There is a backward theology practiced in some Christian circles that claims nations are bound by the laws of Moses and that they need to fulfill the edicts of the covenant. If they don’t hold to these edicts then all the people will be punished by the Elohim. This is not true. There was only one nation called to this covenant and that was Israel, but Israel fell. We know that we are saved from and spared from the wrath to come, but some people mistakenly believe that the Elohim looks down on us with a big paddle and is ready to hit each nation as they stray from his ways. This is not true either. Satanas is the ruler of nations, the prince of this world. Israel was the only nation that had a national covenant with Yahweh Elohim. The United States of America is not Israel. The USA was not founded on the laws of Moses. Although some ideas have been adopted into our laws and society, Yahweh Elohim did not make a covenant with our founding fathers, nor the original Americans before us. I recently heard someone claim that the Elohim was going to punish America if we didn’t do something or other. This is not the case. Satanas is the god of this world and he is the one who brings death and destruction to nations. As statistics show, seventy five percent of the population of the USA claims to be Christian. Is Yahweh really going to “punish” seventy five percent of the people because twenty five percent of the people are sinful? Stupid! The Lord knows how to rescue the godly and keep the unjust for the day of judgment. While the righteous are on the earth, they will not be punished collectively with the unrighteous as a nation. Today, and unlike Israel, when nations fall it is due to the people choosing the way that they wish to live, rather than because of Yahweh’s punishment. Instead of choosing the best for themselves they choose what is evil.
What happened in Judah before the nation went into captivity in Babylon? What can we learn from their mistakes? We can learn a lot. When the majority of the people strayed from serving Yahweh to not serving Yahweh, the nation was taken captive. Israel was used for Yahweh’s purpose to educate the nations about Yahweh due to the faithfulness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as time went on, people fell away from Yahweh and lived without him. After Solomon’s death the nation split into north and south kingdoms. Some kings were good and some kings were not. Yahweh gave them kings because the people wanted a king like the other heathen nations. Towards the end of Judah’s existence they had two kings who were owned by other nations. Technically the kings in Judah were no longer kings but governors for other nations, or vassals. How did that happen? The kings surrendered to the opposing nations and did not fight back. Why? Because those kings at the end of Judah’s existence were given the promise of riches. The people were burdened with taxes and were enslaved but the kings lived well under Egypt and Babylon’s authority.
We are not bound by the Mosaic covenant. There is no temple. If this were the case then everyone would die in their sins because no one can make a sin offering in the temple. Jesus changed the dynamic for all nations. Jesus taught disciples who taught the world, so that now all people regardless of the geographic location they live in can be saved. The Elohim does not judge nations today. The Elohim does not punish nations today. In every nation there are people who fear the Elohim, labor in righteousness, and are approved by Him. However we can learn from Judah’s mistakes, as today we actually do appoint our own leaders in most nations.
When Israel became a nation they told Yahweh that they would abide by His ways. We know it did not take long for them to then make a golden calf and worship it instead of Yahweh.
Exo 19:3 And Moses went up to the mount of God, and God called him out of the mountain, saying, These things shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and thou shalt report them to the children of Israel.
Exo 19:4 Ye have seen all that I have done to the Egyptians, and I took you up as upon eagles' wings, and I brought you near to myself.
Exo 19:5 And now if ye will indeed hear my voice, and keep my covenant, ye shall be to me a peculiar people above all nations; for the whole earth is mine.
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be to me a royal priesthood and a holy nation: these words shalt thou speak to the children of Israel.
Exo 19:7 And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he set before them all these words, which God appointed them.
Exo 19:8 And all the people answered with one accord, and said, All things that God has spoken, we will do and hearken to: and Moses reported these words to God.
If they would adhere to Yahweh’s voice and keep His covenant they would be preserved, (peculiar) above all the nations. They initially agreed, but over time they forgot their oath. Moses reiterates this to Israel
Deu 14:2 (Brenton) For thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God, and the Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a peculiar people to himself of all the nations on the face of the earth.
David reminds us that a nation which chooses Yahweh Elohim is blessed.
Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
When continents were being explored during the 1300’s through the 1500’s the intent by some explorers and their sponsor country was to establish new found territories as Christian nations with a national identity in service to Yahweh Elohim. The explorers to the Americas brought Christianity to the continent and the nations of the Americas became Christian nations, the United States in particular. The United States of America was thought of as the kingdom of God. However religious freedom was the intent of the founding fathers. This is why there is no national religion in the United States. Even though there isn’t one religion, there are many religions abiding in the United States. Is there a majority of Christians in the United States? Yes.
We might look at Israel and point our fingers at them for their failures but truly we should not. We have a greater burden because we choose our leaders. They did not. We choose who is going to run our nation. Sometimes we choose unwisely because we think that people who reject Yahweh Elohim will be less burdensome to live under, when in reality, those who reject Yahweh Elohim only want to put burdens on the people so that they can elevate themselves. Jesus explained that whoever wants to be great in the kingdom of God must be a servant of all. Yet this is the opposite of leaders who reject Jesus Christ. If we are foolish enough to choose leaders who think the masses, the laity, are dirty, dumb, and of a lower class then they are, then we will get what we deserve. Let’s look at Judah.
Learning the past is for our benefit. We can have hope. What is a coup d` état and how does that affect us today? We have many enemies that would like to over take the free world, and what is happening today is similar to Judah’s last years. Let’s explore.
2Ki 23:29 (Brenton) And in his days went up Pharao Nechao king of Egypt against the king of the Assyrians to the river Euphrates: and Josias went out to meet him: and Nechao slew him in Mageddo when he saw him.
Josiah the king, who cleaned up Judah and reinstated the passover, was killed. The Lord did not turn his wrath away from Judah because of Manasseh’s sin. This tells us that there were still people practicing the occultic worship which Manasseh had brought into Israel. Even though Manasseh repented, many people did not.
This is the point in the story where we pause to reflect on Josiah. Josiah took fourteen years to clean up Judah. He was making an effort to hold a passover and turn people’s hearts back to Yahweh. Yet while the people went through the motions they did not change their heart. Josiah gave Judah its last chance to come back to Yahweh Elohim. This was the last “revival” in Judah so to speak. Josiah was killed in battle not because he was doing something wrong or was being punished. Josiah was killed because his time was up, the people chose how they would live, separated from Yahweh. Josiah could have held yearly passovers, but the people were not with him. At this point in Judah’s existence if the people had turned their hearts to Yahweh Elohim then we should have seen it flourish, grow, and be blessed above all other nations. Sadly Judah continued to decay.
2Ki 23:31 (Brenton) Twenty and three years old was Joachaz when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobna.
2Ki 23:32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers did.
2Ki 23:33 And Pharao Nechao removed him to Rablaam in the land of Emath, so that he should not reign in Jerusalem; and imposed a tribute on the land, a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred talents of gold.
Jehoahaz/Joachaz begins to reign, but Pharaoh Nechoh/Nechao removes him. Nechoh had technically become a ruler over Judah. This is called a coup d`état. The Egyptian government assumed power over Judah without a war or a battle. Josiah was killed and Nechoh controlled Joachaz. Judah didn’t fight or rebel. Nechoh imposed a tribute or a tax which all the people paid. This starts to sound very similar to what we will likely see in our time. Someone in another country wants to rule over us, imposing taxes that we have to pay. It almost sounds like something called “The Paris Accord”, or “The Green New Deal”.
A few years ago someone essentially paid $150 billion in cash to an enemy government. This is a tax as it is taxpayer money. There was an additional $180 billion in hush money paid out from accounts that belonged to the people of the United States. Central Bankers also impose taxes on the people who are paying back the loans of the government. Recently someone made a proposal for all people working from home to pay a $10 per day tax. Another proposal was that remote workers pay 5% of their annual salary. We are forced to stay home and work but now we are going to be punished for it. How can someone who is unelected decide to tax citizens of the United States? Who is in charge here?
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2020/01/hezekiahs-pallets-of-cash-sennacheribs.html
As this original blog was written three years ago we can see that not much has changed. Who is in charge? Does anyone know? Is it a former president sitting in a basement, calling the shots through an ear piece, or is it some rich elite from the Global Money Club making decisions about how the United States functions? Or is it both? Whoever it is, it is not Yahweh Jesus Messiah. It is interesting that in Judah, Pharao Nechao decided who should be king. If Joachaz had served Yahweh and Yahweh’s people he would have continued to be king. Was it because he was young or because he was evil that he rejected Yahweh Elohim, the national God of Israel?
Nechoh then goes on to change out the government, making Joakim/Jehoiakim king of Judah.
2Ki 23:34 (Brenton) And Pharao Nechao made Eliakim son of Josias king of Juda king over them in the place of his father Josias, and he changed his name to Joakim, and he took Joachaz and brought him to Egypt, and he died there.
2Ki 23:35 And Joakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharao; but he assessed the land to give the money at the command of Pharao: they gave the silver and the gold each man according to his assessment together with the people of the land to give to Pharao Nechao.
Imagine what was happening among the people of Judah. Josiah had tried to clean up their spiritual idolatry, even having a passover, but there still must have been many people “double dipping” or practicing service to other gods as well as Yahweh. Yahweh honored Josiah, but his sons were evil.
Pharao Nechao found a more suitable king for himself. What were the people doing? Did they think that allowing Pharao Nechao to run their nation was a good idea? Did they want Pharao Nechao to impose taxes on them? Joakim gave Pharao Nechao silver and gold but Pharao Nechao decided he would do an assessment of the land and people. He then determined he wanted more tax money. We know what was happening because it happens today. Our tax money is enriching elites in other nations, not the people in need, instead people who are controlling the vassals in our country. We elected leaders who are vassals. They give all our money to other nations, making our nation poorer all while making the elites rich. This is truly a redistribution of money, but not in the way that people want. The phony elites claim we need to take money from the rich to give to the poor; very “Robin Hood-esque”. Then they take the money from the poor and give it to the rich, all the while claiming they are doing the opposite. When people give aid to other countries the poor never see any money, the rich steal it all for themselves. Joakim was the second vassal over Judah.
2Ki 23:36 (Brenton) Twenty-five years old was Joakim when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jeldaph, daughter of Phadail of Ruma.
2Ki 23:37 And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
Nechoh put Joakim/Jehoiakim in charge. How is it that Judah was not fighting against this? Judah lost her ability to govern herself. This was a soft coup or a silent coup. Instead of fighting with all the people, Nechoh killed two kings. Did Nechoh have a legal right to do this? Where was the army? The people didn’t even respond. Joakim was a vassal, a governor instead of a king, and he then collected money from the people for Nechoh.
Chronicles describes this time as well. Jehoiakim/Joakim reigned but he wasn’t really in charge, Necho was in charge. That seems bad enough but Jehoiakim was also evil.
2Ch 36:4 (Brenton) And Pharao Nechao made Eliakim the son of Josias king over Juda in the room of his father Josias, and changed his name to Joakim. And Pharao Nechao took his brother Joachaz and brought him into Egypt, and he died there: but he had given the silver and gold to Pharao. At that time the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharao; and every one as he could borrowed the silver and the gold of the people of the land, to give to Pharao Nechao.
2Ch 36:5 Joachim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zechora, daughter of Nerias of Rama. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers did. In his days came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon into the land, and he served him three years, and then revolted from him. And the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and plundering parties of Syrians, and plundering parties of the Moabites, and of the children of Ammon, and of Samaria; but after this they departed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of his servants the prophets. Nevertheless the wrath of the Lord was upon Juda, so that they should be removed from his presence, because of the sins of Manasses in all that he did, and for the innocent blood which Joakim shed, for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; yet the Lord would not utterly destroy them.
“Shedding innocent blood” encompasses many things. It can be a combination of abortions, sacrifices to Moloch and Baal, pedophilia, sending people into a battle they will not win, unjust judgments against the innocent, or simply murdering people who oppose Joakim. It also may have encompassed many people shedding innocent blood, not just Joakim. “Innocent” means the people were guileless, which also tells us that they could have been Zadok/Zedek priests like Jeremiah. Remember, it was Joakim who burned the prophecies of Yahweh from Jeremiah. What is even more evil, as the people were paying taxes to Nechoh, Joakim was building himself palaces and several homes with forced labor of the Israelites. So not only were the people paying Nechoh, they were forced to build and pay for several palaces for the fake king.
The Zadok/Zedek priests ministered alongside the Levites, but were not Levites, they were from the order of Melchizedek (Shem). They had resided in Jebus when David merged them with the tabernacle service, and later Solomon’s temple. The vessels, the items used in ministering to Yahweh, were taken to Babylon.
Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 22 that Joakim/Jehoiakim was building himself palaces and houses, skimming some money off the top of the taxes paid to Pharao Nechao to cushion his own lifestyle. Why didn’t the people of Judah rise up against Joakim? Pharao Nechao was eventually overthrown and our next overlord for Judah was Nebuchadnezzar. Joakim remained a vassal for three years then rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
2Ch 36:6 (KJV) Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
2Ch 36:7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
2Ch 36:8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
Joakim/Jehoiakim became a vassal to Nabuchodonosor/Nebuchadnezzar. He was a governor instead of a king. He was an administrator. This was a coup, a soft coup once again. The first two worked pretty well so why wouldn’t Nabuchodonosor do the same? This is the time when Daniel was also taken captive to Babylon.
Dan 1:1 (Brenton) In the third year of the reign of Joakim king of Juda, came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and besieged it.
Dan 1:2 And the Lord gave into his hand Joakim king of Juda, and part of the vessels of the house of God: and he brought them into the land of Sennaar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.
Dan 1:3 And the king told Asphanez his chief eunuch, to bring in some of the captive children of Israel, and of the seed of the kingdom, and of the princes;
Dan 1:4 young men in whom was no blemish, and beautiful in appearance, and skilled in all wisdom, and possessing knowledge, and acquainted with prudence, and who had ability to stand in the house before the king, and the king gave commandment to teach them the learning and language of the Chaldeans.
Nabuchodonosor took Joakim’s household to Babylon. Joakim had no power over anyone, yet we see that he rebelled against Nabuchodonosor. Is it possible that the people were willing to submit to Nabuchodonosor just as long as they were left alone? Is it possible they were lukewarm regarding the kidnapping of Daniel and the rest of the young men of Joakim’s household.
2Ki 24:1 (Brenton) In his days went up Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and Joakim became his servant three years; and then he turned and revolted from him.
After three years Joakim rebelled against Nabuchodonosor. In total he was a king for eleven years. Jeremiah brought the word of Yahweh to him but he rejected it.
Jer 1:1 (Brenton) The word of God which came to Jeremias the son of Chelcias, of the priests, who dwelt in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer 1:2 accordingly as the word of God came to him in the days of Josias son of Amos king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
Jer 1:3 And it was in the days of Joakim, son of Josias king of Juda, until the eleventh year of Sedekias king of Juda, even until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
After eleven years Joakim was kidnapped by Nabuchodonosor. He was imprisoned and eventually killed. No one mourned his death.
During this whole time of Joakim living the high life, Jeremiah was telling the people what was going to happen, that they would go into captivity. However the false prophets rose up and claimed that Judah would overcome Babylon. Jeremiah kept telling the people that the pseudo prophets were wrong but no one would listen. The people liked the good news and happy words that they heard from the false prophets. Today we do the same, we close our ears to the true prophets. We would rather hear positive messages than the truth. This works to our demise. We have to understand that we can be taken captive as Judah was and we will lose our nation because we have vassals who sold us out.
If we remember, Ezekiel told us how Yahweh saved the people who’s hearts were for Yahweh. Yahweh sent angels to mark the people who mourned for the temple, those were the people taken alive into Babylon. Those who were not marked were killed. This is unfortunate but it was the only way that the one nation who’s national God was Yahweh Elohim could separate the righteous from the unrighteous. The righteous were spared and taken to Babylon in three phases. There were three captivities until Judah was left desolate. Yahweh can still send angels to mark those who mourn for the church.
Jeremiah was a prophet from the time of Josiah to the captivity of the southern kingdom. This is what Yahweh told Jeremiah:
Jer 1:10 Behold, I have appointed thee this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to rebuild, and to plant.
Yahweh called Jeremiah to speak to nations. Notice the “rooting out and pulling down of nations” because of the power of Jeremiah’s words from Yahweh. There will also be rebuilding and planting. Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be in captivity seventy years and then they would return.
While Joakim was building palaces and collecting taxes for Nechoh and Nebuchadnezzar/Nabuchodonosor, Yahweh said this:
Jer 25:1 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS concerning all the people of Juda in the fourth year of Joakim, son of Josias, king of Juda;
Jer 25:2 which he spoke to all the people of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,
Jer 25:3 In the thirteenth year of Josias, son of Amos, king of Juda, even until this day for three and twenty years, I have both spoken to you, rising early and speaking,
Jer 25:4 and I sent to you my servants the prophets, sending them early; (but ye hearkened not, and listened not with your ears;) saying,
Jer 25:5 Turn ye every one from his evil way, and from your evil practices, and ye shall dwell in the land which I gave to you and your fathers, of old and for ever.
Jer 25:6 Go ye not after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them, that ye provoke me not by the works of your hands, to do you hurt.
Jer 25:7 But ye hearkened not to me.
Jer 25:8 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Since ye believed not my words,
Jer 25:9 behold I will send and take a family from the north, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants of it, and against all the nations round about it, and I will make them utterly waste, and make them a desolation, and a hissing, and an everlasting reproach.
Jer 25:10 And I will destroy from among them the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the scent of ointment, and the light of a candle.
Jer 25:11 And all the land shall be a desolation; and they shall serve among the Gentiles seventy years.
Jer 25:12 And when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will take vengeance on that nation, and will make them a perpetual desolation.
Jer 25:13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have spoken against it, even all things that are written in this book.
The captivity was prophesied by Jeremiah. In fact, Daniel prepared the people when the seventy years were fulfilled. These soft coups, where other countries rule by way of compromised leadership are still used today. If a country can control another country without starting a war, why wouldn’t they? We have similar situations in the United States as well. Communism is always trying to overtake the free world. The globalists are always trying to de-populate. The dominant rulers are always trying to elevate themselves while holding down the masses. But in our time this problem goes deeper.
While Judaism is/was a law and religion, meaning the people were under the law to practice religious service. If they didn’t adhere to religious service, they were breaking the law. In our day Christianity is separate from government mandate. No one has enacted a law to make us go to church. If our government is good or evil it is a separate issue from a Christian mandate. The problem we have is that churches have freedom to choose what they will teach. While that sounds nice, in the course of the ages we find that we are in the time period where Jesus isn’t in the church. Jesus told us that this would be the case and he told us why.
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2020/11/jesus-is-outside-installing-vassal-coup.html
The nations today are not judged as a whole as Israel and Judah were. There are no nations where Yahweh Elohim is the national Elohim. Even Israel today has many different religions and sects in the land. There are no nations that worship Yahweh Elohim in the prescribed way given to Moses. There is no temple. There is no temple service. Israel is no longer the nation that instructs and teaches about Yahweh Elohim because they rejected Yahweh Jesus Messiah. However Yahweh had a plan. It started small with Jesus’ disciples, then the knowledge of the Messiah spread. Peter understood it.
Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
In every nation there are people that fear and work righteousness and are accepted. We readily repeat the second half of verse 34, but forget verse 35. Accepted or acceptable, dektos, to the Elohim means “approved”. There are people in every nation who fear the Elohim and practice righteousness or labor in justice and they are approved. In this one statement alone we understand that the Elohim is not judging nations, as a whole, he is judging people individually. The Elohim is not punishing nations because the nations were not given the orders and practices of the laws of Moses.
There is not any other nation on the face of this earth that was given the injunctions that Moses gave to Israel. The Elohim is not holding the standard of Israel up to the other nations and bringing good or bad to that nation. This is a false teaching. The people within the nations are determining the condition of the nations. If the people can vote for their leaders then they may be choosing good leaders or bad leaders. They may be tricked into choosing vassals. Jesus Christ changed the dynamic from one nation with a national service to the Elohim to many people within many nations in personal service to the Elohim. Again, there is no temple, and Jesus knew that the physical temple would be destroyed and then rebuilt two thousand years later at the time of the tribulation. Everyone who accepts Jesus as Yahweh and Messiah, who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that Jesus rose up on the third day is saved, regardless of the nation they live in. Peter says that this family is a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for procurement.
1 Peter 2:9 G1473 But you G1161 G1085 [2race G1588 1 are a chosen], G934 a royal G2406 priesthood, G1484 [2nation G39 1a holy], G2992 a people G1519 for G4047 procurement; G3704 so that G3588 [2the G703 3virtues G1804 1you should publish] G3588 of the one G1537 [2from out of G4655 3darkness G1473 1calling you] G2564 G1519 into G3588 G2298 his wonderful G1473 G5457 light.
“You but family selected kingly priesthood ethnos holy laity into acquisition in order that the moral excellence announce the from out of darkness you summoned into the his wondrous radiance.”
The word generation is the word genos meaning “kin, family, or offspring". Procurement is the word peripoiēsis, meaning “acquisition or preservation”. The family is selected as a kingly priesthood and a holy ethnic group who are acquired to announce moral excellence, summoned from out of darkness into wonderful radiance. We do not walk together as a nation, with a national leader, bound by our ruling politicians. We walk together by our selection into the family to announce moral excellence. We came out of darkness and we individually, from every nation worldwide, show His wondrous light. This is what Israel was supposed to do.
We are selected into the family of kings and priests. We are the holy nation preserved for redemption. It does not matter what continent or nation we live in on the earth. We can live in a nation with a majority of people who hate Yahweh Elohim, including the kings and priests, but we can still love and serve Him individually. Yahweh Elohim is not punishing nations today, because the righteous are living in all nations. Once the righteous are called up, the entire world population will be in turmoil and tribulation. We will always have corrupt kings and priests. We will have vassals and politicians who sell the laity out to the highest bidder. We are not judged by the evil people who are our overlords on the earth, instead we are approved and accepted because we fear him and practice righteousness, and in this the Elohim does not discriminate. We announce moral excellence, summoned out of darkness into light. Yahweh is no respecter of persons.
