February 2022

Nebuchadnezzar: The Man Who Became a Beast

May 22, 2023

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.” (Daniel 1:1). Thus begins the book of the prophet Daniel as found in the Holy Bible. The scriptures go on to tell how Nebuchadnezzar took the vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem and brought them to the treasure house of his god in the land of Shinar. Nebuchadnezzar also destroyed the Jewish Temple and carried away many of the house of Judah back with him to Babylon. This period in Jewish history is known as the Babylonian Captivity. However, in this story the Jewish refugees where not the only ones who suffered, for even Nebuchadnezzar the very king who took them captive would be stricken with madness and suffer with this condition for a span of seven years.

As the story goes, one day king Nebuchadnezzar was walking through his palace and spoke of how great the kingdom of Babylon was that he had built. But as the Bible says, “While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.” (Daniel 4:31-33).

The Bible also illustrates how Nebuchadnezzar’s heart was changed from a man’s heart to that of the heart of a beast (Daniel 4:16). So here we see a transformation of a human man created in the image of God, into an irrational beast of burden. Some have even suggested that this was a Biblical documented case of lycanthropy: that of a man turning into a creature known as a werewolf. Luckily for Nebuchadnezzar he was delivered from his beastly condition, for after seven years had passed he lifted up his eyes unto heaven and his understanding returned to him and he blessed the most High God, the King of heaven. Then Nebuchadnezzar was reestablished in his kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto him. Not only did God restore king Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord also granted him to write part of the book of Daniel, making Nebuchadnezzar the only pagan or non-Israelite to personally contribute to the writing of the Bible.

Another account (or legend rather) which associates Nebuchadnezzar with that of an animal comes from the Ethiopian holy book the Kebra Nagast. From the pages of the Kebra Nagast a most fascinating story concerning Nebuchadnezzar is told. One night two women gave birth to a male child. One woman, a merchant’s wife, delivered a beautiful child but since it was the product of adultery she sent her handmaiden to cast it into the river. The other child, though brought forth lawfully by the wife of the King of Babylon, had the appearance of a wingless eagle. So the Queen sent her handmaiden to cast her child into the river. As it so-happened the two handmaidens encountered each other at the river. The merchant’s handmaiden asked the Queen’s handmaiden, saying: “What hast though in thy basket?” And the Queen’s handmaiden said unto her: “My lady brought forth a child that hath not the appearance of a man but that of a wingless eagle, and she hath commanded me to throw it into the river. So now, give me this child of thine that I may give it to my mistress, and do though take this bird and cast it into the river.” And they did so. And the handmaiden of the Queen brought the beautiful child to her mistress, and the Queen rejoiced, and it was reported to the King that the Queen had given birth to a son. And the Queen named the child Nebuchadnezzar…which being interpreted means, “Saved by the feather of a bird.”

Returning to the Biblical narrative, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, the prophet Jeremiah predicted that Babylon would also be destroyed; never to be rebuilt or inhabited ever again (Jeremiah 50:35,39). It wasn’t until nearly 2,500 years later that the attempt to rebuild Babylon was initiated by a man that many would say was brutal like a beast, none other than the late president of Iraq: Saddam Hussein, also known as the “Butcher of Baghdad.” Beginning in 1983, Saddam worked towards the rebuilding of the ancient city of Babylon. It was also rumored that Hussein believed himself to be a direct descendant of king Nebuchadnezzar. Evidence of this was found in the very bricks that were used for the reconstruction of Babylon. For on many of the bricks an inscription in Arabic was made reading, “The Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar was Rebuilt in the Reign of Saddam Hussein.” However, the nearly decade long war with Iran shattered Saddam’s dreams of rebuilding Babylon, the ancient city of his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar. Thus the prophecy of Jeremiah that Babylon would no longer be inhabited for ever was fulfilled (Jeremiah 50:39).

In conclusion one may ask, why would a good and loving God turn a man into an animal, or at least give him the heart of one? The answer is pride. It was because Nebuchadnezzar lifted up his heart a little too high that kindled the wrath of God. For as Christ said, “Whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11). The Lord was indeed true to His word for as soon as Nebuchadnezzar came to his senses, humbled himself, and gave God the glory that the king of Babylon was completely restored. This valuable lesson in humility can help all of us see the dangers of arrogance and lead us to humble ourselves before our creator, so that God himself may exalt us. For as James the brother of Jesus said, “…God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6).

 

References:

Brooks, M.F. Kebra Nagast. (Kingston, Jamaica: LMH Publishing Limited, 2001).

Holy Apostles Convent. The Lives of the Holy Prophets. (Buena Vista, CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 1998).

Schnoebelen, W. Romancing Death. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2012).

Stone, P. Unleashing the Beast. (Cleveland, Tennessee: Voice of Evangelism, Inc., 2003).

The Melchizedek Priesthood and The Ancient of Days

May 31, 2023

After Abraham returned from the slaughter of the kings in order to rescue his nephew Lot, a certain priest of the most high God met Abraham and blessed him and brought forth bread and wine (Genesis 14:18). This mysterious individual that Abraham encountered was Melchizedek, who the Bible says was not only a priest of the most high God, but also a king: a king of Salem. And this Salem where Melchizedek ruled as king and priest is believed to be ancient Jerusalem. Now in the Biblical narrative Melchizedek does not show up again in the Old Testament until he is once more and finally mentioned in Psalms 110. This Messianic Psalm of king David describes the Messiah as a priest who abides forever after the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4). Just as Jesus, the Word of God, has always resided in the bosom of God the Father, so too has the Melchizedek Priesthood been established from eternity past. So, let us turn now and compare the Melchizedek Priesthood with the Priesthood of Jesus the Ancient of Days.

Now according to the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews, Melchizedek is without father or mother and has no genealogy. However, in the Syriac/Peshitta translation of Hebrews 7:3 we find the following about Melchizedek, “…neither his father nor his mother are written in genealogies; nor the commencement of his days, nor the end of his life…” So from this translation it is revealed that Melchizedek is without mother and father and without descent simply because his genealogy was not written down nor were the dates of his birth and death recorded. Though Melchizedek may not in fact be an immortal being like Christ, the priesthood of Melchizedek does indeed remain forever, a priesthood that Jesus Christ has been initiated into by the call of God the Father. For as we find it written in the book of Hebrews 5:10, Jesus is called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

The Bible also informs us that Melchizedek was made like the Son of God. The important thing to note here is that Melchizedek was made whereas Jesus Christ is begotten. Going further scripture is clear that Jesus is the Word of God and that by Him all things were made, including the person of Melchizedek (John 1:3). As the scriptures tell us, Jesus Christ has been made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec (Hebrews 6:20), and since the Lord Jesus is begotten of the Father before all ages then it would seem like the Melchizedek Priesthood has also been established from the very foundations of the universe. And this everlasting office of priesthood could well be connected with a person in the Bible known as the Ancient of Days. Let’s examine this a little closer.

When faced with the imagery found in the book of Daniel, the holy prophet describes a person who he identifies as the Ancient of Days, a person who also fits the description of the risen Lord Jesus in the book of Revelation. Both in Daniel’s and in John’s holy vision do we see a figure who has hair which is like pure wool and who also possesses the attributes of a fiery flame. In addition to these physical characteristics, the Ancient of Days in the book of Daniel and the Lamb of God in the book of Revelation are both given power and glory and an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:14, Revelation 5:11-12). So clearly we see that the Ancient of Days described by Daniel is none other than the resurrected Jesus of Revelation, Who identifies Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending (Revelation 1:8). And since Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of all things, then the office of the Melchizedek Priesthood must also be eternal and have its origins in eternity past and must extend forever unto the ages of ages.

In contrast to the Melchizedek Priesthood their is also the Aaronic Priesthood, which was established at Sinai shortly after the Exodus took place. Though God sanctioned the tribe of Levi (who are known as the sons of Aaron) to be the priestly tribe, the Melchizedek Priesthood is higher than that of the Aaronic Priesthood and also comes before it. For Aaron was yet in the loins of his father Abraham when Melchizedek met him (Hebrews 7:10). Also the Melchizedek Priesthood is eternal whereas the Aaronic Priesthood is temporal. Additionally, the Melchizedek Priesthood, of which Christ is the head, would combine the functions of the absolution of sins along with the kingly element of dominion and power. For it is written, “[Jesus] hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:6). So, just as Christ’s kingdom will last forever, so too will the Melchizedek Priesthood remain unto the ages of ages.

In conclusion, we see that in the Church age the body of Christ (the Christians) are a chosen generation, and a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9). It is also evident that the function of a priest is to stand as a mediator or as an intercessor between God and man; a person who sends up prayers and petitions for the penitent believer. Just as the Levitical Priesthood made blood sacrifices for the sins of the people year after year, so too did Jesus Christ our great high priest offer up to God a sacrifice that atoned for all of man’s sins once and for all. Christ being our king and our great high priest, is able to bring reconciliation between holy God and the repentant sinner. For as the Apostle Paul instructs us in I Timothy 2:5 – “…there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

References:

Magiera, J.M. Aramaic Peshitta New Testament. (La Mesa, CA: Light Of The Word Ministry, 2006).

Ethiopia and The Bible

May 22, 2023

The history of Ethiopia and her relationship to the Bible goes as far back to the writing of the Bible itself. Ethiopia is first mentioned in the Bible after God planted the Garden of Eden. The Bible states that one of the four rivers that flowed from Eden was called the, “Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.” (Genesis 2:13). So Biblically speaking we see that Ethiopia is as old as the creation of the earth. Ethiopia is mentioned 37 times in the Old Testament, and once in the New Testament where the Apostle Phillip baptizes an Ethiopian eunuch who was a servant of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. Though the Ethiopian eunuch knew little of Jesus Christ at that moment, the knowledge of the One True God of Israel had been introduced into Ethiopia going as far back into antiquity as to the reign of King Solomon and to his visitor the Queen of Sheba.

It is believed that the Queen of Sheba (Makeda) lived in the 10th century BC. The Queen ruled over parts of Ethiopia such as Aksum and also portions of Southern Arabia in Sabaea, which is in modern day Yemen. Because of her ties to the Sabaeans she was given the title the Queen of Sheba and also the Queen of Aksum: the ancient capital of Ethiopia. The Queen is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament her story is found in I Kings chapter 10, and II Chronicles chapter 9. In the New Testament Christ Himself refers to her as the Queen of the South in Matthew 12:42 and again in Luke 11:31. Finally the most detailed account of The Queen of Sheba is found in the Ethiopian holy book the Kebra Nagast.

From the text of the Kebra Nagast, Queen Makeda went to visit King Solomon in order to test his wisdom and to see for herself the riches and magnificence of his kingdom. She came with many gifts for Solomon along with a great company of camels and servants. When the Queen finally arrived in Jerusalem she was dumbstruck by the wisdom of Solomon. Now Solomon was a lover of women and the king desired the queen and seduced Makeda during her stay. Ultimately a son would be born from the relationship between Solomon and Sheba and the worship of the One True God would be brought back to Ethiopia on the Queen’s return from Jerusalem. For previously the Queen of Sheba and her people worshiped the sun, moon, and stars and even the serpent.

As the legend unfolds, the Queen of Sheba gave birth to Solomon’s son and named him Menelik. When Menelik came of age he too traveled to Jerusalem in search of King Solomon, his own father. Solomon greeted him with joy and sent Levites to go back with Menelik, so that the worship of the One True God would be established in Ethiopia. Unfortunately many of the nobles of Israel were saddened that they would have to leave Jerusalem and the Temple that housed the Ark of the Covenant. So Azariah, the son of Zadok the priest, made a replica of the Ark and exchanged it for the true Ark which was in the Holy of Holies. As events transpired the Ark of the Covenant ended up in Ethiopia and is believed to reside there to this very day in the holy city of Aksum, in the Church of St. Mary of Zion.

Returning to the Bible we see that Ethiopia is included within the writings of the prophets, and is also found in the Psalms of King David. For example, the prophet Jeremiah was released from his imprisonment in a mirey pit through the efforts of an Ethiopian eunuch named Ebed-melech, (see Jeremiah 38). The Lord speaking through prophet Amos said, “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel?” (Amos 9:7). And most famously Ethiopia is mentioned in Psalms 68:31 where it states that, “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” This Old Testament prophecy concerning Ethiopia was partially fulfilled during the birth of Jesus Christ. For tradition holds that one of the three wise men that came to visit and pay homage to the infant Christ, was a king of Ethiopia.

The introduction of Christianity into Ethiopia was first made by the eunuch of Queen Candace, but it would be during the reign of King Ezana a couple centuries afterwards that Christianity would take hold. King Ezana (320-356 AD), was the first African king who became Christian and made Christianity the official religion of his empire. Though the Ethiopian king Ezana adopted Christianity, the credit of bringing the Faith of Jesus to the Kingdom of Aksum goes to St. Frumentius, a Syro-Phoenician Greek born in Tyre. Frumentius traveled to Alexandria, Egypt where he appealed to have a bishop appointed and missionary priests sent south to Aksum. Thereafter, he was appointed bishop and established the Church in Ethiopia, and converted many local people, including the king.

Over the course of a couple centuries Christian Ethiopia relatively flourished, but by the eighth century the Aksumite kingdom had lost its holdings in Southern Arabia. The reason being was that of the aggressive Muslims who at this time occupied the Ethiopian coast. As a result of the hostilities of the Muslims, Christian Ethiopia became isolated from the rest of the world. Due to being cut off from other Christian nations, the Aksumite Empire had no other choice than to establish ties with Islam. However, even though the Ethiopian king Armah granted Muslim refugees asylum in Ethiopia, and even after Mohammad himself told his followers to maintain a positive relationship with Ethiopia, the Muslims still attempted to eliminate Christianity in Ethiopia and from off the face of the earth.

The decline of Aksum was followed by a new dynasty known as the Zagwe’. The Zagwe’ period lasted from about 1137 to 1270 AD. The best known of the Zagwe’ rulers was King Lalibela, who famously carved a network of churches out of solid rock. Lalibela’s life is legendary. As the story goes when Lalibela was an infant a swarm of bees hovered above his crib. Upon seeing this spectacle his mother took it as a sign that her son would grow up to be a great man. Thus he was named Lalibela, which means, ‘The bees recognize his sovereignty.’ In his youth Lalibela spent time in Jerusalem. On his return to Ethiopia he was inspired to recreate Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land in the Ethiopian town of Roha. All together king Lalibela excavated eleven rock-hewn monolithic churches. These churches were so fascinating that after the king’s death the area was renamed Lalibela in his honor.

After the reign of Lalibela the Zagwe’ dynasty began to decline, and ruler-ship of Ethiopia was restored to the Solomonic Dynasty, which traces its descent from the union of Solomon and Sheba. Tradition states that the Solomonic kings stretched all the way from the 10th century BC to the 20th century AD. The last king of Ethiopia was Emperor Haile Selassie I, who was crowned ‘King of Kings of Ethiopia,’ on 2 November 1930, at the cathedral of St. George in Addis Ababa. Before his coronation Selassie held the title of Ras Tafari, and as king he was also known as the Lion of Judah. Through the writings of the Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey, many blacks in Jamaica saw the crowing of a black king in the east to be none other than the second coming of Jesus Christ. However, in 1974 Ethiopia experienced a revolution, and a Marxist regime called the Derg arrested Selassie on 12 September. On 28 August 1975, it was reported that Selassie had died on August 27 due to complications of a prostate operation. After the Soviet backed government fell in 1991, Selassie’s bones were found in 1992. In the year 2000, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church held a funeral for the deceased Emperor. To this day most Rastafarians do not accept Selassie’s death, but believe that His Majesty simply disappeared.

In conclusion, from the Garden of Eden, to the Queen of Sheba, and even up to modern times, Ethiopia is the sign and the seal of Biblical persons, places, and kingdoms. The rich culture of a Christian and Jewish heritage as well as its many legends, have made Ethiopia a mystical land. With the Queen of Sheba accepting the God of Israel and King Ezana establishing Christianity, the prophecy that Ethiopia shall soon stretch forth her hands unto God has indeed been fulfilled.

References:

Archbishop Yesehaq. The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church. (Nashville, Tennessee: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).

Brooks, M.F. Kebra Nagast. (Kingston, Jamaica: LMH Publishing Limited, 2001).

Pankhurst, R. The Ethiopians a History. (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 1998).

Ullendorff, E. Ethiopia and the Bible. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press Inc., 1968).