People have demons. Yes, people have demons. Once we understand that people have demons then we can start to understand why people behave the way they do. Politicians have demons. Church leaders have demons. Tribal leaders have demons. Regular citizens have demons. This is why the world is crazy. Once we recognize that all people have demons we can look at every situation that we are in differently. We should be asking ourselves, what are the demons attempting to do and how are they attempting to manipulate people and circumstances to achieve their end? Is their plan to simply cause chaos or something else? We have become a “video” society, whether it is television, social media clips, or podcasts, we watch others for entertainment or truth, but we do not research these matters ourselves to understand truth. Oddly, the biggest contention to researching the Bible comes from church leaders who say “what’s the point?” The biggest point to researching the Bible is growing in our faith so that we are not thrown around with every bit of nonsense and we see our world and our Elohim clearly. When Christians mature and see the world clearly then we can make the changes necessary to instruct the world in the unity of faith, which we don’t always have. We are not born into the world as puppets, we are free will beings. But we are perhaps uninstructed, uneducated, and inferior to the schemes of demons. People have demons. Paul helps us here.
Ephesians 4:11 G2532 And G1473 he G1325 gave G3588 some indeed for G3303 G652 apostles, G3588 G1161 and some G4396 prophets, G3588 G1161 and some G2099 evangelists; G3588 G1161 but some G4166 shepherds G2532 and G1320 teachers,
12 G4314 for G3588 the G2677 readying G3588 of the G39 holy ones G1519 for G2041 a work G1248 of service, G1519 for G3619 edification G3588 of the G4983 body G3588 of the G5547 Christ;
13 G3360 until G2658 we should [2arrive G3588 G3956 1all] G1519 in G3588 the G1775 unity G3588 of the G4102 belief, G2532 and G3588 of the G1922 full knowledge G3588 of the G5207 son G3588 G2316 of God, G1519 in G435 [2man G5046 1a perfect], G1519 in G3358 the measure G2244 of the stature G3588 of the G4138 fullness G3588 of the G5547 Christ;
We have ministries in the body of Christ for the preparation of the saints so that the saints can work in service to others and so that we all can come into unity of faith and the precise and correct knowledge of the Elohim. This is why we research and we read and study. If we depend on our church leaders for this we end up with more division, just as we have today. We have to utilize all the ministries in the Body of Christ not only the pastoral ministries. This makes leaders uncomfortable. Why? Because people have demons.
Ephesians 4:14 G2443 that G3371 no longer G1510.3 should we be G3516 infants, G2831 being swelled G2532 and G4064 carried round about G3956 by every G417 wind G3588 of the G1319 instruction, G1722 in G3588 the G2940 cunning G3588 G444 of men, G1722 in G3834 cleverness G4314 to G3588 the G3180 craft G3588 of the G4106 delusion.
“In order that no longer should be immature Christians tossed by waves and transported hither and thither all empty doctrines the education in the dice playing the manfaced in trickery/sophistry/villainy towards the schemes/methods the error.”
The idea of infants, nēpios, is “non speaking babies or immature Christians”. How is it that immature Christians can be carried out to sea in waves? Can’t they turn around and swim to shore? Not if they don’t know how to swim. The church is easily deceived with empty doctrines. They are educated in the fraud or sleight of of men. One strange idea that roams the church is that the Elohim is a puppeteer and we are the marionette. People say wistfully “God is doing something” or “God is doing a new thing”, but no one knows what that might be, so it is just a hopeful dream because we are too lowly to know. The Elohim is not a puppeteer. He expects us to move on the earth, he is not pulling our strings, or creating situations for us. The trick or the sleight of hand is to put the Elohim in the position of looking down on us as if we are an ant farm and he collapses our tunnels from time to time to teach us something. This is incorrect doctrine that we have been educated in. Who taught us this false idea? Men with demons. They use trickery, or false philosophical arguments to lead us toward methods of error.
A method of error is a way of doing something based on a false premise. Just as we have recently looked at the uncommunicable name of the Elohim, YHWH, someone made a superstition and actually changed the text of the logos of God. Just as the Masoretes tried to erase Jesus as Messiah by altering the text of Isaiah 61, and eliminating the “recovery of sight to the blind”. Another method of error is the idea that God is punishing whoever; nations, people, tribes, churches, etc. The Elohim doesn’t punish nations, nations steeped in sin allow the god of this world to enter in. The Elohim delivers his righteous out of those situations. Another method of error is not knowing that angels sinned, allowing for the worship or admiration of angels. Certainly the biggest method of error is not realizing that people have demons.
In this apocryphal chapter of Daniel 13, the story of Susanna is interesting. We see people with demons attempting to entrap Susanna, but oddly the entire assembly of people blindly believe the accusers with demons. Let’s explore.
Dan 13:1 There dwelt a man in Babylon, called Joacim:
Dan 13:2 And he took a wife, whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, a very fair woman, and one that feared the Lord.
Dan 13:3 Her parents also were righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of Moses.
One of our methods of error and doctrines of trickery is that if someone is holy enough they won’t be attacked by the enemy. Another parallel method of error and doctrine of trickery is that someone who is attacked by the enemy must have secret sins. Neither of these ideas are always true. It could be the case but it is not always the case.
Dan 13:4 Now Joacim was a great rich man, and had a fair garden joining unto his house: and to him resorted the Jews; because he was more honourable than all others.
Dan 13:5 The same year were appointed two of the ancients of the people to be judges, such as the Lord spake of, that wickedness came from Babylon from ancient judges, who seemed to govern the people.
Dan 13:6 These kept much at Joacim's house: and all that had any suits in law came unto them.
Babylon had governors in all their regions. At this time Daniel was a younger man and while he does become a governor at some point he was not one yet. When the Jews were all taken captive they were not integrated into the nation, they were isolated in certain cities, one being Nippur. This allowed for the Jews to have some of their own governance according to the Mosaic Law but without usurping Babylonian law. There are two wicked old men appointed to be judges. They worked out of Joacim’s house as a government building.
Dan 13:7 Now when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went into her husband's garden to walk.
Dan 13:8 And the two elders saw her going in every day, and walking; so that their lust was inflamed toward her.
The elders have demons. They watch, they wait, they imagine, they lust.
Dan 13:9 And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments.
Dan 13:10 And albeit they both were wounded with her love, yet durst not one shew another his grief.
Dan 13:11 For they were ashamed to declare their lust, that they desired to have to do with her.
Dan 13:12 Yet they watched diligently from day to day to see her.
Dan 13:13 And the one said to the other, Let us now go home: for it is dinner time.
These old men did not lead every thought captive to the obedience of the law and they turned away from Yahweh in their heart. They watched, they imagined, they are led by demons.
Dan 13:14 So when they were gone out, they parted the one from the other, and turning back again they came to the same place; and after that they had asked one another the cause, they acknowledged their lust: then appointed they a time both together, when they might find her alone.
Ooops, they caught each other. Each wanted to rape her. They are peeping toms. Perverts. These men have demons.
Dan 13:15 And it fell out, as they watched a fit time, she went in as before with two maids only, and she was desirous to wash herself in the garden: for it was hot.
Dan 13:16 And there was no body there save the two elders, that had hid themselves, and watched her.
Dan 13:17 Then she said to her maids, Bring me oil and washing balls, and shut the garden doors, that I may wash me.
Dan 13:18 And they did as she bade them, and shut the garden doors, and went out themselves at privy doors to fetch the things that she had commanded them: but they saw not the elders, because they were hid.
Dan 13:19 Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders rose up, and ran unto her, saying,
Dan 13:20 Behold, the garden doors are shut, that no man can see us, and we are in love with thee; therefore consent unto us, and lie with us.
Dan 13:21 If thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee: and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee.
They both wanted to rape her. They demanded she consent to sleep with both of them. The old men would have come back every day to sleep with her if she consented. They told her they would make up a story about her if she didn’t. These old men have demons.
Dan 13:22 Then Susanna sighed, and said, I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death unto me: and if I do it not I cannot escape your hands.
Dan 13:23 It is better for me to fall into your hands, and not do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord.
Susanna said no. She thought it better not to sin against Yahweh. Why is she in this position? Because she was pretty? No because the old men have demons. She did not entice anyone. It was her house after all, they were the trespassing peeping toms.
Dan 13:24 With that Susanna cried with a loud voice: and the two elders cried out against her.
Dan 13:25 Then ran the one, and opened the garden door.
Dan 13:26 So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the garden, they rushed in at the privy door, to see what was done unto her.
Dan 13:27 But when the elders had declared their matter, the servants were greatly ashamed: for there was never such a report made of Susanna.
Susanna screams. The men act as if they were there to be the moral judges. The servants didn’t believe the report. But the old men are convincing, because they have demons.
Dan 13:28 And it came to pass the next day, when the people were assembled to her husband Joacim, the two elders came also full of mischievous imagination against Susanna to put her to death;
The old men want to put her to death for not sleeping with them. The old men know the truth and know that they are lying. But they continue with the lie because they have demons.
Dan 13:29 And said before the people, Send for Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, Joacim's wife. And so they sent.
Dan 13:30 So she came with her father and mother, her children, and all her kindred.
Dan 13:31 Now Susanna was a very delicate woman, and beauteous to behold.
Dan 13:32 And these wicked men commanded to uncover her face, (for she was covered) that they might be filled with her beauty.
Dan 13:33 Therefore her friends and all that saw her wept.
The old men wanted to see her face. It could have been the last time they would see her.
Dan 13:34 Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head.
Dan 13:35 And she weeping looked up toward heaven: for her heart trusted in the Lord.
They imposed their hands on her in judgment because they have demons.
Dan 13:36 And the elders said, As we walked in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the garden doors, and sent the maids away.
Dan 13:37 Then a young man, who there was hid, came unto her, and lay with her.
Dan 13:38 Then we that stood in a corner of the garden, seeing this wickedness, ran unto them.
Dan 13:39 And when we saw them together, the man we could not hold: for he was stronger than we, and opened the door, and leaped out.
Dan 13:40 But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: these things do we testify.
What can Susanna say against these accusers? It is quite a story, except for the fact that the servants didn’t see the men walking in the garden, and didn’t know anyone was there. The servants could testify that she wanted to bathe and wanted oil and washing balls, but no one seems to ask them any questions. Demons are running the kangaroo court.
Dan 13:41 Then the assembly believed them as those that were the elders and judges of the people: so they condemned her to death.
Dan 13:42 Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be:
Dan 13:43 Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me, and, behold, I must die; whereas I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me.
Dan 13:44 And the Lord heard her voice.
Yahweh heard her voice. Yahweh didn’t smite the elders. Yahweh didn’t make Susanna disappear from the crowd. Yahweh didn’t shine a light down on all of them and cast out the demons. Instead Yahweh expected someone else to act.
Dan 13:45 Therefore when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the holy spirit of a young youth whose name was Daniel:
Dan 13:46 Who cried with a loud voice, I am clear from the blood of this woman.
Although the Holy Spirit was stirred up in Daniel, no one forced him to act. He could have done nothing as we ourselves do so many times when the Holy Spirit is stirred up within us. Daniel’s declaration is like Pilate who said he washed his hands of Jesus’ blood. Daniel was not going to partake in this charade. But why were the people so eager to believe the two old men? Was it because of their status? Was it because they never thought anyone would lie? Was it because demons in the people of the assembly told them to believe the demons of the old men? It is similar to the crowd asking for Barabbas to be freed instead of Jesus. Why would the crowd want to crucify Jesus who healed the people from sickness, disease, and demons? Oh wait. People have demons.
Dan 13:47 Then all the people turned them toward him, and said, What mean these words that thou hast spoken?
Dan 13:48 So he standing in the midst of them said, Are ye such fools, ye sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth ye have condemned a daughter of Israel?
Dan 13:49 Return again to the place of judgment: for they have borne false witness against her.
They were all on the way to the gallows with Susanna in tow, when Daniel called the people fools. The Holy Spirit working through Daniel challenged the thinking of the people because the people were agreeing with the demons.
Today it doesn’t take much of a false accusation to condemn someone in the public’s opinion. People are too lazy to investigate and find it easier to watch a video and agree with demons. Sometimes it is a fancy accusatory speech and sometimes it is a fiery lie but the method of error we succumb to is to believe and agree with demons. We are infants. We Christians are no better than anyone else in the world. We believe the cunningly devised fables, the trickery and schemes of delusions and never think twice about it. Shame on us. People have demons.
Dan 13:50 Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said unto him, Come, sit down among us, and shew it us, seeing God hath given thee the honour of an elder.
God gave Daniel the honor of an elder. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzars dream and Nebuchadnezzar elevated Daniel and the young men Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah because of the Holy Spirit residing within them and because of their own courage to act upon the precepts of the Elohim. In other words, Daniel wasn’t sitting around waiting for the Elohim to pull his arm string, then his leg string, then his mouth in adding words, Daniel took up the issue and the Holy Spirit moved within him. Daniel acted, the Holy Spirit acted, to the point that Daniel was known as a wise man and put in charge of the wise men of Babylon.
Dan 13:51 Then said Daniel unto them, Put these two aside one far from another, and I will examine them.
Dan 13:52 So when they were put asunder one from another, he called one of them, and said unto him, O thou that art waxen old in wickedness, now thy sins which thou hast committed aforetime are come to light.
Dan 13:53 For thou hast pronounced false judgment and hast condemned the innocent and hast let the guilty go free; albeit the Lord saith, The innocent and righteous shalt thou not slay.
This first old man had a reputation of being wicked and sinful, and his sins were known and had come to light. This old man pronounced false judgments and condemned innocent people. This old man who was a judge who let the guilty go free. Why would a judge let the guilty go free? People have demons. Demons have a plan. People make agreements with demons. It would be to someone’s benefit if they later needed a “favor” to let the guilty go free. Judges are people and people have demons.
Dan 13:54 Now then, if thou hast seen her, tell me, Under what tree sawest thou them companying together? Who answered, Under a mastick tree.
Dan 13:55 And Daniel said, Very well; thou hast lied against thine own head; for even now the angel of God hath received the sentence of God to cut thee in two.
How does Daniel know he lied? The Holy Spirit knows all the lies that demons tell. It doesn’t take a lot of investigating. The power of the Holy Spirit, confronting those demons through Daniel, scared that old perverted judge. Maybe the old man had to think about it, maybe he stammered or stuttered or turned white. Who knows, but Daniel pronounces that the angel of the Elohim has received the sentence from the Elohim to cut him in two. Wow, is this the way to stop demons? Is this the way to make people control the demons residing in them? The demons will just move onto another human after this host is dead. The host human however doesn’t want to lose his life. This man should have known the Mosaic laws and should have remembered not to bear false witness or slay the innocent. Yet he was corrupt because he had demons.
The other old man, elder judge, was not a Hebrew but a Canaanite.
Dan 13:56 So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said unto him, O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thine heart.
Dan 13:57 Thus have ye dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear companied with you: but the daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness.
Now we see that this man raped the daughters of Israel, but the daughter of Judah refused. That is interesting. How does Daniel know this? The Holy Spirit knows all about this man and his demons.
Dan 13:58 Now therefore tell me, Under what tree didst thou take them companying together? Who answered, Under an holm tree.
Dan 13:59 Then said Daniel unto him, Well; thou hast also lied against thine own head: for the angel of God waiteth with the sword to cut thee in two, that he may destroy you.
Again, was it the way that the man answered Daniel or was it the Holy Spirit? Daniel tells the man that he lied and that the angel of God is waiting to cut him in two.
Dan 13:60 With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised God, who saveth them that trust in him.
Dan 13:61 And they arose against the two elders, for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth:
Dan 13:62 And according to the law of Moses they did unto them in such sort as they maliciously intended to do to their neighbour: and they put them to death. Thus the innocent blood was saved the same day.
The only way to stop demons from ruining a city is to put the host to death. Then people become fearful of being convicted of their sins and refrain from sinning. When the consequence is death, people tell their demons to shut up. When there is no consequence to deceitful behavior then demons run free. This is our societal problem, we have fallen into a method of error because we have not learned enough to understand the world, and are still like infants washed out to sea. This is why it is important to research the Bible. People have demons.
Dan 13:63 Therefore Chelcias and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, with Joacim her husband, and all the kindred, because there was no dishonesty found in her.
Dan 13:64 From that day forth was Daniel had in great reputation in the sight of the people.
Let’s look at this situation from thirty thousand feet. One old man, elder judge, was corrupt and the people knew it. They saw his persecution of the innocent and that he allowed the guilty to go free. Why didn’t the crowd question the motives of this man? Why didn’t the crowd, who were all aware of these unjust judgments, ask for proof? Why did the crowd believe him? Are we to believe that there were no righteous people in the assembly, or that there were no righteous people in Nippur except for Susanna, her mother, her father Chelcias, and Daniel? Only four righteous people in the whole town? There might be something else afoot here.
Susanna’s husband was rich and Joacim/Joakim was a high priest. We can learn more about this in the Book of Baruch.
Bar 1:1 And these are the words of the book, which Baruch the son of Nerias, the son of Maasias, the son of Sedecias, the son of Asadias, the son of Chelcias, wrote in Babylon,
Bar 1:2 In the fifth year, and in the seventh day of the month, what time as the Chaldeans took Jerusalem, and burnt it with fire.
Bar 1:3 And Baruch did read the words of this book in the hearing of Jechonias the son of Joachim king of Juda, and in the ears of all the people that came to hear the book,
Bar 1:4 And in the hearing of the nobles, and of the king's sons, and in the hearing of the elders, and of all the people, from the lowest unto the highest, even of all them that dwelt at Babylon by the river Sud.
Bar 1:5 Whereupon they wept, fasted, and prayed before the Lord.
Bar 1:6 They made also a collection of money according to every man's power:
Bar 1:7 And they sent it to Jerusalem unto Joachim the high priest, the son of Chelcias, son of Salom, and to the priests, and to all the people which were found with him at Jerusalem,
Joacim/Joakim/Joachim was part of the captivity and Baruch establishes this timing as to when Babylon took over Jerusalem. There is Joachim the king and Joachim the high priest, they are not one in the same. Joachim the high priest is the man who is married to Susanna. Baruch is a prophet and close friend of Jeremiah. He first states Chelcias/Helcias/Hilkiah is a distant grandfather to himself. There were a lot of people with this name. However we can see the Chelcias in this story of Susanna has to be someone who is alive during this period of time, the time when Judah is taken captive into Babylon. Joacim/Joakim/Joachim is a high priest. It also says that he is a son of Chelcias. This leads us to who Chelcias might be.
Chelcias:
3. The father of Susanna (Sus. 2, 29, 63). B.C. post 588. He was perhaps identical with the Hilkiah of Neh 12:7, or of Neh 8:4. Tradition, however (Hippol. in Susann. 1:689, ed. Migne), represents him as identical with the father of Jeremiah (Jer 1:1), and also with the priest who found the copy of the law in the time of Josiah (2Ki 22:8).
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature PREPARED BY THE REV JOHN MCCLINTOCK, D.D., AND JAMES STRONG, S.T.D.1895
So if Joacim is a high priest at the time of Baruch he is a son-in-law of Chelcias. Chelcias is Susanna’s father but he is also Jeremiah’s father. Chelcias was a priest of Anathoth, the tribe of Benjamin. He was not a “high priest” but of the priesthood of Anathoth, of the line of Abiathar, who Solomon deposed from the high priesthood. He was not the high priest who found the book of the law for Josiah, as Chelcias/Hilkiah was not a high priest and probably still living in Anathoth. This is the man that we are speaking of, not someone alive many generations ago or seventy years in the future.
Hilkiah:
5. The father of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 1:1). B.C. ante 628.
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature PREPARED BY THE REV JOHN MCCLINTOCK, D.D., AND JAMES STRONG, S.T.D.1895
If translators hadn’t changed the spelling of people’s names this would be easier to understand.
Chelcias/Helcias/Hilkiah is the man in Daniel chapter 13, a priest, who is righteous, who along with his wife, taught their daughter Susanna the law of Moses. What are we saying here? Jeremiah’s parents, sister, and brother-in-law all went into Babylon in captivity. They were a priestly family. They had a terrible false accusation brought against Jeremiah’s sister. Why would that be? Didn’t Jeremiah call out the false prophets as he himself attested to in his own Book of Jeremiah? Jeremiah was thrown into the dung pit because the false prophets and leaders were mad about what he prophesied (noted in blue).
Jer 45:1 (Brenton) And Saphanias the son of Nathan, and Godolias the son of Paschor, and Joachal the son of Semelias, heard the words which Jeremias spoke to the people, saying,
Jer 45:2 Thus saith the Lord; He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine: but he that goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; and his soul shall be given him for a found treasure, and he shall live.
Jer 45:3 For thus saith the Lord; This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the host of the king of Babylon, and they shall take it.
Jer 45:4 And they said to the king, Let that man, we pray thee, be slain, for he weakens the hands of the fighting men that are left in the city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them according to these words: for this man does not prophesy peace to this people, but evil.
Jer 45:5 Then the king said, Behold, he is in your hands. For the king could not resist them.
Jer 45:6 And they cast him into the dungeon of Melchias the king's son, which was in the court of the prison; and they let him down into the pit: and there was no water in the pit, but mire: and he was in the mire.
In other Bible versions this passage is Jeremiah 38. This is due to Masoretic alterations of the Book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah was correct, Judah and Jerusalem fell to Babylon. No one liked the truth and they tried to kill Jeremiah for speaking it. Now that Jeremiah’s family, father, mother, sister, and brother-in-law, were all in Babylon, they were able to become established in the region. Why then pick on the sister of the prophet who spoke the truth? Was this a coincidence or a targeted attack? Maybe both, but spiritually is it because Susanna was beautiful and righteous?
Didn’t angels sin? Peter tells us that they did. Isn’t the angels sin the reason for the flood? Moses tells us that it was. Aren’t demons the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim? Aren’t the Nephilim the heirs of the fallen angels? Moses tells us this as well. Now what are we to make of this? Just as angels lusted after human women demons probably lust after women as well. Enticing a male human host to rape a women is not that difficult, as we see that these men were already corrupt and burning with lust. People have demons, it is true.
Now to come back to our thirty thousand foot view of Susanna’s situation, we see that one corrupt elder judge was a Canaanite. What does this mean? The one old man was from a line of people mixed with fallen angel DNA. That surely is a problem. The man with the hybrid genes, the Canaanite, had had his way with other daughters of Israel, meaning he was going to sleep with whoever he wanted. His DNA makes him more susceptible to the demonic influence of rape.
The last group we should look at is the assembly. Why did the people all just go along with the accusation? Were they stupid? How could they start to take Susanna, the sister of Jeremiah the accurate prophet, to the gallows? Why would they behave like sheep? This was a priestly family. They knew the law said that an adulterous woman was to be put to death, as well as the adulterous man, but they didn’t even have an adulterous man in this situation. Are we to believe that this supposed lover of Susanna was like Samson and could throw off two men with his pants down, then escape from the garden without anyone noticing? Why wouldn’t the people want to find this guy and hear his story? Was it because she was the sister of the most accurate prophet of all time? Sometimes people think the words of the prophet are their own words, but in fact Yahweh gives us the words of the prophets to change our direction. The people behaved foolishly but they may have been spiritually influenced to behave foolishly as well. How many times do we Christians pre-judge someone based on an accusation without information? People have demons.
Did Daniel know Jeremiah? Probably. Daniel knew Jeremiah’s prophecy about the seventy years of captivity. As Daniel may have known the priestly family as well, he mentions that they were righteous. As it seems, there were two corrupt elders, who were old men, in captivity in Babylon. As the Jews had their own rulers who were supposed to be the moral authority under the Babylonian rulers, people adhered to the judgments of those elders. Both of these elders had a corrupt past. Everyone should have known about their corruption. Yet the people allowed the corrupt judges to do whatever they wanted. When these corrupt men accused Jeremiah’s sister, someone should have noticed that this was a plan of demons to persecute this family for Jeremiah’s prophetic messages to Judah. Instead they allowed the demons to have free rein. How many times have people refused to stand up for what is right, leaving others to suffer and or die? If the Elohim was a puppeteer he would have pulled the necessary strings to keep the righteous from falling into the hands of people with demons.
What then do we do in cases like this? Shouldn’t we rely on the Holy Spirit as well? What if Daniel never spoke out? What if Daniel behaved like we sometimes do and decided not to be led by the Holy Spirit? How will we know about the Holy Spirit and how to combat people with demons if we do not study the logos of the Elohim? Who can help us outside of this book? No one. We have a reason to study; so that we are not washed out to sea or fooled by the tricks and fraudulent education of men. We do not want to live in these methods of error, we want to grow up and help serve others in preparing the saints for unity. If we were doing this right we would not be so divided in the Body of Christ. Since the Body of Christ is obviously not unified and not always aware of how to walk by the Holy Spirit, then we are easily fooled by wicked men and in need of education. Deep education. Education that only comes from the logos of the Elohim, not the sophistry of men. We are not puppets. The Elohim is not a puppeteer. He does not force us to act. He is not caving in our ant tunnels. He observes who does what the Holy Spirit says and who does not. He knows who oppresses the laity and who does not. We research for a reason, because people have demons and demons have methods of error.
