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To Prohibit |
By COGwriter
Why is the world like it is today? Why do we see prosperity in some places and poverty in others? Why is there crime in so many areas? Why is there pollution and other problems? What about war? Why are we seeing a rise in regional power blocks?
It's been said that if you come to watch a movie that is almost over that it makes it very hard to understand it. As we get closer to the end of the 6,000 years that God has allowed human beings whose sins separated them from Him to build their own civilizations with their own rules.--but what will happen?
But unlike walking into a movie, we can look back on history and the Bible which provides answers.
How did civilization start? How will it end? What will happen?
For many, this is a mystery. Although many wish to know, secularists cannot know as they normally reject the biblical accounts.
What does the Bible teach? (Here are links to two related sermons: Mystery of Civilization (and Nimrod) and Mystery of Civilization and How it Will End.)
Human civilization began when God created human beings:
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. (Genesis 1:26-31, NKJV throughout except as where otherwise noted)
Were humans supposed to just live in the jungle and let nature take its course?
No, not according to the Bible. God told humans to have dominion over the earth and what was living on it. Furthermore, God had a civilizing role for humans:
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ...
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
18 And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:7-9)
So, God gave humanity the task of doing gardening. Additionally, He had humans develop the language and name the animals. To keep the species going, He also made a woman. This was God's start of civilization and it was very good (Genesis 1:31).
And it remained that way until Satan, as a serpent, influenced humanity to go the wrong direction in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
In his book, The Mystery of the Ages, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
The Unfinished Earth
God placed man here to restore the government of God to the earth. Lucifer and his angels had been placed here originally. God had put them here on an unfinished earth. Remember, God creates in dual stages. Like a woman baking a cake, she bakes first the body of the cake, but it is not finished until she puts on the icing. The substance and body of the earth had been created before the angels were placed here. But God intended for the angels to develop the surface of the earth, to beautify and improve it. For this purpose he gave them his government to regulate their conduct and performance together in so doing. But Lucifer, on the throne to administer the government in cooperation and harmony for their world, rebelled.
He turned cooperation and harmonious activity into competition, evil, rebellion and destruction. Light on earth was turned to darkness. Wasteness, decay and ruin came to the surface of the earth. Then in six days (Ps. 104:30) God sent forth his Spirit and renewed the face of the earth for man. But still "the icing on the cake" had not been added. God placed man here to do that which sinning angels had not done. Man was to finish the beautification of the earth. God is not the author of confusion, ugliness or decay, but of beauty, perfection, character, the best in quality.
Look at the description of God's heaven — the seat of God's throne — where, we might say, God lives as described in the fourth chapter of Revelation. God sits on a throne surrounded by brilliant splendor, quality and beauty and character. More dazzlingly and gloriously beautiful than anything human eyes have ever seen. God intended man to work this earth, improve it, beautify it, give it glorious character — and in so doing to build into his own life the "beauty of holiness" (I Chron. 16:29). God never intended humans to live in poverty, filth and squalor or ugliness. Man should have beautified the earth, and developed man's character in so doing. His civilization should have been a "heaven on earth." (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages, 1985)
But, instead humans were swayed by Satan and their own lusts.
Prior to the start of human civilization, God made other beings. God told Job that these beings rejoiced when God made the earth:
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
So, there were beings before the earth was made.
According to Job 1:6 and 2:1 these angelic beings (cf. Luke 20:36) include the one called Satan.
Like Adam and Eve, Satan was made good.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:15)
How do we know the above is a reference to Satan? Notice the preceding verses:
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. (Ezekiel 28:13-14)
The Bible records that Satan was the one in Eden. Notice that Satan is called the serpent of old:
9 ... that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)
2 ... the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan (Revelation 20:2).
Now let's look at what happened in Eden:
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"
12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this,You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:1-14)
So, Satan was the serpent in Eden.
After sin entered, God said that there would be changes in civilization:
16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it':
"Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" — 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. ( (Genesis 3:16-24)
The Bible shows that God (Elohim), Adam, Eve, and the serpent were in the Garden of Eden and then an angel was placed to guard the Garden of Eden. So, truly the serpent who was in the Garden of Eden was the anointed cherub that was created perfect, but then had developed iniquity.
While Revelation 12:9 shows that Satan deceives the whole world, in 2 Corinthians 11:3, the Apostle Paul noted that "the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness" and in 1 Timothy 2:14 he mentions that "the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." The Apostle John wrote that "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4, KJV). Eve was deceived by Satan and this led to bad changes in civilization.
Notice also something that happened when the Pharisees confronted Jesus:
42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." (John 8:42-47)
Satan was a lying murderer. This affected civilization--and thousands of years after Adam & Eve, Jesus said that was so.
The late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:
What If Adam Had Taken the Tree of Life?
How did this material and human character degradation start?
Had Adam taken of the proffered tree of life the whole course of civilization would have been entirely different. Peace, happiness, joy, health and abundance would have spread over the earth.
But what did result?
Adam took to himself the knowledge of good as well as evil. But it was only human good, no higher than the carnal human level of the human spirit within him.
He rejected reliance on God and relied on himself for knowledge, ability and power--all limited to the fleshly human plane, deceived and led by the perverted Satan.
Had he taken of the tree of life, he himself undoubtedly would have succeeded Satan on the throne of the earth, restoring the government of God, empowered, influenced and led by the Eternal God. But he allowed Satan to enter within his mind. He was, as it were, kidnapped and held captive by Satan.
Thus the first created human disbelieved God, disobeyed God, chose to go HIS OWN WAY, do his own thing. Adam did it willingly, but not apparently willfully or with malicious intent.
Willingly, Adam was led into captivity by Satan. He had willingly gone along with Satan, the archkidnapper of all time.
A World Held Captive
Adam had been created with the potential to be born a son of GOD. Even though not as yet even a begotten son of the GOD FAMILY, he had been created as potentially just that. Once he succumbed to Satan's WAY of choosing to "do his own thing," in rebellion against a deliberate command of God, he became spiritually the property of Satan. He actually had succumbed to the GOVERNMENT of Satan, choosing the LAW of that government — the law of vanity, self-centeredness — leading automatically into attitudes of self-glory, coveting, competition, desire to GET rather than God's way of GIVE.
All humanity came out of Adam and Eve. The present world was FOUNDED in them. The WORLD has ever since been HELD CAPTIVE! The world had thus chosen THE WAY of the kidnapper, rather than of the potential Parent!
But God the Father was to pay the ransom price and even yet bring his potential spiritual children back to him. God did not choose to redeem, correct and restore humanity to him at that time. (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages, 1985)
Adam choose the wrong way. However, God did know that humans would sin. How do we know this?
Because the Bible teaches that Jesus was "slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).
Civilization started out fine, but through Adam sin entered the world:
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned — 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. (Romans 5:12-15)
Eve had envy (Genesis 3:6). Adam and Eve's son Cain became envious and then a murderer:
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."
13 And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me."
15 And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son — Enoch. (Genesis 4:1-18)
The first human murderer the Bible mentions also built the first city that the Bible mentions. Civilization was being built. Continuing:
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. (Genesis 4:18-24)
It was a descendant of Cain who apparently came up with the first musical instruments and are the first listed in the Bible as using bronze and iron.
It is NOT that music is bad (the Bible endorses it), but it is interesting that a family whose patriarch was influenced enough by Satan to murder his brother was the one who came up with musical instruments. Why? Because it appears that Satan was involved in music. Notice the following:
13 In Eden, the garden of God, thou hast been, Every precious stone thy covering, Ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle, and gold, The workmanship of thy tabrets, and of thy pipes, In thee in the day of thy being produced, have been prepared. (Ezekiel 28:13, Young's Literal Translation)
13 thou wast in the delicacies of the paradise of God: every precious stone thy covering: sardius, topazius, and the jasper, chrysolithus, and onyx, and berillus, the sapphire, and the carbuncle, and the emerald: gold the work of thy beauty: and thy pipes were prepared in the day, that thou wast created. (Ezekiel 28:13, Original Douay Rheims Bible)
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. In the day that you were created they were prepared. (Ezekiel 28:13, World English Bible)
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
And the sound of your stringed instruments;
The maggot is spread under you,
And worms cover you.'12 "How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations! (Isaiah 14:11-12, NKJV)
The Bible elsewhere endorses music (see the Book of Psalms), as well as instruments (e.g. Psalm 149:3). Yet, Lucifer was involved with it, and descendants of Cain are shown to have used musical instruments.
Getting back to Genesis, notice the following:
23 Then Lamech said to his wives:
"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for hurting me.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold." (Genesis 4:23-24)
Lamech is the first listed as having more than one wife, contrary to what God wanted (Matthew 19:4-9). Lamech is also indicating that he was a murderer. Notice two commentaries:
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (23, 24)
Lamech said . . . —Following quickly upon music, we have poetry, but it is in praise of ferocity, and gives utterance to the pride of one who, by means of the weapons forged by his son, had taken violent revenge for an attack made upon him.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
23, 24. The Song of the Sword. These verses are written in a poetical style, with the parallelism of clauses characteristic of Hebrew poetry. It is the first instance of Hebrew poetical composition in the Bible. It contains (1) the address of Lamech to his wives; (2) the announcement of a recent exploit; (3) the boast of confidence and security against injury or insult. It is generally supposed that Lamech’s Song is intended to represent his exultation after the invention of metal weapons by his son Tubal-Cain. The new possession inspired primitive man with confidence and eagerness for savage retaliation.
There were two Enochs mentioned in Genesis (as well as two people named Lamech). One Enoch was a progenitor of Lamech, but the other was one who walked with God (Genesis 5:18-24). It may be that the 'attack' on Lamech was Enoch that walked with God telling Lamech that he was wrong about multiple wives or something else. Contrary to some misunderstandings about this Enoch, the New Testament teaches that although he did not 'see death' (Hebrews 11:5), that Enoch did die (Hebrews 11:13). The idea that metal weapons were probably forged by this time is consistent with the biblical account.
After all of this the world got worse:
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)
So, civilization got so bad that God decided to destroy it and start again.
Now, did God make humans bad? No.
29 Truly, this only I have found:
That God made man upright,
But they have sought out many schemes. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
It is the many schemes that have negatively affected human civilization.
Anyway, the great flood eliminated all but eight people:
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark — 14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.
17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. (Genesis 7:13-23)
At the time, none of Noah's sons had children of their own. How do we know this?
The Apostle Peter twice mentioned how many people were saved from the great flood:
20... in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. (1 Peter 3:20)
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned . . . 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly (2 Peter 2:4-5).
Only eight.
Then civilization began again:
1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. (Genesis 9:1)
So, God wanted people to fill the earth and not all stay in the same place.
Anyway, even after the flood there were problems:
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 25 Then he said:
"Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brethren."26 And he said:
"Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem,
And may Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be his servant." (Genesis 9:20-27)
Despite being a preacher of righteousness (cf. 2 Peter 2:5), Noah had problems. As did others.
There was a descendant of Noah, through Ham and Cush named Nimrod. Nimrod is mentioned by name four times in the Bible.
Here are three of the times:
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord." 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). (Genesis 10:6-12).
10 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. (1 Chronicles 1:10)
Babel seems to be the first city built after the great flood. Calah and Nineveh were both later capitals of the Assyrian empire (see also Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History).
Notice that Nimrod was a 'mighty hunter.' It would seem that people felt that Nimrod could protect them from dangerous animals, and that may have been a reason that people heeded him.
However, what he and his followers wanted to do did not meet with God's approval:
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:1-4)
Of course, God said that He wanted to people to be scattered abroad on the earth (Genesis 9:1), but Nimrod and others did not agree.
Even though God said He would never again use a flood to destroy the world (Genesis 9:11), apparently those in Babel were not going to take any chances and truly believe God. God did not like this, so God took action:
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:5-9)
This affected civilization. By having multiple languages and scattering people, this reduced teamwork, cooperation, and knowledge expansion to a significant degree. It greatly increased the time when humans would learn more and more. That time for knowledge to be increased was later prophesied, but that was to be for the end times that we now are in (Daniel 12:4). But even that aspect of civilization was foretold in scripture.
There are a lot of legends about Nimrod. It is difficult to know which are true as he was and remains a mystery.
The first century Jewish historian Josephus wrote:
2. Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers !
3. Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them divers languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book I, Chapter 4)
Here is some of what old Jewish writings teach about Nimrod according to the Encyclopedia Judaica:
In the Aggadah
Nimrod is the prototype of rebellion against the Almighty (Hag. 13a), his name being interpreted as "he who made all the people rebel against God" (Pes. 94b). As the first hunter, he was the first to eat meat and to make war on other peoples (Mid. Ag. to Gen. 10:8), and he eventually became a king (PdRE 24). . . He became the first man to rule the whole world and he appointed Terah, Abraham's father, his minister (PdRE 24). Elated by his glory, he became an idolator (Sefer ha-Yashar, Noah 9a, 1870). He built the Tower of Babel (which is called by the rabbis, "the house of Nimrod") for idol worship (Av. Zar. 53b) and he had the whole world pay divine homage to him (Mid. Hag to Gen. 11:28). (Nimrod. Encyclopedia Judaica, 2nd edition. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik editors. Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=imcpl1111&tabID=T003&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE|CX2587514853&&docId=GALE|CX2587514853&docType=GALEviewed 10/22/14)
The Aggadah is part of Judaism's so-called 'Oral Torah.' It was probably written between the late first century B.C. and the early third century A.D. It claims that Nimrod was the founder of human wars, at least after the flood. Remember that Jesus called Satan a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) and Nimrod looks to have expanded upon that.
That said, there is also a second century A.D. Jewish document called Targum Jonathan (John Wesley Etheridge, London, 1862) that mentions the name Nimrod 8 times. In its commentary on Genesis 11, it states that Nimrod was heavily involved with idolatry. Sadly, many have been highly involved with idolatry until this day.
There are several mysteries about Nimrod, including what other names in history might point to him. Various ones have pointed to the names Ninus, Bel, Bel-Nibru, Belus, Nebrod, Euechoios of Chaldea, Euechoros, Enmerkar, Lord Ni of Marad, Sumerian king Lugal-Banda, Tukulti-Ninurta I, and king Amraphel in Mesopotamia. It is difficult to know for certain. Some have tied legends of Tammuz in with Nimrod. So, some Nimrod legends may be Tammuz, if he is separate and not the same.
That said, there is a document containing legends called the "Cave of Treasures." It allegedly written by the 4th century Eastern Orthodox saint Ephrem the Syria (some say it was written a century or so past his death). It states:
Nimrod, the mighty man, the first king on the earth, (The Book of the Cave of Treasures. Translated by E. a. Budge Budge, Sir Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge in the 19th century. Cosimo Inc., 2005, p. 135)
So if that is correct, in a sense Nimrod could be considered as the foundational leader of human civilization. Cave of Treasures also states:
And in the days of Nimrod, the mighty man (or giant), a fire appeared which ascended from the earth, and Nimrod went down, and looked at it, and worshipped it, and he established priests to minister there, and to cast incense into it. From that day the Persians began to worship fire, [and they do so] to this day. (p. 142)
And when Nimrod went up from the east, and began to practise the art of divining, very many men marvelled at him. And when Îdhâshîr (Ardeshir ?), the priest who ministered to the fire that ascended from the earth, saw that Nimrod was practising these exalted courses, he entreated the devil, who appeared in connection with that fire, to teach him [Fol. 24b, col. 2] the wisdom of Nimrod. ... that [knowledge] which the Magians have, viz. astrology, is sorcery and the teaching of devils. (pp. 143-144)
These were they whom Nimrod, the giant, sent to Balaam, the priest of the Mountain of Sâ`êr, because he heard that he was wont to consult the Signs of the Zodiac, and when they were passing the skirts of the mountain they built there an altar to the sun. (p. 172)
Fire worship is more common today, in a sense, related to the Sun--many sun god cults sprang up from the time of Nimrod.
Notice, also, what certain Protestant scholars have written:
Moses of Chorene, the great Armenian historian identifies Belus, King of Babylon, with Nimrod; while at the same time he adopts for him a genealogy only slightly different from that in Genesis, making Nimrod the grandson of Cush, and the son Mizraim. He thus connects, in the closest way, Babylonia, Egypt, and Ethiopia Proper, uniting moreover, by his identification of Nimrod with Belus, the Babylonians of later times who worshipped Belus as their hero-founder, with the primitive population introduced into the country by Nimrod. (Rawlinson George. The five great monarchies of the ancient Eastern world; or, The history, geography, and antiquities of Chaldæa, Assyria, Babylon, Media, and Persia, Volume 1, 2nd edition. 1871 Original from Oxford University, Digitized Jun 28, 2006, p. 50)
Beltis, the wife of Bel-Nimrod, presents a strong contrast to Anata, the wife of Ana. She is far more than the mere female power of Bel-Nimrod, being in fact a separate and very important deity. Her common title is “the Great goddess Chaldaea her name was Mulita or Enuta — both words signifying " the Lady ; " in Assyria she was Bilta or Bilta-Nipruta, the feminine forms of Bil and Bilu-Nipru. ... She seems thus to have united the attributes of Juno, the Ceres or Demter, the Bellona, and even the Diana of the classic nations; for she was at once the queen of heaven, the goddess who makes the grass fertile, the goddess of war and battle, and the goddess of hunting. In these latter capacities she appears, however, to have been gradually superceded by Ishtar ... The worship of Beltis was widespread and her temples very numerous. (Rawlinson G. The five great monarchies of the ancient Eastern world; or, The history, geography, and antiquities of Chaldæa, Assyria, Babylon, Media, and Persia, Volume 1, 2nd edition. 1871 Original from Oxford University, Digitized Jun 28, 2006, pp. 119-120)
For these works of Babylon and Ninevah began by Nimrod in Chaldea, and in Assyria Ninus and Semiramis made perfect. Ninus finished Ninevah, Semiramis Babylon ... Howsoever Ninus came to his end, Semiramis took on her after his death the sole rule of the Assyrian empire; of which Ninus was said to be the first monarch, because he changed his seat from Babylonia in Chaldea to Nineveh in Assyria. Justin reports that Semiramis . . . presented herself in the image of her son ... And if one half be true of what is reported of this lady, then there never lived a prince or princess more worthy of fame than Semiramis was, both for the works she did at Babylon and elsewhere, and for the wars she made with glorious success; all but her last enterprise in India ... that she never returned. (Raleigh, Sir Walter. The history of the world Volume 2 of The Works of Sir Walter Raleigh, Kt, Oxford University Press, 1829. Oxford University Digitized Dec 14, 2006, pp. 406, 407, 409)
Why mention any of this? Because eventually, many regions of the world had "mother and child" narratives and legends. Satan would seem to have inspired this as he was aware from the Garden of Eden that a child (Jesus) was to come from the woman in the future to bruise him.
This has been so ingrained in many cultures, religions, and civilizations that most have no problems with it. A Babylonian "mystery religion" formed related to Nimrod and Semiramis and traces of it appear in many religions around the world today--including most that claim ties to Christianity.
Notice also:
THE Chaldeans worshipped a Queen of heaven—a great goddess—mother of the gods, called Mulita, or Emuta (the Lady), Alma Mater, or Virgin Mother; and she is represented in Babylonian sculpture with an infant in her arms ... this goddess (supposed to be Semiramis, mother of Ninus, or Nimrod) ... the Queen of Heaven ...
No doubt the promise of God to our first parents after the fall, that the seed of the woman (Isha) should bruise the head of the serpent, suggested to Nimrod the counterfeit system he is supposed to have set up in Babylon.
The idolatrous systems of the world--all derived from ancient Chaldæa have this female worship prominently developed: Isis (the Woman) in Egypt; Demeter (the Great Mother) in Greece; Shing Moo (holy Mother) in China; Cybele (known to the Romans as Domina) in Asia Minor; Diana (the Dove) at Ephesus,--all immaculate women with immaculate sons--well attest the origin and meaning of so huge a counterfeit.
Next after "the Woman," in the Pantheon of Papal Rome, comes the "Son of God"--the Woman's seed; and although professed to be Jesus Christ, our blessed and adorable Saviour, we search the Scriptures in vain for his character and office as explained by the Church of Rome--only to discover a true resemblance when we scan the infamous creed of Babylon, where the son appears to have been worshipped through the mother. The Church of Rome Papal, therefore, agrees much more closely with the Church of the Chaldæans than the "Church of God." (Dionysius. The Mystical Woman and the Cities of the Nations: Or Papal Rome and Her Secular Satellites. Comprising Facts from Past and Contemporaneous History, which Identify the Church of Rome as the Great Babylon of the Apocalypse. 1867. Original from The British Library, Digitized Mar 8, 2013, pp. 24-25)
Deceit related to Babylon, Chaldea, and that "Lady," has happened to most of the world that professes Christianity (see also Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions) as well as many in other religions. Yet its origins were ancient.
This has been done so cleverly, that most do not see it. But the Bible shows that people would be deceived by false ministers:
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
Nimrod, in various ways, is a symbol of one who went the way of Satan--and that the way of Nimrod looked very good to many in his day.
Consider that there are legends that various holidays many who claim Christianity keep seem to have had a ancient connection to Nimrod.
The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in his Plain Truth about Christmas book:
Remember, the Roman world had been pagan. ... But remember, these people had grown up in pagan customs, chief of which was this idolatrous festival of December 25th. It was a festival of merrymaking, with its special spirit. They enjoyed it! They didn't want to give it up! Now this same article in the New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge explains how the recognition by Constantine of Sunday, which had been the day of pagan sun worship, and how the influence of the pagan Manichaeism, which identified the SON of God with the physical SUN, gave these pagans of the fourth century, now turning over wholesale to "Christianity," their excuse for calling their pagan-festival date of December 25th (birthday of the SUN-god), the birthday of the SON of God.
And that is how "Christmas" became fastened on our Western world! We may call it by another name, but it's the same old pagan sun-worshipping festival still! The only change is in what we call it! You can call a rabbit a "lion," but it's still a rabbit, just the same.
Again from the Encyclopedia Britannica: "Certain Latins, as early as 354, may have transferred the birthday from January 6th to December 25, which was then a Mithraic feast ... or birthday of the unconquered SUN ... The Syrians and Armenians, who clung to January 6th, accused the Romans of sun worship and idolatry, contending ... that the feast of December 25th, had been invented by disciples of Cerinthus ...."
The Real Origin of Christmas
But if we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and they got it from paganism, where did the pagans get it? Where, when, and what was its real origin?
It is a chief custom of the corrupt system denounced all through Bible prophecies and teachings under the name of Babylon. And it started and originated in the original Babylon of ancient Nimrod! Yes, it stems from roots whose beginning was shortly this side of the Flood!
Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonish system that has gripped the world ever since — the system of organized competition — of man — ruled governments and empires, based upon the competitive and profit-making economic system. Nimrod built the tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh, and many other cities. He organized this world's first kingdom. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, is derived from "Marad," meaning "he rebelled."
From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great organized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, whose name was Semiramis. After Nimrod's untimely death, his so-called mother-wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod. This is the real origin of the Christmas tree.
Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis became the Babylonian "Queen of Heaven," and Nimrod, under various names, became the "divine son of heaven." Through the generations, in this idolatrous worship, Nimrod also became the false Messiah, son of Baal the Sun-god. In this false Babylonish system, the "Mother and Child" (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn) became chief objects of worship. This worship of "Mother and Child" spread over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages. In Egypt it was Isis and Osiris. In Asia, Cybele and Deoius. In pagan Rome, Fortuna and Jupiterpuer. Even in Greece, China, Japan, Tibet is to be found the counterpart of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ!
Herbert W. Armstrong probably got a lot of his Nimrod-related information from Alexander Hislop's 19th century book The Two Babylons.
But it should also be noted that in the Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet VI), Tammuz is described as the lover of Ishtar, who is also associated with Nimrod in other Mesopotamian texts. It also says that Tammuz was resurrected, and that annual festivals celebrated this resurrection with the greenery’s springtime return--some believe this was changed to the winter solstice. This could be a factor in the condemnation of tree worship in Jeremiah 10 and green trees in Deuteronomy 12:2 and 2 Kings 17:10.
The late evangelist Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote:
Lent is nowhere commanded or mentioned in the New Testament. But it is mentioned in the Old Testament!
Lent was an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz — another name for Nimrod, reborn as the pagan Babylonian messiah. Forty days preceding the feast of Tammuz (usually celebrated among pagans originally in June) the heathen held their Lenten season! Ezekiel describes it vividly in Ezek. 8:13-14:
"He" — the Lord — "said also unto me, 'Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.'" Notice that God calls what Ezekiel is about to see an ABOMINATION. What does the prophet see?
"And, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz."
They wept for Tammuz, the false messiah of the pagans!
Fasting was joined with weeping FOR A PERIOD OF FORTY DAYS before the festival in honor of Tammuz. The period of weeping and semi-fasting fell originally during springtime. That is why the word Lent means "spring!" Lent is a continuation of the pagan spring-time custom of abstaining from certain foods just prior to celebrating a fake resurrection! And God calls LENT an ABOMINATION! (Hoeh H. How ROME Counterfeited Gods Holy Days! Good News, April 1958)
At the Vatican in December and January each year (my family and I have seen this twice) you can see something that is claimed to be a cave Jesus was supposedly born in. That has ties to Nimrod as Alexander Hislop wrote:
Now, in remembrance of the birth of the god out of a "hole in the earth," the Mysteries were frequently celebrated in caves under ground. This was the case in Persia, where, just as Tages was said to be born out of the ground, Mithra was in like manner fabled to have been produced from a cave in the earth. *
* JUSTIN MARTYR. It is remarkable that, as Mithra was born out of a cave, so the idolatrous nominal Christians of the East represent our Saviour as having in like manner been born in a a cave. (See KITTO's Cyclopoedia, "Bethlehem") There is not the least hint of such a thing in the Scripture.
Numa of Rome himself pretended to get all his revelations from the Nymph Egeria, in a cave. In these caves men were first initiated in the secret Mysteries, and by the signs and lying wonders there presented to them, they were led back, after the death of Nimrod, to the worship of that god in its new form. This Apocalyptic beast, then, that "comes up out of the earth," agrees in all respects with that ancient god born from a "hole in the ground"; for no words could more exactly describe his doing than the words of the prediction (v 13): "He doeth great wonders, and causeth fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men,...and he causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." This wonder-working beast, called Nebo, or "The Prophet," as the prophet of idolatry, was, of course, the "false prophet." By comparing the passage before us with Revelation 19:20, it will be manifest that this beast that "came up out of the earth" is expressly called by that very name: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image." As it was the "beast from the earth" that "wrought miracles" before the first beast, this shows that "the beast from the earth" is the "false prophet"; in other words, is "Nebo."
If we examine the history of the Roman empire, we shall find that here also there is a precise accordance between type and antitype...the old Pagan title of Pontiff was restored, it was, through means of the corrupt clergy, symbolised, as is generally believed, and justly under the image of a beast with horns, like a lamb; according to the saying of our Lord, "Beware of false prophets, that shall come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Hislop A. Two Babylons. 1858)
Now, Jesus was not born in the cave that Rome has pointed to. The Bible contains some information about the place of Jesus’ birth:
1 ... Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king ... (Matthew 2:1)
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ... (John 1:14)
Whether Jesus was born in a building for humans and then moved to a manger is not specified. But what is specified is that he was laid in a manger, which is a place that fodder (like hay) was placed to feed livestock such as cattle and sheep.
While Justin was aware of Mithras legends of a cave birth, those who were part of the Mithras religion were perhaps even more aware of it.
Therefore, it should be of little surprise that in the fourth century, the mother of the Mithras-following Emperor Constantine in 326-327 A.D. authorized the construction of the so-called “Church of the Nativity” over a 20 feet below ground cave location (Herring G. An introduction to the history of Christianity: from the early church to the Enlightenment. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, p. 54; Kitto J, Taylor J. The popular cyclopadia of Biblical literature: condensed from the larger work. Gould and Lincoln, 1854. Original from Harvard University, Digitized Oct 23, 2007, p. 150 ).
Because of its steepness and depth, this is a location that would be basically impossible for cattle and/or sheep to be able to be herded in and out of. Others have also realized that and properly concluded that Jesus was not possibly born in the cave that Constantine’s mother Helena was led to believe He was.
Much associated with Mithraism is part of the world's versions of Christianity (see Do You Practice Mithraism?).
Interestingly:
W. W. Oliphant, an African church leader in the early years of the twentieth century says that the “Sabbath in Ethiopia [has] been kept from the days of Nimrod, about 2140 B.C. (read Gen. 10:8, 10), that is 700 years before the birth of Moses. . . . Africans or Ethiopians had been Sabbath observers from the days of Nimrod” (Quoted in Bradford C.E. Sabbath Roots, The African Connection. L. Brown and Sons, Barre (VT), 1999, p. 26).
Whether or not Nimrod kept the seventh-day Sabbath can be debated, but there is no debate that since God made the Sabbath day holy over 1000 year before Nimrod, that some people should have been aware of it.
But from what we can seemingly tell, Nimrod had a lot of impact that is still felt in modern civilization.
Let me add, that I have also seen reports of some connections to Valentine’s Day and some aspects of Roman Catholic mass tied to Nimrod.
This has been done so cleverly, that most do not see it. But the Bible shows that people would be deceived by false ministers:
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.(2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
Sadly, many have been persuaded by religious people (usually men) that they thought were right, but who were not.
Long before Jesus came, the Greek and Roman pagans worshiped various deities.
In the first century, Simon Magus rose up (see the Book of Acts chapter 8).
The Catholic Encyclopedia states:
Simonians ... regarded Simon Magus as its founder ... The Simonians venerated and worshiped Simon under the image of Zeus, and Helena under that of Athene. ( Simonians. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York)
Hippolytus of Rome wrote:
The disciples, then, of this (Magus), celebrate magical rites, and resort to incantations. And (they profess to) transmit both love-spells and charms, and the demons said to be senders of dreams, for the purpose of distracting whomsoever they please. But they also employ those denominated Paredroi. "And they have an image of Simon (fashioned) into the figure of Jupiter, and (an image) of Helen in the form of Minerva; and they pay adoration to these." But they call the one Lord and the other Lady. (Refutation of All Heresies (Book VI, Chapter II ). Translated by J. H. Machmahon. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 5. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1886, Chapter XV)
Early supporters of the Roman Catholic Church condemned Simon and his followers for doctrines such as statues, revering a woman (who was a prostitute) called "the mother of all," the doctrine of the immortal soul, incantations, mysteries, mystic priests, claiming divine titles for leaders, accepting money for religious favors, preferring allegory and tradition over many aspects of scripture, having a leader who wanted to be thought of as God/Christ on earth, and divorcing themselves from Christian biblical practices considered to be Jewish (for more details, see also Simon Magus, What Did He Teach?).
About 2000 years before Simon Magus, Nimrod, according to legend, pushed veneration and worship of his mother Semiaramis.
In the 21st century, Pope Francis regularly pushes attention to a particular lady (see Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?).
Furthermore, the Bible warns that in the end times the "virgin daughter of Babylon," a "Lady of the Kingdoms" who is the "daughter of the Chaldeans," would affect civilization:
1 "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne,O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called Tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, Take off the skirt, Uncover the thigh, Pass through the rivers. 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, Yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, And I will not arbitrate with a man."
4 As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel. 5 "Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you shall no longer be called The Lady of Kingdoms. 6 I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. 7 And you said, 'I shall be a lady forever, 'So that you did not take these things to heart, Nor remember the latter end of them.
8 "Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, Who dwell securely, Who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, Nor shall I know the loss of children'; 9 But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments. (Isaiah 47:1-9)
Other than the "latter end," how do we know this is for the end times, well that same "Lady" is called a harlot in Revelation 17:
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
7 But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. (Revelation 17:3-10)
And makes the following statements in Revelation 18:
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day — death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
9 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' (Revelation 18:4-10)
The statement in Revelation 18:7 is consistent with Isaiah 47:8. These are prophecies for an end time 'Babylon' that had origins with the original Babylon and the Chaldeans and the Assyrians.
It should be clear that certain improper aspects of of "civilization" started to become accepted thousands of years ago.
Notice also the following related to a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had that God gave the Prophet Daniel insight into the interpretation:
36 "This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all — you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. (Daniel 2:36-39)
This was a Babylonian system. Nebuchadnezzar was the first king of this image, he was the king of Babylon and Chaldea (cf. Daniel 5:29). This was followed by the Medio-Persian empire (Daniel 5:28-31). This was followed by the Greco-Macedonian empire.
This was then prophesied to be followed by the Roman empire:
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold — the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." (Daniel 2:40-45)
And notice that a resurrection of the of the old Babylonian/Chaldean/Assyrian empire would occur and that it would not mix together well. We see this in the modern European Union. But we also see that this 'civilization' will end.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that the final Babylonian mystery empire will be ruled by Assyrians (who are mainly based in central Europe (see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel). The Bible shows that these Assyrians will bring destruction (Isaiah 10:5-11; see also Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy and ) and captivity (see Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?).
But the Bible also shows that Jesus will return, have Assyria laid waste, and the remnant freed:
5 And this One shall be peace.
When the Assyrian comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
6 They shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria,
And the land of Nimrod at its entrances;
Thus He shall deliver us from the Assyrian,
When he comes into our land
And when he treads within our borders.7 Then the remnant of Jacob
Shall be in the midst of many peoples,
Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on the grass,
That tarry for no man
Nor wait for the sons of men.
8 And the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the Gentiles,
In the midst of many peoples,
Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Who, if he passes through,
Both treads down and tears in pieces,
And none can deliver.
9 Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries,
And all your enemies shall be cut off. (Micah 5:5-9)
Although those with association with Nimrod will have power for a time, they will ultimately be cut off (see also Germany in Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecy).
And all your enemies shall be cut off. (Micah 5:5-9)
Although those with association with Nimrod and his system will have power for a time, they will ultimately be cut off.
The tenth chapter of Genesis is sometimes referred to as the "Table of Nations" as it lists those who descended from Noah and his sons (chapter 11 is also sometimes included). Since according to the Bible there were only eight humans that survived the flood, all people, ethnic groups, and nations descended from those listed in Genesis 10.
1 Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. (Genesis 10:1)
Notice some comments from outside the Bible:
The patriarch Noah had three children – namely, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three of whom begat the three human races of the world: the Caucasoid race, the Negroid race, and the Mongoloid race. Ham is generally believed to be the patriarch of the African family tree. (Agbo A. Africa: The Glory, the Curse, the Remedy. Abbott Press, 2014, p. 12)
Some feel that the sons of Noah were different races (e.g. Ibid, p. 12), while others have indicated it is more likely that the wives of Ham and Japheth were of the Negroid and Mongoloid races respectively (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages, 1985). It would seem that the view that at least two the wives of Noah's sons were racially different from them makes more sense.
(Here is a link to a sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?)
Notice information about the descendants of one of the sons, Japheth:
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
Some believe that Meshech is the Hebrew term from whence came the name Moscow. Tubal is considered by some to also be associated with the Russian peoples. Some of the above peoples include the orientals (like the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans). Notice that the descendants of Japheth left after they had different languages. Russia and many of the Asians are coastland peoples.
Islamic and other legends teach:
There are numerous Oriental legends about Japheth. According to Mohammedan writers he was the eldest son of Noah, who gave him a stone (called Giude Tasch and Seuk Jede, long preserved in the country of the Mogul), upon which was inscribed the name of God, and which enabled him to cause rain at pleasure. They call him Aboultierk, and ascribe to him eleven sons, among whom are Sin, father of the Chinese, Turk of the Turks, and Ros of the Russians—nations wholly unknown to the ancient Hebrews. They ascribe to his sons great wisdom (Kitto, John; Alexander, William Lindsay. A Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature, 3rd Edition. Black, 1876, p. 465).
According to the Tartars and Orientals, the Chinese are descended from Tchin, or Gin, the son of Japheth (Painter, John Thomas. Ethnology: or The history & genealogy of the human race: Or, The History & Genealogy of the Human Race. Baillière, Tindall & Cox, 1880 Original from Oxford University Digitized Jul 3, 2006, p. 106).
Note: Names sometimes change considerably and hence it is likely that the Islamic writers would have had some names which they believed tied to those listed in Genesis 10, even if they are not similar sounding to the versions that Moses penned in Hebrew. The fact that only one of Japheth son's name (Javan) ended with an "n" hints that he may be the same one that the legends call "Sin" or "Gin" that the Chinese supposedly descended from.
Notice what another researcher wrote:
In China, along the coast, there was a people called Three Han by the early Chinese writers. Han may be a derivative of Javan or Yahan...The three were Ma-Han, Shon-Han and the Pien-Ha. There is, as Bishop writes, a very close relationship between them and the people who settled Japan. (In Search of ... The Origin of Nations. History Research Projects. 2003, pp. 164-165).
Some within Church of God circles have also speculated that the Japanese may have descended from Ashkenaz, a son of Gomer (e.g. Generations of Japheth. Church of God News. Chicago District, 1965). Others have indicated that the Koreans came from Ashkenaz. Protestants commentators tend to accept that the oriental peoples descended from Japheth. The Catholic Encyclopedia seems to believe that Magog might be identified with Lydia, but its scholars are unsure where the Chinese came from. Marco Polo identified Muhgu in China with Magog of the Bible (Polo M, Passini L. I viaggi di Marco Polo Veneziano. Translated by Vincenzio Lazari. Tipi di P. Naratovich, 1847. Original from the New York Public Library. Digitized Sep 14, 2007, p. 329), but that does not necessarily make it so.
It may be that the Han Chinese derived from Javan and/or a mixture of the sons of Japheth.
Are there any clues in China that the Chinese were at Babel, new about the flood, new about Adam & Eve, etc.? Yes.
Recall that God gave Adam one command after placing him in the garden:
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17).
It is of interest to note that a Chinese symbol for Prohibition is the combination of the symbols for two trees (mù) and command:
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To Prohibit |
Notice that the Chinese symbol for Devil is composed of the characters for secret, person, and garden:
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Satan the devil was secretly in the Garden of Eden in disguise.
The Chinese word chuán for a type of boat is composed of:
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| = 8 | + Little Boat, Vessel |
It may be of interest to note that one of the Chinese symbols for flood (chong) is a combination of an inverted symbol meaning "first Earthly branch" and eight (the term for eight may instead mean "person remaining""--that of itself is interesting as that the symbol for eight and "person remaining" look about the same--recall that on the ark there were only eight persons remaining alive).
What about the Tower of Babel which came in Nimrod's time shortly after the flood?
It is highly likely that when people saw others speaking foreign languages, that they thought that somehow something at this tower affected their mouths. Notice the following Chinese symbol of a tower.
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| = Grass | + Clay | + Mankind | + Mouth |
The tower of Babel was built with bricks (grass and clay) and humans originally had one language (or mouth). It is possible that this symbol is showing that the ancient Chinese recognized a connection to the biblical tower of Babel. Perhaps it should be mentioned that the Japanese use a lot of the same characters that the Chinese do. (More on Chinese characters is found in the article China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters.)
Other cultures also have ties to early biblical accounts. For example, there are supposed to be 300 or so references to the flood:
The greatest tale of all is that of the Flood. Noah finds his roots in older legends. Three hundred Flood narratives are known, from the Americas to Australia (from whence comes the tale of the frog that swallowed the world’s water only to spew it out when the other animals made him laugh). A Babylonian version tells of a divine decision to destroy everyone, apart from a certain Atrahasis, who builds a boat for his family and escapes. A real Atrahasis ruled in Sumeria around 3000 BC and the ruins of his city reveal signs of a gigantic flood of the Euphrates at about that time. (Jones S. Gods, floods – and global warming. The Telegraph, July 13, 2010).
While the above dating system is likely to be off, the biblical flood occurred about 2326 B.C. The fact that the indigenous peoples of Australia and the Americas have narratives about it also shows that they did not inhabit those lands until after 2326 B.C. Speaking of the indigenous to North America, the native Americans known as Indians seemed to have come over from Europe (see DNA evidence seems to validate Dr. Hoeh’s origin of native North Americans). Those known as Inuits/Eskimos came from the Chinese area.
Getting back to the Table of Nations, notice more:
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord." 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).
13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).
15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations. (Genesis 10:6-20)
The descendants of Cush are of the Negroid race (see also Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?). But not all of Ham's descendants seem to have been. Most most of the time the peoples of Cush or 'Ethiopia' are mentioned in the Old Testament, they are referring to darker skinned people who often inhabited parts of Africa (and many of whom still do; more on African history and prophecy can be found in the article Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future). Moses was married to a Cushite himself (Numbers 12:1, NIV).
The Hebrew word for Ethiopia is Cush, not actually the nation of Ethiopia. The eastern branch of which has been identified with India. The Hebrew word for Libya is Put and its eastern branch, like Cush, also has been identified with India:
The brown people of southern India and Ceylon are also descendants of Cush. Historians call them Dravidians; the ancients called them Sibae (Smith's Classical Dictionary). Their Bible name was Seba (Gen. 10:7). Josephus recognized an eastern and a western Cush--one in Asia, the other in Africa (Antiquities, Book 1, VI, 2). Herodotus calls them "Asiatic Ethiopians" (Thalia, Section 94). "Ethiopia" in Ezekiel 38:5 should be translated "Cush." It refers primarily to the Asiatic Cush, which is India today.
In India the highest castes were not only called Brahmins, but also Rajputs. "Rajput" means "king or chief of Put" (Raja," Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed.). "Phut" or "Put" means a "warrior" in Hebrew. The Rajputs are the most noted warriors in India...Of the four sons of Ham, only Cush bears a name that means "black." Just as some of the sons of Cush are brown, so some of the children of Phut are black. The Indians of central and northern India vary from light to dark brown. (Personal Correspondence Department. Letter L270, L270-688. Worldwide Church of God)
More information on India can be found in the article India, Its Biblical Past and Future: Any Witness?
More on the Asians and Europeans can be found in the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?
Getting back to the Table of Nations, notice more:
21 And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. (Genesis 10:21-31)
The above are mainly of the Caucasian race. Asshur is considered to be a progenitor of the Germanic peoples of Europe (Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History).
Eber is the progenitor of the Hebrews (Arabs and Israelis). The children of Israel descended through Eber's son Peleg (Genesis 11:19-26; Luke 3:34-35; see also Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel) as also did most of the Arab peoples (cf. Genesis 25:12-18; see also The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy)--see also the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?
Eber had another son, Joktan, who had 13 sons (Genesis 10:25-29). And various descendants of the tribes of Israel, like Simeon (cf. Joshua 19:2), seemed to be in contact with some of Joktan's descendants (like Sheba of Genesis 10:28). The fact that Havilah, the name of another of Joktan's sons (Genesis 10:29) was anciently between Egypt and Assyria (Genesis 25:18) suggests that perhaps some migrated along with the Assyrians and could be others in Europe who are not Assyrian (perhaps like the Eastern Europeans). There is a prophecy in Numbers 24:24 that may be pointing out some type of alliance between Assyria and some of the descendants of Israel (other than likely Manasseh, who probably is the sea power, or Ephraim, who is likely allied with him) (for more see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel) and the Arabic peoples (see The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy).
Now, let's go more into the line of the children of Israel and the Arabs:
18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug. 21 After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. 25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. (Genesis 11:18-27)
Abraham had a son named Ishmael through Hagar:
7 Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
She said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."
9 The Angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand." 10 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude." 11 And the Angel of the Lord said to her:
"Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man's hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?" 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. (Genesis 16:7-15)
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation (Genesis 17:20)
Ishmael, one of the fathers of the Arabs (see The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy), was prophesied to be difficult, but also to be the father of a great nation. But Ishmael was not the only father of the Arabic peoples. Abraham's nephew Lot was also listed as being a progenitor:
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day. (Genesis 19:36-38)
Although the Middle East and North Africa are mainly comprised of Arab peoples, it seems that the descendants of Lot most likely ended up in Jordan and the Arab peninsula with those of Ishmael in many of the other regions.
Abraham had a son called Isaac with his wife Sarah:
2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him -- whom Sarah bore to him -- Isaac. (Genesis 21:2-3)
Isaac had two sons:
25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. (Genesis 25:24-26)
In the Bible, Isaac's son Esau, received a particular blessing, and became the father of the Edomites:
38 And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me — me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. 40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck." (Genesis 27:38-40).
8. Esau is Edom. 9 ... Esau the father of the Edomites (Genesis 36:8-9).
Many of the descendants of Esau are modern Turks, whereas others seemed to have intermingled with the Arabs. Information about them in prophecy is in the video What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy as well as the article The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy.
Jacob, whose name was Israel (Genesis 32:28), had twelve sons:
22 Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram. (Genesis 35:22-26)
Most of the descendants of those sons ended up in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. There is information on each of those sons and where they ended up in the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?
What I want to focus on here are the promises to the sons of Joseph. Notice the following:
1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick"; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.' 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."
8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"
9 Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place."
And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them." 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:
"God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let my name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."
20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!'" And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:15-20)
These prophecies, despite the claims of some, were NOT fulfilled by the time Jesus was born, nor did they begin to be fulfilled until centuries after His resurrection.
According to certain Christian, Jewish, and Protestant researchers, these prophecies about Ephraim becoming a multitude of nations began to be fulfilled a couple of centuries or so ago by the British Empire, and those related to Manasseh starting to become great by the USA about a century or so ago.
Not the First
Just as America wasn't the world's first superpower, the dollar wasn't the world's first reserve currency. Historians believe the silver drachma was the first in the fifth century B.C.E., but the pound sterling is the most recent to precede the dollar. It comprised about 60% of global trade between 1860 and 1914. It wasn't until after the Bretton Woods system was established in 1945 that the buck rose to importance. (Charney J. The Dollar Armageddonists Might Have a Point. November 5, 2013. http://ibd.morningstar.com/article/article.asp?id=617886&CN=brf295,http://ibd.morningstar.com/archive/archive.asp?inputs=days=14;frmtId=12,%20brf295 viewed 10/25/14)
The British empire established a new level in international trade including the use of the British pound sterling. This was the start of the current world order that has been dominated by the British and then the USA.
What is important from a 'civilization' perspective is that for the past couple of centuries or so, we have had Britain and then the USA basically reign over the world economically and militarily. More information on the identities of these peoples and why they are believed to have descended from Ephraim and Manasseh, check out the article Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel.
Jacob/Israel placed his name on Ephraim and Manasseh. This is important to understand from a prophetic perspective. It has been the time of Israel in a sense as they dominated the world for the past couple of centuries.
We also have a free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?
The Bible tells of a coming time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), which coincides with the time of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21; see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?).
Currently we are in a time of transition that Jesus referred to as "the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8) where the nations descended from Ephraim and Manasseh are losing their influence. This is to be followed by the final "time of the gentiles" that Jesus spoke of (Luke 21:20-24) which lasts the same amount of time as the Great Tribulation and final Day of the Lord (cf. Revelation 11:2; 121:17; Daniel 7:25).
To see how Satan's leaders have impacted civilization through afflicting various churches, see the article on the Mystery of Iniquity.
In this article, only a summary of prophetic implications for various peoples have been or will be mentioned.
Now the Bible shows that in the appointed time of the end that there will a confederation of peoples who now live in the Arabic, northern Cushite, and Turkish lands (Daniel 11:40-43; Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?). Islamic prophecy also tells of the rise of a power in that region that ultimately will make a deal with the Europeans (see also The 'Peace Deal' of Daniel 9:27). The Bible also tells of a 'peace deal' in Daniel 9:27 that will not end well (The 'Peace Deal' of Daniel 9:27).
The Bible shows that a militaristic European power will arise that will align for a time with Mystery Babylon and be worshiped by the whole world (Revelation 13:4,8; see also Who is the King of the North?). Greco-Roman Catholic prophecy tells of a leader, known as the Great Monarch, who will arise and restore 'Babylon' and religious unity (see also Why Should American Roman Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox?).
The Bible seems to indicate that those in Latin America will support the European power (see Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy).
This European power will destroy the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies (Daniel 11:39). Interestingly, Greco-Roman Catholic prophecy tells of a leader will rise up and destroy the English-speaking peoples (see Who is the King of the North?).
The Bible shows that the whole world will worship the Beast power:
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:4-8)
How can that be? Well, all the world has been influenced by Satan and will be even more:
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Revelation 16:13-14)
As far as certain civilizations go, there is a Chinese prophecy dating from the Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907) that seems to support the concept of pan-Asian cooperation (although it only mentions three nations) after someone (who is apparently not really trustworthy) rises up in the West:
Beautiful people come from the West. Korea, China and Japan are gradually at peace (Pui-Hua R. Ancient Chinese Prophecies Till the End of the World. AuthorHouse, Bloomington (IN), 2008, p. 85).
All negative forces are subservient ... China now has a saint. Even if he is not that great a hero (ibid, p. 89).
India also has prophecies which indicate that those in it will also support the Beast power. Within Hinduism there is the belief that a leader called the Kalki who is to rise up with the promise of bring peace--and while most views suggest he is Indian, that could be a matter of interpretation--Hinduism mainly is looking for a leader to rise up. Related to that, here is a section of my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect that would like to quote:
A Hindu from India named Vijay Kumar (he refers to himself as "The Man who Realized God In 1993") makes the following claims...:
For the society to climb back to its pristine glory of the golden era... even the meek would handle metal (pick arms). Whatever the poor and the downtrodden lay their hands upon would become their weapon. In the last phase of the Kali Yuga we are passing through ... the complete society has been taken to ransom by about 6% corrupt population comprising of politicians, bureaucrats, judiciary and police force ... people await with abated breath the coming of Bhagwan Kalki ... one who delivers the mankind from the existing ills of today. Bhagwan Kalki would be a spiritual master of the highest order with the deadly combination of a wise dictator (Chanakya of the modern era) ... (Kumar, Vijay. End of the World 2012. http://www.godrealized.com/2012.html)
Notice that Vijay Kumar's writings support a warring power—something the Bible warns against in Revelation 13:3–10. This type of warring power will not bring in a true age of peace, even though many may proclaim that it will (cf. Ezekiel 13:10-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Also notice the following about the Avatar/Bhagwan Kalki:
Whenever there is a withering of the law
and an uprising of lawlessness on all sides,
then I manifest Myself.For the salvation of the righteous
and the destruction of such as do evil,
for the firm establishing of the Law,
I come to birth, age after age.—Bhagavad Gita, Book IV, Sutra 5, 7, 8…In all, the Hindu text of Kalki Purana is comprised of 6100 verses describing … Kalki, who is considered the last Avtar or incarnation of Vishnu or the Supreme Being, who will establish the Age of Truth or Age of Purity on Earth.… As agreed by all the religious prophecies, the Awaited One will not be a man of peace like Jesus Christ or Buddha, but a man of war who will destroy evil and establish righteousness on the earth. (Hindu Prophecies: The Kalki Purana. http://ww-iii.tripod.com/hindu.htm)
If views like these become predominant in the future, it may be that they will help lead to Hindus at least temporarily accepting a new religion of the coming False Prophet and the authority of the coming militaristic dictator known as Beast that the Bible warns will rise up at the end. (Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Nazarene Books, 2009)
Those in India are likely to accept one as a major leader who is not truly a Hindu. This appears to be a type of supposed ecumenical leader--the Beast of Revelation 13, who while he will initially probably feign Catholicism, ultimately will betray that faith as well (Daniel 11:36-38; Revelation 17:15-19).
Some might say, I am Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Indian, and/or Chinese. I was not aware of the related prophecies, so most people in those groups do not care about them. While that may very well be true for now, the Bible has shown that even disbelievers will pay attention to biblical prophecies when certain prophetically predicted events are claimed to occur (e.g. Matthew 2:2-8)--this does not mean that they become true believers, but that they may take steps because of those prophecies (e.g. Matthew 2:16-18). Expect this in the future.
That being said, according to Bible prophecy, this acceptance of the Beast will not last.
The Arabs and Cushites are shown to be the first to go against it:
40 "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. (Daniel 11:40-43)
The European power will destroy the Arabic/Cushite (called Ethiopian) power, but allow the Turks and some others (Moab refers to descendants of Lot) to escape (Daniel 11:40-43). Interestingly, Islamic prophecy shows that after a 'peace deal' an Islamic confederation will be defeated by the Europeans (see The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy).
The Bible shows that a Russian led power (Jeremiah 50:41-44; see also Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future) will get together that will involve China, Japan, Korea, and other "kings from the east" (Revelation 16:12). This looks like a Eurasian power led by Russia (which is something that Vladimir Putin has repeatedly pushed for):
41 "Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth. (Jeremiah 50:41-43)7 Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts. 28 Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion. 29 And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. 30 The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They have remained in their strongholds; Their might has failed, They became like women; They have burned her dwelling places, The bars of her gate are broken. 31 One runner will run to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides; 32 The passages are blocked, The reeds they have burned with fire, And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
"The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while And the time of her harvest will come." (Jeremiah 51:27-33)
Related to this, since a 200,000,000 man army is prophesied to be raised up (Revelation 9:13-18), India would also seem to need to be involved. This Eurasian power will trouble the European (Daniel 11:44), 'daughter of Babylon' leader and lead to his end (Daniel 11:45; Jeremiah 50:41-44).
How bad will the world get? Notice what Jesus taught:
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:22)
19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. (Mark 13:19-20)
The Bible teaches of protection for the Philadelphian elect (Revelation 3:10, 12:14-16) during this time (see There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra).
Not all will want to see the real Jesus return:
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."
16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12-16)
While it seems unbelievable that nations who will somewhat profess Christ will fight Jesus and gather at Armageddon to do so, there is a Catholic prophecy that foolishly teaches that 'Antichrist,' and not Jesus wins that battle (see Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?). Being influenced by Satanic messages and apparitions will lead people to fight Jesus (see also Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?).
Yet, the Kingdoms of this world will change:
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15)
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth." (Revelation 18:21-24)
19:1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her." 3 Again they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!" 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!" 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!"
6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:1-21)
Not only will Satan's civilizations fall, Satan himself will fall.
12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying:'Is this the man who made the earth tremble,Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?'
18 "All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house; 19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named. 21 Prepare slaughter for his children Because of the iniquity of their fathers, Lest they rise up and possess the land, And fill the face of the world with cities." (Isaiah 14:12-21)
While human civilization has been influenced by Satan, the time will come when it will not be. The Bible shows that, Jesus will reign and the Kingdom of God will be established, at first for one thousand years:
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6)
There will be an interlude (about 100 years, cf. Isaiah 65:20), then the time will come when the kingdom will be permanently in.
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." (Revelation 21:1-5)
More on the coming Kingdom of God can be found in our free online book: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God. It is available online in more than 1500 languages at www.ccog.org.
Consider that:
Today, CHAOS!
Tomorrow, The World Erupts into PEACE!
Today, Threat of Human EXTINCTION!
Tomorrow, UTOPIA Grips the Earth!
The most wonderful advance - news you have ever read! ...
IT'S GOING TO SOUND INCREDIBLE to you — yet it is SURE! ...
Take a Glimpse into TOMORROW
You look at today's newspapers, and what do you see? War news! Crime is on the increase! New orgy of mass murders! Terrible accidents! Mob rule threatens big cities. Riots break out. Many killed.
Property destruction reaches into millions of dollars! Threat of global nuclear war increases! etc., etc.!
Now let's take a look into the newspaper headlines of the near future. The new World Tomorrow is going to come in our time!
And remember, it won't become Utopia all at once. That will be explained later.
When the Supreme Ruler, Jesus Christ, comes again to earth already crowned as King of kings, in all the vast power and glory of Almighty God, the Gentile nations actually will resist Him at first. He is coming to rule by divine force. What a travesty on justice that the nations will have to be forced to be happy, prosperous, physically fit and well, living abundantly and joyfully!
But these might be the headlines you will read in the newspaper of the future:
"CRIME RATE DROPS TO ZERO."
"NO WARS DURING THIS YEAR! Former Soldiers Being Rapidly Assimilated Into Food Production and New Industries."
"DISEASE EPIDEMICS DISAPPEAR. Millions Have Been Supernaturally Healed of Sickness and Disease. All Vaccines and 'Shots' Banned. Causes of Cancer, Heart Attacks, Other Fatal Diseases Revealed. Authorities Predict All Such Diseases to Disappear, by Avoiding Causes, Within Coming Year!!"
"THOUSANDS OF HOSPITAL PROPERTIES UP FOR SALE. Sensational Decline in Sickness and Disease Releases Increasing Hundreds of Thousands of Doctors, Nurses, Attendants and Staff Personnel for Happier and More Useful Occupations. Knowledge of Causes Reduces Sickness and Disease! Thousands of Afflicted Now Being Divinely Healed!"
"RAPID INCREASE IN FOOD PRODUCTION. All Records Broken for Increased Food Production. Agricultural Authorities Reveal Abolition of Artificial and Synthetic Fertilizers, and Return to NATURE'S Laws of Soil Enrichment Resulting Not Only in Bumper Crops, but Vastly Improved Quality and Flavor."
Well, how are those, for a starter? (Armstrong HW & GT. The Wonderful World Tomorrow - What It Will Be Like, booklet, 1973)
The following is part of the conclusion in our free booklet, translated into over 1,500 languages titled The Gospel of the Kingdom of God:
Seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) is to be a lifelong goal for Christians. A goal, not to look to the world for solutions, but to God and His ways. The good news of the Kingdom of God changes our lives.
The Bible says that Christians will rule with Jesus, but do you realize that means that real Christians will actually rule over cities? Jesus taught:
12 “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'
15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' 17 And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' 18 And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' 19 Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.' (Luke 19:12-19)
Be faithful over the little you have now. Christians will have the opportunity to rule over real cities, in a real kingdom. Jesus also said, “My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12). God has a plan (Job 14:15) and a place (John 14:2) for those who will truly respond to Him (John 6:44; Revelation 17:14). The Kingdom of God is for real and you can be a part of it!
At the start of 2016, the journal Science had an article titled “The power of crowds” that indicated that artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing could solve the “wicked problems’ facing humanity. Yet, the article failed to understand what wickedness was, let alone how to solve it.
Cooperation, apart from following the true ways of God, is as doomed to fail in the 21st century as it was back after the Great Flood when humanity cooperated to build the failed Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).
Problems in the world, in places like the Middle East (despite expected temporal gains, e.g. Daniel 9:27a; 1 Thessalonians 5:3), will not be solved by humans—we need the peace of the Kingdom of God (Romans 14:17).
The problems of international terrorism, despite expected gains, will not be solved (cf. Ezekiel 21:12) by the deceived in the United Nations (cf. Revelation 12:9)—we need the joy and comfort of the Kingdom of God.
The problems of the environment will NOT be solved by international cooperation, as the world’s nations will help destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18), but they will be solved by the Kingdom of God.
Issues of sexual immorality, abortion, and selling human body parts will not be solved by the USA (cf. Revelation 18:13), but by the Kingdom of God.
The massive debt that the USA, UK, and many other nations have will not be solved through international brokering, but ultimately (after destruction per Habakkuk 2:6-8) by the Kingdom of God.
Ignorance and miseducation will not be solved by the United Nations—we need the Kingdom of God. Religious strife will not truly be solved by any ecumenical-interfaith movement agreeing to salvation apart from the true Jesus of the Bible. Sin is THE PROBLEM in the world and for that, we need Jesus’ sacrifice and His return in the Kingdom of God. Modern medical science does not have all the answers for human health—we need the Kingdom of God.
Hunger issues will not be solved by genetically-modified organisms which are putting parts of the world at risk of famine due to potential crop failures—we need the Kingdom of God.
The massive poverty in parts of Africa, Asia, and elsewhere, while benefiting for a time from end time ‘Babylon’ (cf. Revelation 18:1-19), will not solve the problem of poverty—we need the Kingdom of God. The idea that, apart from Jesus, humanity can bring utopia in this ‘present evil age’ is a false gospel (Galatians 1:3-10).
The millennial phase of the Kingdom of God is a literal kingdom that will be established on the earth. It will be based on the loving laws of God and a loving God as leader. The saints will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 5:10; 20:4-6). This kingdom will include those truly in the Church of God, but no scripture states that the Kingdom of God is actually the Church (Catholic or otherwise). The Church of Rome has opposed the millennial teaching, and later it will more powerfully oppose the Bible’s gospel message as we get closer to the end. This will likely get significant media coverage which may help fulfill Matthew 24:14.
In its final phase, the Kingdom of God will include the “New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:2) and of its increase there will be no end. There will be no more unrighteousness, no more sorrow, and no more death.
Preaching and understanding the gospel of the Kingdom of God is an important theme of the Bible. Old Testament writers taught about it. Jesus, Paul, and John taught about it. The oldest ‘Christian’ sermon to survive outside the New Testament taught about it. Early second century Christian leaders, like Polycarp and Melito, taught about it. We in the Continuing Church of God teach it today. Recall that the Kingdom of God is the first subject that the Bible shows Jesus preached about (Mark 1:13. It was also what He preached about after the resurrection (Acts 1:3)—and it is something Christians should seek first (Matthew 6:33).
The gospel is not only about the life and death of Jesus. The emphasis of the gospel that Jesus and His followers taught was the coming Kingdom of God. The gospel of the kingdom includes salvation through Christ, but also includes teaching the end of human governments (Revelation 11:15).
Remember, Jesus taught that the end would not come until after the gospel of the kingdom was preached to the world as a witness to all the nations (Matthew 24:14). And that preaching is happening now.
The good news is that the Kingdom of God is the solution to the problems facing humanity. Yet, most do NOT want to support it, nor hear it, nor want to believe the truth of it. God’s Kingdom is eternal (Matthew 6:13), while “this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31).
Proclaiming the true gospel of the Kingdom of God is something that we in the Continuing Church of God are serious about. We strive to teach all things that the Bible teaches (Matthew 28:19-20), including the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14). While we await that kingdom, we need to learn and follow God’s ways and comfort others who want to believe the truth.
Shouldn’t you support the proclaiming of the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God? Will you believe the gospel of the Kingdom of God?
Yes, seek first the kingdom of God.
If that is so wonderful, then why did God allow human civilization?
The fact of human civilization will help persuade people after the second resurrection, who will see the results of God's millennial kingdom, to accept God's ways.
People will have tried various forms of government, including democracies, to see that they failed to deliver. They will see that neither communism, socialism, nor capitalism brought utopia.
As Jesus said, the world will end up so bad that unless God intervened no flesh would be saved alive. So, despite everything starting out for humans as very good, it will end very bad as human civilization, in that sense, will fail. But during the millennium, the earth will be restored and the world a most wonderful place under God's government.
Those in the second resurrection will be told how bad the world got and will be able to see how glorious God's kingdom has been.
Then the end result of civilization is that there will be countless billion beings who will accept God's loving way and make eternity better for you as well as themselves. Yes, the fact of civilization has been a mystery, but was part of God's plan in order that there will be more love in the universe and that eternity would be better.
Consider that the Apostle Paul wrote:
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? (1 Thessalonians 1:19)
Yes, we can rejoice about God’s plan for others and the reality that everyone who accepts God’s offer--whether before the first resurrection or after the second resurrection--will make eternity better for themselves as well as each of us personally. What a fantastic plan!
While current civilization has chaos and suffering, and will come to an end, God's Kingdom will be fantastic:
31 . . . Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:31-33)
As the Apostle John wrote:
20 . . . Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)
Remember, as Jesus said, to pray for God's kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).
Here are links to two related sermons: Mystery of Civilization (and Nimrod) and Mystery of Civilization and How it Will End.
Thiel B. Mystery of Civilization. http://www.cogwriter.com/mystery-of-civilization.htm (c) 2014/2015/2016 /2024 0831