representatives from each side, and the experts who study the issue, are saying:
‘Cartels in our crosshairs’
These are the nine Mexican cartels that could be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations:
Sinaloa Cartel
Jalisco New Generation Cartel
Gulf Cartel
Los Zetas
Northeast Cartel
Juarez Cartel
Tijuana Cartel
Beltran Leyva Cartel
La Familia Michoacana
Six Republican US senators introduced a bill on March 29 called the NARCOS Act. It would add the “foreign terrorist organization” label to nine notorious Mexican cartels, including the powerhouse Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels. A similar bill was also introduced in the House of Representatives.
“Despite what the president of Mexico says, drug cartels are in control of large parts of Mexico,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a prepared statement.
“They are making billions of dollars sending fentanyl and illicit drugs into the United States, where it is killing our citizens by the thousands. Designating these cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations will be a game-changer.
“We will put the cartels in our crosshairs and go after those who provide material support to them, including the Chinese entities who send them chemicals to produce these poisons.”
China [who denied the charge] and more recently, India, are sources of “precursor” chemicals used by drug cartels to produce fentanyl and methamphetamine for shipment north of the border.
The terrorist designation would give law enforcement and prosecutors more power to freeze cartel assets and deny their members entry to the US, Graham’s office reported. It would also open the door to charging those who support a terrorist organization.
Mexican leaders have said it would violate Mexico’s sovereignty and lead to a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the nations.
The Leaked Intelligence Files are revealing the precarious state of the situation in Ukraine, yet the media and White House officaials are painting a rosy picture of the war there, even the possibility of retaking Crimea back from the Russians!
For example, one chart puts the Ukrainian death toll at around 71,000, a figure that is considered plausible. However, the chart also lists the Russian fatalities at 16,000 to 17,500. Fatalities include wounded, but the Ukrainian death toll is at 71,000.
The death rate has a ratio of seven to one in Russia’s favor, according to Judge Napolitano with Larry Johnson.
Could WH officials continue to lie about winning the Ukraine war with figures like these?
“The scale of the leak — “a nightmare for the Five Eyes” — more than 100 documents may have been obtained, along with the sensitivity of the documents themselves, could be hugely damaging.”
A more expanded document dump and leak of highly classified materials is being reported in the wake of the initial disclosure that memos related to US strategy in the Ukraine war appeared online, including material marked “Top Secret.”
This time the leak appears more expansive: “A new batch of classified documents that appear to detail American national security secrets from Ukraine to the Middle East to China surfaced on social media sites on Friday, alarming the Pentagon and adding turmoil to a situation that seemed to have caught the Biden administration off guard,” The New York Times reported Friday evening.
“The scale of the leak — analysts say more than 100 documents may have been obtained — along with the sensitivity of the documents themselves, could be hugely damaging, US officials said,” the report continues.
One senior intelligence official was quoted in the report as saying the leak is “a nightmare for the Five Eyes” – in reference to the intelligence-sharing nations of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Like the Ukraine war plans earlier reported on by the Times, some of these latest documents appeared on Twitter and other social media platforms, and they include reports labeled with one of the highest classification ratings of “Secret/NoForn” – which means they are sensitive enough to not be shared with even foreign allies.
Interestingly, the NY Times notes that one intelligence slide which is circulating features “an alarming assessment of Ukraine’s faltering air defense capabilities.” But these leaks, some of which actually appeared on a Discord server devoted to discussing Minecraft and other unusual places, include more than the initial content on Ukraine war planning:
But the leaked documents appear to go well beyond highly classified material on Ukraine war plans. Security analysts who have reviewed the documents tumbling onto social media sites say the increasing trove also includes sensitive briefing slides on China, the Indo-Pacific military theater, the Middle East and terrorism.
The report quotes one analyst who warns this is likely “the tip of the iceberg” and that more major leaks are coming, or possibly have already happened, in something which could begin to rival the ‘Pentagon Papers’ of the Vietnam war era.
A former senior Pentagon official, Mick Mulroy, was also quoted as saying this could possibly hinder Ukrainian military planning given that “many of these were pictures of documents” and thus “it appears that it was a deliberate leak done by someone that wished to damage the Ukraine, US and NATO efforts.”
This assessment suggests a leak from inside allied forces, and not from a foreign adversary, even though US officials are accusing Russian-linked entities online of being the chief spreaders of the leaked documents.
US officials are also warning that some of the documents may have been digitally altered to fit a more pro-Kremlin narrative, as we detailed earlier. Twitter has acknowledged that US officials are requesting that it act to scrub classified materials from the platform.
Pentagon and US intelligence officials are also scrambling to discover the source of the leak in an ongoing investigation. Likely this is to result in greater scrutiny on Kiev and how its chain-of-command handles sensitive data shared from the Pentagon.
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10
“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
Although Jewish authorities acknowledge that this book of Daniel is a Sacred Text, they don’t regarded it a prophecy; that this book is only among the Writings but not among the Prophets. They just dislike the writings of Daniel, one who prayed with sackcloth and ashes, and had fasted for his countrymen and whose prayers were answered, for Gabriel said to Daniel, “thou art greatly beloved.”
Yet the Jewish authorities just show their disdain for what Daniel had written, throwing out their contempt by kicking his writing and its prophecy downstair. Daniel’s writing is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, yet the Jews pray everyday at the Wailing Wall around the Temple Mount for the coming of the Messiah. “Oh blind Guides!” Would God have any obligation to hear their prayers?
Daniel 9
In Daniel 12:4 “but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days,” and so we are trying to understand this prophecy “in the last days.”
9: Interpretation of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the seventy weeks (9:1–27 – Median era; Hebrew)
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans”
— in the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, known in secular histor of the empire after the fall of Babylon, of the seed of the Medes, who were with the Persians in the conquest of Babylon, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, not by accession, but through the agency of the victorious army and by the hand of Cyrus,
— there were three Darius in biblical times and the most sensible one while Daniel was still alive must be Darius I, whose reign was from 522 to 486 BC; whereas Cyrus “the Great” reign was from 550 to 529 BC; hence the Rabbinic deflection that Gabriel’s prophecy was “to anoint the Most Holy” applies to King Cyrus just doesn’t make sense:
— because: (1) Cyrus had already came and gone, dead; and (2) Cyrus maybe “his annointed” prophecised in Isaiah 45:1, but he certainly just couldn’t be qualified to be considered “the Most Holy” Daniel 9:24. By denying the Real Annointed as the Most Holy that would be close to blasphemy!
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, came to understand by books the number of the years, according to the word of the Lord as it came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would spend seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
— in the first year of his reign, Daniel understood by books, he observed and understand his information and then drew his conclusions, the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the prophet, Cf Jeremiah 25:11;
— that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem, or “that seventy years would be completed by the desolate condition of Jerusalem.” Note that Daniel was in possession of a book of Jeremiah’s prophecies, that he considered the words of this book as the words of the Most High.
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, seeking by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes. — and Daniel set his face unto the Lord God, the one sovereign God of the universe to seek by prayer and supplications;
— to plead for the restoration of the city of his fathers, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. It was thus an importunate, moving prayer which Daniel sought by the operation of the holy spirit, by which he made known his requests before God.
4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession and said, “O Lord, the great and fearsome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him and to them that keep His commandments,
— and Daniel prayed unto the Lord and made confession, a frank acknowledgment of one’s sinfulness preparing the way for the proper worship of the Lord and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, he whose fear and terror is upon all those who wouldn’t fear him, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him and to them that keep his commandments, Cf Deuteronomy 7:9:
5 we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgements.
— we have sinned and have committed iniquity by leaving the path of God’s commandments and have done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements, the introduction of the confession being modeled after the words of Solomon’s prayer, 1 Kings 8:47;
6 Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, who spoke in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
— neither have we hearkened unto thy servants, the prophets, a confession now being made in the name of his entire people with their open disregard of the admonition of the prophets, which spoke in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land;
— prophets are liked Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Hosea and others: such a prayer today should rededicated the book of Daniel prime among into the Prophets and study its content seriously.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day: to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel who are near and who are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee.
— O Lord, all righteousness belong to thee, you are the possessor of absolute righteousness, who alone can dispense righteousness, but unto us confusion reign, namely, the confusion which shows ourselves in the guilty blush on account of the wrong choices we made and the consequent judgement and tribulation;
— as at this day, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, these being concerned first of all, as the leaders of the Lord’s people; and unto all Israel “who are far off” that is, over the seas and oceans among the nations afar off, and all those who professed their belief in the true God thus casting their lot together;
— that are near and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven us, that is, all humanity since Noah and the towel of Babel, as all were deported into shameful exile, because of all the trespasses that all have trespassed against thee, the guilt of the people thus being brought out time and again.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee. — O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of all faces: to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers;
— because we have sinned against thee, this statement being repeated for the sake of emphasis, just as the synonymous expressions were heaped at the beginning of Daniel’s confession in order that the full scope of the people’s guilt might be brought out.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him; — to the Lord, our God, belong mercies and forgivenesses,
— of which all repentant sinners feel the great need, though we have rebelled against Him; or “for we have rebelled” and the need for his forgiveness as our one hope has become apparent;
10 neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.
— neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord, our God, to walk in his laws, following them exactly which he set before us by his servants, the prophets and his administrators in making known his will, spoken and unspoken, to men.
11 “Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.
— yea, all Israel have transgressed thy Law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice, their turning away from him being done with deliberate purpose; therefore the curse is poured upon us, like a rainstorm with hail and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, Cf Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28, because we all have sinned against him.
12 And He hath confirmed His words which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
— and he hath confirmed his words which he spoke against us, confirming them in words and deed as they now had the proof before them and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem, as the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC (Jewish authority 423 BCE) and in 70 AD.
13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us. Yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Thy truth.
— as written in two chapters in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28) which contain the dreadful judgement of the Lord concerning his punishment upon the transgressors of his Law, all this evil to come upon Israel;
— yet we made no prayer before the Lord, our God, by entreating or conciliating his face, by attempting to propitiate his anger, as suggested in King Solomon’s great prayer, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand his truth; the truth of God is his plan of salvation, according to which he wants the sinner to turn from his evil ways.
14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth, for we obeyed not His voice.
— therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil; he is concerned about its coming upon the transgressors and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all; his works which he doeth, all his actions being essentially just; for we obeyed not his voice.
15 “And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought Thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast made Thee a name, as at this day — we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
— and now, O Lord, our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, Exodus 32:11, and hast gotten thee renown as at this day, his acts of mercy being acknowledged wherever they became known among the nations: we have sinned, we have done wickedly, this confession now also introducing the final petition of Daniel’s prayer.
16 O Lord, according to all Thy righteousness, I beseech Thee, let Thine anger and Thy fury be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people have become a reproach to all who are about us.
— O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, Daniel beseech him in accordance with the righteousness which demanded the fulfillment of his promises, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from Jerusalem, designated thus because his Sanctuary had been situated there for many centuries;
— because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers Jerusalem and its people are become a reproach to all that are about us, so that the heathen looked upon us with scorn and mockery.
17 “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
— now, therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant and his supplications and cause thy face to shine in merciful love upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate, for the fact that the Temple was lying in ruins was the chief ground for Daniel’s prayer, for the Lord’s sake, for the glory of the restoration would then be the Lord’s.
18 O my God, incline Thine ear and hear. Open Thine eyes and behold our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we do not present our supplications before Thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of Thy great mercies.
— O God, incline thine ear and listen; open thine eyes and behold our desolations, both the cities and their ruins being included, and the city which is called by thy name, literally, “upon which Thy name is called” where God had so gloriously revealed himself which he had by choosing it for his Sanctuary, elevated so highly among the cities of the world;
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hearken and do! Defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God; for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.”
— O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive and hearken! Daniel here is rising to the very climax of an importunate and fervent prayer. Defer not for thine own sake, O God; for thy city and thy people are called by thy name and therefore his zeal for his own glory should be the motive urging him to heed Daniel’s prayer.
20 And while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God—
— and while Daniel was praying and confessing his sin and the sin of his people Israel and presenting his supplication before the Lord, piling up petitions in seeking the mercy of God in the interest of the Lord’s Sanctuary and true worship;
21 yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
— while Daniel was praying, making the concluding remarks, even Gabriel, one of the chief angel-princes, whom Daniel had seen earlier in the vision at the beginning (Daniel 8:15-16), being caused to fly swiftly, touched him about the time of the evening sacrifice, about three o’clock in the afternoon.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
— and he informed Daniel and talked with him and said, O Daniel, I am now come to give thee skill and understanding, a correct insight into the problem perplexing him and an assurance for the future.
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth; and I have come to show thee, for thou art greatly beloved. Therefore understand the matter, and heed the vision:
— at the beginning of Daniel’s supplications the commandment came forth, namely, the decree or oracle, which is presently stated, and Gabriel was to show him to make it known;
— for thou art greatly loved, this being the reason why the Lord was so ready to make known to Daniel the solution of the problem of the seventy weeks; therefore understand the matter and consider the vision, observing the oracle as to be set forth and explained.
24 “Seventy weeks are determined concerning thy people and concerning thy holy city to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
— seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy Holy City, the capital which was so dear to the heart of God, the determination of the time being purposely indefinite, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, to restrain the rebellion and to seal up the sins so that they would no longer find expression;
— and to make reconciliation for iniquity, to effect an expiation for guilt and to bring in everlasting righteousness, the result of the expiation of sin and to seal up the vision and prophecy, rather “and the prophet,” for these would be the chief and greatest prophecies ever written and be fulfilled;
— and to anoint the Most Holy: if this is meant the Holy of Holies in the Temple, as Jewish authority and a few others believe, then what is this anointing for? What’s the big deal; what is its significance? No explanations were ever given. It only has meaning if it is something special: to anoint the Special One; to anoint the Messiah; this has far more merit than for any other purpose;
— using the day-for-a-year principle of Bible prophecy is understood in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:3-6, the seventy weeks in Daniel 9 represent 70 times 7 or 490 days — that is, since days stand for prophetic years, this comes to a total of 490 years. What was to happen at the end of these years?
25 Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
— know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, from the time that the decree of Cyrus concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem went forth, Ezra 1:1; Isaiah 44:28, unto the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Prince;
— shall be seven weeks, that is, until the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, and threescore and two weeks, during which the great spiritual Temple of the Lord would be constructed; the street shall be built again and the wall, even in troublous times; young and adolescents, the spiritual Church established, under the turbulent Roman rule, would be like kids playing in the streets of Jerusalem in troublous times;
— this means the Messiah would appear after “seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” or 69 weeks, after the decree was given; it is known that the seventh year of Artaxerxes when he issued the decree was from September 458 to September 457 BC (Jewish reckoning fall to fall; Artaxerxes came to the throne in December 465 BC and reigned until 424 BC; Wikipedia);
— it took seven prophetic weeks, or 49 years (a year for a day) to complete this rebuilding of the Temple. The troublous times are described in Nehemiah 4. This carries us from 457 to 408 BC;
— after 62 more weeks, or 434 years (from 408 BC), the Messiah would be on the scene (verse 26).
— in other words, from 457 BC in the fall, till Christ appeared on the scene, there would be sixty-nine weeks (7 + 62) — a total of 69 times 7 or 483 years! Just 483 years after 457 BC brings us to exactly AD 27!
483 years were to pass, beginning from 457 BC when the decree went forth, bringing us to 26 AD — however, one year must be added 1 in crossing from BC to AD, bringing us to 27 AD — since there is no year zero
(or the calculation from BC to AD is: -457 + 1 + 483 = 27 AD)
— the Messiah would appear on the scene in 27 AD!
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end thereof shall be with a flood, and until the end of the war desolations are determined.
— and after threescore and two weeks (62 weeks) shall Messiah be cut off, namely, at the time of Christ’s death, a death not for Himself, but for the whole humanity;
— and the people of the prince that shall come, a mighty opponent, an anti-Messianic movement, Rome, shall destroy the city Jerusalem and the Temple, so that everything, apparently, would be lost after the attack;
— and the end thereof shall be with a flood, so that the attacking prince himself would perish in the end, by a divine judgement, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined, or “until the end there will be warfare,” until the end of this world; these sound like a preamble, introduction or summary to the book of Revelation.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and (better with “but” in some translations: AMP, CSB, LSB, LEB, NJKV, etc) in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
— and he, the prince, the Messiah, shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; andbut in the midst of the week he, a different ‘he’ (the one in verse 26 “the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary”) shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, so that there would be a break of the worship of God in the Temple, because the Temple would be destroyed,
— and for the over-spreading of abominations this different ‘he’ shall make it desolate; the daily sacrifice of the Temple and all their other sacrifices; when the city of Jerusalem, being besieged by Titus, and their fall in AD 70; the daily sacrifice ceased to the great grief of the people;
When? When did the Messiah accomplish this? “In the MIDST of the week!” That is dual — 1) after fulfilling one half of the seventieth week — after preaching the Kingdom of God for three and a half year, Christ died for the sins of the world, after doing the Work of God for three and a half years, from autumn 27 AD until spring 31 AD.
And 2) it also indicates that Christ died for our sins in the middle of a literal week — on a Wednesday! And He was resurrected three days and three nights later (Matthew 12:40) — near sunset on the weekly Sabbath so that He had risen already by sunrise Sunday morning (Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6).
Since Christ died for the sins of man kind in the midst of the week, the prophecy, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week,” has not yet been been completely fulfilled.
For three and a half years, during his ministry, he confirmed the covenant with his disciples. By his death, he put the final stamp on the covenant; through him all people can now enter into the covenant which God made with Abraham (Galations 3:29), and become heirs “according to the promise.”
— but as Daniel 9:26-27 reveals, there remains yet three and a half years of Christ’s ministry to be fulfilled! When will Christ fulfill it? Perhaps the last three and a half years could be a time of final training before the return of Christ Second Coming? Otherwise, when will he once again confirm the covenant?
Daniel 10
10: The angel’s revelation: kings of the north and south (10:1–12:13 – Persian era, mention of Greek era; Hebrew)
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. And the thing was true, but the time appointed was long; and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
— Cyrus, king of Persia, two years after his decree for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple had gone forth, a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar;
— both names being given here, one as a member of the people of God, the other as an official of the Persian court, who could render his nation a better service by remaining at court than by joining them in the restoration of Jerusalem, especially he was now of advanced age;
— and the thing, the word of God revealed to Daniel but the time appointed would be long into the future, of a time regarded as “the great tribulation” that is, the revelation concerned was God’s judgement with misery, wretchedness and troubles, a time called Jacob’s trouble.
2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. — Daniel was mourning, either on account of what had been revealed to him in the last vision or prophecy of the seventy weeks; by which it appeared the Jews would be guilty of in cutting off the Messiah;
— or what desolations would come upon their land, city and Temple, as also because of the present case of his people; many of them continuing in the country of Babylon when they had liberty to return to their land:
— or because of the hinderance the Jews met with in rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple who had returned; of which Daniel had an account of the Samaritans infiltrating the returning exiles, disrupting them and which caused him to mourn secretly.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
— Daniel fasted, ate neither flesh nor wine thus discarding all food, neither did he anoint himself at all, he abstained from all expressions of joy and happiness till three whole weeks were fulfilled; an expressions of sorrow and mourning at such a time.
4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel,
— Daniel abstained food and wine even through a Passover festival season, for the Passover festival was on the first month, Nisan, thus the seriousness of his quest.
5 then I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz.
6 His body also was like beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like the color of polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
—a man clothed in linen, his body also was like the beryl; that is, that part which was not covered with the linen garment and was seen, was like such a precious stone, said to be of an azure and sky colour, signifying he was the Lord from heaven; though, according to its name, it should be of a sea colour, greenish;
— and his face the appearance of lightning; exceeding bright, very dazzling to the eye, and striking terror to the mind; expressive of something very awful and majestic; and could be the Son of God whose face or countenance at his transfiguration on the mount, and when John saw him in a visionary way, was as the sun shineth in his strength;
— and the eyes of the Son of God as lamps of fire; and how piercing and penetrating his eyes are into the affairs of men and states, by whom they are clearly seen and to whom they are exactly known; and how fierce and terrible his wrath is towards his enemies, and whose looks must inject dread and terror into them; see Revelation 19:12;
— and his arms and feet like in colour to polished brass; denoting great strength for action, the stability, firmness and the glory of the Son of God; his power, in trampling upon his enemies and subduing them;
— and the voice of the Son of God; his words like the voice of a multitude, the voice of roaring like that of the ocean or of many waters; see Revelation 1:15 and may intend the power and efficacy of his words whether in proclamation or in judgements in a way of comfort or of wrath and vengeance.
7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
— and Daniel alone saw the vision so that all its details were clear to him; for the men that were with him saw not the vision as was the case also with the companions of Saul on the way to Damascus, Acts 9:7; Acts 22:11;
— but a great quaking fell upon them so that they fled to hide themselves, literally, “they fled by hiding themselves” an expression showing the greatness of their fear.
8 Therefore I was left alone and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
— therefore Daniel was left alone and saw this great vision and there remained no strength in him on account of the overwhelming terror of the vision;
— for his comeliness was turned in him into corruption, for his countenance grew deathly pale and Daniel retained no strength; it is evident from the entire description that Daniel had a vision and countenance of the Messiah, as He revealed Himself to Prophets of the Old Testament. Cf Revelation 1:13-15.
9 Yet heard I the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face was toward the ground.
— and when Daniel heard the voice of his words, he fell facedown on the ground either in a way of worship and adoration, in prayer and supplication, or because of awe and reverence of the speaker.
10 And behold, a hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. — and an hand touched Daniel, the stunned prophet not being able to say whose hand it was,
— but could be another being; the text indicates that it could be the previous angel in white, Gabriel perhaps, which set him upon his knees and upon the palms of his hands, gently shaking him into a waking state, so that he assumed at least a crouching position, although his stupor was not yet entirely gone;
— this angel could be Gabriel or one other than him, but without further evidence to the contrary, I’ll identify him as Gabriel, especially in Daniel 9:21-22 where he identified himself and said: “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding.”
11 And he said unto me, “O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright; for unto thee am I now sent.” And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
— and he said unto him, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, Cf. Daniel 9:23, understand the words that I speak unto thee, marking them very closely, and stand upright, shaking off the last effects of the numbness besetting him;
— for unto thee Gabriel now sent, as the bearer of a message of comfort and blessing. And when Gabriel had spoken this word unto him, Daniel stood trembling, still in fearful expectation of the matters which would be revealed to him.
12 Then said he unto me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard; and I have come for thy words.
— then said Gabriel unto him, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, applying himself most earnestly to the solution of the problems, and to chasten himself before God, in the proper humiliation of mind;
— thy words had come to the attention of God and his prayers heard and Gabriel come but he was delayed.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
— because the prince of the kingdom of Persia, the angel of darkness overseeing the Persian world power and therefore identical with some evil spirits, withstood Gabriel twenty one days; this being couldn’t be the Son of God for no other being could withstood the Second in Command, the Son, not even the devil identified by the Romans as Lucifer;
— but, Michael, the first of the angelic beings, known also as the Archangel, came to help him; and he remained there with the kings of Persia, using his influence in the interest of the Lord’s people. There is a world of angels and spirit beings and these spirits often have a very decided influence upon the happenings of our world history.
14 Now I have come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days, for yet the vision is for many days.” — now Gabriel come to make Daniel understand what shall befall his people in the latter days,
— during our era and even during the Messianic era; for yet the vision is for many days, it extends far into the future, our future.
15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
— and when Gabriel had spoken such words unto Daniel, he set his face toward the ground, in awe and consternation over the revelations to be expected, and he became dumb, remaining speechless for the time being.
16 And behold, one with the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke, and said unto him that stood before me, “O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
— and, behold, one of the likeness of the sons of men, Gabriel, or perhaps another administrating angel having the appearance of a human being, touched his lips, to heal his dumbness;
— then Daniel opened his mouth and said unto him, O my Lord, by the vision, as a result of his seeing the vision, his sorrows have returned unto him with acute and overwhelming power, and Daniel lost his strength.
17 For how can this servant of my Lord talk with thee, my lord? For as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.”
— how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this, my Lord? whose majesty was of a nature to terrify a poor sinful mortal; as for Daniel, straightway there remained no strength in him who grew pale neither is there breath left in him; he could neither stand nor breathe properly for agitation and consternation.
18 Then there came again and touched me one with the appearance of a man; and he strengthened me
— then there came again one like the appearance of a man and touched Daniel; or one like a man again touched him; the same that touched him before, Daniel 10:16, perhaps Gabriel or another administrating angel, using the same language in the following verse as he does Daniel 10:11;
19 and said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not. Peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong.” And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me.”
— and said, O man greatly loved, fear not, for his terror was the real cause of his weakness. Peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong! the repetition of the comforting words serving to give emphasis to them;
— and when he had spoken unto Daniel, he was strengthened and said, ‘my lord speak,’ he now felt able to hear and receive the message; ‘for thou hast strengthened me.’
20 Then said he, “Knowest thou why I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come.
— then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? The serious and highly important character of the message must be borne in mind by the prophet. And now will he return to fight with the prince of Persia, in order to hinder him from performing his evil designs against the children of Israel;
— and when I am gone forth to prepare to wage war, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come, another hostile spirit, representing Greece, destined to be the next world-power.
21 But I will show thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth; and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
— but I will show thee that which is noted in the Scripture, in the sacred document of God’s divine decrees; yet there is no one who could stand firmly with Gabriel (perhaps) against these forces, except Michael, the prince and Archangel.
Could the Black Hawk had been brought down by some unknown forces? And why were neither one of the two pilots not given a fraction of a second to send a SOS message before going down?
Now Japan is searching for 10 people aboard crashed military helicopter off Miyakojimar.
Could the Black Hawk had been brought down by some unknown forces?
TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) – Japan on Thursday said rescue efforts were under way to locate any survivors after one of its military helicopters carrying 10 people crashed in the sea near Miyakojima, part of the country’s southwest Okinawa island chain.
General Yasunori Morishita, chief of staff of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), said two pilots, two mechanics, and six passengers are among the missing personnel, including Lt. Gen. Yuichi Sakamoto, a top GSDF commander.
This crash comes just days after nine US soldiers were killed in a mid-air collision involving two Black Hawk helicopters near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The UH60 troop transport, commonly known as the Black Hawk, disappeared from radar tracking after leaving a Ground Self Defense Force base on Miyakojima, General Yasunori Morishita said at a press briefing.
The aircraft’s last known position was 18 km northwest of Miyako Airport
The aircraft was patrolling the waters around Miyakojima during an aerial reconnaissance mission, Morishita said. The helicopter was stationed at a key regional army base in Kumamoto prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu; and one of its 10 crew members is the division commander, Yuichi Sakamoto.
NHK public television earlier said the helicopter disappeared from radar about an hour after it departed from Miyako island and about half an hour before its scheduled return.
The average cruising speed of a Black Hawk is around 174 mph with a deployment range of 1,200 nautical miles. The aircraft’s last known position was 18 km northwest of Miyako Airport. Japan Coast Guard and naval vessels were deployed to search the area.
Chinese navy vessels traveling to the Pacific Ocean from the East China Sea often pass close to Miyakojima, which has hosted GSDF mobile anti-ship missile launchers since 2019.
In the past four days, amid growing tension over a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, at least three Chinese warships have sailed past the island.
Japan searching for 10 people aboard a crashed Black Hawk helicopter
Morishita did not say whether the helicopter was involved in tracking any Chinese military activity.
The government’s priority now is to rescue those who were on board, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired by public broadcaster NHK.
Japanese Coast Guard and military ships and aircraft that located aircraft wreckage in the water were searching for the missing four helicopter crew members and six passengers. Yuichi Sakamoto, a senior GSDF commander, is among the missing.
In Daniel 12:4 “but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days,” and so we are trying to understand this prophecy in the last days.
In Jewish reckoning it must be noted that this book is among the Writings but not among the Prophets. The foundation for their reasoning is based on sands; what seems to have induced them to downgrade Daniel is the manifest prophecy of the time of the coming of the Messiah whom they couldn’t reconcile with, hence they dropped this prophetic book from Prophets to Writings.
Daniel 7
7: The beasts from the sea (7:1–28 – Babylonian era: Aramaic)
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions in his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
— in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, who was coregent with his father Nabonidus and the grandson and adopted son of Nebuchadnezzar, according to the secular accounts; and Daniel had a dream and visions of his head,
— distinct images of his mind, quite distinct from confused pictures, upon his bed, that is, during the night then immediately or soon after it transpired he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters, setting forth the main facts in due order and omitting matters of secondary importance such as details pertaining to the appearance of the beasts.
2 Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
— Daniel spoke and said in introducing his narration of the strange experience which befell him, and he saw in his vision by night and, behold, the four winds of the heaven from the four main points of the compass, strove upon the great sea, storming along against one another upon the face of the ocean.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. — and four great beasts, monstrous in size and awful in look, came up from the sea, world-powers rising out of the turbulent political sea of the heathen world, one diverses from another, one after the other issuing from the great deep.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
— the first was like a lion and had eagle’s wings, emblem of kingly power and authority; Daniel beheld till the wings were plucked off, taking from the beast the ability to fly;
— and it was lifted up from the earth to which it was confined after having been deprived of its unrestrained motion and made stand upon the feet as a man, standing upon its hind feet in an upright position and a man’s heart was given to it so that it partook of the mind and the feelings of a human being;
— the interpretation of this vision may briefly be given as follows. The lion with the eagle’s wings was the Babylonian Empire, whose victorious progress was halted about the time that Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with the peculiar madness, which caused him to seek the fellowship of beasts, which, however, later received at least some understanding of the true God.
5 And behold, another beast, a second, like unto a bear. And it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’
— and behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, appearing later in point of time and it raised up itself on one side so that it leaned over sideways as it lifted the shoulder on that side to move forward;
— the bear symbolises the Medes, an ancient people, and the Persians, a more modern tribe, formed one united sovereignty in contrast to other kingdoms; the three ribs in its mouth are Media, Lydia, and Babylon, brought under the Persian sway; or Darius the Mede; Cyrus, Ahasuerus, and Darius, forming three ribs.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
— after this Daniel beheld and lo, a third animal coming on the scene somewhat later in history, like a leopard which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl, enabling it to move with great speed;
— the beast had also four heads, indicating that its authority would be divided among four sovereigns; and dominion was given to it, great authority and power in the worl; the leopard upon whose back wings appeared is the Grecian Empire, which, under Alexander the Great, spread over the world with great rapidity.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth. It devoured, and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
— after this, behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, of awe-inspiring fierceness, and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth, symbolizing the lust of conquest and destruction; it devoured and brake in pieces, greedily feeding on whatever it could get into its power and stamped any residue, whatever it could not devour with the feet of it, bent upon annihilating all that stood in its way;
— and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it so that the entire animal kingdom could furnish no beast to which it was similar; and it had ten horns, giving further impression of power and ferocity;
— the fourth beast is the Roman Empire with its insatiable fierceness and love of conquest, whose spiritual descendant and successor is the kingdom of the Pope at Rome, just as delineated in the Book of Revelation. The ancient empire indeed came to an end, but it was revived in the empire of Charles the Great, and the political power of the Pope is felt in practically every nation of the earth today.
8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
— Daniel considered the horns, observing them very closely and behold, there came up among them another little horn, springing up as the eleventh and at first insignificant in size, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots, to make room for the newcomer;
— and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, symbols of understanding, although not possessing the characteristics of divinity, and a mouth speaking great things, full of proud and blasphemous boasting;
— the fourth beast, the Roman Empire, also brought forth the Catholic Church. Practically every feature of the description fits the rule of this Roman Church from the very start. The kingdom of the Pope grew up like a horn, exerting its political power very gradually, but none the less surely. From small beginnings it developed until it reached a station in which it practically controlled the fate of nations.
The Popes have, in many cases, made use of the highest wisdom, together with an almost diabolical cunning, to further their cause. By dint of their cunning they made their authority felt in the counsels of nations; they have impressed people with their power far above the real status of affairs.
The kingdom of the Pope is unlike every other kingdom, since he exerts political power under the guise of spreading the kingdom of God. Time and again the Pope of Rome has spoken blasphemous words against the one true God. History records numerous instances of persecutions carried on by Popes and their millions, as during the terrible inquisitions.
Popes have altered the Word of God to suit their own convenience and to serve their selfish interests. In spite of the reverses which the kingdom of Antichrist has suffered in the past, as when Emperor Otto I deposed Pope John XII, when the councils of the fifteenth century tried to effect at least an outward reformation, and, above all, when Martin Luther carried the fight into the enemy’s ranks, the kingdom of Antichrist will remain till the end of time. Cf II Thessalonians 2; Revelation 17.
The prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled and is being fulfilled in a most remarkable manner, a fact which tends to strengthen our faith in every word of the Bible.
9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days sat down, whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire.
— Daniel beheld, till the thrones were cast down by a great act of judgement by the Ancient of Days, symbol of the eternal and majestic God, who sit, whose garment was white as snow and the hair of his head like the pure wool, both symbols of unsullied purity and holiness;
— his throne was like the fiery flame, flashing as though composed of a fiery mass and His wheels as burning fire, symbolical of the fiery zeal with which the Lord punishes the transgressors but also purifies His people and prepares them for the future glorification.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgement was set, and the books were opened.
— a fiery stream issued and came forth from before God, to devour the sinful and hostile forces of the world and to purify the children of the Kingdom. Thousand thousands ministered unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him, an uncounted number of holy angels ready to do his will;
— the Judgement was set, everything was made ready for the trial and the books were opened, namely, the books of record in which the deeds of men were entered to serve as the basis of the sentence to be pronounced upon men by the heavenly Judge.
11 “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
— Daniel beheld them because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke for it was due to the boasting of the ruler represented by the last horn that judgement and destruction came upon the world;
— Daniel beheld even till the beast was slain, namely, the fourth, the fierce and destructive beast and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame, whose devouring fiery streams issued from the throne of the eternal Judge.
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. — as concerning the rest of the beasts, the three which were first described, they had their dominion taken away, their power was also taken away in the general judgement;
— yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time, or rather “for the duration of their life was fixed” as to the season and time; God had determined beforehand how long their dynasty should last;
— in the Talmud: Sanhedrin 98a:13 – Sefaria: Rabbi Alexandri explains: If they merit redemption through repentance and good deeds I will hasten the coming of the Messiah. If they do not merit redemption, the coming of the Messiah will be in its designated time.
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
— Daniel saw in the night visions and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, Rashi: one like a man coming: that is the King Messiah;
— in the Talmud: Sanhedrin 98a:13 – Sefaria: Rabbi Alexandri explains: If the Jewish people merit redemption, the Messiah will come in a miraculous manner with the clouds of heaven. If they do not merit redemption, the Messiah will come lowly and riding upon a donkey.
— one like the Son of Man riding upon them as on a celestial chariot, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought the Son before the Father; it is on the basis of this passage, which describes the formal inauguration of the Messiah that he applied the name “Son of Man” so frequently in the gospels;
— although Jewish authority acknowledges that this book Daniel is a Sacred Text, they relegated it to “Writings” so that this book is not among the Prophets; it isn’t a prophecy, they didn’t quite like it, despite Rashi’s statement above; backed by the Talmud. The reasons they give are based on shallow reasoning as the Prophet Isaiah speaks of his own people, Israel, which include their own blind shepherd, “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see,” Isaiah 42:18.
— their stout-hearted shepherd have induced themselves to degrade Daniel is another prophecy of the time of the Messiah’s coming in this book, that he is the Son of God; and when their eyes are open, they will see the one whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son, Zechariah 12:10.
14 And there was given Him dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
— and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, divine authority over the domain of the earth, that all people, nations and languages should serve Him;
— his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. The description clearly shows that the Son of Man is a person distinct from the Father, and that the fact of his eternal dominion and power is a direct argument for His deity. Cf Revelation 11:15; Revelation 19:16.
15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
— Daniel grieved in his spirit in the midst of his vision for the body contains the spirit as the scabbard contains the sword, and the visions in his head troubled him; he felt most apprehensive concerning them.
16 I came near unto one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things:
— Daniel came near unto one of them, perhaps an angel, that stood by, one of those engaged in the service of God, and asked him the truth of all this, the true explanation of the judgement scene which was here enacted. So he told Daniel and made him know the interpretation of the things, so that Daniel understood the vision in all its parts.
17 ‘These great beasts, which are four, are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. — these great beasts, which are four, are four kings; the heads of mighty empires, each one the founder of a dynasty, which shall arise out of the earth, from the surface of the earth, of the earth, earthy.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.’ — but the Elects of the Most High shall take the kingdom, receiving it as a gift from above and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever;
— the Sainsts of the covenant nation, the congregation of the Lord, gathered from of all the nations are by virtue of their faith in the Messiah, possessors of the kingdom of God, they enjoy all the blessings of the Lord in this relationship to the Son of God and to their heavenly Father here in time and hereafter in eternity.
19 “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass, which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
— then Daniel would know the truth of the fourth beast, that is, Daniel was anxious to know about this beast also, which was diverse from all the others, so utterly different from them;
— exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass, the feature of the brazen claws being added in this description; which devoured, brake in pieces and stamped the residue with his feet.
20 and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up and before whom three fell, even of the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
— and of the ten horns that were in his head and of the other which came up and before whom three fell, even of that horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake very great things, in boastful blasphemy, whose look was more stout than his fellows, that is, his appearance was such as to inspire terror.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them — Daniel beheld and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, this being apart of its campaign of destruction, it involved a temporary defeat of the forces of the Lord,
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgement was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom.
— until the Ancient of Days came, the true and only God coming to judgement upon his enemies, and judgement was given to the saints of the Most High for the Lord took their part and effected their deliverance from the oppression of the beast;
— and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom, the Kingdom of God holding the blessings of the Lord even here in time, in spite of all hostility of Satan and his evil forces and entering into undisturbed possession of them in the Kingdom of God.
23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces.
— thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, following the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian and the Greek empire, respectively, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces, the general effect of its rule being decidedly destructive.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them, and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
— and the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise, that is, the Roman Empire, upon its disintegration, would be resolved into a number of smaller states, all of which would, however, carry on the traditions of the mother state and still be one in spirit with her;
— and another shall rise after them, a ruler wielding a great deal of power and he shall be diverse from the first, differing from his predecessors and he shall subdue three kings, causing them completely to lose their identity.
25 And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
— and he shall speak great words against the Most High in blasphemies of an unusually vicious character and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change times and laws, setting aside human and divine laws at will;
— and they shall be given into his hand for him practically to work his will as he chose until a time and times and the dividing of time, the entire length of time, divided into three distinct periods being figured in terms of God’s time;
— changing of times, from Sabbaths to Sundays; her sabbaths where the original Sun-worshippers were the Samaritans, brought from Assyria: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, II Kings 17:24.
26 “‘But the judgement shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. — but the judgement shall sit, the sentence will be carried out and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end so that its final destruction is not to be expected before the end of the world.
27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
— and the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, throughout the world, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High so that the Kingdom of the Lord would finally be victorious whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
— here is the end of the matter, this is the gist of the vision. As for Daniel, his heart troubled him much, namely, after he awoke from his dream and his countenance changed, his face showed the effect of his worry over the matter; but Daniel kept the matter to himself.
Daniel 8
8: The ram and the he-goat (8:1–27 – Babylonian era; Hebrew)
1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me, Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
— in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, two years after Daniel had had the vision of the four monarchies, a vision appeared unto him, after which appeared unto him. It is evident that this vision did not come to Daniel in a dream, but that he was awake and conscious while this information came to him.
2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
— and Daniel saw in a vision in a state of ecstasy; and it came to pass when he saw that he was at Shushan or Susa in the palace, which is in the province of Elam, for Susa was the capital of this province during the Babylonian supremacy while under Persian reign it was located in the satrapy of Susiana;
— and Daniel saw in a vision and he was by the river of Ulai, or Eulaeus, on which Susa was situated. Daniel evidently in his capacity as one of the foremost officials of the empire, visited various provinces from time to time or he may even have had a winter home in this city.
3 Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns; and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
— then Daniel lifted up his eyes and saw and, behold, there stood before the river, a ram not in a flock but alone which had two horns; and the two horns were high, both of them expressive of royalty and power but one was higher than the other, and the higher the one possessing the greater power, came up last, it was later in point of time;
— the ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia, or the Medo-Persian Empire, v 20 below; which destroyed the Babylon empire in 539 BC and ruled to 331 BC.
4 I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward, so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will and became great.
— Daniel saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward to subdue all the countries located in these directions so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand, his power, for the time being was absolute;
— but he did according to his will and became great so that the empire which he represented became a world power.
5 And as I was considering, behold, a hegoat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. — and as Daniel was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west, from Europe, across Asia Minor;
6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
— and he came to the ram that had two horns, not stopping for any consideration, which Daniel had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power, in irresistible mighty rage.
— then the Greco-Macedonian Empire came on the scene with its first great king, Alexander the Great (verses 6 and 7); the conquest of the Medo-Persian Empire by Alexander the Great occurred in 331 BC.
The ram that had two horns
7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with fury against him, and smote the ram and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and stamped upon him. And there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
— and Daniel saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him with sudden, explosive anger and smote the ram in a fierce overthrow and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him;
8 Therefore the he-goat waxed very great; and when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and in its place came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
— therefore the he-goat waxed very great, his power developed mightily; and when he was strong, just as he reached the highest point of his might;
— the great horn was broken, the unity of the attacking power was disrupted with the death of its leader: and for it came up four notable ones, four leaders, who divided the power among themselves toward the four winds of heaven.
— the horn in the goat’s head symbolized the “first king” of the Greco-Macedonian Empire; that was Alexander the Great; but this horn was suddenly “broken!” Alexander the Great died suddenly of a fever in Babylon little more than thirty years of age!
9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south and toward the east and toward the pleasant land.
— and out of one of them came forth a little horn, sprouting in a diminutive manner like the branches in the prongs of an antelope which waxed exceeding great toward the south and toward the east and toward the pleasant land, Judea, the glorious land, the land of God’s chosen people;
— this “little horn” appears coming out of one of the four divisions of Alexander’s empire.
10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
— and it waxed great, even to the host of heaven, to the congregation of the Lord’s people, for the Jews were at that time representatives of the Lord’s Kingdom on earth; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them, presuming, in its pride to wage warfare even against the stars (saints) of the Lord;
— the “little horn” will persecute the true Church; the “holy people” who shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Daniel 8:10, 24 with Daniel 12:3). He seems like Antiochus Epiphanes!
11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
— yea, he, Antiochus Epiphanes, magnified himself even to the prince of the host, placing himself on a level with the most high God and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, that is, he interfered with the worship of the true God as then carried on in the Temple, and the place of his Sanctuary was cast down, profaned with blasphemous behavior;
— some misguided Adventists say the heavenly Sanctuary was “cast down” – it’s just baloney: all the heavenly angels and even God allows this to happen around his Throne is more than ludicrous? (more at the end)
12 And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.
— and an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, that is, “warfare was inaugurated against the daily sacrifice with outrage,” with idolatrous worship by the heathen ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, represented by the last horn, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered; it accomplished this much, it was successful by divine permission.
13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint who spoke, “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?”
— then Daniel heard one saint, one of the Lord’s saints speaking and another saint said unto that certain saint which spoke as they were conversing, the interruption being made in the interest of Daniel;
— how long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, that is, how long the destruction of the Lord’s worship, continue and the transgression of desolation, the horrible transgression which had just been described to give both the Sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, “Until two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” — and he said unto Daniel, Unto two thousand and three hundred days;
— literally, “evening-mornings” then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed or “justified” which may mean deconsecrated, (the original “days” in Hebrew is “bō·qer e·reḇ” which is morning/evening). The figures and further analysis are given at the end of this chapter
— the doctrine of the Investigative Judgement, which began on October 22, 1844, is an integral part of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary, teaching that a judgement had begun on that year’s Day of Atonement, when Christ entered the Most Holy Place in heaven to start an “investigative judgement.”
— one of the mysteries is that according to Jewish reckoning, there is no way Yum Kippur, or Day of Atonement, on Tishrei 10, 5605 could be so late as October 22 in year 1844; or of any year; and in the year 1844 (Hebrew year 5605) the Day of Atonement was on September 23;
— the only possibility of October 22, 1844 being a Day of Atonement would be following a Samaritan calendar, which, started nefariously by king Jeroboam of the Northern 10-Tribes, is at times, a month late, (more on this at the end).
15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision and sought for the meaning, then behold, there stood before me one with the appearance of a man.
— and it came to pass when Daniel, even he had seen the vision and sought for the meaning, pondering over it, viewing it from every angle, then, behold there stood before me as the appearance of a man the apparition coming with startling suddenness.
16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, who called and said, “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.”
— and Daniel heard a man’s voice, between the banks of Ulai, coming from between the two branches of the Eulaeus River, which called and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So the being who appeared to Daniel in the aspect of a man was one of the Lord’s angels.
17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came I was afraid and fell upon my face, but he said unto me, “Understand, O son of man,for at the time of the end shall be the vision.”
— so he came near where Daniel stood; and when he came, Daniel as afraid, the close proximity of a holy being filled him with fear and fell upon Daniel’s face; but he said unto him;
— Understand, O son of man; for at the time of the end shall be the vision, that is, it gives information concerning occurrences at the end of time, the final period of the earth’s history.
18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me and set me upright.
— now, as he was speaking with Daniel, who was in a deep sleep on his face toward the ground in a state of numbness or ecstasy; but he touched Daniel and set him upright, strengthening him for the time being that he might witness the rest of the vision.
19 And he said, “Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation, for at the time appointed the end shall be.
— CSB and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end; when the wrath of God would be poured out upon the godless world; for at the time appointed the end shall be.
20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. — the ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia, the Medo-Persian monarchy in its entire historical development.
— this empire subdued, under Persian leadership: toward the west, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Syria, and the countries of Asia Minor; toward the north, Colchis, Armenia, Iberia, and the states along the Caspian Sea; toward the south, Judea, Egypt, Ethiopia and India.
21 And the rough goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. — and the rough goat, moving eastward across Asia Minor in victorious advance, is the king of Grecia, literally “of Javan”
— Macedonia, Greece and the Ionian colonies being included in the term; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king, Alexander the Great, the founder of this world-power.
22 Now that one being broken, in whose place four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. — now, that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, or “concerning the horn, that it was broken and that four then took its place,”
— this is the meaning: four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, out of the world of nations united under the rule of the first king, but not in his power, not equal to the founder, neither singly nor all taken together.
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall stand up.
— and in the latter time of their kingdom, that is, after these dynasties had been in existence for some time, when the transgressors are come to the full, when the apostate Jews would once more have fulfilled the measure of their wickedness;
— a king of fierce countenance, shameless, one like Antiochus Epiphanes, without the slightest regard for God and men, and understanding dark sentences, hiding his true purposes behind ambiguous statements, shall stand up, coming into power as the ruler of that section of the Greek Empire.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wondrously, and shall prosper and perform, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
— and one like Antiochus Epiphanes, his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power, with the permission of God; and he shall destroy wonderfully, so that men would be astonished at his activities in this respect, and shall prosper and practice and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people, venting his spite both upon the warlike enemies opposing him and upon the congregation of the saints;
— the “little horn” which was transformed into the pagan papal Roman Church, has all along persecutes the true Church — the “holy people” who shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Daniel 8:10, 24 with Daniel 12:3).
25 And through his policy also he shall cause deceit to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by using peace shall destroy many. He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken without raising a hand.
— and through his, the “little horn” policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, that is, in accordance with his cunning he would succeed in his deception in various hypocritical plans which he had decided upon; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, becoming proud by reason of these successful maneuvers;
— and by peace shall destroy many, while they were living in care-free security, the suddenness of the attack causing them to yield without a struggle; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, presuming to set himself even against God. But he shall be broken without hand; God Himself taking his punishment in hand.
26 “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true. Therefore shut thou up the vision, for it shall be for many days.”
— and the vision of the evening and the morning which was told, concerning the length of the time of the affliction, is true; wherefore shut thou up the vision, to preserve it for such later day, for it shall be for many days, the vision, being concerned with things of the distant future, would retain its prophetic value and should therefore not be revealed generally at this time.
27 And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick several days. Afterward I rose up and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
— and Daniel, overcome by the startling and overwhelming character of the revelation, fainted and was sick certain days. Afterward Daniel rose up and did the king’s business, attending to the duties of his office as before; he kept his counsel concerning it, but none understood it, for the full significance of the revelation he received would be possible only with its fulfillment.
— and Daniel kept his counsel concerning it, but none understood it, for the full significance of the revelation he received would be possible only with its fulfillment. Antiochus Epiphanes is rightly regarded in history as a type of Antichrist, the papacy of Rome, for he made every effort to drive out the worship of the true God in the Holy Land and to substitute instead a veneration of himself.
~~~
More on the 2300 days when the daily sacrifices are taken away (Daniel 8:13-14)
Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint who spoke, “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?”
And he said unto me, “Until two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” Daniel 8:13-14
A key to this mysterious time period was hidden from Daniel’s understanding — was not to be revealed until the latter days! It is a prophecy for our time — this climactic 21st Century!
SDAs explain this prophecy by assuming the “sanctuary” is in heaven and claim that this vision of “2300 days” commenced in 457 BC and ended in 1844, (using a day for a year principle, hence the “2300 days” represent 2300 years).
First Disappointment October 22, 1843; Second Disappointment October 22, 1944
They claim that during this time of 2300 years the “sanctuary” that was cast down — the Holy of Holies in heaven itself — God’s very throne — was to be “cleansed” beginning on October 22, 1844 (which is Cheshvan 9, not Yum Kippur). The only possibility of October 22, 1844 being a Day of Atonement would be following a Samaritan calendar, where they make their observation from Mount Gerizim, which, started by a reprehensible king, Jeroboam of the Northern 10-Tribes, is often times, a month late.
Oh Goodness! How could “the little horn” cast down the Holy of Holies in heaven? Insanity asides, how could well over 20 millions believe such balderdash today? Such thinking are just Nonsense! Unless, of course, they were deceived by a Prophetess, Jezebel, see Revelation 2:20.
“O Blind Guides! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” The first thing that these misguided need to clean is to clean their own brains. God the Almighty is well capable of looking after his Holy of Holies in heaven! Or, is he not so Almighty?
Whatever the answer is, it has to do with an earthly event concerning the Sanctuary or the Temple in Jerusalem. But notice the little horn takes away the daily sacrifice for “2300 days.” Were there any daily sacrifices taken away since the writing of Daniel?
One possible answer is that this prophecy of the taking away of the evening and morning sacrifice has already been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes. This is rather possible! Notice why: what happened to the daily sacrifice in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes (168-165 BC).
The wicked deeds of Antiochus Epiphanes are recorded in Daniel 11:31. He polluted the ancient sanctuary. He took away the daily sacrifice, and the 1150 days is one possibility; or perhaps it could be a preamble.
Now consider who the “little horn” in this prophecy is. It spring out from the King of the North; which originally was Syria, the Seleucid Empire — north of Palestine. But Syria was soon swallowed by ROME. The Roman system of government became the “King of the North.”
Later the “little horn” became the papal Roman Church, which persecutes the true Church — the “holy people” shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Daniel 8:10, 24 with Daniel 12:3).
The papal Roman Church had existed to our time in Europe, Asia and now all over the world. In the Middle Ages it was called the Holy Roman Empire, and the church ever since was and is the Roman Catholic Church.
Notice Daniel 8:26: “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true….” The vision of “2300 days” is actually called in the Scripture “the vision of the evening and the morning”
The word “days” this note reveals that the original Hebrew of the word “days” is “evening morning” (the original “days” in Hebrew is “bō·qer e·reḇ” which is morning and evening). This prophecy is NOT referring to 24-hour days but to evenings/mornings; that is, the evening and the morning sacrifice!
According to verse 11 the little horn takes away the DAILY SACRIFICE. The daily sacrifice was offered in the evening and in the morning. In Exodus 29:39, “The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at evening.”
Verse 14 in other versions “two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings.” In other words, here is a prophecy that two thousand three hundred evening and morning sacrifices would cease to be offered.
Since the daily sacrifice was offered TWICE A DAY, this prophecy is actually speaking of one thousand one hundred fifty (1150) days. In 1150 days there would be exactly two thousand three hundred sacrifices offered at evening and morning.
Some excerpts from Wikipedia (Hanukkah)
When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BCE, Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.
By 164 BCE, the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event. Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made.
We may not be sure of the exact dates, but one account says the abomination took place on the 15th of Kislev (1 Maccabees 1:54) in 167 BC, and at the end of this 1150-day period the sanctuary is to be “cleansed” or “justified” and on another account this cleansing was established on the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC to celebrate this liberation:
Hanukkah; which would be roughly 1105 days, short of 1150 days by 45 days, or 90 “evening morning, bō·qer e·reḇ.” Thus this prophecy of “2300 days” could have been or partially fulfilled by the abomination set up by Antiochus Epiphanes until its liberation.
And finally, such a prophecy could be dual, that is, another possibility could reoccur if the third Temple is to be built in Jerusalem in the future and another transgression of desolation causing the daily sacrifices to cease. This final time, it could be fulfilled exactly “2300 days.”
And skipping forward to Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”
And in Matthew 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand).” There we are, another transgression of desolation yet in the future. How will all these play out, well, we’ll have to wait and see.
Saudi Arabia makes its Eurasian shift. Her recent reconciliations with Iran and Syria under Chinese-Russian guidance is perceived as a step toward reducing Riyadh’s dependence on the US, while also advancing Beijing and Moscow’s political and economic influence in West Asia.
On 6 March, 2023, Iranian and Saudi officials held a meeting in Beijing where they agreed to restore bilateral relations. The agreement was significant not only for the mutual de-escalation of tensions in West Asia, but also for Saudi Arabia’s growing importance in the process of Eurasian integration led by China and Russia.
By welcoming Chinese mediation, the kingdom has positioned itself as an independent actor capable of opening doors for Beijing and Moscow in a region where they have traditionally been overshadowed by a great power rival, the US. This move boosts Saudi Arabia’s importance in the geopolitical landscape and strengthens its ties with Beijing and Moscow.
Asserting autonomy from the US
For much of its history, Saudi Arabia was a staunch ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region. However, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MbS) military quagmire in Yemen – among other things – damaged Washington’s perception of the kingdom as a stable and reliable outpost in the region. The feeling was mutual and forced MbS to seek assistance from other nations to help lower tensions on Saudi frontiers.
Between 2021 and 2022, Riyadh engaged in several rounds of an Iraq-hosted dialogue with Iran to negotiate assistance from Tehran in preventing its allies in Yemen and Iraq from attacking Saudi territory.
What is particularly noteworthy to China and Russia is that MbS did not use this diplomacy as a means to restore the US’ traditional centrality in the kingdom’s regional and security policies. Instead, he made a point of cooperation with Beijing and Moscow while simultaneously snubbing Washington.
For example, in October 2022, Saudi Arabia partnered with OPEC+ partner Russia to cut oil production, breaking commitments made to US President Joe Biden during his July visit to Jeddah. MbS also overshadowed Biden’s trip with a much grander welcome for Chinese President Xi Jinping in December, during which Riyadh also hosted the first China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit to underscore the Saudi view of China as a regional partner rather than just a bilateral one.
Against this backdrop, the Saudi decision to sign a Chinese-brokered deal with Iran without Washington’s involvement has been interpreted as a “middle-finger to Biden,” in the words of former US State Department analyst Aaron David Miller.
Similarly, Riyadh’s nascent Russian-brokered detente with Syria, whose Iran and Russia-allied government is still opposed by the US, also illustrates Saudi Arabia’s willingness to move away from its traditional pro-American stance.
Moving the region eastward
To China and Russia, these moves by MbS signify more than just diplomatic victories over the US. They represent Saudi Arabia’s support for their efforts to shape the dynamics in the Persian Gulf, where both Eurasian powers have hitherto kept a low profile on account of the decades-long western domination of the region – now on its way out.
Facilitated by Saudi Arabia, Beijing, and Moscow can engage the Persian Gulf as a bridgehead to expand their influence in the broader West Asian region and thus advance their Eurasian integration designs.
China, in particular, has taken the lead in this regard with its ambitious, multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Persian Gulf is already well integrated with the BRI thanks to the burgeoning Chinese-GCC energy trade and China’s growing investments in industrial parks and ports across the GCC. However, the conflicts and disorder across the rest of West Asia have thus far hindered China’s ability to make significant BRI investments in the region.
As noted in a March 2022 analysis for Inside Arabia, China views the stability of its economic interests in the Persian Gulf as essential to the success of its plans, and sees its Sino-GCC ties as a model for stabilizing the wider West Asia under the BRI. To this end, China has supported GCC-led conflict resolution efforts in Yemen and has also put forward its Five Point Initiative in March 2021, calling for region-wide stabilization efforts and the establishment of an indigenous security architecture.
In this context, the Iran-Saudi normalization deal is great news for China. It affirms Beijing’s idea that its partnerships in the Persian Gulf can serve as a starting point for stabilization efforts for the whole of West Asia; after all, Tehran and Riyadh’s rivalry played out far more in places like Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine than it did in the Gulf itself.
The Beijing Agreement was not only a positive development for China’s BRI, but also for the Russian-led International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Just as Moscow supports the BRI as a means of promoting multipolarity and decreasing US dominance, it has actively worked to advance the INSTC, which connects India by sea to Iran and then to northern Europe via Azerbaijan and Russia.
With the calming of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the INSTC stands to benefit from increased economic opportunities. Russia can explore possibilities such as increasing its own trade with the Persian Gulf via Iran through the INSTC and, further, with the rest of West Asia. Thus, the Iran-Saudi detente is good news for Russia’s own connectivity projects and regional integration efforts.
Bolstering the SCO
On 29 March, 2023, Saudi Arabia announced its intention to become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an institution founded by China to foster multilateral security and diplomatic coordination on regional issues in Eurasia.
The SCO already includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, covering China’s immediate Eurasian neighborhood in Central and South Asia as well Russia.
With the ongoing accession of Iran as a full member of the SCO, Saudi Arabia’s entry as a dialogue partner would bring two of the most important states in terms of conflict resolution in West Asia into the organization’s ranks.
This is the kind of expansion of the SCO’s membership, scope, and relevance that is sought by China and also Russia. Moscow has long viewed the SCO as an ideal platform to present a unified Sino-Russian front against US interests, with an early example of this being the SCO’s July 2005 Astana Summit declaration demanding the withdrawal of US military presence from Central Asia.
Thus, an extension of the SCO’s mandate to West Asian issues offers Moscow the opportunity to push for Sino-Russian cooperation against the US in West Asia as well, continuing in the spirit of their Eurasian partnership as enshrined in the SCO.
Riyadh’s new horizons in Eurasia
Arguably, Saudi Arabia’s move toward the SCO is highly advantageous to both China and Russia. By proving its utility to the latters’ efforts for a bigger, more interconnected Eurasian community, the kingdom is also well-placed to pursue its own ends in Eurasia that pertain to Saudi national interests.
For instance, Saudi Arabia can double down on its plans for significant investments in Central Asia, a part of the Eurasian space that Russia closely monitors for any signs of activity by countries it sees as antagonistic to its Eurasian designs.
The Central Asian republics’ attempts to diversify their economies away from oil and gas present lucrative investment opportunities to Riyadh as it seeks its own diversification beyond energy under the ambit of MbS’ mega-project, Vision 2030.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia can leverage its elevated reputation with China and Russia to deter potential opposition from competitors to its moves in Eurasia. An example of this is Riyadh’s investments in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, a rival to neighboring Iran’s own ambitions to penetrate the large South Asian gas market.
If Riyadh lacked a Eurasian understanding with Beijing and Moscow, Tehran – considered a vital Eurasian state – would be tempted to raise alarm over its dealings with Ashgabat, which also buys Saudi defense equipment.
The kingdom’s Eurasian pivot
The move toward a more diversified foreign policy has been a relatively smooth transition for Saudi Arabia. Despite its major military failure in Yemen and resulting security concerns, the kingdom has been successful in finding new partners.
By embracing the Eurasian paradigm promoted by China and Russia, Saudi Arabia is able to fill the gaps exposed in its foreign policy after the breakdown of its strategic rapport with Washington in the region.
This ultimately presents flexibility for the kingdom to pursue its own national interests, while also contributing to the larger goal of a more interconnected Eurasian community.
“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
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. Hosea 5:14
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
The powerful Mexican drug cartel responsible for the kidnapping of four US citizens — and the death of two of them — could be designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a hearing in March that the department is considering the designation for the Mexican drug cartels, which could include the Gulf Cartel, the cartel responsible for the attack.
The foreign terrorist (FTO) designation has been attracting interest as a tool to use against the cartel in recent years.
What would happen if Mexican Cartels are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations?
Why is it being considered?
The killing of the two American citizens crossed a “red line,” says Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.
The Mexican drug cartels also traffic fentanyl, which is responsible for soaring opioid deaths in the US — over 70,000 Americans died of synthetic opioid overdoses in 2021, most of them caused by fentanyl that comes from Mexico.
Last year, the DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every American, more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills and over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, the vast majority of it at the southern border.
Ali thinks now is the right time to designate the cartels as terrorist organizations, arguing that the US is not currently using “all the tools we have” to counter them.
What makes a group a Foreign Terrorist Organization?
In order to be labeled an FTO a group or network has to meet three criteria:
Must be foreign-based, Engages in terrorist activity, The terrorist activity threatens US citizens or US national security. How many Foreign Terrorist Organizations are there?
There are over 30 groups designated by the State Department, but none operate solely as drug cartels.
What would re-labeling a group as an FTO actually do?
An FTO designation unlocks the option for more foreign sanctions and a material support charge, which makes it much easier to indict someone on lesser charges if affiliated with the terrorist organization.
“It certainly stigmatizes them,” said Ali. “I would think the last thing a Mexican drug cartel wants is to be labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization. That’s bad for business.”
Does Congress have a role in categorizing a group as an FTO?
The secretary of state makes the designation, in coordination with the attorney general and treasury secretary. Then, it is sent to Congress for review and if it raises no issue with the designation, after seven days, it’s published in the Federal Register, making it official.
Rep. Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, has introduced legislation that asks Blinken to target several cartels for FTO designation: the Gulf Cartel, Cartel Del Noreste, Cartel de Sinaloa, and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.
On February, 21 Republican attorneys general called on President Joe Biden and Blinken to declare Mexican drug cartels as FTOs.
How would the designation affect drug cartels?
It won’t stop the cartels, Ali says, but it would get their attention — and the attention of anyone working with them. Because of the material support charge available to the US after an FTO designation, the charges would be far more severe for even a low-level offense, such as giving money to the cartel. Donating to a foreign terrorist organization can result in a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Officially labeling the Mexican drug cartels as terrorists emphasizes the national security threat they pose and confer authorizations the US hopes would have a chilling effect.
Downsides to FTO designation?
But there are potential disadvantages to making the designation. It could adversely affect US-Mexico relations.
“We have enormous authority already in dealing with drug trafficking organizations, in terms of all the policing capabilities we have to deal with them, particularly in the United States,” says Pamela Starr, an international relations professor at the University of Southern California.
“What it would do, however, is undermine bilateral cooperation with Mexico, and that would dramatically undermine our capacity to deal with the challenges in Mexico.”
And the FTO designation might also damage Mexico’s appeal as a tourist destination by contributing to the perception that it’s less safe.
Starr also warns the designation could radicalize drug cartels further. “My real concern is that if you treat organized crime as if it were a terrorist organization, they might begin to employ terrorist tactics,” Starr said.
In a worst-case scenario, the cartel could increase the targeting of US citizens, according to Ali.
But Ali argues the FTO designation for Mexican drug cartels is worthwhile. “This level of activity is absolutely having an impact on our national security, more from the flow of drugs in the US than the targeting of Americans in Mexico. But it still gives you another tool. Why not use it when the status quo doesn’t seem to be working?”
For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
In Daniel 12:4 “but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days,” and so we are trying to understand this prophecy in the last days.
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. — Belshazzar, the king, the son of Nabonidus,
— apparently the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand, the banquet becoming a drunken orgy. He was in command of the capital at that time and excelled in most of the vices for which ancient rulers were known.
2 Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, that the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines might drink therein.
— Belshazzar, while he tasted his wine, sitting on a platform or dais, when he had just gotten under the influence of the wine’s intoxicating power, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father, or grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple which was in Jerusalem, Cf Jeremiah 52:19; II Kings 25:14-17;
— that the king, his princes and governors, the foremost nobles of the realm, their wives and concubines, whose presence at the royal banquets is mentioned also by secular historians, might drink therein, using them to parade their drunken mockery.
3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
— then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of God’s Temple which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank in them. This act can in no wise be excused or condoned, not even as an act of religion, as a libation to the God of the Jews: it was a deed of reckless profanity.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. — they drank wine and, in their intoxication, praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone. It was thus essentially an exaltation of their idols above Yehovah of whom they thought that they had conquered in battle.
5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote opposite the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
— in the same hour, suddenly, while they were still in the midst of their drunken revelry came forth fingers of a man’s hand and wrote, or were writing, over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, which had no paneling or tapestry;
— and the king saw the part of the hand, the extremity of the moving fingers, that wrote upon a spot of the wall which was particularly exposed to the light from the lamp above the king, he suddenly beheld the mysterious and terrifying phenomenon of the hand engaged in writing.
6 Then the king’s countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another.
— then the king’s countenance was changed, literally, then the king, his color was changed unto him and his thoughts troubled him as his guilty conscience filled him with terror so that the joints of his loins were loosed, they no longer possessed the strength to hold the body together firmly and his knees smote one against another.
7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
— the king cried aloud, his terror causing him to raise his voice with might, to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, that is, all the wisest men of the realm;
— and the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, as many as followed his summons at once, Whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation thereof, explaining its meaning and applying its significance;
— shall be clothed with scarlet with the costly purple garments worn by Oriental rulers and have a chain of gold about his neck, this golden necklace serving as the mark of special favor from the king, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom, occupying the highest position in the realm, next to its emperor and regent;
— and be the third ruler in the kingdom; as it was considered the king the first, the king’s son as the second, and the interpreter of the vision to be the third.
8 Then came in all the king’s wise men; but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. — then came in all the wise men, one after the other appearing in agreement with his summons; but they could not read the writing nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. In other words, they had to confess their complete failure.
9 Then was King Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were dismayed. — then, on account of the utter inability of the wise men to give him the desired information, was King Belshazzar greatly troubled,
— he was filled with deepest apprehension and trepidation and his countenance was changed in him and his lords were astonied, not only being filled with alarm but also with confusion which showed itself in excited movements.
10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house. And the queen spoke and said, “O king, live for ever! Let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
— now the queen, the queen mother, or dowager, very likely the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, the sound of which as they raised their voices in their excitement;
— came into the banquet house; and the queen spake and said, O king, live forever! the customary address in her mouth detracting in no way from the quiet dignity of her coming. Let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed by the terror inspired by the mysterious writing on the wall.
11 There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him whom King Nebuchadnezzar thy father — the king, I say, thy father — made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
— there is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, the queen-mother thus repeating the very language of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 4:8; 9:18;
— and in the days of thy father, or grandfather, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; whom the King Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, the king, I say, thy father, the repetition serving to give her words greater emphasis, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers, Daniel 4:9.
12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and interpreting of hard sentences and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called and he will show the interpretation.”
— forasmuch as an excellent spirit, a most extraordinary talent, and knowledge and understanding, interpreting of dreams and showing of hard sentences, giving the explanation of riddles and conundrums, and dissolving of doubts, literally “untying knots” that is, finding the solutions of the most intricate problems;
— were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now, let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation; for Daniel was probably deprived of the office to which Nebuchadnezzar had promoted him; or Belshazzar might easily have been forgotton of his services.
13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said unto Daniel, “Art thou that Daniel who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
— then was Daniel brought in before the king; and the king spoke unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king, my father, brought out of Jewry? The question was intended merely to fix the identity of Daniel beyond the slightest doubt and as such required no answer.
14 I have even heard of thee that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee.
— I have even heard of thee that the spirit of the gods is in thee, the king omitting the adjective “holy” which the queen-mother had used, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing.
— and now the wise men, the astrologers, the soothsayers only being mentioned as representing the entire class of wise men of the kingdom, have been brought in before me that they should read this writing and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing, they could not give the explanation of the words on the wall.
16 And I have heard of thee that thou canst make interpretations and dissolve doubts. Now if thou canst read the writing and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
— and I have heard of thee that thou can make interpretations and dissolve doubts, untie the hardest knots; now, if thou can read the writing and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about thy neck and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom;
— like Belshazzar, the unbelievers are often troubled by the terrors of an evil conscience and readily have recourse to almost any solution which offers in order to know their fate or to gain peace of mind.
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
— then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards, the presents which he intended as a fee to Daniel, to another, the prophet of Yehovah rejecting everything which might afterwards be construed as having influenced him in his message;
— yet I will read the writing unto the king and make known to him the interpretation, as an act of loyalty to both the earthly ruler and the heavenly Sovereign; for he intended to speak without reservation, no matter whether the result would please or displease the king.
18 O thou king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty and glory and honor.
— O thou king, the formal and solemn address bringing out the importance of the message from the outset and placing its entire import into direct relation to the king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, a kingdom, majesty, glory and honor, far above that enjoyed by Belshazzar.
19 And for the majesty that He gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he would he slew; and whomever he would he kept alive; and whomever he would he set up; and whomever he would he put down.
— and for the majesty that God gave him, the imperial authority and supremacy which he enjoyed, all people, nations and languages trembled and feared before him, were in a constant state of fear and trepidation lest they incur his displeasure;
— whom he would he slew and whom he would he kept alive, being the absolute master of life and death; and whom he would he set up and whom he would he put down for both the advancement and the demotion of the subjects of his realm were matters of his whim.
20 But when his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.
— but that is in spite of this unexampled position of power, when his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride, so that he thought he could deal proudly with an utter disregard of the will of the Lord, he was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him as related earlier.
21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He will.
— and he was driven from civilization, excluded from their society, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses, this picturesque item being added for the sake of further embellishment of the narrative;
— they fed him with grass like oxen and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men and that he appoints over it whomsoever he will, that is, until he gave all honor and glory to the true God alone; this lesson is now driven home.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart though thou knewest all this,
23 but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven. And they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine from them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not nor hear nor know. And the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.
— but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven in blasphemous pride; and they have brought the vessels of his house of the Temple of the one true God before thee and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold,
— of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear nor know, Cf Deuteronomy 4:28; Psalms 115:5, Psalms 135:15 and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, the one Creator and Ruler of the universe hast thou not glorified as was the solemn duty resting upon him.
24 “Then was the part of the hand sent from Him, and this writing was written. — then was the part of the hand, the outstretched fingers of the writing hand sent from Him and this writing was written to announce the doom which was now inevitable.
25 And this is the writing that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. — and this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, literally, “numbered, numbered, weighed and divided.”
26 This is the interpretation of the thing. Mene: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
— Mene, Mene: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it; God had fixed the number of years, how long that monarchy should last and also the number of years that he should reign over; and both these numbers were now completed;
— for that very night Belshazzar was slain and the kingdom translated to another nation: and a dreadful thing it is to be numbered to the sword, famine and pestilence or any sore judgement of God for sin so more especially to be appointed to everlasting wrath and to be numbered.
27 Tekel: Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
— Tekel: thou art weighed in the balances, namely, in those of God’s justice and judgement, his character analyzed according to the demands of God’s holiness, and art found wanting, below weight in moral worth and capacity.
28 Peres: Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
— Peres: thy kingdom is divided, severed, cut into two pieces, should be broken up and separated from him: and given to the Medes and Persians; to Cyrus the Persian who was a partner for a while with his uncle Darius in the reign of the empire: there is also an elegant play of words in “Peres” and “Persians.”
29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
— then commanded Belshazzar, in accordance with his promise and they clothed Daniel with scarlet with royal purple and put a chain of gold about his neck and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom, next in power to Nabonidus and Belshazzar.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. — that night was Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, slain; that when his city was taken by the victorious armies of the enemy, who took the city, who led Darius’ army up the river Euphrates into the city of Babylon, its course being turned;
— the inhabitants of which being revelling while the gates open, these men went up to the king’s palace, the doors of which being opened by the king’s orders to know what was the matter, they rushed in and finding him standing up with his sword drawn in his own defence, they fell upon him and slew him.
31 And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. — and Darius, the Median, took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years ol;
— there is evidence from secular sources that Darius the Mede whose other name was Gobryas was an uncle of Cyrus. It was known that Darius reigned not long, two years and not alone, but Cyrus with him and that Cyrus would reign thirty years, for he lived until he was seventy years of age, that is, he began to reign when he was forty;
— most authorities recognized that year, the fall of Babylon, as 539 BC; but in the Jewish calendar, the writing on the wall, as 3389 (or 372 BCE; a difference of 167 years); which is also the year Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den; which seems events were moving very fast!
— Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den, as spelt out in the next chapter, chapter 6, should be a year or two later! More likely, the fall of Babylon was earlier for the Jewish date, making the difference of 167 smaller; but Cyrus was prophecised to free the Jews, allowing them back to Jerusalem; which happened the next year in 371 BCE, which makes sense!
Daniel 6
6: Daniel in the lions’ den (6:2–29 – Median era with mention of Persia; Aramaic)
1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, who should be over the whole kingdom;
— when Darius had fully taken over the kingdom of Persia, it pleased him to set an hundred and twenty princes, called satraps in secular history and divided the kingdom into twenty provinces and set governors over each, which should be over the whole land as governors of the smaller sections or provinces into which the empire was divided.
2 and over these, three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the princes might give account unto them and the king should have no damage.
— and over these three presidents, chief prefects, or ministers of whom Daniel, now an old man was first, not higher in rank but first in dignity, that the princes might give accounts unto them, the satraps thus being responsible to their superiors chiefly in financial matters and the king should have no damage, his interests being taken care of by virtue of this statesmanlike arrangement.
3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
— then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, that is, he showed himself superior to them because an excellent spirit was in him (Daniel 5:12); and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. This intention the king very likely made known with the result that it stirred up the jealousy of the other presidents.
4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no occasion nor fault, inasmuch as he was faithful; neither was there any error or fault found in him.
— then the presidents and princes, actuated by an envy which caused them to disregard the best interests of the kingdom sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, that is, they tried to find some delinquency in the work of his official position;
— but they could find none occasion nor fault, no reason for impeachment, no ground for an accusation, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him, he was beyond reproach in his entire administration.
5 Then said these men, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” — after conferring with one another concerning ways and means of removing the hated rival, then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel;
— except we find it against him concerning the law of his God, regarding the practice of his religion. This is the course which is often followed by the enemies of the believers: if they cannot discredit in any matter pertaining to his duty, they try to show that the observance of his religious worship is dangerous to the state.
6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together before the king, and said thus unto him, “King Darius, live for ever!
7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes, the counselors and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
— all the presidents of the kingdom, a statement which stretched the truth rather dangerously, the governors and the princes or satraps, the counselors and the captains, the lower officials; have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree,
— rather, “that the king ought to establish a statute and issue an interdict,” that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, within the next thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. The request was cleverly worded to flatter the king, particularly since it seemed to be the desire of all the officials of the realm.
8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.”
— now O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, recording the proclamation by stamping it with his official seal, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alter not, it could not be repealed in the Medo-Persian Empire.
9 Therefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. — signed the writing and the decree, placing his royal seal upon the interdict and thus establishing it for his entire realm.
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did formerly.
— now when Daniel knew that the decree was signed, when he found out that the edict was established by the affixing of the king’s seal, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber in the upper story of his house, toward Jerusalem where he couldn’t be disturbed in his prayers;
— he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, according to ancient Jewish custom, Psalms 55:17, and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime, the royal decree changing his custom of daily worship not one bit.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: “Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any god or man within thirty days, except of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.”
— then they came, they arranged for an audience immediately and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree, reminding him of it, insisting on calling it to his remembrance; hast thou not signed a decree that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?
— the king answered without hesitancy and guile, for he was not aware of their hidden intention, and said, the thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alter not, thereby indicating the certain punishment of anyone who might transgress the royal edict.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.”
— then answered they and said before the king, full of joyful satisfaction over the fact that the king’s answer suited their design so well, That Daniel, to whom they refer with sneering contempt, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom one might always reasonably suspect of an act of rebellion against the king’s authority;
— regard not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, the intimation being that Daniel maliciously spurned the edict and thereby openly challenged the king’s authority, but make his petition three times a day.
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sorely displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
— then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, literally “sorrow came on him” he was deeply grieved and troubled by this turn of events and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him for he prized Daniel’s ability and faithfulness very highly;
— and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him, he pondered over the matter and held the conspirators off in the hope that some way of escape might be found before morning.
15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, “Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is: that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.”
— then these men assembled unto the king, pressing in a most importunate and tumultuous manner and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be changed. The success of their entire infamous plan, in fact, was based upon this tradition.
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said unto Daniel, “Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee.”
— then the king, unable to find an excuse or to hold out against the conspirators, commanded and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions, the execution following the sentence at once as custom required;
— now the king spake and said unto Daniel, since he was powerless to help him in this extremity, thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. This did not amount to a confession of the true God, but was merely a pious wish that the God of the Jews might prove equal to this emergency.
17 And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
— and a stone was brought, probably one used for similar executions and laid upon the mouth of the den over the opening through which the condemned were cast down; and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords of the highest officers in his realm;
— that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel, that is, that no one might interfere, either by attempting to liberate him or by working his evil will upon him. It is significant that Daniel made no effort to have his execution delayed or suspended but calmly placed the outcome in God’s hands.
18 Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went from him.
— then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting, unable to sleep or eat for worry about the fate of Daniel; neither were instruments of music brought before him, rather “neither were concubines brought to him” and his sleep went from him, he was in genuine distress, decidedly ill at ease on account of the course into which he had been drawn.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel; and the king spoke and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”
— and when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice which testified to the sorrow possessing his heart, unto Daniel; and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, whom he was ready to acknowledge as such in accordance with Daniel’s confession is thy God whom thou servest continually, with constant unflagging devotion able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, “O king, live for ever!
22 My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me, inasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.”
— my God hath sent his angel who may even have been visible to the eye of Daniel and hath shut the lions’ mouths that they have not hurt me, forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me, God had declared him not guilty by preserving him so wonderfully;
— and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt, that is, by transgressing the edict of the king he had not become guilty of rebellion against the person of the king as the king’s personal interest in his case also demonstrated.
23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
— then was the king exceeding glad for him on account of the miraculous deliverance which Daniel had experienced and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den through an opening which made it convenient for him to be removed;
— so Daniel was taken up out of the den and no manner of hurt was found upon him, not so much as a scratch from the paw of one of the ravening beasts because he believed in his God and this firm confidence was rewarded by the Lord in this manner.
24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions — them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.
— and the king who now realized that the enemies of Daniel had used him as their instrument in trying to vent their jealous spite, commanded and they brought those men which had accused Daniel and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children and their wives according to the custom of the country and since they were guilty of the same wickedness as the men;
— and the lions had the mastery of them, fell upon them and overwhelmed them and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den; they were reduced to a pulp before their bodies reached the bottom of the pit.
25 Then King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied unto you.
— then King Darius, still under the influence of the miraculous deliverance which he had witnessed, wrote unto all people, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth, in issuing a solemn proclamation, Peace be multiplied unto you.
26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and steadfast for ever, and His Kingdom, that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.
— I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom, as far as his kingly power extended, men tremble and fear, in reverent awe before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God and steadfast forever, eternal and unchanging, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and his dominion shall be even unto the end, outlasting all earthly kingdoms.
27 He delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
— he delivers and rescues, literally “He is a Deliverer and Rescuer” and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth such as are outside the laws of nature who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions who would ordinarily have torn him to pieces in the twinkling of an eye.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. — so this Daniel, the same one of whom the princes had spoken so contemptuously, prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus, the Persian for the Persian monarchy followed shortly after the Median;
— the miracles which the Lord performs in the interest of his children are intended to serve, among other things, for the unbelievers so that they also may realize that the God of Israel is the true living God, the only Savior and Redeemer.
The Unitd States is findng some of her allies are shifting away from from her bloc. South Africa, Nicaragua, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and lately Nicaragua and Honduras, are all sfifting away from the so-called Western bloc.
Mexico is the latest adding to the list. Last 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 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!”
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.
In an op-ed, Crenshaw compared Mexican drug cartels to ISIS, al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein.
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 them as “narcoterrorists” and calling to “give the military the authority to go after these organizations wherever they exist.”
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.)
Mexico’s President López Obrador replied with critical comments also came at a time of growing tensions between the United States and Mexico:
“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!” he 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!” the Mexican president added.
American decline is the idea that the United States of America is diminishing in power geopolitically, militarily, financially, economically, and even technologically. There has been debate over the extent of the decline, and whether it is relative or absolute.
“All thy lovers have forgotten thee!”
Regardless, this decline has been prophecised millennium ago. Adding to such dilemna, the United States will find itself more and more isolated; some friends will get cold feet, others will turn into adversaries.
“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” Jeremiah 30:14
Their allies will not just forget Israel, but will make a vicious turn from allies to enemies. A more detailed parallel verse is found in Ezekiel 16:37
“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 situation gets tough, the tough gets going and American allies (Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey; South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; South Korea, the Philippines and Japan) will take their own interests first, team up with designated enemies of the United States (Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, North 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 bird 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 about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah
In Daniel 12:4 “but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days,” and so we are trying to understand this prophecy in the last days.
Daniel 3
3: The fiery furnace (3:1–30/3:1-23, 91-97 – Babylonian era; Aramaic)
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits and the breadth thereof six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. — an image of gold; probably the image is in the form of a human being;
— it may be solid gold, or could be a plate of gold and hollow within; or of wood overlaid with gold; for otherwise it must have took up a prodigious quantity of gold to make an image of such impressive dimensions; this image could be for himself, or his father Nabopolassar, but most probably for his chief god Bel; which was the name given to Daniel, Belteshazzar, being derived from Bel;
— whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits; a common cubit being half a yard, it was thirty yards high, probably excluding a pedestal, and three yards broad;
— he set it up in the Plain of Dura, very likely in the level country east of the Tigris, or in a plain near the capital in the province of Babylon, that there might be room enough for a vast number of worshippers to assemble together.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
— then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, sent to gather together the princes, the governors and the captains, executive officers of superior rank with both civil and military duties;
— the judges, or chief officers of administration, the treasurers, the financial directors or managers of the public treasury, the counselors, those learned in the law, the sheriffs, the enforcement officials;
— and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar, the king had set up, to have a great celebration in honor of the occasion, all the officials of the empire being the king’s guests during the festival.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs and all the rulers of the provinces were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up;
— then the princes, the governors and captains, the judges; were gathered together, proudly obedient to the king’s summons; and they stood before and attended to all the rites and ceremonies of the dedication of the image when the word of command was given.
4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, — O people, nations and subjects; the several kingdoms, states and provinces that belonged to the Babylonian monarchy who spoke different languages,
— now represented by their governors and officers; as the Armenians, Parthians, Medes, Persians; Moab (Jeremiah 48); Ammonites, Edomites, Edom, Mount Seir (Jeremiah 49, Ezekiel 35); Tyre, Sidon and Egypt (Ezekiel 26-32).
5 that at the time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.
— that at what time ye hear the sound of all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
— whoso falleth not down shall in the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; such as were used to burn stones in for lime; the music was to draw; the furnace was to drive; men to this idolatrous worship; the one was to please and sooth the minds of men and so allure them the other to frighten them into obedience.
7 Therefore at that time when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
— therefore at that time, in accordance with the announcement of the herald, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, represented here by their respective rulers, the nations, and the languages, as many as had appeared for the great celebration;
— fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. It is to be noted here that, whereas most of the heathens tolerated the gods of the countries conquered by them, they at the same time required of the subdued people a greater veneration for their own gods, whose superiority they considered fully established by the fact of their being victors.
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. — wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near; that is, to King Nebuchadnezzar, either in his palace at Babylon but more likely in the plain of Dura:
— and accused the Jews; particularly Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego of not obeying the king’s command to worship the golden image: these Chaldeans immediately hasten to the king to give this information against them. Should it be asked, how came these three men to be present? it may be answered, they came here in obedience to the king’s orders as his officers who had summoned them to this place;
— no mention is made of Daniel; very probably he was not there for what reasons cannot be said; however no accusation is laid against him; perhaps his loyalty had been proven and was too great to be meddled with, being high in the king’s favour; or he was in charge of the capital when King Nebuchadnezzar travelled outside the center of power, like vice presidents today.
9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live for ever!
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree that every man who shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;
11 and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. — and whoso fall not down and worship; the image; the above is the decree.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded thee. They serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
— Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; by name; they say nothing of the common people of the Jews who either were not present, being employed in a servile manner or were below their notice; nor of Daniel who was above them and out of their reach;
— they serve not thy gods; whom the king and the nation worshipped, as Bel, Nebo, Merodach and others: nor worship the golden image, which thou hast set up; they did not bow down to the image in reverence as had been ordered; this they knew would he most provoking to the king.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
— commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; that is, immediately before him; who very probably were not afar off: he did not order them in his wrath and fury to be slain directly as he did the wise men and soothsayers in another case;
— but to be brought before him and examined first, that he might know the truth of these allegations against them; which shows, amidst all his rage, he still retained some respect and esteem for them.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that ye do not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready so that at the time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, it is well; but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”
— and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? he knew their confidence in the God of Israel which he attempts to break and remove; he foresaw the objection they would make, which he endeavours to anticipate by this proud and vain boast, forgetting what he himself had said, Daniel 2:47.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not fear to answer thee in this matter. — Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, the directness of their address giving added emphasis to their statement;
— we are not careful to answer thee in this matter, that is, it is needless for us to give any reply; they did not consider it necessary to search for a reasonable excuse or explanation.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. — if it be so, our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, rather, “If our God is able to deliver us,”
— and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king; this was not casting doubt upon the strength and ability of the Lord to help them; it only left the matter under the disposition of the gracious and goodwill of him whose actions are always right and good.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” — be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, be it as it will, whether we are delivered or not; we are not sure of the one but we are at a point as to the other;
— nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up; come life, come death, we are ready; we had rather die than sin: they were all of one mind and agreed in this matter; a noble instance of spiritual fortitude and courage!
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
— then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, of extreme and unreasonable anger, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, his expression showing the extremity of the fury which possessed him;
— therefore he spake and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He did not realize in the heat of his passion that he was really defeating his own ends; for the hotter the fire, the sooner his victims were liable to be put out of misery;
— as noted in the next chapter, in God’s judgement, Nebuchadnezzar was to suffer humility seven times, seven years, eating grass like oxen like a wild beast!
20 And he commanded the most mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their breeches, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
— and because the king’s commandment was urgent; or was ordered to be obeyed in haste and with expedition and dispatch, hence the men were cast into the furnace with clothes on; or those that cast them were not so careful of themselves:
— and the furnace exceeding hot; being heated seven times more than usual; Nebuchadnezzar himself was to suffer humility seven times, seven years, eating grass like oxen;
— the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; which came out of the furnace; so that when those men took up the three youths and brought them so near to it as was necessary to cast them in, the flame and smoke catched their breath and suffocated them;
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. — and these three men fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. The fire not so much as destroying what they were bound with and much less them; but being bound they fell; when those that cast them in were destroyed.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste and spoke, and said unto his counselors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said unto the king, “True, O king.”
— then Nebuchadnezzar was greatly astounded, and rose up in haste, due to his great agitation, and spoke and said unto his counselors, the ministers or governors, who formed his council;
— did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? The king’s chair seems to have been placed opposite the side door of the furnace which was open to permit a strong draught to fan the fire and it was from here that he witnessed the execution; they answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (like the Bar Elohim (Ben Elohim, Hebrew)).
— he answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, no longer bound as they had been cast into, walking in the midst of the fire, not leaving it, but waiting for God’s time to leave them out, and they have no hurt as one might have expected by reason of the rough treatment accorded them;
— and on account of the compelling dignity of his appearance, the form of the fourth is like the Son of God, rather “like a son of the gods” one pertaining to a divine family and generation. The fourth man was a form of a God, sent for the protection of His pious servants, so that the flame could not harm them.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spoke and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come forth and come hither.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth from the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed nor had the smell of fire passed onto them.
— and the princes, governors and captains, the representative rulers of his entire empire, and the king’s counselors, the members of his own privy council; being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, having had not the slightest effect upon them, nor was an hair of their head singed, this being ordinarily the first result of fire;
— neither were their coats changed, their undergarments touched by fire, nor the smell of fire had passed on them, in other words, one could not even notice that they had been anywhere near fire.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.
— then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, whose superiority to his own gods the king thus recognized, who hath sent his angel and delivered his servants, that trusted in him and have changed the king’s word, boldly transgressing his commands;
— and yielded their bodies, offering them without flinching in the interest of their loyalty to their God, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.”
— therefore I make a decree, literally, “And from me is set forth a decree,” that every people, nation and language which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dunghill, Cf. Daniel 2:5;
— because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort. While this confession does not imply faith in the one true God, it decreed toleration to the worshipers of Yehovah throughout the Babylonian empire.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. — then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon;
— Nebuchadnezzar restored them to their places of trust and responsibility and increased their honours: or “made them to prosper” they flourished in court and became great and famous. The Septuagint version adds, “and he counted them worthy to preside as governors over all the Jews that were in his kingdom.”
Daniel 4
This chapter was written by Nebuchadnezzar himself, who under divine inspiration inserted it into this work of Daniel’s; and a very useful instruction it contains, showing the sovereignty of God over the greatest kings of the earth and this acknowledged by one of the proudest monarchs that ever lived. It begins with a preface, saluting all nations, and declaring the greatness and power of God.
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God: How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders!
1 “Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you. — God has described Nebuchadnezzar as “My servant” three times in the book of Jeremiah (25:9, 27:6, 43:10), so here he was given a privilege to address all nations and tongues;
— for he was now humbled under the mighty hand of God; whether his conversion was real is not evident; but he at least outwardly proposed a public proclamation to celebrate the praise of the Lord, on account of the wonderful deliverance of the three Jews from the fiery furnace;
— peace be multiplied unto you: a wish for all kind of outward happiness and prosperity; thus it becomes a prince to wish peace for all his subjects, and even for all the world; for there cannot be a greater blessing than peace nor a greater judgement than war.
2 I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the High God hath wrought toward me. — Nebuchadnezzar thought it good, it pleased the king, he regarded it as the right and seemly thing,
— to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath brought toward me, the reference here being to the true God of whose omnipotent power Nebuchadnezzar had received unmistakable evidence as he relates in this edict.
3 How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.
— how great are his signs and how mighty are his wonders! exceeding those of any so-called gods of the nations. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. It is a doxology which gives due honor to the true God even though it does not confess faith in Yehovah.
Now follows the account of the happenings which caused this outburst of praise:
4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in mine house and flourishing in my palace. — Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in his house, his wars victoriously concluded, his kingdom at peace, and flourishing in his palace, enjoying wonderful prosperity.
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. — Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream which made him afraid,
— the suddenness of whose coming filled him with alarm and the thoughts upon his bed which exercised him in connection with his dream, and the visions of his head, those which were presented to the eyes of his mind, troubled him, their fancies and images filling him with apprehensive omen of approaching evil.
6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
— therefore Nebuchadnezzar made a decree; he issued the command to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before him that they might make known unto him the interpretation of another dream, the dream itself with all its details in this instance being very clear in the recollection of the king so that he desired an explanation only.
7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers; and I told the dream before them, but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
— then came in the magicians, the astrologers and the soothsayers, Cf. Daniel 2:2, and Nebuchadnezzar told the dream before them; but they did not make known to him the interpretation, their merely human wisdom was unable to penetrate into the depths of the mysteries which God wanted to make known in this instance.
8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and before him I told the dream, saying,
— but at the last Daniel came in before him, whose name, given that when he entered the king’s service was Belteshazzar, according to the name of his god, “the foremost of Bel,” the chief god of Babylon and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, of whose eminent prophetic gifts the king had been given evidence on previous occasions, although he was in this case, for some unexplained reason, reserved to the last; and before him I told the dream, saying,
9 ‘O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation thereof.
— O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, whose position as the chief of all the wise men at Babylon made it possible for him to be absent from a large assembly of the officials of the royal court on this occasion because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee and no secret troubleth thee, no secret being too difficult for him to explain, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and the interpretation thereof.
10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
— thus were the visions of mine head in my bed, literally, “And regarding the visions of my head upon my bed,” Nebuchadnezzar saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, therefore evidently possessing great importance for the whole earth and the height thereof was great, it was of conspicuous size to begin with.
11 The tree grew and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. — the tree grew strongly, became great and mighty, and the height thereof reached unto heaven and the sight thereof to the end of the earth, so that it extended far enough to be seen from the very ends of the world;
12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all. The beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed from it.
— the leaves thereof were fair, its branching, forming the crown was very beautiful, and the fruit thereof much, growing in large quantities and in it was meat for all, food for all who lived under its shelter being found on it;
— the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof and all flesh was fed of it, the image being that of the entire human race united under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and enjoying prosperity under his beneficent government.
13 “‘I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven. — Nebuchadnezzar saw in the visions of his head upon his bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one, that is, a holy watchman, an angel delegated by God to watch over the affairs of men came down from heaven.
14 He cried aloud and said thus: “Hew down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves and scatter his fruit; let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches.
— he cried aloud and said thus, making announcement with a mighty voice, as the herald of almighty God, hew down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, causing them to fall quickly;
— and scatter his fruit, in a contemptuous manner, as though possessing no value; let the beasts get away from under it, as no longer safe within his shelter, and the fowls from his branches, which no longer offered them a safe refuge;
15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
— nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field, this description already indicating that the application must be made to an animate being, whose fetters were those of the mental and spiritual darkness brought on as the result of the loss of reason;
— and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, there being no shelter to keep the weather away from him, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth so that he would partake of their food;
16 Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. — let his heart be changed from man’s so that this center of intellectual life would lose its human aspect
— and let a beast’s heart be given unto him so that he would fully descend to the level of a beast; and let seven times pass over him; seven times, a time is a year, hence seven times is seven years, the exact length of these periods is henceforth being given.
17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones, with the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”
— this matter is by the decree of the watchers, according to their judgement and the demand by the word of the holy ones, the angels of God having reminded Him, as it were, of the requirements of his holiness and justice upon so flagrant a transgressor;
— to the intent that the living, all human beings on earth, may know that the Most High rule in the kingdom of men, dispensing authority and power according to his will, and give it to whomsoever he will and set up over it the basest of men, a man from the humblest rank of life, if God so chose, assuming the reins of government according to his disposition.
18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, inasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.’”
— this dream that Nebuchadnezzar have seen, all its details being clear before his eyes and set forth in the same manner. Now, thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, setting forth its meaning;
— forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known the interpretation; but thou art able for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. The affairs of the whole world and of every nation on earth are in the hands of God, who directs them according to His good pleasure in the interest of His Kingdom.
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stunned for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble thee.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, the dream is for those who hate thee, and the interpretation thereof for thine enemies.
— then Daniel whose name was Belteshazzar was astonied, he stood aghast at the dream and its meaning for one hour, for a long period of time, and his thoughts troubled him, for he was overwhelmed with awe.
— the king, concluding from the appearance of his face that he had found the interpretation, spoke and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble thee, fill him with apprehension for his safety if he revealed its meaning;
— Belteshazzar answered and said, speaking as a loyal subject of the king in whose empire he now lived, my lord, the dream be to them that hate thee and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies! that is, Would that the dream concerned the enemies of the king and that its meaning related to his foes rather than to him! After this introductory remark Daniel immediately plunged into his explanation:
20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven and the sight thereof to all the earth,
— the tree that thou saw, or “of which thou saw,” which grew and was strong, or “that it was great and strong” whose height reached unto the heaven and the sight thereof to all the earth, the power of the empire reaching to the uttermost boundaries of the known world,
21 whose leaves were fair and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation—
—whose leaves were fair and much fruit and in it was meat for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation, just as the king had described it in his account of his dream:
22 it is thou, O king, who art grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
— it is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong; for thy greatness is grown and reacheth unto heaven, exceeding that of any living monarch and thy dominion to the end of the earth. Note that Daniel, while filled with sympathy for the king, speaks with uncompromising straightforwardness. The same calm and dispassionate condemnation of sin should be found for any of the Lord’s shepherds today.
23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Hew the tree down and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’
— King Nebuchadnezzar was to have a beast’s heart for a period of seven times be passed over him, that is, seven years, a time is a year, hence seven times is seven years, the exact length of these periods King Nebuchadnezzar is to learn his lesson of humility and be humbled; to learn to give glory to God than to man;
— humility isn’t something that could be learned in a classroom or in a lecture, or in a place of safety which has been aptly called the “place of final training,” for humility couldn’t be taught there. The children of Israel took around 210 years as slaves in Egypt to learn humility; and in Ezekiel 4, the house of Israel will be given 190 years and the house of Judah 40 years; also to learn humility instead of uttering jingoism but be humbled;
— and let it be wet with the dew of heaven; their testimonies would nourish the nations, as the showers upon the grass, the truth about their abominations and captivity would give the nations much need truth in their judgement and a testimony for the Word of God, (more on the remnants from Ezekiel 12 at the end)
— “in Ezekiel 4, the house of Israel will be given 190 years and the house of Judah 40 years.” For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years
24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: — this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High which is come upon my lord, the king, being fully decided in God’s counsel,
25 that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen; and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.
— that they, the subject being purposely indefinite, shall drive thee from men, casting him out from the society of human beings, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, entirely on a level with unreasonable brutes;
— and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven; and seven times, a period of seven years, shall pass over thee, till thou know, recognizing and acknowledging openly and freely; the house of Judah also faced a period of seven years, but times ten; that is, 70 years, to be humbled in Babylon;
— that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men as the real Sovereign of the several nations of the earth and gives it to whomsoever he will. Nebuchadnezzar would in other words be seized with madness, which would exclude him from human society for seven years, the purpose of the Lord in thus punishing him being to bring him to a realization of his utter helplessness before the true Ruler of the universe.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee after thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
— and whereas they commanded, namely, the council of watchers speaking in the name of God to leave the stump of the tree-roots: thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee; it would be preserved for him so that he could reassume his rule after the interval after that he shall have known that the heavens do rule, and after he would gladly make this confession, thereby yielding all honor and glory to God alone.
27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee; and break off thy sins by righteousness and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, that it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.”
— wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, for Daniel honestly had the welfare of his sovereign in mind and break off thy sins by righteousness, repudiating all the transgressions for which monarchs were noted in favor of the exercise of true righteousness and justice;
— and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, to those in any kind of tribulation, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity, or “if thy present good fortune is to endure.” A complete change of heart was necessary on the part of the king together with a consistent practice of the highest virtues as a proof of his regeneration in order to avert the threatened punishment on the part of the Lord.
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. — at the end of twelve months, so soon after he had received his warning, he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon, perhaps upon its flat roof garden from which he could look over the entire city and get a fitting impression of its splendor.
30 The king spoke and said, “Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?”
— the king said to himself, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, to be the seat or capital of his entire empire, by the might of his power and for the honor of his majesty? It was a statement of inordinate pride, by which Nebuchadnezzar made himself the creator of the size and glory of his kingdom, thereby robbing God of the honor which fitly should be given to him alone.
31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, “O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from thee.
— while the word was in the king’s mouth, before he had finished his blasphemous utterance, there fell a voice from heaven, with great suddenness, which made the consequences stand out all the more by way of contrast;
— saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the emphasis being upon the pronoun: Thy kingdom is departed from thee, that is, he was to be deprived of his position and office as ruler.
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen. And seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.”
— and they shall drive thee from man, away from the society of human beings and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, with the irrational brutes; they, the subject again impersonal;
— shall make thee to eat grass as oxen and seven times shall pass over thee until he knows, being fully aware of, and accepting the fact that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomsoever he will.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar; and he was driven from men, and ate grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs had grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.
— the same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, so that there could be no doubt as to cause and effect; and he was driven from men and did eat grass and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws;
— this form of insanity is well known to medical science, a few cases having been found from time to time which exactly agree with the description of the symptoms here given, even to the eating of grass and the living outdoors without clothing; since people in this condition often believe themselves to be wolves, it is known as lycanthropy.
34 “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me. And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation.
— and at the end of the days, after seven years appointed for this punishment, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up his eyes unto heaven in the gesture of one seeking help from there alone and his understanding returned unto him so that he once again had the full use of his reason;
— and I blessed the Most High, thereby acknowledging him as the one true God; and Nebuchadnezzar praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom is from generation to generation as the king had said in the introduction of this edict;
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand or say unto Him, ‘What doest Thou?’
— and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, they are helpless in comparison with his almighty majesty, and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, so that the companies of even the highest angels bow to his will;
— and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest Thou? God is the supreme, the absolute Sovereign of all created things.
36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me. And my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
— at the same time, namely, when Nebuchadnezzar thus gave all honor and glory to God alone, his reason returned unto him; and for the glory of his kingdom, his honor and brightness returned unto him so that his former dignity and power were restored to him;
— and my counselors and my lords, who had repudiated and deserted him when madness seized upon him, sought unto him, so that he was officially requested to resume his position at the head of the empire; and he was established in his empire, and excellent majesty was added unto him, so that the authority of his position was even greater than before the strange madness seized upon him.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways judgement. And those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”
— now Nebuchadnezzar, in issuing this decree with its frank confession, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, the heaping of synonyms showing the intensity of Nebuchadnezzar’s convictions;
— all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement, so that Nebuchadnezzar freely acknowledged his punishment to have been well deserved; and those that walk in pride, uttering jingoistic exultations in any form, exalting themselves at the expense of God’s honor, he is able to abase;
— Nebuchadnezzar finally recognized the humiliation which he had suffered as a just punishment of his pride, and it is safe to assume, however, that his experience was a step in the right direction and that this great heathen king finally died with some knowledge of the God of heaven; certainly better than most of the kings of either Israel or Judah.
~~~
Ref: Daniel 4:23 “and let it be wet with the dew of heaven” or in Micah 5: 7 “as a dew from the Lord,” and more on the Remnants from Ezekiel 12
16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
— “that they may declare all their abominations among the nations;” this explains why a few are left to survive; and they shall be as dew from the Lord;
— if they have hidden in some secret hideouts, they won’t be able to “declare all their abominations among the nations” who, observing their calamities, and distresses, could deserve and a need to know, and hear those who are well-versed to explain their sins, abominations and judgement to the nations. From God’s viewpoint, this gift is “as a dew from the Lord.”
China has just completed its first trade of liquefied natural gas (LNG) settled in yuan, the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange said on Tuesday. As OilPrice notes, the Chinese state oil and gas giant CNOOC and TotalEnergies completed the first LNG trade on the exchange with settlement in the Chinese currency, the exchange said in a statement carried by Reuters.
The trade involved around 65,000 tons of LNG imported from the United Arab Emirates (because China will never admit that it is re-exporting Russian LNG even though it now does it all the time) the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange added.
The French supermajor, one of the world’s top LNG traders, confirmed to Reuters that the trade involved LNG imported from the UAE, but declined to comment further on the deal.
China has been looking for years to establish more trade deals in yuan to increase the relevance of the petroyuan (or LNG-yuan as the case may be) on the global markets and challenge the US dollar’s dominance in international trade, including in energy trade. During a landmark visit to Riyadh in December, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and the Arab Gulf nations should use the Shanghai Petroleum and National Gas Exchange as a platform to carry out yuan settlement of oil and gas trades.
France Buys 65,000 Tons Of LNG From China In their First Ever Yuan-Trade
“China will continue to import large quantities of crude oil from GCC countries, expand imports of liquefied natural gas, strengthen cooperation in upstream oil and gas development, engineering services, storage, transportation and refining, and make full use of the Shanghai Petroleum and National Gas Exchange as a platform to carry out yuan settlement of oil and gas trade,” Xi said in December, as carried by Reuters.
Still, Beijing has a ways to go before it dethrones the greenback as the global reserves: while the Chinese currency has made inroads in global trade, the yuan accounts for just 2.7% of the market, compared to the US dollar’s share of 41%.
On the other hand, China’s currency has lots of momentum: over the past year, Russia has turned to trade in yuan in the wake of the Western sanctions on its exports, imports, and energy trade, as the Chinese currency has become Putin’s only alternative to reduce exposure to the US dollar and the euro.
“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 Daniel the Prophet; this Daniel was of the tribe of Judah that were carried captive into Babylon with Jehoiakim; and was of princely blood if not of the royal seed as appears from Daniel 1:3. Josephus says that he was of the kindred and family of Zedekiah and so fulfilled the prophecy in II Kings 20:18. And it was established from Daniel 7:1 that Daniel is the writer of this book.
And although Jewish authority acknowledges that this book was a Sacred Text, it isn’t a prophecy; that this book is among the holy writings but not among the Prophets. The reasons they give are without much foundation; what seems to have induced them to degrade Daniel is the manifest prophecy of the time of the Messiah’s coming in this book, which sometimes they are obliged to justify their own perception.
And according to Daniel 12:4 “but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book “that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days,” and so, we are trying to understand this prophecy in the last days.
The Book of Daniel is divided into two parts: a set of six court tales in chapters 1–6, written mostly in Aramaic, and four apocalyptic visions in chapters 7–12, written mostly in Hebrew (Book of Daniel Wikipedia)
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah: taken to Babylon as captives
Daniel 1
1: Introduction (1:1–21 – set in the Babylonian era, written in Hebrew)
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem and besieged it. — in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, at the close of it, and at the beginning of the fourth, which was the first of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah 25:1;
— Jerusalem seems to have been taken twice in his time, and two captivities in it: the first was in the third or fourth year of his reign; when humbling himself, Jehoiakim was restored to his kingdom, though he became a tributary to the king of Babylon;
— Daniel and his companions, who were carried captive with him were retained as hostages; but after three years Jehoiakim rebelled and it was not until his eleventh year that Nebuchadnezzar came against him again, took him and bound him in order to carry him to Babylon where he died there;
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
— and the Lord delivered the vessels into his hands, and Jehoiakim this was from the Lord because of his sins and the sins of his ancestors and of his people or otherwise the king of Babylon could not have taken the city nor him;
— with part of the vessels of the house of God; not all of them; for some were hidden by Josiah and Jeremiah (like the Ark); however, now the vessels of gold, and probably silver, but certainly not all were carried away because we read of some of the vessels of the Temple being carried away at latter dates in Jeconiah’s time, II Kings 24:13, and still there were some left, as the pillars, sea, bases and other vessels which were carried away to Babylon in Zedekiah’s time, Jeremiah 27:19;
— these vessels that were taken out of the temple were carried to where Babylon stood, the land of Shinar and where the tower of Babel was built; to the house of his god, the temple of Bel or Jupiter Belus, one of the chief deities of Babylon, see Isaiah 46:1; besides these there were Merodach, Nebo; and with whom were the goddesses Juno and Rhea;
— in the times of Herodotus, who gives an account as this:
“the temple of Jupiter Belus had gates of brass; it was four hundred and forty yards on every side, and was foursquare. In the midst of the temple was a solid tower, two hundred and twenty yards in length and breadth; upon which another temple was placed, and so on to eight. The going up them was without, in a winding about each tower; as you went up, in the middle, there was a room, and seats to rest on. In the last tower was a large temple, in which was a large bed splendidly furnished, and a table of gold set by it.”
3 And the king spoke unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel and of the king’s seed and of the princes,
— that he should bring certain of the children of Israel; whom he had taken and brought captive to Babylon and were disposed of in other part of the city or country; and out of these it was his will that some should be selected and brought to his court;
— and of the king’s seed, and of the princes: or “even of the king’s seed, and of the princes” not any of the children of Israel but such as were of royal blood or of the king of Judah’s family; or however that of princely birth, the children of persons of first rank; or of nobles.
4 youths in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
— young men of the middle adolescent period, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, in whom was no blemish, that is, no physical defect so that they would be faultlessly handsome;
— but well favored, this being considered essential among Oriental nations in the case of those destined for court service, and skilful in all wisdom, with the evident talent to acquire knowledge and ability rapidly and cunning in knowledge and understanding science, that is, with good sound judgement and common sense in applying the knowledge which they possessed and gained;
— and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace to become accustomed to the ways and manners of a king’s court and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans, that of the learned classes of the Babylonian people; hence it was necessary they should learn the Chaldean language; their course of study would thus comprise all that was taught in the elite schools and their training would be that of the noblest youths of the empire.
5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat and of the wine which he drank, so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
— and the king appointed them, namely, for those who were to be selected, a daily provision of the king’s meat from the king’s table, of the richest delicacies he himself ate; of the food which was served on his own tables;
— and of the wine which he drank, literally, “of the wine of his drinking” or “banqueting” so nourishing them three years, this was the time fixed for their acquiring the learning and language of the Chaldeans; their education and their physical development going hand in hand and in which time it might be thought they would forget their own country, customs, religion and language;
— that at the end thereof they might stand before the king, that is, at the end of three years they might be presented to the king for his examination and approbation and be appointed to what service he should think fit; and particularly that they might be in his court and minister to him in what post it should be his pleasure to place them; now fully equipped for his service as courtiers and advisers or in whatever capacity the king might choose to use them.
6 Now among these of the children of Judah were: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, — among the youths selected in accordance with this royal order, were of the children of Judah, of the most prominent tribe of the Jewish people, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah;
7 unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, Shadrach; and to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
— in changing their names, it was a mark of dominion and authority over them, gave them such as had an affinity with the names of the gods of the Chaldees; Belteshazzar, the name given to Daniel, being derived from Bel, or Baal, the chief idol of Babylon, and signifying the treasurer of Baal, or, the depositary of the secrets, or treasure of Baal;
— Shadrach, according to some, means the inspiration of the sun; being derived from shada, to pour out, and rach, a king, a name given to the sun by the Babylonians;
— Meshach, derived from a Babylonian deity called Shach, or from a goddess called Sheshach, is thought to signify “he who belongs to Shach,”
— or Sheshach, Abednego, that is the servant of the shining light; or of the sun; or the morning star, unless the word should be written Abednebo, referring to the idol so called. It is certain from Herodotus that the Chaldeans worshipped Jupiter Belus, Venus and other idols or the same under other names; and from these it is probable that the names were given according to Chaldee usage to these young men.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
— but Daniel purposed in his heart, made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat nor with the wine which he drank, chiefly because the heathen had the custom of consecrating their food and in fact their entire meals by offering a portion to their gods, Cf 1 Corinthians 10:18-20;
— therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself; Daniel’s resolution to refrain from the king’s food thus was due to the fact that he had the proper spiritual understanding of the food Law, that he desired to be obedient to its spirit as well as to its letter.
— so instead of the king’s meat, composing meats, pork, lobsters, crabs, rice, millet and all luxuries, their food are all kinds of roots, fruits and vegetables; and instead of wine, water; it may be thought that persons of such birth and education had not been used to; and yet they preferred these to the king’s delicacies.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. — even before this request was made, as God had given to Joseph favour in the sight of Potiphar; for though Daniel’s ingenuity the goodness of his temper and his modest behaviour his excellence and other accomplishments might be a means of ingratiating him into the favour of this officer.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink. For why should he see your faces sadder than the youths who are of your sort? Then shall ye make me endanger my head before the king.”
— and the prince of the eunuchs, to whom Daniel promptly presented his petition, said unto Daniel as he gave evidence of the favorable mental attitude which he had toward the Jewish youth;
— I fear my lord, the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink by a definite command; for why should he see your faces worse liking of a meager and emaciated appearance in a worse condition than the children which are of your sort? The question has the meaning of a most emphatic denial: he must not see you in that condition;
— then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king, I shall commit a trespass of which I shall be found guilty and be condemned to die and lose my head for it; that is, the king held his life as a pledge for the faithful fulfillment of his commandment concerning the training of the Jewish youths.
11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, — to Melzar, the prince of the eunuchs, having put off Daniel with the above answer seems to have left him; or however Daniel finding he could not obtain from him what he sought for applies to Melzar, a subordinate officer.
12 “Test thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days, and let them give us pulse (vegetables) to eat and water to drink. — and let them give us beans (Chabad Bible) to eat, and water to drink;
13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the youths who eat of the portion of the king’s meat. And as thou seest, deal with thy servants.”
— then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, in a careful examination of their physical condition, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat, making a comparison between these four and the youths who complied with the king’s order concerning their diet;
— and as thou seest, according to the result of the observations made after the period, deal with thy servants, the test determining the matter once for all.
14 So he consented to them in this matter, and tested them ten days. — ten, in the decimal system the number of completeness or conclusion, may, according to circumstances, mean a long time or only a proportionally short time.
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the portion of the king’s meat;
— and at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh, they were of a better complexion and a more healthful look: clearer-eyed and in better condition in every way, than all the other youths which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse. — Daniel and his friends ate only beans and vegetables; and drink water instead of wine.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
— as for these four youths of God, who thus rewarded their faithfulness, gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, so that they mastered the Chaldean literature and scientific knowledge;
— and Daniel, in addition to these accomplishments, had understanding in all visions and dreams, this being clearly a miraculous gift granted by God for a special purpose and not identical with the gift of prophecy.
18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
— now, at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, that is, at the end of the three-year period originally fixed, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, so that all the Jewish youths were presented for inspection and examination.
19 And the king communed with them, and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king.
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
— and in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them, namely, at the general examination, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers, the most learned men and those who practiced occult arts, that were in all his realm.
21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of King Cyrus. — and Daniel continued in Babylon and at court there and in the favour of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors:
— even unto the first year of King Cyrus: by whom Babylon was taken, and when the seventy years’ captivity of the Jews were at an end; which time Daniel was there, for the sake of observing which this is mentioned: not that Daniel died in the first year of Cyrus but at least he lived through Cyrus’s first year.
Daniel 2
2: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of four kingdoms (2:1–49 – Babylonian era; Aramaic)
1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled and his sleep departed from him.
— and in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar when he had advanced from the position of coregent to that of sole regent of the Babylonian Empire which must have been shortly after he had examined the Jewish youths brought before him;
— Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; that is, the one dream consisted of several parts, a vision of the future in the form of symbols, wherewith his spirit was troubled, very strongly agitated and his sleep brake from him so that he was unable to regain the tranquility of mind necessary for quiet sleep.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
— then the king commanded to call the magicians, the men who were learned in the Chaldean language and literature; and the astrologers, those who were masters of incantation; and the sorcerers, the men who employed witchcraft;
— and the Chaldeans, the noblest and most exalted among the highest class of influential men in the kingdom, for to show the king his dreams to tell him the contents of his dream which he could not remember. So they came, in obedience to his summons and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, “I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.” — and my spirit was troubled to know the dream; for he had only a vague impression of the importance of his dream, whence he was all the more anxious to have it presented to him in all its details, together with its explanation.
4 Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, “O king, live for ever! Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” — then spake the Chaldeans, as the foremost representatives of the wise men of the realm, to the king in Syriac, in the East Aramaic dialect in which this section of the book is also written;
— O king, live forever! This was the usual form of salutation at the courts of the Chaldean and the Persian monarchs. Tell thy servants the dream and we will show the interpretation; it was necessary for them to know the contents of the dream before they would even venture an interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The thing is gone from me. If ye will not make known unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
— the king answered and said to the Chaldeans: the thing is gone from me, that is, the statement of what he required from them had gone forth from him, he had stated his purpose of having called them; if ye will not make known unto me the dream, giving its contents, with the interpretation thereof, both of which he now clearly demanded;
— ye shall be cut in pieces, such hewing to pieces being a punishment in vogue among the Chaldeans, and your houses shall be made a dunghill, that is, razed to the ground and covered with refuse and dung.
6 But if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof.”
— but if ye show the dream and the interpretation thereof, what it consisted in and what it meant, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor, both in money and in advancement;
— therefore show me the dream and the interpretation thereof. The insistence of the king was that of a true despot, who demanded without a reason, simply because it suited his fancy.
7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.” — they answered again and said, in an effort to bring home to the king the unreasonableness of his request, Let the king tell his servants the dream and we will show the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. — the king answered and said, I know of certainty, most assuredly, that ye would gain the time,
— because ye see that the thing is gone from me, as he insisted upon a speedy answer to his demand. He declared that they were merely trying to put off the matter to postpone it indefinitely in the hope that he would sufficiently relent to tell them the contents of his dream.
9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time is changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof.”
— but if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you; one and the same sentence of condemnation would strike them all: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, base misrepresentations, by which they kept him for a fool;
— till the time be changed; until by some lucky chance they might get into possession of the secret, or until the king would withdraw his demand. Therefore tell me the dream, which he would immediately recognize;
— and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof; it was clear to Nebuchadnezzar that the wise men were unable to reveal hidden things and therefore he concluded that the interpretation which they would offer in case they would find out the contents of the dream would, at best, be mere guesswork.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, “There is not a man upon the earth who can show the king’s matter. Therefore there is no king, lord, or ruler who asked such things of any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
— the Chaldeans answered before the king, in an attempt to establish the impossibility for mere human beings to satisfy the king’s demand, and said, there is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter, revealing this secret thing;
— therefore there is no king, lord nor ruler that asked such things at any magician or astrologer or Chaldean. The fact that no ruler on earth no matter how great and mighty he was had ever made such a demand, was to them a proof that the fulfillment of his command transcended the highest human wisdom.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is no other who can show it before the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
— and it is a rare thing that the king requireth the like of which was not known in history, and there is none other that can show it before the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. — for this cause the king was angry and very furious and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon, both of this city and the province.
13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain, and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. — and the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain, the slaughter being apparently begun;
— and they sought Daniel and his fellows who had not been summoned with the older members of the Chaldeans but belonged to their class to be slain.
14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon. — then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom with sound and prudent advice to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who was also in charge of the sentence of execution, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.
15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so hasty?” Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
— and Daniel answered and said to Arioch, the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Why the furious and sharp command, which came upon the people concerned like a bolt out of the blue sky? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel, giving him the information which he sought.
16 Then Daniel went in and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. — then Daniel went in, naturally after being properly announced, and desired of the king that he would give him time, postponing the execution of the cruel decree for some days and that he would show the king the interpretation, thereby giving the king a definite promise.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
— his companions; who either dwelt in the same house with him or not far off; whom he sent for and acquainted with all that had passed both between the king and the wise men and the consequence of that; and between him and the king and what promise he had made, relying on his God and theirs.
18 that they would desire mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
— that they would desire mercies of the God of heaven, the fulfillment of their united prayers being represented as a taking of gifts from before the throne of God, concerning this secret, that Daniel and his Jewish companions, should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon, whose death, according to the king’s decree, seemed inevitable.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. — Daniel answered and said, responding as it were, to the goodness of God with his hymn of praise, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, this name including his entire essence and attributes; for wisdom and might are his, the two qualities coming into consideration here.
21 And He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings and setteth up kings. He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
— and he changes the times and the seasons as would appear in the carrying out of the king’s prophetic vision; he removes kings and set up kings, all the events in the history of nations being determined by him; he gives wisdom unto the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding, Daniel thus tracing his own accomplishments entirely to the gift of God.
22 He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. — he reveals the deep and secret things, which are hidden before the eyes of such as are mere human beings;
— he knows what is in the darkness, what is covered before human eyes, and the light dwelleth with him, abiding with him as his possession, so that he is the Source of all light, physical and spiritual.
23 I thank Thee and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee; for Thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.”
— I thank thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, of the patriarchs of the Jewish nation who hast given me wisdom and might and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee, that for which they had so eagerly implored him; for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter, the very thing which the Chaldeans had declared to be an impossibility.
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus unto him: “Destroy not the wise men of Babylon. Bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.”
— therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch; Daniel was desirous to save the lives of the wise men of Babylon, who were unjustly condemned, as well as his own; and he goes immediately to Arioch and asked the reversing of the sentence against them; though there might be some among them, perhaps, who deserved to die as magicians by the law of God.
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus unto him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known unto the king the interpretation.”
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?”
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, “The secret which the king hath demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot show unto the king.
28 But there is a God in heaven who revealeth secrets, and maketh known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these:
— but there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, possessing the attribute of omniscience; thy dream and the visions of thy head, those which he saw in his mind, upon thy bed are these:
29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
— as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, he was engaged with these problems, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that reveals secrets, the one true God, whom the Jews worshiped, makes known to thee what shall come to pass.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than anyone living, but for their sakes who shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
— but as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, because he possessed such an extraordinary measure of wisdom by virtue of his own efforts or natural abilities, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king and that thou might know the thoughts of thy heart.
31 “Thou, O king, sawest; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
— thou, O king, sawest, that is, he beheld before his eyes, he had his gave fixed upon the vision and behold a great image, a statute in human form. This great image, whose brightness was excellent stood before thee, over against him in full view; and the form thereof was terrible on account of its colossal proportions and its terrifying aspect.
32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, — this image’s head was of fine gold, or “as far as the image was concerned, its head was of pure gold,” his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs, or “his hips with the upper thighs,” of brass;
33 his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. — his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. “Only the first part, the head, constitutes a unity; the second, in the arms, shows evidence of division;
— the third has the same feature in the thighs: the fourth while proceeding from a common source, is entirely divided, although it also possesses ability of motion; the fifth is divided from the start and is finally subdivided still further in the ten toes. The material becomes less precious as we proceed, until it reaches common clay.”
34 Thou sawest until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
— thou sawest, that is, the king’s gaze was still directed toward this image, till that a stone was cut out, being torn loose from a mountain above, without hands, without human agency by a special act of God, which, in rolling down from the mountainside, smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay and brake them to pieces.
35 Then were the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them. And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
— then, as a result of this smashing blow, was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold all the perishable materials of the image named in reverse order, broken to pieces together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, reduced to the finest dust to be carried away by the wind, totally demolished;
— and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them, that not a vestige remained; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, the image and all it represented sinking into insignificance beside it.
36 “This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. — thou, O king, art a king of kings, a great sovereign, ruler of a world-power; for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, or dominion, power and strength and glory, the attention of the king being here directed to the one Lord, the Dispenser of all good gifts.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
— and wheresoever the children of men dwell, even in the most remote parts of the habitable world, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, in an absolute dominion such as man possessed at the beginning;
— and hath made thee ruler over them all, his power extended over practically the entire world then known, at least to all parts which might be termed civilized. Thou art this head of gold, this being all the more appropriate since Babylon possessed an immense wealth, also precious metals.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
— and after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, with a lower standard of political morals, lacking in internal strength, although still possessing a world sovereignty, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth, by virtue of its unyielding hardness, though also inferior in quality.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
— and the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as, or “just as” iron breaketh in pieces and subdue all things, crushing them and utterly destroying them; and as iron that breaketh all these shall it break in pieces and bruise, its destructive power being the point of comparison.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it the strength of the iron, inasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
— and whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron, total weakness and lack of power being implied in the terms, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, this being retained in spite of the internal division, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, in its sticky form, just as it came from the pits.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. — and as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, indicating the weakness of the feet supporting the great colossus, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken, that is, chiefly brittle and therefore always on the verge of disintegration.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
— and whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they, the rulers and the various ruling elements making up the fourth kingdom, shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, making an effort to establish harmony;
— but they shall not cleave one to another, in a firmly coherent mass, even as iron is not mixed with clay, namely, in a solid and permanent union. The meaning is clear; the world-power in its totality appears as a colossal human form: Babylon, the head of gold; Medo-Persia, the breast and the two arms of silver;
— the Greco-Macedonian Empire, as the belly and the two thighs of brass; and Rome with its various branches and dependent kingdoms, as the legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay. “Those kingdoms only are mentioned which stand in some relation to the Lord’s people.”
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
— and in the days of these kings, while the various minor rulers were in power under the general sovereignty of Rome shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, its divine and eternal character being evident throughout; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, its dominion taken over by a new power which might arise;
— but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, bringing all world powers to an end, and it shall stand forever. The kingdom of the Messiah, of Christ is not of this world, and yet its power is such as to overcome all human might and authority and to establish instead the glorious reign of the Kingdom of God; for the Son of God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
45 Inasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. And the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof sure.”
— forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, without human agency and influence and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, all these materials being equally powerless to stand before its impetuous rush;
— the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter, the one and only true God having might not only to make such wonderful revelations, but also to bring his promises to pass. And the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof sure, a fact which Daniel’s emphatic statement properly brought to the foreground in conclusion.
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet incense unto him.
— then the King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, overcome by the wisdom contained in this straightforward declaration and worshiped Daniel, giving him adoration as a prophet of the true God, worshiping the Lord in the person of Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him;
— then the king made Daniel a great man, exalting him to a position of great dignity and power, and gave him many great gifts, rewarding him after the manner of Oriental rulers; Observation: Daniel didn’t refused the king’s offer of gifts; nor stopped him from worshipping him;
47 The king answered unto Daniel and said, “In truth it is, that your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou could reveal this secret.”
— the king answered unto Daniel and said, Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar the mightiest of all gods, and a King of kings, and a Revealer of secrets, seeing thou could reveal this secret, which was so obviously beyond mere human ability.
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
— and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, a civil appointment which gave him the administration in the most important province of the empire, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon, a position of influence as well as of honor.
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
— then at Daniel’s request to the king, Nebuchadnezzar set Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon, as those immediately in charge of the business of administration; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king, as his chief counselor over the various orders into which the wise men of the empire were divided.
Saudi Arabia takes step to join China-led security bloc, the SCO, as ties with Beijing strengthen
“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 symbol of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the flags of its member states and observer states
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved a decision to join a China-led security bloc, strengthening Riyadh’s eastern ties in a further step away from US interests.
The state-owned Saudi Press Agency said that, in a session presided by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi cabinet on Tuesday approved a memorandum awarding Riyadh the status of dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — a political, security and trade alliance that lists China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four other central Asian nations as full members.
The organization further tallies four observer states — including Iran — and nine dialogue partners, counting in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. It is headquartered is in Beijing and served by China’s Zhang Ming as secretary-general.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to join the SCO, while falling short of full membership, takes Riyadh’s interests further east, at a time when Beijing is testing out its sway in the Middle East in a potential hit to US influence.
Headquarters Beijing, China; Membership: China India Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Pakistan Russia Tajikistan Uzbekistan Observers Afghanistan Belarus Iran Mongolia Dialogue partners: Armenia Azerbaijan Cambodia Egypt Nepal Qatar Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka Turkey
In early March, China brokered a deal for long-time Mideast rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in each other’s countries.
Deeper in Europe, Beijing just as ambitiously, if so far less successfully, submitted a 12-point plan to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine.
The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request to comment on Saudi Arabia’s new dialogue partner status in the SCO.
Saudi interests have long been intertwined with those of leading SCO members China and Russia. Beijing is Riyadh’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth $87.3 billion in 2021, according to Reuters.
China is a major consumer of hydrocarbon-reliant Saudi Arabia’s oil exports, with the two countries making significant inroads in each other’s petrochemical sectors — including the recent announcement by Saudi state-controlled oil giant Aramco of a joint venture that will build a refinery and petrochemical complex in Panjin in northeast China, alongside partners Norinco and the Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group.
Separately, Riyadh is a close ally of Russia in the crude oil production policies of the OPEC+ coalition.
“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
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. Hosea 5:14
The Prophecy of Micah, the word of the Lord that came to Micah during the reigns of kings: 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.
Micah 5
1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops; he hath laid siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. — it seems this verse ought to be joined to the foregoing chapter, as it evidently belongs to it, and not to this, which is upon a quite different subject
— the “daughter of troops” is still the same who was before addressed, Judah; the word is almost always used of “bands of men employed in irregular, marauding, in-roads.” Judah is entitled “daughter of troops,” on account of her violence, the robbery and bloodshed within her.
2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto Me He that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
— but thou, Bethlehem; but though Jerusalem should be besieged and taken and the land of Judea laid waste, yet before all this should be the Messiah should be born in Bethlehem of which this is a prophecy as is evident from Matthew 2:4;
— though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, the town being of little importance over against the mighty Jerusalem nearby, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel, out of thee shall come forth unto me a Judge, that is to be ruler in Israel, and this is the King; for because he is to be of the seed of David, that is, the selection of the Messiah as the true King of Israel;
— whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting; thus the Father’s will and purpose from eternity was made manifest in the coming of the Prince of Peace. And even as his outgoings were from eternity, since he is the Son of the Father.
— but you, Bethlehem, David’s county where the Lamb would be born wouldn’t be given up; from you will come the leader who will be the Messiah-rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender, his family tree is ancient and distinguished;
3 Therefore will He give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
— meanwhile, Bethlehem will be in foster homes until the birth pangs are over and the child is born then the scattered brothers come back home to the land of Jacob. He will stand tall in his Messiah-rule with God’s strength, centered in the Kingdom of God. And the people will have a good and safe home, his Greatness shall reach the ends of the earth; the Peacemaker of the world!
4 And He shall stand and feed them in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they shall abide; for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth.
— and he shall stand and feed, both ruling and nourishing as the King and Shepherd of his people, in the strength of the Lord, he himself being the mighty God, Isaiah 9:6;
— in the majesty of the name of the Lord, Yehovah, which was communicated to him even in his state of humiliation; and they shall abide, namely, the true spiritual children of Israel; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth, his kingdom, the Kingdom of God, extending over the entire earth.
5 And this Man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land; and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men.
— the Assyrian may be here put for any powerful enemy of the people of God in later times; then shall we raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; we, the Israel of God shall be enabled to repel the enemy.
— “Shepherds,” that is, princes, “seven” is the perfect number, representing completeness and rest; and eight principal men; or princes among men, appointed by the Ruler as his subordinates and representatives. These are said to be “eight” to imply a great number.
6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at the entrances thereof; thus shall He deliver us from the Assyrian when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. — and they; the seven shepherds and eight principal men; or the rulers and princes of men, mentioned in the preceding verse;
7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many nations, as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.
— in the Messianic Age, the remnant of Jacob, those that survived the fire, famine, pestilences and the sword, shall be in the midst of many people as captives, “in the midst of the abundance of the nations,”
— they shall be as a dew from the Lord, their testimonies would nourish the nations, as the showers upon the grass, the truth about their abominations and captivity would give the nations much need truth in their judgement and a testimony for the Word of God, (more on the remnants from Ezekiel 12 at the end)
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
— and the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midst of many people; the same persons are meant here as before; who are compared to dew and showers of rain; because numerous and full of blessings in themselves and useful and beneficial to others;
— as a lion among the beasts of the forest; strong, mighty, powerful, courageous and superior to their enemies as the lion is strongest among beasts and keeps all others in awe of him;
— as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; in the great Millennium or the Messianic Age, their enemies shall be no more able to oppose them than a flock of sheep are to a young lion to resist him; the design of the metaphor is not to signify the harmlessness and innocence of their enemies but their weakness and the strength and courage of them.
9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. — in the great Millennium or the Messianic Age thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries; O remnant of Jacob or Israel, as the Targum says; the remnant of Jacob, and destroy their enemies with the sword that proceeds out of his mouth.
10 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” saith the Lord, “that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots.
— and it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, at the time of Messiah’s reign that he will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, ordinarily, the confidence of men, and he will destroy thy chariots.
11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds. — the Targum says, “I will cut off the cities of the people out of thy land and destroy all their strong fortresses” these shall dwell no more there and be no more offensive and troublesome.
12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers. — and God will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand;
— in the Messianic Age, all unlawful arts, cheating and juggling in religious matters will cease and be no more; every religious building of any kind (churches, cathedrals, temples, shrines, monuments, mosques) will all be totally demolished, so that no vestige of any false religion remains.
13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. — thy graven images; which were for the matter of them made of wood or stone, and fashioned to the images, which the blind idolaters thought well to represent their god.
14 And I will pluck up thine Asherah poles out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. — I will pluck up thy groves; that is, either the statues, pillars, or trees connected with the worship of Baal and Astarte.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations, such as they have not heard.” — such as they have not heard; such terrible judgements, and dreadful expressions of divine wrath and fury,
— by earthquakes, hailstones, as were never known or heard before of in the world before see Revelation 16:18; or “which have not heard” the people that have not heard and hearkened to the word of God or the voice of the Messiah, but have turned a deaf ear to it, and despised it. So the Targum says, “who have not received the doctrine of the law.”
~~~
Ref: Micah 5: 7 “as a dew from the Lord,” more on the Remnants from Ezekiel 12
16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.” — “that they may declare all their abominations among the nations;” this explains why a few are left to survive;
— if they have hidden in some secret hideouts, they won’t be able to “declare all their abominations among the nations” whither they come; who, observing their calamities, and distresses, could deserve and a need to know, and hear those who are well-versed to explain their sins, abominations and judgement to the nations. From God’s viewpoint, this gift is “as a dew from the Lord.”
Micah 6
1 Hear ye now what the Lord saith: “Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. — hear ye now what the Lord saith; the third portion of Micah’s prophecy opens with a solemn appeal to Nature to hear the Lord pleading before the mountains and the hills to hear his voice;
— hear ye now what the Lord saith; here begins a new discourse and with an address of the prophet to contend before the mountains; a parallel Scripture in Ezekiel 6 against the mountains and hills of Israel.
2 Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel. — a detailed parallel Scripture in Ezekiel 6 on the mountains and hills of Israel;
— the “mountains of Israel” 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;” their colonies, their new territories; and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.
3 O My people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against Me! — then addressing his people, what have I done unto thee?
— namely, in inflicting any kind of wrong unto them. And wherein have I wearied thee? is my requirements too rigorous or too hard to follow? Testify against me! God challenges his people, ready to entertain any reply which they might want to make concerning any charges.
4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servitude; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
— for I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt; instead of doing them any wrong, God had done them much good; of which this is one instance and he was able to produce more: this a notorious, plain and full proof of his goodness to them which could not be denied;
— and redeemed thee out of the house of slaves; or “out of the house of bondage” as the same words are rendered, Exodus 20:2; that is, out of hard service in which their lives were made bitter; out of cruel bondage and slavery which made them cry to the Lord for help and deliverance; and he heard them and sent them a deliverer;
— and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam; Moses was their lawgiver, leader and commander; Aaron was their priest to offer sacrifice for them and to intercede on their behalf; and Miriam was a prophetess; the Targum says, “I sent before thee three prophets, Moses to teach the tradition of judgements; Aaron to make atonement for the people; and Miriam to instruct the women.”
5 O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.” — O My people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, consulted, the counsel he took in trying to bring about their downfall;
— and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal, between the first station after Balaam’s blessing and the first station on the soil of the Holy Land, Cf Numbers 25:1; Joshua 4:19.
6 With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
— wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high God? the prophet asks in the name of the people in order to restore the relationship which had been so rudely disturbed by their transgressions. Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? these being considered the choicest sacrifices.
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? — will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams; if single burnt offerings of bullocks and heifers will not do, will thousands of rams be acceptable to him?
— or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? for meat offerings, in which oil was used: if he could but gain his point and get the God of Israel on his side;
— shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? It is well known that the Phenicians and others in the land of Canaan sacrificed their children to Saturn or Molech, and some of the idolatrous Israelites imitated this horrid practice: see note on Leviticus 18:21, where God in a solemn manner prohibits it;
— these two verses give us an exact description of the character of hypocrites and habitual sinners who hope to obtain God’s favour by performing certain external ceremonies and are willing to purchase their own pardon upon any terms, except that of reforming their lives.
8 He hath shown thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? — and to do justly; to do private and personal justice between man and man; to hurt no man’s property and character; which as it is agreeable to the law of God;
— and to love mercy; not only to show mercy to miserable objects, to persons in distress; to relieve the poor, to clothe the naked and feed the hungry, but to delight in such exercises and which a king especially should do;
— and to walk humbly with thy God? acknowledging his distance from him and the obligations he lay under to him; and even though a king yet his God and Creator was above him, King of kings, and Lord of lords, to whom he owed his crown, sceptre and kingdom and was accountable to him for all his administrations:
— and this “walking humbly” as opposed to “walking in pride” or compare to “come boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)” which kings are apt to do; but God can humble them and bring them low as kings have been obliged to learn; see Daniel 2:21
“And He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings and setteth up kings. He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding,” Daniel 2:21
9 The Lord’S voice crieth unto the city (and the man of wisdom shall see Thy name): “Hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it! — the Targum of the whole says, “with the voice the prophets of the Lord Cry to the city; and teachers fear the name (of the Lord); hear, O king and rulers, and the rest of the people of the land.”
10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? — are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked? namely, such as had been gained by wickedness, by oppression and cheating;
— and the scant measure that is abominable? or for such practices as they were abominable and detestable to God; they stirred up his wrath, and brought destruction on those that used them. The Targum says, “false measures that bring a curse.”
11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? — and with the bag of deceitful weights? or “stones” which were used in weighing goods and which were deceitful when a heavier was used in buying and a lighter in selling;
— so the Targum says, “and with the bag, in which are weights greater and lesser” condemned in Deuteronomy 25:13.
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.
12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. — greedy men like Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, Charles Schwab and George Soros;
— for the rich men (read rich nations like the United States and United kingdom) thereof are full of violence; that is, the rich men of the city, to whom the voice of the Lord cried, ancient Samaria, but more likely modern nations like the United States and United Kingdom, are full of violence, invading Iraq under the false pretext of WMD (weapons of mass destruction);
— or any or all the cities of Israel and Judah; the rich men of these cities, who had enough of the world and were under no temptation to do an ill thing, to get money; and yet their hands and their houses and their treasuries,
13 Therefore also will I make thee sick by smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. — therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee; with the rod to be heard by some of his sore judgments:
— as famine, pestilence, the sword of the enemy, civil disorders and the like which should cause their kingdom and state and families to decline and waste away as a sickly and diseased body. So the Targum says “and I brought upon thee illness and a stroke.”
14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied, and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee. And thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
— thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; either not having enough to eat, for the refreshing and satisfying of nature; or else a blessing being withheld from food, though eaten, and so not nourishing; or a voracious and insatiable appetite being given as a curse; the first sense seems best;
— and you shall be overtaken: and your enemies who lead your sons and daughters away into captivity; but you shall not rescue them and if you rescue them their end will be to the sword.
15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
— thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap, the enemy either destroying or robbing the crop; thou shalt tread the olives but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil since the enemy would plunder the stores; and sweet wine, these must as pressed from the grapes, but shalt not drink wine, the finished product.
16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab; and ye walk in their counsels, that I should make thee a desolation and the inhabitants thereof a hissing: Therefore ye shall bear the reproach of My people.”
— statutes of Omri; the founder of Samaria (Hebrew name “Shomron” שֹׁומְרוֹן) and of Ahab’s wicked house; Ahab was the son of Omri, and exceeded his father and all his predecessors in impiety. He did more, it is said in 1 Kings 16:33; to provoke the Lord God than all the kings of Israel that were before him;
— God would make thee a desolation, an object of astonishment and horror, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing, to be jeered by the nations at on every side; therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people, the disgrace which is ordinarily heaped upon the people of God if it is delivered into the hands of its enemies.
Micah 7
1 Woe is me! For I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: There is no cluster to eat; my soul desired the first ripe fruit. — Woe is me! alas for an unhappy man that I am to live in such an age and among such a people as I do! this the prophet laments;
— for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits as the grape gleanings of the vintage; when there are only an apple or a pear or two leftover, or such sort of fruit, and such a quantity of it left on the top of the tree, signifying either that he was like Elijah left alone or however that the number of good men were very few;
— there is no cluster to eat; my soul desired the first ripe fruit; there are few or none that are so truly and consistently pious as to delight in doing good to others or making them as happy as lies in their power.
2 The good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. — the good man is perished out of the earth; here the complaint is that there are few of this character in the earth in the land of Israel;
— and there is none upright among men; that are upright in heart and life; that have right spirits renewed in them are Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile; and walk uprightly according to the rule of the divine word, truly honest, faithful men; very few such were to be found, scarce;
— they hunt every man his brother with a net as men lay nets for fish, fowl, beasts and hunt them till they have got them into them; so these men laid snares not for strangers only but for their own brethren to entangle them in and cheat and defraud them of their substance; and this they would do even to their destruction, so the Targum says, “betray or deliver his brother to destruction.”
— there are very few left because the majority in our society have succumbed to four great deceptions in our modern era (Easter, Christmas, Sundays, holy ghost) more at the end
3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man uttereth his wicked desire; so they wrap it up.
— that they may do evil with both hands earnestly; or “well” strenuously, diligently to the utmost of their power, labouring at it with all their might and main; as wicked men generally are more industrious and exert themselves more to do evil than good men do to do good; and even weary themselves to commit iniquity:
— the prince asketh and the judge asketh for a reward; and if they do it must be bribed and have a reward for it even persons of such high character; and the great man he uttereth his mischievous desire; the depravity, corruption and perverseness of his soul;
— who is either some great man at court, that being encouraged by the example of the prince and judge, openly and publicly requires a bribe also to do an ill thing; and without any shame or blushing promises to do it on that consideration; or a counsellor at the bar who openly declares that he will speak in such a cause.
4 The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge. The day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. — the day of thy watchmen; literally taken for such as on the watchtowers observe whether enemies approach;
— thy watchmen; either the true prophets of the Lord, foretold to come but were discredited and despised will now most assuredly come; and now it should be seen whether it would be the day of their punishment for their false prophecies promised only good times ahead;
— and thy visitation cometh; the time that God would punish the people in general for their iniquities, as well as their false prophets, princes, judges and great men; who also may be designed by watchmen.
5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide; keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. — put ye not confidence in any guide; in spiritual matters, in civil affairs as civil magistrates, judges, counsellors or in domestic matters.
6 For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law: a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. — for the son dishonoreth the father, openly despising him, the daughter riseth up against her mother, refusing her the love and honor which she owes;
— the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, all the most sacred relationships being utterly broken down; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. Similar conditions preceded the fall of Jerusalem and will precede the end of the world.
7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. — my God will hear me; this is the language of faith, both to say that God was his God, and that he would hear and answer him;
8 Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
— rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; these are the words of the prophet in the house of Israel continued in an address to his and their enemy; literally the Chaldeans or Edomites or both who rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem and the calamities the people of the Jews were brought into at it.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause and execute judgement for me. He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness.
— I will bear the indignation of the Lord; the Targum prefaces these words with “Jerusalem saith” and they are the words of the prophet in the name of Jerusalem; with the humble submission which characterizes the repentant heart, because I have sinned against him, such a free and unequivocal confession being essential if the sorrow is genuine;
— until he plead my cause, taking the part of his people against the enemies and execute judgement for me, maintaining and establishing his Kingdom in spite of all hostility;
— he will bring me forth to the light, namely, out of the darkness of captivity and oppression and I shall behold his righteousness for the deliverance of his people was in agreement with the Lord’s ancient promises.
10 Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her that said unto me, “Where is the Lord thy God?” Mine eyes shall behold her; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
— then she that is mine enemy shall see it, this being the confident expectation of the Lord’s people and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord, thy God? in the scornful question usually asked by the enemies of the Kingdom;
— God’s eyes shall behold her, with quiet satisfaction; now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
11 In that day thy walls are to be built; in that day shall the decree be far removed. — when Jerusalem is to be rebuilt in the Millennium, then it will be larger than it was previously; “far removed” refers to being extended outwards and implied these extended walls are the city limits of Jerusalem.
12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
— in that day also God shall come even to thee, the restored Zion, from Assyria and from the fortified cities where many of the ten tribes were, whither they were carried captives and from the fortress, namely, Assyria, even beyond the river, the Euphrates, to indicate all the countries lying between;
— and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain, from all the regions and countries of the earth, all those whom the Lord had chosen from the various countries of the world;
— here is a parallel and contrast from Ezekiel 6:3
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.
13 Notwithstanding, the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, because of the fruit of their doings. — notwithstanding the land shall be desolate,
— the reference to the land of Israel; possessed by the ten tribes and at the latter days shall be desolate; because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings; the fruit of their doings are the fruits of their wickedness, which is desolation: by fire, pestilence and famine, and if they still survive, to be smitten by a Sword.
14 Rule Thy people with Thy rod, the flock of Thine heritage, who dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
— led thy people withGod’s rod, with her true shepherd’s care, the staff being the mark of the shepherd; the Targum says, “feed thy people with thy word, the people of thine inheritance, in the age which is to be renewed.”
15 “As in the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto them marvelous things.” — according to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt when he overthrew their enemies with a mighty hand and revealed his goodness to Israel, will I show unto him marvelous things, his Kingdom being given the wonders of his rule.
16 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. — the nations will be stunned with it and scarce know what they hear;
— become deaf with the continual noise of it, they shall lay their hand upon their mouth in token that they were reduced to silence; and will choose to hear no more; they shall stand astounded so as not to hear what shall be said and will stop their ears at what is being told.
17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent; they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of Thee.
— they shall lick the dust like a serpent, in deepest humiliation; they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth, literally, “as those things that creep on the earth” they shall tremble forth out of their hiding-places;
— they shall be afraid of the Lord, our God, approaching to him with terror, and shall fear because of thee. With these words the prophet once more turns directly to Yehovah, addressing him in words of praise.
18 Who is a God like unto Thee, who pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy.
19 He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities. And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. — he will turn again, so the prophet assures the believers;
— God will have compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities, treading them down like enemies that rise up against the believers; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea, so that they are covered over and can no more rise to condemn the Lord’s people.
20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, which Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. — thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob; that is, the promise made to Jacob; unfortunately there is very little truth in the house of Jacob today!
— and the mercy to Abraham; the gracious promises made to him, which sprung from mere grace and mercy the Lord would faithfully perform and make good to his posterity, natural and spiritual, especially to those who are Israelites indeed;
— all respecting his natural and spiritual seed; and especially the promise of the coming of the Millenium and the Messianic Age, that seed of his in which all nations of the earth were to be blessed; and which is the eminent instance of the mercy and grace of God to all nations of the world that walk in the steps of Abraham.
~~~
Four Great Deceptions:
(a) Easters, a celebration of the Queen of heaven: Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; Jeremiah 7:18 the women knead their dough to make cakes to the Queen of heaven; in Egypt, Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25, this is Ishtar: pronounced ‘Easter.’
(b) Christmas; Ezekiel 8:16 five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple; their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east; Christmas, which honor the Mithraism, birthday on December 25th – a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice;
(c) Sundays; her sabbaths which is Sundays, where the original keepers were the Samaritans, brought from Assyria: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, II Kings 17:24.
— today, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. Ezekiel 8:16 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, Deuteronomy 17:3-5 – ’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!
(4) Holy Ghosts – Revelation 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; if the Spirit is a Being or an independent Personage; there would be seven Holy Spirits;
— and with these we would add Jesus Christ the Son, and God the Father, then there would be nine Personage; we should have a Polygon or a Nonagon; so surely the Godhead would be a Polyty or a Nonaty; nine heads, that would be more like an Indian goddess more than a Trinity?
— more about the missing Holy Ghost; indeed he’s real and around; he was created full of wisdom and beauty, his head swelled up so much that he wanted to be like the Most High: these clues are giving in the book of Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.
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.
~~~~
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!
Now 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 them being 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 surrounding the kingdom of Judea: Tyre, 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.
Who are the Moabites? The descendants of Moab also known as the Moabites had an extensive history dealing with the Israelites. Moab’s beginning was part of Israel’s story but most of the time wasn’t in a good way and is today identified as modern-day Jordan.
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. — and three times God describes Nebuchadnezzar as “my servant” Jeremiah 25:9,27:6,43:10;
— 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.
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, and the many evangelical preachers, which are mainly based in the United States (Ephraim) their watchmen refered here? But most evangelical preachers are blind (and deluded by their own replacement theory) to the modern identity of who the identify of who Ephraim is. So let’s wait and see if they’ll wake up;
— but since God has foretold that watchmen will arise, so there will be at least one, whether is it B’ney Yosef or not we couldn’t be sure yet; or would there be other organizations? 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, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword…”
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 three times God describes Nebuchadnezzar as “my servant” Jeremiah 25:9,27:6,43:10;
— 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 have God 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. — and three times God describes Nebuchadnezzar as “my servant” Jeremiah 25:9,27:6,43:10;
— 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 responsibility.
The war was now being fought, not to defend Ukraine’s interests, but to advance American and NATO interests in “a war that is in many ways bigger than Russia [and] bigger than Ukraine,” in the confessional words of State Department spokesman Ned Price.
It is the United States that bears the bulk of responsibility for its proxy war against Russia.
“The CIA argued that…it would have to be covert…Everyone understood the stakes…If the attack were traceable to the United States, ‘it’s an act of war.’”
According to reporting by Seymour Hersh, this was the internal discussion in the United States government before it decided to attack the Nord Stream pipeline, jointly operated by Russia and Germany, on September 26, 2022.
If Hersh is correct, the US is responsible for the, until now unknown, direct war on Russia. “It’s an act of war,” as the members of the Biden authorized task force, which was headed by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and included representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, the State Department and the Treasury Department, were fully aware.
Their first meeting was held in December 2021. Hersh points out that the timeline reveals that President Biden had begun planning an act of war against Russia “two months before the first Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.”
The United States is responsible for the direct war on Russia.
There are four wars being fought at once in the war in Ukraine. Russia bears responsibility for the one that gets all the media attention: Russia’s war on Ukraine. But Washington bears significant responsibility for the three wars that don’t get enough attention: the war within Ukraine, the proxy US and NATO war on Russia, and the direct US war on Russia.
If a comprehensive and lasting settlement to the war in Ukraine is to have a chance of succeeding, it may be necessary to analyze the war into its four related, but distinct, conflicts and to come to understand the causes and issues behind each.
“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
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
~ Come to my parlour ~ the spider says to the butterfly: “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.”
"Who is blind, but My servant? Or deaf, as My messenger that I sent? Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant?” Isaiah 42:18-19
"Where two sit together to study the Torah, the Shekinah rests between them."
“Cry aloud, spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet! And show My people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins" Isaiah 58:1
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word out of My mouth, and give them warning from Me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die,’ and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul" Ezekiel 3:17-19
Now, consider this PROPHECY:
“And upon thy sword shalt thou depend, entering at every place: yet thou shalt be supple and credulous, and be in subjection to thy brother [Jacob]; but it will be that when his sons [the children of Israel] become evil, and fall from keeping the commandments of the law, thou shalt break his yoke of servitude from off thy neck…. and then will I kill Jakob my brother,” Genesis 27:41-42 the Targum of Jonathan
“Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord who doth sanctify you'" Exodus 31:13
ISRAEL, today as in the past, has many BLIND shepherd, for it was prophesied:
“His watchmen are BLIND; they are all ignorant; they are all DUMB dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber” Isaiah 56:10
The mission here is to provide research ARTICLES that are ENLIGHTENING and EASY TO UNDERSTAND using SCRIPTURES to help improve our knowledge and make our life better.
“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of ISRAEL; there is the whoredom of EPHRAIM, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10
“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
“Hear, ye DEAF; and look, ye BLIND, that ye may see” Isaiah 42:18
Hence the RESEARCH produced here are to help us UNDERSTAND and hopefully WE all could learn together.
There's nothing special about me, except perhaps, since I was younger, I (L Siaw) had an inner struggle between my heart and my head, hence this blog.
I produce articles that I would understand and hopefully you could too.
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You may contact me on: eqlunn@gmail.com
Joel
A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob 