The book of Revelation was revealed to the apostle John while
in exile on the Isle of Patmos around 96 A.D. It contains dire
warnings for the seven churches of God that existed in the province
of Asia Minor, which today we call Turkey. These churches made
up part of the early New Testament church of God, and are among
the churches visited and written about by the apostle Paul.
In Revelation 1:1, we read of the
revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John. (It is not the Revelation
of St. John the divine as most translations state at the beginning
of the book.) "The Revelation of Jesus Christ that God
gave unto Him, to shew His servants things which must shortly
come to pass; and He sent and signified it by his angel unto
his servant John,"
The word "signified" in the Greek means: a conveyance
of truth by the means of signs and symbols. The symbols must
be interpreted either from something in context or from other
scripture. Many people feel that the book of Revelation is difficult
to understand when read strictly in the context in which it
is written because so much of the content is symbolic. This
article will examine and explain two familiar scriptures from
Revelation.
In Revelation 2:9, Jesus is referring
to the church in Smyrna. "I know thy works and tribulation
and poverty (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of
them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue
of Satan." Then in Revelation 3:9,
this time talking about the church in Philadelphia: "Behold
I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are
Jews, and are not, but do lie, behold, I will make them come
worship before thy feet, and to know that I have love thee."
For many years, I wondered whom Christ was talking about here.
What was the key that would unlock this statement?
The
word "Jews" as used here is from the Greek word "Ioudaismos"
or “Jehudah”, but who is He talking about?
These "Jews" are described as part of the synagogue
of Satan, which means he must be talking about somebody completely
different from the actual tribe of Judah. He refers to the blasphemy
of those who claim they are Jews, but are not. It appears He
is talking of both a physical and of a religious or spiritual
application in these particular verses.
So who are the people who say they are Jews, and are not, whom
Jesus identifies as being of the synagogue of Satan? We normally
associate Judah and Israel with the temple, why does he use
the word ‘synagogue’ here? Where did that word come
from? Why would God call His chosen ones imposters and consign
them to the synagogue of Satan?
Now before you think you’re about to read an anti-Semitic
tirade, let me clarify one important point at the very
beginning. Jesus was not condemning the Jews who are of the
tribe of Judah, but those who claimed they were Jews and were
not. With that clear in our minds, we need to find out whom
the people are who Jesus referred to as falsely claiming to
be Jews, but in reality were of the synagogue of Satan. Better
put, of the "Synagogue of Satan’s operation."
The word synagogue merely means an appointed place of meeting.
A place used by both the Jews and the Gentiles, but by the Jews
mainly on the Sabbath for religious teaching. So it appears
these people were operating out of places normally used for
religious reasons. Keep in mind though; it was just a meeting
place and not the temple.
However, when speaking to the church at Pergamos in Revelation
2:12, Jesus brings something else to the table. "And
to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things say
He which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works
and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: And thou
holdest fast My name and has not denied My faith, even in those
days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among
you, where Satan dwellest,..."
(Notice He says
"where Satan’s seat is” and "where Satan
dwells..." He’s saying you dwell where Satan’s
headquarters are. Where the seat of the operation of his “religious”
system is.)
V 12 continues, "... but I
have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them
that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balaac to cast
a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication."
Then in verse 15, "So
hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicholaitanes
which thing I hate."
Here,
what Jesus is saying is they are aligned with Jezebel and Nicholaitanes,
and to Balaam, who were allies of Satan. These are religious
symbols of the Old Testament being used in the New Testament.
This is one reason certain passages are difficult for some to
understand, but remember Jezebel was a Baal worshipper. In the
Old Testament, it says she even had her Priests; they were the
Priests Elijah killed. So what we’re finding out here
is that Satan had a system that has been in operation throughout
history.
When we turn to the message to the church in Ephesus we start
getting into the New Testament aspect of this. Christ tells
of men who say they are apostles but Christ says they are liars,
or false apostles. The apostle Paul talked a lot about these
false apostles in his ministry. Reading through the epistles
of Paul, you’ll find he constantly warns about false apostles.
In fact, Paul followed these false apostles as they set up their
false doctrines, trying to put out the fires of dissention they
caused within the churches of God.
Who
is Christ (and Paul) referring to and does this have meaning
for us today?
When we read the epistles of Paul and the books of James, Peter,
John and Jude, which were written to the church of God, the
warning of false apostles and ministers is always there. They
frequently warn of men claiming to represent Christ and His
doctrine but who Christ considers liars and false apostles.
Jesus tells us that "He who has an ear..." (Or
in other words, those who have the truth,)"...let
him hear" (let
them understand.) Many people read through the book
of Revelation and through the entire bible and do not understand
what they are being told, but He says if you have the truth,
you can understand.
So at this point, we have Jews- who are not Jews; apostles -
who are not apostles; and a false doctrine being preached in
the churches of God.
In
other words, important components of a movement designed by
Satan many, many millennia ago to destroy God's plan, to destroy
God's people -- Israel and Judah-- to destroy God's church,
and to destroy His ministry (which he is doing a very good job
of today). This movement engineered the death of Jesus Christ
who is the head of the church (the body).
We know that Satan began this attack almost immediately. He
did his best to destroy Christ, not just physically, but as
the spiritual head of the church of God, and he continues his
attack today using the same types of people. I want to show
you when the attacks began in earnest and how Satan began to
coalesce God's people with other peoples. How he began to counterfeit
the Torah or "the law of Moses" and the first five
books of the bible, which include the Ten Commandments. How
he is counterfeiting the bible today through many of the false
translations that have appeared.
The
bible tells us that the kingdom of the Israelites split up into
two kingdoms after the death of King Solomon, Judah and Israel,
and thereafter the kingdom of Judah existed in the southern
part of Palestine and the kingdom of Israel occupied the northern
part of Palestine.
We can read in history and in the bible when Satan’s major
attacks actually began. About 721 B.C., Shalmaneser, who was
the king of Assyria, attacked Israel located in northern Palestine.
This half of the former Israelite kingdom was taken captive
and led away into an exile, which ultimately cost them their
identity. They became what we refer to today as the lost ten
tribes of Israel, which is the term Christ used to describe
them.
What is not as well known is that thousands of people from the
tribe of Judah were also taken captive at that time by King
Shalmaneser. Most people think that all of Judah went to Babylon
when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem a century later, but
that is not true. Assyrian history states that upwards of 200,000
Judeans, or those of the tribe of Judah, were taken in this
particular captivity. The bible states that nearly 40 cities
in Judah were involved.
We know that the Israelites, as they made their extensive travels,
went up through Asia Minor and the Black and Caspian seas area,
and over time disappeared as a separate and distinct people.
Many people today who very well could be Israelites have no
idea this is a possibility.
Approximately a century later, about 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon, attacked the nation of Judah in southern
Palestine. This was no easy campaign. He besieged the city of
Jerusalem for many years. The citizens of Judah were not taken
captive in one fell swoop as the Israelites of the north had
been, but over several years. Nebuchadnezzar eventually conquered
Jerusalem as well as other cities in Judah.
Nebuchadnezzar eventually took about 20,000 Judeans captive
into Babylon, an internment that would last seventy years, This
included King Jeconiah and his princes and his heirs; members
of the tribes of Benjamin and Levi also went with Judah when
the tribes were split; most of the tradesmen and professional
people; the generals and the best of the officers and warriors
from the Army; those who were literate, scribes as they were
called then—recorders and secretaries; and some of the
Levitical priesthood because the people wanted to keep their
priesthood intact. But why did Nebuchadnezzar take only the
upper classes? Taking only those people as captives meant that
a remnant of people were left behind in Southern Palestine.
They included what were considered the lower classes, common
workers and farmers and their families, and some of the Levitical
priests so they could continue the worship service, such as
it was. By that time, the service had become corrupt plus Nebuchadnezzar
had destroyed nearly the entire temple.
Pertinent to this, I am going to take you on a fascinating journey,
which begins with two very misunderstood passages in the bible.
They tell us something that has not been generally understood,
but is becoming clear now.
Jeremiah
24:1- "The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets
of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of
Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the
carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them
to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, even like the figs
that are first ripe. . .”
(In other words,
he took the elite of Judah - today we would call them “the
best and the brightest”)
“. . . and the other basket had very naughty (or very
bad) figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad."
(In other words,
they were so bad they were virtually useless.)
V. 3 - "Then said the LORD
unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good
figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten,
they are so evil. Again, the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying, V. 5 Thus saith the LORD,
the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge
them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent
out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good."
(How many times is a nation taken captive for its’
own good? This is something beneficial that God is doing for
the top people of the tribe of Judah)
Jeremiah 24:8- "And as the
evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus
saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and
his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this
land,”
(these are people who are not taken captive-Zedekiah is one
of them)
“and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: And I will
deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth
for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and
a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them."
(God is placing a curse that will occur in the future on those
Nebuchadnezzar left in Judah.)
Jeremiah 24:10- “And I will
send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them,
till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them
and to their fathers.”
Jeremiah 29:1- “Now these
are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from
Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried
away captive, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to
all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive
from Jerusalem to Babylon;”
Jeremiah 29:4-" Thus saith
the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried
away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem
unto Babylon;” (Why
would you do this to a captive people?) Notice
what he says to them in verse
5 "Build ye houses and dwell in them; and plant
gardens, and eat the fruit of them;”
(Where are they to do this?
In Babylon. In other words, he is telling
them to go to Babylon and even though they are technically captives,
they are to live just as they had lived back in Judah and Jerusalem.)
V 6- Take ye wives, and beget sons
and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters
to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye
may be increased there, and not diminished."
(In other words,
I do not want you to vanish as a nation in Babylon I want you
to continue as a nation, as Judah.)
V 7- "And seek the peace of
the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives,
and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall
ye have peace.V 8- For thus saith
the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets
and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you,
neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
V. 9- For they prophesy falsely
unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD. For
thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward
you, in causing you to return to this place.”
Jeremiah 29:15- “Because
ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
V.16- Know that thus saith the
LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and
of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren
that are not gone forth with you into captivity;”
(Here He is talking
about those who were left behind in Judah.)V.
17 -"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will
send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and
will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are
so evil."
(Two different
groups of people out of the same nation, One who are good figs
and one who are bad figs. The good figs are going into captivity
yet will live almost as well as they did in Judah. And the group
who stayed in Judah will become a prototype, in a sense, because
He calls them the bad or evil figs.)
Jeremiah 29:18 -
“And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine,
and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed
to all the kingdoms of the earth. . .”(As
we continue in this article, we will learn how this prophecy
was fulfilled) ” . . . to be a curse, and
an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the
nations whither I have driven them: V19-
Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD,
which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up
early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.”
Continuing on this subject, in II Kings
24:8 –‘Jehoiakim was eighteen years old when
he began to reign, and he reined in Jerusalem three months.
And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan
of Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of
the LORD, according to all that his father had done. V
10- At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.”
(This is the story
we’ve just read about the captivity of Judah’s elite.)
v.
11-
“And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city,
and his servants did besiege it. V. 12-
And Jehoiakim the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon,
he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his
officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year
of his reign. v. 13- And he carried
out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the
treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels
of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple
of the LORD, as the LORD had said. v.
14- And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes,
and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives,
and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest
sort of the people of the land.
(Exactly as it
was told in the book of Jeremiah. Ten thousand members of the
ruling classes and the army and ten thousand skilled workers,
artisans and craftsmen, writers, professionals and members of
the priesthood.)
V.
15-
And he carried away Jehoiakim to Babylon, and the king's mother,
and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the
land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen
and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war,
even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon."
Here again, we find that it is only part of the tribe of Judah
that is taken into captivity, not the whole nation of Judah
as is commonly believed. The bible says it was around 20,000
people. Don’t forget that several hundred thousand members
of the tribe of Judah had been in captivity for 100 years already,
dating back to when the northern Israelites were conquered by
King Shalmaneser.
II
Kings 25:12 -“But
the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be
vinedressers and husbandmen.” (These
people were to provide food for Nebuchadnezzar’s army.)
II Kings 25:22-“
And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.”
You may want to read Jeremiah 52:28-30
where the figures are again confirmed.
So to summarize the Babylon captivity. Three different passages
agree that a relatively small number of people were taken into
Babylon. Not all twenty thousand went at once; Nebuchadnezzar
took several different groups at different periods. The
good figs went into Babylonian captivity so they would
be protected from what was prophesied to happen to the bad figs
that remained in Judah. It was not an imprisonment
as we think of being imprisoned or taken captive in a time of
war, but more like being placed under house arrest. We can read
how Daniel became one of the rulers. We can read of Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego. Of Ezra and Nehemiah. The men who lived
in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar were allowed to progress and
grow strong as a people both religiously and physically.
The bad
figs remained in Judah, modern day Palestine, because God had
other plans for them. This plan involved
worldwide captivity but that would occur far into the future.
In Jeremiah 29 it says into all
the nations of the earth they would be scattered and be a reproach
unto these nation's. The conquering of Judah coincides with
that of Israel's a century earlier. Not all of Israel
went into captivity; neither did all of Judah go into captivity.
The Israelites who remained in the north began in time to inter-marry
with the other groups of people that Shalmaneser, the king of
Assyria, brought into northern Palestine, including Assyrians
who settled there. The mixture of these new peoples with the
remainder of Israel became the Samaritans and the land was eventually
called Samaria.
The
contingent of Judah left behind by Nebuchadnezzar-- the bad
figs-- first became known as "Jews"
in II Kings 16:6. This was not
a derogatory term as it is today. The word Jew as originally
used here meant little
Judah
or remnant
of Judah. This is when it was first used
as a term recognizing a nation. Jeremiah
3, Ezekiel 37 and Ezekiel 23
show that God always referred to Israel and Judah (Yehudah)
as nations. It wasn't until after the Babylonian
captivity that he began to refer to the people left behind
as Jews. So the fact is that both Israel and Judah were exiled
and in captivity before the word Jew was ever applied to these
people. God considered those who remained in Judah more evil
than those that went into exile in Babylon, and it was only
these bad figs who were called the remnant of Judah or
Jews.
This
raises many questions. What did these people do, or what had
they done to be considered bad figs? Was it something they’d
already done, or was it something they would do in the future?
Who was responsible and what did God have in store for them
in the future?
First, we need to stop for a moment and bring the picture into
focus by looking at the past.
We need to remember that God began by making a covenant with
Abraham. None of the people we’ve just spoken of would
have existed were it not for Abraham. This covenant was a promise
that was passed from Abraham to his son Isaac and to Isaac's
son Jacob who later became known as Israel. This included the
birthright, which was usually reserved for the eldest, or the
first-born son.
We
have to state something here that is very important. Ishmael,
born of the Egyptian handmaiden Hagar, would legally
be considered Abraham's first-born son.
But God said otherwise. In Genesis 22,
he says that Isaac was “thine only son.”
In verse 12, he says “Take
Isaac thine only son.” So Ishmael was not the son
that was promised by God to Abraham and Sarah. That son was
Isaac. However, God did not forget Ishmael. In Genesis
21, we read that Ishmael would become the father of a
mighty people, which are today the Arab nations. The Arabs call
themselves the children of Abraham because they are. But they
are out of Hagar. They are not out of Sarah. (For
more on this you might want to read Galations
4:22-31.)
To continue the story, Esau was Isaac's first born and legally
he too was in line for the birthright promises. Esau forfeited
this birthright and sold it to Jacob for the famous bowl of
lentil soup. By subterfuge, Jacob also received the blessing
from an almost blind Isaac, but this was unnecessary because
events had been determined at their birth. When Jacob laid hold
of Esau's heel, God said this is how I want it to be. God had
always planned for Jacob to be the receiver of the blessing
and the birthright.
The
Koran
of Islam states that Ishmael was the first-born of Abraham and
that they are the rightful owners of Palestine or the Promised
Land. Is it any wonder there are so many problems in the Middle
East? The Arabs say, 'Abraham is our father,Ishmal was his first
born son, this land is ours.' Esau’s descendants who became
known as Edom or Edomites, also lay claim to the land as Esau
was, by law, the first-born son of Isaac. Esau realized immediately
the enormity of his error and down through the ages his descendents
have tried to get his birthright back.
I’m not telling anything that Paul and the apostles didn't
know. In Hebrews 12:15 Paul refers
to this,“Looking diligently that any man fails in the
grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble
you and thereby many be defiled. Lest there be any fornicator
or profane person such as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold
his birthright. Afterwards he would have inherited the blessing
he was rejected where he found no place of repentance though
he sought it carefully with tears."
Once he got his belly full Esau said, "What have I done?
What have I done?" And down through the ages, Esau has
tried to get his birthright back, just as Ishmael has tried
to get his birthright back. Today these people are still at
each other's throat over this piece of earth, which is called
the Promised Land.
It's interesting to note how long this has been going on. In
Joshua 15, we are able to find
out where Edom dwelled, where they were located on the map.
Joshua 15: 1- “This then
was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families
even to the border of Edom, the wilderness of sin southward
was the uttermost part of the south coast and their south border
was from the shore of the Salt Sea from the bay that looketh
southward.”
That
pinpoints exactly where the land of Edom was at that time. They
were as close to the Promised Land as they could possibly get.
They were butted right up against it.
Esau had a grandson named Amalek. Amalek’s father--Esau’s
son-- was Eliphaz. Eliphaz had a union with a prostitute, which
is told of in Genesis 36:12. The
result of this union was Amalek. It was Amalek, the grandson
of Esau, who tried to block the passage of Israel from Egypt
to the Promised Land. This incident gives us an idea of the
bitterness and hatred already generated and illustrates where
all this is heading.
Numbers
20 : 14
–“And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the
king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all
the travail that hath befallen us: v.
15- How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have
dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and
our fathers:”
(That the Israelites
were enslaved in Egypt was known throughout all the lands around
the Mediterranean and Red Sea.)
v.16
-"And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice,
and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and,
behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
v. 17 -Let us pass, I pray thee,
through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or
through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of
the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn
to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy
borders. v. 18 And Edom said unto
him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee
with the sword."
(The children
of Israel are saying we'll move right on through from border
to border so fast you will never know we've been here. We
won't touch a thing. Edom said, you are dreaming.
You set foot across our border, and we'll do what the Egyptians
failed to do. Finish you off for the last time. )
V. 19 –“And the children
of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if
I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it:
I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my
feet. V. 20 And he said, Thou shalt
not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people,
and with a strong hand. V. 21 Thus
Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore
Israel turned away from him.”
The bad blood between Esau and Jacob had intensified in this
relatively short period of history. There is no reason to expect
it would have decreased with more time and it certainly hasn't.
Esau had never forgotten what had happened and how could he?
Today it would be argued that he gave up his birthright under
duress—he thought he was dying from lack of food. Actually,
scripture tells us Esau despised his birthright, but after he
lost it, he had different thoughts. Remember Jacob and Esau
got together, but it was not a good union. Losing the birthright
was always in Esau's mind, coloring his every thought, and that
characteristic was passed down generation to generation. Eliphaz
and Amalek, many generations later, carried this same hostility
because of what had happened to Esau.
This bitterness intensified as time passed. During the days
of Samuel, God told King Saul to destroy all of the Amalekites
for what they did to Israel. He wanted them destroyed right
down to every man, woman and child and yes, even the animals.
They were to be wiped off the face of the earth. But Saul didn’t
do that and that was a big mistake because David and Solomon
also had problems with Esau’s descendants throughout their
reign. Actually, the problem has always existed. We can read
about it with the Crusades right down to the continuing struggle
between the Muslim world and the nation of Israel. There is
no point in history where we don't read about antagonism and
warfare between the Muslim world and Israel.
Fast-forward to the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and
we find Esau / Edom casting lots for the city before it even
fell. Another illustration of how bitter these people became
and how much they still hated the people of Judah and Israel.
Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king who ruled over an immense
empire that included parts of Egypt, and he had a powerful war
machine. Esau/Edom knew it was but a matter of time before Jerusalem
capitulated, so they actually began to cast lots for the parts
of Jerusalem they wanted.
Obadiah has something to say about that. The book
of Obadiah is only one chapter long, but it is a chapter
loaded with information. Obadiah
in Verse 6.
(First, notice
whom he is talking about.) “How are the things
of Esau searched out! How are hidden things sought up! V
7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even
to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived
thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have
laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
V 8 Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy
the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount
of Esau? V 9 And thy mighty men,
O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the
mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter. V
10 For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall
cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.”
Bookmark
this chapter while we quickly visit the book
of Joel.
Joel 3: 19- Egypt shall be desolation
and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness. (Why?)
For the violence against the children of Judah because they
have shed innocent blood in their land but Judah shall dwell
forever and Jerusalem from generation to generation.”
So
Edom was to become desolate because of the violence they committed
against their brother, which in this case was Judah.
Back to Obadiah, verse 11 –
“In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the
day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and
foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem,
even thou wast as one of them."
(God is saying,
even though it was the King of Babylon who took captives and
carried off precious metals, gold, and various spoils of war,
you were standing right behind him, waiting for your turn. You
had already cast your lots on what you wanted.)
V
12
“But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy
brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest
thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of
their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly
in the day of distress.”
(In other words,
Esau was ecstatic Judah had been conquered and taken captive,
saying sorrow and grief is only what they deserved. God said,
"Esau, you never should have done that.")
V13 Thou shouldest not have entered
into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea,
thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day
of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in
the day of their calamity; V 14
-Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off
those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered
up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. V
15- For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen:
as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall
return upon thine own head.”
(In other words,
you're going to get exactly what you gave to Judah. In modern
terms, what goes around, comes around. )
V 18 – “And the house
of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame and
the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them,
and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the
house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it. V
19 -And they of the south shall possess the mount of
Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall
possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.”
This was Edom’s fate because of what they had done to
Judah.Let's return to Jeremiah chapter
49. Once again, the subject is Esau, specifically Edom.
Jeremiah
49:9-
“If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave
some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, they will destroy
till they have enough. V 10 -But
I have made Esau bare,”(In
other words, even though it is customary to leave something
behind, I'm leaving nothing behind.) “I have
uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide
himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours,
and he is not.
V. 13- For I have sworn by myself,
saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation,”
(Bozrah was the
capital of Edom.) “a reproach, a waste, and
a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.”
V 17- “Also Edom shall be
a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished,
and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. V
18 - As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the
neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide
there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.”
(Now he is putting
the same curse on Edom that he put on Sodom and Gomorrah. No
one knows anything about those cities today. That's what will
happen to Esau and Edom. No one will even remember they existed.)
V. 20 –“Therefore hear
the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and
his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants
of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out:
surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them. V.
22- Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and
spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart
of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her
pangs.”
Jeremiah 48:24 –“And
upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the
land of Moab, far or near.”
(Here we are reading
the names of individuals who got involved with something they
shouldn't have and God is placing a curse on these people.)
But God wasn’t done with Edom yet.
Ezekiel 25:12- “Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house
of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and
revenged himself upon them; V
13 -Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch
out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from
it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan
shall fall by the sword. V 14-
And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people
Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and
according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith
the Lord GOD. “
Let's go to Isaiah 34. In this
chapter, we find the name has changed again. First, it’s
Esau, then it's Edom and now we encounter a third name, but
it's the same people, the descendents of Esau.
Isaiah 34:5-“ For my sword
shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea,
(Remember the
name Idumea) and upon the people of my curse, to
judgment. V 6 -The sword
of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness,
and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys
of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great
slaughter in the land of Idumea.” (Again,
Bozrah was the capital of Edom. here called Idumea.)
V 8-“For it is the day of
the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy
of Zion.” (Here
again is the Lord's vengeance on Esau and Edom, but now the
name Idumea is added.)
Isaiah 63- “Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that
is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his
strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore
art thou red in thine apparel and thy garments like him that
treadeth in the wine fat? (Red
was Esau's color. It was the color of Edom and the color of
Bozrah. Whose garments are red? Those of Jesus, the God
of the Old Testament. In Revelation
19:13, "He was clothed in a vesture dipped with
blood.")
Ezekiel
35:15-
(Here He builds
his case.) “As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance
of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do
unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea,
even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 36:5-“ Therefore
thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have
I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all
Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with
the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it
out for a prey.”
There
is still more about Edom and Esau that is pertinent to us today.
Let's
go back to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament.
Maachi 1:1- “The burden of
the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. V
2 -I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein
hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the
LORD: yet I loved Jacob, V 3- “And
I hated Esau. . .” (God
is speaking here now, admitting he loved Jacob but hated Esau)
“. . . and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for
the dragons of the wilderness.”
You wonder why God has a problem with this individual? Notice
Edom or Esau's retort to God in verse
4 –“Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished,
but we will return and build the desolate places;”
(In other words, what can God do to us if we intend to do it
all over again?)
“. . . thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build,
but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border
of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation
for ever.”
(In other words,
you can build it up but I'm just going to come in and tear it
right back down again. God is going to show the people who is
God and that the tail doesn’t wag the dog. )
V 5-“And your eyes shall
see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border
of Israel.”
So throughout history, Esau and Edom has been an adversary to
God and to the people of God.
Romans 9:13- “As it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”
Here,
the apostle Paul is quoting from Malachi. Paul understood all
of this. He understood who these people were in the New Testament
church and who the people were who plagued Jesus Christ throughout
his ministry. Because of Esau's arrogance, sin, and defiance
of God, God gave him a special place in history and that was
to be one of Jacob's adversaries. And the individual who would
rule this particular nation was considered an enemy. He plagued
Israel and he plagued the church both physically and religiously
through the ages.
Now comes an interesting piece of history. As we've seen, following
the conquest of Jerusalem and Judah and the removal of the 20,000
who were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, only the remnant
of Jews (Little
Judah) remained in south Palestine and Judah. The
king of Judah was not a true king, but a puppet answering to
Nebuchadnezzar. The Edomites knew all this and concluded now
was their best chance to reclaim the birthright and the Promised
Land. Large numbers of Edomites began to settle in southern
Palestine.
Later, there would be a second large immigration of Edomites
into Palestine and this was because of the people of Nebajoth
who was the first born of Ishmael (the Arabs). Edom
had a hostile relationship with the Arab peoples as well and
war broke out between the two. The Arabs were the stronger of
the two and many Edomites fled into Palestine to escape the
armies of the Arab nations. You can read about this battle in
Genesis 25, I Chronicles
1, and Isaiah 60.
So, you have Arabs, you have Edomites, you have Jews and Israelites.
All hate each other but are locked together in a way that allows
none of them to escape because they share one major passionate
belief. They all believe Palestine is rightfully their’s.
They believed this thousands of years ago, they’ve believed
it throughout history, and today, in the first decade of the
21st century, each still fervently believes Palestine is rightfully
their
Promised Land.
In 323 BC, Alexander the Great conquered this territory on his
way to Egypt (which he also conquered and made part of the Greek
Empire.) The Babylon and Persian empires had come and gone and
it was Greece’s turn to occupy Palestine. Josephus
in The Antiquities of the
Jews records that
Southern Judah was now called Idumea because the
Edomites had settled there and they were now known as Idumea.
With such a large presence in Little Judah, the Edomites began
to intermarry with the Jews who were descendents of the remnant
of Judah left behind by Nebuchadnezzar. We’ve already
witnessed this scenario with the Israelites of northern Palestine
who intermarried with various peoples who were brought into
their country while it was occupied by Assyria. The Edomites
were intermarrying with the people who were known as the bad
figs. Even some of the Levites who were left behind to run temple
service (who had
now become very corrupted) were intermarrying with
the Edomites.
In Malachi 3:3, God talks about
purifying the sons of Levi. According to Josephus, many of the
family names in Judah, (or
Idumea as it was now called ) were of semi-Edomite
and south Palestinian --- which is to say non-Israelite -- origins.
Even their last names were no longer Israelite. They had taken
the names of Esau and the Edomites.
So we are witnessing, not only physically and politically, but
religiously as well, a mixing together or a union of the southern
clans of little Judah, the Edomite immigrants , the temple personnel
Levites, and the families of the Levite scribes and writers.
History tells us there was no king in Idumea at this time. The
last king that had ruled was deposed. A high priest in Jerusalem
was accepted as the leader in all political, military and religious
matters. Like a pope of the middle ages, the high priest controlled
everything. This priest was called John Hyrcanus. Even though
there was no covenant with them and Abraham, one of the first
things Hyrcanus did was force the Edomites (now
known as Idumeans) to be circumcised and adopt Jewish
laws and customs. Josephus states in his history that not only
were these Edomites converted by force, they were to be known
hereafter as Jews or little Judah the remnant of Judah.
So the original Judeans, who were not part of the 20,000 taken
into Babylonian captivity, were losing their national identity
much as the ten tribes of Israel lost theirs. The entire community
of Idumean Edomites became proselyte Jews. Herod the Great was
an Edomite Jew. Judas of Kerioth--wrongly called Judas Iscariot
-- was an Edomite Jew. With what we’ve learned, it doesn’t
seem so strange now that Judas, an Edomite Jew, would betray
Jesus Christ. He was the lone apostle who was not from Galilee,
which made him something of an outcast among the apostles. Many
of the Edomite immigrants had settled in Hebron in southern
Palestine, which is also called Kerioth (Iscariot).
Satan
had begun to use Esau as an adversary and corrupter of Israel,
and this would lead to his involvement in the murder of Jesus
the Messiah, whom Israel refused to acknowledge as their Messiah.
So we are starting to get our answer to the questions raised
by Revelation 2 and 3.
Those who say they are Jews but are not; those who are false
Apostles and liars; those who dwell in the synagogue of Satan.
He was talking about Edomite Jews.
History does not record the exact date or even what century
the Sanhedrin was begun, but we do know that by the time of
Christ it was an established judicial institution, and the men
who sat on it were probably the most powerful and influential
citizens in all of Judea (Idumea); so powerful Roman leaders
conferred with them before making important decisions that would
affect the Jewish people. TTinfiltrate the churches of God,
or The Way as it originally called itself, to spread false doctrine?
What was their purpose in doing so? These people of great influence
and power were the people infiltrating the early church. Christ
confronted these Idumeans posing as spiritual leaders on almost
a daily basis.
Remember that we have seen the original remnant of Judah, little
Judah or Jews, as they watched a massive immigration into their
land by Edomites from the southern borders. The Edomites now
known as Idumea eventually became so numerous and influential,
they were converted and given the name Little Judah or Jews
and in turn their name – Idumea – became the name
of the country.
We also need to realize that after seventy years of exile in
Babylon some members of the tribe of Judah (the
good figs) had returned to Judea and Jerusalem with
the priest and scribe Ezra and Nehemiah. Not all of the good
figs returned; some of the tribe of Judah chose to stay in Babylon.
But those who did return brought with them another concept of
the law. While they were in Babylon, many changes were made,
many things happened. Some of these good figs had been corrupted
by the Babylonian mysteries while in captivity. They brought
back a book-- not the Torah-- but a book they called the Talmud.
It was a little bit different from the Torah. It had the law
of God in it, but it had many other things, too. They brought
back the Babylonian mystery customs and a new religious concept
that centered on Rabbi’s teaching in meeting places called
synagogues rather than the temple. What they brought back was
a religion that became known as Judaism.
During
the time of Christ the area was under Roman occupation. But
the religious leaders were so powerful that the Roman conquerors
often conferred with them before making changes or pronouncements.
Who were these religious leaders? Christ constantly referred
to the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Scribes and these were the
religious leaders of that time. Some were members of the Sanhedrin,
which was the Supreme Court of Judaism. And like our Supreme
Court today, the Sanhedrin wielded enormous power.
Although they were the all-powerful religious leaders of the
time, so influential the Romans conferred with them, Jesus habitually
referred to them as snakes,
vipers and hypocrites.
Why did Jesus Christ of Nazareth insult them like that? What
had they done? Who were they? Let's read of an encounter that
Jesus Christ had with these people, and afterwards you will
be able to see why he spoke to them in the manner that he did.
John 8:13- “The Pharisees
therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy
record is not true.”
(They
are calling Jesus Christ a liar, saying he has made statements
about himself that simply are not true. How did they come to
this decision? By ignoring the Torah and using the Talmud and
the Babylonian customs that had been brought back from the years
of Babylon captivity.)
V
14
–‘Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear
record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I
came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and
whither I go.”
(In other words, how can you sit there and say that my record
is not true when you understand nothing? You know nothing about
me or where I'm from.)
V
15-“Ye
judge after the flesh; I judge no man. V
16- And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am
not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. V
18- I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father
that sent me beareth witness of me. V
19 -Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus
answered; Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known
me, ye should have known my Father also.”
Now why did they bring up this thing about fathers? This is
a big thing with them, The first things they asked Jesus is
who is your father? Where is your father?
Drop down to John 8:27-“They
understood not that he spake to them of the Father.” V
28 – “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye
have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am
he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught
me, I speak these things.” V 31
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;"
(So some Jews
did believe Christ when He said He was the Son of God.)
V 32- “And ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
But notice the answer of the Pharisees. V
33- “They answered him, We be Abraham's seed,”
(That was their
father. Now we know what they were goading Christ about. Who
was your father? We're Abraham's seed! Abraham was our father
– top that.)
“. . . and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest
thou, Ye shall be made free?”
(They’re
saying, we have never been in bondage, how can you
make us free? This was utter contempt these people were showing
to the Son of God.)
Now
let's notice this. When the Pharisees answered Jesus "we
be of Abraham's seed", that word seed is "sperma."
It means they were claiming to be out of Abraham's loins
and indeed they were. What did they mean by the statement they
were never in bondage? Did they mean they were never in captivity,
that they were never in exile, never in slavery under another
nation, another people or a group of people? Were they never
in Assyria, were they never in Babylon, and were they never
in Egypt? The question is who went into bondage, Israel or Esau?
The Bible tells us that Jacob or Israel went into slavery. Israel
and some Judeans were taken into slavery by Assyria. The elite
of Judah were taken into Babylon but didn't go into Assyria.
But the Bible states that all of the 12 tribes of Israel went
into Egypt, including the tribe of Judah.
I am going to quote some amazing misinformation from the book
The Indestructible Jews:
The Jewish God in History by
Max I. Demont.
DeMont writes on page 32, "Except for the Bible, no source
we know of makes any specific mention of this Jewish sojourn."
(Who said it was
a Jewish sojourn? The Bible doesn't say anything about a
Jewish sojourn into Egypt.) "and subsequently
only the spade of archaeologists have turned up convincing collarary
or interesting deductions, evidence that these events did take
place. But the in gathering of the Jews into Egypt by Joseph
in the 16th century, B.C. until the outgathering of the Jews,"
(not of Israel,
but of the Jews,) "from Egypt under Moses into
the 12th century, there is a 400 years silence.The Bible compresses
these four centuries into a few sentences. What portion of this
period did the Jews in Egypt live in freedom and what portion
in slavery and what religion did they practice. What language
did they speak? Was there intermarriages, how did they maintain
their Judaism as slaves in Egypt? "
What
this does not say is that the history of the Bible proves that
Judaism did not even exist until after the Babylonian exile.
Here's a man whose talking about Judaism coming out of Egypt,
assuming these are people deeply into Judaism, but they certainly
were not. It was not until after the Babylonian
exile that we find a mention of Judaism and that was centuries
after the Egyptian exile. This is a major lie of the religion
of Judaism.
Notice when DeMont continues, that he does not mention Jacob
or Israel. On page 32 and 33, he says, "not all the Jews
left Canna to go into Egypt with Joseph."
Oh,
they didn't? Then God is a liar. Because the Bible
says they all went, including Judah and the father, Jacob. All
12 tribes went into Egypt, but he says “not all of the
Jews left Canna to go into Egypt with Joseph, many remained
behind surviving the famine and keeping their covenant with
Jehovah.”
What
covenant did Judah ever make with Jehovah? I strongly suspect
Mr. Demont is confusing the Egyptian time of slavery with the
captivity in Babylon. I think he has his times and his dates
mixed up.
The author also states this remnant of Jews still known as Hebrews
remained free men while
their brothers were enslaved in Egypt.
He states the Jews were free men; they were never in bondage.
Who was this remnant Jew? Unfortunately, Mr. Demont has
his dates off by about 600 years when he refers to Egypt and
not Babylon as Judaism’s source and beginning. But that's
what is accepted as history today, and that's what most of the
world believes.
Jacob and Esau are Abraham's seed or offspring. But it was Jacob,
not Esau who went into slavery and it was through Jacob that
this birthright was passed down. From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob.
Esau never had a part in it. He sold it. In the Bible, it states
that none of Jacob's children stayed behind, not even Jacob
himself. Jacob the father went into Egypt to live and he died
there.
Let's get back to the bible and Jesus' confrontations with the
Pharisees.
John 8:34- “Jesus answered
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you; Whosoever committeth sin
is the servant of sin. V 35- And
the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth
ever. V 36- If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
