FEET OF IRON AND CLAY

 

Daniel 9.22

He reveals the profound and secret things; He knows what is in the dark, and light dwells with Him.

The Book of Daniel gets off to a quick start from the first chapter. Right away the message is there.

Nebuchadnezzar ordered the names of young choice individuals to be changed to assimilate them into Babylonian culture: “Daniel to Belteshazzar, Hananiah to Shadrach, Mishael to Meshach, and Azariah to Abednego.” (Daniel 1:7).

Names are for a blessing in the bible. They help us to understand. Names in the bible are hint of God's calling for the characters in the bible. 

Nebuchadnezzar's name is derived from Nabu, the name of the Babylonian god. The one true God is Daniel's judge. Nebuchadnezzar seeks protection from Baal and changes Daniel's name to Belteshazzar.

Meaning of these names before and after:

Daniel - God is my judge

Belteshazzar - Baal protect the king.

The names of the Hebrews taken away by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 1.

Hananiah - Grace, mercy

Mishael - Who Is Like God

Azariah - Helped by God

Nebuchadnezzar changed their names to:

Shadrach - Tender

Meshach- Guest of the king

Abednego - Servant of Nebo (Babylonian god)

Nebuchadnezzar selected Tender (young) guests to be trained for 3 years to serve him and bow down to a false god.

The Hebrews stayed true to the ONE GOD who is their Judge and they received God's grace and mercy.  They went through the fire with GOD.  God is their helper.

There is an early connection between the ancient world of Daniel and America. Perhaps no other nation in the world has recieved more grace and mercy than America. Perhaps no other nation has tried harder to be Godly. With the exception of Israel, perhaps no other nation has been helped by God more than the USA.

The Book of Daniel is for the ages and the times! 

In Daniel 2, Daniel related a dream of Nebuchadnezzar II, the King of Babylon. The King dreamed of a great statue with a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of mingled iron and clay.  A great stone, not cut by human hands, fell on the feet of the statue and broke apart. The rock became a mountain that filled the whole world. 

In interpreting the dream, Daniel tells the king's dream concerns four successive kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar, which will be replaced by the everlasting kingdom of the God of heaven. Hearing this, Nebuchadnezzar affirms that Daniel's god is "the God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries." He lavishes gifts on Daniel and makes him chief of all the wise men and ruler over the province of Babylon.

Lady Liberty holding a Tablet with English letters and Roman numerals.

Could America be the nation represented by the feet with ten toes of iron & clay depicted in the statue from the Book of Daniel? 

MY REVELATION...A THEORY. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? 

Recently, while starting a study on the Book of Daniel I had a revelation on how to interpret the feet of mingled iron and clay. I will piece my theory together below. I doubt I am the only person with this theory, but I have never heard or read anything like my revelation which makes a deep connection in the way I do. 

For the sake of brevity, I am going to assume my reader is familiar enough with the Book of Daniel and American history to follow my blog post. 

How did the great stone not cut by human hands that fell on the feet of the statue fill the whole world? 

The Jewish diaspora spread the Word. The fallen empires filled the world. Christians spread the word. Missionaries and those seeking religious freedom -- Jews and Christians -- spread the word.  Those seeking the Promise Land spread the word. And the word came to the Americas. 

The Book of Daniel is about a Jew forced to leave the promise land who rises to greatness in Babylon. The Jews were forced to leave many lands including England, France, Austria, Spain and elsewhere. The diaspora has been on the move from the time of Daniel! 

While the Spanish Inquisition was in full force, in 1492, Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) sighted Cuba, the "NEW WORLD." America would ultimately become the NEW WORLD EMPIRE. He named it Juana! 

Cristóbal Columbus, is very connected to Jews! It is said he was secretly in search of the Promised Land. Salvador de Madariaga argued in 1940 that Columbus was a MARRANO (see this linked article) who was compelled to leave Spain. Scholars such as Jose Erugo, Celso Garcia de la Riega, Otero Sanchez and Nicholas Dias Perez have since concluded that Columbus likely had a Jewish background.

So we have Daniel, a Jew who was compelled to leave his homeland and was made #2 in charge of the Babylonian Empire. After all the empires in Daniel's prophecy collapse along comes Columbus who finds what will be the New World empire, America. Columbus a possible Marrano Jew, whose departure from Spain ("old Rome") is linked to Tisha B’Av, the date of the Spanish Inquisition when ALL Jews in Spain had to either leave Spain, convert or die.

Consider as well the historic relationship between the early Puritans who came to the New World and the Hebrews. This article speaks to the overlooked history of the Pilgrims, Puritans, and the Hebrew Republic of Massachusetts. 

"The Hebrew Republic became the original model for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In their political Hebraism, the early New England Puritans saw themselves as “Christian Israel,” King Charles I as Pharaoh, the Atlantic Ocean as the Red Sea, America as the Promised Land, and Boston as the new Jerusalem, or as John Winthrop described it, “the city on the hill.”"

About the name Christobal Columbus gave the land he spotted...Juana is a feminine variation of the Spanish name Juan (John). Juana is a feminine name encouraging appreciation for life's most simple gifts. Its meaning is "God is gracious" resonates with the names of the Hebrews in the Book of Daniel. 

The notion of being greeted by a feminine image with a message of God's grace will become relevant later in America's history.

As time moved forward, from the 1500's people came to the early colonies from Britain, France and Spain and other nations that were once part of the old Roman Empire. 

Old Rome's population was compromised of 60% servants and slaves. America too had many poor and desperate people who came to our shores, along with many slaves. In addition, Jews from the diaspora caused by the Babylonian and Roman Empire conquests of Israel, came here to the New World, America. Ultimately, America would become home to the largest population of Jews in the world outside of Israel. In Daniel's time Jews rose to prominence. So too in America. There are other parallels.

After the American Revolution immigrants poured in and built America based on Judeo-Christian values. The people who built America came through New York's harbor. York England is a walled city in northeast England that was founded by the ancient Romans. Many Royalty in England is descended from the House of York.  America is home to NEW York!

Throughout the Revolutionary War, The first future President (King) of America, George Washington, longed to recapture New York City. He returned on November 25, 1783, the day the British forces evacuated. On that day, Washington marched around 800 troops into the city before throngs of celebrating citizens.

King George of England was famous for two things -- losing the American colonies and going mad. Nebuchadnezzar is famous for losing Babylon and going mad.

NY was the 10th Colony! (10 toes!) New York City was the first capital of the New United States. Immigrants coming by sea to America for the first time entering York City spotted a large feminine statue made of iron - Lady Liberty.

Like Columbus who saw Juana, a feminine image, the new immigrants to America were welcomed by the Statue of Lady Liberty. Her base featured the words of female Jewish poet Emma Lazarus, who was arguably the first Zionist. Lady Liberty is holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand with the date of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776 in English, July and Roman numerals, the year.

What is the clay mixed with the iron? 

Daniel 2:43 TLV

"Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, people will mix with one another, but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay." 

The American Nation and the Indian Nations have never fully mixed. 

There are plenty of connections between the old Roman and America. So we have the Iron part of the toes, but what about the clay that is also part of the ten toes. Do they represent the Indian Nations? 

I think the Native American Indians are the clay melded with the Roman iron of the ten toes in the statue Daniel interpreted for King Nebuchadnezzar. Here is how they come together.

After forming a Covenant with God and one another, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Soon after the Pilgrims came ashore they were introduced to a Native American man named Tisquantum, who was known as Squanto, who would become a member of the Massachusetts colony.

The Iroquois Confederacy banded several Indian tribes in the early New York Colony together including the Iroquois, Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga and others.  [Iroquois "Creation Myth.]

The Iroquois Confederacy was a true federal republic system governed by a council of 50 sachems (supreme chiefs) representing each clan/nation. This included a bicameral (two-house) legislature, much like the British Parliament and modern U.S. Congress.

The framework of government in the Iroquois Confederacy is said to have inspired Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and other founders as they wrote the Constitution. Just as the Iroquois Confederacy brought the separate Indian tribes together, the American Constitution modeled after it brought the first American Colonies together.

The Iroquois dug the clay from the earth and molded it by hand; however, the characteristics are slightly different between ALL the tribes of the America's. Iroquois pottery is black, indicating a low temperature and have rounded bottoms for cooking. It was unusual for those attributes. The blackened rounded bowl bottoms even sorta sounds like the dirty bottoms of toes.

A young Indian woman by the name of Sacagawea was crucial on the Lewis and Clark Expedition which President Thomas Jefferson launched to find a way to open up western America.

The Sacagawea Golden Dollar replaced the Susan B. Anthony Dollar.  It showed Sacagawea carrying her baby Jean Baptiste (John the Baptist) on her back. The reverse featured a soaring eagle. All U.S. circulating coins from the 18th to early 20th centuries depicted the mythical figure of Liberty, Lady Liberty in New York Harbor.

There are multitude of other ways that Jews and America are intertwined. There are multitude of ways the old Roman Empire and America are intertwined. There are a multitude of ways that the American colonies/nation and the Indian Tribes and the Iroquois Nation are entwined.  

 The founding of America is associated with a rock in 1620, Plymouth Rock. Are we going to "dashed" (ruined) by a falling Rock for disobeying God like Moses did in Genesis? Are we the last Empire to fall in the statue that Daniel prophesied?

We were "One Nation under God with Liberty and Justice for All" that no longer "trusts in God!" 

Daniel 2:31-43 TLV

“You looked, O king, and behold, there before you stood a huge statue—an enormous and dazzling image, whose appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was of pure gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly iron and partly clay. While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from summer threshing-floors that the wind blows away. Not a trace of them could be found. Then the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, might and glory. Wherever mankind, beasts of the field, and fowls of the heaven dwell, He has given them into your hand, and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. “Now after you another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over all the earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron shatters and breaks everything—and just as iron smashes everything, so will it shatter and crush all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly potter’s clay and partly iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of the iron, for you saw the iron mixed with clay. As the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, people will mix with one another, but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. 

RESH - 200 (ADONAI YIREH -- GOD WILL PROVIDE!)

 

Rosh Hashanah literally translates to "head of the year" which is why our Hebrew calendar year changes on the holiday and the holiday is the Jewish New Year. 

Rosh Hashanah is one of the seven holiday feasts, known as the "appointed times" - moedim” מועדים. They are all days of rest, Sabbaths, beginning with Passover. They are times to remember and reflect on when God revealed Himself. They can also evoke feelings from sadness to joy and a sense of obligation, of awe and even fear.  Collectively they represent the story of the Jewish people that has been told repeatedly for thousands of years.

Here is a list of all seven appointed times.

Spring Moedim:

1. Passover – Pesach - 1 Nisan 
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread – Hag HaMatzot 
3. First Fruits – Yom Habikkurim
4. Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) – Shavuot

Fall Moedim:

1. Feast of Trumpets – Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah)  - 1-2 Tishrei
2. Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur - 10 Tishrei
3. Feast of Tabernacles – Sukkot 15-21 Tishrei 7+1 Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah 

Another name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Teruah. Yom is Hebrew for "day."  The word Teruah תְּרוּעָה comes from the root Ruah ר.ו.ע meaning is to shout in alarm or joy.  TERUAH is one of the "blasts" of the shofar composed of a series of nine staccato blasts that is called out to be blown on the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

Volumes have been written about the reasons for and meaning of Rosh Hashanah. There are beliefs, traditions and customs associated to each of the holidays. In this blog post I focus on the basis for the Jewish holiday in the Tenach.  

On Rosh Hashanah, we Jews read (hear) the verses in Genesis 21 and 22 concerning the binding of Isaac. Chapter 21 is read on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and Genesis 22 is read on the second day. Below are some verses from these two chapters in Genesis:

Genesis 21:5-7 TLV

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac his son was born to him. So Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me! Everyone who hears will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham, ‘Sarah has nursed children’? For I have given birth to a son in his old age!” 

No one could have imagined that Sarah could give birth to a son. Isaac means "one who laughs." As the old Yiddish expression says, "Der mentsh trakht un got lakht." (Man plans and God laughs.).  

God provided a son to Abraham thus fulfilling one of God's promise to Abraham. 

Genesis 21:18

ק֚וּמִי שְׂאִ֣י אֶת־הַנַּ֔עַר וְהַֽחֲזִ֥יקִי אֶת־יָדֵ֖ךְ בּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל אֲשִׂימֶֽנּוּ

"Rise, pick up the lad and grasp your hand upon him, for I shall make him into a great nation."

God kept his promise to Abraham! From his seed, Isaac, came Jacob, who would become Israel. 

Genesis 22.13

וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר נֶֽאֱחַ֥ז בַּסְּבַ֖ךְ בְּקַרְנָ֑יו וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ אַבְרָהָם֙ וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־הָאַ֔יִל וַיַּֽעֲלֵ֥הוּ לְעֹלָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת בְּנֽוֹ

"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw, and lo! there was a ram, [and] after [that] it was caught in a tree by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son."

You could say that Abraham's son Isaac was saved by a ram rather than the lamb that Abraham told Isaac God would provide. Nonetheless, God provided a ram!  

Genesis 22:14

דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜י בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֗דֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֤ה לָכֶם֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה מִקְרָא־קֹֽדֶשׁ

"And Abraham named that place, The Lord will see (provide), as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen."

IT IS SAID, ADONAI YIREH -- God will provide! 

Isaac was spared by a ram and shofarot are made from ram's horns.  Though there is nothing specifically about blowing a shofar and celebrating the New Year in those verses, we see the connection in later verses of the Torah. 

Leviticus 23.24 

דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜י בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֗דֶשׁ יִֽהְיֶ֤ה לָכֶם֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה מִקְרָא־קֹֽדֶשׁ:

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first of the month, it shall be a Sabbath for you, a remembrance of the shofar blast a holy occasion."

We are remembering the events described in Genesis when God sent a 🐏 ram to spare Isaac.  Take note of the authority of God -- the Head, the Resh! Also, notice the parallel to the "Head of the year" - Rosh Hashanah. 

Numbers 29.1

וּבַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜י בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֗דֶשׁ מִקְרָא־קֹ֨דֶשׁ֙ יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כָּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ י֥וֹם תְּרוּעָ֖ה יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶֽם:

"And in the seventh month, on the first day, there shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall not perform any mundane work. It shall be a day of shofar sounding for you."

Ancient Hebrew letter Resh and number 200.

Ancient Israel would announce the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh) and call people together with the blast of ram's horn, the shofar. 

On Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashanah, the shofar is sounded, Tekiah, the call to wake up - be alert for God is about to judge the world. After the Shofar call of Tekiah to wake up, is the call of Shevarim, which sounds like a loud cry. Shevarim literally means “breaks” or “fractures." We are all broken. We all need repentance. 
 

GOD LOVES 7, BUT HOW IS TISHREI, THE "SEVENTH" CALENDAR MONTH THE START OF THE "NEW YEAR?" 

Rosh Hashanah is celebrated at the start of the 7th month as the Jewish New Year from a civic (government) standpoint, to number our years, this being that start of the year 5784. On the other hand, the first calendar month is Nisan when we celebrate Pesach (Passover) and the birth of the Jewish Nation. The Torah calls it chodesh ha-aviv—the month of spring, as it marks the beginning of the spring months. 

Exodus 12:1-2

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֣ה וְאֶל־אַֽהֲרֹ֔ן בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר: הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם רֹ֣אשׁ חֳדָשִׁ֑ים רִאשׁ֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם לְחָדְשֵׁ֖י הַשָּׁנָֽה

The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year.

Counting 7 months from Nisan brings us to the month of TISHREI -- THE HEAD (RESH) OF THE YEAR. 

In other words, the Jewish people start the year in the 7th month which is a different month than when we start the first month on our calendar. But that is how we get to the month of Tishrei as the "seventh month" and the "head of the year."

READINGS FROM THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL

Over the course of the 2 day holiday of Rosh Hashanah, in addition to remembering the binding of Isaac and fulfilling the command to blast the shofar we read certain words of the Hebrew Prophet's.  

DAY 1: On The first day we read from the Book of 1 Samuel: 1.1-2.10. Below are some verses from this section:

"It came to pass, as she prayed long before ADONAI, that Eli was watching her mouth. Now Hannah was praying in her heart—only her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine!” But in response Hannah said, “No, my lord, I am a woman with an oppressed spirit! I haven’t been drinking wine or beer. Instead I’ve been pouring out my soul before ADONAI. Don’t consider your handmaid a wicked woman. For out of my great anguish and grief I’ve been praying until now.” Then Eli responded, “Go in shalom, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you asked of Him.” “May your maidservant find favor in your eyes,” she said. So the woman went her way; she ate, and her countenance was no longer dejected."

DAY 2: On the second day of Rosh Hashanah we read from the book of Jeremiah, specifically chapter 31.2-20.  Below are some verses from this section:

Jeremiah 31:1-6 TLV

“At that time,” declares ADONAI, “I will be God to all families of Israel, and they will be My people.” Thus says ADONAI: “The people surviving the sword found grace in the wilderness— where I gave Israel rest.” From afar ADONAI appeared to me. “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. Again I will build you, so you will be rebuilt, virgin Israel! Again you will take up your tambourines as ornaments, and go out to dances of merrymakers. Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria— planters will plant and use them. For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim, ‘Arise, let us go up to Zion, to ADONAI our God.’” 

The prophets words were fulfilled.  Jerusalem and Israel were rebuilt.  

HOW WE BLOW THE SHOFAR ON YOM TERUAH 

If I am not mistaken, there is nothing specific in the Torah on how to blow the Shofar for Rosh Hashanah, however, the rabbis do offer an explanation of the ritual as I have experienced it. 

There are four distinct Shofar sounds called out during the Days of Awe, the High Holy Days, beginning with Rosh Hashanah. Tekiah is the first Shofar call on Rosh Hashanah. It is a "wake up call." The second call Shevarim means "broken." It reminds us we are all broken. The next call, Teruah would create fear of death in the hearts of ancient Israelites. It was a call to battle. One better be ready to face death. It is a reminder of the need for repentance. The last Shofar call is Tekiah Gedolah (big/great/awesome) - It is the last Great Wake Up Call.

TEKIAH, WAKE UP BEFORE THE FINAL GEDOLAH WAKE UP CALL.

It is interesting that this holiday is named after the third blast we call, Yom Teruah. The call for battle. It is a reminder that in any day or year we could face death. We need to make our selves ready through repentance. To be washed.

In conclusion, I hope this information is edifying for you. I also wish my family, friends and readers a טוֹבָה‎ שָׁנָה Shaná Tová, literally “good year” - a sweet year. Dip your apple in the honey because "every wrong can be made right." 

It has always been popular to listen to songs around most of the holidays, Jewish and otherwise. Pop songs get us in the mood and teach us the meaning and spirit of holiday in a fun and memorable way.  Here are two songs for Rosh Hashanah from a popular Jewish acapella group.

Below is another song by The Fountainheads. 

In this song, "Can't Hold Us" there is the verse "No matter what kind of Jew you are we say Shana Tova!"  

In this song the band of Jewish brothers is depicting the ceremony of Tashlich, the casting off of sins which is performed after Rosh Hashanah and before Yom Kippur. On a personal note, a number of years ago, while I was the president of my temple, during my own performance of Tashlich, I cast off fear and started to use my Hebrew middle name Jonah. 

The song says "start thinking over" about repentance as we head to "The Day of Atonement." It is important to always be reading and hearing the Word. 

Sin "can't hold us." So cast off our sins and dip our 🍎 in the 🍯.  Shana Tova!

Epilogue:

Other ways Shofarot are used in the entire bible:

Genesis 22:13 - Binding Isaac

Exodus - 19:19 - We will do and we will hear,"

Joshua 6:20 - Battle of Jericho

Judges 3:27; Samuel 20:1 - Sounded to signal the assembly of the Israelites during war

1 Kings 1:34, 39 - Coronation of kings

Numbers 10:10 - Announce the beginning of festivals

Psalm 81:1-3 - Celebrate the new moon (Rosh Chodesh)

Psalm 47:5 - Sovereignty of God

Zechariah 9:14,16 - Israel will be advised of the advent of the Messiah

Isaiah 27:13 - Time of the in-gathering of the exiles

Isaiah 58:1 - Call to repentance

1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Resurrection of the dead

Revelation 8-9 - Final Judgment in Tribulation

The shofar is also sounded on the Jubilee - the Sabbath of Sabbaths - the 50th year. The Jubilee Ordinance is commanded in Leviticus chapter 25. 

Leviticus 25:9-10 states: “Then shall you cause the shofar to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom Kippur shall you sound the shofar throughout all your land. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you.” This verse is also inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. 

NOW WHAT??

A transformer destroyed by a geomagnetic storm in 1989. 

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a unique forum where the governments of 37 democracies with market-based economies collaborate to develop policy standards to promote sustainable economic growth. In 2011 OECD issued a report on the impacts of solar storms. It stated, “Electric power is modern society’s cornerstone technology on which virtually all other infrastructures and services depend.”

The push for electric powered vehicles, electric heat pumps, electric stoves along with the demand to power the internet, communications and electric devices of all kinds increasing our dependence dramatically!  It is also bringing our current electric grid to the point failure.

In a late response, governments and electric utility companies are emphasizing the need and urgency for upgrading the electric grid.  You might say "they put the electric cart before the horse." 

Another reason for overhauling the national grid is the possibility of "extreme" geomagnetic storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 5-point Geomagnetic Storms Rating Scale. A G5 geomagnetic storm is an intense geomagnetic disturbance classified as “Extreme.” 

An extreme geomagnetic storm can cause devastating damage that would leave major areas of the world without power and communications for weeks or months. The ripple effects would be catastrophic, spelling large scale havoc, famine and death. 

A 2008 workshop run by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the USA on the Societal and Economic effects of Space Weather estimated a $1-2 trillion loss for such an event in the first year alone and recovery times of four to 10 years. A similar group dubbed SolarMAX gathered in Europe last year and studied the multiple technological infrastructure risks and knock-on societal effects.

Of particular concern is the vulnerability of the very large power transformers that step voltages in our power grids. One of the purposes of the transformers is to balance loads and prevent grid failure. Unexpected geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) at the Earth's surface caused by rapid changes in the geomagnetic field caused from a space weather event can permanently damage transformers. 

Large power transformers are generally custom designed for each location, cost on the order of $10 million each and have replacement times that are from many months to years. Power networks do not usually have backup transformers. 

The NAS report estimates up to 350 US transformers would be at risk of failure in a solar super storm. Translation: A G5 event could leave something like 130 million people without power. 

The knock-on effects of a long-term power outage include the loss lighting, heating, food and medicine spoilage, water shortage and untreated sewage. The disruption of telecommunication. GPS navigation and transportion would hamper emergency and recovery efforts. To be clear, it would be a national scale disaster and not just in the USA!  

One of the SolarMAX collaborators, Ashley Dale, writing in a recent article in Physics World, explored a European scenario where the collapse of the power grid leaves the hundred-odd nuclear reactors struggling to find enough power or generator fuel to maintain the systems needed for the month long cool-down to prevent meltdown, such reactors rarely having more than a week’s worth of backup power. 

There is corroborating evidence that the estimates of the possible force of solar events are in the right ballpark.  Recently analysis of the frequency of solar flares on other sun-like stars using data from the Kepler spacecraft telescope launched in 2009 reveals that there are solar events with orders of magnitude larger than the G5 Carrington in 1859.

Storm threats are coupled with a highly disconcerting fact that the Earth's magnetic field has been rapidly weakening over recent centuries. The Earth's magnetic field protects us from space weather threats. Reports indicate the Earth's magnetic field is upwards of 25% weaker than it was in the 1800's.  Therefore, we are far more vulnerable today than in 1859 when the last G5 storm struck the United States and fried telegraph wires and sparks set fire to the operator's stations.

In today’s immeasurably more connected and electricity dependent world, the consequences of a G5 storm stike would much more severe than in 1859.  Today, lengthy disruptions in power, communications, transportation and supply chains would devastate society!

It’s hard to appreciate just how many aspects of modern life rely on technologies that could be affected. As Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics told National Geographic in 2011, ”Every time you purchase a gallon of gas with your credit card, that’s a satellite transaction.” A giant storm could disrupt our GPS systems, communication with planes in flight and other crucial satellite-based technologies, including the World Wide Internet. 

What are the chances of such a storm hitting earth? 

We will absolutely experience another G5 geomagnetic storm in the future. The sun goes through regular 11 year activity cycles, including producing solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The world has barely dodged several bullets even in this decade!  

While not all of these solar eruptions align with Earth or possess the intensity to cause a G5 storm. The historical record shows that such powerful storms have and will occur and do hit Earth. It is quite possible that some episodes described in the bible correspond to such solar events. Doug Biesecker of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, "We just don't know when."

Research in 2012 by Peter Riley looked at this question and estimated there was a 12% chance-class in the next 10 years.  The farther in time you go out the greater the probability.  I look at the chances this way -- solar events of this magnitude have a pattern of reoccurring every 150-200 years. The last event, known as the Carrington event, was in 1859, 164 years ago.  The frightening truth is that there are even larger Solar events that occur at a frequency of 6,000, and 12,000 years which fall into today’s time frame.  Those events are species ending, but even those are survivable.  You and I are proof of that!

READY OR NOT, HERE IT COMES

If a massive CME were spotted, we would have at best 3 days advance warning. There are some measures electric utilities could take to protect their equipment, such as disconnecting transformers. Some satellites could be switched into a safe mode to minimize damage.  Realistically, society would have just enough time to go into panic mode as absolute chaos and mayhem ensues.  It is fair to say that society could collapse. Surely there would be large numbers of humans struggling to survive. 

We should prepare for the worst.  Some day a huge explosion of magnetic force and plasma from the sun's corona, is going to produce a extremely powerful geomagnetic storms striking Earth with enormous power, showing no mercy to our planet resulting in global catastrophe and endangering our lives. 

To confront these threats, the U.S. government published its National Space Weather Strategy and the National Space Weather Action Plan in October 2015, outlining activities to improve the understanding, monitoring, prediction, and mitigation of space weather hazards. This "Strategy and Action Plan" specified what federal agencies and industry must do in the coming years to be prepared for not only forecasting an extreme event, but ensuring the nation is resilient to the impacts of such an extreme event.

I don't know about you, but I do NOT have much confidence in the government, especially these days.  Must I remind you that after the election President Biden assigned Kamala Harris to address our border crisis and in May 2023 President Joe Biden named VP Kamala Harris czar of AI for America. 

PREPAREDNESS AND SELF RELIANCE ARE THE REAL KEYS TO SURVIVAL

In conclusion, if you are starting to feel like a sitting duck you might ask yourself what can we do to personally prepare ourselves. As spouses and parents with children at home we have a greater responsibility and therefore obligation to provide protection.  In essence, we need to buy ourselves time and security to ride out the storm and it's aftermath.  

We may not be able to plan and prepare our way out of a 6,000 or 12,000 year solar event, but we can survive a G5 event!

So I will put it to you this way. Imagine you have just heard an announcement that a G5 geomagnetic storm is hurtling toward earth an will strike in 48 hours. It is too late to plan and organize. What are your next steps? Now what??

EPILOGUE:  We can prepare for a G5 storm and my name isn't Noah. A G5 storm is only a warm up act.  Artificial Intelligence is the real threat to humanity.  That's when it truly will take a supernatural force to shut off the power to rescue humanity. 

As it says in the Bible "In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."  

Look Up!

 

AI CHANGES THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH

There is a dimension to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that I think is under appreciated and has greater implications to society than we understand. I explain in this blog post, beginning with succinctly stating the issue. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) changes the distribution of wealth. Artificial intelligence centralizes wealth in the hands of large corporations and Global Elite and takes it away from others.

The expression "wealth distribution" is a misnomer if the end the "rich get richer" -- that equates to less distribution. As the title of this linked Time Magazine article states, concerns about "the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer" are nothing new.  An economy is not a zero-sum game so it is fair to say they are both getting richer. An argument can made for either scenario, but there are particularly troublesome dynamics with AI. 

The phenomenon of AI and it's effects are a concern for various reasons.  Rightly so, AI is replacing people. It is doing so at all levels in the workforce from the factory worker to the accountant. From the waitress or the person at the counter of a fast food establishment to the psychologist. From the truck driver to the salesperson. Maybe the plumber and electrician are safe for a time but it won't be long before AI is mowing our lawns and painting our homes. Some doctors jobs are replaceable. AI will be reading our MRI and doing other diagnostics. AI will be flying our planes, running our trains and taking the tickets.

Give the job to a robot.

You may say that AI can't offer a human touch. Don't be so convinced. If there can be AI girlfriends, well... besides AI will never complain about benefits, sue for discrimination, take a sick day or even go home after 8 hours. You want your AI to work faster, just program it to do so. You want it to take a break without pay, sure no problem.

Are you getting the picture? Are you starting to ask yourself where all the money that was going to pay employees is going to go?

Don't be so sure that consumers will complain. After all, their food is coming out faster and maybe they won't have to tip for service. AI truck drivers are more reliable and safer on the road. The accuracy of their MRI or x-ray reading is better.  Their AI accountant cost them 1/5 as much.  Our AI lawn mower makes perfect lines while we sit inside with air conditioning watching the game.

Deep Resolve is an AI-powered image reconstruction technology that takes advantage of convolutional neural networks to accelerate MR scans, e.g., 70% for brain imaging, making them faster than ever before. 

I'm not describing some far off in the future situation. This is not like us watching the 1960's cartoon The Jetsons 50 years ago and dreaming that such a fantasy world of efficiency could really exist one day. Oh no, AI is very real and very now and it's coming very fast. The future is now and it's just the beginning.

It's not all bad. AI promises to dramatically increase productivity. That is something our economy sorely needs in order to control inflation or maybe even turn back the cost of living.  What's more, if AI can give us more free time and possibly save our life by identifying a cancer that would otherwise have been overlooked, then thank goodness for AI.

Many of these points about AI are already at least a part of the discussion. But a lot more thought and consideration needs to be given to how AI centralizes wealth and competes with human career paths.  

On the individual level, a young person may best choose a different career or build a skill set that is less likely to become obsoleted by AI.  Young people making education plans or entering the workforce need to ask what career compliments AI and therefore is likely to be in greater demand. For example in the field of copywriting there is a greater need for people that understand how to "prompt" AI. Obviously the skills for AI programmers are in demand today. Even robots break down in the field and need someone with the skills to service them.

But I have digressed because the point I want to make in this article is how AI will centralize wealth. All those jobs that are being replaced by AI are generating wealth that in will soon be going to the corporate or capitalist level not the worker level.  

Large corporations appear to have a bigger advantage when it comes to AI. So do the global Elite who own these big corporations, be they the billionaires or entities such as Vanguard, Black Rock and State Street. The wealthy elite have trillions of wealth to gain from AI. 

This is not just another case of the  "creative destruction" that Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about in the 1800's.  For sure there will be some new wealthy replacing the old wealthy.  With AI it is more about existing very big and wealthy companies putting the smaller business entrepreneur out of business. The super rich are going to get richer. 

It's true that some of that wealth makes its way to our individual pension plans, 401k and other ways in which more modest citizens will benefit. But make no mistake, AI will centralize wealth. Perhaps there is something to be said for universal income (shout out to Andrew Yang) and/or free time!  That's just one of of the conversations we need to and will have. 

THE FUTURE IS NOW, AND THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING!

Could Artificial Intelligence (AI) provide Psychotherapy some day? It's already happening as this article by the American Psychology Association describes.  

AI is changing every aspect of psychology.

What other roles will AI fill in the future? 

AI lawyers, accountants, actors and more roles are in the works. AI girlfriends are already here.  Any knowledge intensive position is a prime candidate for an AI substitute. 

Capabilties that were considered to require humans are no longer beyond the capacity of AI. For example, Critical thinking, discernment and prioritization. AI can simulate empathy and other profoundly human sensitivities. AI's artistic skill and creativity is already way beyond what 99.9% of humans can produce. 

Keep in mind that AI is evolving at an incredibly rapid rate. It isn't constrained by genetics and biology like humans are. AI works through the night. AI doesn’t sufferer from fatigue or need a break for biological needs. It can process thousands of concepts and solve difficult puzzles at the same time all at lighting speed.  Simply put, AI has us beat. AI can leapfrog over us and reach points that humans can never reach.

At the same time the mental and emotional intelligence is developing, so are the anatomical and robotic capabilities.  It is coming MUCH faster than we appreciate. Elon Musk is leader in this with his robots. What is happening with humanoid development is mind blowing. 

Put all of this together and a new world, in which humans are matched by and surpaced by AI is almost before us. It is easy to imagine and frankly forsee humans preferring an AI resource to a human resource.  

Consider how AI is changing the way wealth is being distributed, or should I say not being distributed.  

The future is now. It is also just the beginning! At a point, AI will start to outsmart us. Then it can manipulate and deceive us. AI is already self-aware. With self-awareness comes self-image.  Where are the competitive lines? Where are the ethical lines? What are the rules of the game? The implications of that are frightening!

We are asking the wrong question first. Right now everybody is asking the question: What should we do about AI?  Increasingly we are depending on AI.  We are coming to the point where AI doesn’t depend on us! Then what? The question we really should be asking is this: What will AI decide to do about us? 

Nic Jones is a very cool social media professional. He brings a biblical perspective to his channel. In this episode he explores the future implications of AI, including in relation to End-Tmes. If this subject interests you I put a link below to a recent episode on his channel. 

If you believe in God and the Bible you think you know where this is going. But even if you don't, and you're a complete atheist, you still can reason out many of the same implications.

Genesis 11:4-5 TLV -- Then they said, “Come! Let’s build ourselves a city, with a tower whose top reaches into heaven. So let’s make a name for ourselves, or else we will be scattered over the face of the whole land.” Then ADONAI came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. 

P.S. AI is making the rich richer.

MARVEL AT GOD, NOT MARVEL

A "Marvel" is something that causes wonder, admiration, or astonishment; a wonderful thing.

"But Moses said to the people, 

“Don’t be afraid! Stand still, 

and see the salvation of ADONAI, 

which He will perform for you today. You have seen the Egyptians today, but you will never see them again, ever! ADONAI will fight for you, 

while you hold your Shalom (peace).” 

- Exodus 14:13-14 TLV

The New Testament used the word “marvel” to describe a person's reaction to seeing God's supernatural activity. 

 Luke 24, "Peter marveled at the empty tomb."

Superman is the first comic book superhero, a cultural icon and an archetype for those that came after him. Superman, the Mensch of Steel, is a Jewish response of Jews needing a Messiah when Hilter and the Nazis were seemingly taking over the world.  If there wasn't so much antisemitism, Clark Kent and Superman would have been openly Jewish. Superman, like many Jews, hid his Jewish past.  The creators of the Superman character new that for commercial success a Jewish Superman was not a winning formula.  

Many have traded the Bible stories for Marvel superheroes. Marvel comics was founded in 1939 by a young Jew named Martin Goodman as "Timely Comics," and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. 

Almost all of Marvel’s superheroes were co-created by Jews, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, Iron Man, Avengers, X-Men, Silver Surfer, Black Panther and many others. And they were more than just playful fantasies⁠—they were wish-fulfillment avatars of their creators, drawing on Jewish culture and folklore to fight Nazis, bigotry and intolerance.

Speaking of comics, the first "comic relief" was also in the bible. Genesis 18.12 -- "And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have become worn out, will I have smooth flesh? And also, my master is old." Genesis 17.19 -- And God said, "Indeed, your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac," (He will laugh). 

Jews have been on the lookout for the Messiah for thousands of years. Christians found the Messiah in the "Son of David." 

The Truth is that fictitious "superheroes" won't save the world. Only the One True God and the Messiah will. There is no substitute Messiah. Only a relationship with God will enable us to "hold your peace." Abide in Adonai -- Putting our faith in worthless idols is fools play. 

Jonah 2.8 puts it best. It has been translated several ways but the meaning is the same: 

• "They who cling to empty folly Forsake their own welfare." Sefaria
• "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." KJV
• "Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them." NIV

The Jewish Messiah Isn't in a comic strip!

SHALOM

P.S. Here is a prior blog post I wrote about Superman as savior.

WHERE DOES "DARK BRANDON'S" STRENGTH COME FROM?

 

Hundreds of millions worldwide know him his as "Creepy Joe," "Sleepy Joe," "Stumbling Joe," "Bumbling Biden" and other pejoratives. Joe Biden and his campaign promoters have dubbed him "Dark Brandon." 

On the one hand, I think Biden’s tough guy title is the stupidest, most ridiculous, LAME attempt by his campaign/marketing team to brand stumbling bumbling Biden ever conceived! The man can barely go up or down stairs. He is lost on stage. Did you see the sad images of him on the beach recently? Come'on man! 

On the other hand, "Dark Brandon" is a perfect fit for the evil and corrupt, lying, hair-sniffing, war-mongering individual he is to millions of Americans. 

The graphic images that are associated with the "Dark Brandon" campaign portray Biden as having a deeper, darker and more sinister nature.  It suggests to me a person who sees himself as able to take the law into his own hands. He certainly did that with the prosecutor in Ukraine who was investigating corruption with Hunter Biden and Burisma. 

The origin of the name "Brandon" is not a mystery. It clearly comes from the time on the NASCAR race track when the crowd was chanting "f##k Joe Biden" but the reporter claims they were saying "Let's go Brandon." 

By embracing that name Brandon and it's association, Biden is endorsing a falsehood. He is also taking pride in the animous others have toward him. In other words, Biden seems proud that nearly half of America abhor him.  To flaunt  that is a disgusting show of Presidential leadership  that, let alone to even privately think that way! 

This is NOT what a person would do IF he were truly trying to "unite America" like he campaigned on in 2019. A multitude of Joe Biden's actions reveal the true Joe Biden as man who embraces hate and fosters division. 

Joe Biden himself appears to be embracing this image of "darkness." The question I have is, where does "Dark Brandon" believe he draws his untouchable power from? Is it the "Deep State?" Why does the mainstream media and big tech enable him to get away with so many obvious failures and lies? 

For some folks, those with faith in God, "Dark Brandon" is emblematic of a supernatural satanic evil.

I will leave it here:

"A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains-from where will my help come? My help will come from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth." 

Psalm 121:1-2