NOTTY-D at ReggaeDubwise.com | The Fastest Growing and Largest Internet Reggae Community

Artist - NOTTY-D | Blog (6)

CANNABIS - MARIJUANA – HEMP

NOTTY-D (06/11/08 13:42:01) Tag: Cannabis Sativa "The Magical Weed"

CANNABIS IN THE BIBLE

Exodus chapter 30 verse 22 - 33:

Moreover the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: "Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet KINEBOISIN two hundred and fifty shekels.

And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil an hin

And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary; it shall be an holy anointing oil

And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony.

Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you

Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people

KINEBOISIN, according to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is the old name for cannabis - it was also spelt kannabosm. They claim it was mis-translated in the King James' version of the bible, as "calamus"

See Marijuana as a Christian Sacrament

CANNABIS IN OTHER SCRIPTURES
The Hindu scripture from 1500 BC, the Rig Veda, says:
drug plants preceded even the gods by three ages
Hindus believe that cannabis was brought by Lord Shiva for human use and enjoyment. Apparently one day Shiva went off by himself in the fields. He sheltered from the sun under a tall cannabis plant, which he tasted. He adopted it as his favorite food, and became known as 'Lord of Bhang'. Cannabis was also called Indricana, the food of the god Indra.

Assyrian texts from the 7th century BC name cannabis.

The Essenes of ancient Israel and the Theraputea of Egypt both used cannabis medicinally.

Zoroaster, Persian founder of a religion, used cannabis.

In one legend Buddha is said to have survived on one cannabis seed a day for years.

First century AD Taoists in Japan used cannabis in their incense burners.

Within Islam the Sufis widely used cannabis as part of their ritual of searching for spiritual insight.

The Ethiopian Coptic Church which traces its origins back 6000 years, now with headquarters in Jamaica, uses cannabis as its sacrament: Only through the sacramental use of marijuana, combined with prayer and spiritual reasoning among the brethren, can members of the Church come to know God within themselves and within others. Rastafarians, a religion which hails Haile Selassie (born Ras Tafari) trace their ganja (cannabis) smoking back to Genesis

MARIJUANA AS THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENT-- Part 7.
The fact that modern Christendom has no sense of union with God has led to numerous churches without the understanding for building a Christian culture and kingdom to replace the confusion of modern politics. This lack of understanding was not lacking in the ancient church and was a major source of enthusiasm for the prophets of old. In fact, the power of the early church was manifested due to this understanding of the spirit of God dwelling in man, the temple of God. To the ancient prophets it was not a God above, nor a God over yonder, but a God within. "Be still and know that I am God" for the visionaries and mystics of every time and place, this has been the first and greatest of the commandments.

In 1 Corinthians 11:28 Christ said, "Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup." Probably the most relevant study to date about what might be considered typical marijuana experience concludes that marijuana gives spontaneous insights into self (Dr. Charles Tart, "On Being Stoned: A Psychological Study of Marijuana Intoxication", Science and Behavior, 1971).

The sacramentality of marijuana is declared by Christ himself and can be understood only when a person partakes of the natural divine herb. The fact is communion of Jesus cannot be disputed or be destroyed. Marijuana is the new wine divine and cannot be compared to the old wine, which is alcohol. Jesus rejected the old wine and glorified the "new wine" at the wedding feast of Cana. Cana is a linguistic derivation of the present day cannabis and so it is. (Some Biblical scholars and there is a certain amount of support in early tradition of the view have looked upon the miracle of Cana as a sign of the Eucharist.)

Note the references to new wine in the Bible:

Isaiah 65:8 "Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it; so will I do for my servant's sake"

Acts 2:13 "Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."

Isaiah 65:8 declares that the new wine is found in the cluster and that a blessing is in it. When one mentions clusters, one thinks of clusters of grapes. Webster's New Riverside Dictionary, Office Edition, defines marijuana: 1. Hemp 2. The dried flower clusters and leaves of the hemp plant, esp. when taken to induce euphoria.

The Encyclopedia Britannica says the following about hemp:
Seed producing flowers form elongate, spike like clusters growing on the pistillate, or female plants; pollen producing flowers form many branched clusters or staminate, on male plants. Here and in Webster's, marijuana fits the description of the new wine and as history has shown a blessing is in it.

Baudelaire said the following about the effects of hashish:
"This marvelous experience often occurs as if it were the effect of superior and invisible power acting on the person from without...This delightful and singular state...gives no advance warning. It is as unexpected as a ghost, an intermittent haunting from which we must draw, if we are wise, the certainty of a better existence. This acuteness of thought, this enthusiasm of the senses and the spirit must have appeared to man through the ages as the first blessing."

In the books of Acts the apostles were accused of being full of new wine. Acts 2:13 was the time of pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. Numerous outpourings of the Spirit are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in which healing, prophecy, and the expelling of demons are particularly associated with the activity of the Spirit. Incense (marijuana) was used by the ancients for healing, prophecy, and the expelling of demons.

When Christ ascended into heaven in the cloud (Acts 1:9-11) he sent his disciples the Holy Spirit with the "gift of tongues" (Acts 2:3) and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and were given the power to prophesy or witness. (Marijuana has been credited with speech giving and inspiration of mental powers.)

The first two gifts of the Holy Spirit are traditionally said to be wisdom and understanding, which no doubt are the two things most needed by the human race. In Jamaica today marijuana is referred to as the "weed of wisdom" and is reputed to be the plant that grew on Solomon's grave, a man known for his great wisdom. Marijuana expands consciousness and enhances the capacity for mystical and creative inspiration. In Acts 2:3 Fire speaks figuratively of the Holy Spirit. Fire was also a means which to transport a saint to heaven.

2 Kings 2:11 "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

Recent writers have speculated that this passage was in reference to flying saucers. That is because they look at this passage physically. This ascension of Elijah like the ascension of Christ in the cloud into heaven is the "withdrawal" from the external or physical world, to be the inmost reality of all. This can be referred to as ecstasy, rapture, or transport and is a result of the Holy Spirit. Ecstasy, rapture, or transport therefore agrees in designating a feeling or state of intense, often extreme mental and emotional exaltation. Rapture is defined as ecstatic joy or delight; joyful ecstasy. Some of the synonyms of rapture are bliss, beatitude, transport, and exultation. The true rapture is therefore one in which one is spiritually transported to the heavens. Don't expect to float up into the sky.

Marijuana as history has shown is the catalyst used to achieve the spiritual journey into the heavens. That is why in India it was referred to as the Heavenly-Guide, the Poor Man's Heaven, and the Sky-flier. That is why Professor Mircea Eliade, perhaps the foremost authority on the history of religion, suggested that Zoroaster may have caused hemp to bridge the metaphysical gap between heaven and earth.

One dictionary defines marijuana as the leaves and flowering tops when taken to induce euphoria. Euphoria is defined by the same dictionary as great happiness or bliss. (In India, marijuana has been referred to as the joy-giver and the soother of grief.) Bliss is defined as the ecstasy of salvation, spiritual joy. Some of the synonyms of bliss are beatitude, transport, rapture, ecstasy, paradise, heaven.

Throughout the ancient world there is mention of "magical flight", "ascent to heaven", and "mystical journey". All these mythological and folklore traditions have their point of departure in an ideology and technique of ecstasy that imply "journey in spirit".

The pilgrimage from earth to heaven is not a journey to some other place or some other time, but is a journey within. One must realize that "death" through which we must pass before God can be seen does not lie ahead of us in time. Rather it is now that we have a man of sin within us that must be killed and a new man free from sin that must be born. This is actualized in baptism and the sacramental life in the church. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). The effect of baptism is spiritual regeneration or rebirth, whereby one is "enChristened", involving both union with Christ and remission of sins. In Titus 3:5 baptism is the "bath of regeneration" accompanying renewal by the Spirit. Some of the synonyms of regeneration are beatification, conversion, sanctification, salvation, inspiration, bread of life, Body and Blood of Christ.

Sara Benetowa of the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw is quoted in the Book of Grass as saying:
"By comparing the old Slavic word 'Kepati' and the Russian 'Kupati' with the Scythian 'cannabis' Shrader developed and justified Meringer's supposition that there is a link between the Scythian baths and Russian vapour baths.

"In the entire Orient even today to 'go to the bath' means not only to accomplish an act of purification and enjoy a pleasure, but also to fulfil the divine law. Vambery calls 'bath' any club in which the members play checkers, drink coffee, and smoke hashish or tobacco."

St. Matthew's account of the institution of the Eucharist attaches to the Eucharist cup these words: "Drink of it, all of, for this is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins (St. Matthew 26:27). Drinking the sacramental cup therefore serves like baptism (Acts 2:3

where Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We of the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church declare a three-part doctrine of the Holy Herb, the Holy Word, and the Holy Man (Woman).

The present and future benefits to the individual communicant have their importance given them by Jesus, who said, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:54) As such we must see that the divine person who is active in creation, in renewal, and in human rebirth and resurrection, is also active in the Eucharist.

There was a profound change in America when marijuana smoking started on a large scale in the late 1960's. A large number of people resisted the draft, resisted the war ... started letting their hair and beards grow ... became interested in natural foods... the ecology and the environment. What we really saw was the awakening of our generation to the beginning of Christian mentality through marijuana smoking. The earmarks of this mentality are: I don't want to go to war; I really don't want to be part of the political-military-economic fiasco you call society.

Like the Indians Hemp Drug Commission three quarters of a century earlier, the Canadian Le Dain Commission conducted an inquiry into the use of marijuana. On page 156 of the report is the following:
"In the case of cannabis, the positive points which are claimed for it include the following: It is a relaxant; it is disinhibiting; it increases self-confidence and the feeling of creativity (whether justified by creative results or not); it increases sensual awareness and appreciation; it facilitates self acceptance and in this way makes it easier to accept others; it serves a sacramental function in promoting a sense of spiritual community among users; it is a shared pleasure; because it is illicit and the object of strong disapproval from those who are, by and large, opposed to social change, it is a symbol of protest and a means of strengthening the sense of identity among those who are strongly critical of certain aspects of our society and value structure today."

On page 144 of the Report, marijuana is associated with peace.
"In our conversation with (students and young people) they have frequently contrasted marijuana and alcohol effects to describe the former as a drug of peace, a drug that reduces tendencies to aggression while suggesting that the latter drug produces hostile, aggressive behaviour. Thus marijuana is seen as particularly appropriate to a generation that emphasizes peace and is, in many ways, anti-competitive."

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in the section on "Roman Catholicism":
"To understand the meaning and use of the Eucharist we must see it as an act of universal worship, of cooperation, of association else it loses the greater part of its significance. Neither in Roman Catholic nor in Protestant Eucharistic practice does the sacrament retain much of the symbolism of Christian unity, which clearly it has. Originally, the symbolism was that of a community meal, an accepted social symbol of community throughout the whole of human culture."

Marijuana has been used as sacrifice, a sacrament, a ritual fumigant (incense), a good-will offering, and as a means of communing with the divine spirit. It has been used to seal treaties, friendships, solemn binding agreements and to legitimize covenants. It has been used as a traditional defence against evil and in purification. It has been used in divinations (1. the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge; 2. unusual insight; intuitive perception.) It has been used in remembrance of the dead and praised for its medicinal properties.

Most Christians agree that participation in the Eucharist is supposed to enhance and deepen communion of believers not only with Christ but also with one another. We must therefore ask the question, "What substance did the ancients use as a community meal to facilitate communion with the Lord?" The answer to that question is marijuana. Hemp as originally used in religious ritual, temple activities, and tribal rites, involved groups of worshippers rather than the solitary individual. The pleasurable psychoactive effects were then, as now, communal experiences.

Practically every major religion and culture of the ancient world utilized marijuana as part of his or her religious observance. Marijuana was the ambrosia of the ancient world. It was the food, drink, and perfume of the gods. It was used by the Africans, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Asians, the Europeans, and possibly the Indians of the Americas. Would it be too much to suggest that the ancient Israelites also utilized marijuana?

Comments | Total: 2

del.icio.us

Technorati

YahooMyWeb

The First Book of Moses, called Genesis

NOTTY-D (05/28/08 21:01:20) Tag: Biblical Reasonings

Chapter 6
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them,

2 that the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.

3 And Yahweh said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.

4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of Elohim came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.

5 And Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 And it repented Yahweh that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7 And Yahweh said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with Elohim.

10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 And the earth was corrupt before Elohim, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 And Elohim saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 And Elohim said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

15 And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

16 A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

17 And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon this earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die.

18 But I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

20 Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

22 Thus did Noah; according to all that Elohim commanded him, so did he.

Were the Nephilim sons of God?

Fallen Angels? Giants of Genesis 6:4?

A common belief which we share is that the "sons of
God" who did marry the "daughters of men" were fallen angels.
Why did God send the judgment of the Flood in the days of Noah? The strange events recorded in Genesis 6 were understood by the ancient rabbinical sources, as well as the Septuagint translators, as referring to fallen angels procreating weird hybrid offspring with human women-known as the Nephilim. This was far more than simply a historical issue, the unique events leading to the Flood are a prerequisite to understanding the prophetic implications of our Lord's predictions regarding His Second Coming. This is believed to have happened both before the Flood and after the flood. In Israel at the time of David, and before this when the Hebrews were scouting the land - there were tribes of these Nephilim - Goliath the giant of Gath is one example. Early Church fathers also understood this to be the case. It appears that these fallen angels were active all over the world. These bizarre giants living on the earth are also echoed in the legends and myths of nearly every ancient culture. The ancient Greeks, the Egyptians, the Hindus, the South Sea Islanders, the American Indians, and most all the others have these legends.

The Hebrew word Nephelim (plural of nephel) (Nephilim) literally means "rejects". The Hebrew plural for Nephites would be "Nephi'im".

Satan probably put this plan to interrupt Abraham's "seed into motion, as soon as it was made known that the Seed of the Woman (Christ) was to come through ABRAHAM.

Bible Probe Note: Our use of the Word "irruption" in this article below means: act of rushing; act of breaking in; intrusion, raid; sudden increase.

Genesis 6:4 (Original KJV):
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that,
when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and
they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which
were of old, men of renown.

Bible Probe Note: Note the words; "and also after that". This
probably tells of two "irruptions" by Satan's seed. One before Noah's
time and another after the flood. They were called “The Watchers” in The Book of Enoch.

Their descendents, called Nephilim (translated "giants"), were monsters of iniquity; and being superhuman in size and in their wicked character, had to be destroyed. Was this the one and only object of the Flood?

Genesis 6:12 (Original KJV):
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt;
for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Only Noah and his family had preserved their pedigree pure from Adam (Genesis 6:9). All the rest had become "corrupt" (shachath). The only remedy was to destroy it defacto (Latin for "in fact"), as it had become defacto destroyed.

This irruption of fallen angels before Noah's day was probably Satan's first attempt to prevent the coming of the "Seed of the woman" foretold in Genesis 3:15. If this could be accomplished, God's Word would have failed, and Satan's own doom would be averted.

Genesis 3:15 (Original KJV):
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel. also see Isaiah 7:14

Satan's plan was to occupy Canaan with "his own seed" in advance of Abraham's seed.

As soon as it was made known that the Seed of the woman was to come through ABRAHAM, there must have been another irruption, as recorded in Genesis 6:4 (see above), "and also after that" (that is to say, after the days of Noah, more than 500 years after the first irruption). The aim of the enemy was to occupy Canaan in advance of Abraham, and so to contest its occupation by his seed. For, when Abraham entered Canaan, we read (Genesis 12:6) "the Canaanite was then (that is to say, already) in the land."

Also in Genesis we see two more attempts by Satan to interfere with Abraham's
seed before the birth of Isaac, as told in both Genesis 12:10-20 and in Genesis 20:1-18.

In the late 1950’s, during road construction in the Euphrates Valley of south-east Turkey, many tombs containing the remains of giants were uncovered. At the sites the leg bones were measured to be 120 cms (47.24 inches). Joe Taylor, Director of Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum, was commissioned to sculpt the human femur. This Antediluvian giant stood some 14-16 ft tall (see below).
Genesis 6:4 claims: "There were giants in the earth in those days;" Deuteronomy 3:11 states that the bed of Og, king of Bashan, was 9 cubits by 4 cubits (approximately 14 ft long by 6 ft wide).

Possible explanation. The earth had more oxygen.

Long ago, even insects may have been larger due to higher oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere (believed to have been about 35 percent instead of 21 percent today). This increased oxygen level could be part of the explanation for giants, long-lived people, and even why fossils of giant dragonflies with 2-foot wingspans have been found.

Antediluvian Giants' bone below

Other human Fossil finds

A 19'6" human skeleton found in 1577 A.D. under an overturned oak tree in the Canton of Lucerne.

23-foot tall skeleton found in 1456 A.D. beside a river in Valence, France.

A 25' 6 " skeleton found in 1613 A.D. near the castle of Chaumont in France. This was claimed to be a nearly complete find.

A 9' 8" skeleton was excavated from a mound near Brewersville, Indiana (Indianapolis News, Nov 10, 1975).

In 1833 soldiers digging at a pit for a powder magazine in Lompock Rancho, California, discovered a male skeleton 12 feet tall. The skeleton was surrounded by carved shells, stone axes, and blocks of porphyry covered with unintelligible symbols. The skeleton had double rows of upper and lower teeth. These bones substantiated legends by the local Piute Indians regarding giants which they called Si-Te-Cahs.

In Clearwater Minnesota, the skeletons of seven giants were found in mounds. These had receding foreheads and complete double dentition.

"A miner fell through a hole in a mine in Italy and found this 11' 6" skeleton." believed to been found in 1856.

A mound near Toledo, Ohio, held 20 skeletons, seated and facing east with jaws and teeth "twice as large as those of present day people," and besides each was a large bowl with "curiously wrought hieroglyphic figures." (Chicago Record, Oct. 24, 1895; cited by Ron G. Dobbins, NEARA Journal, v13, fall 197

.

Almost beyond comprehension or believability was the find of the two separate 36-foot human remains uncovered by Carthaginians somewhere between 200-600 B.C.

Caius Julius Verus Maximinus, also known as Maximinus Thrax (235-238 A.D.) was a Roman soldier-emperor who spent his reign on campaign. Maximinus was born in Thrace to a Gothic father an Alanic mother in about 173 A.D.. He was reportedly 8' feet, six inches (2.59m) tall, and of tremendous strength.

In an ancient text of the Jews, we read an astonishing description of some of these gigantic Amorites whom the Israelites conquered. In Buber's Tanhuma, Devarim 7, the text tells us of a Rabbi Johnanan ben Zakkai's encounter with the Roman Emperor Hadrian. This event occurred in about A.D. 135, soon after the Roman victory in the Bar Kochba war, when the Jews rebelled against the Romans. The text reads:
"The wicked emperor Hadrian, who conquered Jerusalem, boasted, 'I have conquered Jerusalem with great power.' Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai said to him, 'Do not boast. Had it not been the will of Heaven, you would not have conquered it.' Rabbi Johanan then took Hadrian into a cave and showed him the bodies of Amorites who were buried there. One of them measured eighteen cubits [approximately 30 feet] in height. He said, 'When we were deserving, such men were defeated by us, but now, because of our sins, you have defeated us'" (quoted in Judaism, edited by Arthur Hertzberg, p.155-156, George Braziller, New York: 1962).

"Sons of God were fallen angels and not aliens"

Some have claimed that the Nephilim, or the "sons of God," both mentioned in Genesis 6:2-4, were aliens. This is a wild extension of a common view that the "sons of God" who married the "daughters of men" were fallen angels, and that the Nephilim were products of those "marriages."
"Sons of God" is clearly used of angels in Job 38:7 Orig KJV: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?". The Septuagint (LXX) here translates "sons of God" as "angels of God." This need not mean that evil angels, or demons, actually cohabited with women. Jesus made it clear that angels do not engage in sexual activities, at least not angels in heaven. Matthew 22:30 Orig KJV: "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Nevertheless, evil angels on earth could have used the bodies of ungodly men, by demonic possession, to achieve their evil purpose of producing an evil generation of people (Genesis 6:12).[2]

There are other reasonable suggestions as to the identity of the "sons of God" and the Nephilim. Interestingly, the word Nephilim is only used here and in Numbers 13:33, where it clearly refers to the descendants of Anak, who were big people, but still people. Furthermore, "sons of God" is not used exclusively of angels -- the children of Israel are called "the sons of the living God" in Hosea 1:10 (see also Psalm 73:15; 80:17).

Numbers 13: 32-33 Original KJV:
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
The Anakim: This was another name for the Watchers. It means “the descendants of Anak”, or Enoch, Cain’s son. Though it was said that a flood had been sent to destroy them, there were still entire cities of Anakim in Canaan as late as the time of Moses. And Jewish chronicler Josephus states that even in his own day it was not uncommon for people to dig up gigantic skeletal remains.

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp ... Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other."

Reading further, both in 2 Samuel 21:16-22 and I Chronicles 20:4-8, we discover that Goliath had four relatives, also giants:

1) Ishbi-Benob, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels (more than seven pounds) and who said he would kill David;

2) Saph (or Sippai), another descendant of Rapha (the giant);

3) Lahmi (the brother of Goliath), whose spear shaft resembled a weaver's rod; and

4) a huge man (unnamed in the text) with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.

Goliath and these four were all descendants of Rapha in Gath, "and they fell at the hands of David and his men" (2 Samuel 21:22 and I Chronicles 20:

.

David apparently knew in facing Goliath that these other four might also have to be reckoned with. So David prepared himself to take down all five giants, one stone per giant, if need be. The Bible tells us that the other four did fight against David and his army in later battles, and all four were defeated.

David's stone was a bullet of faith, launched from his sling at probably 100 to 120 mph, and with sufficient momentum to break through Goliath's skull bones. The boastful giant never knew what hit him. The text indicates that David ran toward Goliath as he launched his shot, thus adding to its momentum. We can assume from David's success in killing both bear and lion that he was a fast runner (Goliath could never have caught him in open field running) and an accurate shot, probably able to put a stone into a 3- or 4-inch circle consistently from a distance of 20 or 30 feet (an accuracy comparable to that of today's pro baseball pitchers).

Rulers in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia often proclaimed themselves as "sons of God" to enhance their power and prestige. So, another view with much support is that the "sons of God" were power-hungry rulers and despots, who, in their hunger for power and influence, took many wives in polygamy. They, and their offspring, through tyranny, became "mighty men." (Nimrod was described as a "mighty one" in Genesis 10:8.)

So, there is no need to resort to fanciful suggestions involving aliens to understand this passage of Scripture.

Good Angels do not marry

A contradictory yet enlightening statement about angel marriages was made by Jesus which was reported in Matthew 22:30; "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Here we read a statement from Jesus saying that angels do not get married. A possible explanation for this is that the "sons of God" were the descendants of Seth, and "the daughters of men" were of the godless Cainites. Remember, God later spoke of the people of Israel as His ‘firstborn son" (Exodus 4:22), and Moses called the people of Israel "children of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 14:1).

Therefore, when they took wives it was an unholy alliance between Sethites (God's people) and Cainites (idol worshipers). Also, the word "wives" seems to indicate more that one and therefore a suggests taking more than one wife (polygamy).

How Big were the Giants?
(probably around *9.5-14 feet)
(Ancient Hebrew cubit remains unknown)

*9 cubits using Egyptian Royal cubit (1.7 ft) =15.3 ft
(subtracted 1 ft for bed's comfort)

Deuteronomy 3:11 Original KJV:
For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant
of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of
iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon?
nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits
the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man,

Giants
(1.) Hebrew Nephilim, meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (Gen. 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying "wonder," and hence "monsters" or "prodigies." In Num. 13:33 this name is given to a Canaanitish tribe, a race of large stature, "the sons of Anak." The Revised Version, in these passages, simply transliterates the original, and reads "Nephilim."

(2.) Hebrew rephaim, a race of giants (Deut. 3:11) who lived on the east of Jordan, from whom Og was descended. They were probably the original inhabitants of the land before the immigration of the Canaanites. They were conquered by Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:5), and their territories were promised as a possession to Abraham (15:20). The Anakim, Zuzim, and Emim were branches of this stock.

In Job 26:5 (R.V., "they that are deceased;" marg., "the shades," the "Rephaim") and Isa. 14:9 this Hebrew word is rendered (A.V.) "dead." It means here "the shades," the departed spirits in Sheol. In Sam. 21:16, 18, 20, 33, "the giant" is (A.V.) the rendering of the singular form ha raphah, which may possibly be the name of the father of the four giants referred to here, or of the founder of the Rephaim. The Vulgate here reads "Arapha," whence Milton (in Samson Agonistes) has borrowed the name "Harapha." (See also 1 Chron. 20:5, 6, 8; Deut. 2:11, 20; 3:13; Josh. 15:8, etc., where the word is similarly rendered "giant.") It is rendered "dead" in (A.V.) Ps. 88:10; Prov. 2:18; 9:18; 21:16: in all these places the Revised Version marg. has "the shades." (See also Isa. 26:14.)

(3.) Hebrew 'Anakim (Deut. 2:10, 11, 21; Josh. 11:21, 22; 14:12, 15; called "sons of Anak," Num. 13:33; "children of Anak," 13:22; Josh. 15:14), a nomad race of giants descended from Arba (Josh. 14:15), the father of Anak, that dwelt in the south of Palestine near Hebron (Gen. 23:2; Josh. 15:13). They were a Cushite tribe of the same race as the Philistines and the Egyptian shepherd kings. David on several occasions encountered them (2 Sam. 21:15-22). From this race sprung Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4).

(4.) Hebrew 'emin, a warlike tribe of the ancient Canaanites. They were "great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims" (Gen. 14:5; Deut. 2:10, 11).

(5.) Hebrew Zamzummim (q.v.), Deut. 2:20 so called by the Amorites.

(6.) Heb. gibbor (Job 16:14), a mighty one, i.e., a champion or hero. In its plural form (gibborim) it is rendered "mighty men" (2 Sam. 23:8-39; 1 Kings 1:8; 1 Chr. 11:9-47; 29:24.) The band of six hundred whom David gathered around him when he was a fugitive were so designated. They were divided into three divisions of two hundred each, and thirty divisions of twenty each. The captains of the thirty divisions were called "the thirty," the captains of the two hundred "the three," and the captain over the whole was called "chief among the captains" (2 Sam. 23:

. The sons born of the marriages mentioned in Gen. 6:4 are also called by this Hebrew name.

Genesis 6: 1-8 Original KJV:
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

The following assaults of the great Satanic Enemy
stand out prominently in the Bible:

reference: therain.org

Abraham's wife Sarai was captured by Pharaoh in Egypt (thinking she was Abraham's sister) before Isaac was born (Genesis, Chapter 12)

Abraham's wife Sarai was captured (taken) by Abimelech, king of Gerar (thinking she was Abraham's sister) before Isaac was born. (Genesis, Chapter 20)

The attempted destruction of the male line of Israel in Egypt, Exodus 1:15-16:

15. And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of
which the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the
other Puah:
16. And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the
Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a
son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she
shall live.

The destruction of the whole nation in Pharaoh's pursuit, Exodus 14.

After David's line was singled out (2 Samuel 7), that was the next selected for assault. Satan's first assault was in the union of Jehoram and Athaliah by Jehoshaphat, notwithstanding 2 Chronicles 17:1. Jehoram killed off all his brothers (2 Chronicles 21:4).

The Arabians slew all his children, except Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 21:17; 22:1).

When Ahaziah died, Athaliah killed "all the seed royal" (2 Chronicles 22:10).

The babe Joash alone was rescued; and, for six years, the faithfulness of Jehovah's word was at stake (2 Chronicles 23:3).

Hezekiah was childless, when a double assault was made by the King of Assyria and the King of Terrors (Isaiah 36:1; 38:1). God's faithfulness was appealed to and relied on (Psalm 136).

In Captivity, Haman was used to attempt the destruction of the whole nation (Esther 3:6,12,13. Compare 6:1).

Joseph's fear was worked on (Matthew 1:18-20). Notwithstanding the fact that he was "a just man", and kept the Law, he did not wish to have Mary stoned to death (Deuteronomy 24:1); hence Joseph determined to divorce her. But God intervened: "Fear not".

Herod sought the young Child's life (Matthew 2).

At the Temptation, "Cast Thyself down" was Satan's temptation.

At Nazareth, again (Luke 4), there was another attempt to cast Him down and destroy Him.

The two storms on the Lake were other attempts.

At length the cross was reached, and the sepulchre closed; the watch set; and the stone sealed. But "God raised Him from the dead." And now, like another Joash, He is seated and expecting (Hebrews 10:12,13), hidden in the house of God on high; and the members of "the one body" are hidden there "in Him" (Colossians 3:1-3), like another Jehoshaba; and going forth to witness of His coming, like another Jehoiada (2Chronicles 23:3).

The irruption of "the fallen angels" ("sons of God") was the first attempt; and was directed against the whole human race.

When Abraham was called, then he and his seed were attacked.

When David was enthroned, then the royal line was assailed.

And when "the Seed of the woman" Himself came, then the storm burst upon Him.

“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

—Romans viii. 14.

Hildegard of Bingen wrote about fallen angels in 1150 AD. She states they aligned themselves to the dark (negative) instead of to the light (positive-God per the Bible).

Another non-canonical tradition says that God's Angels swarmed down and killed the remaining Nephilim...

God seeing his creation on the brink of destruction acted to save man from this treachery, and he set out to wipe corrupt man (and beast) from the face of the earth. God did not do this so as to punish man but to save him from an evil he had no way of understanding. God saved Noah and his family and man began anew. As did the evil.

But it was the unauthorized act of revelation that outraged the archangels, and it was that act which God punished. "I shall restore the Earth, so that not all the sons of men shall be destroyed through the mystery which the Watchers made known." Divinely commanded, the obedient Watchers swept down and defeated their brothers, whose punishment was to watch the death of their children before being themselves imprisoned in the mountains and deserts of the Earth until Judgment Day, when they will be cast into the lake of eternal fire. (Azazel is the only Watcher whose burial place is believed to be known: under a heap of stones at the foot of the cliff of Haradan, in what is now the Sinai, where, regarded as a demon, he received every year the scapegoat driven into the desert with its burden of Israel's sins. --Alternately, he is sometimes said to have hurled himself into the sky and become the constellation Orion.) God sends the prophet Enoch to scold them in their imprisonment, saying that as spiritual beings they were never intended to have wives as mortal men do (of course, their creator could presumably have seen to it that they felt no longing for sex or love, but he apparently neglected to do so) and even scorning the knowledge they shared with humanity - "You were in heaven, but its secret had not been revealed to you and a worthless mystery you knew." - although the Four Archangels' concern surely contradicts this mocking remark. Other Apocryphal books say that even now they are held and tortured in the terrible Fifth Heaven, set aside for just this purpose. (I Enoch XIII describes the Watchers/Grigori as stricken mute with guilt and terror after Enoch's reproof, and indeed in II Enoch the Grigori imprisoned in the Fifth Heaven are voiceless giants.) The world, meanwhile, is swept clean in a great earthquake and flood, destroying the Nephilim's lands, to which many writers trace the worldwide legends of a catastrophic inundation.

But the Watchers' teaching continued to influence humankind in the ages after the Deluge, even though now condemned and studied in secret. In Jubilees VIII:1-5, Kainam, Noah's grandson, "came upon a writing which men of old had carved on a rock...it contained the teaching of the Watchers, in accordance with which they used to observe the omens of the sun and moon and all the signs of heaven. And he wrote it down and said nothing about it..." fearing punishment from Noah, who blamed the Watchers for the Flood and constantly warned his clan against any dealings with them or their descent. (Must have been one blessed huge rock, unless the Watchers' skills included micro-engraving.) This is especially notable because Kainam is the brother of Chesed, father of Ur, who is said in the Apocrypha to have founded the famous Chaldean city of that name. "And [they] grew up and lived in Ur of the Chaldees," says Jubilees (XI:7-

of Serug and Nahor, Kainam's descendants, "and worshipped idols...and [Nahor's] father instructed him in the learning of the Chaldees, how to divine and foretell the future from the signs of heaven." It's most tempting to conclude that Kainam's grandchildren through generations inherited and studied the written record he had made from the stone; that the legendary wisdom of the Chaldeans, which amazes history, had descended to them from the Watchers themselves

The Nephilim - and, some say, their children, the Elioud/Eljo - were physically exterminated by the avenging angel horde. But, though their half-mortal bodies could be slain, their half-angel souls could not, nor could they be held in chains. They remain on the earth, wandering at will, and though chaotic and destructive will not be punished for their deeds until the Final Judgment "in which the great age will be brought to an end". Occult tradition holds that now and then a Nephilim spirit will incarnate in human form (the souls of those who quit the body violently, it's said, are most pure...).

The Apocrypha claim the disembodied Nephilim are the origin of demons, and accuse them of many crimes. Jubilees places the blame for the Flood squarely upon the fornication of the Watchers and the iniquity and bloodshed of the Nephilim. "And now the giants who were born from souls and flesh will be called evil spirits upon the earth," charges I Enoch XV-XVI, "From the day of...the slaughter and destruction of the giant Nephilim, the mighty ones of the earth, the great famous ones, the spirits that have gone out from their souls as from the flesh will destroy without judgment." Even the mortal women who are their mothers are cursed to become sirens and demonesses. In Jubilees X:1-6, Noah's sons beg him to protect their children from "unclean demons" who are "leading astray, blinding and killing" them; Noah, petitioning God to "let not wicked spirits rule over [my grandchildren] and destroy them", adds, "Thou knowest what thy Watchers, the fathers of these spirits, did in my day..." making it clear that the demonic spirits and the Nephilim are considered one and the same. (One wonders if Kainam was one of these grandchildren being "led astray" by a "demonic" Nephilim familiar. Maybe it was helping him interpret the stone...)

Archeology News
November 2005
Archaeologists digging at the purported biblical home of Goliath have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine's name, a find they claim lends historical credence to the Bible's tale of David's battle with Goliath.

While the discovery is not definitive evidence of Goliath's existence, it does support the Bible's depiction of life at the time the battle was supposed to have occurred, said Dr. Aren Maeir, a professor at Bar-Ilan University and director of the excavation.

"What this means is that at the time there were people there named Goliath," he said. "It shows us that David and Goliath's story reflects the cultural reality of the time."

Some scholars assert the story of David slaying the giant Goliath is a myth written down hundreds of years later. Maeir said finding the scraps lends historical credence to the biblical story.

The shard dates back to around 950 B.C., within 70 years of when biblical chronology asserts David squared off against Goliath, making it the oldest Philistine inscription ever found, the archaeologists said.

Scientists made the discovery at Tel es-Safi, a dig site in southern Israel thought to be to be the location of the Philistine city of Gath.

Maeir doubts an archaeological find can ever prove Goliath's existence, but said the shard was exciting nonetheless because of its depiction of life during the time period.

Other Great Links at Bible Probe

Figure the Odds
Over 300 Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled

Near Death Experiences

Real Miracles and Angel Visits

Real Angel Visit to a Muslim in Iran

Read Muhammad, Terrorist of Prophet?

See the Hand of Hope: Abortion

The Exodus Happened
See Chariot Wheels found in the Red Sea

Comments | Total: 0

del.icio.us

Technorati

YahooMyWeb

Scriptural Reasonings

NOTTY-D (04/29/08 08:38:43) Tag: The Synagogue of Satan pt. 1

THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN

The words "Synagogue of Satan" occur in only two verses of scripture, Revelation 2:9 and 3:9. The Synagogue of Satan is very real and exists today. Though it is mentioned by this name only in the Revelation, the Bible discusses it in several places.

Let us define our terms:

Synagogue:

Strong's definition:

4864. sunagoge, soon-ag-o-****'; from (the redupl. form of) 4863; an assemblage of persons; specifically a Jewish "synagogue" (the meeting or the place); by analysis, a Christian church:--assembly, congregation, synagogue.

4863. sunago, soon-ag'-o; from 4862 and 71; to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; specically to entertain (hospitably):--+ accompany, assemble (selves, together), bestow, come together, gather (selves together, up, together), lead into, resort, take in.

A synagogue is a recognized place of regular assembly and worship; a church, if you will. Worship includes the reading of the Word, praying, singing, praising, dancing (yes, dancing, which is an expression of praise), and teaching and preaching. In the Jewish Synagogue, enough scripture is read at each gathering for the entire Law to be read in a set period or cycle of time, such as a year. It is read line by line in successive order. In other words, the Law is read in the manner of chapter by chapter and verse by verse (chapters and verses were not defined in the original texts but line and precept were). The other writings of the Bible are read and taught in a similar manner, including the New Testament in a Messianic congregation. When we study chapter by chapter and verse by verse, we are actually studying line by line and precept by precept.

In Biblical times, when people assembled in the Synagogue, someone stood up and read the law. Then the prophets were read. Then someone taught the law and prophets. Homilies were spoken. Prayer and celebration were and are also parts of synagogue worship. This information comes from Smith's Bible Dictionary.

Satan:

The word means accuser, opponent, or adversary. (Rev 12:9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. This verse tells us that Satan is the Devil, the Dragon, and the Serpent of Eden. There are many other names given to Satan, among them: Lucifer, the morning star, and Beelzebub, the lord of the flies, and Baal, lord, and the Prince of the Power of the Air, and many others. Satan is the opponent of God and anything that is of God. He rebelled against God and was sentenced to death (Isa 14:19-20 & Eze 28:18-19). He now awaits execution of sentence. While he waits, his spirit is loose on the earth.

So the Synagogue of Satan can be stated as the assembly (or church) of the followers of Satan. (I am not speaking of Satanic worshipers here, just those that are opposed to Christ--if you are not for Christ, you are against him--Mat 12:30 & Luke 11:23).

Jews:

Before we can begin a Bible study of the Synagogue of Satan, we must first understand who the Jews are. This is necessary because many (including the many of Jews themselves) think they know who the Jews are but are mistaken. For the last few centuries, the Jews have come to be known as the entire nation of Israel, when, in fact, they are only a small part of the nation of Israel. By the nation of Israel, I do not mean the country of Israel in Palestine, but the people of all the tribes of Israel. Strong's Concordance defines the word Jew for us:

"3064. Yehuwdiy, yeh-hoo-dee'; patronymically from 3063; a Jehudite (i.e. Judaite or Jew), or descendant of Jehudah (i.e. Judah):--Jew."

"3063. Yehuwdah, yeh-hoo-daw'; from 3034; celebrated; Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory:--Judah."

A Judaite or Jehudite is a native or inhabitant of the land of Judah. The Funk and Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary defines the suffix "ite" as "native or inhabitant of."

2453. Ioudaios, ee-oo-dah'-yos; from 2448 (in the sense of 2455 as a country); Judaean, i.e. belonging to Jehudah:--Jew (-ess), of Judaea.

2448. Iouda, ee-oo-dah'; of Hebrew origin [3063 or perhaps 3194]; Judah (i.e. Jehudah or Juttah), a part of (or place in) Palestine:--Judah.

2455. Ioudas, ee-oo-das'; of Hebrew origin [3063]; Judas (i.e. Jehudah), the name of ten Israelites; also of the posterity of one of them and its region:--Juda (-h, -s); Jude.

Young's Analytical Concordance defines Jew:

"A descendant of Judah; in later times also an Israelite. In 2 Kings 16:6 [the first use of the word, Jew, in the Bible] this appellation is applied to the two tribes [Judah and Benjamin]; in later days to the twelve tribes. Strictly speaking, the name is appropriate only to the subjects of the kingdom of the two tribes after the separation of the ten tribes, BC 975."

Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines Jew:

"The name "Jew" is primarily tribal (from Judah). It is first found in 2 Kings 16:6, as distinct from Israel, of the northern kingdom. After captivity it was chiefly used to distinguish the race from Gentiles [which means "nations"]"

Funk and Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary defines Jew:

1. A member of the Hebrew people. 2. Any person professing Judaism. 3. Originally, a member of the tribe or kingdom of Judah.

The first definition in Funk and Wagnalls is misleading. The Hebrews include ALL of the descendants of Eber (or Heber) ('eber). For example, Terah, Abram, Nahor and Haran are Hebrews. Abraham's children, INCLUDING Ishmael, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah, Sheba, and Dedan, are ALL Hebrews. So are Esau and all his descendants, the Edomites. And let us not forget Moab. The list goes on. Are all of the above-mentioned people considered Jews? Of course they are not. Today, many are called Arabs. So definition one of the Funk and Wagnalls dictionary is inaccurate. That leaves definitions two and three. The people under definition two, "Any person profession Judaism," are the real crux of the Synagogue of Satan, as we will find out. Definition 3 agrees with Strong, Young and Vines, that the Jews are the descendants of Judah or inhabitants of the land of Judah.

So originally word Jew meant the descendants of Judah or natives or inhabitants of the land of Judah or Judea. The word later became applied to the entire nation of Israel. Even so, the Bible distinguishes between the Jews and the Israelites. Whenever the word Jew is used in the Bible, it is always in the context of the descendants of Judah or the inhabitants of the land of Judah or Judea (yes, even in the NT). In the Old Testament, every reference to Jews is in the context of the kingdom of Judah (free or in captivity) or the return of the captives from Judah to Judea. In the New Testament, all references to the Jews are in reference to those living in Judea or the descendants of Judah. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew by birth. He was of the line of David, who was of the line of Judah. The disciples were all residents of Judea. Peter was a Jew and Paul was a Jew, both by birth.

The point of all of this is that, in the Bible, The Jews are separate and distinct from the Israelites. The Jews either belong to the Kingdom of Judah, or are descendants of Judah or are residents of Judea. The Israelites are any of the twelve tribes BEFORE the division of the Kingdom into two kingdoms in 975 BC. After that, the people of the northern Kingdom, that is, the (ten) tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Manasseh and Ephraim (both of Joseph) are referred to as Israelites. In the Bible, after the division of the tribes, the entire twelve tribes as a whole are referred to as Jacob. To summarize, The Jews are the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, or residents of Judah or Judea, the Israelites are the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, or residents of that land, and the entire twelve tribes as a whole are called Jacob.

________________________________________________

Originally, being a Jew meant being of the tribe of Judah (after the division of Israel into the Northern and Southern kingdoms). A Jew could have been of the bloodline of Judah, or could simply have been a person living in Judea, the land of the tribe of Judah. After the captivity, the people of the tribe of Judah (as well as the Temple servants (Nethinim) and the Rechabites and the Hivites who were NOT of the tribe of Judah) returned to the land of Judea to rebuild it. They were all known as Jews, even if their lineage was not Jewish. As time passed the term Jew began to be used to describe all of Israel, including the ten tribes that were scattered among the nations.

I believe that the imprecise use of the word Jew may have been a ploy of Satan to pervert the word Jew and allow it to be used by people who have no right to use it (such as the non-Jew, non-Israelite people who returned with the true Jews from Babylonian captivity—the Nethinim, the Rechabites, and the Hivites). It also confuses the proper interpretation and right dividing of the Word of God. To properly understand prophecy, you must understand the difference between Israel, Judah (Jews), and Jacob. Each name refers to a different group of Israelites.

Again, Judah and Jew refer to the tribe of Judah, or a resident in the land of Judah, that is, Judea. Judah is also the name God uses when referring to the Southern Kingdom, which includes the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. Levi has no inheritance in the land of Israel, so they do not count as one of the twelve tribes. Jacob is used by God to stipulate all twelve of the tribes of Israel. Israel and Ephraim refer to the Northern Kingdom which included the remaining ten tribes.

And again, the word Jew has come to indicate all Israelites, but that use of the word is imprecise. For the purpose of this study, we will attempt to use the word Jew accurately, in the way the Bible uses the word. For example, on May 15, 1948, modern Israel became a recognized nation (except by their enemies). The Jews regained the land of Judea, or at least a part of it. They didn't have Jerusalem, Gaza (the land of the Philitines), Golan, the West Bank, etc. They gained those lands in wars where they were the defendants. Here is the rub: the world believes that all of the tribes of Israel are simply the Jews. When the Jews of the world migrate to Israel, most people (even members of the Church) believe they are of all the twelve tribes. That isn't so.

In many places in the Word, God tells us that he has scattered the tribes of the Northern Kingdom throughout the world. They do not even know who they are. God also says He will gather them back to the land:

(Jer 16:13-15) Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favour. {14} Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; {15} But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Jeremiah is known as the prophet to Judah. But many of his prophecies apply to the kingdom of Israel, too. That is the case here. In 1-12, God tells why he will cast them out of the land. Many claim this prophecy was fulfilled when the Jews returned from Babylon. This cannot be the case. The Jews, exiled to Babylon, returned from Babylon. Here, the verse speaks of the children of Israel, which includes all twelve of the tribes. Israel specifically applies to the ten northern tribes, but the children of Israel, being all the children of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah, include all twelve of the tribes. Only the Jews, a few Benjamites, and some non-Israelites calling themselves Jews returned from Babylon. Here, all twelve tribes are brought back from all lands. That means every nation. These will be the true Israelites; no pretenders will be included.

Many commentaries teach that the Synagogue of Satan is just a reference to those in the church who were legalizers or Judaizers (those insisting on circumcision, and obedience to the law for salvation). Is that the cas

Image	Song/Artist
	Double Standard - Zacheous Jackson (lyrics,all vocals)with the Manor(riddim) ZACHEOUS JACKSON