Torah and New Testament Foundations-The False Messiah-Part 18

We are going back to the article in the Jewish Encyclopedia on Beliel, “In the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, Beliel is an archfiend from whom emanate the Seven Spirits of Seduction that enter man at birth (Reuben 2; Levi 3; Zebulon 9; Dan 1; Naphtali 2; Benjamin 6, 7) the source of impurity and lying (Reuben 4, 6; Simeon 5; Issachar 6, 7; Dan 5; Asher 1, 3), the spirit of darkness (Levi 19 ; Joseph 7, 20). He will, like Azazel in Enoch, be opposed and bound by the Messiah (Levi 18) and cast into the fire forever (Judah 25) and the souls captured by him will them be wrested from his power. In the Ascensio Isaiac, Beliel is identified with Samael (Malkira Dan 5); possibly Malak Ra, the evil angel (1.9) and called the “Angel of Lawlessness-the ruler of this world.”

When going through these articles you will see all the sources. If we went through every one here we would be going on a long time, but we can’t right now. However, we can look these articles up and check out the sources later for ourselves. Here is what will happen. You will find expressions that will help you understand the New Testament and see what Yeshua and his talmidim were using when they talked to the people, and you will see they used these expressions over and over again. The problem is we don’t realize it, and apply our own meanings to these terms and phrases, along with our opinions. The New Testament is full of these references. Understanding the context of these expressions is like fertilizer in your garden, it makes your seeds grow, producing fruit.

The article on Beliel in the Jewish Encyclopedia goes on to say, “Whose name is Matan Buchos (a corrupt form of Angro-Mainyush or Ahriman?). In Sibyllines 4.2, partly of Christian origin, Beliel descends from heaven as Antichrist and appears as Nero, the slayer of his Mother.” Now, we need to interject something here on what they said about the Sibyllines being of Christian origin. The Jewish Encyclopedia was written before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. They thought certain things were redacted from Christian origin, but after the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, they realized that a lot more things were of Jewish origin, so they went back and changed it. Continuing on in the article, “In the Sibyllines 3.63 (compare 2.166) Beliel is the seducer who, as the Pseudo-Messiah, will appear among the Samaritans, leading many into error by his miraculous powers, but who will be burned up by Heavenly fire carried along by the sea to the land (an earthquake?) to destroy his followers at the time when a woman (Cleopatra) will rule over the world.” In 2 Cor 6.14-16 Paul asks, “What harmony has Messiah with Beliel?” So, this concept was discussed in the First Century by believers.

In 1 Sam 25.2-38 we have a picture of the False Messiah. Nabal is a foolish man, which is what his name means, a “fool.” This is the same as a “Rasha” which means a wicked person. David helped Nabal protect his flock but Nabal would not help David when he needed it. He didn’t care because he had an “ein ra” or an “evil eye” which means he was stingy, not very generous. But, his wife Abigail helped him and she says Nabal is a “worthless man” (“Ha Beliel” in Hebrew). David is enraged and nearly kills Nabal.

Later, Nabal has a feast “like the feast of a king” which is an allusion to Rosh Ha Shanah. Abigail is a type of believer and she tells Nabal what she did for David. His heart “died within him so that he became a stone” (hard heart). Nabal died ten days later, an allusion to Yom Kippur and a Yom Ha Din, a Day of Judgment, being struck down by the Lord. This story is a tremendous picture. David is a picture of Messiah, Nabal is a picture of the False Messiah and his followers and Abigail is a picture of the believer.

Nabal in Hebrew is spelled with a Nun, Beit and Lamed. It is vocalized different, but it has the same root as “Nevel” meaning a harp. The harp is used by believers in Rev 14.1-3 to sing a new song. Also, when you spell Nabal backwards, it is Lamed, Beit and Nun. This is the same root for the name Laban, another picture of the False Messiah.

Next, we are going to the article in the Jewish Encyclopedia on “Ahriman.” “Ahriman (Angro-Mainyush, identical with Satan, the devil, Armilus). In the Mazdan religion, the evil deity, who has his real opposite in Spenta Mainyu, the “beneficial (holy) spirit.” The latter was identified at a later period, if not originally with Ahuramazda. Ahriman would seem to have existed as long as Ahuramazda; for, according to the conceptions of the Mazdan religion, immeasurable space has always existed, with its two hemispheres of light and darkness; each with its particular spirit: the one, that of light or life, and the other that of darkness or death-the spirits, in short, of good and of evil. Ahuramazda, however, is the real originator of this present world, for Ahriman created only the harmful and unclean animals, diseases, evil spirits (Daevas), sin and death; and he seeks continually to destroy the whole good creation. Ahriman’s might, too, is very terrible in the eyes of the faithful believer of the Mazdian faith; for he posses a whole kingdom of evil beings, who are obedient tools in his hands for annihilating the creations of Ahuramazda and for bringing men to violent destruction.”

“Among these evil spirits there are six that are in intimate contact with his person, just as there are six Ameshaspentas that surround Ahuramazda. The number six may be an invention of a later period for the sake of arriving at a counter part to Ahuramazda’s body guard. But it is certain that Ahriman, too, according to the testimony of the Mazdian religion in its earliest epoch, is surrounded by an army of evil beings like-minded with himself. The whole history of the world is one, long continuing struggle between Ahuramazda and Ahriman. The course and outcome of the struggle are, however, settled beforehand. The conflict is to proceed for 12,000 years, divided into four periods of 3,000 years each. At the close of the last period, the Saoshyat or Sosiosh, the Messiah of the Parsees, will arise and make an end of Ahriman’s dominion, not however, until he has been allowed to exercise his sway to an extent before unknown. Sosiosh will at the same time raise all the dead to life, hold final judgment upon the earth and inaugurate the regeneration of the present world.”

“Satan in the Bible. But after the exile, the Jewish mind becomes unable to refer to God, as formerly, everything that has happened and continues to happen in the world. As early as the prologue to the Book of Job, and in Zech 3, Satan is spoken of in terms that show that he is no longer merely a servant of Hashem, but is, rather, a persecutor of man, actuated by personal motives in making mankind evil and checking God’s work. In 1 Chr 21.1 where the word “Satan” appears without the article, we have new step in the development of his character, in that the figure of Satan is employed to explain a matter hitherto ascribed without further thought to God (compare 2 Sam 24.1). Satan acts (according to 1 Chr 21.1) entirely on his own account enticing David to commit sin. According to the Book of Daniel, composed about the year 168 B.C. (we don’t agree with this because it was written by Daniel during the Babylonian Captivity, and Yeshua said it was written by Daniel in Matt 24.15) the whole of the history of the non-Jewish world, from the point when the Babylonian power first comes into contact with Israel down to Antiochus Epiphanes, constitutes merely an outburst of the ill-will and enmity of the kingdoms upon the earth against God and his chosen people. Dualism is even more clearly marked in the Book of Daniel than it is in the Parsee religion.”

We will stop here and pick up in Part 19 with the article on Ahriman in the Jewish Encyclopedia, and we will see that in a Jewish context, Ahriman is a term for the False Messiah. We will be able to see how they connect Ahriman with Revelation and Genesis 3, and Genesis 3 is where we began out look into the greatest delusion ever told.

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*