KING OF TYRE
Part XVIII
Rise or Fall of American Empire?
by
Doug Krieger
Part 1
The immense transfer of American wealth and its regulation, use and abuse is upon us—done with a smile and a nod from the US Treasury Department, the US Congress and the “Lady in Waiting” – THE FED. Inevitably, we are pressed – yea, suppressed – to journey the turbulent seas of the present economic duress and surmise: The Almighty has chosen the metaphors and poetic justice used in Revelation 18 to describe in copious detail the destruction of that Great Commercial City, Babylon – comparing its demise to the similitude of texts used in Ezekiel 26-28; having to do with the King and kingdom of Tyre, as well as his final offspring: The Daughter of Tarshish-the Daughter of Tyre in whom, like the overflow of the Nile, bears “no restraint” in the latter days of her unbridled consolidation of wealth. No, this is not a poor attempt at poetic justice administered on behalf of the overwhelming spiritual realities behind the sublime prose of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel and Ezekiel – and their extrapolations found in John’s book of Revelation. We would admonish a serious undertaking on your part to ingest these metaphorical platitudes – for in them there abides a most potent reality of past antiquity, present duress and future spiritual, as well as blatantly literal attraction.
Indeed, how could we dismiss Isaiah’s excoriation of this “marketplace for the nations” and denounce Tarshish “whose antiquity is from ancient days” and then not connect it to the “land of the Chaldeans” and rehearse its destruction by singing the “song of the harlot” wherein at the “end of seventy years...the LORD will deal with Tyre,” though “her feet carried her far off to dwell”…She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth” (Psalm 45:12; Isaiah 23:3, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17)? And, dare we consider these “future attractions?” Oh, most definitely! For how can we dismiss the present implosion of IndyMac—the second largest bank failure in US history—and the frightful takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the same “nationalization” and why not?
No, this is not a Shakespearian play – oh, it’s a tragedy alright, but of immensely more calamitous import than William’s fanciful prose with similar entitlement: Pericles, Prince of Tyre. No, William’s prince far exceeded the eastern edge of the Great Sea, ancient Phoenicia—his spirit and quest for greater riches and the mystery of his whereabouts are well documented in the works of Maria Eugenia Aubet, Glenn E. Markoe and the editing work of the late Sabatino Moscati in his work, The Phoenicians; who, in his legacy found in the New York Times, is quoted as saying that the Phoenician culture “is one that we must confront in order to understand ourselves” (NYT, Sept. 10, 1997). I have little doubt that this Italian Semitic linguist and archeologist knew full-well the profundity of his remark!
It
behooves us; prior to the “joyous city” we now behold, to explore the outer
reaches of Tyre’s merchandising – its origins, its influence, its disrepute
and ultimate judgment (Isaiah
23:7). Oh, yes, we shall get most specific, for the latter days are worse
than her former seductions of this vast commercial empire of antiquity, whose
origins, colonizing extensions, trading and merchandising are an
archaeological puzzlement to this day in that Rome’s cruel termination of all
things Punic, Phoenician and Cannanitish were dispelled from and/or
incorporated into the Empire’s collective with unmitigated brutality and rank
obfuscation of his whereabouts—although, be it ever so clearly understood,
Tyre lives, and so does the Daughter of Tarshish with her seafaring vessels,
the infamous Merchants and Ships of Tarshish, whose identity with this Western
trading empire have a more than casual inference in
Ezekiel 38:13 and Ezekiel 27:25-29 wherein “After many days you (Gog and
Magog)…in the latter years” will challenge Gog-Magog’s
intentions to “take a spoil” and abscond with the “booty” of the Middle East (Ezekiel
38:13) as they descend upon a hapless Israel, who by this time, has
committed her security to those same Merchants of Tarshish (Daniel
9:27) under the command of the King of Tyre’s alter ego, the “prince who
is to come” – the Antichrist himself (Daniel
9:26).
These prescient declarations (prior to our immediate exposure of Tyre’s latter day contrivance) are complimented in Jeremiah’s prophetic judgment – against that yet future and ultimate manifestation of the King of Babylon, his empire and the supernatural Destroying Mountain (Bel of Babylon—“founder of Babylon”). Behind these earthly metaphors and adumbrative language, lies a profoundly spiritual application of future penal platitude:
“Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all the earth drunk…the nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged…Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed…for her judgment reaches to heaven…O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness…Though Babylon were to ascend up to heaven…I will punish Bel in Babylon...and the nations shall not stream to him anymore…Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroys all the earth…and I will stretch out My hand against you, roll you down from the rocks, and make you a burnt mountain” – Behold: The “City of Confusion is broken down” (Isaiah 24:10; Jeremiah 51).
…then recoil at Revelation’s eschatological and final sequence of her folly:
“…the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication…having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication…Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury…For her sins have reached to heaven…The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come…and the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore” (Revelation 17-18).
Alas! She has returned to her hire! She who makes all the kings and their merchants to drink of the wine of her fornications where apostate religion (especially the “Christian religion”), mercantile pursuits and political power converge in insatiable indolence—yes, she, the Daughter of Tarshish (which phrase fully expresses her worldly and commercial extensions), has returned to her bed of iniquity to once and for all, in a vain and devilishly desperate attempt, ascend the Mountain of the Lord. No, the comparisons between the Hebrew prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel and Ezekiel to John’s Revelation demand a final verdict, an incalculable judgment yet to descend upon this earthly clod and the earthlings, who, like their Cannanitish predecessors, bear the mark of their leader: KING OF TYRE!
TYRE’S PAST AND PRESENT VERDICT IS CERTAIN
Ladies
and Gentlemen of the jury – allow me to ask of you – is not this insidious
culprit, the King of Tyre, the same one of antiquity who morphed as the
personage of the Despicable One of
Ezekiel 28? Wherein abundance of evidence confirms that he . . .
(1) Voiced the idolatrous statement: I AM A GOD! And that he so declared this “before Him who slays” him; and did so by setting his “heart as the heart of a god” – a most interior distortion (Ezekiel 28:9, 2)?
(2) Asserted in such an ostentatious manner – a most obnoxious soliloquy: “I sit in the seat of gods, in the midst of the seas” and that he sought to, through force of his own will, ascend into heaven, exalt his throne above the stars of God, blatantly declared he would sit on the “mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north,” ascend above the heights of the clouds, and, finally, the most outlandish and horrifically idolatrous design: “I will be like the Most high.” (Ezekiel 28:2; Isaiah 14:13-14)?
(3) Is charged with rampant materialism on such a grandiose and phantasmagoric scale as to defy all human intelligence in his disproportionate ubiquity; to wit: “There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches.” (Ezekiel 28:3-5)?
(4) Epitomizes mercantile extravagance which persists to this day and in whose heart has been set “as the heart of a god” and is, overtly charged herewith as “The most terrible of the nations” using “terror to be on all her inhabitants” – and, most assuredly, the other nations should “draw their swords against the beauty of (his) wisdom, and (have full liberty to) defile (his) splendor”—throwing him “down into the Pit…in the midst of the seas” – the abyss, from whence he shall ascend in the latter days as the Beast – even “in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit” – an eternally “uninhabited” place (Ezekiel 28:7; 26:17, 20; Revelation 11:7; 13:1)?
Furthermore – we ask…
(5) As the KING OF TYRE – this one was accorded “the seal of perfection – full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 27:3b, 11; 28:7, 12, 17)? – likewise…
(6) As “the anointed cherub who covers” this same King of Tyre was “in Eden, the garden of God” and that he possessed “every precious stone” as his “covering” – even “sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold” and that his “workmanship of (his) timbrels and pipes was prepared for (him) on the day (he was) created” . . . leading us all to affirm that this ultimate counterfeit and superlative imposter was designed to lead the angelic hosts in the worship of the One and only True God – making the charges of his forfeiture, which we hold against him, all the more cosmic in their scope and altogether universally egregious (Ezekiel 28:13-14, 16)?
(7) As once having full access to “the holy mountain of God” and the ability of having “walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones” is forthwith charged with utter iniquity – again, all the more insidious in so far as he was “perfect in (his) ways from the day (he was) created” – Yet, nary a trace of obsequious sorrow was found in him—so taken by his bequeathed perfection committed without pain, tested without suffering, as vindication of his unworthiness? “O, how have the mighty fallen?” (Ezekiel 28:14-16; Isaiah 14:12)
And – overwhelming these charges and descriptions of his declension – we find, concomitant in compounding his guilt – the ultraistic abuse of the “abundance of (his) trading”—trading “filled with violence within” his own being, and the discovery of the initial SIN of the universe (“And you sinned”); therefore, we concur with the Almighty’s initial rejection of this Lucifer, Son of the Morning-Daystar; to wit: He was “cast…as a profane thing out of the mountain of God” and that his title of “Covering Cherub” was destroyed—no longer to abide the “midst of the fiery stones.” Therefore, be it duly noted – we have here before us all, a most felonious fellow whose overt and blinded rebellion contaminated the pristine universe. (Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:16; Rev. 12:7-9)
In gross acquisition his . . .
(8)
“…heart was lifted up because of (his) beauty” and whose wisdom was utterly
“corrupted” because of his aforementioned splendor simply went to his head!
Therefore, we once again resound in “Amen!” at the Almighty’s ultimate vindictive against this King of Tyre – formerly known in his prototypical disguise as the Prince of Tyrus (Ezekiel 28:2); along with his ancient designation and citadel of the Cannanitish city of Tyre, whose descriptions eerily mirror the modern Babylon on the Hudson—sourcing his progenitors, who, having transversed the entire Mediterranean through commercial colonization and subjugation of the Great Sea’s peoples, held them in “pecuniary enslavement” to enrich himself all the more; and, having in mind commercial circumnavigation of the African continent; and whose “ships of Tarshish were carriers of (his) merchandise” – yes, “(his) riches, wares, and merchandise” transversed the “Pillars of Hercules” from his base in Tartessos, Southern Spain, to the New World where he transplanted his glories until his latter day manifestation fills the earth – Oh…. Legendary Tarshish claims Sri Lanka as its port, so vast was his trade!
“What city is like Tyre…? When your wares went out by sea, you satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise” (Ezekiel 27:32-33).
“. . . What is like this great city?” (And) “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 18:18; 13:4)
(9) And, whose “crowning city,” Tyre, Babylon, Rome – ever moving (unlike the Almighty’s Jerusalem) to hide his mystery – is hereby awaiting final sentence no matter how far he hide his intentions and pursuits; for the verdict has been rendered: GUILTY AS CHARGED upon the one who has “become a horror, and shall be no more forever for the LORD of Hosts has purposed it, to pollute the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth” (Isaiah 23:8; Ezekiel 28:19; Isaiah 23:9).
“The fruit that your (i.e., “the merchants of the earth”) soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all…the merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing’” (Revelation 18:14-17a).
And how intolerably presumptuous of the Daughter of Tarshish – the Whore of Babylon – to declare:
“I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow” – Oh, you “Lady of Kingdoms” . . . for it is you who said, “I shall be a lady forever” (Revelation 18:7; Isaiah 47:5, 7).
But, Alas! Already has your judgment been declared in antiquity:
“Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called Tender and Dainty. Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, take off the skirt, uncover the thigh, pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, and I will not arbitrate with a man” (Isaiah 47:1-3).
And, there are more invidious remarks of divine origin destined to your shores from whence all the merchants of the earth who traffic in the bodies and souls of men were made rich from your trade:
“Therefore
hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, who dwell securely, who say in
your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a
widow, nor shall I know the loss of children’; but these two things shall come
to you in a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They
shall come upon you in their fullness because of the multitude of your
sorceries, for the great abundance of your enchantments. For you have trusted
in your wickedness; you have said, ‘No one sees me’; your wisdom and your
knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is
no one else besides me.’ Therefore evil shall come upon you; you shall not
know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; you will not be
able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, which you
shall not know” (Isaiah
47:8-11).
Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury – who stand before the bar of divine justice – we have here before us a most guilty culprit who has connived and cheated and taught his children to imbibe in his/her cup of putridity; and to do so with unrestrained glee. Therefore, we rehearse his final diatribe upon that Great City and the King of Babylon, King of Tyre – Revived Rome and origin of all desolations, confusion, narcissism, idolatry and wonton materialism enhanced by devious acts of sorcery and mercantile wisdom over the world’s markets—NO ONE SHALL SAVE YOU!
“Stand now with your enchantments and the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth—perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you will prevail. You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from what shall come upon you. Behold, they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; it shall not be a coal to be warmed by, nor a fire to sit before! Thus shall they be to you with whom you have labored, your merchants from your youth; they shall wander each one to his own way. NO ONE SHALL SAVE YOU (Isaiah 47:12-15).
The bar of divine justice weighs Tyre’s judgment. We, His witnesses and, quite frankly, all those willing to speak out against his Great City – no matter, this woman made “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” who ever ceases to leave us flabbergasted by her appearance (Rev. 17:6) – who terrifies and depresses us by her apostasies; we, nevertheless, by His overcoming witness in us, testify against this King of Tyre, King of Babylon – his kingdom – his city – and the wretchedness of his iniquitous Daughter of Tarshish – resisting them all steadfast in the faith of Him Who overcame the accuser of our brethren. Whose word confirms on that day that He shall place within the hearts of those upon whom she rides . . .
“And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:16-18).
Finally
– we call upon the Almighty, this day, on behalf of the martyrs of Jesus, to
speedily sentence him – because he has “defiled (his) sanctuaries by the
multitude of (his) iniquities – BY THE INIQUITY OF (HIS) TRADING” (Ezekiel
28:18) – and that “fire from (his) midst” shall turn him “to ashes upon
the earth in the sight of all who see (him).” We prophecy against the King of
Tyre:
“All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever” (Ezekiel 28:19).
With this indefatigable assurance – and through the blood of the Lamb – we make our final summation before the divine bar of justice. We disclose the whereabouts of the King of Tyre in all his hideous trade machinations which, of old, have come full circle. We hereby charge the Daughter of Tarshish, whose “feet carried her far off to dwell” with capital crimes and misdemeanors fraught with malice, unmitigated gall and evil concupiscence in her terminal effort to seduce the nations. She who promised so much, but has in fact given so little, bears this final diatribe of disgust—for from her cup have all the end-time’s nations drunk—we rest our case:
“The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again” (Isaiah 24:19-20).
We have, Your Honor, reached a unanimous verdict upon the Accuser of the Brethren, the King of Tyre, and upon his frightful Daughter; to wit:
“It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously” (Isaiah 24:21-23).