NO. 401: THE THREE WORLDS – CONDITIONS AND PEOPLES – Part One

No. 401

The request has come to us to offer an analysis of the three worlds mentioned in the Bible: (1) the world that was; (2) the world that now is; (3) the world to come – with their fundamental differences, similarities, and the time features in­volved in each one. These are very briefly epitomized in the third chapter of St. Peter’s second letter. In verse 6 he tells us that “the world that then was (before the flood), being overflowed with water, perished”; then continues in verse 7: “the heavens and the earth which are now” (the world that now is) are “reserved unto fire against the day of judgment.” Continuing in verse 13, “We look for new heavens and a new earth (the world to come), wherein dwelleth righteousness.” It is our inten­tion to correlate various statements in the Old and New Testaments – “here a little, and there a little” (Isa. 28:10) – concerning these three worlds, and depict their true Scriptural meaning.

However, before we proceed we would stress the fact that the Bible is written in two languages – literal and figurative – and this must be appreciated if we would avoid extreme confusion. For instance, the word earth in the Bible has two meanings: (1) the planet on which we live, and (2) the social order of human existence. To il­lustrate, in Gen. 9:11 we are told “there shall not be any more a flood to destroy the earth.” Surely, the planet on which we live was not destroyed by the flood, but the social arrangement in vogue then was completely destroyed by the flood. The same contention may be made for the word heaven, which has three different and distinct meanings: (1) God’s abode, which presumably is the Pleiades, the center of gravity of the Universe (see Job 38:31); (2) the atmosphere about this earth, into which Elijah was carried by the fiery chariot (see 2 Kings 2:9-12); (3) the present religious order (see 2 Pet. 3:7).

While the Old Testament of the Bible offers copious information about the above ­along with much detail about the world that was, and the world that now is, it remains for the New Testament to provide the information that enables us to accomplish our purpose. Therefore, we would initiate this treatise with the New Testament informa­tion, as we interweave Old Testament details into our conclusions.

In the New Testament the word “world” is translated from four different Greek words: 1 – Aion, meaning Age or Dispensation; 2 – Ge, land or earth; 3 – Kosmos, Arrangement or Social order; 4 – Oikoumene, the habitable earth or land. That these four words are not synonymous is self-evident; and the translation of all of them into the English word world simply reveals the inaccuracy with which the translators of the King James version of the Bible did their work. This is one great cause why so much error has arisen over the centuries, and the confusion that is now so preva­lent.

Although some of the above words may be used interchangeably, it would always be better to give the strictly correct meaning in each case. For example, in Matt. 24:3 the Disciples asked Jesus, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and the end of the world (aion)?” A more correct rendering would be, “What shall be the sign of Thy pres­ence, and the consummation of the Age?” In this particular text the end of the world and the end of the Age will occur at the same time; but to give them the same meaning simply leads to unnecessary confusion. In this, the second world, in which we now live, there have been three Ages – the Patriarchal, Jewish, and the Gospel Age. It so happens that the end of this Gospel Age will also be the end of this world; and, while the Gospel Age is fully included in this world, this world is not fully included in this Gospel Age.

The expression is often heard – “The end of the world”; and the vast majority in Christendom have come to conclude that this means the destruction of the planet earth on which we live. However, when reading Matt. 24:3 correctly, as given above, it will become readily apparent that the Disciples had no such thought in mind when they asked Jesus their question. The Greek Kosmos (the order of affairs) is the root of such English words as cosmos, cosmogony, cosmopolitan, etc. Cities such as New York and London are considered cosmopolitan districts because they contain a representation of almost all races and nations as their residents. Therefore, we believe it will provide profitable reading to offer an analysis of the three worlds in relation to the conditions and peoples that are described in the Bible.

“THE WORLD THAT WAS”

In 2 Peter 2:5 we are told that God “spared not the old world (kosmos), but saved Noah... a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world” (kosmos). And continuing, 2 Pet. 3:6 tells us, “The world (kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” All of us know that this planet earth was not destroyed by the great flood; and it is in order to state here that the language of the Bible is often intricate and confusing if we do not read it critically. Some of it is literal, and some of it is figurative, or symbolic, or typical. As stated on p. 1, when Gen. 9:11 says “neither shall there be any more a flood to destroy the earth,” it does not mean the literal earth on which we live, because it is still here. The “earth” that was destroyed by the flood was the kosmos, or order of affairs; and, since Solomon in­forms us in Ecc. 1:4 that “the earth abideth forever,” we accept for certain that the destruction of this present world will not bring about the destruction of this planet upon which we live.

Nor will the dissolution of the present order of affairs bring about the destruc­tion of all the people in this world – just as the destruction of “the world that was” did not destroy all the people then – although it did destroy all of them except Noah and his three sons and their wives, eight persons in all. To the great majority in Chris­tendom the “end of the world” implies the destruction of all the people upon the planet, as well as the destruction of the planet itself; but Isa. 45:18 tells us, “God Himself formed the earth, and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited.”

The Bible clearly reveals that eventually there will be many more people on this earth than there are here now; although the Bible is equally emphatic that in the years just ahead of us there will be many less people here than we have now. “Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind (the Time of Trouble) shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not he lamented, neither gathered, nor buried.” (Jer. 25:32,33)

Some Striking Peculiarities – “Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” (Gen. 5:5) Much visionary reasoning has been produced to alter the meaning of the word ‘years’ as it is found in the fifth chapter of Genesis; but none of it has any foundation in fact. Here is what one commentator has to say about it: “The immense duration of life assigned to the antediluvian patriarchs has always been the occasion of difficulty. Attempts have been made to explain away the figures. (a) It has been suggested that the names of those patriarchs represent dynasties. But the mention of the firstborn and of other children obviously refers to personal history. Nor does the transference of these enormous figures to the duration of dynasties great­ly diminish the improbability of their literal historicity. (b) It has been suggested that the Hebrew word for “Year’ (shanah) is used in this chapter to denote a shorter period of time. But this arbitrary solution is devoid of any evidence in its favor. There is no reason not to interpret the statements of the antediluvian patriarchs quite literally.”

By totaling the various figures in the fifth chapter of Genesis, then adding the 600 years that Noah lived before the flood (Gen. 7:6), we come to the grand total of 1,656 years, which provides the number of years for “The World That Was.” And this is certainly a very, very short period of time if we compare it with some of the halluci­natory deductions of would-be pundits concerning the first man upon this earth – some of them talking in many millions of years back concerning this important fact.

According to Bible revelation, Methuselah was the oldest of all the patriarchs, being 969 years old when he died. Adam was 687 years old when Methuselah was born; and Methuselah was 369 years old when Noah was born. Thus, the two of them were con­temporary for 600 years, which would give them plenty of time to become well acquainted. Also, from this fact it becomes apparent that we need only the record of Methuselah’s life to span the date of creation of Adam to the flood – or one generation in a manner of speaking.

Then again, Noah and his family had the unique experience of living in two worlds ­“The World That Was” and “This Present Evil World” (Gal. 1:4). Noah himself lived for six hundred years in “The World That Was,” and three hundred and fifty years in “This Present Evil World” (Gal. 1:4) - “all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years” (Gen. 9:29). And the experience that was unique to Noah and his family of living in two worlds will also be repeated here in the end of “This Present Evil World” when it ends, and the next world begins. In Eph. 1:21 St. Paul tells us that Christ is above “every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” From this it is apparent that the Bible clearly discusses, and de­scribes in some detail, three worlds. In Heb. 6:5 St. Paul speaks of “the powers of the world to come.

It is of interest to note here, too, that Noah died just two years before Abraham was born. Thus Noah was in position to give all the details about the creation, the flood, and conditions after the flood; and it is probable (although we cannot state it as a fact) that he related those things to Terah, Abraham’s father, the latter then passing them on to Abraham after Noah’s death. Terah lived 75 years after Abraham’s birth, which means that the last 73 years of his life were contemporaneous with Noah.

“World That Was” Without Rain – It is worthy of note that “The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth... but there went up a mist from the earth, and wa­tered the whole face of the ground.” (Gen. 2:5,6) Therefore, when Noah began to build an ark as protection against a coming flood, it is little wonder his neighbors con­sidered it quite a joke: “They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in mar­riage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark.” (Matt. 24:38) And without rain there would be no humidity, no fermentation, which accounted in part for the long lives of those who lived before the flood. It also accounts for Noah becoming drunk after the flood (Gen. 9:20-24), because he had not yet learned what the changed climatic con­ditions had produced. Thus, those who attempt to make sport of Noah, calling him an old drunk, do so through their ignorance of all the facts in the case. It is far fetched to believe that Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5), would become stupefied with alcohol. “Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9)

The Angels That Sinned – “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell.” (2 Pet. 2:4) Who were these “angels that sinned”? The answer is to be found in Gen. 6:2-4: “The sons of God (angels) saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and took them wives of all which they chose.... There were giants in the earth in those days... when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” The word “giants” in this text is from the Hebrew Nephilim, and means “fallen ones.” Being a cross between human beings and angels, they were a hybrid production, which is contrary to all the laws of nature. When God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle... and beasts of the earth after his kind” (Gen. 1:24), this was not just a statement of happenstance. When any species of ani­mals is crossed with another species, it produces a mule. In everyday English a mule is understood to be a cross between a horse and a donkey – which produces a mule; but a mule may apply to any animal that cannot reproduce itself. Female mules never have colts; and this law is so firmly entrenched that even a dove and a pigeon cannot bring forth a young one that can reproduce itself. And, if left to themselves out in nature, such birds will not attempt to mate; they do it only under stress, or through the manipu­lation of man.

Those Nephilim hybrids are the origin of the legendary demigods that permeate the Greek and Roman mythology; they were presumed to be half man and half God, and the mere mention of their name often caused shivers in the human family. The word Nephilim oc­curs but three times in the Old Testament – once in Gen. 6:4 and twice in Numbers 13:33. When the ten spies brought back their evil report about Canaan, they said, “There we saw the giants (Nephilim) and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” This statement terrorized the Israelites, “and the people wept that night.” (Num. 14:1) When we consider that it was only 427 years from the death of No­ah to the birth of Moses, it means just a few generations separated them. Thus, we can well appreciate that the legend of those “giants” was quite fresh in the minds of the Jewish people. The report that “the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11) because of them was relatively recent news to the Jews; and they wanted no part of an encounter with them.

It is written of Noah that “he was a just man and perfect in his generations” (Gen. 6:9); but this does not justify the conclusion that he and his were the only people that had not been corrupted with hybrid contact. It would seem to be reasonable that there were others than Noah that were not hybrid stock, but they had fallen to the evil ways of the “giants,” thus were destroyed in the flood, along with all the Nephilim. The angels themselves, who had produced the Nephilim, dematerialized when the flood broke upon the earth; but they were not permitted to go back to Heaven. Rather, they were “cast down to hell” (2 Pet. 2:4). The Greek word for “hell” in this text is “tar­taroo,” which simply means the atmosphere about this earth. Thus, they were forced to accept the abode of their own choosing; and they are to be identified as the demons so frequently mentioned in the New Testament which infested certain human beings.

These “devils” are mentioned many times in the New Testament, a few of the more prominent citations being Matt. 9:32,33; 17:14-18; Mark 6:13; 7:29,30; Luke 4:41; 8:2; 8:26-33. The devils (the angels that sinned) were not destroyed in the flood, although the hybrid giants (the Nephilim) were; but the Jews were not aware of this, and they were so undone at the mere mention of them that they ran for forty years from some­thing that did not then exist.

A very short while after ejection from the Garden of Eden, crime began to make its appearance among men, the first major crime mentioned in the Bible being murder. Cain slew his brother because of envy. (Gen. 4:1-8) But, though evil deeds and evil men made quick appearance, it is well to keep in mind that there were those who resisted such, and made diligent effort to return to the favor of the Lord. Says St. Paul in Hebrews 11:4,5: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he be­ing dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death.... before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” However, as it is in this present world, so it was then: Those that pleased God were greatly in the mi­nority.

From the creation to the birth of Jesus was 4128 years; and the “world that was” perished 1656 years after it began, which means that its end came in 2472 years B.C. Adding the present date of 1975 to that we find that “this present evil world” has al­ready continued for 4447 years – of which more later. However, it is well to note that of the ten cardinal truths contained in the Bible only two are described in the Genesis record as appearing in the “world that was.” These two are the Creation and the Fall of man. The third cardinal truth is the Law of Moses, which did not make its appearance until the Jews had left Egypt, of which more later.

“THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD” (Gal. 1:4)

As stated above, “this present evil world” (dispensation) began 4447 years ago, at which time there were but eight people to start it; whereas, just two people began “the world that was.” These eight people were Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Shem is presumed to have been the eldest, his descendants being known as Shemites, or Semites. From his line eventually came Abraham, who was the father of the Jewish or Semitic race. They are thought to have settled in Asia Minor and Western Asia, although today Palestine (or Canaan land) is properly considered as their ancient place of abode. More on this as we consider the Patriarchal Age. In Gen. 9:26 we are told, “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”

The second son of Noah was Japheth, whose sons are given in Gen. 10:2 as Gomer, Ma­gog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mesh and Tiras. From these it is presumed came the original settlers of Europe; who are today recognized as the Caucasian, or white race. Most of them have been aggressive and warlike, probably possessing the best and the worst of hu­man characteristics.

The third son of Noah was Ham, whose sons were Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan. (Gen. 10:6) Because of his indecent conduct toward his father, Noah pronounced a curse upon him and his descendants: “Cursed be Canaan (son of Ham, thus grandson of Noah); a ser­vant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” (Gen. 9:25) This section of Noah’s offspring is thought to have migrated into Africa, and became the ancestors of the pres­ent Ethiopian, or black races. In Num. 12:1 we are told that “Miriam and Aaron (brother and sister of Moses) spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had mar­ried.” The marginal reading for Ethiopian is Cushite. Her name was Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, a priest of Midian. The skin of the Midianites was not full black, but rath­er light nut brown. However, the Biblical meaning of Cush is black.

The progress of evil in “this present evil world” is worthy of some attention here. The Law of Moses tells us that the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the chil­dren unto the third and fourth generation; and this seems to have been pointedly true in the case of Cush and his sons, who seem to have carried with them through the flood some of the evils of the Nephilim (giants) who had “filled the earth with violence.” (Gen. 6: 11-13) In Gen. 10:8,9 it is recorded that “Cush begat Nimrod – he became a hero in the earth: he became a hero of hunting before Yahveh – and for this cause it is said, Like Nimrod, a hero of hunting before Yahveh.” (Rotherham translation) There is much hidden meaning in this text, because it does not mean that Nimrod was a pious follower of the true God, but just the reverse: He had set himself up in place of God; and his wicked acts are interwoven in most of the heathen religions.

“The beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom was Babel” (Gen. 10:10) in the land of Shinar ..out of that land.. he went forth and builded Nineveh.” Here was the beginning of all the false heathen religions, with their incestuous feasts and idol worship. By the time Moses appeared some 800 years later these evils had made wide and devastating prog­ress; and the Jews were most emphatically commanded to have nothing whatever to do with them – a commandment which they repeatedly broke, as will be discussed later. However, we offer one case in point at this time: “Then all the men who knew their wives had burned incense unto other gods... answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the Queen of Heaven... as we have done... in the cities of Judah and Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven... We have wanted all things.” (Jer. 44:15-18)

Another instance similar to the foregoing had occurred some hundreds of years be­fore, as given in Judges 2:12,13: “They forsook the Lord God of their fathers... and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger... They served Baal and Ashter­oth.” The worship of Baal was accompanied with lascivious rites (1 Kgs. 14:23,24), the sacrifice of children in the fire by parents to the God Moloch (Jer. 32:35), etc.

Baal worshipers were sun worshipers; and all of the prominent ancient nations had some form of sun worship in their religion. The question properly arises, Whence came this “strong delusion”? When Moses wrote Genesis, Nimrod had been dead for some hundreds of years, but there still existed the popular saying, “Even as Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord.” (Gen. 10:9) His might lay in his hunting prowess, prompted by the conditions of his day. We recall that only eight people came through the flood, but many kinds of animals came forth from the ark, which multiplied much faster than did the people; and the more ferocious among them would readily strike terror into human hearts. Thus, any one who would offer protection to his fellows would be consid­ered quite a hero, which in itself would not be too wrong if that hero were a righteous man.

However, such was not the case with Nimrod. Shortly after the flood, the human race became divided into two camps – one toward evil, and one inclined toward righteous­ness. It would seem that Nimrod was the leader of the evil group; whereas, Shem was the leader of the righteous group. (Gen. 9:26) This conclusion is pieced together from the writings of various historians and other literate writers. As instance, Josephus, the great Jewish historian, makes this comment: “The multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God.”

In Gen. 10:11 it is recorded that Nimrod built the City of Ninevah. This statement enables us to couple Nimrod with the king Ninus of classical writings. The literal meaning of Ninevah is “The habitation of Ninus”; and the historian Apollodorous makes positive statement that ‘Ninus is Nimrod.’ From the gleanings of ancient writings it seems certain that Nimrod married his own mother Semiramis; therefore, he was his own father and his own son in a manner of speaking. This is a close duplication of the idea current in Christendom that Jesus is also His own Father and His own Son.

That the descendants of Nimrod were denounced in the Bible is evident from Micah 5:6: “They shall waste the land of Syria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.” Also, from one of the famous sculp­tures of ancient Babylon Ninus and Semiramus are represented as actively engaged in the pursuits of the chase, the “quiver-bearing Semiramus” being a fit companion for the “mighty hunter before the Lord.” It seems certain also that Nimrod trained leopards to aid him in his pursuit of other animals; and it is interesting to note that the leop­ard skin was prominent in the religious rituals of other pagan nations. For instance, in Egypt the high priest wore a leopard’s skin when officiating on all important occa­sions, which was intended to commemorate some outstanding event in connection with the God Osiris. Much of the clothing of heathen gods and priests was intended to convey some meaning to those who were educated to understand them. And Nimrod and Osiris are just two different names for the same person. The writer Bunsen says Osiris was at once the husband and son of his mother; and Osiris was just another name for Nimrod or Ninus.

The name Nimrod means literally “The subduer of the leopard,” being derived from nimr (a leopard) and rad (to subdue). In ancient times ouch significance was to be found in names; most of the names in the Bible carry meanings intended to convey some characteristic of the persons who received them, or the work such persons would do. The name Cush (father of Nimrod) means black. Ham also was black, being the father of all the black races. Josephus says “Cush was he from whom came the Ethiopians.” Some translations of Jer. 13:23 state it thusly: “Can the Cushite change his skin, or the leopard his spots?”

Semiramus is said to have been a very beautiful but very depraved woman; and it is to her that much of the extravagant and licentious character of the heathen reli­gions has been ascribed. The special religious festivals of the Romans, the Greeks, the Assyrians, etc., were simply occasions to “eat, drink and be merry”; and the wine and sexual extremes to be found in all of them. In Canaan, for instance, male and female prostitutes were available in the religious temples; and the price for that service was cast into a coffer at the door of the temple as the visitor departed. The names varied in different countries; but the modus operandi was almost identical wher­ever it can be traced. In Egypt it was Osis and Osiris; with the Sidonians, Phoeni­cians and Canaanites it was Baal and Astarte, or Ashtoreth; in South Arabic it was Athtar and Athtart; in the Amarna letters it was Ashtartu. In Rome it was Venus, who is closely identified with the Greek Aphrodite, from which latter name is derived our English word aphrodisiac. Solomon is strictly condemned for his involvement with such characters: “Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and af­ter Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.” (1 Kgs. 11:5)

The dissolute segment of the human race, under the leadership of Nimrod and Semi­ramus, carried their debauchery to such extremes that the respectable element of so­ciety condemned Nimrod to death, cut his body into fourteen pieces, and distributed the pieces to various sections of the country as a warning to others who might be sim­ilarly inclined. However, Semiramus would not meekly accede to this action. She was not only beautiful and depraved, but she was also very ambitious and resourceful. Tra­dition has it that she invented the torture stake, which was a pointed stick often used in the execution of criminals by thrusting through the chest or driven longitudinally through the back or privy parts of the body and coming out of the mouth.

Being acutely aware of the mood of those who had executed her husband Nimrod, she knew she dared not openly carry on where he had left off. Thus, she contacted such of his adherents as were amenable; and had them meet in secret. At these conclaves they were given binding oaths of silence; were then anointed with “magical ointments” and given exciting drinks, which introduced into their bodily systems such drugs as tended to arouse their imaginations – to prepare them for the visions and revelations that were about to be made to them. One writer puts it this way: “Strange and amaz­ing objects presented themselves. Sometimes the place in which they were seemed to shake around them; sometimes it appeared bright and resplendent with light and radiant fire, and then again covered with black darkness; sometimes thunder and lightning, or fearful noises and bellowings, or terrible apparitions astonished the trembling specta­tors.” Then finally the great hidden god was revealed to them to calm them and to call forth their admiration and blind affections.

In this way Nimrod became the “father of the gods,” known as the first of the “deified mortals.” As such he was worshipped under the titles of Kronos and Saturn, the latter being the god of Mysteries, the name itself signifying “the Hidden one.” He was revealed to the initiated, but hidden to all others. In Greece and Rome Nim­rod carried the name of Bacchus or Dionysus; and in Rome the bacchanalian feasts were notorious for their frenzied singing, dancing and revelry – often with extreme sex orgies added. Leopards were used to draw the car of Bacchus; and he himself was rep­resented as clothed in a leopard’s skin, as were also his priests. Herodotus, the father of history, says Osiris and Bacchus are one and the same; their rites also were almost identical.

Not being content with the legerdemain described above, Semiramus eventually not only had the executed Nimrod raised as an invisible spirit being, but he had taken up his abode in the sun, whence he is now said to be overruling in the affairs of men. Zoroaster was the sun god, the champion of goodness and light; and his worship was the state religion of Persia before they embraced Mohammedanism.

So flourishing had this mysticism become under the instigation of Semiramus, that, when she event­ually died, the myth was circulated by her devotees that she too was now an invisible spirit being, living in the moon – whence she ruled the world by night, just as Nimrod ruled it by day. It will be noted that the contour of a woman’s face is to some very clearly visible in the moon, when the moon is nearly full. In Isa. 47:13 the Prophet offers sharp criticism of such idiocy: “Let them take their stand, I pray thee, that they may save thee – the dividers of the heavens, the gazers at the stars, they who make known by new moons, somewhat of the things which shall come upon thee. Lo! they have become as straw – a fire hath burned them up, They shall not deliver their own soul from the grasp of the flame.” (Rotherham)

As the sun is the Lord of the day, so Semiramus is styled “the Queen of Heaven”; and this teaching had made considerable impression upon the Jews shortly before they were carried away into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar for their seventy years’ captivity ­“until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.” (2 Chron. 36:21) In Jer. 44:17,18, 19, 25, Semiramus is directly described as “The Queen of Heaven,” to whom the Jews “burned incense, and poured out drink offerings.”

The Chaldean name for Nimrod, the son of Semiramus, was Zero-ashta – from zero’ “the seed, “ and ashta, “the woman.” However, the word Ashta also means “the fire”; therefore, Nimrod becomes Zeroastes, or Zoroaster, the name of the head of the fire worshipers. The voice of antiquity is clear and distinct that the first and great Zoroaster was an Assyrian or Chaldean, the founder of the idolatrous system of Babylon; therefore, Nimrod. Nimrod was the first Babylonian king; hence the title Molech pri­marily applies to him, because Molech means ‘king.’ This makes clear why the Scrip­tures indicate Molech (or Moloch) to be the terrible god of fire, the earthly represent­ative of Baal, the sun-god.

That this idolatry was already firmly established in the nations of Canaan when the Jews were leaving Egypt is clearly set forth in Deut. 12:31: “Even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.” And in Deut. 18:10 the Jews were emphatically commanded: “There shall not be found among you any one that mak­eth his son or his daughter to pass through the fire.” But Jer. 32:35 (written some 900 years later) tells us that the Jews had fully forgotten this commandment: “They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind that they should do this abomination.”

This is Part One of a series of installments of The Three Worlds, which we trust will prove profitable to our readers to better acquaint them with the sins, evils and corruption of “the world that was” and this “present evil world” (Gal. 1:4), as well as enable us to appreciate the “world to come” wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Pet. 3:13)

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.... For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” (Psa. 95:1,7)

Sincerely your brother, John J. Hoefle, Pilgrim

(Reprint No. 243, September 1975)

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LETTER OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Mrs. Hoefle: Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ from Jerusalem!

Just received your publication No. 398, “To The Jew First,” and read every word with great interest. The article did a fantastic job in exposing Anglo‑Israelism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses in their stand against the true Jews in Israel. This issue will certainly be filed for further reference.

We know the days are short before His coming as we look at the situation here in Israel. The enemies of Israel are being called “men of peace,” while Israel is being portrayed as the “man of war.” The Prophet Zechariah tells us of the day “all nations will come against Jerusalem and Judah,” and this day is surely around the corner. Once again, it appears the Church who has persecuted the Jews and failed in their work throughout the last 2,000 years, is ready to do it again, as they Join the world system against Israel. Just watch and you will see it happen.

We appreciate your support and prayers for our ministry work here. Truly the Laborers are few, so we must all stand together to accomplish His Will.

Shalom in His Name from Jerusalem, ------- (JERUSALEM)

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