THE FRUITS OF DISOBEDIENCE : PART 3
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
Blind Unbelievers, El Shaddai, Judah's Defeat, Jacob's Death
And Burial, Where God Guides He Also Provides, Reasons For
Egyptian Bondage, Jacob's Sojourn In Egypt, God's Greatness
In Smallness, Egyptian Idolatry, Egyptian Iron Furnace, God
Purges Our Faith Like Gold, Purpose Of Divine Chastisements,
Golden Calf In The Wilderness, Land Promised To Abram, Iraq
Fallacy, River of Egypt And Euphrates River, Greater Israel
Israeli Agenda, Strategic Golan Heights, Solomon And Hiram
The Apostle Paul also wrote some very strong words regarding
this matter of rebelling against the Lord due to one's pride.
In his Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul described these proud
unbelievers as ignorantly walking "in the vanity of their
mind...because of the blindness of their heart", as we see
here:
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye
henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of
their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is
in them, because of the blindness of their heart:"
Ephesians 4:17-18, KJV
While these antichrist people attempt to prove that God is a
liar, as we have already seen, the Lord is already one step
ahead of them; and He has let us know in no uncertain terms,
that whenever any doubt arises concerning His Word, the sin
lies on the part of the accusers.
Now that we have established the absolute authority of God's
Word, and demonstrated the positive fruits which can result
in our lives if we are obedient to it, through unwavering
faith and humble submission to God's Will, we will now begin
to address the key issue which actually inspired this current
series; and that is, what can happen when we proudly refuse
to take heed to the Lord's wise counsel, and resist bowing
ourselves to His Will. About six years ago, when I wrote the
original version of this article, another Christian wrote to
me regarding a problem he was having with understanding a
few verses of Scripture found in the Old Testament. One of
the verses with which my friend was having some difficulty,
was the following one found in the Book of Judges:
"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the
inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the
inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of
iron." Judges 1:19, KJV
Prior to sharing the above verse with me, my friend quoted a
number of Scriptures which describe the might and power of
the Lord. For example, one Hebrew phrase which is used in
the Old Testament as a name for God is "El Shaddai", (also
written as "Shadday"), which is translated into English as
the Almighty God, or God Almighty. The word "El" means "god",
the plural of which is "elohim". The word "shaddai" means
"almighty" or "most powerful". What a wonderful name indeed,
and what a statement of truth! When my friend came across
the above verse from the Book of Judges, it made him stop
and wonder "If the Lord is so mighty and powerful, and if He
was with Judah that day, why were they unable to drive out
the people of the valley? Was it simply because the enemies
of the Israelites possessed iron chariots?". Obviously, this
cannot be so, and something is apparently being overlooked
here.
As I stated at the beginning of part one of this series, God
has a purpose and a plan for everything that He does; even
if it isn't always apparent to us. As I began to look deeper
into this matter, the Lord was faithful to begin revealing
the answer to me. In the article "The Children Of God And
Politics", I discuss the fact that when Jacob died after
having lived in Egypt for seventeen years, in obedience to
their father's wishes, Joseph and his brethren took Jacob's
body to bury him in the plain of Mamre in the land of Canaan
where were also buried Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah,
and Leah, one of Jacob's wives. We find this related in the
final chapters of the Book of Genesis, as we see here:
"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so
the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven
years...And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be
gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave
that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, In the cave that
is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the
land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of
Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. There
they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried
Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. The
purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was
from the children of Heth. And when Jacob had made an end of
commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed,
and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people."
Genesis 47:28, 49:29-33, KJV
After burying their father in Mamre, have you ever stopped
to consider why Joseph and his brethren didn't just remain
there? Imagine; they could have avoided part of the four
hundred and thirty years of sojourning and Egyptian bondage.
Was it a mistake on their part to go back into Egypt? Was it
simply due to their lack of faith, and their unwillingness
to give up the comfortable lifestyle they had come to know
in Goshen? This may have been a part of the reason, but as
we saw in part one, where God guides, He will also provide
for His children. If the Lord is not providing for us in a
certain situation, either we are not being desperate enough
in our prayers, or perhaps He is simply testing our faith,
or maybe we are really moving in the wrong direction without
Him.
From the verses I have found on this topic, I have formed
the opinion that in His Wisdom, and in His Foresight, the
Lord purposely had Joseph and his brethren return to Egypt,
so that they would have a chance to thrive and prosper, and
become a great and powerful nation under the protective hand
of the Pharaoh. In fact, it appears that once Jacob had been
informed that Joseph was still alive, and after he had begun
his journey to go down into Egypt to join him there, Jacob
may have had a moment of vacillation. He may have paused and
thought to himself "Lord, am I really doing the right thing
here? Am I really supposed to take my entire family down to
Egypt? Didn't you promise my grandfather Abraham, my father
Isaac, and I, that you would give us the land of Canaan for
an inheritance?". It may possibly be for this reason that we
find the Lord encouraging Jacob in the forty-sixth chapter
of the Book of Genesis, as we see here:
"And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and
said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I
am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into
Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will
go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring
thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine
eyes." Genesis 46:2-4, KJV
This idea is further strengthened when we realize that when
Jacob went down into Egypt with his family, they were only
about seventy souls. In other words, Jacob's immediate flesh
family consisted of only seventy persons, excluding any man
and maid servants and other workers they may have had at the
time. I discuss this same topic in the controversial series
"The International Jew And The Protocols Of Zion". In the
same chapter of the Book of Genesis we also read:
"All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came
out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls
were threescore and six; And the sons of Joseph, which were
born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the
house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and
ten." Genesis 46:26-27, KJV
It was precisely because of their small number when Jacob
and his family first went down into Egypt, that after the
Lord had liberated their descendants from the same several
hundred years later, the Prophet Moses said the following in
the Book of Deuteronomy, in order to remind them of God's
true greatness, as opposed to man's presumed "greatness" in
the flesh:
"The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were
the fewest of all people:" Deuteronomy 7:7, KJV
After living in the eastern area of the fertile Nile Delta
for seventeen years, perhaps Jacob's family had multiplied
to a few hundred people. If those few hundred had remained
in Canaan after Jacob's burial, it is quite possible that
they would have been totally destroyed by the Canaanites,
and the other devil-worshipping inhabitants of the land.
Thus, it was indeed God's Will for them to return to Egypt.
I am reminded of the words of the Prophet Isaiah, when the
Lord spoke through him saying:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9, KJV
There is additional Scriptural proof which confirms that it
was indeed God's Will for Joseph and his brethren to return
to Egypt, following Jacob's burial in Canaan. What may be a
little-known fact to some of my readers, is that some seven
hundred years prior to their freedom from Egyptian bondage,
when the Lord first made His Covenant with Abraham, He told
Abraham that his descendants would serve the Egyptians for
four hundred years; and that when they would finally leave
that country, they would do so "with great substance". In
the fifteenth chapter of Genesis we read the following:
"And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall
serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge:
and afterward shall they come out with great substance."
Genesis 15:13-14, KJV
Another interesting fact which I discovered while doing this
study, is that one possible reason why the Lord may have
left the Israelites in Egyptian bondage as long as He did,
is because they had fallen even deeper into idolatry, and He
was simply dealing with them about it. You may recall that
in my article "The Children of God And Politics", I explain
that from the moment Abram first left Haran, he and his
descendants continued to have problems with their families
falling into idol worship. Such was the case regarding the
story of Jacob and Laban, when Jacob's second wife, Rachel,
stole the idols of her father, Laban. This resulted in a
confrontation between Jacob and Laban. From the Book of
Joshua, we discover that the incident involving the golden
calf in the wilderness at the base of Mount Sinai, was not
the first time that the Israelites had worshipped Egyptian
gods and goddesses. This practice had actually begun while
they were still in Egypt, as we see by this verse:
"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and
in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on
the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the
LORD." Joshua 24:14, KJV
Notice that Joshua uses the phrase "in Egypt". For the sake
of clarification, let me also add that when Joshua says "the
other side of the flood", he is more than likely referring
to the Jordan River, which, as you know, they had to cross
over on their way into the land of Canaan, coming from the
mountains in the east, which are located in what is now the
nation of Jordan. The word "flood" is translated from the
Hebrew word "nahar", pronounced naw-hawr', which means river
or stream. And as we also know, Abraham's ancestors did in
fact worship false gods and goddesses in Padanaram, as well
as in ancient Babylonia; that is, in Ur, in the land of the
Chaldees.
In the Book of Jeremiah, we also find a clue which seems to
indicate that the time in Egypt was not only meant to serve
as an opportunity for the nation of Israel to grow in size
and strength, but that it was also meant to purge them of
their sins. In the following verse, notice how Jeremiah
refers to Egypt as an "iron furnace":
"Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought
them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace,
saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I
command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your
God:" Jeremiah 11:4, KJV
As we know from many other verses in the Bible, the Lord
often compares our faith, and our obedience to Him, to metal
which must be purged and purified in the hot furnace of His
loving chastisements, in order to remove the dross; that is,
the base metals, which represent our sins and disobediences.
Consider the following verses:
"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me,
I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10, KJV
"Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One
of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and
avenge me of mine enemies: And I will turn my hand upon
thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy
tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy
counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be
called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city."
Isaiah 1:24-26, KJV
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man,
the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are
brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the
furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus
saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold,
therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As
they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,
into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to
melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury,
and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather
you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall
be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the
midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst
thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out
my fury upon you." Ezekiel 22:17-22, KJV
"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will
refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold
is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is
my God." Zechariah 13:9, KJV
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith
worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
James 1:2-4, KJV
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ:" 1 Peter 1:7, KJV
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened
unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed,
ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached
for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of
glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil
spoken of, but on your part he is glorified."
1 Peter 4:12-14, KJV
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;
and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
Revelation 3:18, KJV
Notice that in the previous verse from the Book of Jeremiah,
the Prophet specifically states that when the Lord finally
did deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian "iron furnace",
it was so that they would "Obey my voice". Had they not been
ready to obey the Lord's Voice, it is likely that they would
have had to remain in Egypt even longer. Notice also that in
the verses from the Book of Isaiah, we are clearly told that
the purpose of God's chastisements is to remove the dross,
in order to once again make them righteous and faithful. Thus
it is that the Apostle Paul would later write:
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth...Now no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:6, 11, KJV
Sadly, despite the fact that the Lord gave the Israelites
the benefit of the doubt, and raised up Moses to free them
from their bondage in Egypt, as we already know, it wasn't
before long that those foolish Hebrews were murmuring and
complaining, and once again practicing Egyptian idolatry. In
fact, it was only three months later, as we see here:
"In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into
the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from
Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had
pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before
the mount. And Moses went up unto God...And when the people
saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the
people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said
unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as
for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land
of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said
unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the
ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and
bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden
earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto
Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it
with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and
they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee
up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built
an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said,
To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on
the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and
rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee
down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land
of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside
quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have
made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have
sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel,
which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."
Exodus 19:1-3a, 32:1-8, KJV
In light of the Scriptural evidence, it seems then that the
purpose for the Egyptian bondage was twofold. First; it was
to allow Jacob's small seed to prosper and grow into a great
and powerful nation; and second; it was also to purge and
purify the Israelites of some of their sins; and to make of
them a more obedient people. If you are wondering which god
of the Egyptians the Israelites may have been worshipping in
the desert, allow me to suggest that you read my series "Our
Pagan World: The Easter Myth Exposed". It offers a rather
interesting possibility, which ties in directly to modern
pagan worship.
What is also interesting to note, is the actual dimensions
of the land that God had promised to Abraham. Consider the
following verses:
"In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river
of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The
Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the
Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the
Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the
Jebusites." Genesis 15:18-21, KJV
"Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it
came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of
Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now
therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this
people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the
children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot
shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto
Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the
great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of
the sun, shall be your coast." Joshua 1:1-4, KJV
According to the previous verses, the southern border of the
land promised to Abram was to be "the river of Egypt"; which
according to my research, may possibly be a reference to the
Wadi el-Arish, or al-Arish, which is located on the northern
edge of the Sinai Peninsula. There is some debate regarding
the true identity of "the river of Egypt" mentioned in the
Scriptures; however, it doesn't appear to be the Nile River.
Concerning the northernmost border of the Promised Land, it
is my understanding that it was to be the Euphrates River as
it passes through the northeastern corner of Syria. I'll go
into more detail regarding this point in a moment.
From the previous verses, it is also easy to see that the
eastern border of the Israelites' inheritance was to be the
Jordan River. Thus, the Lord says to Joshua, "now therefore
arise, go over this Jordan...unto the land which I do give
to them". So the Lord is making it clear to Joshua that He
is going to give them everything that is located to the west
of the Jordan River. They have to cross the Jordan River to
get to the land which God is going to give to them.
In similar fashion, it is also rather obvious that the phrase
"great sea toward the going down of the sun" is referring to
the Mediterranean Sea. Just as Moses had stood a short time
earlier on the summit of Mount Nebo, (located in current-day
Jordan), when the Lord showed him the Land of Promise, in my
mind, it is also rather easy to imagine Joshua and Caleb, as
they stood on a high bluff overlooking the eastern shore of
the Jordan River, looking westward, across the Jordan River,
towards the direction of the Mediterranean Sea. Following are
the verses which describe Moses' view of the Promised Land:
"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain
of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho.
And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and
all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, And the south,
and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm
trees, unto Zoar. And the LORD said unto him, This is the
land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob,
saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to
see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither."
Deuteronomy 34:1-4, KJV
Concerning my statement regarding the Euphrates River, there
is some debate revolving around this issue. I have heard some
Bible teachers erroneously state that God's promise to Abram
actually included all of the land which extended as far east
as the Euphrates River which flows through modern-day Iraq.
I don't know if this is simply due to a lack of proper study
on their part, or if maybe they are just pro-Israel; but I
for one do not believe for a minute that God's promise was
to include all of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and half of Iraq. In
the previous Scriptures, what is being described for us are
the northern and the southern borders of Israel, and not the
eastern and western borders.
As I noted a moment ago, at the time that this promise was
made to them by the Lord, they had not yet crossed the Jordan
River. Anyone who possesses even a casual understanding of
Biblical history, knows that Joshua and Caleb crossed from
east to west towards Jericho, and not west to east towards
modern-day Jordan. They were already in what constitutes a
part of modern-day Jordan, so they were obviously looking to
the west, and not eastward towards Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
It is ridiculous to think that the Lord was promising them
land which was behind their backs, when they were looking at
the land which stretched for some fifty miles westward in
front of them. Furthermore, as I also note in such articles
as "Job And The Land Of Uz: A Biblical Mystery?", the land
where Moses, Joshua and Caleb were standing at the time that
the Lord spoke to them, had been promised to Ishmael, Esau,
the sons of Keturah, and their descendants; although those
descendants would later fight against the Israelites.
As further proof that the Lord was referring to the northern
area of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria, and not
to its greater length in Iraq to the east, notice that right
after the Lord states "even unto the great river, the river
Euphrates", He adds "all the land of the Hittites". As I
point out in such articles as "The Kings Of The North And
The South: Part Two", and in the series "The Seven Heads",
that is clearly referring to Syria, and possibly even to a
part of Turkey, but definitely not to Iraq, being as that
area was the stronghold of the Hittites, the descendants of
Heth. Thus, if my understanding is correct, then it seems
that Syria may occupy territory which rightfully belongs to
Israel according to the promises given to Abraham, and then
to Caleb over seven hundred years later.
If we consider the following three verses, it is also easy
to see that they are clearly describing the northern and the
southern borders of Israel. Please note that "Hamath" is a
reference to Syria, because Hamath was the principle city of
upper Syria, and was located in the valley of the Orontes.
The phrase "sea of the Philistines" is a reference to the
Mediterranean Sea, because the Philistines occupied the
coastal areas of ancient Palestine, particularly around the
Gaza Strip area:
"And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with
him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath
unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days
and seven days, even fourteen days." 1 Kings 8:65, KJV
"And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his
land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of
Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the
king of Egypt." 2 Kings 24:7, KJV
"And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the
sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river:
for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your
hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee."
Exodus 23:31, KJV
In essence then, the phrase "from the entering in of Hamath
unto the river of Egypt", is more or less synonymous with
the phrase "from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
the river Euphrates", which we read in the earlier verses.
Both of these phrases are describing the northern and the
southern borders of Israel, and have nothing to do with the
lower length of the Euphrates River, which flows through
modern-day Iraq. In similar fashion, the phrase "from the
Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines" is setting the
entire length of the southern border of their inheritance,
by drawing an imaginary line from the southeast, which would
be the Gulf of Aqaba, to the northwest, which would be the
Mediterranean coast on the northern edge of the Sinai
Peninsula.
As a final point for your consideration, allow me to ask you
a simple question: If God truly promised Abraham all of the
land which stretched as far east as the Euphrates River in
Iraq, why is it then, that even at the height of the kingdom,
during the reign of King David and his son, King Solomon, the
Israelites never possessed that land? Isn't the answer rather
obvious? God simply never promised that to them. He plainly
said everything west of the Jordan River. Period.
According to certain maps I have studied, at the pinnacle of
his power, excluding Lebanon, or Phoenicia as it has also
been known, King Solomon controlled the land area described
in the previous verses. In fact, it appears that he may have
controlled part of modern-day Jordan on the east side of the
Jordan River as well; although I am not certain that it was
included in the promise made to Abraham. I would have to do
some additional study before I make a final determination.
Whether or not Lebanon was included in God's promise, or was
just meant to be the northwestern border of the inheritance
of the Israelites, also isn't clear to me. Considering what
is stated in the previous verses regarding "this Lebanon", I
suspect that it was meant to be a part of Israel; however,
this is just a personal speculation on my part.
As I explain in "The International Jew And The Protocols Of
Zion", according to the Scriptures, a deep friendship existed
between King David and King Hiram of Lebanon, (which was also
known as Phoenicia), and Hiram helped both David and Solomon
with some of their construction projects, such as King David's
house, the first temple some years later, and other projects
which required the cedar trees from Lebanon. Concerning the
parentage of Hiram, we read the following in the first book
of the Kings:
"And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was
a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a
man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with
wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in
brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his
work." 1 Kings 7:13-14, KJV
From the previous verse, there is an indication that perhaps
Hiram was part Israelite, and part Phoenician. While he was
the king of Tyre, the following verse does seem to indicate
that he may have been subservient to Solomon, as I also
mention in my lengthy "Protocols Of Zion" series:
"And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities
for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that
which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon,
and in all the land of his dominion." 1 Kings 9:19, KJV
At any rate, as a part of their arrangement, King Solomon
gave King Hiram a yearly ration of wheat and oil. When the
Temple, and the King's house, were finally completed some
twenty years later, Solomon also gave Hiram twenty cities in
northern Israel in the region of Galilee; however, Hiram was
not too happy about the quality of the cities he was given,
as we see here:
"(Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with
cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all
his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities
in the land of Galilee. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see
the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him
not. And he said, What cities are these which thou hast
given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul
unto this day." 1 Kings 9:11-13, KJV
While King Solomon and King Hiram continued their amiable
relationship despite Hiram's displeasure, as we discover in
later prophecies, the situation did eventually deteriorate
between Israel and Lebanon, or Phoenicia; so much so that
the Lord prophesied the destruction of Tyre, or Tyrus,
through the mouth of the Prophet Ezekiel, as we see here:
"And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day
of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying, Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against
Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the
people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now
she is laid waste: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many
nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his
waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus,
and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from
her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a
place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for
I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a
spoil to the nations." Ezekiel 26:1-5, KJV
This topic is discussed more in depth in the series "Satan:
King Of Tyrus, King Of Empires!". As I explain in some of my
Endtime articles, all of these events tie in directly to
Endtime prophecy; as to this day, Lebanon and Syria continue
to be antagonistic towards the State of Israel; and it is my
belief that they will play major roles in the coming war to
invade and occupy Israel.
Returning to the Euphrates River issue for a moment, in my
view, to even promote the Iraq doctrine is rather dangerous;
because many Arab nations have already become convinced that
the real Israeli policy, is what they refer to as "Greater
Israel"; that is, a super-powerful militarized Israel which
will stretch from the Nile River in Egypt, to the Euphrates
River in Iraq. Let us not forget that during the 1973 war,
Israel did in fact grab the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, but
was later forced to give it back. We are also familiar with
the years of border skirmishes with Lebanon, as well as the
problems involving the Golan Heights; the strategic plateau
which is located on the northeastern border between Israel
and Syria, which has been contested by both countries for
several decades; and which has also been a flash point in
recent years, such as in the Shabaa Farms area.
If memory serves me correctly, it was in the early part of
1998, that an Israeli delegation went to the shores of the
Euphrates River, in order to perform a symbolic act. Quite
frankly, I think that it served an even greater purpose. I
suspect that it may have been a serious political statement
concerning Israeli intentions for the future; and this may
have something to do with the wars between the kings of the
north and the south. Again, please read the aforementioned
articles for more details. If we add to these developments
the USA's current attempt to take over Iraq, is it really
any wonder that some of the Muslims nations, particularly
Syria and Iran, are very alarmed and feel quite threatened
at this time? The US has done all it can to apply pressure
to Iran via the International Atomic Energy Agency, and has
staunchly sided with Israel in the recent incident where the
Israeli jets crossed over into Syrian air space, in order to
attack an alleged terrorist training camp near Damascus.
As we continue this series in part four, we shall further
discuss God's promises to Abraham, as well as look at such
topics as Jacob's controversial blessing; British Israelism
and Abraham's Legacy; the true Biblical meaning of the word
"nation"; forty years of wandering in the wilderness due to
disobedience; the conditional nature of God's blessings;
God's right to break His promises; Christian Identity and
Aryan Nations; faith, vision, courage, perseverance and
obedience as necessary requirements for obtaining victory;
God's ability to deliver His children; the true spiritual
nature of our warfare; the danger of fainting in our minds;
ethnic cleansing; and a sure formula for defeat. I trust
that you will join me.
[ Click Me ] Go To Part Four . . .