by Jon R. Welker

"In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea." Isaiah 27:1

I would therefore argue that we have good reason for supposing that the Gospels are not just being poetic in saying that Jesus "rebuked" the sea, nor was Jesus speaking poetically when He "muzzled" it. Understood in an apocalyptic context, these terms should be taken literally. Behind this storm Jesus perceived a demonic power, perhaps here strategizing to kill Him and His disciples. To cite Kallas again: "Rain may be normal, but to Jesus, when nature goes berserk and tries to drown men and wipe them off the earth sucking them down to a watery grave, this is demonic and He treats it like a demon.
GOD AT WAR: THE BIBLE AND SPIRITUAL CONFLICT by Gregory A. Boyd
© 1997 Gregory A. Boyd, InterVarsity Press, page 207

IF this hypothesis is correct, then incidental to this concept that there exists in the unseen world that which corresponds to the sympathetic nervous system, that would make it possible for spirit entities to draw upon the Power of very God to stir up high winds and/or waves on the sea. This seems to be substantiated by the Scripture account [of] when the Lord was in the boat on the tempestuous sea. He was awakened and spoke, saying to the storm: "Shut, up, be muzzled up," as it were.
Mikkel Dahl, SHEPHERDSFIELD UPDATE NO. 45, FALL 2001, page 5

Since the titanic destruction associated with the great earthquake and subsequent tsunami of December 26, 2004, there has been much speculation and many questions as to the "whys and wherefores" of such so-called "natural catastrophes." Others have asked if there is a God, and if He were loving, how could He allow such events to take place which would end in the snuffing out of the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in but moments of time. Similar questions were asked after the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center tragedy. Several people have indicated that they would like to hear my and Shepherdsfield's comments regarding these recent events. Therefore, in an effort to deal with these questions and other issues in an orderly way, I intend to place information before our readers in such a fashion as to shed light where misunderstanding and particle truths often leave the people in darkness and despair.

However, as I've tried to assemble my thoughts and various aspects of our literature together, I realize that this could be a bit too much for the average person to absorb in one sitting. Therefore, it is my intent to make available a series of articles and messages which will deal with this and related subjects. So I encourage our readers to stay tuned to future articles and periodicals from Shepherdsfield. As we proceed I may indicate various pieces of literature which can be requested from us that can add additional insight to that which will be discussed. So, as Mikkel Dahl used to say… "here we go!"

THE SEA AND THE WAVES ROARING....

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; THE SEA AND THE WAVES ROARING; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." Luke 21:25-26

First, I would like to deal with the subject of the sea and its behavior - it and its waves roaring. Biblically, we see amazingly that the sea links with a creature often called in the KING JAMES VERSION, Leviathan, but in other translations and in the original Hebrew, it is often found to be Yamm.

"O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? …Thou didst divide the sea [Yamm] by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons [tannin] in the waters." Psalm 74:10, 13

"Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. …There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein." Psalm 104:5, 26

"Am I [the] sea [yamm], or a whale [tannin], that thou settest a watch over me?" Job 7:12

"Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea [yamm]." Job 9:8

"Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea [yamm], that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? …The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. … Thou didst walk through the sea [yamm] with thine horses, through the heap of great waters." Habakkuk 3:8, 10, 15

"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon [tannin]? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea [yamm], the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" Isaiah 51:-9-10

"He rebuketh the sea [yamm], and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth." Nahum 1:4 [N.B. - Consider the similarity to Jesus rebuking the sea in Matt. 8:26.]

These are but a few of the Scriptures providing allusions to one monster, Yamm, also known as "leviathan," "behemoth," "the dragon," "the twisting serpent," and even "Rahab." (In Isaiah 51:9, Isaiah sees in the parting of the Red Sea a reenactment and victory over the great sea monster Rahab [a personification of the evil empire of Egypt; and not the same name as the Jericho woman in Joshua's time who helped the 2 `spys'].) According to the INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA, Vol. 9, the definition of Rahab is as follows:

([bh"r", rahabh], literally, "storm," "arrogance"): A mythical sea-monster, probably referred to in several passages where the word is translated as a common noun "pride" (Job 9:13), "the proud" (Job 26:12; compare Psalm 89:10). It is used in parallelism with tannin, "the dragon" (Isaiah 51:9). It is most familiar as an emblem of Egypt, `the boaster that sitteth still' (Isaiah 30:7; Psalm 87:4; compare 89:10). The Talmud in Babha' Bathra' speaks of rahabh as sar ha-yam, "master of the sea."

Job 3:8 states: "May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan." NIV

This verse reveals that there are those (evil soothsayers) who are prepared or skilled to arouse leviathan (the monster in the sea) who periodically threatens to curse or affect the moon in a time of eclipse. [Editor's note: Gregory A. Boyd states:

As in Canaanite imagery, Leviathan was portrayed as a twisting serpent of the sea with seven heads (a notion picked up by the psalmist when he praises Yahweh for crushing "the heads of Leviathan," Ps. 74:14). In customary Near Eastern fashion, Job sees Leviathan as a dragon that periodically threatens to reverse creation by engulfing the moon (during an eclipse) when aroused by evil soothsayers (Job. 3:8). The very sight of this beast causes panic (41:9, 25), and no one is mighty enough even to wake him up when he is sleeping, let alone to catch, control or domesticate him (41:2-14).]

The Greeks gave the name Typhon to the Canaanite "Yamm/Leviathan"! Notice that! Typhon is also the Yamm/Leviathan of the Bible. Yamm was himself a dragon with by-names of Lothan (Hebrew: Leviathan), and Tannin (as in the afore quotes). Yamm Suph is the Hebrew word for the Red Sea - meaning "the end, extinction, or Sea of Extinction," having mythological connotations of Chaos (which according to Greek mythology represents the dark, silent abyss from which all things came into existence. Chaos generated the solid mass of earth, or Gaea, who, with her offspring Uranus were the parents of the Titans. Other children of Chaos included Tartarus and Eros).

Here's where things begin to become extremely intriguing and helpful in our effort to gain understanding into the recent destructive, even titanic, earthquake and tsunami. For, it should not take any great leap in understanding to see the connection between Typhon and typhoon. I realize that the recent tsunami was not considered a classical typhoon, for the Japanese word tsunami literally means `harbor wave' and refers to a sea wave generated by an undersea earthquake, landslide or volcanic eruption. However, historically most people's minds envision what has traditionally been called a typhoon when hearing of such phenomenon. According to the AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY © 1994,

...The Greek word typhon, both the name of the father of the winds and a common noun meaning, `whirlwind, typhoon,' was borrowed into Arabic (as was many a Greek word during the Middle Ages...and passed into languages spoken in India....

HALE-BOPP AND THE APOCALYPSE....

I would like to remind our readers that after the comet Hale-Bopp made its closest approach to earth on March 22, 1997, I wrote an article for the SHEPHERDSFIELD UPDATE No. 38, Spring 1997, entitled "Hale-Bopp: `Typhon' - The Comet of the Apocalypse." This was later included as a chapter of the revised edition of THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD published in 2004. Therein I referenced the connection of Typhon to the Great Red Dragon of Revelation 12:3 and Yamm/Leviathan - the sea monster! Because the attention of most of our populace today is very short, and events of but 7 years ago tend to fade into obscurity, I would here like to quote excerpts of that article in order to again remind us of the importance of heavenly signs.

"…GREAT SIGNS SHALL THERE BE FROM HEAVEN." (- Jesus)Luke 21:11

You are encouraged to order THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE GLORY OF GOD book for the complete article since I will only here excerpt pertinent portions. In that article, the path of the Hale-Bopp Comet as it traversed through the Andromeda Galaxy was given, as well as its connection to the story of the mythological goddess Calypso, from which we derive our word apocalypse. Before commencing this excerpt, let me review the fact of Hale-Bopp being the 4^th in a series of observable comets: Swift-Tuttle in 1993, Shoemaker-Levy which bombarded Jupiter with a virtual shower which amazed all astronomers in 1994; shortly thereafter, comet Hyakutake made its appearance in 1996, and then, one year later, Hale-Bopp came from behind Jupiter whose placement in the zodiac was Sagittarius with its all glorious brightness and two trailing plumes of dust [later, a third tail was discovered].

The ancient Hebrew word for comet comes from the word for "sceptre," according to the Jewish encyclopedias, and verified in the TALMUD (ber. 58b). And an author on the subject of the Dead Sea Scrolls states explicitly that "sceptre" is a wrong translation in this verse [Num. 24:17]. The word should be "comet." The Assyrian cognate root for the Hebrew word for comet is "sabatu," which means to `smite' or `slay.' That would seem to link up with the idea of "smiting the corners of Moab" and "destroying all the children of Seth." So, if we were to correct one word in the KING JAMES VERSION of Numbers 24:17, which some translations have done, it would read:

"I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre [comet] shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth [Seth]."

Here let me pick up with an excerpt from our HEAVENS DECLARE book, pages 66 through 76:

Now, pay close attention to this ancient quote from the Talmud: "No comet ever crossed across the face of Orion (Hebrew kesil); for, if this should occur, the world would be destroyed" (bab. ber. 58b). [Hale-Bopp traversed Orion in May of 1997!]

But before ending this preliminary information, let me point out two further points in reference to the word "comet." The modern Hebrew, used in Israel today, employs the words "comet" and "sceptre" almost interchangeably. Finally, in the unabridged LIDDELL AND SCOTT GREEK LEXICON, the entry for "Titan" (a mythological monster) reads: "a kind of comet."

It therefore seems plausible that the Hale-Bopp Comet, whose elliptical orbit probably places its last appearance at around 3500 years ago, could be Typhon, "THE COMET OF THE APOCALYPSE"!

If so, then this could be the "message in the stars" that the "War in Heaven" is about to enter into its final stage wherein Michael and his angels fight against the "great dragon" (Rev. 12:7) and his angelic legions. The result is that he is...

"...cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
...Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Revelation 12:9,12

Let me relate a brief account of starlore and how it potentially relates to the Hale-Bopp Comet. It may have been a significant warning to mankind and a harbinger of extremely difficult times ahead.

"The Lord...telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names." Psalm 147:4

In Greek mythology (the names of which are associated with the names of the stars), there is the story of the ancient battle on Mt. Olympus between a group of giants, who were the sons of Mother Earth (Gaea, Ge, etc.), and other pagan gods who were defended by their champion Hercules (Sanskrit: Hereculeus, meaning "lord of the city" _ to which the Punic god Moloch owes his name). These giants bombarded Olympus with firebrands and huge rocks. The appearance of these giants was fearful, and they had long, flowing beards and coiled serpents for feet.

At first the gods on Olympus found themselves overcome and paralyzed by the noxious breath of the leader of the giants, Alcyoneus ("mighty ass"). Zeus, the leader of the Olympian gods, would not let the Sun and Moon shine for days, while he searched the earth for an antidote to the paralyzing poison of the giants. After finding the herb used to make an antidote, the Olympian gods recovered from their stupor and pushed the giants out of Olympus, while Hercules attacked them with arrows.

Mother Earth (Gaea, Ge, etc.) desired to avenge the destruction of her "giant" children. Therefore, she lay with the infernal Tartaros (referring to Tartarus, the deepest or darkest part of Hades, translated "hell" in II Peter 2:4. Also referring to that darkness in II Peter 2:17, and "the blackness of darkness" reserved for the "wandering stars" of Jude 13. Marvin R. Vincent in his WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT says that the wandering stars "possibly refer to comets which shine a while and pass into darkness.")

As a result of this encounter, Mother Earth conceived her youngest child, the largest monster ever known (often depicted as a sea monster). He was called Typhon! From the waist downward were coiled serpents, and his ass-head is often depicted as touching the vault of heaven. His wings were said to block out the Sun and his arms ended in many serpents' heads instead of hands, and stretched 100 leagues in either direction. Out of his mouth he spewed flaming rocks toward earth, and breathed out a "stupefying smoke" (Greek meaning of his name), which paralyzed Zeus temporarily. But the other gods revived Zeus, who then used thunderbolts to attack Typhon. The bleeding wounds from this attack of Typhon caused blood to flow out and redden the waters of the world. The implication to be drawn is that these blood-reddened waters would have had the capacity of polluting the waters with death and paralysis.

"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." Revelation 8:11

THE WORMWOOD CONNECTION...

Now, consider for a moment some parallels between comets and the "myths" which I have just recounted. The giant monsters of the myths were depicted as having serpents growing out of their heads (as Medusa) or torsos, and ejecting showers of flaming rocks and debris. Their breath had a paralyzing or poisoning effect. A comet has a "head" connected to multiple coiling "tails" - suggesting a snake-like torso. The "tail" of a comet is said to spawn a trail of meteoric debris, and many comets are said to be surrounded by a "coma" (atmosphere) of various gases. I have read that some of these gases can be toxic, especially if containing cyanogen (or cyanide gas), which has been used in chemical warfare. Those effected by this gas have been known to suffer from listlessness ("stupefying"?) to paralysis and death, depending on the level of concentration and exposure. Cyanogen is said to impart an extremely bitter taste when dissolved in water (like Wormwood?)!

Wormwood is an herb noted for its bitterness and for the stupefying effect of its extract, an active ingredient now used in the liquor absinthe. When contacted in high dosages, wormwood brings about paralysis and death! Could this be an association which would explain the mythical Zeus' search of earth for an antidote - since the ancients believed that the best antidote can be prepared from the poison itself?

THE COMET OF THE EXODUS?...

It therefore seems plausible that the mythological creature Typhon, is a veiled reference to a great comet. Now, let me quote from Thomas Germine in a treatise entitled APOCALYPSO.

"One of the traits invariably assigned to Typhon by myths is his bloody redness, which leads us to conclude that the ruddy hue is an attribute of the comet also. In the works of the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, he describes a 'terrible comet' of 'fury appearance and twisted like a coil,' and goes on to say that it appeared in Egypt during the reign of a Pharaoh named Tau-Thom, after whom it was named. Tau-Thom, known as 'King Typhon' to the Greeks, was the last Pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom - which precipitously collapsed after a series of natural catastrophes and foreign invasions around 1500 B.C.; and several ancient sources identify him as ruler of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. According to these records, in the Roman year 2453 (1495 B.C.), at the very time when the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, an immense globular comet with a spiral-shaped head `of bloody redness' appeared in the sign Capricorn."

Regarding the word thom, Gregory Boyd has this to say in his GOD AT WAR book:

"The author of Proverbs 8 states that Yahweh 'established the fountains of the deep' (t'hom) and 'assigned the sea [yamm] its limits, so that the waters might not transgress his command' (verses 27-29). - page 86
Isaiah then continues by proclaiming that it was Yahweh "who dried up the sea [yamm] the waters of the great deep [t'hom]," and thus "made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to cross over" (verse 10). - page 88

Personally, I can't affirm that this was the same comet, since there is a scholarly debate as to the time of the Exodus, and it is difficult for astronomers to accurately calculate the elliptical orbit of comets, since they have been known to alter their path at times. Yet it is intriguing to consider the possible connection. Also, keep in mind that the "Rameses" name, of the Pharaoh in the Bible, was shared by several of Egypt's leaders. When we are considering an elliptical orbit of approximately 3500 years, a 100-150 years variation is not too significant. That would place this Comet within the years of the Exodus - taking into consideration both sides of the debate as to the time of the Israelites' departure....

A "GREAT RED DRAGON..."

Why a "red dragon"? Is this another connection to the identifying of this dragon with the mythological concepts of Typhon? Consider this: in the authoritative book on Greek mythology, Python, page 210, the author states, "The Greeks gave the name Typhon to the Canaanite "Yamm/Leviathan"! Did you get it? Typhon is the Yamm/Leviathan of the Bible! "Yamm" was himself a dragon with bynames of Lothan (Hebrew Leviathan) and Tannin. . . (Python, pg. 134+). Yamm Suph is the Hebrew word for the Red Sea - meaning "the end," "extinction," or "sea of extinction," having mythological connotations of chaos.

Read Psalm 74:13-15:

"Thou didst divide the sea [`split Yamm'] by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons [Hebrew: `tanninim, parallel to Yamm'] in the waters. Thou brakest the head of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers [Nah roth = (Nabar) "Judge River"]."
"Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. ...There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom Thou hast made to play therein." Psalm 104:5, 26

Alexander Hyslop in his book THE TWO BABYLONS [Lozeaux Bros., Neptune, New Jersey; page 275+], states that the early Church father,

Iranaeus, about the end of the second century, [said] that the name Teitan [Titan] contained the mystic number 666'...
...and he gave it as his opinion that Teitan was...
...by far the most probable name of the Beast from the sea.

Again, Hyslop writes:

That while Saturn was the name of the visible head, Teitan was the name of the invisible head of the beast. Teitan is just the Chaldean form of Sheitan ['sh' changed to 't'], the very name which Satan has been called from time immemorial by the Devil-worshippers of Kurdistan; and from Armenia or Kurdistan, this devil-worship embodied in the Chaldea mysteries came westward. . . . The history of Teitan and his brethren, as given in Homer and Hesiod, the two earliest of all Greek writers, although later legends are obviously mixed up with it, is evidently the exact counterpart to the Scriptural account of Satan and his angels. Homer says, that `all the gods of Tartarus', or Hell, `were called Teitans'.

And then, Hyslop writes:

As the grand adversary of the Pagan Messiah, those who hated him for his deed called him for that very deed by the name of the Grand Adversary of all, Typhon, or the Devil!

"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." [Apollyon links with Apollo and is found in association with Typhon - J.R.W.] Revelation 9:11

A report of A. Fitzsimmons and M. Cartwright, Queens University of Belfast, states that spectroscopic analysis of the debris spewing out of the nucleus of the Hale-Bopp Comet was in a spiral pattern which resembled a huge sickle and consists of a reddish dust and cyanogen gas!

It would therefore seem probable that we witnessed the return of Comet Typhon - as the Great Comet of 1997! And like the Great Comet of 1811, which heralded Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Hale-Bopp was visible during daylight hours. It attained its northerly summit just as it conjoined the Andromeda Galaxy on March 25, 1997 - which occurred at the sky's zenith over Alma Ata, the capitol of the former Central Republic of Kazakhstan. (Indicating the origin of the "World Leader" soon to appear?)

Andromeda was the virgin chained to the rock and offered to Cetus (another name for Typhon) - the sea monster! But she was rescued by Perseus on the flying horse Pegasus. We have often published the recounting of this story as depicting a veiled reference to the rescue (or rapture) of the Bride-elect before the sea monster (the Dragon) works his destruction. This is covered in chapter 7 [of THE HEAVENS DECLARE book].

The journey of Hale-Bopp through our celestial constellations, their names and symbology, indicates that this Great Comet of 1997 may have been the sign of Typhon, ready to wage war with the Most High God - depicted in Greek mythology as Zeus.

"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." Revelation 12:1-4 [but read through verse 12]

Are you too "educated" to believe in "omens" and signs from heaven? Then, you may miss one of the greatest warnings received by mankind.

"…GREAT SIGNS SHALL THERE BE FROM HEAVEN." Luke 21:11

TSUNAMI 2004...

Now we should be ready to take a closer look at the titanic tsunami of December 26, 2004 and its relationship to the age-long cosmic battle between God and Satan.

As we have already observed from the previous paragraphs, the sea waves and other aspects of water are often associated with the sea creature known by various names such as leviathan, the dragon, the great serpent, etc., and in Hebrew called Yamm. This we have linked with the mythology surrounding the Greek legend regarding Typhon, a Titan. Here I want to guide our readers into understanding the linkage between destructive waters and the Biblical sea creature Yamm/Leviathan, and its connection with emotions (waters) running riot. To do so, let me first start by sharing some quotes from Mikkel Dahl, and, again, Gregory A. Boyd, author of GOD AT WAR: THE BIBLE AND SPIRITUAL CONFLICT. First, Mikkel Dahl:

Waters which are placid, such as a lake on a clam day, bespeak people ("The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" [Rev. 17:15]). But when in turmoil, that denotes human emotions running riot. As for instance, when Noah's family had entered the Ark, the heavens were opened, and it could have been said, came down by the bucket full. Naturally, then, after a week or so, when those on land perceived that the rising waters left them no way to escape, we know, by the simplest of logic, that they went berserk. Wherefore, bear that symbolism in mind. And yet again, does not The Record state very clearly that throughout many centuries previous to The Flood, the prevailing, overall psychology was that of evil? In other words, the rejection of God.
Mikkel Dahl, THE SHEPHERDSFIELD CHAT, September 1997

Except for those within the Ark, all birds and land animals and man were destroyed. Similarly should we expect in the forthcoming Great Tribulation! Although the vast ocean depicts the tide of human emotions, its variety of marine life depicts that class of humanity which lives entirely for self. We might say: human nature without any restrictions. That was rampant before Noah. In God's word, the imagination of man's heart was "only EVIL continuously " (Gen. 6:5) and "the earth was filled with violence [Hebrew "hamas" - JRW]" (Gen. 6:11).
How was the Great Deluge brought about? By an immensity of water! EMOTIONS! The same shall repeat in the near future, but symbolically speaking."
Mikkel Dahl, PROPHETIC DIGEST No. 106, September 1995

And so, from the disobedience of Adam and Eve, when chronology commenced, there was only in the vicinity of 16 centuries until it is recorded that God beheld the imagination of men to be nothing but evil perpetually - violence [Hebrew: hamas] (Gen. 6:5 [11,13])! Therefore, He decided to destroy the human race up to that time and leave but a seed to propagate another human race through Noah and his sons.

Thus, we see that violence, and the imagination of man's heart as perpetually evil, is again ripe today. And that is why our Lord brought to the attention of His disciples that it would be one of the outstanding signs of the age, that the imagination of man's heart would be perpetually evil and violence would predominate throughout the world.
Mikkel Dahl, SHEPHERDSFIELD UPDATE No. 35 article
"Mikkel Dahl addresses…Students' Problems," page 6

In the SHEPHERDSFIELD UPDATE, No. 52 - Winter 2004, I included an article entitled "Hamas: The Biblical Name for Violence." Therein I clearly showed that the word used for violence in Genesis 6:11-13 was hamas, or its derivatives, and referred to a "sinful (type of) violence" or "extreme wickedness." Therefore, literally that Scripture would read: "The earth [land] also was corrupt before God, and the earth [land] was filled with HAMAS [KJV: violence]." Notice that in the last statements by Mikkel Dahl which were previously quoted, he wrote: "...That is why our Lord brought to the attention of His disciples that it [violence, and the imagination of man's heart being perpetually evil] would be one of the outstanding signs of the age and that [because] the imagination of man's heart would be perpetually evil...violence would predominate throughout the world."

And I also stated in that article,

"Isn't it astounding to see that the most violent wing of the Palestinian factions has assumed the name `Hamas,' which to them may express the zeal and fervor of their cause, nonetheless it links with the `rod of wickedness' which is risen up in the form of violence?! This type of violence, as shown in the earlier quotes, `is used almost always in connection with sinful violence,' or `extreme wickedness.' The Palestinian Hamas faction has most often been linked to terrorism and suicide bombings of innocents. Is this not `sinful violence' and `extreme wickedness'?

`He will rescue them from oppression and VIOLENCE [hamas], for precious is their blood in His sight.' Psalm 72:14 (NIV)

Yet in Ezekiel 7:11 it says that: `VIOLENCE has grown into a rod to punish wickedness; none of the people will be left, none of that crowd - no wealth, nothing of value.' (NIV)

How remarkable! None will be left...nothing of value! We have only to recall images of the devastation of "suicide bombers" and other terrorists in order to see one glaring fulfillment of this prophecy.

And, also take note of how the word `earth' as translated in Genesis 6:11-13 can also be rendered `land.' Yet, however we wish to render it, `sinful' and `extreme' wickedness and violence continue to expand throughout the world (earth) and in the `land' of Israel itself!

God is the same, He changes not (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8). Therefore, we know that such violence and wickedness, which compelled God to destroy those who dwelt on the earth `in the days of Noah,' will also compel Him to bring about an end to such sinful violence and extreme wickedness in our days."

Now it is here that I wish to again quote excerpts from Gregory A. Boyd's GOD AT WAR, page 89-90:

Leviathan is alive and well on planet earth. …The central point of such expressions [is] not simply to assert as a piece of theoretical information the sheer existence of these various cosmic, chaos creatures. Rather, these…express [the writers of the Bible's] perception that the cosmos is besieged at a structural level with forces of evil that God Himself must battle…. They also express the deep Biblical conviction that this same warfare is played out in the life of God's children as they confront their enemies.

"In other words, this cosmic warfare is not a thing of the past, nor is it a war that occurs `in the heavenlies,' nor is it a war that God fights alone. To the contrary, the thrust of this last group of passages is to proclaim that this war is a present struggle, it occurs in human history, and it very much involves the human race, especially those who know God.

"When we fight, we do not do so in our own power, but God Himself reenacts His primal victory over these destructive forces through us.

"For the ancient Israelites, there was no bifurcation [division] between what occurs `in Heaven,' and what occurs `on earth,' and neither should there be with us, if our perspective is to be truly Biblical…we participate in God's cosmic battle with leviathan.

"But Israel's battles with hostile waters were not always religious in nature, and neither are ours. ..we are participating in God's cosmic struggle against chaotic forces of destruction.

"What occurs on earth, again, is a replica and a mirror of what occurs in heaven. Indeed, it is a microcosmic example of the macrocosmic spiritual struggle. In God's power, we are mandated to join in the fight.

"From a Biblical perspective, evil affects everything at every level, and therefore must be fought on every level as well. Thus, individual struggles also reflect a dimension of this cosmic war."

Continuing, on pages 83-35, the author states:

"…While the notion that creation involved cosmic conflict is pervasive in the Old Testament, as it is in Mesopotamian myths, the emphasis on Yahweh's sovereignty over other gods is unprecedented. In place of the demon-infested paranoia that plagued other cultures, in the Old Testament we find a robust confidence that `the whole earth is the Lord's. The existence of demons is admitted, but their ability to afflict humans - at least God's people - is at this early stage of revelation strongly minimized.

To say that the inspired Old Testament view of God, humans and the world stands far above what we find in other ancient Near East literature, however, is not to suggest that it altogether lacks elements found in this literature. Like their neighbors and most other non-Western cultures, the Israelites held the conviction that the world is, at least to some extent, characterized by a state of cosmic war. The Hebrews' intense monotheism did not prevent them from adopting the belief that the world was under siege by forces that were hostile to it. Understandably, given the surrounding cultures, they too expressed this by talking about such things as the raging waters that they believed encircled the earth, or the ferocious sea monsters that waged war upon it.

"…When the author of Genesis 1 begins his creation account by referring, without explanation, to `the surface of the deep' (thom) and `the waters' (1:2), no ancient Near Eastern person would have had trouble understanding what he was peaking about.

"…Hence the `deep'…was represented as the evil Tiamat is here simply water. Far from battling it, Yahweh's `Spirit' (or `breath' or `wind') simply `sweeps' or `hovers' over it (1:2). So too, the stars, moon and sun, which Babylonian and Canaanite literature viewed as enslaved rebel gods, are here simply things that Yahweh has created (1:14-19). The expanse, the earth and human beings, far from being carved out of the bodies of defeated gods, are simply spoken into existence by God with the rest of creation (1:6-10, 26-27). In creating the world, according to this author, Yahweh has no competitors.

"…Not all Old Testament passages demythologize water in this fashion, however. Some texts follow the pagan Near Eastern traditions more closely and express the conviction that while the creation itself is good, something in the foundational structure of the cosmos exhibits hostility toward Yahweh. …To express this breach of covenant and its ensuing war in the context of ancient near Eastern culture meant talking about personal hostile waters.

From this perspective the mythological Mesopotamian and Canaanite stories about Tiamat, Leviathan or Yamm…express the conviction that something about the cosmic environment of the earth (`the waters') was, and still is, hostile toward Yahweh and towards humanity…." [Emphasis mine, JRW.]

Now, let me try to tie all this together so that you may behold the tremendous signs which the Lord has given us to indicate His soon coming and the commencement of the Great Tribulation!

"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:37

"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence [hamas]. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence [hamas] through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Genesis 6:11-13

"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die." Genesis 6:17

Though the Lord then promised not to destroy "all flesh" by flood waters again, that should not be construed to mean that flood waters would never again cause destruction or destroy people. And we should keep in mind the use of "rampaging waters" to symbolize human emotions in turmoil, etc. Yes, fire (the ignition of gases or atmosphere, as in atomic bombs) will be the primary element employed to bring about a worldwide conflagration, however, we should not ignore the many Scriptural references referring to flooding, tidal waves destroying coasts and islands, earthquakes (and subsequent "tsunamis"), etc. (See Rev. 16:20; Rev. 12:15-16; Nah. 1:7-8; Amos 9:5; Dan. 11:22, etc.) But for now I would like quote specifically:

"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; AND THE END THEREOF SHALL BE WITH A FLOOD, AND UNTO THE END OF THE WAR DESOLATIONS ARE DETERMINED." Daniel 9:26

"So shall they fear the Name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like A FLOOD, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19

"THE FLOODS have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; THE FLOODS lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the MIGHTY WAVES of the sea." Psalm 93:3-4

God is the same (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8), therefore, the "sinful violence" and "extreme wickedness" which compelled Him to destroy the earth in the days of Noah is compelling Him to let the forces which we ourselves are bringing into being (arousing the Leviathan?) to fulfill His righteous judgment upon the inhabitants of the earth.

AND WHAT ABOUT "SIGNS"!?

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs [omens, miraculous signs, warnings], and for seasons, and for days, and year…." Genesis 1:14

"…The stars in their courses fought against Sisera." Judges 5:20

"He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names." Psalm 147:4

"By His spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent." Job 26:13

"I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me." Daniel 4:2

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." Psalm 19:1-4

"Knowest thou the ordinances [appointed (signs)] of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?" Job 38:33

"And I saw another SIGN IN HEAVEN, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God." Revelation 15:1

"And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be THE SIGN of Thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]?" Matthew 24:3

"And then shall appear THE SIGN of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth [land] mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30

"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and GREAT SIGNS SHALL THERE BE FROM HEAVEN." Luke 21:11

In the famous Matthew chapter 24 discourse of Jesus regarding the end-times, we are told that His disciples came to Him asking three questions. Then we are told that as He answered them, He entered into a relatively detailed description of certain events preceding or surrounding His Second Coming. Verse 7 speaks of "earthquakes," and then in verse 8 He speaks of these being the "beginning of sorrows." That "sorrows" word is defined in the original Greek as the birth pangs associated with the delivery of a child. Most women will know that along with such birth pangs is that which is described as "the breaking of water" and that that event marks the soon delivery of the child. This imagery (of something "quickly" following) Jesus also referenced in verse 33, wherein He mentions specifically the "fig tree" (nation), but, it should be understood to refer generally to all of the preceding occurrences and signs. Therein, He states,

"So likewise ye, when ye shall SEE all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Matthew 24:33

"Even so, when you SEE all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door." - NIV

Now give careful consideration to His expression "when you shall SEE all these things"! Up until our modern times and the invention of the TV, and later, satellite transmissions, etc., only those in the immediate vicinity of an event could witness it actually happening. And even though we have had television with us for several decades, it has only been in the last few years that pictures transmitted by satellite (now even to cell phones) have enabled large multitudes of people throughout the earth to see such things as the recent tragedy surrounding the earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific Rim nations, and even war as it has been waged in Iraq. These and other visual images which the multitudes can now behold, or SEE, is another aspect of prophecy which Jesus gave to His disciples.

Violence, "as in the days of Noah," earthquakes, pestilences (according to UNAIDS statistics as reported in the 2005 WORLD ALMANAC, over 60 million worldwide have been infected with AIDS…), nation against nation (Greek: ethnos/ethnic groups waging wars of hatred as in the Mid-East, Rwanda, Sudan, Russia, Ireland, Spain, etc.), the ability to SEE all these things, "sinful violence (hamas)" and "extreme wickedness," and GREAT SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS!!! (This we shall come to shortly.) All these things which Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24 we now behold unfolding in every-increasing intensity and clarity.

As recorded at the end of Matthew 24 during this great discourse regarding the end-times and His Second Coming, Jesus relates the intriguing parable of "the evil servant" who begins to "say in his heart, my Lord delays His coming" (Matt. 24:38, but read through verse 51). How amazing! Jesus looked down through the ages, as it were, and saw that some of His servants (they were all servants) would become classified as "evil" (bad), not because they began to say the Lord wasn't coming, but because in their heart (a mental attitude) they began to lose their vision and enter into behavior not in keeping with their service unto Him, nor had they maintained an expectant attitude regarding His return. This was/is a warning for us all!

Earlier I mentioned returning to the statement of "great signs in the heavens," quoting Luke 21:11, and might I add that in verse 26 of that chapter, the Lord stated that "the powers of heaven shall be shaken." It is more than interesting to note that SKY AND TELESCOPE magazine, July 2004, reported that at "2:00 Universal Time on December 25^th [2004] Huygens will separate from its mother ship for a three-week-long coast to the large, cloud-enshrouded moon [of Saturn,] Titan." And so it was that on the very day of the recent great earthquake and tsunami, this probe separated from its mother ship to explore the cloud-enshrouded moon of Saturn called TITAN! This satellite named Cassini, with the Huygens probe "riding piggyback, enjoyed a picture-perfect launch on October 15, 1997"! In other words, it was launched within the very time frame of the appearance of the Great Comet Hale-Bopp: Typhon - Comet of the Apocalypse in the same year, which was continuing along its path throughout a number of months. Truly, that comet was a great SIGN from heaven! And since that time, we have seen an innumerable and almost incredible increase in heavenly and earthly perplexities, tragedies and catastrophes.

The Great Dragon, the watery serpent, Yamm/Leviathan, has been aroused, and he knows his time is short. His great cosmic battle against Yahweh/Jesus is soon to pick up momentum, power and intensity. Are you as Noah and his sons ("as in the days of Noah") securely ensconced in your "Ark"? If not, as Mikkel Dahl used to say, "...Then the darling of Jesus Christ had better move with alacrity to be up and about the Father's business!" In the conclusion of the Matthew 24 portion of His famous discourse, Jesus commanded us to "WATCH!" - lest you too be labeled an "evil servant" and find your lot "with the hypocrites" (Matt. 24:51).