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18.3 Million Unoccupied Houses in the U.S.

Long, long ago on a planet called Earth, Charlie went for a walk. He saw his neighbor and shouted, “Hey Joe, how are you doing this morning?” Joe just looked at Charlie like he was a nut case and walked back, shaking his head, and returned to his “bayith” or “banah” which is what they called houses or buildings. The title of this article has nothing to do with this story but it’s great for fishing for people: it’s called a hook and I hope you swallowed it. Back to the story, Charlie continued on his walk and saw a woman who baked bread for him. She always ran to get his order and he couldn’t dilly-dally either because the delicious hot bread contained stone crushed barley and wheat, flaxseed and dates. When Esther came to the counter, he said, “Five loaves of my regular please.” She looked at him like he had a few loose marbles and said something that sounded like, “Boomba Boggawagga.” Esther didn’t move or bat an eye. Charlie rushed home to tell his wife and children of his experiences. As they listened intently his wife said in response to his story, “Cooley mok drumski abalos.” Charlie was startled. Had he just entered the twilight zone? Hummm!

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I was thinking about Nimrod who built a ziggurat on the plains of Shinar. Some people referred to it as a city and a tower that would reach to heaven. (Genesis 11:4) Babel is not only a place for these structures which serve as homes or condominiums, but Nimrod probably hunted on this plain regularly. He was a tyrannical urban developer and hunter in a cruel and arbitrary way. This is according to the definition of tyrannical. This tells me that he ruled by force and not by authority. The arbitrariness indicates he did not recognize the voices that were on the side of God’s creation, but demanded “his desire” to kill animals. This was a bold change from the way Adam had originally been instructed. Nimrod employed many people from the city of Babel, later called Babylon. He also built houses to rent and sell to them so they could live in these homes from which they could go out onto the plains of Shinar to hunt. Revenues from these animals could enrich Nimrod or be exchanged for what was owed by them to the tyrant.
 
Babel was the first or one of the first cities in the world. It had great influence and impact on the earth. The British Hudson’s Bay Company and later The Pacific Fur Company invaded Native America to massacre the beaver for their pelts. This invasion led to great wealth for the companies, the near extinction of the bison and the killing of native men, women and children. What had just happened to Charlie our make believe character, was that God had visited Charlie’s city. (Genesis 11:9)  And when God visited Babel he said, “He confounded their language that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:7)  This is why I included our make-believe “Charlie, Joe and Esther” so you could get a feel of what this confusion was like. God confused them so that they could not accomplish their evil will.  Even the name Babel means confusion. God was not in the mindset to create cities. The only city besides Jerusalem God has been interested in creating is and was the New Jerusalem. “To whence we are come in the spirit.” (Hebrews 12:22) Other than those cities, “the cities of the nations fell.” (Revelation 16:19) The Greek word for cities is “polis” which means a “walled city.” Cities tended, especially in Old Testament times, to have fortification, walls and armaments. Perhaps some of the people in Babel did not want to live without this protection because they feared being caught on the plains and used as slaves and being forced to make bricks in place of stone. Not only animals but perhaps people were also hunted by Nimrod to be slaves who made bricks.
 
All of God’s creativity was removed from the bricks which were burned in a furnace. Being ignored foreshadows the fact that these people ignored the creativity that they had been given by God and relied on the baser sort of ability: killing. The Jews were commanded that if they built an altar to God, “You shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it.” (Exodus 21:25)  
 
Not only was Babel confusing to the people who lived there so that they probably all were dispersed because of their different languages to many of the island groups or continents according to their own languages and the location of the newly formed property. (See Peleg in Genesis 10:25) One of the first things God showed me when I became a new Christian was that originally the earth was one land mass extending in and out of the water. Today it is called Pangaea.
 
God also showed me in His word and by His Spirit that Pangaea was divided in the days of Peleg. (Genesis 10:25) The name Peleg means a “mighty earthquake.” Surely tectonic plates during his day were broken away from each other and moved apart to their present location from which some of them continue to move. It appears that the inhabitants of Babel which means confusion moved to their present places which according to their speech group were more satisfactory and this separation further incited them to war. They did not know one another after some time, and could not communicate very effectively because of the language barrier.
 
After I began to be a follower of Christ I got in a friendly argument with a beloved brother in the Lord and this continued all night until the next day. I said one thing and he did not understand and he said another, which I did not understand. Ultimately we hugged one another when he asked me, “Is this really what you believe?” I said, “Absolutely.” He laughed and said, “My brother this is exactly what I have been trying to tell you I believe.” As you can see from the illustration even when two people speak the same language miscommunication is easy. How much more difficult must it be when they do not speak the same language and have come to different conclusions. No doubt wars and rumors of wars have started because of a lack of communication.
 
Not only were the people of Babel confused, but no doubt so were the animals. We hear much about Adam bringing about the fall of humanity but Nimrod also had much to bring this to pass. Today even the animals are confused. Part of humanity loves the animals and wants to protect them while part of humanity follows the Nimrod road and kills animals either for target practice or for food. Thus the animals suffer in unbelievable numbers and only some people care. These people who under Nimrod’s guidance became debtors to hunt and kill for him in order to support the city and its increase fit into the category of those, “Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Ephesians 4:19) The dictionary describes “lasciviousness” as improper sexual desires and lusts. Strong’s adds that this word sometimes means “other vices” besides sexual ones. The dictionary says vices means wickedness. I would inject “addictive wickedness.” Some people are so addicted to hunting that they would rather lose their wife than lose their buck. My experience as an ex-hunter is that hunting can be a vice. It is definitely wickedness because it is inconsiderate, unloving, unkind, damaging or murderous to the animals. No sane person would ever kill and eat another person and justify it by saying they were hungry.
 
My dogs eat a vegetable based diet and they do incredibly well on it, much better than when they were carnivores. They are both happier and healthier.
 
Some people love to hunt even though they don’t eat anything they kill. It is like some men I have met that go to prostitutes even though they are married. Once they start the behavior it is hard for them to give it up. Thank God, He can give a reason and response to help you get away from addictive vices. The next time somebody writes a cheerful story addressing Nimrod as the ever courageous hunter, you might take note that they are lascivious and unfeeling concerning the situation of hunting and that God demands we be both feeling and compassionate.
 
How many times have I heard somebody say they hunt because they love nature and being out in the creation as one televangelist might say, “That was the dumbest thing I ever heard.” Some people say they hunt because they need the meat. Most of these people have a job and could buy all the nutritious food their body needs. This is a very poor excuse. You know people and you are a Christian. You know the world that God reigns over will soon be all vegetarian. Christians believe that the lion will lie down with the lamb. How many people do you know who are successful and happy in becoming vegetarians overnight? Of course we all know people who are delighted to become vegetarians and have found some wonderful ways of preparing fruits, nuts and vegetables in a much more than sustainable delicious and nutritional way. Often they are much more satisfied with this new way of life and thank God they discovered it but it took them some time to get over their meat addiction and their craving for fats and unnecessary amounts of sugars. Usually we grow into becoming a vegetarian. It is a process and generally we need some biblical insight to become a dedicated one, however, seeing how the animals are actually treated is usually more persuasion than you want. 
 
So, what is the point of this article? Many people are affectionately call Nimrod’s by sportscasters who wish them a happy first day and some organizations even celebrate Nimrod as part of their royalty. We must place Nimrod where he belongs. God placed him and looked upon their man-made city with disgust. God was insulted that His intention was not honored. Nimrod had no concern for the things of the God who made heaven and earth. God saw their city as something representing confusion and error. We, the body of Christ, need to do the same thing as you heaven and you holy apostles and prophets did when Babylon fell. Let your voices be heard! Educate the ignorant. Revelation 18:20 says about the fall of Babylon, “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”
 
Right before I was saved I was given a vision. In it the entire sky was dark and stormy and the atmosphere closer to the earth was filled with wispy black clouds swirling through the lower atmosphere. As I observed they turned into witchy looking horses and black robed riders but remaining clouds simultaneously.  Suddenly the sky opened up like a zipper had held it together and the brightest light shone from one horizon to the other. Immediately the “ghost riders” attacked the ribbon of golden light like cannonballs. Each time they hid it, they were cast to the earth as small blazing fires shaped like ping-pong balls. I asked the Lord after I was saved the next day what this vision meant and He said, “Before the consummation of this age, everything will be polarized. Either you will be on the side of the darkness or on the side of the light.” (Matthew 12:30) Since the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters fill the sea, some will choose to turn away from the light because their deeds are evil. (John 3:19)
 
Since that vision I have reflected upon its meaning several times and I have concluded as the bible teaches that everything, good or evil, begins as a seed. Sometimes this seed is like the mustard tree seed: it is so tiny yet it grows up into something incredibly large. The tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was like that. It had a lot of good things it could produce, but mixed in with that good stuff was the equivalent of a deadly poison. Let me give you an example. Someone might start out their employment by calling their boss and saying they were sick when they were not and actually were intending to go to the beach. This may seem harmless enough to some of us. After the passing of time it was easy for them to lie about their name and activities and become an identity thief who robbed people. Just that tiny seed of lying to their boss grew until it was absolute criminal behavior. Tossing Nimrod’s name around like a champion or a girl’s goose hunting club may seem cute but in reality it “immortalizes” someone who is an offensive villain who started things God was against.
 
We must begin to point out the evil doers and make them infamous to our listeners, our children and society in general. The bible says, “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) People who shoot animals, or trap for a living as some do in our fair state, must be made aware that names like Nimrod must be obliterated from our remembrance as a well doer or our vocabulary.  Nimrod was a servant of darkness and so are all those who elevate him. The days of Nimrod are over. Tell them clearly we no longer admire the infamous Nimrod and then let them fall into their own devices or stand with Jesus who has subjected all of nature to hope. “The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree puts forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one and come away.” (Song of Solomon 2:12-13) This is confirmed by 2 Corinthians 6:17.

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Photo courtesy of JD Photography

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