When you picture “Beelzebub, the Lord
of the Flies”, what do you see? Do you see
a dark shadowy version of Satan ruling over demons as though
the demons are like flies? That is what I always
saw when I imagined what Beelzebub was.
But as it turns out, the structure of the Bible offers a
different picture that is consistent with the description.
There are 4 times that Beelzebub
appears in the Old Testament, and each time offers this
additional description.
|
2Kgs
1:2
|
And Ahaziah
fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber
that [was] in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent
messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baal–zebubH1176
the godH430
of EkronH6138
whether I shall recover of this disease.
|
|
2Kgs
1:3
|
But the angel
of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go
up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria,
and say unto them, [Is it] not because [there is]
not a GodH430
in Israel, [that] ye go to enquire of Baal–zebubH1176
the godH430
of Ekron?H6138
|
Hebrew Strong’s # 430 = God
Hebrew Strong’s # 6138 = (of) Ekron
Hebrew Strong’s # 6139 = Ekronite
430 +
6139 = 6569
Hebrew Strong’s # 6569 = Dung
Hebrew Strong’s # 1176 = Baal-zebub
6569 +
1176 = 7745
Hebrew Strong’s # 7745 = Pit
|
Prov
22:14
|
The mouth of
strange women [is] a deep pit:H7745
he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall
therein.
|
Hence, the Lord of the flies is the
“dung” that the flies gather around. I suppose I
will spare you the picture, but if you must see it, just go
to Google images and search for “flies on poop”.
Not long ago, I described this imagery
that Jesus used of someone being cast into hell
was virtually the same as “flushing the toilet”.
I said this not realizing how accurate the description is.
The Greek word translated “hell” that
Jesus used was Gehenna which was the refuse dump of
Jerusalem. It was the place that all the garbage, waste, and
sewer was gathered to be burned. Jesus was
painting a picture using imagery his listeners would
understand. Gehenna was the Hebrew “Ge-Hinnom” meaning
the Valley of Hinnom, which was a place that heathen would
practice their wickedness, sacrificing their children in the
fire and eating their flesh in the days of
Jeremiah. When Jesus talked about “Gehenna”, His
listeners had quite a vivid picture of a place they don’t
want to spend eternity.
Being that that is the imagery that Jesus
used, it seems that Gehenna not only described a place that
God would cast His waste, but it also described a place
where depravity, wickedness, and spiritual darkness would
congregate while yet living. In that sense, when
the Scripture says, “…God gave them up unto vile
affections…”, is basically the same as someone who will not
interfere in their destination to depravity. The
flies gather on poop.
Now considering the imagery that
“Gehenna” is a gathering of human waste, you can see this
picture in other places of the Bible.
|
Jer
25:33
|
And the slain
of the LORD shall be at that day from [one] end of
the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth:
they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor
buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
|
|
2Kgs
9:37
|
And the
carcase of Jezebel shall be as dungH1828
upon the face of the field in the portion of
Jezreel; [so] that they shall not say, This [is]
Jezebel.
|
In Job, speaking of the wicked…
|
Job
20:7
|
[Yet] he
shall perish
for ever like his own dung:H1561
they which have seen him shall
say, Where [is] he?
|
This Hebrew word for DUNG (H6569) mentioned above
sounds a lot like the English word PERISH.
Notice the use of Greek Strong’s # 1561 is found in a similar
verse.
|
Heb
10:27
|
But a certain
fearful looking
forG1561
of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries.
|
Interesting that the word for perish
in Greek is:
Greek Strong’s # 622 = Perish
Greek Strong’s # 623 = Apollyon (the
destroyer {considered to be Satan})
Webster’s Word # 17664 = Dung
Verse # 17664
|
Isa
1:9
|
Except the
LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small
remnant, we should have been as Sodom,
[and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
|
You can see this image over and over in
scripture. Here is one of being rescued.
|
Ps
113:7
|
He raiseth up
the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth
the needy out of the dunghill;H830
|
Here is another word pair…
Hebrew Strong’s # 1557 = Dung
Greek Strong’s # 1557 = Punishment,
Vengeance
Here is a verse that the gematria = 1557:
|
Job
21:30
|
That the
wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they
shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
|
Counting from the beginning, KJV Word
# 1557 = Evil
|
Gen
3:5
|
For God doth
know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
|
It is very interesting that when Jesus
was born, it wasn’t in a palace, but in a stable among the
dung of animals. If you can see how deep God’s
mercy stooped to redeem us. You will see the
same image in the structure when Moses was born.
Verse # 1557
|
Exod
2:2
|
And the woman
conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him
that he [was a] goodly [child], she hid him three
months.
|
I have seen that image for a while, but I
didn’t understand it until I saw the connection to the
stable that Christ was born.
Notice that this next verse is a picture
of the reverse of 1557:
NT Verse # 7551
|
Jude
1:23
|
And others
save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire;
hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
|
KJV Word # 7551 = LORD
|
Gen
13:10
|
And Lot
lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of
Jordan, that it [was] well watered every where,
before the LORD destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, [even] as the
garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as
thou comest unto Zoar.
|
Now look at these pictures….
|
Matt
12:24
|
But when the
Pharisees heard [it], they said, This [fellow]
doth not cast out devils, but by BeelzebubG954
the princeG758
of the devils. G1140
|
Greek Strong’s # 758 = Prince
Greek Strong’s # 1140 = (of) devils
758 +
1140 = 1898
|
Prov
25:4
|
Take
awayH1898
the dross from the silver, and there shall come
forth a vessel for the finer.
|
|
Prov
25:5
|
Take
awayH1898
the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne
shall be established in righteousness.
|
1898 Verses
before Malachi 4:6
|
Ezek
31:16
|
I made the
nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I
cast him down to hell with them
that descend into the pit: and all the trees of
Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that
drink water, shall be comforted in the nether
parts of the earth.
|
NT Verse # 1898
|
Luke
3:17
|
Whose fan
[is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his
floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner;
but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
|
7585 Verses
from the End
|
Matt
12:27
|
And if I by
Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your
children cast [them] out? therefore they shall be
your judges.
|
Hebrew Strong’s # 7585 = Hell (Sheol)
So… remember… it doesn’t really matter
what your picture of hell looks like. What matters is
that you don’t want to go there. God isn’t
sending people to hell, per-se. He is rescuing
people from it. Salvation isn’t keeping people
from going there. Salvation is rescuing people from
there.
To subscribe to my e-mail list, send an
e-mail to: revelation2217-subscribe@associate.com
Blessings,
Wade Balzer
wbalzer@newjerusalem.org