Kingdom Come

Intermarriage between royal dynasties has been a political strategy as far back as the Late Bronze Age...

• avoided the inevitable border conflicts
• promoted peace and trade between nations
• secured a military alliance against a third dynasty,
• provided a legal claim of inheritance to expand into the allied territory whenever the allied monarch failed to leave an undisputed heir. (Emphasis added.) 

We see this strategy being accomplished under King David in his extension of the boundaries of Israel.

“Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur…(II Samuel 3:3)

Geshur was a powerful nation holding a military advantage with what is now called the Golan Heights. This is such strategic high ground that in our day the United Nations maintains a peacekeeping force there.

When Absalom fled to Geshur to escape the legal consequences of murdering his brother, King David did not extradite him. Undoubtedly partly because of his love for Absalom, partly because of his own blood guilt over Uriah the Hittite, but very likely because of the geographical ability of Geshur to harbor their son and the high number of deaths that would cost to storm their stronghold.

Absalom’s arrogance in attempting a coup against his powerful father was undoubtedly underwritten by his powerful maternal kingdom’s conviction that aged David had proven himself too weak to defend his claim, or the surrounding nations that depended on his leadership to keep the peace, and that Absalom could win their support as he had done in an election with the men / movers and shakers of Israel.

So nation A making an alliance with nation B runs the risk of

• being absorbed into nation B
• rather than absorbing nation B.

Solomon’s alliances through marriage absolutely proves this.

“And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his present [to forge a political alliance]…

king Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, besides the daughter of Pharaoh…Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods….and his wives turned away his heart….when Solomon was old…Solomon went after

• Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians,
• Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites,
• Chemosh, the abomination of Moab
• Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon
• And for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon…(But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.” (I Kings 11)

After David’s kingdom was split it naturally lost its power. The reunification of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel to reestablish the former power and glory of David’s empire became the primary game plan for both kingdoms.

[When] Isabella  / Jezebel was announced to all the courts of Europe as the successor to the thrones of Castile and Leon…Isabella…turned her eyes to her kinsman, Ferdinand of Aragon.

The union of these two contiguous realms would indeed constitute a magnificent kingdom, homogeneous in language, manners, and religion.

Ahab, like David, began his kingdom’s expansion by forging an alliance with the powerful port city of Sidon. In Ahab’s case, his covenant included marriage to Eth-baal’s daughter Jezebel and included exchanging names. Without question, just like the king of Babylon bestowed new divinity affinities on the royal seed of Israel, the higher ranking king of Zidon followed the standard practice of publicizing the new Israelite ally’s new identity with the Canaanite gods through his new name.

The Urdu meaning of Ahab, which was picked up in Arabic, is Strong. In terms of being made strong by the joining affinity with the Canaanite gods, this makes sense.

Ahab then turned his attention to expanding his reach into Judah. 

For Jehoshaphat, restoration of the entire nation of Israel would bring honor and glory. This had been attempted but failed in military skirmishes over the last 61 years since the beginning of the secession by his great-grandfather Rehoboam, grandfather Abijah, and father Asa. Think of it like the American southern Confederate States winning the Civil War under the superior General Robert E. Lee in 1885, and in 1946, facing the encroaching Nazi Empire, trying to woo the richer northern Leagues of States back under their way of doing things.

So Jehoshaphat also used the standard political alliance through marriage.

The following quoted passages are from II Kings 8-11 and II Chronicles 18-22.

• in the fifth year of J(eh)oram the son of Ahab king of Israel…
  • J(eh)oram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign… and slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel…And he walked in the way of…the house of Ahab: for [Athaliah] the daughter of Ahab was his wife: 
    • and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. His mother’s name…was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors

Recall that political and marriage alliances are made by a covenant accepting the oversight of each others’ gods. Regardless of Jehoshaphat’s good intentions to convert Israel back to YHVH, Judah is inexorably being pulled away from monotheism into the polytheism of Israel’s gods / baals.

One evidence of the absorption of Judah into Israel is that, since the marriage alliance with the introduction of the Canaanite bloodline into the seed of David, both Judah’s and Israel’s kings have the same names.

Ahaz-iah is definitely Hebrew, with iah = YHVH at the end, or at the beginning like Jeho-azah. This is more readily recognized as Ieho in the original 1611 KJV before the introduction of the letter J to the English alphabet.

Bear in mind that English spelling requires the addition of the letters for vowels, which are not present in Hebrew.

Vowels and consonants are sounds, not letters. Depending on your accent and how thinly you slice them, there are about 20 vowels and 24 consonants…A vowel is a speech sound made with your mouth fairly open, the nucleus of a spoken syllable.A consonant is a sound made with your mouth fairly closed.

There is no sound for V in ancient Hebrew with the lower lips vibrating against the upper teeth, only the w sound, only a sound made by the lips close but not fully closed while expelling air. YHVH is properly pronounced by opening the mouth to inhale a gasp of air, making a sound something like yah, then expelling the breath, making a sound something like wah. In other words, the first word spoken by ha Adam when God breathed into this new creation the breath of life.

So the difference between iah and ieho and YHVH when combined with other syllables at the same time is differentiated only by the shape of the mouth entering from a preceding syllable or exiting to a succeeding syllable.

Leaving Ahaz to define – Grasped. In other words – Strong.

The linguistic similarities between the Hebrew Ahaz and the Urdu/Arabic Ahab are unmistakeable, to the lips and tongue positions being barely open for z but closed for b.

The difference between the names

1. Jeho-azah
2. Ahaz-iah

is indicated by the position of Jeho / iah / YHVH. When in front he grasps / strengthens the person so named. When in back he is grasped / defeated by the person so named.

This interpretation is supported by the application of this attribute to a king of Israel who calls on YHVH.

^“And the anger of the LORD / YHVH was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And Jehoahaz besought the LORD / YHVH, and the LORD hearkened unto him…And the LORD /  gave Israel a saviour / strengthened this king so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians…Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?” (II Kings 13:3-8)

• When Israelite Ahab / Strong by the pagan Sidonian gods with whom he politically covenanted
  • named his son Ahaz-iah, he is unquestionably passing on his own name of Strong and at the same time specifically attributing to him the defeat of YHVH.
• So when Judean Jeho-ram, following through on the marriage covenant with Ahab,
  • also names his son Ahaziah, he is absolutely bringing Judah into the pagan covenant.

Conspiracy to absorb Judah into Israel? Absolutely!

1. Ahaziah Jehoram’s son was 22 years old when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. (II Kings 8:24-26)
2. Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah was 42 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. (II Chronicles 22:21-23)

Whoah! Mistake!!! This is easy to dismiss as a clerical error, therefore proving the Bible is not infallible and not the inerrant word of God

But only bias jumps to a desired conclusion.

At this point this is only an inconsistency. And inconsistencies are the best clues to uncovering secrets, like murderers, so this is where it’s important to dig in and do the detective work.

[When] Death in Paradise…one of TV’s biggest hits…debuted in 2011, it was annihilated by critics… “The TV equivalent of a boring holiday timeshare”…Virtually every episode goes like this…The team is called to the scene of the crime, which appears unsolvable….The show’s writers have been tasked with writing a locked-room mystery week after week, for a decade, without recycling a murder method…As the lead detective solves the crime, in theory the audience should be able to work it out as well. All the clues should be there.”

From the episodes I’ve seen so far, the key to solving the murder is invariably an inconsistency in the crime scene.

Using this template to guide our thinking, consider the inconsistencies in two witnesses versions of events.

1. 22 year old Ahaziah is Jehoram’s son.
2. 42 year old Ahaziah is the son of Jehoram.

If you’ve read the post Sons of God on the difference between biological versus accepted son, you have to acknowledge that there is significance not only in the age difference, but in the way the relationship between father and son is stated.

1. 22 year old Ahaziah is the biological son of Jehoram.
2. 42 year old Ahaziah is the acknowledged son, i.e. legal heir, of Jehoram.

We need numerical data to account for the 20 years’ discrepancy in reported ages of King Ahaziah of Judah. When does something that is really out of place first surface in a king of Judah?

Back up and begin collecting data from the time Jehoshaphat began the misbegotten alliance with Ahab of Israel. (Remember, this is BC so count backwards. Jehoshaphat became king 4 years after Ahab.)

Davidic Kings of Judah            Pagan Kings of Israel

Year 1: Jehoshaphat ascends the throne of Judah at age 35, his 7 year old son Jehoram is espoused to Ahab’s sister Athaliah. This is not unbelievable. The youngest British monarch to marry was 4 years old in 1328.

Year 3: Jehoram of Judah is legally married to Athaliah of House Ahab at age 10, consummates the marriage, producing a single heir with Athaliah. It is not unbelievable that Jehoram was sexually, although not emotionally, mature and that the object of the marriage – a joint heir – was obtained as quickly as possible. For the next 30 years Jehoram marries other women, no doubt like Solomon to cement political trade and military alliances, and produces backup heirs.

Year 21: Jehoram ibn Ahab ascends the throne of Israel, reigns 12 years. I cannot find out how old he was from any source but he’s certainly a grown man or he wouldn’t be listed as king / commander of the army.

Year 25: Jehoram ibn Jehoshaphat ascends the throne of Judah at the age of 32, reigns for 8 years and dies at the early age of 40, conveniently when his son son has reached the age of taking the reins of the government. Literally. Riding a horse to lead the army into battle.

Year 33: Ahaziah, certain only of being the biological son of Athaliah of House Ahab, ascends the throne of Judah, either age 22 or 42.

It is completely believable that a prince could be so unknown to the royal court conducting his coronation ceremony that they mistakenly crowned the wrong man.

There is historical and contextual evidence that Ahaziah age 22, heir to the kingdom of Judah, was fostered in Israel. While he would have been known to his servants and the Judean courtiers sent with him to Israel, and to his immediate family who would visit, he would be unknown to the majority of the court in Judah. The real Ahaziah age 22 could easily have been replaced by a pretender age 42 when recalled to Judah to take the throne of his deceased father King Jehoram with of the endorsement of a loyal Judean royal entourage now embedded in the Israelite government.

Fostering in the past was a form of child-rearing chosen and upheld for positive reasons…a lifelong contract. Intimate bonds created through fostering carried immediate and long term consequences. Fostering helped to mould the…child, and its enduring character…

the maternal and paternal kin had a say in where the child was placed, thus the kin group as a whole took an active interest in the future of the child…—as heir, succour in life, support in old age...

Seven years was traditionally regarded as the suitable age for the commencement of fostering.

In the context of Ahaziah’s purpose in life – to reunite the kingdoms of Judah and Israel – he was the point man in Jehosphephat’s political invasion of Israel. Ahaziah had to grow up as an accepted member of Israelite royal society with an equally accommodating Judean royal entourage.

Fostering is specifically stated as a practice in the House of Ahab.

“And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria…with the great men of the city, which brought them up.” (II Kings 10:1)

While Ahaziah would have been known to his servants and the Judean courtiers sent with him to Israel, and to his immediate family who would visit, he would be unknown to the majority of the court in Judah. The real Ahaziah age 22 could easily have been replaced by a pretender age 42 when recalled to Judah to take the throne of his deceased father King Jehoram with of the endorsement of a loyal Judean royal entourage now embedded in the Israelite government.

There are also clues that all royalty who would have known Ahaziah on sight were eliminated.

Again, think Game of Thrones when Queen Cersei consolidated her iron grip (get it? iron?) on the kingdom by hunting down and murdering Robert Baratheon’s biological heirs who could, through their bloodline, gather a following to retake the throne.

As did both of Robert’s brothers.

“And Jehu [who revolted against King Jehoram in Israel] wrote letters, and sent to…them that brought up Ahab’s children / line of descent, saying…fight for your master’s house. But they were exceedingly afraid…and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying…we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes. Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying…take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons…

So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel… until he left him none remaining…

Neeext!

when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah [unrelated by blood], and the sons of the brethren / blood relatives of [Judean] Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.

And..Judean Ahaziah…when they had slain him…the house of Israelite Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom [over which Jehu now ruled].

This report is openly stating that the Judean Ahaziah was the last of Israelite Ahaziah’s house / dynasty.

Which is to say, the Judean Ahaziah was a changeling prince. He was quite possibly born of incest between Athaliah and her brother Ahaziah. Again, think Cersei and her brother Jaime producing Prince Joffrey as heir while hoodwinking King Robert Baratheon. Israelite Ahaziah, with forethought and malice, could have bequeathed his name to 1) his incestuous lover’s intended switch and 2) her child born 20 years later to Jehoram of Israel.

None of the ages are given, just the length of the reigns, with a total cumulative dynastic era of 48 years. With this we can calculate that it is possible for Ahaziah to have fathered his namesake at the age of 26, 4 years into grandfather Omri’s reign. This is consistent with his death at age 58, and the stated age at death of 42 yrs old for Ahaziah.

Another example of the kind of long-term planning made by foward-thinking monarchs is found in the name Jehoram. This was given to the heirs of both Judean Jehoshaphat and Israelite Ahaziah under the terms of Jehoshaphat’s covenant with Ahab.

There is another possible explanation for the discrepancy in ages.

While Bible believers accept that the Spirit of God enters and controls his people, most aren’t as familiar with the parallel  occurrence of evil spirit controlling people.

In this case, Ahaziah was physically 22 years old, but II Chronicles documents the age of an individual 20 years older from whom a spirit transfer was made. This was commonly done in pagan cultures.

The use of magic and deceit by both the J(eh)orams of Judah and Israel under control of Queens Jezebel and Athaliah to transfer a spirit / god / Baal from the Canaanite dynasty to YHVH’s dynasty is not only possible, but more likely than not.

Anthropology researchers believe the West African religion of Voodoo (Vodun) is over 6,000 years old with 60 million people practicing this ancient form of spirituality…

the idea of possession in Voodoo isn’t so different from the ideology of the Holy Ghost or Spirit entering and taking possession of a Christian believer…

Each spirit has his or her own personality, just as a human with very specific likes and dislikes…

Most of the possessed experience glossolalia (speaking in tongues)….to communicate…

The spirit world in Voodoo is invited…to eat the foods prepared and to impart wisdom…

And the transfer of the kingdom from David’s righteous lineage to Omri’s evil lineage is exactly what happened, even after the death of the seed royal.

when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal [from other wives] of the house of Judah.

And Athaliah did reign over the land.

But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, [would have been half-] sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah…[whose mother…was Zibiah of Beersheba…and they hid him…from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years.

And the seventh year [her husband the High Priest] Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king’s son. And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.

And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD...and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.

But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.

And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD‘s people…And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet…

Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign…And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him..” (II Kings 11:1-12:1)

the sons of Athaliah [as indicated by their behaviors meaning her subordinate priests with her as High Priestess as indicated by their behaviors] that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim…And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD…to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness...to mend the house of the LORD…And when they had finished it…made vessels for the house of the LORD…And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.

But Jehoiada [earning the honorable title of Barachiah / Blessed of YHVH]…died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house. 

Recognize another Melchizedek?