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THE MATTER OF THE MINGLING

Part V

The word mingle has a peculiar history relative to the ancient people known as Israel, and a probe into the context where the word is used is useful in understanding what is actually being communicated in the writings of the prophet Daniel. The reader will recall the application of the term is utilized in the passage where the sons of God – who the New Testament establishes are the Christians – are said to seek to attempt to mingle their Spiritual seed with unregenerate mankind, referred to in the book of Daniel as the seed of men.

To recap, utilizing the vehicle of prophetic metaphor, Daniel interpreted a dream of a great statue, which detailed four successive Gentile kingdoms (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome) in the form of gold, silver, brass, and iron components of the image. The telescoping view eventually tells us the iron feet and toes were mingled with potter's clay – but the iron and clay would not adhere to each other. Then a great stone cut out of a mountain grows until it destroys the entire statue, and that "stone" is identified as the Kingdom of God.

The key passage is found in Daniel 2:43, where after the verse mentions the iron which is mixed with the clay, the text tells us an unspecified party seeks to "mingle themselves" with the seed of men. Although the enigmatic prophecy does not identify whether this "seed of men" is identified with the iron or the clay, we know it points to the "seed of men" as the iron, because the gold component is flatly said to represent the Gentile kingdom of Babylon, which is followed by the silver of Persia, and the brass of Greece, making the iron the Roman Empire – and all of these kingdoms were run by "the seed of men." Thus, the mysterious "they" which unsuccessfully seeks to mingle with the seed of men must be related to the clay in the similitude.

As we showed in earlier installments of the present work, the identity of Israel is specifically established in the prophets as symbolized by clay – and even more peculiarly, potter's clay.

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand" (Isaiah 64:8).

This verse (and others with the same theme), conclusively establish the potter's clay as representative of Israel. However, whenever a prophetic Scripture includes a sequence which crosses covenants, deciphering the truth becomes decidedly more complex. For example, the present crop of false prophets who tell us the arrival of the Kingdom of God occurs in the end times (when Christ returns riding on a White Horse as seen in Revelation 19), coincides the event called the mingling with the rise of the ten horns which are associated with a last day's Antichrist.

This teaching claims the ten toes of iron and clay which are mingled, represents the ten kings who arrive in conjunction with the beast empire – near the end of the age. This strengthens the idea the "they" who seek to mingle themselves with the seed of men must be the Nephilim, as the return of the Fallen Ones amidst the chaos of the last generation, is far more plausible.

Conversely, a straightforward read of the setting of this effort at "mingling" tells us it occurs at or near the same time the Kingdom of God arrives; and since the text clearly states the Kingdom of God arrives "in the days of these kings" (referencing the four kings just mentioned – i.e. Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome), there is zero historical evidence of another appearance of the Nephilim during the generation of JESUS CHRIST – a powerful indicator the "they" who seek to mingle their essence with the seed of men cannot be the Fallen sons of God.

This concept also shows us that error begets further error, so it is crucial that we desperately cling to the truth each step of the way – regardless of how unpalatable it may seem.

An interesting example of a Scriptural episode which tends to make us uncomfortable (or seems to be unreasonable) also happens to use the word mingle – and it is a pivotal factor in the outcome of the story. In that account, the Jewish people were seeking to resettle in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, and the political climate under the Persian Union had become friendly to the idea of the Jews being repatriated to Jerusalem.

In the time of Nehemiah and Ezra the priest, the king of Persia ruled the nations from his palace in Shushan. The ancient city of Jerusalem was in great disrepair after having been sacked by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; but Nehemiah, who was in favor with the royal house of the Persian Union (which succeeded the Babylonian Empire), was part of a series of directives in which many of the captive Jews were dispatched to restore Jerusalem. The inhabitants who were still living in the city comprised many different people groups from adjacent lands.

After much turmoil and local opposition, a wall around the city was restored, and a modest version of the once glorious temple was painstakingly rebuilt. As what was left of Israel struggled to renew the faith of their fathers, a priest named Ezra was sent to consecrate the temple. Just as years of effort were about to come to fruition, and a ceremonial ritual was about to commence with a rededication of the temple, Ezra received some very disturbing news.

Contrary to the laws of Moses which forbade the Israelites to intermarry with the Gentile populations which surrounded them, Ezra learned the remnant of Israel had allowed their sons to marry the daughters of the non Israelite inhabitants in the region – and the daughters of the Jews had done likewise, by mingling their family heritage with the Gentile men of the region. The LORD had sternly warned Israel many generations before that they were a special people unto Him – read His chosen people – and to mix their bloodlines with the Gentiles was considered a major abomination.

In this regard, to the Israelites, Moses said the following:

"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6).  

As Moses revealed intricate further details of the covenant between God and Israel, we learned the LORD considers Israel to be His children – read the actual seed of God – and this is why they were forbidden to mingle their seed with the seed of the heathen nations.

"Ye are the children of the Lord your God…For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself" (Deuteronomy 14:1,2).

The laws which were handed down by Moses, which were to rule the Israelites carried the principle of separation well beyond the prohibition of Israelite daughters marrying Gentile young men. God forbade a non-Israelite to enter the tabernacle, as it was the tent where He met with His people – the children of Israel. The Israelites were even forbidden to mingle the seed which they planted in their vineyard, with diverse or other seeds.

"Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou has sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled" (Deuteronomy 22:9).  

The Old Testament plainly shows this principle of separation in so much such varied detail, that many do not appreciate the fact that through these statutes, God is emphasizing the holy honour which He bestowed on Israel, in choosing them to be the sons of God. In other words, this prohibition against mingling the seed of God with the seed of men is as serious as it gets.

Centuries after revealing His law to the children of Israel through Moses, the LORD severely judged Israel for turning away from Him, and worshiping the Fallen Angels who presented themselves as the gods of the Gentile nations. However, after the LORD sent the Assyrians to punish the Israelites, and then the Babylonians to scatter the Jews, He moved to bring the Jews back to Jerusalem, and rebuild their temple – which brings us back to Ezra the priest.

Ezra was about to rededicate the temple which had been rebuilt, when he learned that many families of the Jews in Jerusalem had again intermarried with the heathen, non-Israelite families in the land. This was one of the very sins that had originally triggered the wrath of God, and caused Him to judge the nation so harshly, and Ezra was appalled.

"Now when these things were done, the princes came to me saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites."

"For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass" (Ezra 9:1, 2).

Ezra was profoundly shocked and dismayed and, sinking to the floor of the temple, he prayed to God for the incredible sins which the people had again committed. However, the intensity of the priest's repentance touched the people, and they slowly assembled in the temple – even as they vowed to separate themselves from the illicit relationships which they had formed. This incredible repentance on the part of the Jews tore many families apart – as the Jews who had done this dreadful thing even separated themselves from the children of those ungodly marriages.

This was a very difficult thing to do, and the compassion which believers possess makes this what the Jews called a "hard saying," when Jesus told the people they needed to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. Many of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" (John 6:56, 60).

Earlier, I noted the uncomfortable truth of how the Jews are no longer the chosen people, and the false prophets who tell us they will all be saved after the calling of the Gentiles are actually teaching another gospel. It is even more difficult for us to receive the truth that the Old Testament prophets told us the cross of JESUS CHRIST was to be the last chance for the Jewish people, as God has repeatedly stated. In the same way the LORD told Jeremiah to observe the potter refashioning the clay (representing Israel) so He could show the young prophet a deep truth, The LORD detailed this difficult to hear truth, to the prophet Amos, through the metaphor of a basket of summer fruit:

"Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. And he said, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel: I will not again pass by them any more….And I will destroy the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth" (Amos 8:1,2; 9:8).

The allusion to "summer fruit" is indicative of a shelf life – and God is telling the prophet the time for Israel to come back to Him is about to come to an end. Further, His statement that He will not pass by them anymore clearly contradicts the false prophets who assert the Jews in the modern state of Israel will yet turn to Christ. That doctrine, of yet one more chance for Israel at the end of the tribulation, is fatally flawed.

An interesting connection exists between the above verses and the mingling passage in Daniel. As we have already shown, the text in Daniel tells us the Kingdom of God, which is delivered through the amazing ministry of Jesus Christ, is imaged in Daniel as the stone which the builders rejected, which grows until it destroys the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold kingdoms – plainly indicating that Jerusalem, as the clay, will be destroyed with the other kingdoms which are run by "the seed of men."

Amos says the same thing, a truth which is revealed in the fact the LORD says He will "destroy the sinful kingdom" – but Daniel's prophecy also tells us these kingdoms will be crushed to pieces – reduced to dust – but just like the so called "Revived Roman Empire," the Israel which is addressed in the prophecy is never to return.

But Daniel adds another element to this prophetic cycle, when he says all these kingdoms will become like the chaff – which is the waste product of the crop – when the harvest occurs in the place called the threshing floor. However, he adds a veiled aspect to the prophecy when he says this waste will be like the chaff of the "summer threshingfloors."

"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them" (Daniel 2:35).

The summer threshingfloor, which is the place of the harvest, resonates with what Amos saw as a basket of summer fruit, another reference to the concept of the harvest – and both accounts point to Israel. Further, readers who are conversant in prophecy may recall the mysterious parable Jesus told about the fig tree – a cryptic allusion which many believe anticipates the return of Israel in the modern  era.

"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is [near]. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" (Matthew 24:31, 32).

In short, the end result of the kingdoms is compared to the summer threshingfloors, whereas the similitude in Amos pointing to the end of Israel, was the shelf life of the summer fruit. Jesus is also referring to Israel, when summer is near, and there is much more -- but further commentary will have to wait for our next installment.

-- James Lloyd

To Be Continued

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