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The Sins of Noah and Nimrod
Greetings!
Included below are two teachings from the first few
chapters of the Bible. There is still a lot we can learn
from the book of Genesis.
We all know the story of
Noah. The first article considers this bed-time telling
from
a different perspective. The second article looks at
Nimrod, the father of all pagan religions.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
May our Father bless your study for truth,
Daniel Rendelman
The Sin of Noah
His sin is easy to look over.
When one considers the story of Noah (Noach in
Hebrew) and the ark,
the pure amazement the tale produces actually
clouds our judgment. We are awed by Noach’s ability
to build a huge wooden boat at an elderly age. We
wonder how the elephants, the tigers, the horses,
and even the snails made it to the ark. We smile at
the sign of the rainbow, given to symbolize the
Creator’s promise never to destroy the world again by
flood. However, because of our bedtime story view of
Noach, we gloss over his sin. Or maybe it is because
we are so familiar with this story, that we miss
Noach’s downfall.
This study isn’t going to discuss Noach’s drunkenness
or even the fact he was found naked. And his sin
wasn’t that somehow he forgot to kill those darn
misquotes. The sin of Noach was what he didn’t
do. "When YHWH said to Noach, "The end of all flesh
is come before Me," Noach said: "What will You do
with me?" But he did not pray for the world, as
Abraham would pray for the city of Sodom. This is
why the Flood is called "the waters of Noah" (Isaiah
54:9) - he is culpable for them, because he did not
appeal for mercy on the world's behalf," says the
Zohar. (YHWH is the Hebrew name of the Creator
hidden behind the English words LORD and GOD in
most Bibles. Exodus 3 teaches that this name was
given to man as a memorial for future generations.)
As Noach was confronted with the impending
judgment and destruction of the world, he failed to
intercede for humanity.
When he was told that the population was going to
be destroyed, Noach could have reacted differently.
He could have pleaded for the people. He should have
pleaded for the people. Yes, yes he did act in total
obedience by building the ark. And he did gather all of
the animals together. But, he didn’t pray for the souls
that would perish. YHWH lingered while speaking to
Noach about the flood. Nevertheless, Noach didn’t
beg YHWH for mercy. He was more excited about
building a boat, than caring for his neighbors.
The Newer Testament shows that Noach did preach
repentance to those around him. 2 Kefa / Peter 2:5,
calls him a "preacher of righteousness." As he built
the ark, he called people to turn from their sins and
turn to YHWH. No one listened. He wasn’t convincing.
Except for seven family members, Noach’s entire
generation perished. This is Noach’s sin. He preached
without praying. He was building when he should
have been seeking YHWH. Noach was so busy "doing"
that he had little time to think about what he was
doing afterall. The ark was built to hold animals and
to hold people. It is not enough to be spiritual and
set apart; a true believer should also be concerned
that his neighbor is spiritual and set apart. Perhaps
Noach thought he could reach the world by his own
efforts, his own kingdom, or his own sermons. He was
wrong. Scripture says that Elohim was amazed "and
wondered that there was no intercessor,"
Yesha’yahu / Isaiah 59:16
Torah teaches in Beresheet / Genesis 6:9,
that "Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his
generation." This isn’t a compliment. It is actually a
condemnation. Rashi says that Noach lived in
Avraham’s generation, he wouldn’t be regarded as
anything special. Indeed, there is a big difference
between the righteousness of Noach and the
righteousness of Avraham. For when Avraham was
warned of the destruction of Sodom and Amorah, he
didn’t build a car and drive away from town. Instead,
he interceded for the wicked. He said to YHWH, "Will
you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty,"
Genesis / Beresheet 18:23. Avraham pleaded for the
town, until
he finally implored YHWH to forgive them if only ten
innocent people could be found.
The Torah shows that Moshe too shielded his entire
generation. When Yisra’el sinned, Moshe said "And
now if You would only forgive their sin! If not, erase
me from the book that You have written," Shemot /
Exodus 32:32. YHWH "would have destroyed them
had not Moshe, His chosen, confronted Him in the
breach," Tehillim / Psalms 106:23. Noach did nothing,
Avraham pleaded, and Moshe offered. Yet it was who
Y'shua who gave his own life for the wicked and
the sinful. And Y'shua prayed. He "began to be sore
amazed, and to be very heavy; and said to his
talmidim (disciples), My soul is exceeding sorrowful ...
And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground,
and prayed," Mark 14:33-35. Y'shua prayed and
acted. He coupled his cries to Abba YHWH with
actions of selflessness. On the execution stake, He
said, "Father forgive them for they know not what
they do." Noach used wood to build an ark; Moshe
walked with a cane of wood; Y'shua gave his life
upon the wooden tree.
Yahshua’s example is to be followed. "Hereby
perceive the love of Elohim, because he laid down his
life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren," 1 Yochannan / John 3:16. This doesn’t
mean that one must give his own life to save others.
Believers are to intercede in prayer. We are to plead
for mercy. We are to be concerned about our
neighbors and act in love to those who don’t walk
Torah. "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the
law of Moschiach," Galatians 6:2.
It is not enough to try to win the "lost." Nor should
we build our own kingdom for the entire world to see.
Those being overtaken by the flood of evil need the
prayers of Yisra’el. "Let the priests, the ministers of
YHWH, weep between the porch and the altar, and
let them say, Spare Thy people, O YHWH, and give
not Thine heritage to reproach," Yo’el / Joel 2:17.
The concept is pretty simple. One is to pray to the
Master of the Harvest for the harvest. The
intercessor should pray continually, "keep not silent,
and give Him no rest...day and night," Lamentations
2:18,19. We are to "stand in the gap" for the world
around us. This calling to tefillah (prayer) isn’t for a
select few, but all believers. Will our generation be
guilty of the sin of Noach? Yahshua said, "As in the
days of Noach, so it will be when the son of Man
returns," Mattitiyahu / Matthew 24:37. How sad.
However, our actions can make a difference. Our
prayers and petitions can change the future. Let us
pray that the Father would draw our generation unto
Himself. Will Yahshua find faith on the earth or will he
find us building our boat? "Oh, that one might plead
for a man with Elohim, as a man pleads for his
neighbor," Iyov / Job 16:21.
The Sin of Nimrod
A Teaching on the Torah Portion
This Torah portion is called Noach, named after the
builder of the ark and father of the faith who heard
Yahweh’s voice and obeyed. In this weeks reading
are verses about one single man who has had a
tremendous impact upon history. His actions have
affected millions of people throughout thousands of
years. Like a pebble falling into a calm pond, this
man’s deeds have had a ripple affect upon all
humanity. But, this person is not Noach. To the
contrary, it is Noach’s great grandson who has
poisoned mankind until today.
His name is Nimrod and his behavior and memory have
influenced every false worship system throughout the
past. The Bible has very little to say of Nimrod. Yet,
with what the Scriptures do say combined with
historical accounts and the commentary from the
Sages of Judaism a person can draw an accurate
account of this evil man. Nimrod is the man who
could quite literally be considered the first anti-
Messiah. “Nimrod grew to be a mighty warrior on the
earth. He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh; that
is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before
Yahweh.” The first centers of his kingdom were
Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. From
that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh,
Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between
Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city,” Beresheet
10:8-12.
His name is the exact Hebrew verb form for “let us
revolt” and it exactly explains the course of his life
and the dangerous legacy he has left. It is a legacy
that continues until today. It is a legacy that began
when Nimrod, the warrior, conquered the famous
capitals of Mesopotamia, Babylon, Uruk, Nineveh, and
Assyria. The Bible states that he became the first
man after the flood to rule over a mass population.
Nimrod, the emperor, united the earth with a quest to
build the tower at Bavel. In fact, the Rabbis since
ancient times have given the name “Nimrod’s House”
to the tower.
Nimrod’s House was to be constructed as a place of
worship regulated by the earliest pagan state religion
founded by Nimrod himself and his wife Semiramis.
His satanic faith included calling the emperor or
himself a deity worthy of worship and exalting the
sun as a god. This one world religion, complimented
by a one world language, allowed Nimrod to exalt
himself and his wife as supreme beings who deserved
homage. The tower or pyramid was to reach to the
heavens, thus exalting Nimrod as the supreme ruler of
the universe. It is only when Yahweh stops the
building of Yahweh’s house and scatters builders that
Nimrod’s direct reign is stopped. Yet Nimrod’s indirect
reign of the lives and religions of man continues to
this day. As a consequence to Yahweh scattering
the peoples all over the world and giving the different
languages, each group, each nation, took with it the
knowledge of Nimrod/sun/pagan worship and a desire
to usurp Yahweh All-powerful. The ancient historian
Josephus regards Nimrod as the father of heathenism
and paganism, the characteristics of which is to find
strength and happiness in rebellion against the
Almighty.
In the scriptures Nimrod is called a “mighty hunter”
and his life story is that of rebellion and wickedness.
After the death of Nimrod, his wife continued this
heathen form of worship. Her name is Queen
Semiramis. According to on author, “she claimed that
her husband had become the Sun god, and was to be
worshipped. Some time after this, the Queen
conceived through adultery and gave birth to an
illegitimate son whom she named, Tammuz, who she
declared was actually Nimrod reborn.” This mother
son relationship, spawned through the reincarnation
of the sun god, can be found in false religions all over
the world, in various countries and cultures.
While Nimrod’s character and personhood stays the
same his name is different in different places
worldwide. Nimrod is called “Marduk” or “Mars”
throughout paganism, “Poseidon” and “Enki” in
Greece, “Bel” or “Baal” or the Sun god in Israel and
other nations, and historically has been documented
as the “serpent or dragon” found among the
Ethiopians, Chinese, Japanese, and American Indian.
The cult of Mormonism is also derived from Nimrod, as
to the Mormons Nimrod is known as the
angel “Moroni” worship.
Nimrod’s wife Semiramis, the queen of heaven as the
Bible identifies her, is also called “Isis” in
Egypt, “Cybelle” in Asia, “Ceres” in Greece, “Shing
Moo” in China, “Sisa” in Scandinavia, “Indrania” in
India, and “Mea Domina” or the “Madonna” in Rome.
The idea of the mother and child, Semiramis and
Tammuz, later became known as Isis and Osiris,
Venus and Adonis, and the Madonna and child in
various cultures to this day.
Beresheet 10:10 says, “The beginning of Nimrod’s
kingdom was Babylon.” It is clear to see when this
iniquity starts, but the problem is, no end of this evil
empire is ever mentioned. The kingdom of paganism,
rebellion, and false worship continues relentlessly to
this day, affecting all peoples. This kingdom of
Nimrod or kingdom of darkness has set itself against
the kingdom of Israel or kingdom of light since the
earliest times.
An interesting reminder of Nimrod’s heritage is the
fact that he is considered to be the founder of the
two wicked cities that grew into the empires that
would eventually conquer the kingdom of Israel:
1) Babylon – from which came the Babylonian
empire that conquered the Southern kingdom, the
kingdom of Judah and their capital of Jerusalem
around 586BCE, thus taking captive the Jewish
people.
2) Nineveh – from which came the Assyrian empire
that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and
their capital of Samaria around 721BCE, thus
scattering the seed of Israel and helping assimilate
the Israelites into the nations.
The Encyclopedia Judaica says, “Nimrod is the
prototype of rebellion against the Almighty.”
Furthermore the book of Revelation, chapters 17 and
18 and the 47th Chapter of Yesha’yahu (Isaiah)
speak of the “Babylonian Mystery Religion” that has
coiled from Nimrod and his wife.
Yes this week’s Torah portion is named Noach. Yes it
was the faithful actions of Noach that helped save
mankind. In spite of that it was Nimrod whose
satanic schemes helped pervert mankind away from
true worship of Yahweh. It is the defiance of this
man and his followers that command attention from
anyone who studies this weekly portion. How has
Nimrod’s memory influenced your life, your faith? Can
you vividly see how the enemy has continued the
assault against the truth throughout the ages?
Click here to read a Wall Street
Journal article about the picture of Nimrod's tower
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