Daniel and the Boys in the Band by Brian E. R. Limmer - HTML preview

Chapter 4: Identifying Nations and People

We are open to all sorts of strange ideas and interpretations if we stray from biblical principles. At various time in history the Antichrist has been identified as the Pope, the Catholic Church, Islam, America … (insert your own ideas here). Another strange idea, is that somehow God has mislaid ten of his tribes. They turn up, sometimes here, sometimes there, depending to whom the latest revelation is given. Another great mystery, (especially amongst American Evangelicals) is America. America is not mentioned in scripture by name. Perhaps, (according to some) they are to be raptured leaving the rest of us to go through the tribulation alone. Or perhaps, (according to others), when the end times come, America is no longer. Countries have shuffled names and borders, realigning to suit the latest political fad. The scriptures have a fundamental principle for identifying nations. It lists them by their ancestors, which cannot change. It gives a definitive list of the ancestral names that it will use throughout scripture, listing them in Genesis ten. America may not be listed by name but the ancestors they descended from are there in Genesis ten because the whole earth was replenished from Noah’s descendants after they came out of the Ark.

Who Are My Ancestors?

Where Are They Now?

Another great game people love to play regarding nations is, Spot Babylon. It is often said that Babylon Fell in 539BC when it was conquered without a battle. But that cannot be so because the prophecy states clearly that it will be destroyed and never rise again. Babylon was conquered and later became Alexander’s capital city. It has been the centre of many atrocities down through the centuries, and is even now being rebuilt again.

There are two groups of prophecies about Babylon. One tells of the fall of Babylon, the other talks of its final destruction. The destruction of Babylon predicted by both Jeremiah and Isaiah, is about a time it will fall and never be inhabited again; It will be totally destroyed and not even the bricks will be saved. Like Sodom and Gomorrah it will be totally destroyed and lay forever under the dead sea! There is a clear distinction in scripture between the physical place Babylon and the spiritual seat of evil in the world. The seat, (or the headquarters of evil spiritual power in the world), is said to move throughout Scripture.

 Now the angel who was there to explain the visions came over and said, “Look up and tell me what you see coming.” “I don’t know what it is,” was my reply. It’s a big basket, he said. “And it shows what everyone in the land has in mind.” The lead cover of the basket was opened, and in the basket was a woman.“This woman represents evil,” the angel explained. Then he threw her back into the basket and slammed the heavy cover down tight. Right after this I saw two women coming through the sky like storks with wings outstretched in the wind. Suddenly they lifted the basket into the air,  and I asked the angel, “Where are they taking the basket?” “To Babylonia,” he answered, “where they will build a house for the basket and set it down inside.” ⁹⁹ 

This passage is a picture, a vision given to Zechariah, to understand the nature of evil. It started in Babylon from where the bible says, all wickedness emerged.¹⁰⁰ The seat of evil (by which I take it to mean the central spiritual influence and encouragement of rebellion against God and his people around the world), is being picked up and carried to various places as history progresses. By the time of John, it is centred in Pergamon. John tells us this in his vision to the churches in Revelation. John declares Pergamon to be the centre of wickedness in the world¹⁰¹. Later, the early church believed pagan Rome had moved it to its government centre.¹⁰²

In the following passage, The seat of evil is being carried to the land of Sheena, from where it is being prepared ready to establish it as the seat of evil in the world. Sheena is the valley in which Babylon sits. In this prophecy, the wickedness centre of the world will return to Babylon where it will have twice the wickedness, (represented in the vision by the two women, rather than just Jezebel, being set back in her own place).

I asked the angel, “Where are they taking it?” He answered, “To Babylonia, where they will build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, the basket will be placed there to be worshipped.” .¹⁰³

Who is this coming from Bozrah in Edom with clothes stained red? Who is this hero marching in his glorious uniform? “It’s me, the LORD! I have won the battle, and I can save you!”                 What are those red spots?                 Your clothes look stained from stomping on grapes. “I alone stomped the grapes! None of the nations helped. I stomped nations in my anger and stained my clothes with their blood.  I did this because I wanted to take revenge. The time had come to rescue my people. No one was there to help me or to give support; my mighty arm won the battle, strengthened by my anger. In my fury I stomped on nations and made them drunk; their blood poured out everywhere on earth.” .¹⁰⁴ 

Since the beginning of time, whenever God has announced an unconditional covenant, it has been challenged by an opposition. From our point of view it often shows itself as opposition to the nation of Israel. The focus of opposition has been on the people, but it is in fact, an opposition to God’s plan for salvation. When God established the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis chapter twelve, it was opposed by the nations of the world.¹⁰⁵ When God established his covenant giving Israel land, (from which salvation would come), it was opposed by the surrounding nations that descended from Esau.¹⁰⁶  Today, we group them together to call them ‘Arabs’ or ‘Palestinians’, but closer examination suggests we are wrong to group them in this way.

When God re-asserts his kingly covenant through David,¹⁰⁷ the church that tried to usurp it with doctrines claiming itself to be the new chosen people. The church is grafted into the promises to Israel, The promise replaced with a new one given to the church. God re-announced an everlasting covenant that is unconditional and will never taken be away by anyone:

The LORD said: The time will surely come when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and Judah. It will be different from the agreement I made with their ancestors when I led them out of Egypt. Although I was their God, they broke that agreement. Here is the new agreement that I, the LORD, will make with the people of Israel: I will write my laws on their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they have to teach one another to obey me. I, the LORD, promise that all of them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things they have done. I am the LORD All-Powerful. I command the sun to give light each day, the moon and stars to shine at night, and ocean waves to roar.  I will never forget to give those commands, and I will never let Israel stop being a nation. I, the LORD, have spoken. 

Can you measure the heavens? Can you explore the depths of the earth? That’s how hard it would be for me to reject Israel forever, even though they have sinned. I, the LORD, have spoken. The LORD said: Someday, Jerusalem will truly belong to me. It will be rebuilt with a boundary line running from Hananel Tower to Corner Gate.  From there, the boundary will go in a straight line to Gareb Hill, then turn toward Goah. Even that disgusting Hinnom Valley will be sacred to me, and so will the eastern slopes that go down from Horse Gate into Kidron Valley. Jerusalem will never again be destroyed.¹⁰⁸