MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT

Jezebel

Ahab Marries Jezebel
Jezebel Prostitute of Babylon
Elijah Flees to Mt. Horeb
Naboth
Jezebel's Death

Ahab Marries JezebelDivided Kingdom

Ahab became the seventh king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 38th year of Asa, King of Judah, where 38 is for dying in the wilderness.  Ahab reigned for 22 years, where 22 stands for cursing.  Ahab was responsible for more evil than all the kings before him.  The great prophet Elijah was raised up to fight the evil of Israel in the days of Ahab.  Although he was a believer, Ahab married Jezebel, a priestess of Baal and Astarte from Sidon, which was north of Israel in Phoenicia.  Astarte was the same as Ishtar, the goddess of Babylon.  As a priestess of Astarte, Jezebel was the same as the Prostitute of Babylon.

Gesenius gives the etymology of the name Jezebel as the Hebrew lb#z#ya! ('Izebel), from Hebrew ya! ('i, not) + Hebrew lb#z# (zebel, cohabiting) = without cohabitation; hence, chaste.1  She may, indeed, have been physically a virgin when she married Ahab, but she became the symbol of the Prostitute of Babylon, i.e. a virgin prostitute.  Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians (1 Kings 16:29-33).

Ethbaal is the Hebrew lu^B^t+]a# ('etheba`al), which means with Baal, i.e. living under Baal's favor.  According to Josephus,  Ethbaal was king of Tyre and Sidon and priest of Astarte, who usurped the throne after the murder of his brother, king Pheles, and reigned thirty-two years.  Baal was the principal male deity of the Phoenicians and Canaanites and most western Asiatics.  Baal was called by the Babylonians, Bel, which is the Hebrew lB@ (Bel) = Hebrew lu@B+ (Be`el) (Isaiah 46:1).2  Baal was worshipped as the god of fertility.4

Ahab and Jezebel made Baal worship the official state religion in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Ahab built a Temple to Baal in Samaria and erected an altar for Baal in it (1 Kings 16:32).  He also built the Asherah belonging to the temple of Baal (1 Kings 16:33).  Asherah is a wooden symbol of a demon goddess (ref. Judges 6:25; Exodus 34:13; 1 Kings 14:23).   In the time of David and Solomon, the main seat for Baal worship was in Tyre, where Hiram had built a splendid temple for Baal and placed a golden pillar.  Ahab erected a similar pillar in his Baal temple in Samaria (2 Kings 3:2; 10:27).

Jezebel Prostitute of Babylon

As wife of King Ahab, Jezebel immediately established a state religion after the pattern of Babylon the Great.  As the Prostitute of Babylon, she was the human leader of Ecumenical Babylon in Israel.  She purged the prophets of the LORD and provided government support for at least 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:4, 13, 19).  After Elijah's great victory over the Prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mt. Carmel, she tried to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-2).  Thus, Jezebel behaved like Satan as the god of war in her purge of the prophets of the LORD, and she behaved like Satan as the goddess of love in her support of the prophets of Baal and Asherah.  The Prostitute of Babylon, therefore, promotes both legalism and lawlessness.  The worship of Baal and Asherah involved sexual promiscuity.  Jezebel as the state sponsor of the promiscuity was the Prostitute of Babylon.

Elijah Flees to Mt. Horeb

Elijah, the Spiritual giant, ran from Jezebel in fear after the great grace victory on Mt. Carmel.  Elijah had the power to deal with the prophets of Baal but not the Prostitute of Babylon.  He went south to Beersheba, where he left his servant and continued another day into the wilderness.  He lay down under a tree exhausted and went to sleep.  An angel baked bread over hot coals for him and gave him a jug of water.  Elijah ate and drank and went back to sleep.  The angel baked more bread and awoke him to eat and drink.  That was the last time Elijah ate for the next 40 days and 40 nights (1 Kings 19:3-8).
Elijah's Travels
Elijah journeyed 1 day plus 40 days and 40 nights (a total of 81 days plus nights) in the wilderness to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God (1 Kings 19:4, 8).  The number, 81, represents the grace counterattack that Elijah received from Jezebel, who was the greatest example of the Prostitute of Babylon.  It was Satan who empowered Jezebel.  Thus, Elijah was being attacked by Satan through Jezebel.  Satan counterattacked Elijah's grace victory at Mt. Carmel.  Satan recognized that Elijah was the recipient of grace and attacked that grace.  Satan inspired Jezebel to try to kill Elijah.

Elijah was at a severe disadvantage with Satan supporting Jezebel as the Prostitute of Babylon.  Elijah could handle Baal, but he couldn't handle Satan, the Throne Angel.  He needed a promotion.  He fled to the wilderness to get his marching orders and then traveled to Mt. Horeb.  He spent 81 days plus nights in the wilderness, where 81 = 34 , which is 3, for the Justice of the Holy Spirit, raised to the 4th power, for weakness.  He was under a grace counterattack, and he needed more grace.  Raising 3 to a higher power implies greater authority.  Raising it to the 4th power would represent the authority of a throne, or Throne Angel.
Elijah's Travels
To deal with the Jezebel crisis, Elijah followed his standard methodology.  He humbled himself before God in order to receive God's grace.  However, this was a Satanic counterattack, which must be handled by resisting the devil.  It was the time to fight Satan in Spiritual warfare.  It was not the time to be humble and turn the other cheek.  Jezebel ruled her wimp husband, and now she was trying to conquer Elijah.  Elijah was facing the same type of darkness that Adam faced in Eclipse Testing when his wife sinned in the Garden.  This was also Evidence Testing.

The LORD met Elijah on Mt. Horeb and promoted him so that he could deal with the type of Throne Angels associated with Jezebel (1 Kings 19:9-18).  Consequently, he was sent back to anoint new kings of Israel and Syria.  He was also told to anoint Elisha as prophet in his place.

Naboth

Jezebel not only incited her wimp husband to do evil, she also usurped his authority and ran the government.  When Naboth refused to sell her husband a plot of land for a vegetable garden, she issued orders to have Naboth falsely accused and executed (1 Kings 21:1-15).  Ahab could take possession of the property because:
  1. Naboth's sons were also put to death (2 Kings 9:26).
  2. For blasphemy, the property of the criminal was forfeited to the Lord (Deuteronomy 13:16).
  3. The property of traitors was forfeited to the king, not by the Law, but according to principle.
After Naboth was executed, Ahab went down to Jezreel to take possession of Naboth's land, and the LORD sent Elijah to deliver a curse upon Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21:16-24).
"And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Have you murdered, and also taken possession?"' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "In the place where the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs, they will also lick your own blood."'" (1 Kings 21:19)
This verse was fulfilled in 1 Kings 22:38 when the dogs licked up Ahab's blood in Samaria - not Jezreel - after he was killed in battle (1 Kings 22:29-38).  The LORD had mercy on Ahab when he repented after he heard the LORD's curse from Elijah (1 Kings 21:27-29).  The dogs licked up Ahab's blood at the pool where the prostitutes bathe.  The curse of verse 19 was literally fulfilled in the case of Ahab's son, Joram, whose corpse was cast into Naboth's piece of ground (2 Kings 9:25-26).

Elijah delivered the LORD's curse to Ahab. Elijah said:

"Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, both bond and free, in Israel; (1 Kings 21:21)
Elijah told Ahab that the LORD would totally sweep away Ahab and cut off every male from his family, and the dogs would eat Jezebel.
"And of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the town-land (district) of Jezreel.' (1 Kings 21:23)
The curses upon Jezebel and the sons of Ahab were repeated when Jehu was anointed king of Israel (2 Kings 9:6-10).

Ahab was seduced to do evil by Jezebel.

Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, who was seduced (and led astray) by Jezebel his wife. (1 Kings 21:25)
"Seduced" is the Hiph'il perfect of  tWs (suth), which means to entice, seduce, lead astray.  The Hiph'il is causative, which means Ahab was caused to be seduced and led astray by Jezebel.
And he acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel. (1 Kings 21:26, NAS)
Here, "Amorites" is used for Canaanites as in other scripture, since the Amorites were one of the worst tribes of the Canaanites (Genesis 15:16; Joshua 24:15, cf. Josh 10:5; and Judges 6:10).  Thus, Ahab worshipped the gods of his wife, Jezebel, such as Baal and Asherah, which involved sexual promiscuity and idolatry under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon.

Jezebel's Death

After Ahab died the sin unto death and the dogs licked up his blood, his wife, Jezebel, continued to practice idolatry and ritual prostitution.  Ahab was succeeded by his son, Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:40).  Ahaziah died and was succeeded by another son, Joram.
And it came about, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, "What peace, so long as the prostitution of your mother Jezebel and her many witchcrafts continue?" (2 Kings 9:22)
"Prostitution" is the plural of the Hebrew, <n!Wnz= (zenunim), which means the ritual prostitution of idolatry.  Even though Jezebel was no longer in power in the government, she still practiced ritual prostitution and witchcraft.

Jehu killed Joram and had his body thrown in the field of Naboth in fulfillment of the curse upon him (2 Kings 9:24-26).  Jehu then went after Jezebel.  When Jezebel heard that Jehu was coming, she put on her makeup and made herself beautiful in order to charm him.

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she put eye-liner on her eyes and adorned her head, and placed herself at the window. (2 Kings 9:30)
"Eye-liner" is the Hebrew EWP (puk), for antimony, stibium (antimony trisulfide - lead gray crystals) of eye-liner.
When Jehu entered the palace gate, she cried out to him, "Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of his lord?" (2 Kings 9:31)
Zimri murdered Baasha and died 7 days later (1 Kings 16:8-19).   Jezebel implied the same fate awaited Jehu.  This was arrogant intimidation, which may have worked with wimps like Ahab; but it didn't work with Jehu.  Jehu looked up from his horse at the officials with Jezebel and asked them, "Who is on my side?"  Two or three of the men looked down at him, and he told them to throw her down.
He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot. (2 Kings 9:33)
Jezebel must have been a heavy woman, since it took several men to throw her over the wall to her death.  The evil Jezebel met with a violent death, but the curse continued onto her corpse.

After Jehu had eaten, he sent men to bury Jezebel; but all they found were her skull, feet, and palms.  The skull represents authority, which Jezebel usurped in violation of the Adamic Covenant.  The feet represent the strategic path, or walk, through life.  Jezebel walked in darkness and did evil.  The palms, or hands, represent service.3  Jezebel served Baal and Asherah as the Prostitute of Babylon.

2 Kings 9:35-37, NAS
35 And they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 Therefore they returned and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”
The dogs had eaten the body of Jezebel and there was not enough left to be recognizable.

The Prostitute in the Northern Kingdom

Hosea Marries a Prostitute
Gomer Falls Back into Prostitution
Hosea Reunited with Gomer
The Power of the Prostitute in Israel

Hosea Marries a Prostitute

Hosea prophesied during the last 100 years of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  He began his ministry under King Jeroboam, son of Joash.  The name, Hosea, means deliverance.  Hosea's message could have been a source of deliverance to Israel if the people had listened to him.  The Lord commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute.
At first, when the LORD specified to Hosea, the LORD commanded Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of prostitution and children of prostitution because committing prostitution, the land commits prostitution back away from the LORD. (Hosea 1:2)
Verse 2 has been translated literally.  The Lord was very specific in his command to Hosea to marry a prostitute and have children by her.  The reason for such a command was that Hosea's marriage to the prostitute was like the Lord's relationship to Israel.  The whole land was engaged in flagrant prostitution under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon; so Hosea would experience the same in his marriage.

So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim (Hosea 1:3).  Gomer means the end; to come to completion.  She symbolized the end of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Diblaim (Dibelaim), means two cakes, such as twin towns or fig cakes.  Gomer gave birth to a son, whom the Lord said to name, Jezreel, which means God sows.  Jezreel is the name of the fertile valley in northern Israel.  The city of Jezreel was the home of Naboth, who was killed for his vineyard on orders from Jezebel.

Hosea 1:4-5
4 And the Lord commanded him, "Call his name, Jezreel; for yet a little while and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the Kingdom of the House of Israel.  5 "And it will come about on that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel."
The "blood of Jezreel" refers to the killing of the royal family of Ahab by Jehu at the command of the Lord.  The same fate that occurred to the royal line of Ahab will fall upon the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  The Army of Israel will be destroyed in the valley of Jezreel.  The bloodshed of the royal family of Ahab represented the future destruction of the Northern Kingdom.
Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And He (the LORD) said to him, "Call her name Lo-Ruchamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the nation of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. (Hosea 1:6)
Hosea's wife then gave birth to a daughter, whom the LORD said to name, "Lo-Ruchamah."  "Lo" is the strong, strategic negative in the Hebrew, which means definitely not.  "Ruchamah" is a variation of the Hebrew <j#r# (rechem), for the womb or an open womb.  Thus, "Lo-Ruchamah" means not having an open womb, or unfavored.  The name meant that the LORD would no longer "have mercy on the nation of Israel."  "Have mercy" is the verb form of rechem, which is the Hebrew <j^r* (racham), meaning to have mercy.

After Hosea's wife had weaned Lo-Ruchamah, she gave birth to a son.

And He (the LORD) said, "Call his name Lo-`Ammi, for you are not My people and I will not be yours." (Hosea 1:9)
The LORD commanded Hosea to name the son, "Lo-`Ammi," which means "not my people."  The relationship between the LORD and Israel, which was previously symbolized by a marriage, had now ended.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel had chosen to serve Satan through the Prostitute of Babylon.  The Northern Kingdom had left the LORD to serve Baal, and, had thus, effectively ended the marriage with Him.  Therefore, the LORD would deliver them into the Fifth Cycle of Discipline.  The symbolic marriage would end with the death of the Northern Kingdom.  However, the LORD would continue his relationship with the Southern Kingdom.

Gomer Falls Back into Prostitution

Sometime later, but before the children left home, Gomer left Hosea and the children and went back into prostitution.  Prostitution in the Northern Kingdom included the worship of Baal and Asherah just as in the days of Jezebel (1 Kings 18:19).  The prostitutes of Baal and Asherah were the equivalent of the Prostitute of Babylon.

After Gomer left home, the LORD told the children to try to reason with her to give up her prostitution.

Contend with your mother, contend!
For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband;
And let her put away her prostitution from her face,
And her adultery from between her breasts, (Hosea 2:2)
The word, "prostitution," is the Hebrew  <n!Wnz= (zenunim), which means the ritual prostitution of idolatry as in 2 Kings 9:22.  This is the function of the Prostitute of Babylon.  The women of the Northern Kingdom were like Gomer.  They were practicing prostitution and adultery.  When a wife practices prostitution, it is also adultery.  But adultery does not have to be prostitution.  Yet, the adulterous woman can be the equivalent of the Prostitute of Babylon.  The adulteress can be empowered by the same demons as the Prostitute of Babylon.  In adultery, the Old Sin Nature links with the Cosmic System just as it does in prostitution.  So, the adulteress also represents the Prostitute of Babylon.

Israel was described as a nation of prostitutes and children who were conceived in prostitution.

Therefore, I will have no mercy on her children
Because they are children of prostitution. (Hosea 2:4)
The word, "prostitution," is again the Hebrew  <n!Wnz= (zenunim), which means the ritual prostitution of idolatry.  The nation of prostitutes and children of prostitutes would be Judged in the approaching Fifth Cycle of Discipline.
For their mother has committed prostitution;
She who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, 'I will go after my lovers,
Who give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.' (Hosea 2:5)
The mothers have "committed prostitution," which is the Hebrew verb hn^z* (zanah), meaning to commit prostitution, play the harlot, fornicate.  The mothers acted as the Prostitute of Babylon in the worship of Baal and Asherah.  The women chased after their lovers with whom they committed prostitution.  The women attributed their prosperity to their lifestyle of prostitution.  They rejected Logistical Grace and gave their lovers under the power of Baal credit for their food ("bread and water"), their clothing ("wool and flax"), and expensive possessions (oil and good wine).  On the contrary, the LORD gave these things to the women, who were oblivious to the grace of God (Hosea 2:8-9).
And I will devastate her vine and her fig tree of which she said, 'They are wages of prostitution to me, which my lovers gave me.'  And I will make them a forest and the animal of the country devour them. (Hosea 2:12)
The women prostitutes have forgotten that wine comes from vines and figs from trees.  In the Fifth Cycle of Discipline, the LORD will destroy the vineyards and orchards along with the prostitutes.  The values of these women shows the materialistic side of prostitution.  The men are after the honey, but the women are after the money.  The wealth of the prostitutes is attained in violation of true authority.  The women have rejected God's authority and the authority of their husbands.  And they are making a living outside the business establishment through evil.  Thus, the prostitution in Israel was a rejection of God's Word, Marriage Culture, and the Laws of Establishment.  Prostitution destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Hosea Reunited with Gomer

Gomer was eventually bought as a prostitute, since many prostitutes were owned.  The LORD commanded Hosea to buy her back.
Then the LORD commanded me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her companion, yet committing adultery, as the LORD loves the children of Israel, and they turn to other gods and love raisin-cakes." (Hosea 3:1)
Gomer is now called an adulteress, which is her status in relation to her husband.  The reunion illustrated the regathering of the Diaspora of the Southern Kingdom after the captivity in Babylon.  In the analogy, the LORD is the faithful husband, but the wife (Israel) is unfaithful.  She is an adulteress who worships other gods in ritual prostitution and loves "raisin-cakes."  Raisin-cakes were delicacies, which represented enjoying the sensuality of idolatrous worship.
So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half (lethek) of barley. (Hosea 3:2)
Hosea purchased Gomer for 15 shekels of silver, and a homer and a half of barley.  A homer and half is equivalent to 15 ephahs, or 12 bushels.  Here, the number, 15, stands for a covering, and silver symbolizes judgment.

Thus, Hosea's marriage, separation, and reunion with Gomer represented the LORD's relationship with Client Nation Israel.

The Power of the Prostitute in Israel

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed because of rejection of Bible Doctrine and subsequent evil under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon in the land.
Hear the word of the LORD, you citizens of Israel,
Because the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the this nation,
Because there is no doctrine, no grace, and no knowledge of God in the land. (Hosea 4:1)
Both people and animals suffered.
Therefore, the land mourns, and every inhabitant in it wastes away,
Along with the animals of the country and the birds of the sky.
Even the fishes of the sea have perished.  (Hosea 4:3)
Rejection of Bible Doctrine doomed the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected doctrine,
I will also reject you from being My Priest Nation.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I will also forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)
During the cycles of national discipline leading up to the Fifth Cycle of Discipline, the people suffered.
They will eat but not be satisfied;
They commit prostitution but do not increase
Because they have left off taking heed to the LORD. (Hosea 4:10)
There was loss of economic prosperity.  They didn't have enough to eat.  The people committed "prostitution," which is again the  Hebrew verb hn^z* (zanah).  The nation did not grow.  The population did not increase.
Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away the heart (right lobe) (Hosea 4:11)
Prostitution and wine represent the lifestyle of debauchery.  "Prostitution" is the Hebrew tWnz= (zenuth).  New wine is wine in the beginning stage of fermentation, barely able to make a person drunk.  The divine discipline for prostitution results in hardness of the heart (scar tissue of the soul) just as wine dulls the senses.  Prostitution will bring intensified divine discipline.  Prostitution enslaves a person in reversionism and causes loss of capacity for life and love.
My nation asks its wood, and its rod divines it
Because a demon spirit of prostitution has seduced,
And they commit prostitution out from under their God. (Hosea 4:12)
"Wood" refers to idols of wood, teraphim (Jeremiah 10:3; Habakkuk 2:19).  The "rod" was a stick used for Chaldean rhabdomancy.  Those who engage in idolatry are seduced by "a demon spirit of prostitution."  The word, "prostitution," is again the Hebrew <n!Wnz= (zenunim), which means the ritual prostitution of idolatry.  But, here, a demon, which is a fallen angel, or spirit, seduces a person during idolatry.  This is precisely what the High Priestess of Inanna or Ishtar in Babylon said.  During prostitution, the Prostitute of Babylon comes under the power of a demon.  So, the ritual prostitution of the Prostitute of Babylon is demonism.
The Prostitute of Babylon falls under the power of a demon.
"They commit prostitution out from under their God."  This means that prostitution violates the authority of God and delivers a person into the Cosmic System of Satan where he is subject to demon influence.  Here, again, "commit prostitution" is the Hebrew verb hn^z* (zanah).

In spite of all the warnings for a hundred years, the Northern Kingdom of Israel rejected Bible Doctrine and was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BC.

The Prostitute in the Southern Kingdom

Jeremiah Exposes the Prostitute
The Prostitute's Forehead
Women Like Camels and Donkeys
The Divine Marriage Analogy
Men Like Horses
Queen of Heaven
Child Sacrifice

Jeremiah Exposes the Prostitute

Jeremiah taught in the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the last 40 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.  His sermons exposed the worship of Baal by the Jews of Judah.  Before the Client Nation was destroyed, it became weak like a female.  Before nations are destroyed, they become effeminate, weak, and cowardly as the masculine qualities of courage and authority are replaced by fear and lawlessness.  Such nations are destroyed by dictatorial tyrants like Chaldea under the power of the Evil King.

Before the Southern Kingdom fell, it disintegrated from within.  The people turned from the worship the true God and worshipped the gods of Canaan, namely Baal and his consort, Asherah, as the goddess of fertility, as well as Ashtoreth, who was the same as the Babylonian Ishtar.  Canaanite worship was conducted by priests in temples as well as outdoors on hilltops, in fields, and in valleys.  It included animal sacrifice, meals, licentious dancing, and prostitution.  There was a rock altar with a sacred pillar and wooden symbol of Asherah nearby, both of which symbolized human fertility.  The high places of worship had chambers for sacred male and female prostitutes (Deuteronomy 23:18; 1 Kings 14:23-24; 2 Kings 23:7).5

According to Jeremiah, the Lord said to the people, "You have committed prostitution with many paramours" (Jeremiah 3:1).  The word for committing prostitution is the Hebrew verb hn^z* (zanah).  The nation was described as committing prostitution with many paramours because the people had multiple sex partners in Baal worship.

"Lift up your eyes to the bare top hills and see:
Where have you not been ravished?
By the roads you have sat for them
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have polluted the land
With your prostitution and with your wickedness. (Jeremiah 3:2)
The Jews worshipped Baal on the hill tops where the women were ravished (Hosea 4:13).  Ravished is the Hebrew lG^v* (shagal), which means to ravish, to engage in spiritual prostitution by idolatry.  It also indicates insatiability.  It is a very strong word that the Masorites regarded as obscene.  It comes from the Arabic meaning to pour out water or draw water with buckets.  Water represents the female sexual response.  The Jews sat beside the roads like prostitutes (Genesis 38:14).  Altars for idolatry were erected at the city gates and on street corners (2 Kings 23:8; Ezekiel 16:25).   The Jews waited by the roads like Arabs in the desert waiting for a caravan to rob.  They "polluted the land," where "polluted" is the Hebrew [n@j* (chaneph), which means to pollute or profane in the sense of desecrating or profaning the land.  This means the Client Nation was in apostasy.  The land was polluted by spiritual prostitution and the blood of sacrifices to idols (Numbers 35:33-34).  "Prostitution" is the Hebrew tWnz= (zenuth).  Even though this was Baal worship, it involved the same Prostitute of Babylon as the worship of the Babylonian Inanna or Ishtar.

The Prostitute's Forehead

The power of the Prostitute of Babylon in the Southern Kingdom not only destroyed the face of the land, but also the face of the inhabitant of the land.
Therefore, the showers have been withheld (recession); there has been no latter rain (depression).  Yet, you had a prostitute woman's forehead; you refused to be ashamed. (Jeremiah 3:3)
Prostitute's ForeheadBecause of idolatry, the Lord punished Judah with the cycles of discipline.  Rain was withheld, which caused economic recession and depression in the agricultural economy.  Yet, the Jews of Judah refused to repent.  They had "a prostitute woman's forehead," which is literally translated.  "Prostitute" is the Qal active participle of the Hebrew verb hn^z* (zanah).  A prostitute's forehead refers to Blackout of the Soul associated with scar tissue of the soul.  It is darkness in the mentality of the soul, since the mentality is behind the forehead.  The Blackout of the Soul blocks light to the genitals, which are also in darkness.  A prostitute's forehead means the sexual response is in darkness.

Those with a prostitute's forehead "refused to be ashamed."  There is no shame because the conscience is empty.  The conscience has no norms and standards that respect any authority or love relationship in life.  Such people don't respect, God, country, or Marriage Culture.  They refuse to obey or learn from punishment.  Their mentality is enslaved to the Cosmic System.  Therefore, they are the pawns of Satan.

The Prostitute of Babylon has a prostitute's forehead.
Spiritual DeathThe same analogy was used by Ezekiel and Isaiah (Isaiah 48:4).
yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me:  Because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. (Ezekiel 3:7)
"A hard forehead" is scar tissue of the soul in the mentality, and "a stubborn heart" is scar tissue of the soul in the right lobe, or heart.  The person with "a hard forehead" has darkness in the mentality as illustrated by the picture of Spiritual death from the Garden.  Scar tissue of the soul blocks out light from the mentality and the heart.

The prostitute's forehead was caused by rejection of Bible Doctrine.  Jewish believers would not hear and obey the word of the LORD.  "They are not willing to listen to Me."  Thus, the Problem Solving Device of Doctrinal Orientation should have been used.  In order to have Light in the mentality and the heart, the Problem Solving Device of walking in the Light, or Personal Sense of Destiny, should be used (Psalm 18:28; 27:1; 89:15; 119:105; Isaiah 2:5; Micah 7:8).

Women Like Camels and Donkeys

The women of Judah under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon were like camels and donkeys.  They worshipped all the "Baals," that is all the demon gods in the region.
"How can you say, 'I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the Baals?'
Look at your way in the valley!
Know what you have done!
You light-footed, filly camel entangling her ways, (Jeremiah 2:23)
A camel is a desert creature that represents the legalistic female, who was symbolized by the light-footed filly camel that tangled up the caravan in the desert as she snooped for a male.  Even though the legalistic female is dry like the desert, she may still seek illicit sexual relationships.
A wild she-ass accustomed to the desert,
That in her soul (sexual) lust pants for air.
Her heat, who can satisfy it?
All who take her fatigue themselves;
In her month they will find her. (Jeremiah 2:24)
The women of Judah were like the wild ass that ran free in the desert, a symbol of untamed lawlessness.  The wild ass in her sexual lust panted for air.  Her heat was insatiable, and all who took her on sexually fatigued themselves.  In the month of her sexual heat, the male asses would find her.  Thus, the women of Judah, who embodied the Prostitute of Babylon, were like wild asses in heat in their uncontrollable sexual desires associated with demonism.

The Divine Marriage Analogy

Judah was described as the divorced wife of the LORD.
"Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her sash?
Yet My people have forgotten Me
Days without number. (Jeremiah 2:32)
A "virgin" refers to a female of marriageable age.  A virgin couldn't forget her "ornaments," i.e. jewelry or other gifts from her lover.  And a bride would never forget her "sash," a belt worn outside her robe to give it style.  Yet, Judah, who was supposed to be the wife of the LORD, had forgotten Him, "days without number."

The divine marriage analogy of the LORD with the congregation of Israel is the crux of understanding the counterattack of the Prostitute of Babylon.  The Prostitute of Babylon committed prostitution in idolatry.  This was Satan's evil attack on the LORD.  Prostitution in idolatry was an attempt to destroy the love relationship between the LORD and Israel through the worship of Satan and his demons.

Men Like Horses

The Prostitute of Babylon influenced the women of Judah and attracted the men.  There would be no prostitution without the men, who were attracted to the prostitutes.
"Why should I pardon you?
Your children have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are no gods.
When I satisfied them with food,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the whore house. (Jeremiah 5:7)
The men of Judah were going to the "whore house" in droves.  Here, the word, "whore," is the Qal active participle of the Hebrew verb hn^z* (zanah), which means prostitute.  The men were lured to the Prostitute of Babylon and associated idolatry.
"Like well-fed horses, they are roaming around,
Each man neighing after his neighbor's wife. (Jeremiah 5:8)
The men were symbolized by horses.  The horse represents the male phallic reversionist and war.  The horse is represented by it's phallus and sexual desires.  The men of Judah were like horses preoccupied with their sexual desires.  They were adulterers neighing after their neighbor's wife.  As the nation became weak, the men in their insatiable lust were preoccupied with adultery.  They were thinking of women, but not their Right Woman, while the Chaldeans were thinking of war and rape.  The men of Judah in phallic reversionism were too weak to defend the nation.  The Prostitute of Babylon makes effeminate wimps out of males.  And the breakdown of Marriage Culture will destroy the nation.

Queen of Heaven

One of the favorite gods of Judah was the Queen of Heaven.  The stars, called "the host of heaven," were worshipped under Manasseh (2 Kings 21:5).
“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; and they pour out libations to other gods in order to provoke Me. (Jeremiah 7:18)
The entire family participated in the idolatry associated with the Queen of Heaven.  They offered cakes to her, and poured out libations to other gods.  The Queen of Heaven is presumed to be the Assyrian-Persian, Tanais and Artemis, who eventually took the place of the Phoenician, Astarte. She was originally the moon goddess, the Assyrian Selene and Virgo caelestis, who was the supreme female deity and consort of Baal-Molech as the sun-god.7

Child Sacrifice

The women of Judah under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon not only rejected their Right Man but became hardened, harsh, and cold-blooded.  Under the power of Baal-Molech, the god of war and fire, they burned their own children as sacrifices (Jeremiah 7:31-32; 19:4-6).
“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 heart that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. (Jeremiah 32:35)
Molech was one of the Baals associated with fire, war, and children.  The women who worshipped Baal as the goddess of love under the guise of the Prostitute of Babylon also served Baal-Molech.  They became so degenerate and evil that they murdered their own children under the demonic power of Molech.

The World's Great Empires

Daniel's Prophecy
Evil King Worship
The Greek Prostitutes

Daniel's Prophecy

Daniel was a captive in Babylon during the height of its glory when it was known as Babylon the Great (Daniel 4:30). In a dream Daniel saw an image that represented the empires of the world (Daniel 2:32-33, 37-43).  They were:
  1. Head of Gold - Chaldean Empire (c. 612-539 BC)
  2. Breast and arms of silver - Medo-Persia (539-331 BC)
  3. Belly (Graeco-Macedonia) and thighs of bronze (Hellenistic Monarchies) - (333-63 BC)
  4. Legs of iron - Roman Republic/Empire (~148 BC - 476 AD)
  5. Feet of iron (Revived Roman Empire) and clay (undermined nations)
The great world empires were ruled by men, the Evil Kings.  The Evil Kings were the male counterpart of the Prostitute of Babylon.  They ruled under the power of the god of war, however, and not the goddess of love.  They were kings and dictators whose rule provided a measure of stability in society.

Evil King Worship

Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, made a large idol of gold and demanded that everyone in his kingdom worship it.  The image was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide (about 90 feet by 9 feet).  It was roughly in the shape of a man, which means it was probably a statute of the Babylonian god, Marduk (Daniel 3:1-7).  When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to worship the image, they were thrown in the fiery furnace.  However, the Lord Jesus Christ delivered them (Daniel 3:8-27).

After conquering the world, Nebuchadnezzar developed the same arrogant ambition as Satan (Isaiah 14:14).  He took credit for making himself great and failed to give God the glory.  Nebuchadnezzar glorified himself, which was tantamount to taking the credit for what God had done.  Consequently, the Lord gave him a mental illness and he ate grass like a cow for a period of seven times, which represented Categorical Punishment.  The Lord took away Nebuchadnezzar's ability to rule until he wised up (Daniel 4:30-32).  Nebuchadnezzar had, in effect, made himself a god who desired to be glorified.

Evil Kings may seek to be worshipped as a god.  After Sargon I conquered Sumerian cities and became king of the Akkadian Empire in c. 2400 BCE, he proclaimed himself "anointed priest of Anu" and "great ensi of Enlil."  And his daughter, Enheduanna, became the chief priestess of Ur's moon god cult.9 The kings of Egypt were considered gods.  They were worshipped in temples by priests, and sacrifices were offered to them.  They were the "great god," the "golden Horus," and "son of Ra."  They claimed to be the Sun god and ruler of the entire world.8 The Hellenistic Greeks worshipped their kings as deities, whom they called lord, kurios.  Both the Ptolemies and the Seleucids were deified.11  In 307 BC the Athenians proclaimed Demetrius Poliorcetes and his father Antigonus as divinities called Saviour Gods.  Altars were built for them, and priests were appointed to lead worship of them.  The people worshipped them with hymns, dances, garlands, incense, and libations.8

In Rome, Julius Ceasar proclaimed himself dictator for life and was called god.  He allowed a statue of him to be placed in the temple of Quirinus with the inscription, "To the invincible god."  After his death almost all of the Roman emperors for 300 years were worshipped as god in the state religion.  However, Roman emperor worship was more political than religious.  It was from Political Babylon rather than Ecumenical Babylon.  The first Roman Emperor, Augustus Octavian, who became emperor in 27 BC, refused to be called lord.  However, this was a political move to gain respect rather than a reflection of his religious beliefs.  He reformed the old Roman religion and built 82 temples of the gods.  He recruited priests and Vestal Virgins and restored some of the ancient rites and festivals.  He started the tradition of deifying rulers after death by building a temple to Divus Julius Ceasar of the Forum.  And the Greek speaking provinces, in keeping with their tradition, insisted on deifying Agustus before his death.  Altars were built to him in Narbo, a city of Gaul, and in Lugdunum (Lyons).11

The next emperor, Tiberius (14-37 AD), resisted deification like Agustus.  He did not allow people to call him "lord."  However, in 23 AD he permitted a temple to be built in Smyrna in honor of himself, Livia, and the Senate.

The next emperor, Caius Caligula (37-41 AD), demanded to be worshipped in Rome.  He ordered a statue of Zeus with features of himself set up in the Temple in Jerusalem.   Fortunately, his sudden death averted a major crisis with the Jews.  This would have been tantamount to the Abomination of Desolation.

The next emperor, Claudius (41-54 AD), refused deification but was called "our god Caesar," and was deified after his death by the Senate.  The next emperor, Nero (54-68 AD), presented a front of humility against deification, but he erected a giant statue of the Sun god with his features in front of his new palace.  And he inscribed his image with the crown of the Sun god on coins.

The emperor, Vespasian (69-79 AD) resisted deification, but as he was dying proclaimed, "Alas! I think I am about to become a god!"  His second son, Domitian (81-96 AD) demanded to be worshipped publicly and called Dominus et Deus, "Lord and God."11

An idol of the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire will be set up in the Jewish temple for the people to worship during the Tribulation (Revelation 13:14-15).  This is called the "Abomination of Desolation" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Matthew 24:15).

Evil Kings who demand to be worshipped have succumbed to the sin of Satan.  And it is Satan who enslaves them.  They are the male counterpart of the Prostitute of Babylon.  Both are humans empowered by Satan, albeit in different ways.  Evil Kings may try to usurp the Sovereignty of God by trying to conquer the world to deprive other nations of freedom.  That was the purpose of the Tower of Babel.  The Evil Kings seek power in their arrogant ambition, while the Prostitutes of Babylon seek to usurp their power.  Both the male and the female are after the same piece of pie, but they approach it from opposite directions. The male is aggressive, and the female is seductive.  The male conquers kingdoms, and the woman tries to take them from him.  The male seeks honey and the woman money.  If the man becomes rich from conquest, the woman will take the riches by prostitution.

Evil Kings may demand to be worshipped just as the Prostitute of Babylon does.

The Greek Prostitutes

The belly and thighs of Daniel's image represented the Graeco-Macedonia Empire and Hellenistic Monarchies.  The belly and thighs seem a fitting symbol for the world's pinnacle of prostitution.  Prostitution flourished in Greece where it was legal.  There were three classes of prostitutes.  The lowest class were the dicteriades, who worked in the brothels.  The brothels were first government owned, but later allowed to operate as legal businesses.  These brothels brought in enormous revenues for the state.  The middle class were the auletrides, meaning "flute-players."  They were entertainers, musicians, strippers, singers, dancers.  They were often bought by a madam at a young age and trained.  They could be showered with gold and jewels by patrons.  The upper class were the hetairae, who were well-educated, socialites with wit, charm, and beauty.  They were companions of nobles, government leaders, and rich merchants.  They were escorts for the rich and famous at social events in lieu of wives.  They were often the mistresses of six or seven men who paid them salaries.  They were the most affluent prostitutes of history.  These were the only Greek women who were free.  All others, including wives, were owned.

Lamia was a famous auletride, who was the consort of King Ptolemy for two decades before she was captured by Demetrius.  She became his mistress.  She soon ruled Demetrius and thus had power as the unofficial ruler over Athens where a temple was built in her honor and she was deified as "Aphrodite Lamia."

Phryne was a famous hetaira who was so wealthy that when Alexander destroyed Thebes, she offered to rebuild the city at her own expense.  She also posed for the first statue that portrayed Aphrodite nude.  Another hetaira, Thais, was the mistress of Alexander the Great.  She accompanied him on his Persian campaign and later married Ptolemy.  The hetaira, Aspasia, founded a hetairae school in Athens.  She also had ruling power over Athens through her lover, Pericles.

The Greek Aphrodite was the same as Astarte, the Canaanite nature goddess and counterpart of the Babylonian Ishtar.  Thus, the Prostitute of Babylon also thrived in Greece.  Children, male and female, were also commonly used for prostitution in Greece.

The influence of the Prostitute of Babylon through the Greeks covered the 400 year period between Malachi and the Gospels when the scripture was silent as the world awaited the Savior.  Toward the end of the period Rome arose as the dominant world power.

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References

1.  Gesenius, Wilhelm, and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles. Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures. Translation of the Author's Lexicon Manuale Hebraicum Et Chaldaicum in Veteris Testamenti Libros, a Latin Version of the Work First Published in 1810-1812 Under Title: Hebräisch-Deutsches Handwörterbuch Des Alten Testaments.  (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc), 2003.
2.  Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 3, Page 161. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson), 2002.
3.  Larry Wood.  "Hands in Scripture," September 2002.   http://www.Biblenews1.com/hands/handc.htm#Symbolism
4.  Morris Jastrow Jr.,  J. Frederic McCurdy,  Duncan B. McDonald.  Jewish Encyclopedia, "Ba'al and Ba'al-Worship," 2002.  http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=2&letter=B
5.  Merrill Unger, R. K. Harrison ed.  The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, (Chicago:  Moody Press, Chicago, IL 60610), 1988, p. 485.
6.  A. H. Sayce.  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "BAAL (1)," 2003.
7.  Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 7, Page 645. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson), 2002.
8.  Sir James George Frazer.  The Golden Bough, ch. 7, New York: The Macmillan Co., 1922; Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/196/.
9.  "Sargon - Founder of Akkad," http://cornellia.fws1.com/sargon.htm
10.  Blake Linton Wilfong.  "The Hetairae of Ancient Greece," 2001.  http://wondersmith.com/heroes/hetairae.htm
11.  Merrill C. Tenney.  New Testament Times, (Grand Rapids, MI:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.), 1965., pp. 108-116.


Released March 30, 2004 - Revised Sept. 15, 2013

Author: Larry Wood
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