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Onyema On Ye Mafacebook @ June 18, 2013, 9:17 pm
I'm tickled...... for those who know me.... or those who KNEW ME.... probably are asking themselves.... ... .... COULD GOD BE USING ..... BEVERLY??????..... I'm tickled.... because it would NOT BE the first time.... that the LORD used an *ASS* to save MANKIND'S life.... ... this is so good... and good reading.... .... print it and read it.....
BALAAM
And His Talking Donkey
Balaam stands in infamy as the paragon of apostasy. His worldly lusts lured him into the power of Baal and brought upon him the ultimate symbol of pastoral asininity, a reprimand from his donkey. Through his counseling Israel fell for the bait of Baal, the alluring Midianite women, and brought upon the Client Nation a national curse.
Balaam, the Ass
The story of Balaam is one of the classics of infamy. Balaam, who was a worldly celebrity before his dealings with Israel during the Exodus wanderings, received over three chapters in the book of Numbers in the Torah. Balaam was a famous diviner from the region of Babylon, current Iraq. After Balaam's betrayal of Israel, his treachery was recorded from the beginning of scripture (Numbers and Deuteronomy) to the end (Revelation). It could be said that Balaam was a monumental jackass, who betrayed Israel for fame and fortune.
Balaam was a Gentile prophet, whose prophesies are recorded in scripture. He even predicted the Star of Bethlehem. However, his love of the world became the source of his infamy. Balaam loved money, prostitution, and worldly fame. He was famous as a soothsayer, who would pronounce a curse for money. The Mosaic Law strictly prohibited these practices, but then, Balaam wasn't a Jew. He was a Gentile. Balaam was a dichotomy who spoke with the authority of God at times and used the power of demonism at other times.
Balaam was the classic case of the worldly prophet. He was so overcome by worldliness that his values reflected not the Righteousness of God but the corruption of the lusts of the flesh. When the lusts of the flesh replace the love of God, the believer travels down the path of reversionism. Balaam was the epitome of the reversionist. He is the classic example of a person who knew the right way, but rejected it to pursue the Frantic Search for Happiness of worldly lusts.
When prophets or Church Age pastors enter into reversionism, they are doubly destructive. Not only do they hurt themselves, but they lead others astray. Balaam was responsible for the death of 24,000 Jews. He was the pawn of Baal. He was the friend of anti-Semitism, the unfaithful servant, and corrupt prophet. His reversionism was so perverse, that his own donkey was used to preach him a sermon in an attempt to restrain his reversionistic insanity. His infamy was so great that throughout history the mere mention of the name Balaam was a cause for insult. In the epistles to the Church, Peter uses him as an example of the reversionist, and the Lord Jesus Christ uses him as an example of the apostasy in the Church at Pergammon (Revelation 2:14).
Why study Balaam? Because the story of Balaam is as relevant today as any other time in history. Just as prophets like Balaam existed in Moses' day, pastors exist in the Church Age with a striking similarity. Today the apostasy of Balaam is everywhere. It fills the pulpits of apostate churches all over the world. Unlike Balaam, however, the pastors of today do not have the luxury of a talking donkey to awaken them from their own apostasy. Unless they have a near-death experience or some other shock to wake them up, most of them continue to operate as Balaam in the power of the Cosmic System. They don't know the meaning of grace. They have no concept of experiential sanctification, and they slaves to devil's world.
Israel Camps Near Moab
Prior to entering the Promised Land, the nation of Israel camped on the steppes of Moab northwest of Mount Nebo. Israel had just defeated the Amorites, who occupied all of the land between Moab and Ammon from the River Arnon to the Jabbok (Numbers 21:23-26). So Israel had won most of the land east of the Jordan except for Edom and Moab. The Arnon River is on the east side of the Dead Sea. At the time Ammon had been occupying the land of Moab north of the Arnon River. When Balak, the king of Moab, saw Israel's camp on his doorstep, he panicked and began searching frantically for a solution to the crisis. Balak was an astute king, although he was an unbeliever. Being without the military muscle to defend his nation against the powerful Army of Israel, he racked his brain for an alternative solution. Then he hit upon the idea of using the curse of demonism to ward off the Jews. The national religion of Moab was the worship of Baal, so the idea is not so surprising.
However, to perform the cursing, Balak did not call upon his own cult priests, but sent a delegation to the most famous soothsayer of his day, a prophet named Balaam, who lived in the region of Babylon, current day Iraq. At first Balaam refused the offer, but later when another, more prestigious delegation arrived from Moab and offered him more money, he agreed to return with them to Moab for the purpose of pronouncing a demonic curse on Israel. On the way he encountered reversionistic discipline that eventuated in a sermon from his own donkey. Balaam was highly embarrassed and earned the distinction of chief ass. Even the donkey had better sense than Balaam.
When Balaam arrived in Moab, he was greeted by King Balak. Together, they offered sacrifices of bulls and rams in order to secure backing from the spirit world for the curse of Israel. However, the Lord intervened and each time Balaam prophesied, he pronounced a blessing on Israel instead of a curse. After three attempts from three different locations, Balaam was able only to pronounce blessing on Israel and not a curse. Balak was upset, and Balaam was prevented from earning his handsome fee for divination.
However, this did not end the determination of Balaam to find a way to earn his fee, and he and Balak remained friends. Balaam soon hit upon the idea of a diplomatic initiative, or Peace Plan. He convinced Balak that the thing to do was to send a delegation of Moabite women, who were Baal worshippers, on a good-will visit to the Camp of Israel. When the men of Israel saw the alluring Moabite women, they fell for the bait. Israeli men were lured into Moab and became involved in the worship of Baal, which involved fornication and dining on the meat offered in sacrifices to Baal.
Israel, thus came under the influence of demonism under the power of Baal. The Client Nation which could not be destroyed from an outside military power, was undermined by transgression from within. God cursed Israel with a plague and 24,000 Jews died due to involvement in demonism. Balaam, thus earned his fee - not by directly cursing Israel, but by counseling Balaam in the art of diplomatic duplicity. In aiding the enemies of Israel, Balaam had succumbed to the most vile form of reversionism, anti-Semitism. For such activity, the Abrahamic Covenant pronounced the curse of God:
I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse. (Genesis 12:3a)
Anti-Semitism is a vicious evil that will bring a curse on all who practice it. The protection of the Abrahamic Covenant still stands as an unconditional promise to Israel. The nations of history who have violated this principle have been destroyed. The nation of Israel later decisively defeated the Midianites, who were the allies of Moab in the Balaam diplomatic initiative and Balaam was one of the casualties.
Baal and Demonism
Spiritual WarfareBaal is one of Satan's powerful demons who is sent to influence the rulers of some nations. The name, Baal, simply means lord and is synonymous with a cosmic king or queen in the organization Satan. (Illustration: Spiritual Warfare of Sarah) Baal, like Satan, has a dichotomous nature. He rules as both the god of war and the goddess of love. On the one hand he is a vicious fighter like the god of war, and on the other hand, he is the goddess of love, the sponsor of the Phallic Cult. The warlike side demands child sacrifice, while the love goddess lures into the Phallic Cult, sexual debauchery, and temple prostitution.
Baal is symbolized by the bear. This is learned from the story of Elisha, who was mocked by young boys. The boys followed Elisha and made fun of his bald head. Consequently, Elisha cursed them.
When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. (2 Kings 2:24, NAS)
Baal is the god that demands the suffering and sacrifice of children. Violent deaths of children are often the work of Baal, as was the case with the lads who mocked Elisha. Baal was the demon in Elisha's day who sought to destroy Israel. In the incident with Elisha, the bears were a symbol of Baal and the number, 42, was the number of the bear.
In Jeremiah's day, Baal worship also involved the suffering and sacrifice of children.
Jeremiah 7:31; 32:35, NAS
31 “And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into My mind.
35 “And they built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
The worship of Baal in Jeremiah's day involved the Phallic Cult as well as burning children in the fire as sacrifices to Baal. The drums of Topheth were beaten to drown out the screams of the burning children. Baal is the god of child sacrifice. Baal is symbolized by the bear, which has the dual characteristics: (1) awesome fighter, and (2) lover of sweets. Bears are the strongest of beasts and are vicious fighters. They are also lovers of sweets, e.g. honey. These characteristics are the same as the dual nature of Baal as the god of war and goddess of love.
The bear is one of the symbols of Satan as the ruling power of an evil nation (Daniel 7:5; Revelation 13:2). The dictator of the Revived Roman Empire during the Tribulation will be symbolized by a beast with feet like a bear (Revelation 13:1-2). Today, a nation that is symbolized by the bear and, therefore Baal, is Russia (called Gog, Ezekiel 38:1-2; Revelation 20:8).
THE STORY OF BALAAM
Background
Balaam was a Gentile prophet who lived in Pethor (Deuteronomy 23:4), a city south of Carchemish in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq) on the west bank of the Euphrates River (Numbers 22:5). Balaam did not know that the Lord had forbidden the conquest of Moab (Deuteronomy 2:9). When Israel camped on the plains of Moab prior to entering the Promised Land, Balak, King of Moab, was in a panic. Since his nation wasn't strong enough for a military confrontation with Israel and since Moab under the power of Baal was full of anti-Semitism, he sent for Balaam, a famous soothsayer, to pronounce a curse on Israel.
Moab was the center of three countries that symbolized the counterattack from the Cosmic System.
Cosmic Enemies of Israel
Country
Founding Father
Cosmic Counterattack
1 Edom Esau, ruddy Ecumenical Babylon
2 Moab Son of Lot & oldest daughter Political Babylon
3 Ammon Son of Lot & younger daughter Cosmic Babylon
Moab in Hebrew is derived from ba*m@ , meab, which means "from the father." The daughter of Lot who committed incest with her father named her son Moab, "from the father," in admission of the incestuous relationship.
Numbers 22:2-3
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 So Moab was in terror because of the mighty army, for they were numerous; and Moab was dismayed in the face of the army of Israel.
Balak is derived from the Hebrew ql^B* , balaq, which means to lay waste, to destroy. He was the son of Zippor (Hebrew rwP)x!zippor), which means bird or sparrow (from the chirping sound). The sparrow is a small bird, which symbolizes a child. Baal preys on children.
Balak immediately held a conference with the leaders of Midian, who lived to the south of Edom. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through Keturah (Genesis 25:1-6). They were a patriarchal society in which heads of the family ruled. These tribal heads (elders) were called princes (Hebrew sar) or kings for the more influential tribes. Rather than risk military defeat, Balak decided to try to invoke the powers of demonism to handle his current crisis.
Numbers 22:5-6, NAS
5 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River (Euphrates), in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. 6 “Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
Balaam was a world-famous soothsayer in Pethor, a city south of Carchemish on the west bank of the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, currently Iraq. Balaam is Hebrew
