Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

In the Babylonian Mysteries, Nimrod was given the name of Saturn, the hidden god. Nation after nation gives glory and tribute to the hebdomadal gods of Babel. Sabbath days are declared and set aside in their honor -- Friday, the day honoring Venus -- Saturday, the day honoring Saturn, and Sunday, the day honoring the Sun god. Nimrod and his Babylonian Mystery worship is alive and well in the world today.

On May 5, 2000, the Sacred Babylonian Hebdomad put forth a spectacular sign in the heavens. The sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn were all in alignment. According to the Scriptures in the last days, there will be signs in the heavens. All heavenly bodies are under the sovereign power of YEHOVAH God, as described by Arthur W. Pink on page 37 of The Sovereignty of God:

The heavenly bodies are also ruled by their Maker and perform His sovereign pleasure. Take two illustrations. At YEHOVAH's bidding the sun went back ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz to help the weak faith of Hezekiah. In New Testament times, YEHOVAH God caused a star to herald the incarnation of His Son -- the star which appeared unto the wise men of the East. This star, we are told, "went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was" (Matt.2:9).      

Judgment is coming! Judgment is coming on Babel! Jeremiah 51:1-58 has much to say about Babel and its pending judgment. In order to understand the fullness of Babel, Jeremiah 51 must be continually compared with Revelation 12, 13, 17, and 18. Just as it says in II Peter 1:20: "Knowing this first, that no prophetic writing is made clear in its own book" (Peshitta), we have to compare various books to get a clear understanding of what YEHOVAH is saying about Babel.

Thus saith YEHOVAH "I am stirring up destroyers against Babel/Babylon, against the dwellers in Chaldea; (or "Thus saith YEHOVAH: `Behold, I will raise up against Babel, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against Me, A DESTROYING SPIRIT.)

"Spirit" in Hebrew is "ruwach," which can also mean by extension "a region of the sky". Since the pagan week involves worship of lights in different regions of the sky which leads to false sabbaths, could this read "a destroying region of the sky"?

I am sending winnowers on Babel/Babylon, to winnow her and leave her bare. They will besiege her from all sides on her day of disaster/affliction/doom. Let the archer bend his bow; let him stand ready in his armour; spare not her young men, destroy her whole army. They will fall slain in the land of Chaldea (astrology), fatally wounded in her streets for THEIR LAND IS FULL OF GUILT AGAINST THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL....Flee out of the midst of Babylon/Babel, and deliver every man HIS SOUL. Be not cut off in her iniquity/sin. It is the time of YEHOVAH's vengeance; He will repay her what she deserves. Babel/Babylon was like a GOLD CUP IN MY HAND, MAKING THE WHOLE WORLD DRUNK. The nations drank its wine and went out of their minds.

Revelation 17: 2 again relates how the whole world has drunk from this cup: "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Again related in Revelation 18:3: "For ALL nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her...."

We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; we must leave her to her fate, and all go home as her judgment reaches up to heaven; it has mounted up to the stars. (stars -- Septuagint)

Her sins and judgment reaching into the heavens is again related in Revelation 18:5 and 6: "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: IN THE CUP which she hath filled FILL TO HER DOUBLE."

This scripture is also a reminder of Isaiah 14:13. "For thou (Lucifer/Satan) hast said in thine heart, `I will ASCEND INTO HEAVEN, I will exalt my throne ABOVE THE STARS OF El; I will sit also up the Mount of Moed/place of the festivals on the sides of the north.'"

YEHOVAH hath brought forth our righteousness. Come, and let us declare in Zion the work of YEHOVAH our Elohim....Lift up a banner/standard against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! YEHOVAH will carry out his purpose -- his decree against the inhabitants of Babylon. O thou that DWELLEST UPON MANY WATERS, abundant in treasures, THINE END IS COME.

This scripture again links with the beast and whore of Revelation 17:1 ...."Come hither; I will shew unto thee the JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT WHORE THAT SITTETH UPON MANY WATERS."

Your destiny is CERTAIN....He (YEHOVAH Sebaoth) hath made the earth by HIS POWER, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and HATH STRETCHED OUT THE HEAVEN BY HIS UNDERSTANDING.

The heavens were created by the wisdom and understanding of YEHOVAH God, not by the understanding of the Chaldeans (astrologers) who brought forth the worship/calendar of the Sacred Hebdomad -- the pagan week -- the false sabbaths honoring Venus, Saturn, and the Sun. YEHOVAH's true weekly Sabbaths -- appointments to come into His presence -- are declared by the phases of the moon, not by the Sacred Hebdomad.

....Every man is stupid in his knowledge. (or, Every man is stupid, lacking knowledge.) Every artisan is put to shame by his idol. His images are a fraud/lie; they have no breath/ life in them. They are vanity/worthless, the work of errors/delusion that will perish in their time of punishment....Thus I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all the evil/wickedness they have done in Zion (the kingdom/government of YEHOVAH), declares YEHOVAH. Behold, I am against thee, DESTROYING MOUNTAIN , saith YEHOVAH, which DESTROYS ALL THE EARTH.

Take special note: The earthly dwelling house (a ziggurat) for Bel was first named "Ekur" which meant "The Mountain of the earth." Falsifying Sabbaths is very much a part of Babylon's wickedness. Will their false time for Sabbath turn into their TIME OF PUNISHMENT?

I will stretch out my hand against you and remove your foundation from the rock, and will make you a BURNT MOUNTAIN....Thus the earth will tremble and sorrow for every purpose of YEHOVAH will be performed against Babel/Babylon -- to make the land of Babel a desolation without inhabitant....For YEHOVAH Sebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says this: `The daughter of Babylon (the Babylon of today) is like a threshing-floor when wheat is ready to be threshed; very soon harvest time will come for her. Jerusalem (the capital city of YEHOVAH's kingdom) has said, Nebuchadnezzar THE KING OF BABYLON HAS DEVOURED ME. He has made me like an empty vessel. HE HAS SWALLOWED ME UP LIKE A DRAGON.

It would be very beneficial at this point to know more about the name of "Nebuchadnezzar," the king of Babylon, as he represents the head of Daniel's golden image. The name means "May Nebo protect the crown." But who is Nebo?

In the Bible Dictionary, Wm. Smith defines this god Nebo in this way: "Nebo, which occurs both in Isaiah, Isa.46:1, and Jeremiah, Jer. 48:1, as the name of a CHALDEAN GOD, is a well-known deity of the Babylonians and Assyrians....His general character corresponds to that of the Egyptian Thoth, the Greek Hermes (same as Nimrod) and the Latin Mercury. Astronomically he is identified with the PLANET NEAREST THE SUN. In Babylonia, Nebo held a prominent place from an early time. The ancient town of Borsippa was especially under his protection, and the great temple here, the modern Birs-Nimrud (Nimrod), was dedicated to him from a very remote age. He was the tutelar (pertaining to a guardian) god of the most important Babylonian kings, in whose names the word "Nabu" or "Nebo" appears as an element."

The Hibbert Lectures 1887 by A.H. Sayce give further insight on this god Nebo and his temple at Borsippa: Borsippa, it would seem, had once been an independent town, and Nebo,....had been its protecting deity. In the middle of the city rose E-Zida, the temple of Nebo...."the supreme house of life," and its lofty TOWER termed "the house of the seven spheres of heaven and earth." It had been founded, though never finished, according to NEBUCHADNEZZAR, by an ancient king. For long centuries it had remained a heap of ruin, until restored by Nebuchadnezzar, and legends had grown up thickly around it."

Sayce further explains "....the ziggurat or tower of his (Nebo's) temple at Borsippa had the name of "the house of the seven bonds of heaven and earth." The seven "bonds" seem to represent THE SEVEN PLANETS, or rather their stations; the TOWER was in SEVEN stages, and each stage was painted so as to symbolize the colours symbolical of the SEVERAL PLANETS. Nebo must, therefore, have once been an elemental god, or at all events a god connected with the chief of the HEAVENLY BODIES. We know that Babylonian astronomy made him the presiding deity of the PLANET MERCURY, just as it made Merodach the presiding deity of Jupiter (Zeus); but it cannot have been in reference to this that the tower of his temple was dedicated to the SEVEN HEAVENLY SPHERES. Nebo cannot well have been one of the seven himself in the conception of its builders; he must rather have been the universe in WHICH THE SEVEN SPHERES WERE SET."

Sayce goes on to say "The name of Borsippa itself, moreover, is sometimes written in a punning fashion by the help of ideographs which would read in Accadian Bat-si-aabba, `the fortress of the HORN OF THE SEA,' as if it had once been held to stand on a `HORN' or inlet of the Persian Gulf."

This "HORN OF THE SEA" should set off a red alarm to each and everyone. Daniel tells us of a "little horn" that changes the calendar of YEHOVAH God -- His set-time ordinances. John in Revelation 13 talks about a beast with SEVEN HORNS coming out of the sea. Later on in Jeremiah 51 we will find out the name of this sea -- Sea of Babylon.

"Like a Dragon" of Jeremiah 51 again links Babylon with Revelation 12:3 -- "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, and SEVEN CROWNS upon his heads." Remember the beginning of Nimrod's Babylonian kingdom was ten city governments and the worship of the Sacred Hebdomad -- the week dedicated to the seven heavenly lights.

He has filled his belly with my delicacies, AND THEN HE HAS CAUSED ME TO GO ASTRAY (Aramaic Peshitta).

This verse ties in with Rev. 12:13-15. "And when the DRAGON saw that he was cast out upon the earth, he persecuted the woman, which brought forth the man child....And the serpent/dragon cast out of his mouth water (water being symbolic of the word, i.e. false words) as a flood after the woman, that she MIGHT BE CARRIED AWAY by the flood (false doctrine to cause her to go astray.). And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth"

'On Babylon be the wounds I suffered!' The daughter of Zion will say, `On the inhabitants of Chaldea be my blood!' Therefore thus says YEHOVAH: `Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you; I will dry up THE SEA OF BABYLON, and make her springs (of water -- words of false doctrine) dry.

Now we know the name of the Sea -- Sea of Babylon. We can now understand the beast of Revelation 13 is arising out of the Sea of Babylon -- that Sea of False Doctrine: "And I stood upon the sand of the SEA and saw a BEAST rise up OUT OF THE SEA (the Sea of Babylon), having seven heads (seven gods of the Sacred Hebdomad) and ten horns (the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom) and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads were blasphemous names." Thus each of these heads, chiefs, or lords (seven gods of the Sacred Hebdomad) had a blasphemous name. YEHOVAH would certainly call the seven-day pagan week, named after the seven planets, blasphemous.

Thus Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a DWELLING PLACE FOR DRAGONS..... The Babylonians all roar like LIONS, growling like lion cubs over their prey.

Two more links back to the dragon and beast of Revelation 13:2: "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a LION: and the DRAGON gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

But while they (the Babylonians) are inflamed/aroused, I will prepare a feast for them -- make them drunk and happy, till they sleep the sleep that knows no waking.

Could this refer to the feasts of the pagan week, i.e. Friday (Muslims) -- Saturday (Jews and followers) -- Sunday (Roman Catholics and Daughters)? Has this feast lulled them into a sleep from which there is no waking?

I will take them like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and goats. How is Sheshach (Babel) captured? How is the pride of the whole world surprised? How has Babel become a thing of desolation among the nations?

        The "thing of desolation" will be discussed in detail later in the study.

The sea has surged over Babel, she is covered by its roaring waves. Her cities are desolation (Shammah), a dry land, and a wilderness,....I will punish Bel/Baal (the worship of the Sacred Hebdomad -- the sun, the moon, and the five planets -- 1 Kings 23:3-5) in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he had swallowed up and the nations will not flow together any more unto him.

Yea, the wall of Babylon must fall. Come out of her my people! (Come out of the worship of the Sacred Hebdomad.) Run for your lives! Save your souls, each of you, from the fierce anger of YEHOVAH....Though Babylon/Babel should MOUNT UP TO HEAVEN, and make strong her TOWERS (ziggurat towers of Babel) in the heights, I will send de- stroyers against her, says YEHOVAH. The sound of a cry comes from Babel, and (the sound of) great destruction and ruin from the land of the Chaldeans (the astrologers)! For YEHOVAH is destroying Babel and laying her waste and STILLING HER GREAT VOICE.... (the voice that has given false doctrine to the world).

A destroyer has come against Babel; her warriors are captured, and their bows are broken. "I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her captains, and her rulers (including the President of the US), and her mighty men as well; they will sleep forever and not awake," declares the King, whose name is YEHOVAH Sebaoth. Thus says YEHOVAH Sebaoth: "Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her HIGH GATES (Bab-bel, as in Tower of Babel -- which was indeed a HIGH GATE -- means Gate of Bel) set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations' labor is only fuel for the flames.

YEHOVAH God is speaking here under the title of "Sebaoth." In order to get the wisdom of this scripture, we must understand in what capacity He is speaking. Sometimes He speaks as Elyon (The Most High), or El Shaddai (The Almighty), or Roi (My Shepherd), etc. The Strong's Concordance #6635 defines "Sebaoth" as: a mass of persons, espec. organized for war; by impl. a campaign, lit. or fig. (spec. hardship, worship); APPOINTED TIME; or host. The King James Bible usually translates "Sebaoth" as "Hosts." The Standard Dictionary defines hosts as: an army, assembly, company, convocation, or gathering; A number of persons met together for a common purpose.

Thus we have the words "mass of persons, worship, and appointed time" -- i.e. "a mass of people gathered together at an APPOINTED TIME for the common purpose of worship." Wow and double wow!!! YEHOVAH Sebaoth is coming against the false Babylonian APPOINTED TIMES OF WORSHIP. He is saying "COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE -- DELIVER EVERY MAN HIS SOUL."

Now let's go back to verse 41 where it talks about a "thing of desolation." Can this thing of desolation be connecting Babel with the "Abomination of Desolation" of Daniel 9:27?

(Septuagint) "And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week My Sacrifice and Drink-offering shall be taken away; and on the TEMPLE shall be the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATIONS; and at the end of the time an end shall be put to the desolation"

The Companion Bible note on page 1200 states: "abominations he shall make it desolate = the abomination that maketh desolate....This is certainly future. See Matt.24:15. Our Lord tells us where it will stand in the 'holy place': i.e. in the Temple at Jerusalem....Antiochus, the type of 'the little horn', defiled the sanctuary but he did not destroy it. He cannot therefore be the fulfiller of this prophecy, though he foreshadowed him. Abominations. Jehovah's name for an 'idol', as being what he detest."

Keeping in mind that this scripture is future and not past, let's look at the word "desolation". The Hebrew word for "desolation" is "shamem." Baal-Shamem was another name for Zeus, the Savior -- son of Saturn. Saturn was just another name for Nimrod and the Babylonian Mystery worship of him.

"Desolation" in the dictionary is defined: deserted, abandoned, to forsake, completely alone. If the creation weekly Sabbath were abandoned, truly the Abomination of Desolation would dwell over the sanctuary of YEHOVAH. This Sabbath Sanctuary where YEHOVAH dwells would be deserted -- abandoned -- forsaken. YEHOVAH would be dwelling there alone as the whole world is keeping false sabbaths. Satan has deceived the WHOLE WORLD.

The Judaic Encyclopedia (Volume 2 -- page 97-98) describes "The Abomination of Desolation" as evidently going back to a Hebrew or Aramaic expression found in Daniel 12:11 -- "desolate" -- shamem. It goes on to equate II Maccabees 6:2 with this "Abomination of Desolation". Antiochus demanded the Temple at Jerusalem be named "Zeus Olympios." Mount Olympus was the abode of the gods and Zeus was actually Baal Shamem, "The Lord of Heaven/ Desolation", who was worshipped at the Jerusalem sanctuary during the persecution.

The Encyclopedia Bibilica says that "Another Baal, whose cultus was more widely diffused than that of Baal-hammon -- in later times he rose above all the local Baals, and perhaps in many places supplanted them -- was Baal-Shamem, whose name we MUST INTERPRET NOT `Lord of Heaven,' but `The god who dwells in the heaven,' to whom the heavens belong. Baal-shamem in Dan. 12:11 (perverted by Jewish wit to Sikkus somem, `the appalling abomination') was probably a Roman Jupiter."

The Encyclopedia Bibilica under the title of "Abomination of Desolation" relates: "The phrase appears to be an INTENTION ALTERATION OF "Baal Shamem." (Note: It was against the torah to pronounce the names of pagan gods.) That this was a current title of Zeus may be inferred from the Syriac of 2 Macc. 6:2, where the temple at Jerusalem is called by the emissary of Antiochus `the temple of be'el shemin.' The author of Daniel (whose meaning is correctly given by MT) contemptuously says, `Call it not `heaven's lord,' but `an appalling abomination.'"

Some Biblical historians state that Baal Shamem was also the god spoken of in 1 Kings 18. Jezebel had erected an image of Baal Shamem on Mount Carmel and the prophet Elijah came to confront this false worship of Baal. "Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table." So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people and said, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but If Baal, then follow him." And the people answered him not a word." (1 Kings 18:19-21)

Another reference to "Shamen" is found in Jeremiah 10 (verses 1, 2, 18-25) when he is addressing the House of Israel:

Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL. (Thus this applies also to modern Israel which includes the USA.) "Thus says the LORD; `Do not learn the WAY OF THE GENTILES,....For the customs of the people are futile;...._For thus says the LORD: ...."Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I said, `Truly this is a grief and I must bear it.' My tent/tabernacle is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; My CHILDREN HAVE LEFT ME AND ARE GONE; there is NO ONE LEFT to pitch my tent (There is no one there -- It is DESOLATE); to raise its curtains. The shepherds/pastors of the people ARE STUPID. THEY NEVER CONSULT THE LORD, therefore they have not wisdom and their entire flock is scattered.... Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you; On families that do not invoked you by name; For they have devoured Jacob; They have devoured him and CONSUMED HIM and have left his home to SHAMEM/desolation (Baal-Shamem)!!!!"

Jeremiah again talks about "Shamem" in Jer. 12:1-13:

O LORD, you are always right when I bring a case before you. But I would like to discuss some points of justice/judgment with you: Why do the wicked prosper? Why do dishonest men succeed? You planted them; They have taken root; They keep on growing and bearing fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. But you, O LORD, know me; You see me and test me -- my heart is with you, i.e. how I love you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! SEPARATE THEM (the wicked) FOR THE DAY OF SLAUGHTER.

Are they separated into the false sabbaths of the Babylonian Mysteries?

How long must the earth mourn and all its green grass wither?....because its people are so wicked; because they say, `Elohim does not see what we are doing.' YEHOVAH says: `I have abandoned the House of Israel; I have rejected my chosen nation; I have given the people I love into the power of their enemies. My chosen people have turned against me; Like a LION in the forest, they have roared against me, and I HATE THEM.

Remember Babylon is referred to as LIONS in Jeremiah 51:38. Going on with Jeremiah 12:

My chosen people are like a bird attacked from all sides by vultures; come, gather together, all you beasts of the field! Come and eat! Many PASTORS HAVE DESTROYED MY VINEYARD (Israel); They have trodden My portion under foot; They have made My pleasant portion a DESOLATE (Shemamen) wilderness. They have set up SHAMEM, to my sorrow. The whole earth/land/erets is committed (to) SHAMEM, and NO ONE CARES. The destroyers have come against ALL the high places (like Mountains -- Towers of Babel) in the wilderness: for the sword of YEHOVAH will DEVOUR from the end of the earth to the other end of the earth; no flesh is safe or can find the means of escape/peace! They have sown wheat, but have REAPED TARES/ weeds: They have worked hard, i.e. have worn themselves out but profit/gain nothing. SO BEAR THE SHAME OF YOUR HARVEST because of YEHOVAH's fierce anger.

Lamentations 1:4-7 also talks about Shamem:

The CUSTOMS of Zion do mourn because/as long as NO ONE is lifting up/going to/coming to her appointed times/set-time festivals (4150 -- moed) (Baal-Shamem dwells in the Sacred Temples of YEHOVAH's Sabbaths); SHAMEM dwells in all her gates; Her priests despair; Her cities/virgins are afflicted and are sorely grieved. Her adversaries have become THE HEAD. Those who are her enemies are unconcerned. Because YEHOVAH Himself has brought grief to her on account of the abundance of her transgressions. Her young children are gone -- taken captive by the adversary. All splendour/glory has vanished from the daughter of Zion. (It's the daughter not the mother.) Her leaders have become like stags which find no pasture, exhausted, as THEY FLEE BEFORE THE HUNTER.

Who is this hunter? It is none other than Nimrod, himself. "He was a mighty hunter before/against the LORD; therefore it is said, `Even as NIMROD, the MIGHTY HUNTER, before/ against the LORD." (Gen. 10:9)

Jerusalem remembers during the days of her affliction and wandering (the wilderness of wandering to and fro), all the precious things that were hers in ancient time (in the time of creation). When her People fell into the hand of the enemy, and there were none to help her, the adversaries looked on, mocking her SABBATHS!!!!!!

Jerusalem has sinned so grievously that she has become a thing UNCLEAN (because she is not keeping YEHOVAH's Sabbaths). All who know her despise her, having seen her uncleanness. She herself groans and turns away. Her UNCLEANNESS WAS IN HER SKIRT.

The tzizot/fringes were in the skirt. See Numbers 15:37-40. "Then it will be to you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commands of the LORD, and do them; and that you do not go about after YOUR OWN HEART AND YOUR OWN EYES, after which you usually go astray; so that you may remember and do ALL My commands (including his lunar weekly Sabbaths), and be HOLY to your Elohim."

She gave no thought to her fate/future -- She did not recognize her reward. Therefore her downfall was appalling, with none to comfort her. O YEHOVAH, look at her misery for the adversary has waxed great/LIFTED UP.

The term "lifted up" is important in the study of the Babylonian ziggurats -- especially the temple of "E-Saggil," which means "The House of the Raising of the Head."

On page 95 of The Hibbert Lectures 1887 by Sayce we find reference to this lifting/raising up of the head: "The temple itself stood on the east side of Babylon, and had existed since the age of Khammuragas (B.C.2250), and the first dynasty which had made Babylon its capital. It bore the tile of E-Sagila or E-Saggil, an Accadian name signifying "the house of the RAISING OF THE HEAD." Note 1: `saggil' is rendered by the Assyrian zabal, and the Hebrew zebul....

The Hebrew term zebul will give us further light upon this "lifting up." The Dictionary of New testament Theology -- Volume 3 -- page 469 states: "Beelzeboul could be derived from ba'al zebul, lord of the heights, i.e. of heaven, and so lord of heaven or god of heaven.

The Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis -- volume 1 -- page 1074 further states: "Although Gamberoni contends that there is no semantic continuity between the Akk. zbl and Heb. Root zbl, some propose an Akk. Root (zabalu) carrying the basic idea of `lift up, bear' i.e., honor some one. The root is found in the title of several Ugaritic gods. One of the Ugar, titles of Baal is `Exalted/Prince, Lord of the Earth....In several contests the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil, Beelzebul, possible meaning originally, `the exalted god Baal.'"

The Anchor Bible Dictionary -- Volume 1 -- page 554 has this to say: "The other major position, again, sees `b'l zb'l' as the original name of the god, which was INTENTIONALLY DISTORTED BY SCRIBES...As to the meaning of zbl, the Hebrew Zebul, "lofty abode,' `exalted dwelling,' has been cited (thus: `lord of the LOFTY ABODE')....in light of the context of 2 Kings 1, the Ugarit evidence, and the tendency of Hebrew scribes at times to DISTORT CERTAIN NAMES, it seems best at present to regard `Baal-zebub' as a caconymic (`lord of the fly/flies/) for an original `Baal-zebul'..."

And again on page 639 "Aitken...suggested that Beelzebul as "lord of the heaven' was IN FACT A SKY GOD. Gaston..., who had the advantage of working with the new material from Ugarit as well as the four occurrences of zebul in the Dead Sea Scrolls..., arrived at a similar conclusion stressing that zebul can mean either `the temple' or `heaven." Gaston...further noted that the chief rival of the Hellenistic period was the heavenly Baal (Gk Zeus Olumpios, Aram b'lsmyn).'

Taking all of this into consideration, Baal-zebul would therefore mean "Lord of the Lofty Abode," which would take it right back to the temple of E-Saggil, signifying "the house of the RAISING OF THE HEAD.

Getting back to "desolation," Jeremiah speaks of this thing of "desolation" again in Chapter 50 --

The word which the LORD spoke against Babel, the land of the Chaldeans (astrologers), through the prophet Jeremiah:

Declare among the nations, make proclamation; keep nothing back, spread the news:

Babel shall be taken, Bel shall be put to shame, Marduk shall be broken. Her idols shall be put to shame, her false gods shall be shattered.

The Encyclopedia Biblica (1899 AD -- page 411 -- Note 2) links Bel with the Tower of Babel: "In a Babylonian hymn, we find the god Bel identified with the `great mountain whose top reaches heaven.'" (Page 412) "King Nebuchadnezzar restored `The Temple of the Seven Lights of heaven and earth' (i.e. Temple of Belus.)"

Scribner's Dictionary of the Bible -- 1900 AD (Volume 3) gives additional insight on the god Marduk. (On page 552) "Nimrod is none other than the god Merodach." Again on page 347, "Merodach -- A Babylonian-Assyrian deity is mentioned as a separate name but once in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 50. The Babylonian pronunciation of the name was Mar-u-duk. On the side of astronomy Maruduk is identified with Jupiter (same as Zeus) of the Romans. In later times he...was the patron deity of the City of Babylon. In his inscriptions, Nebuchadnezzar speaks of Marduk as `the great lord' (Bel), `the exalted governor,' `king of the heavens and the earth,' `the supreme god!'"

On page 552 under the subject of Nimrod, it continues: "Merodach was, first of all KING OF BABYLON, and remained patron god of the city practically to the last. Merodach was regarded by the Babylonians...as a "Mighty Hunter"...!...he was regarded in later times in his native country as a great builder also!...(he was) looked upon by the Babylonians as the BUILDER OF BABYLON, and the...Creation Story...attributes to him the completion of E-sagila, the great temple-tower in that city, which was certainly a type of the tower of Babel, even if it were not that erection itself." There is no question that this "mighty hunter" and builder of Babylon is referring to Nimrod as told in Genesis 10:9 and 10. Nimrod was indeed the "mighty hunter against YEHOVAH."

Continuing on with Jeremiah 50 and this thing called "desolation":

For a nation shall come up against her from the north, which shall maker her land DESOLATE (Shammah), and none shall dwell in it. They shall flee, they shall go, both man and beast.

"In those days, at that time," declares YEHOVAH God, "the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek YEHOVAH their Elohim.

They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to YEHOVAH in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

"My people have been lost sheep; their SHEPHERDS HAVE LED THEM ASTRAY AND CAUSED THEM TO ROAM ON THE MOUNTAINS.

Remember in Jer. 51:25, Babel is described as the "Destroying Mountain." See also Revelation 17:9 -- the Babylonian whore sits on seven mountains.

They wandered over mountain and hill and FORGOT THEIR OWN RESTING PLACE.

What did they forget? They forgot their own place of rest -- The SEVENTH DAY of Creation, which was sanctified and set apart -- THE WEEKLY SABBATH of rest kept by the Moon.

Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said, `We are not guilty, for they sinned against YEHOVAH, their true pasture -- YEHOVAH, the hope of their fathers.'

"Flee from Babel, leave the land of the Chaldeans (astrologers), be like the rams at the head of the flock.

For I will stir up and bring against Babel an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty handed.

Thus Chaldea will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill," declares the LORD....

Because of YEHOVAH's anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely DESOLATE (Shemamah). All who pass Babylon will be horrified and scoff because of all her WOUNDS.

This verse relates that Babel is WOUNDED. Can this refer again to the Beast of Revelation 13: Verse 3 "And I saw one of his HEADS as it were WOUNDED to death; and his DEADLY WOUND was healed; and all the WORLD WONDERED AFTER THE BEAST."

"Take up your positions around Babel, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the LORD.

Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, HER TOWERS FALL, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of YEHOVAH, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others.

Cut off from Babel the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. Because of the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to his own people, let everyone flee to his own land.

"The sower is cut off from Babel" -- Babel does not sow the WORDS of YEHOVAH. "The reaper at harvest is cut off from Babel" -- There is no reaping for YEHOVAH's Kingdom INSIDE Babel. YE MUST COME OUT OF HER. "Come out of her, My People, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and YEHOVAH hath remembered her sins." (Revelation 18: 4 and 5)

`Israel is a scattered flock that LIONS have chased away....

Nimrod was symbolized as a lion in ancient mythology; also the beast of Revelation 13:2 is describe as having the mouth of a lion.

See how the hammer of the whole world is broken and shattered/cut down/broken! How Babel has become DESOLATION (Shammah) among the nations.

Shammah is from Shamem, i.e. Baal-Shamem/Zeus.

"I set a trap for you, O Babel and you were caught before you knew it. You were found and captured because you opposed/defied YEHOVAH.

Way back in the very beginning of Genesis, Nimrod is described as a mighty hunter in opposition of YEHOVAH God. The whole of this Nimrod Babylonian Kingdom -- the Babylonian Mysteries -- was set up to oppose YEHOVAH's Kingdom.

YEHOVAH has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of His wrath, for YEHOVAH Sebaoth (`a mass of people gathered together at an APPOINTED TIME for the common purpose of worship') has work to do in the land of the Chaldeans (astrologers). Come against her from EVERY QUARTER, throw open her granaries; pile HER up like heaps of grain (i.e. broken in small pieces); destroy her completely.

Kill all her young bulls (i.e. young warriors); let them be led to slaughter. Woe to them! For their time/day has come, the time of their punishment -- their day of reckoning!

Cry out. Fly away -- escape from the Land of Babel! Tell Zion: `YEHOVAH our Elohim is avenging for the destruction of the temple by Babylon of Chaldea.

Summon archers against Babylon, all who bend the bow. Encamp all around her: let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds/works; just as she has done, do to her -- be cause she acted with pride against YEHOVAH -- against the Sanctuary of Israel.

Babylon gave the Jews the false Sabbath of Saturday, therefore they receive a false Sabbath. The Muslims/Babylon keep the false Sabbath of Friday, which is dedicated to the god-planet Venus, the most brilliant star in the heavens other than the Sun and Moon.

It all started way back in Genesis 1:14 during the time of Creation. YEHOVAH God set his clock in the heavens for all to see -- not within man's reach to change His Sacred Calendar. "And Elohim said, `Let there be light in the firmament of the heaven to DIVIDE the day from the night; and let them (the lights) be for SIGNS, and for SEASONS, and for days, and years.'"

The Hebrew word for SIGNS is "owth" which means "mark or evidence." The Gesenius' Lexicon defines SIGNS as "signs and times." The Hebrew word for SEASONS is "moed" meaning "appointment, a fixed time; esp. a festival, the place of meeting or assembly; a synagogue." If this is true couldn't it read: "....let them be for SIGNS OF TIME/EVIDENCE OF TIME/MARKS OF TIME, for meeting places/appointments to meet/synagogues for meeting/festivals and for days and years'?

Lamentations 2:5-14 declares in no uncertain terms: YEHOVAH God has caused Zion to forget her SABBATHS -- The House of Jahwah have proclaimed their own days of moed/appointment.

Like an enemy, the LORD hath swallowed up/consumed Israel; He has swallowed up all her mansions; He has cast away His fortified/fenced/walled up city and brought upon the DAUGHTER of Judah/Zion mourning and lamentation. Thus he took away his Sok (protected/entwined protected covering -- the masculine form for sukkah) which was like a covered over, fenced in, protected garden. He has cast away His appointed times/feasts (moed); the LORD has caused the appointed festivals (moed) and SABBATH TO BE FORGOTTEN IN ZION. He has spurned and rejected in the indignation of His anger the king (president) and the priest (minister). The LORD has rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary. Into the hand of the enemy, he has surrendered the walls of her towers. (Towers of Babel.) A proclamation (of their own), they have set up/set forth/permitted in the House of the LORD as a day of festival/appointed meeting (moed).

In the House of the LORD (YEHOVAH), they have proclaimed THEIR OWN DAY as a moed festival of time -- Sunday or Saturday which honors the Sun or Saturn -- two of the Babylonian Mystery gods of the Sacred Hebdomad.

YEHOVAH has resolved to destroy the walls of the DAUGHTER of Zion, stretching out the line, not staying his hand until he has engulfed everything. He made tower and wall lament and both together lay desolate. Her gates (Zion's) lie buried in the earth; their bars smashed to pieces. Her king and leaders are exiled among the nations. The LAW is no longer known and obeyed and the prophets have no visions from YEHOVAH. O Jerusalem, beloved Jerusalem, what can I say? With what can I compare you? How can I comfort you O Daughter of Zion? For thy WOUND is great as the sea, who can heal thee? Your prophets have seen false and deceptive/worthless visions for you; and they did not expose your sins that you might repent and thus I would bring you back from captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.

When YEHOVAH God brought Israel out of Egypt (whose very name means `The House of Hapi/Apis' -- another name for Osiris, i.e. Nimrod) and out of the pagan religion of the land, He immediately revealed to them His true lunar weekly Sabbath in the Wilderness of Sin (Moon). Keeping this appointment with YEHOVAH every week is of most importance to you. It is a must!!!! Keeping the Sabbath is the test YEHOVAH God gives the people to see "if they will follow His torah or not." (Exodus 16:4) In other words, it proves whether or not we can be trusted to carry out His divine commands. Since Yeshua the Messiah is the WORD, it proves whether or not we are following him wherever he leads. As the old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words" or "the proof is in the pudding."

The Daughter of Zion (modern day Israel) has a wound great as the sea. It is indeed a great sin not to meet with YEHOVAH weekly on His appointed day -- not on Babel's false Sabbath days of Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Ministers keep right on teaching the same old false traditions of Babel -- not listening to the Ruwach ha'qodesh which is saying "Come out of Babel."

Hebrews 3 and 4 says it all:

And to whom did he swear that they would never enter his Rest (Sabbath)? To whom but those who disobeyed? Thus we see it was owing to unbelief that they could not enter. Now, God has left us the promise that we may go in and rest (Sabbath) with him. Let us be on guard then, so that none of you will be found to have failed TO GO IN TO THAT (Sabbath) REST. For we have had the good news as well as they; only, the message they heard was of no use to them, because they only heard and did not believe (i.e. obey) as well. Now we who have believed (and obeyed) enter that (Sabbath) rest. It is just as He said: "I was angry and made a solemn promise: `They shall NEVER enter my (Sabbath) rest,'" although his works were finished, by the foundation of the world. For He has somewhere spoken of the SEVENTH DAY in this way, `And Elohim rested on the SEVENTH DAY from all his works. And once again in the passage above we read: `They shall never enter my (Sabbath) rest.' Since then it is reserved for some to enter it, and since those who formerly got the good news failed to enter, owing to their disobedience, he again fixes a day; Today -- as he says through `David' after many long years and as has been already quoted -- `Today, when you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.' Thus if Joshua had given them (Sabbath) Rest, God would not speak later about another day. There is a Sabbath-Rest, then, reserved still for the People of God [for once a man enters His rest (Sabbath), he rests from work just as YEHOVAH did]. Let us be eager then to enter that (Sabbath) Rest, lest anyone fall into the same sort of disobedience. Hebrews 3:18 - 4:11

Today, flee out of the midst of Babel and deliver every man his soul!

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Preparing the Way for the Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

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