#all through the Assyrian and Babylonian empires

[a-queer-seminarian]

Gaza's Gethsemane

Today is Maundy Thursday, when Christians remember Jesus’s Last Supper, his final meal with his closest friends before his arrest and execution by the Roman Empire.

Meanwhile, right now, in Jesus’ own homeland, millions suffer starvation and terror, displacement and death under Western-funded Israeli colonialism and continued military assault. Israel blocks food from reaching them, leaving Palestinians in fear that any "supper" they can scrounge up might be their last.

After their meal, Jesus led his friends into the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed in anguish, fearing all he was about to endure: criminalization, torture, and a painful public death.

Jesus begs his friends to “stay awake” as he wrestles — just to be present, to make him feel a little less alone. How do we respond to Jesus’ plea by “staying awake” to Palestine’s current agony?

"Cry" (2016) by Mohammed Almadhoun.

That question also leads me to ponder another: how does God join Palestinians in their agony? Where is God in their suffering?

Palestinian Christian Mitri Raheb seeks to answer this question of where God is in his 2015 book Faith in the Face of Empire.

Raheb looks at the history of the Palestinian region, from ancient times to today, as a long chain of different empires — from the Assyrians to the Romans, Ottomans to Western-funded modern Israel.

He says that this long history of occupation is what gave Palestinians the ability to notice God where those in power do not: among the powerless. It is this revelation, Raheb declares, that has empowered Palestinians — Jewish, Christian, and Muslim — to survive and resist Empire again and again.

Raheb writes about how in ancient times, the divine was made

“...visible and omnipresent in the empire with shrines and temples that represented not only his glory but also that of the empire. God’s omnipotence and that of the empire were almost interchangeable. He was a victorious God, a fitting deity for a victorious empire. At the other end of the spectrum there was the God of the people of Palestine, whose tiny territory resembled a corridor in Middle Eastern geography. ...This God was a loser. He lost almost all wars, and his people were forced to pay the price of those defeats. In short, this God did not appear to be up to the challenge of the various empires. His people in Palestine were forced to hear the mocking voices of their neighbors who taunted them, 'Where is your God?' (Ps 42: 3, 10). The revelation the people of Palestine received was the ability to spot God where no one else was able to see him. When his people were driven as slaves into Babylon, they witnessed him accompanying them. When his capital, Jerusalem, was destroyed and his temple plundered, they saw him there. When his people were defeated, he was also present. The salient feature of this God was that he didn’t run away when his people faced their destiny but remained with them, showing solidarity and choosing to share their destiny. Consequently and ultimately, Jesus revealed this God on the cross, in a situation of terrible agony and pain, when he was brutally crushed by the empire and hung like a rebellious freedom fighter. The people of Palestine could then say with great certainty [that their God] ‘in every respect has been tested as we are’ (Heb 4:15). For the people of Palestine this meant that defeat in the face of the empire was not an ultimate defeat. It meant that after the country was devastated by the Babylonians, when everything seemed to be lost, a new beginning was possible. Even when the dwelling place of God was destroyed, God survived that destruction, developing in response a dwelling that was indestructible. And when Jesus cried on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34), that soul-rending plea was just the prelude to the resurrection…”

It is this revelation that God sides against empire, Raheb continues, that keeps the Palestinian spirit alive through horrible oppression. Though the world may call such faith foolish — how can you believe God is with you and that God will have the final say, when all evidence points to your abandonment and defeat? — it is wisdom to the oppressed. Raheb describes how this wisdom feeds Palestinian resistance, over and over across the millennia:

The art of survival and starting anew is a highly developed form of expression in Palestine, and one I see daily. People’s lives, businesses, and education are interrupted by wars and the aftermath of wars over and over again, and yet I witness people refusing to give up, taking a deep breath, and beginning again. Logically, it is foolish, and yet there is deep wisdom in such a course of action. I’m often asked by visitors how I can keep going. Everything seems to be lost, the land “settled” by Israel, the wall suffocating Palestinian land and spirit, the world silent, and hope almost gone.”

Raheb's answer to them is that God’s presence in and among the suffering, and God’s promised resurrection, of renewal in the face of all terror and death, is what keeps him and his people going.

As we enter into these final days of Lent, I pray for hearts and minds opened to witnessing God’s solidarity with and resurrection for Palestinians suffering imperial brutality. I pray that the Palestinians will survive as they always have — “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor 4:8–9).

[whencyclopedia]

The Mutual Destruction of Sennacherib & Babylon

The reign of Assyrian king Sennacherib (705-681 BCE) was chiefly characterized by his difficulties with Babylon. Throughout the history of the Assyrian Empire, Babylon had caused problems and had even been destroyed by the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I in c. 1225 BCE. Even so, there were direct cultural bonds between Babylon and Ashur, capital of the Assyrian Empire, and the city was always re-built and re-populated. Babylon was more than just a physical city of bricks and streets in the minds of the Mesopotamians: it was a cultural center of immense significance. Tukulti-Ninurta I's desecration of Babylon and her gods, in fact, led directly to his assassination. Owing to its status among the people of Mesopotamia, however, the people of Babylon seemed to feel that they could repeatedly throw off the authority of whatever ruling body held the region with impunity, and one can understand how a king could become tired of such an attitude. This was precisely what happened with Sennacherib in his dealings with the great city.

Sargon II & Sennacherib

Sennacherib's problems with Babylon were largely inherited. His father, Sargon II (reigned 722-705 BCE) had defeated the tribal chieftain Merodach-Baladan and driven him from Babylon but had allowed him to live. Once Sargon II was dead, and Sennacherib took the throne, Merodach-Baladan returned to Babylon and re-claimed the throne. The Babylonians welcomed him; Sennacherib had done nothing at all to endear himself to the city. As the new king, he was supposed to have participated in the ceremony in which he took the hand of the statue of the god Marduk as a sign of respect for the god, Babylon, and the people Marduk presided over. Instead, Sennacherib had simply sent them word that he was now king of Babylon and never even bothered to visit the city. Merodach-Baladan was not in the least bit concerned about the new king. Sennacherib was considered a weakling. He had never taken part in any of his father's military campaigns and had spent his earlier life as crown prince with administrative duties, while Sargon II had achieved his glorious victories on the battlefield. When Sennacherib heard that Merodach-Baladan had taken Babylon, he did not even lead a force to re-claim it himself but, instead, sent his commander-in-chief at the head of an army. This force was swiftly defeated by the combined forces of Babylon and their allies the Elamites and Aramaeans in 703 BCE. Babylon then arranged its troops, just in case the Assyrians came back again, and settled down to its own business. According to the historian Susan Wise Bauer:

That was the last straw. Sennacherib himself came sweeping down like the wrath of Assur and broke through the allied front line, barely pausing. Merodach-Baladan ran from the battlefield and crept into the marshes of the Sealand, which he knew well, to hide himself; Sennacherib marched the rest of the way to Babylon, which prudently opened its gates as soon as it saw the Assyrian king on the horizon. Sennacherib came through the open gate, but chose to send Babylon a message: he ransacked the city, took almost a quarter of a million captives, and destroyed the fields and groves of anyone who had joined the alliance against him (384).

The people of Babylon quickly realized that the poor opinion they had held of Sennacherib was misguided. In this early campaign the new king showed himself an adept tactician, able military leader, and ruthless enemy.

Continue reading...

[secular-jew]

The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BCE. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that it is their homeland.

1900 BCE:

- Abraham chosen by G-d as the Father of the Jewish Nation.

1900 BCE:

- Isaac, Abraham's son, rules over Israel.

1850 BCE:

- Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel.

1400 BCE:

- Moses leads the people out of Egypt and back to Israel.

1010 BCE:

- King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation.

970 BCE:

- King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem

930 BCE:

- Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah.

722 BCE:

- Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians.

605 BCE:

- Kingdom of Judah is conquered by the Babylonians.

586 BCE:

- Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians.

539 BCE:

- Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel.

538 BCE:

- The Jews return to Israel from exile.

520 BCE:

- The Temple is rebuilt.

432 BCE:

- The last group of Jews return from exile.

333 BCE:

- The Greeks conquer the Persian empire.

323 BCE:

- The Egyptian and Syrian empires take over Israel.

167 BC:

- Hasmoneans recapture Israel, and the Jews rule independently.

70 BCE:

- Romans conquer Israel.

70 CE:

- Romans destroy the temple.

After that, the Jewish people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or fewer of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land.

They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now.

May 1948 CE:

- the UN established the State of Israel, the sovereign nation of the Jews.

Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. HaShem will also provide a way for his chosen people to live in Israel, as He has for thousands of years.

Based off of a post by Raymond García of Julesburg, Colorado USA

[1americanconservative]

The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC.

Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize it is their homeland.

1900 BC: Abraham the Father of the Jewish Nation.

1900 BC: Isaac, Abraham's son, rules over Israel.

1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel.

1400 BC: Moses leads the people out of Egypt and back to Israel.

1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation.

970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem

930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah.

722 BC: The Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians. 605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians.

586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians.

539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel.

538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile.

520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt.

450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah.

433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age.

432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile.

333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire.

323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empires take over Israel.

167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently.

70 BC: Romans conquered Israel.

20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple

70 AD: Romans destroy the temple After that, the people were captives of the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel.

There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land.

They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers.

In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true.

[inseasofgreen]

(holds mic out) Can we have an insight with regards to your naming schemes and how you come up with them? Your collection of names are quite unique, cohesive, and impressive for me!

A lot of tears and vocal stims (only half joking) but yes!! I am one of those readers/writers who adores names “fantasy” names. I will die on the hill that “Overlord Zurkuth” is better than “Overlord Dan”

I’ll going to using my countries Ivaenia, Saevi, Vultis, and Zenier as the examples for this first bit.

So for my name schemes in regards to POTO, a lot of them derive from a the simular letters/sounds. I had in mind that I wanted them to all be variations of the same “language.” A lot like how Latin is. For POTO the language isn’t real (yet) but I wanted it to be believable. As it’s pretty obvious with the country names, a lot of ‘ae’ ‘v’ ‘i”. That’s the kinda back bone of the fictional language, which I then gave their own little spins to. Giving them their own different, but same feel to them. It also helped flesh out the language even more, giving it a lot of S’s and Z’s— which more on that later. As for how I got to the final names, I went through a lot of Generators and found even more sounds I liked. I also looked up different languages and listen to the sounds of their words through google translate. Another big help is dissecting real life words, much like I did with the generator. Even better if they have meanings that a line with said culture. The city Pyros in POTO is ripped straight from pyromaniac. The most associated character with Pryos is Zemorri, who is associated with fire and dragons. Now that I have an even better base of my language, I moved on to Character names.

For this part, I’m going to use Zrato/Irayo, Zaentriaean, Iveaenian, and Oscai names.

So back to my mention of S’s and Z’s. In my little fictional Latin, I decided that S and Z were once the same letter, but as the people who spoke the language moved around the Nite Region, they became two separate sounds and letters. A very weird bit of lore, but it helps tie it all together in my opinion. The Z tends to be used in Vultis the majority of the time, and S everywhere else. Vultis takes a lot of inspiration from ancient middle east, think Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians. So I based their language off of modern day Arabic and Farsi, with a hint of Hindi as Vultis is a very large country (an empire if we’re being real here) and so I wanted different regions to have different vibes. So mixing all of that together, there’s so much to pull from, along with my fictional Latin to help guide me. There’s so much that goes into a Zrato/Irayo name because of how much I pull from, so I’ll go over the more notable names. Obviously, we have Zemorri, which have the “Ze” we see a lot. “Morri” actually came from Momemto Mori because it fit his character arc well. From Zemorri, I got Zevetta, which is a bit more melodic than most of the Zrato/Irayo names, but I ended up giving her region of Vultis more melodic names, so it works in my mind. I also got Xenari, Nazari both following similar melodic vibes. Ivemaar, “i” and “v” fit within the scheme, and “maar” come from the Farsi influence (also apparently means snake.) There’s a few odd ones that I got just some combining random sounds until I got something I liked, that being Qhuirex and Rhiari.

So Zaentriaean names tend to have the typical elf feel. I decided they would favor the “ae” sound, and pretty much ran with that. I did draw inspiration of Valerian names from ASOIAF, because they’re so pretty. As for how I come up with them, I will literally sit and combine all sorts of mashed up words until I think it sounds pretty.

So I actually already had Sciosa as a name from a long ago scrapped wip when I was in middle school, so how I thought of it I couldn’t say. But it did give me some great material for Ivaenian names. I was able to play around with the S and Ci of it, which got me Cyren, Cyn. I love the way “il” sounds and looks, so I combined it with is ‘os’ from Sciosa, and I already had two names with y. So “Ilyos” was born. Ryon is literally just Ryan but I didn’t want to just name him Ryan, and A’s are more Zaentiraeal than Ivaenia, so I swapped the a for o, which is littered through out Ivaenia names. Ivaenia still has some of the Zaentiraeal feel to it, and so some of their names to have “ae.” My thought process is those closest to the kings off dawn king to have more names influenced by the kings of dawn. The further removed, ei. A commoner, or nobility that lives to the north and thus closer to Zenier, the more Zaentriaean their names will be. The Kings of Dawn are often thought of as gods living amoung mortals, and with the common practice of not naming your kid too closely to a god’s name, I can see commoner’s erring onto the side of caution, while nobility who is around the chaotic family, feel like they are on the same playing field. (I have mentioned Nelia and Nae’lia in a previous post but that is the only exception to the practice)

Oscai names! So this one is actually the most straight foward. They’re all Latin, or Latin-esque names. I throw in a few C’s S’s V’s and so on from the other names, but they all derive from Latin.

Okay! I hope this was helpful, I tried to explain my thought process behind it all. It’s really just a bunch of sounds and me sitting at my desk talking gibberish to myself until something sticks. There’s also a lot of world building and lore behind it all which I think plays a big part. But my best advice is find languages, fictional or real, and dissect them into sounds you like. Okay I’m actually done now. I need food.

Good luck!

[beardedmrbean]

Weird question what is the importance of Jerusalem for Christians and Jews? Was Jerusalem the capital of ancient Israel and why Christians like the Templars wanted to retake it?

I got long, I'm gonna TL:DR; at the end ____________________

Jerusalem was the capital of the united kingdom of Israel, well after Saul at least David moved it there and Solomon built the temple there on the piece of land that is called "the temple mount" in English at least which is the single holiest site in Judaism, which if you speak to the remaining Samaritans you will hear different since they claim to be the ones following the true way and their capital was Samaria and their temple was on Mount Gerizim that was after the split of united Israel after the death of Solomon got Judea and Samaria.

Babylonians came in and destroyed and looted the first temple Solomon's Temple in in 587 BC, Assyrians had gotten Samaria and scattered it's people to the wing the best they could getting us The Ten Lost Tribes.

Eventually the Persian empire, (guys from the battle of Thermopylae aka 300 Spartan thing) KO'd the Babylonian empire and they were a lot nicer and also understood the politics of not getting in the way of local faiths because that's one of those things people will die for.

So Cyrus the Great gave his cup-bearer Nehemiah permission to go home and rebuild his city and its temple, so construction on the Second Temple started in 516 BC. (there's lots of extrabiblical stuff to back this up btw, in case you wondered it's not all just stuff from the Torah, names may be different that's fine tho) Ezekiel came in and rededicated it and began teaching "The Law ™" and over time it was expanded and eventually Herod the Great (same one from the Christmas story that killed all the babies looking for Jesus) got it all done and if we look at the timeline and that little bit of info about Herod we can see why Christians are so attached to the place too.

The Temple held the Holy of Holies, which is where the Ark of the Covenant (from Indiana Jones, lol) was kept had the original 10 commandment tablets a jar of mana and Aaron's staff in it and the actual location was considered the conduit between this world and the other, inelegant way to put it but still. It's where the high priest could go once a year and offer a sacrifice for the people, on Yom Kippur the holiest day in both Judaism and Samaratinsim (they agree mazel tov) I remember something about a rope being tied to their leg and they had to wear bells just in case they were "smited" and needed to be "removed" not sure how real that is.

With all of that it should be fairly simple to figure out why Jewish people are so attached to it, and the Jesus connection what with the whole bit about the money changers and flipping tables taking place in the courtyard of that temple, the whole last bit of each of the gospels starting well before the triumphal entrance on what Christians call Palm Sunday all the way through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension that was all in and around Jerusalem.

Jews were ending their Passover Seder with L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim (Next year in Jerusalem) starting somewhere in the 1400's from what I can see as a wish to be able to go home and worship and fellowship in their own homeland among other reasons.

So here we have the previously mentioned Temple Mount

That bit where it says "Western Wall" is a remnant from the 2nd temple, Jesus touched that and may have taught while using it to shade himself it's all happened there.

The city is in the DNA of every Jewish person and by extension Christians though not as deeply ingrained.

Then we get to Islam, as you see in the image up there they built a mosque on top of the location for the Jewish Temple, it's how history works may have been some middle finger flipping when it happened but as history goes that's how a invading conquering force does thing, always have.

Dome of the rock there on the inside looks like this

The exposed bit there is goes by several names, "Foundation Stone" is one, it's believed by (some) Jews that this is the location where the Holy of Holies was/is and for Muslims it's where Muhammad ascended went on his "night journey" spoke directly to both Moses and Allah to get the law for Muslims some of it at least.

Spot under that rock is the "well of souls" bet you can guess what significance that has.

So bringing it all together and hitting the TL:DR at the same time. _____________________________-

TL:DR; all 3 Abrahamic faiths are very attached to the city of Jerusalem and its surrounding area because it plays a central part in the stories of them.

Jews were there first so they get the strongest claim imho but as it sits it is a holy and revered site for all 3 faiths because it's deeply connected to them all both physically and spiritually.

Slightly less holy to Muslims since their temple mount buildings are just the third most sacred place in Islam, but still dreadfully sacred. ______________

Sorry this was really long, hope it was slightly interesting at least if you read it, it's as accurate as I could make it without spending a lot more time fact checking myself too.

[avalonishere]

Just in case you missed it ..

The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that it is their homeland, as designated by the Lord Jesus Christ.

1900 BC: Abraham chosen by God as the Father of the Jewish Nation.

1900 BC: Isaac, Abraham's son, rules over Israel.

1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel.

1400 BC: Moses leads the people out of Egypt and back to Israel.

1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation.

970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem

930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah.

800s BC: The rise of the prophets, God's messengers.

722 BC: Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians.

605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians.

586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians.

539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel.

538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile.

520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt.

450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah.

433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age.

432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile.

333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire.

323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empire take over Israel.

167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently.

70 BC: Romans conquer Israel.

20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple

6 BC: Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem

70 AD: Romans destroy the temple

After that, the people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land. They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now.

In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. God will also provide a way for his chosen people to live in Israel, as He has for thousands of years. Pray for the people of Israel. 🙏

[fatehbaz]

On wishful thinking and the absence of megafauna beasts:

"We know that ancient Sumerians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, etc. were familiar with large charismatic megafauna that are now extinct in the region, because Asian elephants, Caspian tigers, Asiatic lions, Persian cheetahs, Syrian ostriches, and more creatures used to naturally live in Mesopotamia and Anatolia and the Fertile Crescent until historic times. But were rhinos and giraffes also living in Southwest Asia during the past 10,000 years?"

No. But, within the Holocene, the Sahara desert region used to be much wetter. The "Green Sahara" period allowed white rhinoceros and African elephants and giraffes to lives across North Africa within the past 8,000-ish years. Petroglyphs across the Sahara attest to the presence of rhinos and giraffes in modern-day Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Egypt.

But this doesn't mean giraffes persisted in some hidden enclave in the Levant, unnoticed and unrecorded by Assyrians or Babylonians or something.

The record-keeping of states, even in the Bronze Age and Old Kingdom, were detailed and meticulous enough to account for landscape, environmental anomalies, large animals, etc.

When there is wishful thinking for the survival of extinct species, I think that people can struggle to understand the scale of ecological degradation, or people can struggle to comprehend the meticulous record-keeping of states. Today, with panoptic satellite technology and aerial imagery of remote corners of the planet, states and corporations poke and prod every physical space, searching for resources to capture, manipulate, sell, employ, etc. Big creatures do not go unnoticed. Even when unseen, they leave detectable ecological signs, hints, traces. This is, for example, how we’re sure Megalodon is extinct. We can hardly see or detect the vast majority of the undersea world(s), but we can still perceive these megafaunal absences.

Even in the ancient world(s) of the Fertile Crescent, states kept good records. In fact, the ancient Fertile Crescent is partially famous to us specifically because of their good record-keeping and story-telling regarding deforestation, agriculture, plants, rivers, floods, etc. Think Gilgamesh, the felling of the Lebanese cedars, the sea-derived purple dyes of the Phoenician textiles, Noah's Ark, the flooding of the Nile riverbanks, Assyrian kings hunting elephants, the display of tigers and lions for sport and pleasure, the elephant ivory paid in tribute to Memphis and Thebes, etc.

Ancient people of the region were so good at keeping records about landscape that it may surprise modern observers.

We (modern observers) have a pretty good idea of the landscape of the so-called Fertile Crescent from the time of Ur, Eridu, Lagash, and the Egyptian Old Kingdom onward. For example, we know which tropical animals, in certain quantities, were shipped by Punt northward through the Red Sea as tribute to Egypt. We know how many gazelles were hunted, elephants captured in pit-fall traps, and big cats ensnared by Assyrian royal hunting parties. And a creature as conspicuous as the giraffe would not go unnoticed in Egypt, Akkad, the Phoenician realm, Babylon, etc.

The giraffe is absent from all of these accounts of ancient Southwest Asia. Sad.

However, as a consolation, to provoke wonder, consider that, even in the Mediterranean, the sea so thoroughly manipulated by agriculturalists and seafaring traders and state-building empires over thousands of years, a few animal surprises could stay hidden, like treasure. There may have been a unique lineage of North African elephants, known to Carthage, in the Atlas mountains or interior Algeria, as late as 200 AD. And yet biologists, taxonomists, and historians argue to this day as to whether or not there was a unique subspecies of African elephant living on the Mediterranean coast when Rome destroyed Carthage, with convincing arguments for and against. How could an elephant of all creatures elude description by the record-keepers of such an empire? And yet, these creatures existed.

Lions prowled mainland Greece until at least 400 BC. Today, perhaps 400 endemic monk seals continue to swim in the Aegean Sea. Jackals continue to wander the Balkans. We may no longer live alongside woolly mammoths. But underground, in Croatian caves, the olm still survives swimming silently.

[pugzman3]

Babylon, The Seat of Satan, and Rome

Revelation 2:12-13 KJV

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Babel, or Babylon, was built by Nimrod. Gen. 10:8-10. It was the seat of the first great Apostasy. Here the "Babylonian Cult" was invented. A system claiming to possess the highest wisdom and to reveal the divinest secrets. Before a member could be initiated he had to "confess" to the Priest. The Priest then had him in his power. This is the secret of the power of the Priests of the Roman Catholic Church today.

Once admitted into this order men were no longer Babylonians, Assyrians, or Egyptians, but members of a Mystical Brotherhood, over whom was placed a Pontiff or "High Priest," whose word was law. The city of Babylon continued to be the seat of Satan until the fall of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires, when he shifted his Capital to Pergamos in Asia Minor, where it was in John's day. Rev. 2:12,13.

When Attains, the Pontiff and King of Pergamos, died in B. C. 133, he bequeathed the Headship of the "Babylonian Priesthood" to Rome. When the Etruscans came to Italy from Lydia (the region of Pergamos), they brought with them the Babylonian religion and rites. They set up a Pontiff who was head of the Priesthood. Later the Romans accepted this Pontiff as their civil ruler. Julius Caesar was made Pontiff of the Etruscan Order in B. C. 74. In B. C. 63 he was made "Supreme Pontiff" of the "Babylonian Order," thus becoming heir to the rights and titles of Attalus, Pontiff of Pergamos, who had made Rome his heir by will. Thus the first Roman Emperor became the Head of the "Babylonian Priesthood," and Rome the successor of Babylon. The Emperors of Rome continued to exercise the office of "Supreme Pontiff" until A. D. 376, when the Emperor Gratian, for Christian reasons, refused it. The Bishop of the Church at Rome, Damasus, was elected to the position. He had been Bishop 12 years, having been made Bishop in A. D. 366, through the influence of the monks of Mt. Carmel, a college of Babylonian religion originally founded by the priests of Jezebel. So in A. D. 378 the Head of the "Babylonian Order" became the Ruler of the "Roman Church." Thus Satan united Rome and Babylon In One Religious System.

Soon after Damasus was made "supreme Pontiff" the "rites" of Babylon began to come to the front. The worship of the Virgin Mary was set up in A. D. 381.

The Book Of Revelation Commentary by Clarence Larkin (1919 pgs. 151-152)

Larkin goes on to say on page 152...

All the outstanding festivals of the Roman Catholic Church are of Babylonian origin. Easter is not a Christian name. It means "Ishtar," one of the titles of the Baby- Ionian Queen of Heaven, whose worship by the Children of Israel was such an abomination in the sight of God. The decree for the observance of Easter and Lent was given in A. D. 519. The "Rosary" is of Pagan origin. There is no warrant in the Word of God for the use of the "Sign of the Cross." It had its origin in the mystic "Tau" of the Chaldeans and Egyptians. It came from the letter "T," the initial name of "Tammuz," and was used in the "Babylonian Mysteries" for the sarnie magic purposes as the Romish church now employs it. Celibacy, the Tonsure, and the Order of Monks and Nuns, have no warrant or authority from Scripture. The Nuns are nothing more than an imitation of the "Vestal Virgins" of Pagan Rome.

...and there is a lot more said but I want to go back to Damasus real quick. Not only was he the Pope from 366-384, and did all the above mentioned. He is also was the first to declare that Rome was started by Peter, thereby claiming Peter as the “founder” of the church (which is a complete lie and twist of scripture), and was the one that commissioned Jerome to “revise” the Latin translation of the Bible which became known as the Vulgate. To this day, NO ONE has seen the text that one man (Jerome) used to create the Vulgate. 

Revelation 18:4-5

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

[thyhatredflowstrue]

Hi I'm here I'm pissed tf off and I wanna call out an ex-friend of mine for some fucking insane misinfo and being a lil bitch abt it

Fucking this.

don't fucking use the bible as the source it's so intensely biased constantly and it's also largely not factually true !

no. no. none of this. All of this is pro-israel propaganda! It's not that palestine has been rejecting every offer, it's that every offer has been 'you don't get freedom or rights but we'll stop bombing you!'

Palestine has been there long before israel ever existed. Palestine has had not israeli people living there since fucking BCE.

It was first settled by the arabic people(At one point it was mainly controlled by Egypt). It was first taken by the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah(during the iron age), then by the Assyrians in 8th Century BCE, then by the Babylonians in c. 601 BCE, then by the Persians in 539 BCE, and then got hit by Alexander The Great in the late 330s BCE, then the the Hasmonean Kingdom in 2nd Century BCE, though that one got annexed by Rome in 63 BCE, and had much of everything religious there destroyed in roughly 70 BCE, and then from 636–641 went through a long line of different people controlling it, all still not israel. Hell, the Kingdom Of Jerusalem wasn't even established until 1099 by the crusaders, it was re-conquered by Ayyubid Sultanate in 1187, only to be invaded by the Mongol Empire and have the Egyptian Mamluks reunify palestine under their control in the 1250s. And then it got conquered again by the Ottoman Empire in 1516 and they ruled it well into the 20th century. It was captured from them by the british government during WWI to establish it as a homeland for the jewish people, which even then was heavily protested as the Arabic people living there didn't want their home designated to someone else. The UN General Assembly recommended partitioning Palestine into two states: Arab and Jewish. However, the situation deteriorated into a civil war because the Arabic people, once again, did not want to have to give up their home and land to outsiders. The independent state of Israel came to be anyways in 1948. Nearby Arab countries invaded Palestine, and Israel not only prevailed, but conquered more territory than envisioned by the Partition Plan. During the war, 700,000, or about 80% of all Palestinians fled or were driven out of territory Israel conquered and were not allowed to return, an event known as the Nakba ("Catastrophe") to Palestinians. (Fun fact, in Israel you are not allowed to talk about the Nakba. They are silencing this part of their history.) Starting in the late 1940s and continuing for decades, about 850,000 Jews from the Arab world immigrated ("made Aliyah") to Israel. After the war, only two parts of Palestine remained in Arab control: the West Bank (and East-Jerusalem), annexed by Jordan, and the Gaza Strip occupied by Egypt, which were conquered by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. Despite international objections, Israel started to establish settlements in these occupied territories. Israel are the settlers here and are the ones committing literal war crimes, as recently confirmed by the ICJ itself.

And yes, I'm petty enough to tag you in this because seeing the ICJ confirm today has been enough to remind me of all this and really piss me off. I want you to see this. I want you to read this and admit you were wrong and letting biased propaganda into your server. @coffeecreamer-and-chillvibes

[surferatl]

The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that it is their homeland.

1900 BC: Abraham chosen by God as the Father of the Jewish Nation.

1900 BC: Isaac, Abraham's son, rules over Israel.

1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel.

1400 BC: Moses leads the people out of Egypt and back to Israel.

1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation.

970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem

930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah.

800s BC: The rise of the prophets, God's messengers.

722 BC: Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians.

605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians.

586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians.

539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel.

538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile.

520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt.

450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah.

433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age.

432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile.

333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire.

323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empire take over Israel.

167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently.

70 BC: Romans conquer Israel.

20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple

6 BC: Yeshua is born in Bethlehem

70 AD: Romans destroy the temple

After that, the people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land. They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now.

In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't linsten to the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. God will also provide a way for his chosen people to live in Israel, as He has for thousands of years. Pray for the people of Israel.

Copied

[l3tt3rsfr0mawanderer]

Babylonian (Or, what's left...)

A sculpture depicting the culture of Babylon:

According to research I have obtained from local citizens and papers, it would appear that the Babylon I step through now is not the first attempt to form a successful empire. Before Babylon would ever stand on its own, it would be a part of the Akkadian Empire and would eventually develop into an important city in ancient Mesopotamia (The Monumental Fall of Babylon). Once Babylon transformed from a city into the First Babylonian Empire, while in the hands of Hammurabi, expanded his empire to greater heights, conquering a variety of city-states. Hammurabi effectively obtained control of the entirety of Mesopotamia, but ultimately, his predecessors failed to capitalize on his contributions to the empire (The Monumental Fall of Babylon). When The First Babylonian Empire collapsed, it fell under the control of foreign powers such as the Hittites and Assyrians, the latter with which they had competed with before.

Now, completely taken over by the Kassites, this era is synonymous with the period of Babylonian history known as “Middle Babylonian”. Unfortunately, this is also to be referred to as a time that represents decline within the kingdom. The nation as a whole was completely eclipsed by its neighbors (Livius). The decline would last for nearly a millennium, damaging any potential progress the nation could have had. This would continue to be an issue even after the Kassites are replaced as leaders, as Babylon has still failed to form a centralized government for its states. 

Despite the lack of political power that can be seen during this period, there was some development regarding culture and the arts. The Amarna Letters revealed Kassites status as a member of a royal grouping of civilizations. Being a part of this royal grouping, they were able to obtain expensive and rare materials that could be utilized to make all kinds of unique sculptures and figurines (Knott).

[bernardo1969]

The prophet Isaiah is one of the most important prophets of the Old Testament, and his oracles written in his book clearly show what the spiritual task of a prophet is. The Kingdom of Judah had survived the invasion of the Assyrian empire thanks to the intervention of the prophet and the courage of King Hezekiah, but then the threat of the Babylonian empire arrived. Many thought of counteracting the Babylonian empire through a policy of alliances, and it is here where the oracles of Isaiah show the first task of the prophet, to instruct and give knowledge, because Isaiah taught that only God should be feared and not men. This is why Isaiah called the people of Israel to the true conversion, because only then could the nation receive the true help, which was the help of God. Isaiah preached the necessity of the righteous living: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, as where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls" Jeremiah 6:16. And with this, Isaiah became an evaluator of the hearts of the Israelites, and so God expressed this fact to the prophet: "Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals, that you may determine the quality of my people" Jeremiah 6:27. And after this the Book of Isaiah shows the last task of a prophet, to reveal the hidden things of God and give prophecy, and with these words, Isaiah anticipated the end of the Kingdom of Judah: "I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law" Jeremiah 6:19. All these oracles invite to the spiritual reflection and conclude in a very important teaching of wisdom about the mission of the prophets: "When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild" Proverbs 29:18.

[newsource21]

Council on American Islamic Relations Los Angeles executive director Hussam Ayloush recently defended Hamas’s barbaric slaughter of 1,200 Jewish, Thai, Filipino, Bedouin, and other men, women, and children. He claimed Israel is “an occupier” that “does not have the right to defend itself.” Only Palestinians have “a right of self-defense,” he said and condemned Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.

His assertions reflect language in the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hamas Charters. Israel is “imperialist, colonialist, racist, anti-human,” even “fascist,” “colonizers,” they declare. The “Zionist entity” “occupies” Palestinian lands and denies Palestinians their “right to return” to their homes. The charters call for the “liberation of Palestine” through “resistance,” “armed struggle,” and “self-defense.”

Mobs of students, faculty, and fellow travelers flaunt their ignorance of historic and modern reality by echoing these claims, justifying the October 7 massacres, calling for a “global intifada” (uprising), and demanding the eradication of Israel and its non-Muslim inhabitants “from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea.

You have to wonder: How does a group of people achieve permanent “refugee” or “colonized victim” status with a “right of return” that no others have had? What constitutes a “legitimate right” of “resistance” or “self-defense”? 

Particularly across the Europe-Asia-Middle-East mega-continent, human history has been a saga of settlement, invasion, victory or defeat, continuation or disintegration, expansion or dispersion. Those who lost wars were annihilated, lost title to their land, accepted subservient status (dhimmi in Muslim countries), emigrated, melded into the victorious civilization, or otherwise adjusted.

Over their six-thousand-year history, including since arriving in “the Promised Land” that is now Israel over 3,600 years ago, Jews have played all these roles. They defeated the Amorites, Canaanites, Philistines, and Jebusites, created the Kingdom of Israel, fell to Assyrians and Babylonians, lived under Persian and Greek rule, established the Hasmonean dynasty, and were slaughtered, enslaved, and dispersed by the Romans in 70-133 AD (CE).

However, they did not entirely disappear from the Promised Land. Indeed, Muhammed’s Muslim empire hired Jews as administrators after the Arab army arrived in 636. Jewish fortunes ebbed and flowed under Christian, Mongol, and 500-year Ottoman Turkish rule.

Anti-Semitism and pogroms brought Western European and Russian Jews to their ancestral land in the late 1800s. Theodore Herzl’s Zionism increased the purchase of agricultural and other land. Turkey’s loss to the Allies in WWI transferred ownership and control of the area from the Ottoman Turks to Britain.

The Roman term Palestine had applied to the region for two millennia, but there was never a Palestinian state or empire. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern countries emerged as independent nations from British-French-Russian rule over the Ottoman Empire before, during, and after WWII – but no Palestinian nation. Palestinian ancestors were always citizens or subjects of ruling empires.

Jewish immigration and land purchases from local and absentee Arab landlords increased significantly between the world wars. The Holocaust and the end of World War II brought surging Jewish immigration ... and more conflicts. Land ownership in the pre-1947 British Mandate area that is now Israel was roughly 15% Arab, 9% Jewish, and 76% public/Mandate land.

1948, despite Arab states’ opposition, the United Nations made Israel's nationhood a reality. Local Arabs and five Arab countries declared war on the fledgling state. Some 700,000 Arabs fled, emigrated, or were persuaded to leave Israel “temporarily” under hollow promises of victory over the Zionists. After the ’48 war, some 850,000 Jews were displaced, banned, or banished (Hamas charter language) from Muslim countries across North Africa to the Middle East and Afghanistan; most of them settled in Israel.

The 1967 and 1973 wars between Arab countries and Israel also ended in Israeli victory and expansion. Two intifadas (1987-1993 and 2000-2005) brought many deaths on both sides but no gains for Palestinians. The war in Gaza has been far more destructive.

Wars have consequences – now and throughout history. Assertions in charters or speeches do not change that, nor do they convey an “inalienable right” of return, even under some imagined “basic principles of human rights and international law” (Hamas Charter, Article 12). If a new Palestinian nation is created and recognized, there will be a right of return to that new nation – but not to Israel.

Imagine former German-speaking inhabitants asserting a right of return to lands that are now France, Poland, and Russia. Hindus and Muslims returning to their prior homes in India and Pakistan. Berbers and other conquered peoples reclaimed their villages and pastures across the Maghreb in North Africa. Spain regained Gibraltar from Britain. Turkey is regaining Greece, Spain, or its other Ottoman territories. China surrendered control over Tibet and Russia over Crimea.

Imagine descendants of Celts and other ancient peoples across Britain and Europe demanding redress because their ancestors were subjugated by the ancestors of today’s British, French, Italian, Hungarian, Balkan, and other nations. Descendants of the Mongols demanding the return of eastern Europe. Or Israelis demanding the return of Jewish Banu Qurayza lands near Medina.

The history of colonizers and colonized nations is long, complicated, and ill-suited for assertions in self-serving charters. Perhaps Hamas’s elimination as a military and political power in Gaza will clarify that. Perhaps it will finally resolve the matter of Palestinians still being “refugees” 75 years after the ’48 war.

Columbia University defines “colonization” as “a system of oppression based on invasion and control that results in institutionalized inequality between the colonizer and the colonized.” That certainly describes the fate of countless nations and peoples, including those subjugated by Muhammed and his caliphs, European countries, Lenin and Stalin, and Islamists today in Nigeria and Sudan. It does not apply to Gaza.

But Hamas and its allies assert that “armed struggle” is required to “liberate Palestine” from Israeli occupiers (PLO Charter, Art. 9) ... families, schools and mosques have a “national duty” to raise individual Palestinians “in an Arab revolutionary manner” (PLO Art. 7) ... and Palestinians have “a legitimate right” to use “all means and methods” to “resist the occupation” and meet the “demands of self-defense” (PLO Art. 18; Hamas Arts. 25 and 39).

For decades, Hamas terrorized Israelis by firing thousands of rockets at civilian targets, bombing buses, cafes and bar mitzvahs, and shooting or stabbing parents and children. To claim this was “resistance” or “self-defense” is patently absurd. The calculated, barbaric October 7 massacres crossed the line of what any nation can permit.

Hamas terrorists gunned down hundreds of unarmed concertgoers; gang-raped and mutilated scores of women; soaked people in gasoline and burned them alive; beheaded babies or roasted them alive in ovens; cut a pregnant woman open, murdered her baby and butchered her; wiped out entire families as they begged for mercy; kidnapped 240 more – and then hid behind, among and under Gazan citizens.

(Those who can stomach witnessing the atrocities can go here, here, here, here, here, here and here.)

Gaza has smart, capable people and miles of gorgeous Mediterranean coastline. It could be as magnificent and prosperous as the United Arab Emirates. Its people just need to reject Hamas, tear up the PLO and Hamas charters, install a proper government, and build a genuine future for their children.

[johnhardinsawyer]

The Days are Surely Coming

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

12 / 3 / 23 – First Sunday in Advent

Luke 1:5-23

Jeremiah 33:10-11, 14-15

“The Days are Surely Coming”

(Hope Never Gives Up)

There is a city in Ukraine called Mariupol.  In early 2022, the city was destroyed by indiscriminate Russian shelling and bombing.  In the recent documentary film, 20 Days in Mariupol,[1] a small team of journalists depicts how, this vibrant city of half-a-million people falls apart.  The film – which is part of PBS’s Frontline series and can be viewed on YouTube[2] – is so hard to watch . . . maybe too hard for most people.  It was too hard for me.  Homes are destroyed, hospitals are bombed, there is a shortage of food and basic necessities, and a lot of people die.  The city is surrounded – besieged – and there is so much uncertainty and so much fear.  And the film captures all of it – including the deaths of innocent men, women, and children.  There were definitely moments in the film when I had to look away and even pray, out loud, “Lord, have mercy.”  At the end of the film, as I sat, speechless – in a warm, quiet, and safe place – miles away from any violent conflict – I couldn’t help but feel a sense of utter hopelessness on behalf of the suffering people I saw on screen.  

Lord, have mercy . . .  on these people I will never meet face-to-face, on those whose homes, and bodies, and spirits, and lives have been shattered, on all who are in hopeless and precarious situations – no matter who they are or where they may be.  

Lord, have mercy . . . it is Advent – the season in which we gather in precarious times to prepare a place in our hearts, minds, souls, homes, churches, communities, and world for the coming of the Messiah . . . for God to come and make things right in the midst of so much wrong.  Lord, have mercy . . . it is Advent – when we gather to sing unfamiliar songs in a minor key and light candles in dark days, hoping and praying for the peace, joy, and love of Jesus to be present with us in this present moment as we prayerfully watch and wait for the ultimate peace, joy, and love of Jesus to come in all of its fullness.  

I hesitated starting today’s sermon by talking about the tragedy of Mariupol but today’s scripture reading from the Prophet Jeremiah comes from another tragic time.  You see, Jeremiah was living in the city of Jerusalem and the city was surrounded – besieged – by another powerful army.  In the past few weeks, we have been making our way through the stories of prophets and kings, divided kingdoms, and conquering empires.  Last week, we read about King Josiah, of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, who – in the waning days of the Assyrian Empire – led his people into a time of deep faithfulness to God.  Alas, this did not last.  The Assyrians were conquered by the more-powerful Babylonians, and in order to assert control, the Babylonians took over – or retook – everything the Assyrians had held, and more.  

Up to this point in the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet has been telling the people to prepare themselves because the Babylonians are coming.  The people either ignore Jeremiah or make fun of him as he uses wilder and more public tactics – burying his linen loincloth in the rocks on a faraway riverbank, breaking earthenware jars in front of everybody, and strapping a yoke around his neck, among other things[3] – to try to get the people to listen to him.  In the chapter right before today’s reading, the Babylonians arrive and surround Jerusalem, bringing all of their weapons and siege-engines with them.  They are destroying the city through starvation and fear,[4] and – all of a sudden – Jeremiah starts talking about hope.  

You should know that he doesn’t just talk about hope, though.  He does a very strange and publicly hopeful thing.  You would think that during a siege, most people are simply trying to survive, thinking about the next few hours or days, and conserving what they have.  Jeremiah takes a different approach:  setting his sight on a distant future.  While the Babylonians are battering the city walls, Jeremiah is confined to the court of the guard – basically, in jail – but he gets in touch with one of his cousins and goes about buying a field – a plot of land – from him.  Jeremiah counts out the money and gives it to his cousin, gets a deed for the field, gets the deed signed by official people, and then puts the deed in a place where it will be preserved for a long time – even after the Babylonians destroy the city.  

When asked why he does this curious – seemingly wasteful – thing, Jeremiah replies, “. . . thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:  Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.” (Jeremiah 32:15). Jeremiah sets his hope-filled sights on a future that he and those around him may never see.  We see this in today’s reading, which Eugene Peterson translates in this way:  

“Yes, God’s Message: ‘You’re going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, “A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here.” But the time is coming when you’re going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, “Thank God-of-the-Angel-Armies. He’s so good! His love never quits,” as they bring thank offerings into God’s Temple. I’ll restore everything that was lost in this land. I’ll make everything as good as new.’ I, God, say so. “‘Watch for this: The time is coming’—God’s Decree—‘when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly. He will set things right. That’s when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, “God Has Set Things Right for Us.”[5] 

You might not think it possible, since all you see right now is destruction and death, but the days are surely coming when God will set things right.  

In the original language, Jeremiah says, “Behold, the days are coming.”  We don’t often use the word “Behold” in our day-to-day speech, but it is fairly common in the Bible.  In the original language, Jeremiah is saying, “Behold!” or “Lo and Behold!” or “Certainly and Surely!”  As in, “The days are certainly coming.  God’s salvation is a sure thing.”[6]  There will be pastures and flocks, restoration and celebration, and God will make this thing happen.  

There will also be a person – Jeremiah tells us – someone from the house and family of David who will sit upon the throne and be just and fair and set things right.  Now, we 21st Century Christians with the knowledge of what will happen after Jeremiah makes this pronouncement will usually take this to mean that Jeremiah must be talking about Jesus.  I don’t know if this was Jeremiah’s original intent, but you and I would not be the only ones to see Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s hopeful words.  

Let’s fast-forward about five hundred years from a Jerusalem under siege by one empire to a Jerusalem, occupied by a different empire.  When the prophet Jeremiah was alive, the Babylonians were knocking on the city gates.  In today’s first reading, when the priest Zechariah was alive, the Romans were already occupying the city.  Their main fortress – the fortress of Antonia – overlooked the Temple where Zechariah was serving.  It goes without saying that the Romans built their fortress there because they wanted to make sure that just because their Jewish subjects were free to practice their native religion, they didn’t want this freedom to lead to some kind of uprising. 

And so, Zechariah – under the watchful gaze of the Roman empire in an occupied city in an occupied land – goes into the holiest place in the Temple to make an offering to God.  And, when an angel of the Lord appears to offer a message of hope – that a child will be born to an old childless couple, and that this child will be great in the sight of the Lord, and be filled with the Holy Spirit, and will turn people toward God – Zechariah responds like most of us would:  with fear and doubt.  A vision of an angel or not, Zechariah and his people have known so much suffering, and disappointment, and hopelessness over the centuries.  It’s no wonder his response is mixed. “The days are surely coming. . .” the angel says, and Zechariah responds with, “Are you sure?  How will I know that this is so?  How can this be?”  “How can this be?” the angel says.  “Well, I am Gabriel.  I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.”  (Luke 1:19)

No matter how skeptical we may be – the Holy is always showing up in our midst.  And no matter how saddened, and jaded, and hopeless we may be – by what we see on the news. . . the rubble of Mariupol and Gaza City, the grieving people of Ukraine, and Israel, and Palestine, the rancor between those who have pledged to work together to govern our own troubled land, and all that we know to be true about our own fragile and fallible humanity, we are still people who long for good news. 

And in the season of Advent, we find ourselves longing for the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s hope, for the Holy answer to Zechariah’s doubt, for the Light that shines in the darkness, and for the good news of a baby that will be born in a manger. . .  the good news of a Savior who knows the suffering of the world and is about the sacred sacrificial work of making things right by surprising us with resurrection and restoration, the good news of a God who is on the way – even now – to make things right.  

It can be so hard to have hope in these precarious times, and yet we still gather to light a candle, and sing unfamiliar songs in a minor key, and sit together at a Table to share the grace of God because we have not given up hope. . . 

Have we?    

The days are surely coming when God will make things right.  And maybe, just maybe, strengthened by the grace at this Table, we might just play a small part in God’s Holy work of resurrection and restoration in the world.  Like Jeremiah, we may not see the fulfillment of our hopeful and Holy work on this side of the grave, but may we still have hope. 

Beloved people of God, have hope!  Don’t give up!  God is on the way. . .  God is in our midst. . .  God is making all things right.  May God grant us eyes to see and ears to hear.  May God grant us the hope we need.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

---------

[1] https://20daysinmariupol.com. 

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAyykRvPBo.

[3] See Jeremiah 13, 19, and 27.

[4] See 2 Kings 25.

[5] Eugene Peterson, The Message: Numbered Edition (Colorado Springs: NAV Press, 2002) 1084. Jeremiah 33:10-11, 14-15.

[6] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997) 243.  Paraphrased, JHS.

[busybrain7]

The land of Israel has been populated by the Jewish people since 2000 BC. Here's the timeline, in case you didn't realize that it is their homeland, as designated by Lord Jesus Christ.

1900 BC: Abraham chosen by God as the Father of the Jewish Nation.

1900 BC: Isaac, Abraham's son, rules over Israel.

1850 BC: Jacob, son of Issac, rules over Israel.

1400 BC: Moses leads the people out of Egypt and back to Israel.

1010 BC: King David unites the 12 tribes into one nation.

970 BC: King Solomon, son of David, builds the first temple structure in Jerusalem

930 BC: Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah.

800s BC: The rise of the prophets, God's messengers.

722 BC: Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyrians.

605 BC: Kingdom Judah is conquered by the Babylonians.

586 BC: Solomon's Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians.

539 BC: Persians conquer the Babylonians and take control of Israel.

538 BC: The Jews return to Israel from exile.

520 BC: The Temple is rebuilt.

450 BC: Reforms made by Ezra and Nehemiah.

433 BC: Malachi is the end of the prophetic age.

432 BC: The last group of Jews return from exile.

333 BC: The Greeks conquer the Persian empire.

323 BC: The Egyptian and Syrian empire take over Israel.

167 BC: Hasmonean's recapture Israel, and the Jews are ruled independently.

70 BC: Romans conquer Israel.

20 BC: King Herod builds the "second" temple

6 BC: Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem

70 AD: Romans destroy the temple

After that, the people were captives to the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders. Through all of these events, the Jewish people continued to live in Israel. There were more or less of them, depending on the centuries, but there was never a time when the Jews didn't live in the land. They stayed, they built their communities, they raised their families, practiced their faith and they suffered at the hands of many outside rulers, but they always kept their faith. It is what sustains them, even now.

In 1948, the UN established the State of Israel, the nation of Jews. Don't buy the Palestinian lies that they are entitled to the land. It simply is not true. God will also provide a way for his chosen people to live in Israel, as He has for thousands of years. Pray for the people of Israel.