While the subject of murder is not a pleasant one, there are some things we can learn from the past. Beheadings were a common way to make sure people would not come back to life. It was a public notice used to intimidate citizens so that they would behave according to the rules of the kingdom. Interestingly, David is our most famous behead-er. It was the very thing that gave him status in the kingdom before he was king. And because of the mis-steps of his predecessors, such as Joshua and Saul, David had a lot of tings to deal with. Not only did he have to deal with one giant, he almost lost his life to another.
At the end of this current age we see that there will be a group of people who will live and reign for one thousand years with Christ. We see that some of these people were beheaded and did not make an allegiance with the beast, or take his mark. That means they could not buy or sell anything, and had to find ways to eat and feed their families. We saw last week that those who live to the end of the age are more blessed and will be gathered from the four winds of the earth. At this time the saints have been preparing for the last battle alongside their bridegroom and are not part of these end events. With this understanding, we have to wonder who will use an axe to cut off people’s heads? Are there cultures that still use this method of killing people?
Rev 20:4G2532And G1492I saw G2362thrones, G2532and G2523they sat G1909upon G1473them, G2532and G2917judgment G1325was given G1473to them; G2532and G3588the G5590souls G3588of the ones G3990hewn with an axe G1223on account of G3588the G3141testimony G*of Jesus, G2532and G1223on account of G3588the G3056word G3588 G2316of God, G2532and G3748whoever G3756did not G4352do obeisance G3588to the G2342beast, G3777nor G3588to G1504his image, G1473 G2532and G3756did not G2983take G3588the G5480imprint G1909upon G3588 G3359their forehead, G1473 G2532and G1909upon G3588 G5495their hand; G1473 G2532and G2198they lived G2532and G936reigned G3326with G3588the G5547Christ G5507a thousand G2094years.
The French were famous for their use of the guillotine, invented by Joseph Guillotin in 1791. They felt that this was a more humane way to cut off someone’s head as it was done in one quick stroke, as opposed to an axe which could take multiple strokes to complete the task. Today, there are other forms of capital punishment used around the globe, but Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Qatar all still allow beheading. Saudi Arabia still makes it a regular practice to behead people for their crimes. Most people don’t recognize that this form of capital punishment is still used today. These beheadings usually take place outside of mosques after prayer services on Fridays. In Saudi Arabia people can be beheaded for murder, rape, robbery, religious apostasy, as well as drug use and trafficking. Foreigners are also beheaded if found to have committed a crime.
Beheadings are also a gruesome terror tactic used to intimidate the population into whatever the terrorist desires. Terrorism is not used to uphold laws, it is used to force people into submission. But there is a difference between governments using capital punishment, and individuals acting on their own apart from the government. Similarly, governments used hangings during the 1900’s wild west era in the United States. It was a public display enacted by the governing authorities. Although hangings and beheadings by sword were not as clean and thorough as a guillotine, the practice had it’s intimidation factor, and while this is gruesome to think about and rarely do we think about it, it is carried out today and will be carried out again in the future.
Joseph interpreted a dream for the chief baker while in prison and it came to pass as Joseph interpreted. Remember anyone may have a dream from the Lord, but it takes a follower of Yahweh to interpret it.
Genesis 40:19G2089Yet in G5140three G2250days G2532and G851Pharaoh will remove G* G3588 G2776your head G1473 G575from G1473you, G2532and G2910hang G1473you G1909upon G3586a timber,G2532and G2068[5will eat G35881the G37322birds G35883of the G37724heaven] G3588the G4561flesh G575from G1473you.
Hanging and beheading was a form of punishment from the time of Joseph. We don’t really know when it started, but by this period it was used by the government in Egypt. But remember what Noah was told?
Genesis 9:5-6 (AMP) And surely for your lifeblood I will require an accounting; from every beast I will require it; and from man, from every man [who spills another's lifeblood] I will require a reckoning. 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God He made man.
While we might want to take this subject lightly, we can see that there is still an accounting or reckoning that will have to be made. Even though it seems rather contradictory because many times people have had to go to war, we see that David (who God said was a man of blood) was not allowed to build Yahweh’s temple. Yet David was beloved, and a man after God’s own heart. David threatened Goliath with cutting off his head. Then he did it. But the part we teach about is when David first knocked Goliath out with a stone.
1 Sam 17:46G2532And G608[2shall shut you up G1473 G29621 the lord] G4594today G1519by G3588 G5495my hand, G1473 G2532and G615I will kill G1473you, G2532and G851I will remove G3588 G2776your head G1473 G575from G1473you, G2532and G1325I will give G3588 G2966your carcass G1473 G2532and G3588the G2966carcasses G3925of the camp G3588of the G246Philistines G1722in G3778this G3588 G2250day G3588to the G4071birds G3588of the G3772heaven,G2532andG3588to theG2342wild beastsG3588of theG1093earth;G2532and G1097[4shall know G39561all G35882the G10933earth] G3754that G1510.2.3God is G2316 G1722inG*Israel.
1 Sam 17:51G2532And G5143David ran G* G2532and G2186stood G1909over G1473him, G2532and G2983he took G3588 G4501his broadsword, G1473 G2532and G1610.6pulled it out G1473 G575of G3588 G2852.1its sheath, G1473 G2532and G2289he put him to death, G1473 G2532and G851he removed G3588 G2776his head. G1473 G2532And G1492[3beheld G35881the G2462Philistines] G3754that G2348[2has died G3588 G14151their mighty one], G1473 G2532and G5343they fled.
1 Samuel 17:45-54 (AMP) Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands. 48 When the Philistine came forward to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand into his bag and took out a stone and slung it, and it struck the Philistine, sinking into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck down the Philistine and slew him. But no sword was in David's hand. 51 So he ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their mighty champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. So the wounded Philistines fell along the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 The Israelites returned from their pursuit of the Philistines and plundered their tents. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
We might remember the biblical account when Joshua was told to kill the inhabitants of the region, but he did not kill all of them. These were the descendants of the Nephilim, several generations removed from the time of Noah and after the time of Noah’s flood. They were to be killed because of the mixing of their blood, which was part angel and part human. We see that some of those tribes continued to live among the people in the newly conquered region called Israel, while some moved out to other areas. Goliath was from Philista, a coastal area where some of the mixed Nephilim heirs resided. Philistine literally means “another of the same kind of foreign tribe”. This tells us that there were probably several Nephilim tribes that live together in this region and they were called by one group name, Philistine. We will see this idea come up later. Goliath had five brothers and one of the striking physical traits of their family was the six fingers and six toes or 24 total digits. David knocked Goliath out with the stone, but then cut off his head. This intimidated the Philistines to the point that Saul’s army could overtake them. The Philistines were always at war with Israel because they were pushed up against the coast and found it hard to get inland for trade. The Philistines believed they could overcome Israel with this giant called Goliath, but God had other plans.
Removing someone’s head pretty much guarantees they will stay dead. I’m sure there were times people thought someone was dead only to find they healed and came back to life, but removing one’s head made it certain that that individual would not come back to life on earth. By carrying Goliath's head to Jerusalem and burying it there, he made a memorial to commemorate the power and deliverance of Yahweh.
The Philistines did not stay away for long, and this time the battle proved deadly for Saul and Jonathan.
1 Samuel 31:1-12 (AMP) NOW THE Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before [them] and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons. 3 The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers severely wounded him. 4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse and mock me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was terrified. So Saul took a sword and fell upon it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died that day together. 7 And when the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and beyond the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor and sent them round about the land of the Philistines to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. 10 And they put Saul's armor in the house of the Ashtaroth [the idols representing the female deities Ashtoreth and Asherah], and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 All the valiant men arose and went all night, and they took the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan and came to Jabesh and cremated them there.
As David made a remembrance of Goliath’s head in Jerusalem, the Philistines made a remembrance of Saul’s head in their idol temple. We see this gruesome culture of beheading and displaying heads continuing in various wars and battles to this day. Saul’s men retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons, and cremated them.
After Saul’s death, two men thought they were doing David a favor by killing one of Saul’s sons, but David was not pleased.
2 Samuel 4:7-12 (AMP) Now when they had come into the house and he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they [not only] smote and slew him, [but] beheaded him and took his head and went by the way of the plain all night. 8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring. 9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, As the Lord lives, Who redeemed my life out of all adversity, 10 When one told me, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking he was bringing good news, I seized and slew him in Ziklag who expected me to give him a reward for his news. 11 How much more—when wicked men have slain a just man in his own house on his bed—shall I not now require his blood of your hand and remove you from the earth! 12 David commanded his young men, and they slew them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them over the pool in Hebron. But they took Ish-bosheth's head and buried it in Hebron in the tomb of Abner [his relative and once chief supporter].
David did not look at Ish-bosheth’s beheading as a benefit, but as a treasonous act. Think about that. David did not want that to happen and so he has his servants cut off the hands and feet of these men, and then displays them over the pool in Hebron. It was a way to read the public news. This was how things were communicated to others. The message was clear, if you kill an heir of Saul you will be killed. Just like displaying Goliath and Saul’s heads was publishing the news that a warrior or a king has been killed. With the advent of modern communication systems, we can get the word out instantly, but in that time it took weeks or months for the whole kingdom to hear the news. There were no printing presses, therefore the place one would go regularly, such as a temple or a water source, became the place to spread news. But David wasn’t so hotheaded as to kill anyone and everyone who opposed him.
2 Samuel 16:5-13 (AMP) When King David came to Bahurim, a man of the family of the house of Saul, Shimei son of Gera, came out and cursed continually as he came. 6 And he cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 Shimei said as he cursed, Get out, get out, you man of blood, you base fellow! 8 The Lord has avenged upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hands of Absalom your son. Behold, the calamity is upon you because you are a bloody man! 9 Then said [David's nephew] Abishai son of Zeruiah to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head. 10 The king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, Curse David, who then shall ask, Why have you done so? 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who was born to me, seeks my life. With how much more reason now may this Benjamite do it? Let him alone; and let him curse, for the Lord has bidden him to do it. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on the iniquity done me and will recompense me with good for his cursing this day. 13 So David and his men went by the road, and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite David and cursed as he went and threw stones and dust at him.
A bit later we see some separation and contention between the northern and southern kingdoms. At this time they were all still one country and the nation had not yet split, but the northern tribes wanted David to reside with them and so to the southern tribes wanted David to reign with them. So David’s kingdom was not really a peaceful one. Then in the southern portion of the kingdom a man who was an Ephraim-ite living among the Benjamites wanted to secede from David’s rule. The Gibeonites lived just north of Jerusalem and were one of the tribes Joshua did not kill off and allowed to live among the Hebrews, Joshua 9. They lived among the Benjamites and probably intermarried. As we can see, when it seems one is merciful at one point in time (Joshua), another may have to deal with a mess in another point in time (David), as we will study shortly.
2 Samuel 20:6-13 (AMP) And David said to Abishai, Now will Sheba son of Bichri do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get for himself fenced cities and snatch away our very eyes. 7 And there went after him Joab's men and [David's bodyguards] the Cherethites and Pelethites and all the mighty men; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a sheathed sword fastened around his hips; and as he went forward, it fell out. 9 Joab said to Amasa, Are you well, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand [as if] to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not notice the sword in Joab's hand. So [Joab] struck him [who was to have been his successor] with it in the body, shedding his bowels to the ground without another blow; and [soon] he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba son of Bichri. 11 And one of Joab's men stood by him and said, Whoever favors Joab and is for David, follow Joab! 12 And Amasa wallowed in his blood in the highway. And when the man saw that all the people who came by stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field and spread a cloth over him. 13 When Amasa was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.
From Judah, Gibeon was to the north, but still in what we recognize as the southern kingdom. Apparently there is a big rock there. Sheba however did not hang around when he heard Amasa was killed. Joab had to pursue him to the northern most part of the kingdom, into the tribe of Dan, at Abel Beth-maacha. This was a walled city and a very long journey. We sometimes think that these things happened quickly, but really there were many days between these events. Now remember, the northern tribes liked David and wanted David to reside with them. They were loyal to him. In Able of Beth-maacah, Joab’s men surrounded the city while hunting Sheba. A women helped Joab.
2 Samuel 20:14 Joab went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Berites assembled and also went after [Sheba] ardently. 15 And they came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the men with Joab battered and undermined the wall to make it fall. 16 Then a wise woman of the city cried, Hear, hear! Say to Joab, Come here so I can speak to you. 17 And when he came near her, the woman said, Are you Joab? He answered, I am. Then she said to him, Hear the words of your handmaid. He answered, I am listening.
“Wise” is the word sophros and can indicate “wise in general” or “wise as in prophetic”. This woman was not scared even though her city was under siege by Joab and the people with him. She went out to specifically find him. Therefore she probably heard from the Lord regarding what to do to save her city. We need to read on, as this city has a history of wisdom, wise counsel, and judgement. These people were Danites.
2 Samuel 20:18 Then she said, People used to say, Let them but ask counsel at Abel, and so they settled the matter. 19 I am one of the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city which is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord? 20 Joab answered, Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy!
Some translators have tried to make this woman sound like a mystic, but really the literal words read that she is a “peaceful supporter of Israel”. She also says that Joab seeks to destroy a metropolis, or an “original city in Israel”. Again we want to think this through; at one time there were sanctuary cities in Israel but this was not one of them. Kedesh was the northernmost sanctuary city in the kingdom. Kedesh is south of Able of Beth-maachah, therefore these people were under no obligation to protect Sheba, and Joab was under no obligation to not destroy Able of Beth-maachah. The wise woman has a solution.
2 Samuel 20:21 That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said, Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall. 22 Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and cast it down to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his own home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king. 23 Joab was over the host of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over [the king's bodyguards] the Cherethites and Pelethites;
The woman laleo’d (spoke) to the people of the polis (city) in sophia (wisdom). She was wise as opposed to stupid, she spoke in wisdom as opposed to stupidity. It is interesting that instead of an emotional reaction to this siege, the woman and the city all behaved calmly and peacefully. Remember that they were a city where people would seek wise counsel and judgement. That tells us it was their culture to behave in wisdom and peace. So they were not fools, doormats, or fearful in this case. They did not provide sanctuary to the leader of an uprising, they cut off the head of Sheba.
It seemed like all would be well at this point, but there is a drought and famine in Judah so David has to find out why. Remember that Joshua had made a covenant with the Gibeonites. They did not seek counsel from the Lord when they did and they were fooled.
2 Samuel 21:1 (AMP) THERE WAS a three-year famine in the days of David, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. The Lord replied, It is on account of Saul and his bloody house, for he put to death the Gibeonites. 2 So the king called the Gibeonites—now the Gibeonites were not Israelites but of the remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah had sought to slay the Gibeonites—
We might think that Saul was justified in killing the Gibeonites, but Joshua made a covenant with them that the rulers of the congregation swore to, Joshua 9:14. Think about that. If one makes a covenant with a people group, that covenant is binding in the future. Saul must have known there was a covenant with the Gibeonites, which was why they were still there in the land, but he attempted to take matters into his own hands. Now David had to deal with this situation of drought and famine in the land, which was due to Saul and Joshua’s ignorant actions.
2 Samuel 21:3 So David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? How can I make atonement that you may bless the Lord's inheritance? 4 The Gibeonites said to him, We will accept no silver or gold of Saul or of his house; neither for us shall you kill any man in Israel. David said, I will do for you what you say. 5 They said to the king, The man who consumed us and planned to prevent us from remaining in any territory of Israel, 6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered to us and we will hang them up before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, [on the mountain] of the Lord. And the king said, I will give them.
This is an interesting request, they want seven sons of Saul to die. Remember that there two people who thought they were helping David by decapitating one of Saul’s sons, and those men lost their lives. Now the Gibeonites want to kill Saul’s sons. David complied and this seems contradictory on the surface. David killed two people for killing one of Saul’s sons, now the Gibeonites want to kill seven of Saul’s sons. Covenant agreements are real and spiritually binding, even if people are not physically upholding them. Spiritual consequences result from physically breaking or disregarding covenants. It may be that in our day we also have made too many covenants that we do not uphold.
2 Samuel 21:7 But the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of [Merab] daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hung them up on the hill before the Lord, and all seven perished together. They were put to death in the first days of barley harvest.
The barley harvest would have been around the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After this, David brought the cremated remains of Saul and Jonathan and buried them in Saul’s family tomb with his seven heirs who were killed.
2 Samuel 21:13 (AMP) He brought from there the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of those who were hung up. 14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son they buried in the country of Benjamin in Zelah in the tomb of Kish, [Saul's] father, and they did all that the king commanded. And after that, God heard and answered when His people prayed for the land.
Interestingly, it says that after this God heard and answered when his people prayed. We have to consider this. Do we know who we should bless and who we should curse? Do we know who has a covenant with God and who doesn’t? If we consider Abraham, his heirs were not all Israelites, but they were blessed people. Abraham had eight sons, so that puts a twist on things. Yahweh said he would make Abraham a great nation and bless those who bless him and curse those who curse them. Isaac said the same thing to Jacob. Do we know who are heirs of Abraham? Do we know who are heirs of Jacob? There are people today that may reject Yahweh and his ways, but they also may be of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. The idea that a covenant can hold so much weight for so many years into the future is interesting.
Just like Joshua did not kill the Gibeonites he didn’t kill others who later became Philistines. These warring people were not the same people as those who lived in Canaan at the time of Shem, Eber, and Abraham. Abraham told his 7 sons to move east out of the land because Canaan would be destroyed. We know that it was normal for people to move around as Abraham himself moved 15 times. Therefore, it is hard to determine exactly who the Philistines are originally, however, since Joshua didn’t rid the land of the mixed blood they continued to be antagonistic to Israel.
2 Samuel 21:15 The Philistines had war again with Israel. And David went down and his servants with him and fought against the Philistines, and David became faint. 16 Ishbi-benob, who was of the sons of the giants, the weight of whose spear was 300 shekels of bronze, was girded with a new sword, and thought to kill David.17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's aid, and smote and killed the Philistine. Then David's men charged him, You shall no more go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.
Ishbi-benob was one of the sons of the Rephaim. The Repha, as we have studied, are the segment of the Nephimim we would consider the living dead. Today, we might think of them as Zombies. As we saw earlier, Philistine means “another (of the same type) of foreigner.” Specifically, Ishbi was a Repha/Rapha. Among the Philistine group there were several tribes which were heirs to the Nephilim.
2 Samuel 21:16G2532And G*Ishbi G575of G*Nob, G3739who G1510.7.3was G1722among G3588the G1549progeny G3588 G*of Rapha, G2532and G3588the G4712.4weight G3588 G1393.2of his spear G1473 G5145was three hundred G4608.2shekels G3643.3scale-weight G5475of brass, G2532and G1473he G4024being girded G2884.1with a truncheon, G2532even G1269.4considered G3588 G3960to strike G3588 G*David.
2 Samuel 21:16 And Jesbi, who was of the progeny of Rapha, and the head of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, who also was girt with a club, even he thought to smite David. http://ecmarsh.com/lxx/Kings%20II/index.htm
Here is a second incident were David fought a giant, although this time David almost died. We find ourselves telling this story in churches as ‘David was old and his men said not to fight anymore’ but that’s not exactly true. A normal spear weight is between one and two pounds, this spear was seven and one half pounds. Really this spear was between four and seven times heavier than normal people use. While we could probably throw it, a seven pound spear would not go very far. While we don’t know his actual size, Ishbi was larger than the rest of the Israelites and must have had characteristics that denoted which tribe he was from. Remember, Abraham married a Canaanite, but maybe she wasn’t as physically large as Goliath and Ishbi.
While we know what the future holds for humans who will be on the earth during the tribulation (and it will be horrid), we also know that something better awaits; the kingdom of the our Lord and Christ. If we recognize that evil, murder, and seditions existed at the same time that wise and peaceable people lived, we will understand the continued growing divide among us. The mixed blood peoples were not cleared from the earth, but instead they multiplied. This adds another complication to the end of our age. We cannot be sure who is a covenant people and who is not. While Israel is under the covenant, there are other people in covenant with Yahweh. That should give us pause when cursing and condemning others. It should also help us to realize our unique position in this age. If we teach what we know, we may be able to help others answer the question as to why the earth is so unsettled.
