Bible Contradictions In The End Time: The Use Of Names

In Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51 we have stated in previous articles Babylon and Israel are one and the same. How then, can one attack the other? Is this a contradiction?   (See article: When does Babylon fall?)

(NB: Israel in this instance is the House of Joseph, not specifically the House of Judah).

Jeremiah chapter 50 and 51 are prophecies concerning Babylon. However they are clearly to do with nations during the Day of the Lord (this is the Babylon of Revelation 18). Babylon is not in existence as a city or state at this future date and particularly not as the nation that is in a world dominating position.

The name ‘Babylon’ is being used as an analogy to describe an antitype (nation) that is in the position of world leadership at the time of the Day of the Lord.

Babylon is being applied as a derogatory term to demonstrate how morally bereft a nation that should know better has become. In God’s eyes, that nation has become a ‘Babylon’, a power unto itself apart from God as demonstrated by its behaviour.

Very commonly God uses the meaning of a name to describe a person’s or countries character. If you understand Hebrew this is most obvious. Here are a few examples: Daniel is translated literally as  ‘God is judge’; Nahum is comforter; Sarah, princess; Eve, life-giver. In almost every case a name has a descriptive meaning.

At the time of the Day of the Lord nations such as Nineveh, Tyre, Babylon, Chaldea have long since ceased to be active world powers. Yet God is still describing nations that do exist and have very active rolls in the future by these ancient names. The practice of using parables and metaphors is one God uses to make a point both simple to the ‘layman’ and at the same time dramatic enough to sink in.

To demonstrate the use of a name to convey an idea rather than establish a fact, King Jareb in the book of Hosea is a good example. This king historically never existed neither is there a place known as Jareb for him to be king over. It is purely a symbolic name roughly translated as ‘King Conqueror’ representing the most powerful figure at the time.

 

King Jareb

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.   Hosea 5:13

This is a prophecy during the Day of the Lord, at the very early stages when the nation that is Ephraim in the end time is facing imminent collapse. In a desperate move Ephraim appeals to King Jareb (who is the Beast, hence the name) for help. The world at this stage has just gone through the collapse of Babylon with all world trade and finance in complete disarray. This will lead to the worldwide war of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th seals. The Beast (King Jareb) has his own hands full holding his newfound empire together under the desperate circumstances. He is either unwilling or unable or both to help Ephraim. That is God’s intention as can be seen very clearly in the next verses where God says He is going to deal personally with the nations of Ephraim, Judah and the others that make up the twelve tribes in the ‘latter days’.

For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. 15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.   Hosea 5:14

When these Christian and Jewish nations turn back to God, He will bring them back out of captivity. This is the whole purpose of the Day of the Lord. More detail on this is in Jeremiah 50:

For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast. 4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God. 5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.   Jer 50:3

The use of the name King Jareb is used in this end time prophecy purely to make the point that even the most powerful man at the time is powerless to do anything to help the primary Christian nations. They should have turned to God in the first place, a lesson that will be learned the hard way during the next few years.

 

The Prince of Tyre (Tyrus)

The Prince/King of Tyre is in Ezekiel 28 clearly a metaphorical name for Satan:
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.    14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.  Ezekiel 28:12
The use of the name Prince/King of Tyre is used here to demonstrate an association between historical figures and modern counterparts. At the return of Christ Satan is ‘bound up’ unable to influence the nations from that point. The Kingdom will be a very peaceful place.

 

Shebna

The person of Shebna in Isaiah 22 may not be too familiar but the expression ‘key of David’ probably is. This is where the expression comes from.

Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?  17 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.   18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house.  19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. 20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.  25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.   Isaiah 22:15

Once again we are in the context of the end time, see verse 5 and the language of the above passage could not apply to a human at that time, i.e. only Christ can shut and nobody open et vice versa  (Rev 4:7). This passage is an outline of what happens when a person wielding authority becomes a law unto themselves when it is God who is firmly in control at all times. This is another outline concerning Christ and the outcome of Satan.

 

Pharaoh King of Egypt

The context of chapters 30, 31 and 32 are in the Day of the Lord:

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! 3 For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.   Ezek 30:1

Yet once again we have Pharaoh King of Egypt appearing. We also have the King of Babylon and a whole group of nations all together at one time and place but whose actual days in history were spread far apart, long ago. Once again we are dealing with future events explained in terms of the traits of bygone characters.

 

Jeremiah Chapter 50

With the above in mind we can tackle the apparent contradiction. The chapter starts off with Israel, Judah and Babylon; all three together at the same time. The first verse starts with: ‘The word of the Lord against Babylon…’ In verse four we have: ‘In those days at that time (the same time as we are talking about Babylon) the children of Israel and the children of Judah shall come… together…’
Never have the nations of Israel (the ten tribes) and the nation of Judah and the nation of Babylon interacted together at the same time. Hundreds of years separate them. Never have they come before God and made a perpetual covenant that has never been broken. This is the future ‘new covenant’ yet to be established with Israel and Judah: Jer 31, Ezek 37, Heb 8, Acts 26:7, Math 19:28, Rev 7 etc.

This is a future event. However, the example of using ancient names is employed to help convey a sense of what is going on.
To understand the issues involved the articles on Babylon should be studied to understand that Babylon and Israel in the context of this chapter are one and the same.

For that to be so there appears to be a contradiction in two places in Jer 50 and 51.

Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. 18 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.   Jer 50:17

Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out. 35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.    36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry. 37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.  Jer 51:34

Before anything else, we need to realize that whatever the explanation these specific kings do not exist at the Day of the Lord. We are going to have to provide substitutes. Even Israel itself is a group of nations and their identities need to be understood as well.

 

 Both verses run in tandem, i.e. they are a repeat of the same situation.

1) Israel has been ‘devoured’ by Nebuchadrezzar. In both cases this is as a result of Israel’s willful disobedience to God. As a result Israel is ‘crushed and devoured’ by its own stupidity in voluntarily leaping down the throat of Satan who is the real culprit being referred to.

2) Therefore Babylon (Israel) collectively shall be punished and have ‘vengeance taken’ (the incorrigibles removed) on behalf of those that were faithful to God.

3) After suitable repentance has been demonstrated, ‘those reserved’ (without the incorrigibles) will be brought back to fulfil the new covenant ‘that shall never be broken’.