The name means "God remembers."The name is mentioned many times in the Scriptures. Evidently it is a plea for God to remember His covenant with Israel and extend Divine Aid.
Time 1, as the name of a King in the Northern Kingdom, the son of Jeroboam II. He reigned only 6 months before he was assassinated. With his death the dynasty of Jehu came to an end, a fulfillment of the prophecy that it would rule only for four generations. 2 Kings 14,15.
Time 2, as the father of Abijah, the mother of King He-zek-iah. 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 9.
Time 3, as the head of a family of Reubenites. 1 Chronicles 5.
Time 4, as a wise and prominent levitical gatekeeper during the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 9; 26.
Time 5, as a Benjamite of Gibeon. His brother Ner was the father of Kish, the father of King Saul. At 1 Chron. 8, he is called Zecher without the ending.
Time 6, as a levitical musician who played the harp as the ark was brought into Jerusalem during the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 15 and 16.
Time 7, one of the priestly trumpeters who led the procession as the ark was brought into Jerusalem.
Time 8, as a levite and son of Isshiah, a contemporary of David. 1 Chronicle 24.
Time 9, as a levitical gatekeeper at the time of David, son of Hosah the Merarite. 1 Chronicles 26.
Time 10, as the father of Iddo, one of David's officers who ruled over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead. 1 Chronicle 27.
Time 11, as an official of King Jehoshaphat assigned to teach the Book of the Law in the cities of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17.
Time 12, as a Levite and father of Jahaziel (2Chron.20), who prophesied that Jehoshaphat would be victorious over the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites.
Time 13, as son of Jehoshaphat slain by his brother Jehoram. 2 Chronicles 21.
Time 14, as a son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah publicly denounced Joash for his sin and was subsequently stoned to death by order of the king (2Chron,24). The murder was particularly heinous in light of the place that it occurred -the Temple Courtyard- and the kindness that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown to Joash. Because of this repulsive deed some of Joash's officials put the king to death. Jesus alluded to Zechariah's martyrdom when condemning the hypocritical religious leaders of his day. Matthew 23; Luke 11.
Time 15 as the Prophet to whom the Book of Zechariah is attributed (Zech.1). He was also a priest and a contemporary of the Prophet Haggai.
We can go on until we reach the name of the father of John the Baptist, a member of the priestly division of Abijah (Luke1). The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and informed him that his wife Elizabeth would bear an extraordinary child. Because of his unbelief, Zechariah was unable to speak until after the child was born. On the day the child was named, Zechariah's voice returned. He then uttered a beautiful prophecy concerning spiritual Israel's messianic hope.
The Book of Zechariah is largely in the form of visions, dealing with the restoration of the spiritual city of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the Temple, the purification of God's people and the messianic age to come.
Monday, 21 December 2015
Thursday, 17 December 2015
BAPTISM, WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD?
In Paul's Letter to the Romans, he wrote to explain to the believers there, his understanding of the Christian faith, and its practical implications for their lives as Christians.
All mankind needs to be put right with God, for all alike are under the power of sin. The only way is through faith in Jesus Christ. Then the believer is able to obtain peace with God and is set free by God's Spirit in the believer's life.
In illustration of this, Paul writes in chapter 6: "Surely you know, that so many of us, as we were baptized into Jesus Christ were also baptized into his death. By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life. ... Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies that you used to obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield any part of yourselves as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. ... Don't you know, that to whom you yield yourselves as servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But thanks be to God! For though at one time you were slaves to sin, but now you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered in you. Being then made free from sin, you became servants to righteousness unto holiness. ... For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit do you had then in those things whereof now you are ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
This is a perfect and proper explanation that Paul gives us for the word "Baptize," meaning "to deep," "to be immerse," "to plunge." When one is immerse in something, it is temporarily "buried" out of sight and then lifted out.
Paul identified the true seed of Abraham as Christ, along with those who belong to Christ as "heirs with reference to a promise."(Gal. 3:16, 29). Paul also speaks of Abraham's kindness and hospitality to strangers, and in his long list of God's witnesses in Hebrews 11, he does not overlook Abraham.
Paul points out that Abraham's two women, Sarah and Hagar, were actually a symbolic expression of God's two covenants.
As a patriarchal head, Abraham allowed no idolatry or ungodliness in his household, but constantly taught to all his sons and servants to "keep God's way to do righteousness and judgment." Gen. 18:19.
DOES JESUS PRACTICES TELEPATHY AND TELEKINESIS?
Telepathy is the ability to read another's thought; and telekinesis is the ability to move an object with one's mind.
Genesis 6:5 says, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intend of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." There is anything mysterious in this, it is simply knowing each other by heart and well enough, and knowing their surroundings and situations well enough, to be able to make and accurate guess about their motives. Job exemplifies this situation well enough when he tells one of his comforters, "Behold, I know your thoughts, and the plans by which you would wrong me."(Job 21:27). Job knows his friend well, and he has sat through enough lectures to be able to figure it out from where his comforter is coming from. That is not telepathy. That is just paying attention to the very small details and deep observation.
The Bible makes it clear that witchcraft and sorcery are to be avoided at all costs. God made humans to interact in very specific ways with the purpose of foster community and glorify Him. That is the case of Moses when he faced the Pharaoh's magicians turned their staffs into snakes. (Exodus 7:12). It is possible for people to make strange things happen. We must examine what exactly is going on.
The mind of a human being is not able to move or create objects unless it is connected with the spiritual realm. So, every mysterious occurrence must be powered either by God or by the enemy of God. If God is glorified through the event, if He caused the event to occur to validate His prophet or His purpose, then we are sure that the event occurred through His power. If, however, the event was frivolous and had nothing to do with God's glory, then it comes through another source, that is through the power of the enemy of God. It was performed merely for convenience or self-indulged purposes.
A sincere believer voluntarily tries to disconnect him or herself from the fleshy pleasures of the world and ascend to a spiritual plane where he or she can discern Truth and Clarity about the teaching and meaning of the Word, because this is the only source that can benefit the believer and other people in many ways by sharing it. Always remember that the Word came directly from the mouth of God.
God's commands are always for our good, and he commands us to follow the Truth.
Genesis 6:5 says, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intend of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." There is anything mysterious in this, it is simply knowing each other by heart and well enough, and knowing their surroundings and situations well enough, to be able to make and accurate guess about their motives. Job exemplifies this situation well enough when he tells one of his comforters, "Behold, I know your thoughts, and the plans by which you would wrong me."(Job 21:27). Job knows his friend well, and he has sat through enough lectures to be able to figure it out from where his comforter is coming from. That is not telepathy. That is just paying attention to the very small details and deep observation.
The Bible makes it clear that witchcraft and sorcery are to be avoided at all costs. God made humans to interact in very specific ways with the purpose of foster community and glorify Him. That is the case of Moses when he faced the Pharaoh's magicians turned their staffs into snakes. (Exodus 7:12). It is possible for people to make strange things happen. We must examine what exactly is going on.
The mind of a human being is not able to move or create objects unless it is connected with the spiritual realm. So, every mysterious occurrence must be powered either by God or by the enemy of God. If God is glorified through the event, if He caused the event to occur to validate His prophet or His purpose, then we are sure that the event occurred through His power. If, however, the event was frivolous and had nothing to do with God's glory, then it comes through another source, that is through the power of the enemy of God. It was performed merely for convenience or self-indulged purposes.
A sincere believer voluntarily tries to disconnect him or herself from the fleshy pleasures of the world and ascend to a spiritual plane where he or she can discern Truth and Clarity about the teaching and meaning of the Word, because this is the only source that can benefit the believer and other people in many ways by sharing it. Always remember that the Word came directly from the mouth of God.
God's commands are always for our good, and he commands us to follow the Truth.
Sunday, 13 December 2015
IVORY AS A MEASURE OF THE EXCESSES OF THE WORLD
The creamy-white tusks of the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus and other animals. Though hard, and having a density about 3 1/2 times as great as seasoned cedar wood, it is highly elastic and is easily carved or tooled. The tusk of the African elephant was harder and preferred by ancient craftsmen. Herds of Asian (sometimes termed "Syrian") elephants were found in North West Mesopotamia and Syria until they were hunted to extinction ca 700. The lower teeth of hippopotamus were a rare source of ivory noted for its high quality and brilliance.
The ivory was used in a variety of ways beginning in the Chalcolithic period (4500 and 3500 BC) and continuing throughout the biblical period. Ivory was used for figurines, furniture, paneling, inlays, cosmetic boxes, spoons, game boards and game pieces, writing tablets, combs, and pins.
The ivory craftsmen utilized a variety of tools to carve, incise, saw, drill, and polish the raw material. They were mobile, moving to and from various centers known for the ivory trade.
Large caches of ivory have been found in Palestine (Meggido, Samaria), Syria, North Western Mesopotamia (Ugarit, Arslan Tash, Tell Tainat, and Zincirli), and Assyria (Nimrod, Nineveh, and Khorsabad).
Ivory appears frequently in Assyrian booty and tribute lists throughout the 9th and 8th centuries. Menahem included ivory as tribute to Tiglath-pileser III while Sennacherib received ivory from Hezekiah in 701. Assyrian kings utilized ivory in their palaces, but more often as decorative inlays for furniture, a fact richly confirmed by the wealth of ivory carvings recovered from Nineveh, Nimrod and Khorsabad. Assyrian kings stockpiled ivory as a much priced measure of status of wealth.
Ahab's "ivory house"(1Kings 22:39) at Samaria symbolized the corrupt luxury of a pagan court condemned by Amos (Amos 3:15). Amos' condemnation of "those who recline on beds of ivory." Amos viewed them as a symptom of the callous disregard on the part of Israel's privileged class for the social abuse perpetrated upon the poor.
The city of Tyre, in her great sea commerce, inlaid the prows of her boats with ivory. Ivory is also listed among the costly things of ancient Tyre's traders, as well as in the stock of the 'traveling merchants of the earth" who weep over the fall of Babylon the Great. (Ezekiel 27:6, 15; Rev. 18: 11, 12).
The ivory was used in a variety of ways beginning in the Chalcolithic period (4500 and 3500 BC) and continuing throughout the biblical period. Ivory was used for figurines, furniture, paneling, inlays, cosmetic boxes, spoons, game boards and game pieces, writing tablets, combs, and pins.
The ivory craftsmen utilized a variety of tools to carve, incise, saw, drill, and polish the raw material. They were mobile, moving to and from various centers known for the ivory trade.
Large caches of ivory have been found in Palestine (Meggido, Samaria), Syria, North Western Mesopotamia (Ugarit, Arslan Tash, Tell Tainat, and Zincirli), and Assyria (Nimrod, Nineveh, and Khorsabad).
Ivory appears frequently in Assyrian booty and tribute lists throughout the 9th and 8th centuries. Menahem included ivory as tribute to Tiglath-pileser III while Sennacherib received ivory from Hezekiah in 701. Assyrian kings utilized ivory in their palaces, but more often as decorative inlays for furniture, a fact richly confirmed by the wealth of ivory carvings recovered from Nineveh, Nimrod and Khorsabad. Assyrian kings stockpiled ivory as a much priced measure of status of wealth.
Ahab's "ivory house"(1Kings 22:39) at Samaria symbolized the corrupt luxury of a pagan court condemned by Amos (Amos 3:15). Amos' condemnation of "those who recline on beds of ivory." Amos viewed them as a symptom of the callous disregard on the part of Israel's privileged class for the social abuse perpetrated upon the poor.
The city of Tyre, in her great sea commerce, inlaid the prows of her boats with ivory. Ivory is also listed among the costly things of ancient Tyre's traders, as well as in the stock of the 'traveling merchants of the earth" who weep over the fall of Babylon the Great. (Ezekiel 27:6, 15; Rev. 18: 11, 12).
Wednesday, 9 December 2015
THE BEHAVIOR OF AN INSINCERE HEART.
When someone takes advantage of a very sincere heart he/she will say: "Let's return to our Master! He has hurt us (because of our behavior), but He will be sure to heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage our wounds, won't he?"
"In two or maybe three days He will revive (our power) us, and we will be able to live in His presence.
Let us try to know our Master better. For He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth."
But the Master says, "My dear ones, what am I going to do with you? Your Love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day."
"For that reason I have sent my messengers with My Message of Judgment and Destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear. I want your Constant Love, not your superficial sacrifices. I would rather have My People Know Me than have them bringing offerings to Me." Hosea 6
God says to the people of Judah, "And for you people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you for what you are doing. Whenever I want to heal my People Israel and make them prosperous again, all I can see is their Wickedness and the Evil they do." Hosea 6,7.
"The People of Israel is like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. Their arrogance cries out against them."
"They are doomed! They have left Me and rebelled against me. They will be destroyed. I wanted to save them, but their worship of Me was false. They have not prayed to Me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for grain and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! Even though I was The One who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against Me. They keep on turning away from Me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Hosea 7.
"Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on My Land like eagles! My People have broken The Covenant I made with them and have rebelled against My Teaching. Even though they call me their God and claim that they are My People and that they Know Me, they have rejected what is good."
"My People chose kings, but they did it on their own. They appointed leaders, but without my approval. They took their value in silver and gold and made idols -for their own destruction. I hate the gold Bull worshipped by the People of the City of Samaria. I am furious with them. An israelite craftsman made the idol, and it is not a god at all! The gold Bull will be smashed to pieces!"
"Stubborn as wild donkeys, the People of Israel go their own way. But now I am going to gather them together and punish them."
"The more altars the People of Israel build for removing sin, the more places they have for sinning! They have built palaces, but they have forgotten their Own Maker. Hosea 8
"In two or maybe three days He will revive (our power) us, and we will be able to live in His presence.
Let us try to know our Master better. For He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth."
But the Master says, "My dear ones, what am I going to do with you? Your Love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day."
"For that reason I have sent my messengers with My Message of Judgment and Destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear. I want your Constant Love, not your superficial sacrifices. I would rather have My People Know Me than have them bringing offerings to Me." Hosea 6
God says to the people of Judah, "And for you people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you for what you are doing. Whenever I want to heal my People Israel and make them prosperous again, all I can see is their Wickedness and the Evil they do." Hosea 6,7.
"The People of Israel is like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. Their arrogance cries out against them."
"They are doomed! They have left Me and rebelled against me. They will be destroyed. I wanted to save them, but their worship of Me was false. They have not prayed to Me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for grain and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! Even though I was The One who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against Me. They keep on turning away from Me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Hosea 7.
"Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on My Land like eagles! My People have broken The Covenant I made with them and have rebelled against My Teaching. Even though they call me their God and claim that they are My People and that they Know Me, they have rejected what is good."
"My People chose kings, but they did it on their own. They appointed leaders, but without my approval. They took their value in silver and gold and made idols -for their own destruction. I hate the gold Bull worshipped by the People of the City of Samaria. I am furious with them. An israelite craftsman made the idol, and it is not a god at all! The gold Bull will be smashed to pieces!"
"Stubborn as wild donkeys, the People of Israel go their own way. But now I am going to gather them together and punish them."
"The more altars the People of Israel build for removing sin, the more places they have for sinning! They have built palaces, but they have forgotten their Own Maker. Hosea 8
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
MARDUK, A POWERFUL ENTITY IN CONTROL Of THE WORLD.
Marduk (Akkadian: Amar Utu; "Bull Calf of the Sun God Utu") was a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and the chief deity in the Babylonian Pantheon during the 1st millennium BC. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates Valley in the Time of Ham-Mur-Abi (1800 BC) and capital city of the Babylonian Empire (from about 1500BC), Marduk slowly started to rise to the position of the Head of the Babylonian Pantheon, a position he fully acquired by the 2nd half of the 2nd millennium BC. He became so powerful and at that point he wanted to be called "Bell" which means "Lord." He resided in the Temple complex Es-Ag-ila, associated with the Temple-Tower, Et-Emen-Anki, that stands behind the narrative of the Towel of Babel in The Book of Genesis, chapter11.
Marduk is a name that changes in every confrontation of powers. It has so many variations in many different arrangements that make it difficult to identify the nature of it.
Marduk's journey and the visits he paid to the lands he agreed to visit is reflected in the prophecy text called The Marduk Prophecy that describes the travels of the Marduk idol from Babylon to the land of Hatti, the seizure of the statue during the sack of the city by Mursilis I, 1531BC, Assyria, and took the idol to Assur; and the journey to Elam, where the statue was pilfered around 1160 BC. The gods have followed Marduk and abandoned Babylon to famine and pestilence. After addressing an assembly of the gods, Marduk prophesied his return one more time to Babylon and wreak a terrible revenge on the Elamites.
Marduk's symbols were a spade and the snake-dragon (Mushhushshu). The planet Jupiter was associated with him by the Hammurabi period (1800BC).
Marduk was identified in the early 2nd millennium with the god Asa-Lluhi, who was the son of Enki/Ea and who was important in the cult of the Southern City Eridu.
Marduk name was invoked and called upon to fight an army of Demons led by the goddess Tiamat. He decided to go into the battle only because the other gods agreed to elect him as their leader making an oath and placing in him the total dominion of the world powers. He, then, kills Tiamat and crowned himself as the supreme god. The epic of creation, En-Uma-El-Ish, celebrates Marduk's elevation to the preeminent status in the pantheon, the other gods agreed to confer ultimate royal authority on him in the realm where all of them lived,following his defeat of Tiamat, the goddess of Salt Water and Chaos.
Now as a supreme god, during the reign of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, an installed New Year Festival (Ak-Itu) was one of the most important religious celebration done in Babylon, in which En-Uma-El-Ish formed part of the libretto, and all the citizens were required, including its king, to kneel down before the statue of Marduk and a united vow was pronounced to reassure him the greatness of his position as a supreme god and ruler.
Marduk's association with the increasingly prominent city of Babylon goes back to Ham-mur-abi's dynasty in the Old babylonian period. After the time of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, Marduk remained the chief deity of the Babylonian State and patron of its kings, including those of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (626-539 BC). It is in this status that the people of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Israel, encountered Marduk.
During the Time of the Prophet Jeremiah lived during the latter part of the 7th century and the 1st. part of the 6th century BC, an oracle was pronounced, and God announced the capture and shamming of Babylon and Marduk. During Jeremiah's long teaching he warned God's people of the catastrophe that was to fall upon the nation of Israel because of their idolatry towards Marduk and sin. Jeremiah lived to see this prediction come true with The Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian king, Nebu-chad-nez-zar, the Destruction of the City and the Temple, and the Exile to Babylonia of Judah's king and many of the people. Jeremiah also foretold the Return of The People from The Exile and The Restoration of the Spiritual nation of Israel.
Marduk is a name that changes in every confrontation of powers. It has so many variations in many different arrangements that make it difficult to identify the nature of it.
Marduk's journey and the visits he paid to the lands he agreed to visit is reflected in the prophecy text called The Marduk Prophecy that describes the travels of the Marduk idol from Babylon to the land of Hatti, the seizure of the statue during the sack of the city by Mursilis I, 1531BC, Assyria, and took the idol to Assur; and the journey to Elam, where the statue was pilfered around 1160 BC. The gods have followed Marduk and abandoned Babylon to famine and pestilence. After addressing an assembly of the gods, Marduk prophesied his return one more time to Babylon and wreak a terrible revenge on the Elamites.
Marduk's symbols were a spade and the snake-dragon (Mushhushshu). The planet Jupiter was associated with him by the Hammurabi period (1800BC).
Marduk was identified in the early 2nd millennium with the god Asa-Lluhi, who was the son of Enki/Ea and who was important in the cult of the Southern City Eridu.
Marduk name was invoked and called upon to fight an army of Demons led by the goddess Tiamat. He decided to go into the battle only because the other gods agreed to elect him as their leader making an oath and placing in him the total dominion of the world powers. He, then, kills Tiamat and crowned himself as the supreme god. The epic of creation, En-Uma-El-Ish, celebrates Marduk's elevation to the preeminent status in the pantheon, the other gods agreed to confer ultimate royal authority on him in the realm where all of them lived,following his defeat of Tiamat, the goddess of Salt Water and Chaos.
Now as a supreme god, during the reign of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, an installed New Year Festival (Ak-Itu) was one of the most important religious celebration done in Babylon, in which En-Uma-El-Ish formed part of the libretto, and all the citizens were required, including its king, to kneel down before the statue of Marduk and a united vow was pronounced to reassure him the greatness of his position as a supreme god and ruler.
Marduk's association with the increasingly prominent city of Babylon goes back to Ham-mur-abi's dynasty in the Old babylonian period. After the time of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, Marduk remained the chief deity of the Babylonian State and patron of its kings, including those of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (626-539 BC). It is in this status that the people of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Israel, encountered Marduk.
During the Time of the Prophet Jeremiah lived during the latter part of the 7th century and the 1st. part of the 6th century BC, an oracle was pronounced, and God announced the capture and shamming of Babylon and Marduk. During Jeremiah's long teaching he warned God's people of the catastrophe that was to fall upon the nation of Israel because of their idolatry towards Marduk and sin. Jeremiah lived to see this prediction come true with The Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian king, Nebu-chad-nez-zar, the Destruction of the City and the Temple, and the Exile to Babylonia of Judah's king and many of the people. Jeremiah also foretold the Return of The People from The Exile and The Restoration of the Spiritual nation of Israel.
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
NEBO, WHAT KIND OF ENTITY HE WAS ?
NEBO (Hebrew: Nebu, Akkadian: Nabu) is one of the two principal entities of the Babylonian pantheon. The name is found as early as the 2nd millennium BC, but Nebo worship as a powerful entity of Darkness governing the World powers began its ascendancy 925 BC and was at its peak in Babylon by the 7th century, roughly the time of Isaiah.
As son of Marduk, Nebo was considered to be the keeper of the Tablets of the Gods governing the power of the flesh, and thus a scribe. As such he had access to secrets that others were not able to interpreted, granting him wisdom, and so he could control religious rites of any sort. He wrote down the decisions of the Gods and kept accounts of human dealings, especially on his Tablet of Life and Tablet of Destiny.
The Exodus narrative in the Scriptures refers to the most important even in the history of spiritual Israel. The word itself means "Departure" symbolizing the departure of the spiritual people of Israel from Egypt (flesh bond), where they had been slaves. Above all, this narrative describes what God did, as he liberated them from the World powers which enslaved his people and formed them into a nation with hope for the future. The central human figure (with supernatural powers) in the narrative is Moses, the man whom God chose to lead his people from Egypt. The freeing of the Hebrews from slavery, their journey to Mount Sinai, God's covenant with his people at Sinai, which gave them moral, civil, and religious laws to live by to avoid punishment from the laws of the World, and the building and furnishing of a place in their hearts to worship God, and the laws regarding the priests and the worship to God, are pretty much very clear along the narrative.
In the Book of Isaiah, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem in the latter half of the 8th century BC, shows the time when Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the nation that God formed, was threatened by a powerful spiritual neighbor, Assyria. Isaiah shows in his narrative that the real threat to the spiritual life of Judah was not simply the spiritual might of Assyria coming from the realm of the World, but the nation's own sin and disobedience toward God and their luck of trust in Him and His Laws. Many went into exile in Babylon because their strength was weakened by their spiritual pollution and lack of trust to God, being vulnerable they were crushed by the Babylonians and left without hope. Isaiah proclaimed to the ones still loyal to the spiritual nation of Israel that God would set them free and take them home to the Spiritual Jerusalem to begin a New Life Order. He also stated that God is the Lord of history, and His Plan for His People includes all the nations of the World, who will be blessed through spiritual Israel. Isaiah addressed to people who needed reassurance that God was going to fulfill His Promises to His Nation. Concern is expressed for Righteousness and Justice, and also for Scripture observances, sacrifice, and prayer.
Isaiah addressed Nebo and the Gods of the World in chapter 41 saying, "Keep silence before Me, O, Islands (World Powers); and let the people renew their strength: Let them come near; then Let them speak: Let us come near together to Judgment." 41:1
"The Lord, the King of Israel, has this to say: 'You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have! Come here and predict what will happen, so that we will know it when it takes place. Explain to the Court the events of the past, and tell us what they mean.' " 41: 21-22
"Tell us what the future holds, then we will know that you are gods!" 41: 23
"You and all you do are nothing; those who worship you are disgusting! " 41: 24
"When I looked among the gods, none of them had a thing to say; not one could answer the questions I asked. All these gods are useless; they can do nothing at all, these idols are weak and powerless."41:29
"I have chosen a man who lives in the East; I will bring him to attack from the North. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay. Which of you predicted that this would happen, so that we could say that you were right? None of you said a word about it; no one heard you say a thing! 42: 25 - 26.
As son of Marduk, Nebo was considered to be the keeper of the Tablets of the Gods governing the power of the flesh, and thus a scribe. As such he had access to secrets that others were not able to interpreted, granting him wisdom, and so he could control religious rites of any sort. He wrote down the decisions of the Gods and kept accounts of human dealings, especially on his Tablet of Life and Tablet of Destiny.
The Exodus narrative in the Scriptures refers to the most important even in the history of spiritual Israel. The word itself means "Departure" symbolizing the departure of the spiritual people of Israel from Egypt (flesh bond), where they had been slaves. Above all, this narrative describes what God did, as he liberated them from the World powers which enslaved his people and formed them into a nation with hope for the future. The central human figure (with supernatural powers) in the narrative is Moses, the man whom God chose to lead his people from Egypt. The freeing of the Hebrews from slavery, their journey to Mount Sinai, God's covenant with his people at Sinai, which gave them moral, civil, and religious laws to live by to avoid punishment from the laws of the World, and the building and furnishing of a place in their hearts to worship God, and the laws regarding the priests and the worship to God, are pretty much very clear along the narrative.
In the Book of Isaiah, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem in the latter half of the 8th century BC, shows the time when Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the nation that God formed, was threatened by a powerful spiritual neighbor, Assyria. Isaiah shows in his narrative that the real threat to the spiritual life of Judah was not simply the spiritual might of Assyria coming from the realm of the World, but the nation's own sin and disobedience toward God and their luck of trust in Him and His Laws. Many went into exile in Babylon because their strength was weakened by their spiritual pollution and lack of trust to God, being vulnerable they were crushed by the Babylonians and left without hope. Isaiah proclaimed to the ones still loyal to the spiritual nation of Israel that God would set them free and take them home to the Spiritual Jerusalem to begin a New Life Order. He also stated that God is the Lord of history, and His Plan for His People includes all the nations of the World, who will be blessed through spiritual Israel. Isaiah addressed to people who needed reassurance that God was going to fulfill His Promises to His Nation. Concern is expressed for Righteousness and Justice, and also for Scripture observances, sacrifice, and prayer.
Isaiah addressed Nebo and the Gods of the World in chapter 41 saying, "Keep silence before Me, O, Islands (World Powers); and let the people renew their strength: Let them come near; then Let them speak: Let us come near together to Judgment." 41:1
"The Lord, the King of Israel, has this to say: 'You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have! Come here and predict what will happen, so that we will know it when it takes place. Explain to the Court the events of the past, and tell us what they mean.' " 41: 21-22
"Tell us what the future holds, then we will know that you are gods!" 41: 23
"You and all you do are nothing; those who worship you are disgusting! " 41: 24
"When I looked among the gods, none of them had a thing to say; not one could answer the questions I asked. All these gods are useless; they can do nothing at all, these idols are weak and powerless."41:29
"I have chosen a man who lives in the East; I will bring him to attack from the North. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay. Which of you predicted that this would happen, so that we could say that you were right? None of you said a word about it; no one heard you say a thing! 42: 25 - 26.
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