February News letter

 

Babylon Religion

Revealed

Why Muslim Demographics are in decline

David P. Goldman has written about Islamic population decline in "How Civilizations die: and why Islam is dying too" this book was reviewed by Clair Berlinski in National Review. Berlinski was incredulous but then did the research and says, "The Islamic world, too, is on the fast track to demographic senility. To my surprise, it seems he is quite right: All the studies confirm it. Muslim-majority countries are now exhibiting significantly lower fertility levels than non-Muslim ones." She can't understand exactly how Muslim women are managing to avoid pregnancy.

Basically, Muslims are being forced to post-pone marriage mostly for economic reasons until they are almost thirty or even forty years old. So, due to this fact, they are missing out on prime child-bearing years. This means that they are having no children or only one.

Islamists for Secretary of Defense and CIA director

Obama has appointed two Jihadists and anti-Semites to important government positions. These villains are Chuck Hagel and John Brennan. (The following is by Pam Gellar) Could you imagine an even more dangerous pick than Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense? Under Obama, yes. Worse is always what's next. President Barack Obama said Monday that he would nominate former Nebraska Sen. Hagel, a Republican, to be secretary of defense, and his top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Astonishing. Obama is doing the full monty. The president's CIA pick has called jihad a "legitimate tenet of Islam," arguing that the term "jihadists" should not be used to describe America's enemies. During a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, John Brennan described violent extremists as victims of "political, economic and social forces," but said that those plotting attacks on the United States should not be described in "religious terms." Brennan speechifies in Arabic and has equated Muslim terrorists with shoplifters. Lawmakers have called for his firing. Readers of my website AtlasShrugs.com are long familiar with the pro-jihadi thug Brennan. If you recall, during the 2008 presidential election, I ran a number of stories on the breach of Obama's passport at the Department of State. It bears noting that Brennan – whom Obama first appointed to be assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism, in which capacity he made his notorious and incredible pro-terror remarks, some in Arabic no less, about the beauty of jihad – was connected with the tampering with Obama's passport. He led the investigation into the breach of Obama's passport records – the mysterious passport Obama traveled to Pakistan on in 1981.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/pro-jihadist-john-brennan-to-head-cia/#5LMyociCXrAccj39.99

Another Iranian pastor in prison

Heb 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Christians need to hold this brother up in prayer. Show mercy by praying for him. The Lord will repay you with mercy also, and maybe when you need help and strength in time of trouble, the Lord will move people to pray for you. Jesus commanded that we are to love one another, even as He loved us. He also commanded us to share in the sufferings of all the members of His Body: "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it..."(1 Corinthians 12:26). Also St Paul commands (more than once) "Join me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God." (2 Tim 1:8).

(CNSNews.com) – Imprisoned American pastor Saeed Abedini wrote of what he called "horrific" and "unbearable" conditions in the Iranian prison where he is held after being convicted in January for being a Christian. "They are trying to put me under such horrific pressures (that are sometimes unbearable) so that they can show me that my faith is empty and not real," Saeed wrote in a letter obtained by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Saeed wrote that his Iranian jailors subjected him to "psychological warfare" and that one of his guards had "attacked me" while he was singing worship songs in his cell. He also wrote that "my body does not have the strength to walk" due to the conditions of his imprisonment. Saeed is in Iran's Evin prison, sentenced there by Iranian Judge Pir-Abassi, whom ACLJ says is known as the "hanging judge, serving an eight-year term for threatening the national security of Iran by leading Christian services in Iranian households. Saeed and his Iranian lawyers were allowed to attend only one day of his trial, according to the ACLJ, which represents his wife and children still in the United States. This is the first letter the 32-yeard-old Saeed has written since his imprisonment began in January. The pastor writes of enduring "physical violence, actions committed to humiliate me, insults," and "being confronted [by] extremists in the prison who create another prison within the prison walls, and death threats." His wife, Naghmeh, said in a statement released by the ACLJ: "The most important thing we can do is pray, continue to raise awareness of his case and continue to work for his freedom." Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the ACLJ, said in a press release accompanying the letter that the account of Pastor Saeed underscores the need for the U.S. government to do "all that can be done" to secure his freedom. "The letter also underscores the need to move quickly. A U.S. citizen is in failing health from beatings and abuse – a menacing scenario that should command the full attention and engagement of the U.S. government. It's our hope that Secretary Kerry will act without delay – doing all that can be done by the State Department to save this U.S. citizen." The ACLJ told CNSNews.com that the letter was released to family in Iran and was then sent to Saeed's wife, who provided a typed copy of the missive to the ACLJ.

There are also reports of him having nails driven through his palms and his feet. I'm sure the government will leave him out to dry. Obama, Kerry and the left wing media are more worried about Sandra Fluke getting her birth control paid for by our tax dollars than the release of a Christian by Iranian Muslims.

Babylon Religion Revealed!

There is a lot of pseudo-science that uses ancient Babylonian terminology-such as the planet Ninurta-which is going to collide with earth any day now and the alien language in "the Fourth Kind" being Sumerian. The reason is to give it some credibility or to make it seem plausible and to exploit the general lack of knowledge among the public about ancient Mesopotamia. Even in Evangelical circles, fraudulent information about Babylonia is often put out. (I call this false information the Hislop Cult or the Two Babylons Cult-which I will examine later.) I believe that this fraudulent information is very damaging and it is important for us to have accurate information about ancient Babylon-partly to help us to understand the story of the Bible better.

General information about the Background of Babylonia The ancient inhabitants in Babylonia were the Sumerians. So the region is called ancient Sumer. Apparently, there was a group settled there even earlier than the Sumerians-because there are some words in Sumerian which are derived from an even earlier language. The Sumerian language is a language isolate. This means that there are no languages known to be related to it. This makes it similar to Basque, which also has no known related language, but also makes it mysterious and alien, which is why it is used as an alien language in "the Fourth Kind." However, in our age there are dominate language groups-such as Semitic languages, Indo-European languages, and Bantu languages. In ancient times there were many "language isolates" that have vanished. Sumerian is also the most ancient written language. Later, the Akkadians conquered the Sumerians and after centuries eventually assimilated. The Akkadians did use Sumerian as a type of official or sacred language (classical and liturgical language), similar to how Latin was used in the Middle Ages and how Hebrew has been used by the Jewish people.

The mythologies of the Sumerians and the Akkadians became related in a similar way that Greek and Roman Mythology is related. (There are some differences between Greek and Roman Mythology-but most often, the Romans adopted the Greek gods and gave them Roman names-Zeus became Jupiter, Hermes became Mercury, Hera became Juno, and ect.)

Akkadian was the language spoken by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Assyrians and Babylonians were distinct peoples-although they spoke the same language. For instance, the Scots and the English both speak the English language, but are distinct peoples, although they live very close to each other.

(Modern Aramaic speakers identify themselves as Assyrians-and Roman Catholic speakers of Eastern Aramaic dialects call themselves Chaldeans and Babylonians.)

Akkadian is a Semitic language. This means that it is closely related to Hebrew. In fact, Akkadian is the earliest attested Semitic language. Akkadian is an extinct language. By investigating Semitic languages, comparing and contrasting the living Semitic languages (Arabic, Aramaic, Maltese, Socroti, ect.) we can trace the origins and development of the Semitic languages. All Semitic languages, including Hebrew, evolved out of an extinct pre-historic language called Proto-Semitic. The scientific study of ancient Mesopotamia is called Assyriology because Assyria was the first of the ancient Mesopotamian cities to be scientifically excavated. Now, I want to mention that, in 2003-when I was serving with the military in Iraq, I was able to go to the ruins of ancient Babylon. The Assyrians were able to establish a great empire with their powerful and advanced military. Unfortunately for the Assyrians, due to their conquests, they made a number of enemies and finally Assyria, and it's capital city of Nineveh, was destroyed by the Babylonians. Then the Babylonian Empire can to power. Babylon was conquered by the Persians and in turn the Persians were conquered by Alexander the Greats Hellenistic (or Greek) Empire. Late in the Greek period, Babylon (a city that Alexander had used as a capital and where he had died) fell into decline and was eventually abandoned. It became a heap of ruins that the Muslims often quarried for building supplies. Historians believe that Human Civilization (which refers to humans living in cities) began in Mesopotamia-which is attested in the Bible in the Tower of Babel story.

Mesopotamia and the Bible

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq. Eden was in Iraq -- Genesis 2:10-14. (There are different theories concerning the location of the Garden of Eden, the most plausible is southern Iraq-but the region southern Turkey/northern Iraq is also a likely location.)

2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization! Adam & Eve were created in Iraq -- Genesis 2:7-8.

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq. Nimrod established Babylon & theTower of Babel was built in Iraq -- Genesis 10:8-97 & 11:1-4. The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq -- Genesis 11:5-11.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq! Abraham came from a city in Iraq -- Genesis 11:31 & Acts 7:2-4.

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq. Isaac's bride came from Iraq -- Genesis 24:3-4 &10.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq. Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq -- Genesis 27:42-45 & 31:38.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel. (This is the story of the "Ten Lost Tribes." It is likely that the Ten Lost Tribes were assimilated into the Assyrians. The Samaritans also claim to be descended from the Ten northern Tribes of Israel. They claim to be Ephraimites and Levites.)

10. The Book of Nahum is written about the fall of Assyria

11. Babylon which is in Iraq destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple-fulfilling the prophecies of Jeremiah.

12. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

13. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

14. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq! The Book of Daniel is also set in Iraq

15. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (that's good news to know that JESUS has been in Iraq too as the 4th person in the fiery furnace!).

16. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.

17. Nehemiah and Ezra were Persian dignitaries and part of these books are set in Iran and Iraq.

18. The book of Esther is set in Iraq and Iran

19. The wise men were from Iraq. (From the Gospel of Matthew)

20. Peter may have preached in Iraq. (But it is uncertain what "Babylon" Peter preached at-it may have been Babylon in Iraq, or the Fortress of Babylon in Egypt, or perhaps Peter uses "Babylon" as a euphemism for Rome.)

Now we have seen the pivotal role that ancient Mesopotamia plays in the Bible story. That being so-why is there so much gross ignorance of Babylonia among Christians?

The book or Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq -- Revelation 17 &18. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq. (Some misunderstandings about Babylonia are due to people taking prophetic typology regarding Babylon and using that typology to interpret history.) Another problem is that Babylon has not been able to capture the imagination of the public the way that Egypt has. In the 1920s, Sir Wooley excavated "Ur of the Chaldees" and there was much excitement regarding his excavating of the "City of Abraham." However, his discoveries were soon eclipsed among the public by Howard Carter's excavations of King Tutankhamen's tomb. Hollywood continued to capture the imagination of the public with ancient Egypt with Mummy movies. Mesopotamia is referred to in "True Lies" and "Ghostbusters." In the silent era, there was a movie that featured Babylonia that was entitled "Intolerance." These are rare exceptions to the Hollywood blackout of ancient Mesopotamia. (The Scorpion King is said to be an "Akkadian" in the film-but the filmmakers have no interest in imparting anything historical in that movie.) So, ancient Babylon and Assyria hasn't made much of a pop cultural impact the way Egypt had.

Babylonian Religion

In times past, there was a lot of conjectural information about ancient Babylonia, mostly because at the time, we didn't have hard evidence to go on. (Unfortunately, most of these conjectures have been shown to be false by hard archeological evidence-but inaccurate information is still out there-and there are people who tirelessly put out so-called "facts" that have been shown to be fraudulent.)

IT IS A TRAVESTY TO HAVE ALL THIS NINURTA, 4^TH KIND, TWO BABYLONS NON-SENSE OUT THERE WHEN WE NOW HAVE HARD FACTS.

The problem is that it seems that the general public is more interested in sensational claims that historical truth. People are more curious and interested in non-sense than in the facts. But the fraudulent information is VERY harmful-as we will see below when we examine the Two Babylons cult.

In the late 1800s, the CUNIFORM script was deciphered and now we have direct information from the Babylonians about what their religious beliefs were.

Babylonian Gods:

Asshur: (Actually, an Assyrian god). As the deified city Assur (pronounced Ashur), which dates from the 3rd millennium BC and was the capital of the Old Assyriankingdom. As such, Ashur did not originally have a family, but as the cult came under southern Mesopotamian influence he came to be regarded as the Assyrian equivalent of Enlil, the chief god of Nippur and one of the most important gods of the southern pantheon, and in time Ashur absorbed Enlil's wife Ninlil (as the Assyrian goddess Mullissu) and his sons Ninurta and Zababa - this process began around in the 13th century BC E and continued down to the 8th and 7th centuries.The Assyrians did not require conquered peoples to take up the worship of Ashur; instead, Assyrian imperial propaganda declared that the conquered peoples had been abandoned by their gods. When Assyria conquered Babylon in the Sargonid period (8th-7th centuries BCE), Assyrian scribes began to write the name of Ashur with the cuneiform signs AN.SHAR, literally "whole heaven" in Akkadian, the language of Assyria and Babylonia. The intention seems to have been to put Ashur at the head of the Babylonian pantheon, where Anshar and his counterpart Kishar ("whole earth") preceded even Enlil and Ninlil. Thus in the Sargonid version of the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian national creation myth, Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, does not appear, and instead it is Ashur, as Anshar, who slays Tiamat the chaos-monster and creates the world of mankind. Some scholars have claimed that Ashur was represented as the solar disc that appears frequently in Assyrian iconography, but evidence indicates that this is in fact the sun god Shamash. Many Assyrian kings had names that included the name Ashur, including, above all, Ashur-nasirpal, Esar-haddon (Ashur-aha-iddina), and Ashur-banipal. Epithets include bêlu rabû "great lord", ab ilâni "father of gods", šadû rabû "great mountain", and il aššurî "god of Ashur". The symbols of Ashur include:a winged disc with horns, enclosing four circles revolving round a middle circle; rippling rays fall down from either side of the disc; a circle or wheel, suspended from wings, and enclosing a warrior drawing his bow to discharge an arrow; the same circle; the warrior's bow, however, is carried in his left hand, while the right hand is uplifted as if to bless his worshipers

Bel and Nebo: Bel is Marduk and Nebo (cognate with Hebrew word "Nabi" meaning "prophet" is his son, the god of wisdom. Isaiah 46:1, "The god Bel bows down; the god Nebo stoops low. Their statues are seated on animals and cattle. The gods that you carry are burdens, a load for weary people." Nebo-is found in the name of the famous king Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebo-chadnezzer). Abed-nego means servant of Nebo.

Marduk: was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century BCE), started to slowly rise to the position of the head of the Babylonian pantheon, a position he fully acquired by the second half of the second millennium BCE. The golden statue that Shadrech, Meshek, and Abed-nego refused to worship was a statue of Marduk (or perhaps Nebo). Mordecai, of the book of Esther, has a name that means servant of Marduk.

Nergal: An underworld deity mentioned in the Bible at 2 Kings 17:30.

(go to my blog www.aramaicherald.blogspot.com for the rest of this article.)

http://aramaicherald.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-news-letter.html