The Four Generation Curse
The Four Generation Curse is one of the most profound doctrines in the Bible. It affects four generations of a family, and no family in recorded history has ever been free from the curse. Even children of the promise, of which there are two in the Bible, could find no one to marry that wasn't under the curse. Before procreating children, all Christian parents should know what is in store for them from this curse.
Contents
Meaning of the Four Generation Curse
Families Under the Curse
Four Generation Curse in Israel
Cursing in the Family
Cursing in the Nation
Suffering
Children Under the Curse
The Spiritual Solution
Meaning of the Four Generation Curse
Meaning
Breaking the Curse
Meaning
The Second Commandment of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) was a prohibition against idolatry.Exodus 20:4 Prohibition of IdolatryIf God is truly God, then no one can take His place. An idol is an object that symbolizes a god, other than the True God. Idols were images of man, animals, or angels. Satan and his demons were the gods that gave power to the idols. Making an idol was prohibited.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the Earth.
The Four Generation Curse was the Judgment for violating the prohibition against idolatry in the Decalogue1(Ex 20:5; 34:7; Num 14:18, 33; Deut 5:9; 1 Kin 21:29; Jer 32:18):
Exodus 20:5People were prohibited from worshipping or serving idols because that was a rejection of the one, True God. God was alone to be worshipped. God will tolerate four generations of negative volition before He punishes the nation with the Fifth Cycle of National Cursing, the destruction of the nation. The word "jealous" can mean jealous or possessive. Here it refers to the possessiveness of God. God is the only God, and He will tolerate none other.
You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
"Visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children" - refers to punishment for negative volition ("them that hate me"). "Visiting the iniquity" means punishing the iniquity. God orders the punishment, but it can be administered in all the ways available, e.g. by people, nations, angels, and Satan.
This does not mean the children are punished because of the fathers. Each generation is punished for its own negative volition. The generations of a family correspond to generations of the nation.
"Third and fourth generations of them that hate me" - the limit that God will tolerate from the client nation is four generations of negative volition. Herein lies the problem. What began as a prohibition against idolatry concluded with a curse for four generations of the sin of negative volition. The sin of negative volition against God amounted to idolatry. Turning away from God was turning to the Cosmic System of Satan, where Satan was like a god. Furthermore, since "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), the fifth generation would be destroyed.
What began in the Garden as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was translated into the Four Generation Curse as a choice between God (Good) and Satan (Evil). Positive volition was choosing God and negative volition was the default of choosing Satan. Every person born in a family must choose between God and Satan.
The consequence of eating the forbidden fruit was "dying you will die" (Gen 2:17). The consequence of rejecting God was four generations of dying, followed by physical death (national destruction). For each individual who rejected God the result would be dying, you will die the Sin Leading to Death.
Each generation of a family will be cursed with more capacity for evil than its predecessor. God does not make a person evil, but He gives him capacity and opportunity for evil (Rom 1:24, 26-27, 28). Each generation of negative volition faces more evil than its predecessor.
Breaking the Curse
Is there a way to break the Four Generation Curse? Yes, choose God. Recover from reversionism and advance to Spiritual Maturity.Exodus 20:6 GraceGod will change the cursing into blessing for those with positive volition. Those who love God and keep His commandments will receive Grace blessing for a thousand generations, meaning forever. Advancing to Spiritual Maturity will break the curse.
But exercising grace to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
So, the solution is to continue to eat the Good fruit and reject the forbidden fruit. The one who does this will receive Grace blessing from God. Furthermore, his family and others will receive blessing by association. However, there is still one problem. If the person marries a person who has not reached Spiritual Maturity, then the children will still be under the Four Generation Curse. Only two parents in Spiritual Maturity can produce a child of the promise. That's why Abraham and Sarah had to get to Spiritual Maturity before they had Isaac.
Abraham procreated Ishmael from a slave girl under the Four Generation Curse before he reached maturity. She was also wrong woman. The result was that Ishmael was a wild ass of a man (Gen 16:12).
Families Under the Curse
Effect on Children
Cursing in Jacob's Family
Joseph
David
Effect on Children
Every parent notices bad
traits in children that correspond to relatives of previous
generations. The children may be rebellious,
mischievous, or secretive. They may be full of
arrogance, ambition, or worldly desires. These traits
are often the result of the Four Generation Curse.
Children that are not born to Right Man - Right Woman in Maturity are not children of the promise, but cursing: "visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children." Children born into a family must bear the intensity of cursing at their level (generation 1-4). The child receives cursing from the father's and mother's line. There may be other curses, e.g. the curse of Jezebel or Ichabod.
Isaac was in Spiritual Maturity (Level 1) when he married Rebekah. However, she was under the Four Generation Curse at Level 4. Consequently, when she got pregnant, the children, Jacob and Esau, even fought in the womb. They continued to fight outside the womb even into adulthood. When Esau, who was an unbeliever, could not receive the blessing of the firstborn from his father, he got so mad he decided to kill Jacob, who had hoodwinked him out of his birthright. Jacob had to flee the country to escape the wrath of Esau.
Jacob went to Haran to seek a wife from his mother's relatives. However, all of them were under the Four Generation Curse. Before reaching Spiritual Maturity, Jacob married Leah and Rachel, both of whom were under the Four Generation Curse (Level 4). The children he had from these women and their maids were all monsters except for Joseph, who was the only one born from the Right Woman. However, Joseph was born under the Four Generation Curse. His brothers tried to kill him and sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Even though Joseph was born from Right Man – Right Woman, his parents were not in Spiritual Maturity, and he was born under the curse. He had to endure the suffering of slavery in Egypt before reaching maturity. His children, Ephraim and Manasseh, were blessed even though their mother was almost certainly under the Four Generation Curse.
Cursing in Jacob's Family
Jacob and his family were all under the Four Generation Curse. When Jacob married Leah and Rachel, he had not reached Spiritual Maturity and his wives were still under the Four Generation Curse. Jacob worked for Laban for 20 years. Laban was a worldly reversionist who cheated Jacob and changed his wages ten times (Gen 31:7, 41). Laban even substituted Leah for Rachel on Jacob's wedding night. Laban, like Jacob, was a chiseller, and Jacob finally found the courage to separate from him. Even as they left behind Laban's back, Rachel stole the household idols.Even after separating from Laban, Jacob's children were full of evil and cursing. Jacob's oldest son Reuben committed adultery with Bilhah, his father's concubine (Gen 35:22). Because of that Reuben lost the inheritance of the firstborn (Gen 49:3, 4).
After Dinah was raped by a Hivite, the next two sons, Simeon and Levi conspired to take revenge. They convinced the Hivite men to be circumcised so they could intermarry with them. When the men were sore from their circumcision, Simeon and Levi attacked them and killed them. Then they houghed the livestock and took the women and children as spoils.
This was so odious that Jacob was forced to flee from that part of the country with his family. During the journey, as Jacob was reaching Spiritual Rapport, Rachel gave birth to Benjamin and died. Simeon and Levi subsequently lost their inheritance and were cursed (Gen 49:5-7).
Judah finally received the rulership of the family of Jacob, and Joseph received the double blessing. However, Judah himself went after what he thought was a prostitute and wound up being seduced by Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law (Gen 38:6-26).
Joseph
Joseph was born from Jacob before he reached maturity and to Rachel, who was under the Four Generation Curse (4th generation). Joseph did not curse others, but he himself was viciously cursed by his brothers. Joseph was sent by Jacob to check up on his brothers, who were keeping the livestock. After Joseph brought back a bad report on them, they became angry and sought to take it out on him (Gen 37:1-11).Under the arrogance of unhappiness, the brothers saw Joseph as the reason for their unhappiness. It never occurred to them to accept responsibility for their actions and straighten up. So they made Joseph the scapegoat, or idol, responsible for their unhappiness and sought to alleviate their unhappiness by making Joseph unhappy too.
When Joseph went to check up on his brothers at Dothan, they saw him coming and conspired to kill him (Gen 37:18). They stripped him of his varicolored tunic and threw him in a pit (Gen 37:23-24). Then they saw a caravan coming and sold Joseph into slavery (Gen 37:28). They dipped Joseph's tunic in animal blood and took it to their father so he would think that Joseph had been eaten by a wild animal.
Joseph was subsequently sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard (police) in Egypt (Gen 37:36). Joseph soon became overseer of Potiphar's house (Gen 39:5). However Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph, and when he refused her, she tore his clothes off and accused him of trying to rape her. Joseph was then thrown in the Dungeon (Gen 39:20; 41:14). This was suffering that Joseph had to bear before being promoted to Spiritual Maturity.
Then Pharaoh had a disturbing dream and Joseph was brought out of jail to interpret it. Pharaoh then promoted Joseph to Prime Minister of Egypt (Gen 41:38-45). That broke the Four Generation Curse, and Joseph later delivered his entire family from famine. Jacob's family (66 persons (worldliness)) went down to Egypt (Gen 46:26).
David
David was the fourth generation born to great grandparents, Ruth and Boaz. Ruth and Boaz in Spiritual Maturity had a child of the promise, Obed, who became the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ru 4:17). Obed, meaning servant, is a type of Christ, the Servant (Isa 42:1; 49:3-6; 53:11; Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45), and David is a type of Christ, the King at the Second Advent (Isa 9:7; Matt 25:31; Lk 1:32).David was an unwanted child from non-Right Man – Right Woman (Ps 27:10; 51:5). He was the youngest son and sent out to tend the sheep (1 Sa 16:11, 19). However, he did his job as unto the Lord and learned Bible Doctrine. He was a good musician and became Saul's musician and armor bearer (1 Sa 16:19-23). At the Lord's command, Samuel anointed him King of Israel while Saul was still alive (1 Sa 16:5-13).
The cursing and testing which David received included:
- Killing a lion and bear (1 Sam 17:34-37)
- Being hated by his brother (1 Sa 17:28).
- Killing Goliath (1 Sa 17:23-51).
- Saul tried to kill David (1 Sa 18:10-12; 19:1ff)
- Married Michal (1 Sa 18:20-27), who was barren (2 Sa 6:23).
- Saul's army chased David's army (1 Sa 23:15ff).
David was promoted to Spiritual Maturity and anointed King in Hebron (2 Sam 2:4) and later over all Israel (2 Sa 5:3).
Polygamy and the Four Generation Curse combined to make a mess of David's family like Jacob's. David's children were born under the Four Generation Curse. They were either born before he reached Spiritual Maturity or to a woman who was not in Spiritual Maturity. Sons born to David in Hebron were: Amnon, Chileab, Absalom, Adonijah, Ithream (2 Sa 3:2-5; 1 Ch 3:1-4). Later children were also born in Jerusalem (2 Sa 5:13-16; 1 Ch 3:5-9).
David defeated all the enemies of Israel and was given the Davidic Covenant, which meant that he would never lack for a son on the Throne of Israel (2 Sa 7:8-16). However, David fell for Bathsheba when the army was away and committed adultery with her. When she got pregnant, he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, murdered (2 Sa 11). Because David did not Rebound, he received severe punishment from God (Psa 32, 38).
After David Rebounded,
his household was cursed (2 Sa 12:11-12):
a. The child of adultery died (2 Sa 12:15-19)
b. Amnon raped Tamar (2 Sa 13:1-20)
c. Absalom had Amnon murdered (2 Sa 13:28-29)
d. Absalom rebelled and proclaimed himself king (2 Sa
15)
-
Shimei cursed David (2 Sa 16:5-13)
-
Absalom took Jerusalem and raped David's concubines (2 Sa
16:15-22)
-
Absalom was killed (2 Sa 18:14), and David was full of grief
(2 Sa 18:31-33)
-
Adonijah was killed by Solomon's orders (1 Ki 2:24-25)
e. David was restored as King (2 Sa 19:8-43).
David married Bathsheba, but there is no indication she ever loved him. The children they had were also under the Four Generation Curse because even though David was in Spiritual Maturity, Bathsheba was not. She was probably in the fourth generation. Solomon, their eldest son, was obviously a wild child from non-Right Man – Right Woman.
Later under Spiritual Rapport Testing, David took a census of Israel under Satanic influence, and all Israel was severely punished (2 Sa 24).
Thus, David and his family suffered under the Four Generation Curse, and all Israel suffered because of David's bad decisions as King. However, David accepted his suffering and rode it out with doctrine. In spite of his curses, he loved the Lord and executed the Spiritual life. He became the great example of a king who served the Lord with his life and the standard by which other kings were judged..
Four Generation Curse in Israel
National Cursing in Israel
Cursing of the Northern Kingdom
Cursing of the Southern Kingdom
Conclusion
National Cursing in Israel
The Four Generation Curse applies not only to families but also to the royal families of the nation. Generations in the nation are counted by the succession of kings. When a king dies, his first born son inherits the throne. Each king is counted as a generation regardless of how long he reigns. Theoretically there would be only one royal family in a nation forever. However, outsiders inevitably ascend to the throne and become the new royal family.The Four Generation Curse applied to the nation means that God will tolerate negative volition in three or four kings before destroying the royal family. The Divine decision to destroy the nation is not, however, based on the king. The king is temporal authority. The basis for blessing or cursing of the nation is the Grace of God related to the spirituality of the people. The rise or fall of the nation is based on God's attitude toward the people - not the king. The king is a leader of the temporal flock, and the pastor, or prophet, is the shepherd of the spiritual flock. The rise or fall of the nation is based on the spiritual - not the temporal.
In both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms the nation was destroyed under the Fifth Cycle of Discipline after four cycles of four generations of negative volition reflected in the royal family. The people were the reason for the fall of the nation, but their negative volition was reflected in the kings.
A good king may be blessed by having four or more generations of his sons ruling after him. However, the line of an evil king may be cut off. This happened to Saul and Jehoiachin (Coniah).
The first four kings of Israel
are shown in the table. Saul, who was handsome and
stood head and shoulders above other men, was anointed as
the first king by Samuel. He had humility and
potential, but he disobeyed the Lord, and his royal line was
cut off (1 Sa 13:13-14). He had a problem with
jealousy and bitterness and tried to kill David in a fit of
rage. David was Righteous, and Saul was evil. He
reigned 42 years and was replaced by David, who obeyed the
Lord.
| . | King | Yrs | Curse | Executed Curse | Events |
| 1 | Saul | 42 | His Royal Family did not endure because he disobeyed the Lord (1 Sa 13:13-14) | . | (1 Sa 13:1; Acts 13:21), he was handsome (1 Sam 9:2), fought the Philistines, prophesied, was terrorized by demons, promoted David and tried to kill him, consulted Samuel from the grave, and died after defeat by the Philistines. |
| 2 | David | 40 | Family under Four Generation Curse,
due to adultery, his household was cursed (2 Sa 12:11-12) |
Defeated the enemies of Israel and had rest (2 Sa 7:1) | Davidic Covenant, sons would rule forever (Psa 89:3-4, 20-37; 132:11-12; 2 Sam 7:8-16; 2 Ch 21:7; Isa 55:3; Acts 13:34) |
| 3 | Solomon | 40 | His kingdom would be divided after his death (1 Ki 11:11-13) | . | Peace, prosperity, glory; built Temple; large harem, wives turned his heart from the Lord (1 Ki 11:3-4) |
| 4 | Jeroboam | 22 | Curse of Jeroboam 1 Ki 14:9-14, 20; 15:29 |
. | Rejected the Law (2 Ch 12:1); Baasha destroyed house of Jeroboam (1 Ki 15:29-30) |
David was the standard by which other kings were measured, and none met his standard. Even though David had to overcome the Four Generation Curse in his family and the curse of his household due to his sin, he was given the Davidic Covenant, which promised him a son forever on the throne. Every king of Judah was descended from David, including the Lord Jesus Christ, who will sit on the throne in the Millennium.
Solomon inherited the throne from David. He
had peace and prosperity, but his wives lured him into
idolatry. Consequently, he was given a curse.
His kingdom would be divided after his death, and ten tribes
would be taken away. When he died, Israel was divided
into a Northern and Southern Kingdom. The Northern
Kingdom was called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom was
Judah.
Jeroboam became the first king of the Northern
Kingdom, and Solomon's son Rehoboam became the king of the
Southern Kingdom. Both were severely cursed under the
Four Generation Curse. They were the fourth generation
kings, who were full of the iniquity of the sins of the
fathers. Saul disobeyed the Lord and did evil.
David had a weakness for women and kept a harem. Solomon
went crazy for sex with a harem of a thousand women. His
foreign wives lured him into idolatry, and he offered
sacrifices to idols such as Ashtoreth, Malcom, Chemosh, and
Molech (1 Ki 11:5, 7-8).
In order to keep the people from going to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam set up two golden calves as idols for the people to worship (1 Ki 12:28-30). One was placed in the North in Dan and the other at Bethel on the southern border. He set up an separate priesthood (not from the Tribe of Levi) for offering sacrifices to the idols (1 Ki 12:31). He also set up an alternative to the Feast of the Passover.
The sins of Jeroboam were so severe that he qualified for destruction under the Four Generation Curse. His curse, called the Curse of Jeroboam, was that his entire house (royal family) would be destroyed. That curse was executed by Baasha.
As the fourth generation, Rehoboam had troubles too. Rehoboam rejected wise counsel and listened to foolish counsel and lost ten tribes (1 Ki 11:11-13; 30-33). Note, the two tribes left for Judah are a matter of perspective. Judah was said to include Benjamin and the Levites (2 Ch 11:12-14). Judah was considered one nation, although Simeon was within its borders and Benjamin on the northern border was generally considered to belong to Judah even though some of its cities belonged to Jeroboam (1 Ki 12:21). The Levites in Judah were not counted as a separate tribe here, and Ephraim and Manasseh were two tribes of the original 13 tribes - not twelve.
Under Rehoboam Judah was also invaded by Shishak, king of Egypt, and there was war continually with the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Cursing of the Northern Kingdom
| . |
|
|
|
|
5 Curse Executed by: |
| 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 4 |
|
|
|
|
.(5th Cycle Discipline) |
Jeroboam
The Four Generation Curse in the Northern
Kingdom of Israel is shown in the next Table. It begins
with Jeroboam, who is the recipient of the Four Generation
Curse as the fourth king of Israel. Because Jeroboam
sacrificed to idols and led Israel astray through the worship
of the golden calves, he was given the Curse of Jeroboam by
the Prophet Ahijah.
1 Kings 14:11 Curse of Jeroboam
Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone who dies in the country the birds of the sky will eat, for the LORD has spoken it.
Under
the curse Jeroboam's entire house was destroyed by Baasha,
including Nadab, his successor. The kings in a royal line
are shown in the same color. Thus, Nadab, Baasha, and Elah
were sons of Jeroboam.
The evil of the Northern Kingdom was so great under Jeroboam that the Lord decreed that He would destroy the entire nation under the Fifth Cycle of Discipline.
1 Kings 14:15 Fifth Cycle of Discipline3- Baasha
"And the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, therefore He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger.
Baasha, the third king, received the same curse as Jeroboam. The Curse of Baasha was the same as the Curse of Jeroboam - all their houses were destroyed. The Curse of Baasha was executed by Zimri, the commander of Elah's chariots. The fourth king Elah succeeded Baasha but was killed by Zimri.
5- Zimri - Four Generation Curse
Zimri was the fifth king of Israel and the one in power when the Four Generation Curse was due to be executed. He killed Elah and destroyed the house of Baasha in fulfillment of the Four Generation Curse and Curse of Baasha (1 Ki 16:12-13). Zimri only reigned for 7 days before he was forced to commit suicide because of his sin. Murder and suicide are a sign of Satan. Zimri is also the first king in the next group of four.
| . | King | Yrs | Curse | Executed Curse | Events |
| 1 | Jeroboam | 22 | Curse of Jeroboam 1 Ki 14:9-14, 20; 15:29 |
. | Rejected the Law (2 Ch 12:1); set up golden calf idols for Israel; Baasha destroyed house of Jeroboam (1 Ki 15:29-30) |
| 2 | Nadab | 2 | killed by Baasha (1 Ki 15:27) | . | 1 Ki 15:25 |
| 3 | Baasha | 24 | Curse (1 Ki 16:3-4, 6-7, 11-12) | destroyed house of Jeroboam (1 Ki 15:29-30) | War with Judah all his days (1 Ki 15:32; 2 Ch 16) |
| 4 | Elah | 2 | murdered by Zimri (1 Ki 16:9-10) | . | 1 Ki 16:8 |
| 5 | Zimri | 7 da. | committed suicide in his sin (1 Ki 16:18-19) | killed Elah (1 Ki 16:9-10), destroyed house of Baasha (1 Ki 16:11-13) | Commander of Elah's chariots (1 Ki 16:18) |
| 1 | Omri | 12 | . | . | commander of the army (1 Ki 16:16); built Samaria (1 Ki 16:24); evil (1 Ki 16:25-26) |
| 2 | Ahab | 22 | Curse of Ahab (1 Ki 21:21-24; 22:37-38; 2 Ki 9:7-9, 18) | Curse of Jericho fulfilled (Josh 6:26; 1 Ki 16:34 | son of Omri (1 Ki 16:29); evil (1 Ki 16:30), married Jezebel (1 Ki 16:31) |
| 3 | Ahaziah | 2 | fell through lattice and died (2 Ki 1:2, 17) | . | (1 Ki 22:40, 51), son of Ahab |
| 4 | Jehoram | 12 | died under the Curse of Ahab (2 Ki 9:24-26) | . | (2 Ki 1:17; 3:1) son of Ahab, evil like Jeroboam (2 Ki 3:3); victory over Moab (2 Ki 3:4-27) |
| 5 | Jehu | 28 | . | executed Jehoram, Ahaziah (King Judah), Jezebel (2 Ki 9:33), all house of Ahab (2 Ki 10:11, 17) and Ahaziah (2 Ki 10:13-14), & Baal worshippers (2 Ki 10:19-27, 28) | (2 Ki 10:36) anointed by prophet of Elisha (2 Ki 9:6); broke Four Generation Curse (2 Ki 10:30), sons would rule for four generations |
| 1 | Jehoahaz | 17 | . | . | (2 Ki 10:35; 13:1), son of Jehu, due to his evil, Israel oppressed by Aram (2 Ki 13:3) |
| 2 | Jehoash (Joash) | 16 | . | . | (2 Ki 13:10), recovered cities of Israel taken by Aram (2 Ki 13:25) |
| 3 | Jeroboam II | 41 | . | . | (2 Ki 14:23), did evil; restored border of Israel (2 Ki 14:25-27) |
| 4 | Zechariah | 6 mo. | murdered by Shallum | . | (2 Ki 15:8-9), evil |
| 5 | Shallum | 1 mo. | killed by Menahem (2 Ki 15:14) | . | (2 Ki 15:10, 13), became king in 39th year of Uzziah of Judah |
| 1 | Menahem | 10 | . | struck Tiphsah and ripped up the pregnant women (2 Ki 15:16) | (2 Ki 15:17), paid tribute to Assyria (2 Ki 15:19-20) |
| 2 | Pekahiah | 1 | killed by Pekah his officer in his castle (2 Ki 15:25) | . | 2 Ki 15:23, son of Menahem |
| 3 | Pekah | 20 | killed by Hoshea (2 Ki 15:30) | . | (2 Ki 15:27), Assyria carried away captives (2 Ki 15:29) |
| 4 | Hoshea | 9 | conspired against Assyria, taken
captive (2 Ki 17:4) Fifth Cycle Discipline |
. | Israel fell to Assyria and was carried into exile (2 Ki 17:6) |
1- Omri
Omri, the commander of the army, became king
after Zimri. Omri became king in the 31st
year of Asa, king of Judah, where 31 is for an evil king (1 Ki
16:23). Omri was more evil than all the kings before him
(1 Ki 16:25).
Omri was the father of Ahab, the most evil king of Israel (1 Ki 16:30). Ahab was the seventh king of Israel, where seven is for categorical punishment.
1 Kings 21:25 AhabAhab was a believer, but he married Jezebel, who was under the power of Baal and synonymous with the Prostitute of Babylon. She worshipped Baal and killed the prophets of the Lord. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was full of the worship of Baal.
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.
Ahab in the third generation received the same curse as Jeroboam. All of his house would be destroyed.
1 Kings 21:21 Curse of AhabThe Hebrew idiom "everyone who urinates against a wall" applied to males only.
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;
The Curse of Ahab was executed later by Jehu, but Ahab died the Sin Leading to Death from a mortal wound he received in battle. The Lord allowed evil spirits to lure him into battle and entice him to make all the wrong decisions in spite of being warned by a prophet of the Lord. He was shot with an arrow and bled to death in his chariot. When the chariot was washed out, the dogs licked up his blood (1 Ki 22:38).
Ahab's son Ahaziah became king in the fourth generation. Ahaziah fell through a lattice from an upstairs room in his castle and was severely injured. When he sent to inquire of Baalzebub whether he would die, Elijah intercepted the messenger and predicted his death. He died after serving two years.
Since Ahaziah had no son, he was succeeded by Jehoram, another son of Ahab, in the fifth generation. Jehoram did not depart from the evil of Jeroboam (2 Ki 3:3). However, the Lord gave him a great victory over Moab when he allied himself with Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom and Elisha interceded for them (2 Ki 3:4-27).
Jehu Executes Curse of Ahab - Cosmic Babylon
Jehoram in the fifth generation died under the Four Generation Curse and Curse of Ahab. It was administered by Jehu, who was anointed to be the next king by a prophet from Elisha (2 Ki 9:6). After Jehu was anointed, he went out and began executing the Curse of Ahab. Jehu was a brilliant leader that people were naturally inclined to follow. He probably had a Bowl in his Birth Chart and went out on his mission to destroy the house of Ahab per the Lord's command. He had a clear mandate and came up with ingenious ways to get the job done.
Jehoram was in Jezreel recuperating from injuries received in battle when King Ahaziah of Judah came to visit him. Jehu went to Jezreel and when Jehoram came out to meet him, he shot Jehoram through the heart with an arrow (2 Ki 9:16-24). Then as King Ahaziah fled, Jehu ordered his men to shoot him, and he was killed also (2 Ki 9:27).
Jehu proceeded to the King's Palace in Jezreel to find Jezebel. When she heard he was coming, she painted her eyes to have a good appearance for her possible death (2 Ki 9:30). After she smarted off to him, Jehu ordered her thrown over the wall, and she was trampled under the horses (2 Ki 9:33). The dogs came and ate her according to the Curse of Jezebel (2 Ki 9:35-37).
Jehu's next problem was to execute Ahab's 70 grandchildren who had been placed in the care of foster parents. He wrote letters to the nobles and elders in Samaria and Jezreel and told them to pick out one of the sons and place him on the throne (2 Ki 10:1-5). The elders were not about to do that after seeing that Jehu had just killed two kings. So they offered to serve Jehu. Jehu wrote them back and demanded that they deliver the heads of the children to him (2 Ki 10:6-7). They slaughtered the king's sons and sent the heads to Jehu. There were 70, the last of the family of Ahab.
Jehu proceeded to kill all of the rest of the royal family of Ahab in Jezreel, including his relatives, officers, priests, and acquaintances.
2 Kings 10:11Jehu Executes Ahaziah's Relatives - Political Babylon
So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances (friends and supporters) and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.
When Jehu left for Samaria, on the way he met the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah, who were going to visit King Jehoram. Jehu ordered them seized and killed (2 Ki 10:13-14). There were 42 men in the group, where 42 stands for Baal. Thus, the family of Ahaziah suffered the same fate as the Curse of Ahab.
The mother of Ahaziah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahaziah's relatives were step-brothers, i.e., sons of Joram (King of Judah) by his concubines, and Ahaziah's nephews and cousins. Although they are called "sons of Ahaziah's brothers" (2 Ch 22:8), they were not the actual brothers of Ahaziah, since his brothers were carried off by the Arabians (2 Ch 21:17). Thus, Ahaziah's relatives were going to visit their in-laws (2 Ki 10:13):
- "The sons of the king" (Jehoram).
- "The sons of the queen mother (Jezebel)" – Jehoram's brothers.
Jehu Executes Worshippers of Baal - Ecumenical Babylon
Then Jehu rounded up all the worshippers of Baal in the land and had them executed (2 Ki 10:19-27, 28). He destroyed the temple of Baal and eradicated Baal out of Israel. The worship of Baal and the golden calves was the idolatry behind the Four Generation Curse in Israel. The worshippers of Baal were not on the list of those to be executed, but under the Mosaic Law they should be executed. Jehu knew that no government would succeed with those evil people around.
The sanctification of a nation requires freedom from Cosmic, Political, and Ecumenical Babylon. Freedom is a good thing, but when it leads to evil, it must have limits. Jehu instinctively understood that not only did the tree have to be chopped down, but the roots had to be removed also.
Because of his obedience to the Lord's commands, Jehu broke the Four Generation Curse. The Lord promised him that his sons would sit on the throne for four generations (2 Ki 10:30). This temporarily broke the Four Generation Curse on the royal family and introduced an era of Grace in Israel. However, the nation was still under liability for the Fifth Cycle of Discipline. The king (temporal establishment) cannot change this. The people did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam and worship of the golden calves.
The four generations of Jehu's sons are shown in the Table in blue. The first son, Jehoahaz, was constantly oppressed by the King of Syria, who conquered cities in Gilead as he had during the reign of Jehu (2 Ki 13:3). So Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord for mercy.
2 Kings 13:4The Lord listened to the prayer of Jehoahaz and promised him a deliverer, and they were able to live in their homes without fear of being scattered by Syrians.
Then Jehoahaz petitioned the LORD for Grace, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria (Aram) oppressed them.
2 Kings 13:5The deliverer was the two kings that succeeded Jehoahaz, Jehoash and Jeroboam II. Jehoash took from the Syrians all the cities that had been conquered by them under his father (2 Ki 13:25), while Jeroboam II restored the ancient boundaries of Israel (2 Kings 14:25, 27).
The LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians (Arameans); and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly.
Jehoash (Joash) was the second king descended from Jehu. Jehoash defeated the Syrians three times as foretold by Elisha (2 Ki 13:18-19) and recovered the cities lost to the Syrians (2 Ki 13:25). Syrian King Hazael conquered all Gilead in the time of Jehu (2 Ki 10:32, 33). Joash recovered the cities lost to the Syrians from Benhadad, and his son Jeroboam II reconquered Gilead also (2 Ki 14:25).
King Amaziah of Judah challenged Jehoash to a war (2 Ki 14:8). Jehoash tried to talk him out of it by telling him a fable (2 Ki 14:9), but Amaziah, who was full of pride from defeating the Edomites, insisted. The two armies met at Beth-shemesh – on border of Judah and Dan (Josh 15:10) in Judah (2 Ki 14:11). The army of Israel soundly defeated Judah and King Amaziah was taken prisoner (2 Ki 14:12). Jehoash marched into Jerusalem, plundered the Temple and Treasury, and broke down part of the northern wall. He left Amaziah but took hostages to insure peace after he left (2 Ki 14:14).
Jeroboam II succeeded Jehoash as the third king after Jehu (2 Ki 14:23). He was the second deliverer and reconquered Gilead and the territory lost to Syria (2 Ki 14:25, 27). He conquered the kingdoms of Damascus and Hamath (2 Ki 14:28). That included the capital of Damascus with the kingdom, but not the city of Hamath, which had never belonged to Israel.
The fourth king after Jehu, Zechariah, did evil and reigned only six months before he was murdered by Shallum (2 Ki 15:8-10). He was killed "before the people," meaning publicly. The death of Zechariah was under the Four Generation Curse. In spite of the temporary relief under Jehu, the four kings that followed continued to accumulate iniquity. For example, they didn't remove the golden calves.
The death of Zechariah set in motion a chain of events that led rapidly to the Fifth Cycle of Discipline. After the death of Jeroboam II, only one king (Menahem) of six died naturally and was succeeded by his son. The death of Zechariah was foretold by Hosea (Hos 1:4), and the coming Fifth Cycle of Discipline (Hos 1:5).
Hosea Predicts the Death of Zechariah
Hosea's life and marriage prophesied the fall of the Northern Kingdom.
Hosea 1:2Hosea was told to marry a prostitute for two reasons. First, his Right Woman was a prostitute, and secondly the whole land of Israel was under the power of the Prostitute of Babylon. The people were not worshipping God. They were engaged in idolatry in the Cosmic System. He was to have children with the prostitute, who was under the Four Generation Curse.
At first when the LORD spoke 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 away from the LORD."
Hosea's Right Woman was Gomer, meaning to end or come to completion (Hos 1:3). She symbolized the death of Israel through prostitution (idolatry), Four Generation Curse. She was the daughter of Diblaim, meaning fig cakes, two cakes.
Hosea 1:4-5Hosea was to name his son, Jezreel after the fruitful plain and the capital of the Northern Kingdom before it was moved to Samaria. Jezreel means God sows.
4 And the LORD commanded him, "Call his name, Jezreel; for yet a little while and I will visit (punish) 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 reason for naming the child Jezreel was "for yet a little while and I will visit (punish) the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu." This was a prediction of the coming punishment of the royal family of Jehu in the death of Zechariah.
- The "blood of Jezreel" was the curse of Ahab executed by Jehu under the Lord's command because of the evil of the house of Ahab.
- "Upon the house of Jehu" means the Four Generation Curse, corresponding to the Curse of Ahab, will be applied to the Royal Family of Jehu. Zechariah, fourth generation from Jehu, will be murdered under the Four Generation Curse. (2 Ki 15:8, 10).
- "And I will put an end to the Kingdom of the House of Israel" refers to the end of the Northern Kingdom under the Fifth Cycle of Discipline.
- Elisha anointed Jehu king with a commission to destroy all of Ahab's house (2 Ki 9:1ff).
- Jehu destroyed the house of Ahab and his 70 sons (2 Ki 9:30 - 10:17).
- Jehu broke the Four Generation Curse (2 Ki 10:30).
- Jehu did the will of the Lord, but he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. He did not remove the golden calf worship of the Lord in Israel (2 Ki 10:31).
- Jehu's sons were on the throne of Israel for four generations (2 Ki 10:30).
b. The next two sons delivered Israel from Syria - Jehoash (2 Ki 13:25) and Jeroboam II (2 Ki 14:27-28).
c. Zechariah died under the Four Generation Curse that ended the house of Jehu, and the Fifth Cycle of Discipline was decreed – not because of the king but because the people were still worshipping the golden calves (2 Ki 10:31).
5- Shallum
Shallum killed Zechariah and became king in the 39th year of Uzziah of Judah (2 Ki 15:10, 13), where the number 39 is for the Sin Leading to Death. Shallum ended the royal family of Jehu on the throne. Shallum only reigned for 1 month before he was killed by Menahem (2 Ki 15:14).
Last Four Generations
Upon becoming king, Menahem, the first
generation, destroyed the city of Tiphsah when they would not
open the gate for him. They were in revolt.
Tiphsah was the city of Thapsacus on the Euphrates (see
map). In the invasion, he ripped open the pregnant women
(2 Ki 15:16). Menahem was evil and did not depart from
the sins of Jeroboam. After Assyria invaded the Land,
Menahem paid Pul, king of Assyria, for support so that he
might remain in power. Then Pul withdrew (2 Ki
15:19-20). Pul was the Chaldean name of Tiglath-pileser III.
Menahem was succeeded by his son Pekahiah (second generation) (2 Ki 15:23). He did evil and lasted only two years before he was killed by a conspiracy led by Pekah, his bodyguard (2 Ki 15:25). Pekah (third generation) became king and did evil. Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, captured cities of Israel and carried away captives into exile (2 Ki 15:29; 1 Ch 5:26). He captured Gilead and all of eastern Israel as well as all of northern Israel, including Naphtali and Galilee. Pekah was killed by Hoshea (2 Ki 15:30).
Hoshea became the fourth generation king. At the beginning of his reign he became subject to Shalmaneser king of Assyria and paid tribute (2 Ki 17:3). Shalmaneser is the same as Shalman (Hos 10:14) and Sargon (Isa 20:1). He is credited with reigning nine years, but in the sixth year, he conspired against Assyria by an alliance with Egypt and was taken captive and never returned (2 Ki 17:4). Hoshea was not only the fourth generation recipient of the Four Generation Curse, but as the 19th king of Israel, he was the king at the end of the fourth of the Four Generation Curses in Israel. After four Four Generation Curses, there was no sanctification of the kings or the nation. Therefore, the nation was liable for the Fifth Cycle of Discipline. After Hoshea was taken captive, the Assyrians laid siege to Samaria (2 Ki 17:5). It fell after three years, and the people were carried away into exile (2 Ki 17:6).
Although there were a few bright spots along the way along with some great prophets like Elijah and Elisha, Israel never gave up its idolatry. After four Four Generation Curses in which the royal families were destroyed, the people continued to reject Bible Doctrine and refused to give up idolatry. Consequently, the nation itself was liable for the Fifth Cycle of Discipline. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria in 721 BC.
Summary
The Northern Kingdom of Israel went out under the Fifth Cycle of Discipline after the fourth Four Generation Curse – "visiting (punishing) the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me" (Ex 20:5).
1st Four Generation CurseThe judgment of the Four Generation Curse was due in the Northern Kingdom in the reign of:Jeroboam led Israel into idolatry and was given the Curse of Jeroboam – the destruction of his entire house. The second and fourth kings were murdered, and the fifth (a murderer) committed suicide. The third, Baasha, was under the same curse as Jeroboam. By the fifth king, Zimri, who lasted only 7 days, the entire houses of Jeroboam and Baasha were destroyed. The nation didn't end after the first four generations of kings, but the dynasties were destroyed.
2nd Four Generation Curse
In the next cycle of the Four Generation Curse the dynasty of Ahab and Jezebel arose. Ahab was the Evil King, and Jezebel was the Prostitute of Babylon. The second cycle ended like the first with Ahab's dynasty destroyed under the same curse as Jeroboam's.
The curse on Ahab's dynasty was implemented by Jehu, who killed Ahab, Jezebel, their relatives, friends, priests, and officers. This wasn't the Fifth Cycle of Discipline on the nation, but it was the equivalent on the dynasty.
3rd Four Generation Curse
Because Jehu obeyed the Lord, he temporarily averted the Four Generation Curse and four generations of his sons were allowed to reign. However, they did not get rid of the state religion of worshipping the golden calves. Consequently, the Four Generation Curse was administered upon the royal family of Jehu, and the fourth king Zechariah was murdered after 6 months. His murderer, Shallum, was killed after one month.
4th Four Generation Curse
The fourth Four Generation Curse resulted in the Fifth Cycle of Discipline. Two of the four kings in the cycle were murdered, and the fourth, Hoshea, was taken captive by Assyria in the Fifth Cycle of Discipline.
- Group 1 - Zimri
- Group 2 - Jehoram
- Group 3 - Shallum
- Group 4 - Hoshea – Fifth Cycle of Discipline
The explanation for why Israel fell is recorded in scripture beginning at 2 Kings 17:7. First, "they feared (reverenced) other gods." They practiced idolatry, which was a violation of the Four Generation Curse (Ex 20:5). "And walked in the customs of the nations" (2 Ki 17:8) - they rejected the statutes of the Lord (Lev. 18:4, 5, and 26, 20:22, 23) and practiced the customs of the world, i.e. idolatry. They were unsanctified. "And in the customs of the kings of Israel" - golden calf worship of Jeroboam.
2 Kings 17:9 OccultBy worshipping God in their own contrived way, they concealed the true nature of God. They built high places everywhere, "from watchtower to fortified city." Watchtowers were in the remote country for protection of the flocks from marauding bands. They worshiped idols (2 Ki 17:10-12) and rejected the prophets, including Elijah and Elisha, the two most spiritual in the Old Testament (2 Ki 17:13).
The people of Israel engaged in hidden deeds (occult) that were not right on behalf of the LORD their God. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
They "stiffened their neck" (2 Ki 17:14) - this is hardness of the heart of reversionism. The Lord hardened their hearts so they could go into reversionism and be punished severely. "Like the neck of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God" - refers to the Exodus generation who died in the wilderness.
"They went after idols and became empty (worthless)" (2 Ki 17:15). Here the Hebrew hebel means empty, but refers to an idol (Deut 32:21; Rom 1:21; Jer 2:5).
2 Kings 17:16The golden calves (1 Ki 12:28) were molten images ((Ex. 32:4, 8; Deut. 9:12, 16)). The Asherah was a fertility goddess (1 Ki 16:33). The host of heaven" refer to the Sun, Moon, planets, stars. This was not specifically mentioned in the Northern Kingdom, but it occurred first in Judah in the time of Manasseh (2 Ki 21:3). And they "served Baal" (1 Ki 16:32).
They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, two (golden) calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
The next verse (2 Ki 17:17) is taken from Deut 18:10. "And practiced divination and augury" - here augury comes from the Hebrew nachash, meaning an augur; from the root for snake; a snake charmer. The last half of verse applies to Ahab (1 Ki 21:20).
"The Lord was angry with Israel" (2 Ki 17:18) – Divine punishment, "and removed them from His sight" – Fifth Cycle of Discipline.
2 Kings 17:20 Fifth Cycle of Discipline"The LORD rejected" – rejection of the love relationship with Israel due to lack of sanctification.
The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and punished them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
"All of the descendants of Israel" – the family of Israel, the nation. The nation is viewed as a family under the Four Generation Curse.
"And punished them, and gave them into the hand of plunderers." "Plunderers" were marauding bands of Syrians and Assyrians – Fourth Cycle of Discipline.
"He had cast them out of His sight" - Fifth Cycle of Discipline.
References
2. Larry Wood. Doctrinal Definitions, "Curses," May 28, 2016.
3. Larry Wood. Elijah, Spiritual Warrior, June 22, 2016.
4. Larry Wood. Right Man – Right Woman, Oct. 16, 2014.
5. Larry Wood. Colors in Scripture, "National Cursing Colors," Nov. 11, 2014.
6. Larry Wood. Balaam, May 5, 2015.
7. Larry Wood. Ruth, May 27, 2014.
8. Larry Wood. Sin: The Universal Threat with Deadly Consequences, Oct. 1, 2014.
9. Larry Wood. Dinah, Nov. 26, 1997.