The Coming Antichrist and the rapture of the church, chapter two. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10

“The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...”

If you understand that one of the NEXT events on the horizon is going to be God's wrath being poured out upon the earth then we can move on.

(Why did I say “one of the next events”? Because Daniel 9:26 tells that this time frame will come with a flood – not a literal flood, although that could happen, but a flood of armies coming at Israel from every direction; and Israel will be at war, and they will be desolated. Ezekiel chapters 38,39 tells us that God interrupts this war with fire from heaven. Strangely, Ezekiel speaks of people merely marking the bodies that lie on the hills of Israel, so that specialists can take care of them; from that, we might assume that this fire is nuclear. This theory makes sense, considering the players involved.)

These events happen so rapidly and include the entrance of the Antichrist who declares that there will be a seven-year peace treaty. (Here again, we can see from Daniel 9:27 that someone rises up as a “global” leader. I suspect that he will be a global leader over the Islamic nations. Keep in mind the territory that this scenario is focused on.) With that understanding we can move forward and discuss what we the church will experience just moments before this wrath - our being gathered to Him. (“Him,” is Jesus Christ, and you can see that distinctly in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)

While these two verses (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2) are the entrance into a solid and critical understanding of the rapture of the church, the first three verses used to bring me much confusion. The confusion came because verse three, which we will get to shortly, is typically written in such a manner that it comes across as though the Antichrist will come first. Let me show you.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 NASB (3) Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

See how it says, “it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed.” The word “and” is merely a conjunction and not a mandatory timing. The major problem with this verse is the word apostasy, and we will get into that.

“... and our being gathered together to him,”

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, (2 Thessalonians 2:1 ESV)

Gathered or gathering it is the Greek word episunagōgē and means a complete collection, to gather together, or an assembling.

At some point, soon, we are going to be gathered and collected, back to Jesus.

Our gathering together to Him is the catching away of the church, or, if you wish, the rapture.

“... unless the apostasy comes first, ...”

2 Thessalonians 2:3 NASB Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

If I read this passage, as is, it gives the impression that two things have to happen before the rapture, but that is NOT what it says. Yes, the apostasy must come first, but the second half of this sentence says nothing about the church’s rapture, nor does it define what the apostasy means. It does, however, speak of a moment when the man of lawlessness will be revealed, and if we migrated forward to 2 Thessalonians 2:7,8 we can see this clear definition.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 NASB)

Comes is the Greek word erchomai and means to be established, become known, arise, come into being, show itself, find a place, influence.

In light of verse one, where it speaks of our being gathered together with Him, we know that the “it” is the catching away of the church, however, it could also be pointing to the seven-years of God’s wrath.

“unless the apostasy comes first,” 

This section has been the game-changer for me.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 in the NASB, tells us that the church will not be caught away until there is, as the NASB states, an apostasy, but, as I have learned, the text and interpretation of the word apostasia, was changed to fit a Roman Catholic motive.

G646 apostasia; from G868. G868 is the word aphístēmi, and is derived from From G575 and G2476 and has the meaning to remove, or to put away.

Who or what then, is to be removed? The church.

Now let's get back to apostasia for a moment.
The Word Study dictionary tells us that apostasia means to depart, or departure.

The simple word and, is our problem child here. While I have a clear understanding, based upon apostasia meaning to gather or remove, the word "and," can in some cases, infer that an event or action must occur at the same time.
And is the Greek word kahee and apparently a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force. It can mean: and, also, even, so, then, too, etc.

Since we are looking at 2 Thessalonians 2:3 then let's see how this changes the way we look at this verse with some original wording.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 NASB (3) Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the (departure, gathering, or removal – of the church) comes first, and (then) the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, (The bold type is mine.)

One of the early texts was the Geneva Bible. (Imprinted in London, by Christopher Barker, Printer to the Qveenes Maiestie. 1587.) A Swedish translation covers the word apostasia most appropriately.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition, (2 Thessalonians 2:3 Geneva) 

To read this passage, with this understanding, for me, eliminates any confusion I might have had, as we should have been looking for our removal by means of the harpazo, or catching away.

The clarity goes away quickly if I focus on what the Douay-Rheims Bible says. This is the early Catholic translation in which we find the effects of their displeasure with people leaving the church.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3 DRB)

The Rheims New Testament first published by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582. The Whole Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, A.D. 1749-1752. This translation reflected the angst of the Catholic church during the Protestant revolution, where radicals were pulling away from the Catholic Church, the state church – also considered to be the mother church. Hence, we have terminology such as revolt. This translation seems to have been a catalyst for an entire shift in understanding and interpretation, so the degree that we now looking, not for a departing to be with the Lord, but a falling away from the Lord and traditions, in our church bodies. Strangely, a falling away from the Lord, is exactly what is happening, but the focus improperly changed, and confusion entered.

So the Roman Catholic Church had the word apostasia which means to gather, transliterated into the word apostasy, and changed its meaning to a falling away from the truth. Truth, of course, meant the state church, the Catholic Church also deemed the mother church.

We, slightly less than efficient Bible students, may not realize that something like the Strong's concordance could be driven by error. Look at what we get from Strong's concordance. Apostasy is the Greek word apostasia and means a defection from truth, a falling away from the truth.

Now examine what the Word Study Dictionary tells us about apostasia. It means to depart, but the WSD doesn't stop there, it gives us more. “In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the word apostasía does not refer to genuine Christians who depart from the faith, but mere professors who, without divine grace, succumb to the Satanic deception of the Antichrist.”

Think about these words and phrases for a moment. To fall away from truth implies time, deception, and disinterest. 

If what we are looking for is a disinterest in church, we got it.

Having watched Ultimate Fighting Championships and Mixed Martial Arts, they interest me for a time but then it gets boring, and so I “fall” away. Church has always had problems like this, as some mighty move of God, or an evangelist, comes to the church, and everybody gets excited – we had one evangelist at our church when I was a teen, that continued for 13 weeks. My church doubled in size after so many came and stayed for a time. But then, the excitement turned to mundane daily living once again and the church retracted in size. 

A defection, on the other hand, implies an intentional turning away from.

We typically associate defection with “spies,” but it does not have to be that dramatic. Yes, some, for whatever the reason, become disenchanted and turn against the church. To be honest, because of events I experienced that were brought on by pastors and church leaders, I could have been one of those defectors, and I have been at times as I think about it. Only in my case, the events, for the most part, did not turn my heart away from God

It is not as though He is giving us another 500 years to get it right, it is time to turn up the fire in your own life now. History has demonstrated that most of what we call church has turned into deterioration and religious practices under a phony pretense. My own Pastor, while standing on a platform in the parking lot, stood before us and talked of God pushing the reset button, (but, he equated the church to a cat litter box, owned by a crazy cat lady, who has so many cats that she can no longer manage to clean up after the cats, nor does she care to.)

Have we as a church fallen away from what is right? 

There is no doubt in my mind that we have. 

The IVPBBC says this about verse 3-4.

2Th_2:3-4. The first prerequisite is either the “rebellion” (NIV, NRSV, TEV) or the “apostasy” (NASB). If it is a “rebellion” against God, it is the world’s final insult to him (2Th_2:4); if “apostasy,” it refers back to Jesus’ sayings later written in Mat_24:10-13. Both sins are characteristic of Jewish lists of end-time sufferings, but because Paul omits most of the signs found in such lists and focuses only on those cited by Jesus, the term here might mean apostasy. In either case, Paul indicates that the term does not apply to his readers (Mat_2:10-15).

(For those who will not read the passage from Matthew 2, let me give you a taste. Herod has noticed a large dust cloud in the distance, has sent out spies, and now knows that it is the Magi with a large entourage. Nothing in your Bible says that there were only three Magi. It does say that they brought three gifts. I might also note, that these gifts were of such large amounts, that when you next see Joseph and Mary, they are living in a home, and Jesus is now two years old. Herod calls in the chief priests and scribes to find out what is going on. Surprise, they knew but refused to acknowledge or have anything to do with this king of the Jews. So, while the Jewish leaders were rejecting Jesus, the Magi came from afar and fell to the ground before Him.

Now, since the other twisted possibility is a defection, have we done that as well? 

Defection = Want or failure of duty; the act of abandoning a person or cause to which one is bound by allegiance or duty, or to which one has attached himself; and revolt. 

The answer is a resounding YES. To prove my point look at the descriptions that the NASB/Apostle Paul gives us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB.

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB)

This is the world we live in.

It seems the entire Congress of the United States operates on these principles. If that is not enough, we ended the month of May and a part of June of 2020, with looting and rioting across the nation, and for convenience sake, blamed it on the murder of one black man. I don’t mean to sound callous, but Chicago alone has multiple killings of black people daily, but NO ONE seems to care about it, or them.

You have filled the streets with the dead. Micah 3:1-7

Just last week California had two major fires burning at the same time, and in the case of the “Camp” fire, they lost the entire town of paradise, and I believe Megalia. If they are alive, then they have something to be thankful for, but not much else.
Today 11/22/2018 is Thanksgiving day in America, and I have much to be thankful for. But, I wonder how much worse it is going to get before that day when Jesus comes back for His church. I know many of you don't understand that or care about it, but someday you will.
One of the primary tenets of a follower of Christ is hope. Hope works by faith and this hope is embedded in the fact that Jesus, a believable witness, told us that there is a life with the Father and that He would come back for His church. Moments after Jesus returns for His church the wrath of God will begin to be poured out upon the earth. This wrath will be happening at the same time as man's wrath and greed, which are expressed in death and destruction as well.
You should understand something; we were not promised an escape from things like what we see in Micah. In John's gospel chapter 16:33 we are told, in the world you have tribulation. We do ourselves and others a huge disservice when we call the time of God's wrath the tribulation. Oh, no doubt, it will be a time of great distress, but it is all God's wrath, and nothing to be compared with what we deal with on a daily basis. However, 1Thessalonians 1:10 and 1Thessalonians 5:9 tell us that we have been rescued from, nor are we destined for God's wrath.
Micah 3:1 ERV  Then I said, "Listen, leaders of Jacob and officers of the nation of Israel! You should know what justice is.
Immediately we know who God/Micah is addressing.

• The heads of Jacob
• The rulers of the house of Israel

What is the assertion? You, of all people, should know what justice is!
Justice is the Hebrew word mišpāṭ: A masculine noun meaning a judgment, a legal decision, a legal case, a claim, proper, rectitude. The word connotes several variations in meanings depending on the context. It is used to describe a legal decision or judgment rendered: it describes a legal decision given by God to be followed by the people. Word Study Dictionary
You have to assume from Micah's words, that Jewish leadership knows what they did wrong. Isaiah denounced the house of Jacob on a previous occasion.
Isaiah 58:1 MKJV  Cry aloud, do not spare, lift up your voice like aram's horn, and show My people their rebellion, and the house of Jacob their sins.
However, the context for Isaiah 58:1 comes from Isaiah 57 verses 20, 21.
Isaiah 57:20-21 MKJV  But the wicked are like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt.  (21) There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.
Here Israel, the northern and southern kingdoms are told they are wicked.
Malachi 2:17 AMPC  You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, In what way have we wearied Him? [You do it when by your actions] you say, Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them. Or [by asking], Where is the God of justice?
Pay attention to the words of Malachi, but note the italicized words. Those words were added for clarity, and yet we have many in the Congress and the Senate of the United States still telling us that the brutal killing of unborn babies is appropriate, while conveniently putting someone in prison for life because they killed the mother of an unborn child. Which is it, we can't have it both ways?
Civility alone shouts out that you should not openly call for the assassination of the president, and yet these public officials do just that. I am intentionally vague here, but there is no doubt that we too are living in this wickedness now, especially is we, by our actions, say“Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them.” This will come to a violent end for those who choose to live in such perversion.
The one last passage before I move on. While it is clear that God is going to remove all the beneficial aspects, pay attention to verse 5 where it says, “the youth will storm against the elder and the inferior against the honorable.” Here in America, we have this stupidity called Antifa. These “youth” and they are not all youth; some are merely the down and out that want to make some fast money, are blockading roads and attacking people for reasons that change in accordance with the most recent sign one of them is carrying.
Isaiah3:1-5 NASB For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water; (2) The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, (3)The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter. (4) AndI will make mere lads their princes, And capricious children will rule over them, (5) And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The youth will storm against the elder And the inferior against the honorable.
Micah 3:2 now paints an even more gruesome picture.
Micah 3:2 NET.
yet you hate what is good,
and love what is evil.
You flay my people's skin
and rip the flesh from their bones.
Isaiah3:14-15 MKJV  Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of His people, and their kings; for you have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.  (15)  What do you mean? You crush My people and grind the faces of the poor? Says the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts.
Ezekiel11:6-7 MKJV  You have multiplied your dead in this city, and you have filled its streets with the dead.  (7) Therefore so says the Lord Jehovah: Your slain whom you have laid in her midst, they are the flesh, and this city is the pot. But I will bring you out of her midst.
Joseph Benson's commentary claims that Micah 3:2 is “an allusion to lions bears, or wolves, which devour the flesh, and break the bones of the defenseless lambs.”
“Your slain whom you have laid in her midst, they are the flesh, and this city is the pot.”
Micah 3:3 NET.
You devour my people's flesh,
strip off their skin,
and crush their bones.
You chop them up like flesh in a pot --
like meat in a kettle.
“All these words (we see in Micah 3:3) are metaphorical expressions, to signify the oppression of the people by their heads, or great men; and, how they, by one means or another, deprive them of their substance and divide it among themselves.” “So, even though it is written for the purpose of expressive style, the overall impact is still the same, as it is a horrendous depiction of how they treat people; God's people.”
I wanted to think these words were entirely symbolic, but what did Saul, the Pharisee do? He pursued the Jewish converts, reasoning that he was doing the Lord's work. He had people locked up in prisons; and, he held the cloaks of those stoning Stephen, which made him an accomplice to their crime of murder.
Acts 22:3-4 KJV  I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.  (4) And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
When Pilate wished to free Jesus Christ because He had done nothing contrary to Roman law, it was the Jewish council that persisted until the Romans carried out their wishes. Because of their hatred and tenaciousness Jesus had the skin flayed from His back, ribs, and legs. It was the Jewish high priest that put the perfect lamb on that cross that day.
Micah3:4 MSG The time's coming, though, when these same leaders will cry out for help to GOD, but he won't listen. He'll turn his face the other way because of their history of evil.
The NASB says it like this:
“Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds.”
This usage of the phrase, “they will cry out,” leaves you hanging as you try to figure out, once again, to whom he is speaking. This is a good reason to have other translations, and, as you can see Eugene Peterson sorted it out and declared that “these leaders will cry out for help to God, but He won't listen.”
“Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds.”
We make the assumption that all of Israel has practiced evil deeds, when that may not be true. When Elijah cried out that he was the only one left, the Lord told him, no, I have reserved other. So the idea that they have all practiced evil is not right. Is it possible then that Jewish leadership has bullied most of Israel into a false belief and misunderstanding of God? Absolutely.
“Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray.”
Obviously, this happens; it is happening today, all around us.
Micah 3:5-7 NASB Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; When they have something to bite with their teeth, They cry, "Peace, "But against him who puts nothing in their mouths They declare holy war. (6) Therefore it will be night for you--without vision, And darkness for you--without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, And the day will become dark over them. (7) The seers will be ashamed, And the diviners will be embarrassed. Indeed, they will all cover their mouths Because there is no answer from God.
“When they have something to bite with their teeth, They cry, "Peace," But against him who puts nothing in their mouths They declare holy war.”
One might read this and interpret it as people who are no longer starving. How easy it is for them to cry peace. I am not sure this makes sense, but these same people are declaring a holy war against the one who did not put food in their mouths.
The Amplified translation adds some clarity as it refers to the false prophets and leaders.
“Thus says the Lord: Concerning the false prophets who make My people err, when they have anything good to bite with their teeth they cry, Peace; and whoever gives them nothing to chew, against him they declare a sanctified war.”
This entire scenario has a soap opera feel to it, as these characters are willing to chew up those who do not take care of them in some lucrative manner.
Perhaps I can understand this idea of biting with their teeth from Ezekiel's words.
Ezekiel13:19 NASB "For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death some who should not die and to keep others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies."
Breton's is a translation that I do not refer too often, but in this case, it gives clarity.
Ezekiel13:19 Brenton  And they have dishonored me before my people for a handful of barley, and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls which should not die, and to save alive the souls which should not live, while ye speak to a people hearing vain speeches.
The “they” in this sentence is Jewish leadership. The essence of the passage wreaks of graft and collusion. In this verse they are doing it for barley and bread; in a sense, food in their mouths while most are struggling to survive. Keep in mind that the Northern Kingdom, Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, Judah, had been under attack for some time; first at the hand of the Assyrian and then the Babylonian kingdoms.
“Therefore it will be night for you--without vision, And darkness for you--without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, And the day will become dark over them.” Micah 3:6
Albert Barnes commentary
“In the presence of God's extreme judgments, even deceivers are at length still; silenced at last by the common misery, if not by awe. The false prophets had promised peace, light, brightness, prosperity;” and yet, what befell them all, trouble, anguish, darkness, and fear.”
This idea of the day being dark over them, may not lend itself entirely to things like uncertainty, perplexity, and big troubles. The prophet Joel adds to our understanding.
Joel 2:1-2 NASB Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD, is coming; Surely it is near, (2) A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.
Certainly much of this prophecy is metaphorical; however, even though much has been fulfilled, it will again see fulfillment at some point. For the day of the Lord is coming!

Micah 1:5 part two, What is the transgression of Jacob?

So let's go back to Micah 1:5 for a moment.

Micah 1:5 NASB All this is for the rebellion of Jacob And for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?

The verse states, “All this is for the rebellion of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel.” As you can see the verse ends with a period, and then, inserts a question. Perhaps they should have ended with a comma and then said, “but,” what is the rebellion of Jacob, because I, nor you, know. I can now conclusively tell you how Samaria came to hold such disdain in the eyes of the Jews, but I cannot tell you what this rebellion was with any specificity. So let's find out.

"What is the transgression of Jacob?"

The transgression of Jacob. (According to the UCRT cross reference all these references apply to Jacob's transgression.) 2Ki_17:7-23, *2Ch_36:14-16, Isa_50:1-2; Isa_59:1-15, Jer_2:17; Jer_2:19; Jer_4:18; Jer_5:25; Jer_6:19, Lam_5:16, 1Th_2:15-16.

Without diving into scripture, there is the incident that all of us who have been around organized church for a long time are aware of; the short version of it goes like this. Issac is old, cannot see, and is dying., At his mother's prodding Jacob deceives his brother Esau, and then his father. Because of this deception, Issac gives Jacob (the second born) the blessing that was due the first - sheep, land, and the promise of God's best upon his life. Esau of course now wants to kill his brother Jacob, and so Jacob flees for life, at his mother's direction, to the land where her brother Laban resides, and thus begins our tale.

Now this deception aspect alone might be the answer to what the transgression of Jacob might be, but strangely, you still the blessing of God (what a coincidence that Issac gave him that blessing,) upon his life – along with constant problems. So, I am uncomfortable pinning the transgression/rebellion to this incident alone.

When searching for a reference that explains the transgression of Jacob, this passage in Genesis 31:1-3 is one of the places you are taken.

Genesis 31:1-3 NASB Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth." 2) Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly. 3) Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."

Note how Jacob heard Laban's son say, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. They were, of course, referring to the goats that had distinct markings, an agreement that Laban made with Jacob, and broke several times by stealing the goats away from Jacob.

Genesis 30:31-35 NASB So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: 32) let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33) "So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen." 34) Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word." 35) So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons.

Laban agreed and then had his sons take those same sheep out of the herd so he would not have to pay Jacob. At this point, I would say that all the transgression is on the part of Laban.

The sons of Laban may have also been referring to their sisters when they said “Jacob has taken away all that was our father's,” but that too was an agreement that their father had made and did not uphold. Still, Jacob had done nothing wrong to Laban.

As I go through references to Jacob, the first thing I find is the deception performed by Jacob and his mother, against Esau and Issac. But as I follow that trail, it seems that God had his hand in it all along, and blessed Jacob regardless.

There is, however, a drastic change when they meet Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite:

Genesis 34:2 MKJV  And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and humbled her.

Almost all of Genesis 34 is centered upon Dinah, this young man Shechem and his actions, and the primary focus, the deception and deadly violence committed by Jacob's sons.

Who or what's to say men are good; but didn't this young man and his father seem to want to do the right thing. What you can't ignore is that Shechem raped Dinah; at best he seduced her, but when you consider the Jewish idea that a young girl is marriageable at 12 years and a day, how could you expect her to have the skills to resist some smooth talking man?. Besides all that, Shechem, we learn loved Dinah and wanted to marry her; while that seems excellent look at the IVP commentary below. Still, it seems men died without cause at the hands of Jacob's sons, while Jacob did and said nothing. Perhaps now we have what might be the transgression of Jacob.

The IVP Bible Background Commentary has this to say about rape.

Ravishing women. Rape as a means of obtaining a marriage contract was apparently one stratagem used in the ancient Near East. Laws regulating this practice are found in Exo_22:16-17, Deu_22:28-29, the Middle Assyrian Laws and the Hittite laws. These often require the rapist to pay an extraordinarily high bride price and sometimes forbid any possibility of divorce. Sumerian Law 7, like Genesis 34, deals with a case where a young, unbetrothed woman leaves her parents’ home without permission and is raped. The result is an option by the parents to marry her to the rapist without her consent.

On a side note: this phrase, “and he did and said nothing,” should have a familiar tone, for this was the way King David ran his own family.

Genesis 34:11-13 MKJV  And Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, Let me find grace in your eyes, and whatever you shall say to me I will give.  12)  Heap upon me ever so much price and dowry, and I will give according as you shall say to me. But give me the girl for a wife.  13)  And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor, his father, speaking with deceit because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

Again, the conversation starts with Jacob but quickly turns to the sons, who are doing all the speaking on behalf of the family. Everything the son's say is deceitful, with the purpose of making them pay for what Shechem did to Dinah.

Genesis 34:14-17 MKJV  And they said to them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised. For it is a reproach to us.  15)  But in this we will agree with you, if you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised,  16)  then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will live with you, and we will become one people.  17)  But if you will not listen to us, to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will go.

Jacob is sitting right there, listening to every word, and yet he says and does nothing. Maybe he thinks this is all reasonable, and perhaps it is.

Genesis 34:18-24 MKJV  And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.  19)  And the young man did not hesitate to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. And he was more honorable than all the house of his father.  20)  And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,  21)  These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them live in the land, and trade in it. For behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.  22)  Only on this condition will the men agree to us, to live with us, to be one people, if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.  23)  Shall not their cattle and their substance and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will live with us.  24)  And all that went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son. And every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

The assumption, on the part of the Hivites, was that these people and their “wealth” would be joined to their community, making it stronger. The sons of Jacob had no intention of doing that and therefore waited until the third day after this barbaric surgery so that they could kill them all.

Genesis 34:27-29 MKJV  The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city because they had defiled their sister.  28)  They took their sheep and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field.  29)  And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives, they took captive and plundered even all that was in the house.

What was it that Laban's sons accused Jacob of taking, all that belonged to their father; and now Jacob's sons have done just that to the Hivites. Jacob, who has said nothing, now has something to say.

Genesis 34:30 MKJV  And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have troubled me, to make me stink among those who live in the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I, being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and kill me. And I shall be destroyed, my house and I.

Now the story goes on, but is it possible that this incident is one of the primary roots of Jacob's transgression?

2 Kings 17:7 MKJV  And it happened because the sons of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

Note what 2Kings 17:7 says, “ And it happened because the sons of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God.” While the reference has little to do with Shechem and the Hivites, these are the tribal names that evolved from the same sons that we just witnessed, deceiving the Hivites, slaughtering all the males, taking all the females captive, and looting all that they possessed. Is it possible, that as representatives of God on this earth, that they just misrepresented God? Why can I ask that question, because I have learned that God is, above all else, filled with mercy and justice?

If you know the story of Jonah, then you know that narrative ends with Jonah having a pity party because God showed the Ninevehites mercy and temporarily spared them. I can think of one other misrepresentation, and that was performed by Moses when he, against God's direction, struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Oh sure, water flowed, but what I see is Moses misrepresenting God. The people, most likely see God as an angry, vengeful God instead of one who operates out of mercy.

What is a predominant belief that most of us have?

That God is a vindictive God with one purpose, send as many people to hell as possible. I have come to understand this twisted theme from the mouths of church elders who lead studies at the churches I have attended over the years.

There is one last predominant thing that stands out against Jacob, although it is preceded by God's blessing once again as God changes Jacob's name to Israel.

Genesis 35:6-16 MKJV  And Jacob came to Luz in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people with him.  7)  And he built an altar there and called the place El-bethel, because God appeared to him there when he fled from the face of his brother.  8)  But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Bethel, under an oak. And the name of it was called Oak of Weeping.  9)  And God appeared to Jacob again when he came out of Padan-aram and blessed him.  10)  And God said to him, Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name. And He called his name Israel.  11)  And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall be from you, and kings shall come out of your loins.  12)  And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and to your seed, after you, I will give the land.  13)  And God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.  14)  And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.  15)  And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.  16)  And they moved from Bethel. And there was only a length of land to come to Ephrath. And Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor in her bearing.

This is where things get even tougher for Jacob, as Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, and Reuben has sex with one of Jacob's concubine.

Rachel's Tomb circa 1930

Genesis 35:22 MKJV  And it happened when Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard it. And the sons of Jacob were twelve:

You follow the story out to the end of Genesis 35 and what do see happening to Reuben? Nothing. The next time we hear of Reuben is in Genesis 37:21 where he is trying to save Joseph's life. While his words may have diverted the brothers from killing Joseph, Joseph was still sold into slavery. Reuben says something interesting here which tells us that many things happen in the background and we are not aware.

Genesis 37:29-30 MKJV  And Reuben returned to the pit. And behold! Joseph was not in the pit! And he tore his clothes.  30)  And he returned to his brothers and said, The child, he is not. And I, where shall I go?

Much time has passed. Joseph has become second in command in Egypt, and the brothers have convinced Jacob/Israel that they need to go and get some grain from Egypt or they will die. Things go badly for the brothers because Joseph recognizes them and wants them to squirm a little.

Genesis 42:22 MKJV  And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you saying, Do not sin against the youth? And you would not hear. Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

After all these years, Joseph is a middle-aged man with a family, since Reuben's indiscretion with his father's concubine, and finally, we hear some disdain against him.

Genesis 49:3-4 MKJV  Reuben, you are my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.  4)  Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it. He went up to my couch.

Jacob/Israel called his sons to him and spelled out prophetically, how their lives would go, in life, and as a nation. Jacob had no idea it would include 400+ years of slavery in Egypt, but that was yet to come. Jacob died and was buried with Rachel in Samaria.

Now that is the summary of Jacob's fraudulence, the transgressions done to him, and his lack of action about his sons' bloody violence. Can I pin any one thing on Jacob and say this is what got him in trouble? Not really, but if you noticed, God seems to portray a consistent family line and ownership of problems through that line. Rebecca, taught Jacob; and Jacob taught his sons; and when they got out of line, we see nothing done to them.

Babylon the Great – The short version.

Babylon the Great – What are we really talking about?

Of the imagery we find in scripture Babylon is another that gives people grief. If we try to define the Babylon we see in Revelation we have to ask, what is it and what are the implications for us?

This is my attempt at making a condensed overview of my blog on Babylon which is eight pages long. Personally, I think many of you want to know where information comes from instead merely getting slammed with a caption or a headline and then moving on to the next topic. That strikes more like someone's opinion. I am full of opinions but I try to back them up with evidence, typically scriptural or historical.

A buddy had asked me to do a bible study with him on Revelation. I guess he thought we could do it in just a couple of weeks. Even my pastor had to take three or four to do his overview. Goodness gracious, I wrote eight pages trying to define the concept of Babylon and it was initiated by one verse. The Revelation speaks about Babylon extensively in chapters 17 and 18, but I can tell you that without some background information, for me, the water was still muddy and I was no further along in my understanding. I have always kinda thought that Babylon was something more than a chunk of desert, and it is. Having sorted through the possibilities I now I look forward to chapters 17 and 18.

Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality."

(Revelation 14:8 ESV)

Clues from the passage itself?

• "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, ..”
  We know that during the reign or Nebuchadnezzar Babylon was great.

Daniel 2:37-38 ESV You, O king, --- are the head of gold.

Can we make a solid connection between a Babylon that was once great and the modern-day world? No, so any greatness carries a different connotation these days.

Babylon, having served its purpose, was to receive God's wrath.

Jeremiah 51:29 ESV “The land trembles and writhes in pain, for the LORD's purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.

If God tells us that Babylon is fallen, a land of desolation without inhabitants, then we need to look elsewhere for a definition. This means Babylon is more symbolic and I believe the key phrase here is “her sexual immorality”.

Whore of Babylon (french illuminated "Book of Revelation") (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• “...she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality."
  Since things seemingly went well for Daniel, we assume that all went well for Israel as well. The problem is that Israel had the horrid tendency to take on other gods, and Babylon was deeply entrenched in them. If you think about the fact that they threw Daniel's companions into the fire, then its easier to understand that evil lurked in the background.
  Apparently we know far too little about Babylon because Revelation focuses rather intently on the words sexual immorality.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke a word against Babylon:

Jeremiah 50:1-2 ESV The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet: (2) "Declare among the nations and proclaim, set up a banner and proclaim, conceal it not, and say: 'Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.'

From the IVPBBC “The name Bel Marduk then continues to be used by the Assyrians and the Neo-Babylonians, and his New Year's festival is the celebration of the renewal of fertility and life. Even the Persian king Cyrus looked at his own accession to power and the capture of the city of Babylon as having been achieved through the assistance of Bel Marduk.”

Now again, the question is, how do I perceive and apply this?

Mark Hitchcock, in his book The Second Coming of Babylon, states rather simplistically, “The city and the tower (of Babylon -emphasis mine) represent the two aspects of Babylon that continue today: political power balanced against rebellion and apostasy.”

Mark Hitchcock continues, “The city they built represents the political unity of the city of Babylon. Babylon was a literal place, ruled over by a literal king who exercised political power over all the inhabitants of the world.”

I had to think about this for a moment.

Babylon, a lasting global political power?

I already pointed out that God decreed devastation upon Babylon. Common sense should tell you that Babylon's ability to persist has to first be spiritual, Many years after its establishment by Nimrod, and after the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon is captured by Cyrus, but this line from the IVPBBC is very telling: “ Even the Persian king Cyrus looked at his own accession to power and the capture of the city of Babylon as having been achieved through the assistance of Bel Marduk”

We are introduced to the beginnings of Babylon in Genesis chapter 10, when we are told about the generations of Noah. The son of Ham was Cush, and Cush fathered Nimrod.

Let's explore this for a minute.

Genesis 10:8 ESV Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.

“He was the first on earth to be a mighty man”??

The word mighty in the Hebrew is: gibbôr powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant. Another instance of the word gibbôr used to depict a mighty man comes before the flood, and describes the Nephilim upon the earth.

Genesis 6:4 ESV The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

Most do not believe Nimrod to have been a giant as much as he was of a reckless ferocity.

When it comes to reckless ferocity what names come to your mind? Og, the king of Bashan who may have been 13 feet tall; how about Genghis Khan, or Vlad the impaler.

So are we looking for something that has control much like Mark Hitchcock described, a strange mix of power, politics, rebellion against religion, and unity. Where do we find a mix like that? The NWO, Illuminati, the Bilderberg group, perhaps even the Masons. I am just saying. These groups seem to have the makings of a world dominance club, and there are fascinating things that back up these theories like Agenda 21.

Babylon was a literal place, ruled over by a literal king who exercised political power over all the inhabitants of the world.” Therefore this Babylon will exercise power over all the inhabitants of the world as well.

Related articles

• Vatican Releases Official Papal Statement Supporting Obama's Iranian Nuclear Deal
• Vatican Releases Official Papal Statement Supporting Obama's Iranian Nuclear Deal
• Revolt Brewing Inside Vatican As Cardinal Conservatives Seek to Stop Pope
• Billy Graham: 'God Hasn't Changed ... I Warn You That His Wrath' Will 'Explode' on the Sexually 'Immoral'
• A tribute to County Clerk Kim Davis by David Carroll
• This calls for wisdom. Revelation 13:16-18
• The 144,000 - symbolic or literal? Revelation 14:1-4