The Minor Profits

[0:00] Okay, well, I was just beginning to get used to September, and October is already a third gone, if you can imagine that. I'll tell you what.

[0:12] So, welcome to our October 10 class, and we are continuing with our examination of the Minor Prophets. We have arrived at the prophet of Nahum, probably Anglicized, we call it Nahum, but the Hebrews probably called it Nahum, and we intend to, depending on the kind of subjects we get into, we intend to finish Nahum this morning, but we will reserve judgment on that until we see how it actually comes out.

[0:48] The entire prophecy of Nahum is devoted to the destruction of the city of Nineveh. And the reason that is coming about is because of their great wickedness, and we saw earlier in the prophecy of Jonah, who was one of the earlier of the Minor Prophets, that Jonah preached his message of doom and gloom for Nineveh, and they repented.

[1:14] So, the city was spared, but a number of years later, it will obviously have risen to the same degree of decadence and evil, and this time it is not going to be spared.

[1:28] Of course, it will be a different generation of people, but nonetheless, the city is under judgment, and this time it will be, for more than any other reason, in addition to their own wickedness, it will be in connection with their brutality and their opposition to the nation of Israel.

[1:49] And it is interesting to note, as you look all through history, that those nations, however great they were, or however powerful they may have been at one time, those nations that were in opposition and took advantage of Israel, Israel paid a price, beginning with Egypt, and extended later to the Amorites that were dwelling in the land, when the children of Israel came back into the land under Moses and Joshua.

[2:24] So, it has always been involved in the geographical strategy of God to fulfill the promise that He made to Abraham.

[2:35] I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse those that curse you. And in you, all nations of the earth will be blessed. And all you have to do is examine history, and it doesn't even have to be biblical history, it can be secular history, and look at those nations, what became of them when they were cruel and brutal to Israel.

[2:58] And I guess the latest one that we could add to that would be Germany. And the attitude that the Third Reich took toward the Jewish people, the city was just, well, Germany was reduced to rebel.

[3:16] And I remember reading, and I saw a special, saw a special about this on TV, it was an actual footage thing, of what was going on in Germany shortly after the surrender, and during the occupation, and it showed German people, men and women, out with buckets, picking up rubble, concrete rubble, and passing it along like in a bucket line, just trying to get rid.

[3:47] And cities were just reduced to nothing, as a result of Allied bombing, and British bombing, night and day. And then with the suicide of Hitler, and the demise of the Third Reich, that was supposed to last a thousand years, that lasted what, eight or nine, something like that.

[4:08] And the dejection, and the depression, that the German population sunk to, and the thing that was most stunning to me, was, you know, when, granted the city was divided from the beginning, Russia carved out East Berlin for themselves, you know, and we had West Berlin, and there was the Berlin Airlift, and the Marshall Plan, and all of that.

[4:35] But, but, in the midst of all of that, there was really a lot of benevolence, maybe not from Russia.

[4:47] The Russians treated the Germans pretty cruelly, and really it was payback for Stalingrad, and what the Germans did to the Russians when they invaded.

[4:59] But, in West Germany, there was a lot of benevolence, and Eisenhower, as our supreme commander, was pretty much in charge of what was taking place there.

[5:11] And, there was not brutality at all from the Americans, but, neither was there a great deal of sympathy. And, the thing that stunned me the most, about post-war Germany, was how many Germans, men and women, committed suicide.

[5:35] During that time of occupation, within the first couple of years, they just, would not, or could not, handle, what Germany had been reduced to, as a result of the war.

[5:48] And, it was Hitler that led them into that, and I am satisfied that, at least in large part, Hitler, a lot of the price they paid, was because of the treatment, that, Hitler was allowed to, inflict, upon the Jewish people, with, the slave labor camps, the gas ovens, the Holocaust, and all of that.

[6:14] So, you can look down through history, and every nation, every nation, that has, cursed Israel, has been cursed. And, one can only wonder, to what extent, to what degree, the United States of America, has enjoyed the blessings it has, because we probably, more than any nation in the world, have had sympathy, and an outstretched hand, to the Jewish people.

[6:44] And, they have prospered here, in our country, probably more than they have, in any country in the world. And, from the time in, 1948, when Harry Truman, recognized Israel, as, a legitimate state, it has been, well, it has just been remarkable.

[7:09] And, I am confident, it goes all the way back, to the promises, that the God made, who cannot lie, that I will bless, those who bless you, and I will curse, those who curse you. And, there is a price to pay, for turning your back, on Israel.

[7:23] So, this city, of Nineveh, is going to pay that price, and the description of it, is given, the overthrow of Nineveh, beginning in chapter 2.

[7:36] And, it says, the one who scatters, has come up against you. This is the overthrow, picture, of the overthrow of Nineveh. Man the fortress, watch the road, strengthen your back, summon all your strength, for the Lord, will restore, the splendor of Jacob, like the splendor of Israel, even though, the devastators, have devastated them, and destroyed, their vine branches.

[8:04] The shields, of his mighty men, are colored red. And, guess what's causing the color? Of course, it's blood. the warriors, the warriors, are dressed in scarlet, the chariots, are enveloped, in flashing steel, when he is prepared, to march, and the cypress spears, are brandished, the chariots, race badly, in the streets, they rush wildly, in the squares, their appearances, like torches, that is, moving really fast, they dash to and fro, like lightning flashes, he remembers his nobles, they stumble, in their march, they hurry to, this is all a description, of the chaos, and the confusion, that is taking place, in connection with this.

[8:46] They hurry to her wall, and the mantelet, is set up. This mantelet, is a huge, siege engine, on wheels, and this thing, is constructed, out of massive timbers, and it is pulled, by oxen, or horses, and pushed by men, and it is designed, to get up close, to the wall, so that they can, use the trebuchet, to hurl objects, of stones, of fireballs, of everything they can, into the city, and that is what, this is speaking of here, the mantelet is set up, the gates of the rivers, are open, the palace is dissolved, and it is fixed, she's stripped, she's carried away, this is all, picture of Nineveh, and what's happening, and her handmaids, are moaning, like the sound of doves, beating on their breasts, though Nineveh, was like a pool, of water, throughout her days, now they are fleeing, stop, stop, but no one turns back, plunder the silver, plunder the gold, this city, was incredibly, wealthy,

[9:51] I mean, the looting, that is going, to take place here, by the invading, Babylonians, and the Scythians, is just going, to reduce it, to rubble, and they're going, to carry away, everything, that has any value, at all, and keep in mind, fellas, none of us here, can begin, to imagine, the scoop, and the size, and the opulence, of this city, Nineveh, was the New York, city, of its day, of course, it wasn't, as large, as New York, but comparably speaking, it was, the city, of the world, and there was, no other city, that could even, begin to compare, with it, the size of it, was just, unimaginable, and the population, the population, probably numbered, a million or more, which back then, was a whole lot, of people, not today, depending on, where you go, I had friends tell me, who've made several trips, to China, that if you visit, a city in China, and it has, a million people, it's considered, one of the smaller cities, imagine that, so it's all relative, but Nineveh, was just, a burgeoning, population, of hundreds, of thousands, well let me put it, this way,

[11:07] I think it's in, second, second Kings, 19, I believe, where, the, where the Assyrians, were, besieging, Judah, not the northern, ten tribes, but the southern too, the northern, was already gone, and, this was in, seven, seven, oh one, excuse me, seven, oh one, B.C., and, the, the onslaught, of these people, was, just, unimaginable, and their brutality, was known, all throughout the world, and, he sent a letter, Sennacherib, I believe it was, sent a letter, to Hezekiah, the king of Judah, demanding, his surrender, and, he took the letter, he took the letter, from the king, and laid it out, before the Lord, and prayed over it, and,

[12:15] God's, not only spared, the city, of, Jerusalem, but, there's an interesting expression, used in the text, that says, and the, the, Syrians, when they woke up, the next morning, behold, they were all dead corpses, 185,000, now, there is a tendency, to want to reduce that number, and think that, that was an exaggeration, but, it's not that big a deal, for, 185,000 man army, to be, mustered, out, of a city, of a population, in excess of a million, that's not that many, especially, when you consider, that virtually every, able-bodied man, was called to arms, and was obligated, to serve in the army, that's entirely doable, and, that's exactly, the kind of numbers, that we are talking about, in the size of this city, so, when he is talking about here, in verse 8, the plunder, plunder the gold, there's no limit, to the treasure, wealth from every kind, of desirable object, she is emptied,

[13:27] Nineveh is emptied, yes, she is desolate, and waste, hearts are melting, and knees knocking, this is the population, scared witless, because they know, this avenging enemy, is coming against him, and all their faces, are grown pale, where is the den of lions, and the feeding place, of the young lions, and these aren't talking, about four-legged animals, these are talking, about the men, who are the most capable, competent warriors, where are they, they're out of action, and the lions, that is used here, is a term, that is often used, of a viral, energetic, powerful man, such as, our Lord Jesus Christ, being described as, the Lion of Judah, interesting, first time he came, meek, gentle, lowly, depicted, as a lamb, lamb of God, second time he comes, none of this business, with the lamb, he will be the lion, of the tribe of Judah, and he is coming, not, to be, a sacrifice, he is coming, to be, a conquering king, and that's exactly, what he will be, so he's talking, about the young, and the viral men, the lion, the lioness, the lion's cub, proud, with nothing to disturb them, the lion, enough from his cubs, killed enough, for his lionesses, and filled his lairs, with prey, and the dens, with torn flesh, this is, giving, human characteristics, from animals, that they were familiar with, and then verse 13, the four, most, compelling, fearful, words, that could ever, be uttered, upon a person, or a population, and that is, for the creator,

[15:17] God himself, to say, I, am, against you, if God, is against you, it doesn't make, any difference, what is for you, or who is for you, or how many, are for you, this is the, writing on the wall, in a way, that is, unparalleled, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, I will burn up, her chariots, and smoke, a sword, will devour, your young lions, and again, these are men, not talking about, four legged bees, I will cut off, your prey, from the land, no longer, will the voice, of your messengers, be heard, woe, to the bloody city, forget the chapter, division here, Nahum, didn't write it, in divisions, he just wrote it, in one continuous, one continuous expression, woe, to the bloody city, completely full, of lies, and pillage, her prey, never departs, the noise, of the whip, the noise, of the rattling, of the wheel, galloping horses, bounding chariots, horsemen charging, swords flashing, spears gleaming, many slain, a mass of corpses, countless dead bodies, they stumble, over the dead bodies, all because, of the many, harlotries, of the harlot, and here, he's not talking, about physical sex, he's talking, about idolatry, spiritual idolatry, of people, worshiping idols, and false gods, charming one, the mistress of sorcerers, who sells nations, by her harlotries, and families, by her sorceries, behold,

[16:52] I am against you, there it is again, declares the Lord of hosts, I will lift up your skirts, over your face, and show your nations, show to the nations, your nakedness, this is an expression, that would be, the absolute horror, of any woman, to be exposed like this, to have her skirt, lifted up, he's not talking, about a physical woman, an individual woman, he's talking about, the comparison, of that, to what is going, to happen, to this nation, of Nineveh, to the city of Nineveh, it is going to be, shameful like that, embarrassing like that, distressing like that, as it would be, to a woman, who has her skirt, lifted up over her face, only it is applied, to a city here, and everyone, in that culture, of course, could really grasp that, I will throw filth on you, and make you vile, this is, this is bad as it gets, and set you up, as a spectacle, and it will come about, that all who see you, will shrink from you, and say,

[17:58] Nineveh is devastated, who will grieve for her, rhetorical question, demanding a negative answer, no one, no one's going to grieve for Nineveh, where will I seek comforters for you, they won't be found, are you better than Naaman, which was situated, by the waters of the Nile, with water surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall consisted of the sea, Ethiopia was her might, and Egypt too, without limits, put, and loben, were among the helpers, these are nations in North Africa, and as she goes on, it is more, a description of, more of the same, and the futility, of this city, trying to defend itself, as massive as it is, as powerful as it is, as wealthy as it is, it is going to be, reduced to rubble, and I'd like to close this, with the comments, from the pen, of Dr. James Montgomery Boyce, and it is interesting, what archaeologists, have revealed, and so on, so let me share this with you, that Dr. Boyce says, and this is in his commentary, on the minor prophets, ancient sources, give a remarkably, consistent picture, of the destruction, of Nineveh, there had been, rebellions, in the Assyrian Empire, for some time, many of them, were repulsed, by the armies of Nineveh, supported by her allies, but in the year, 612 BC, the doom of the city, arrived, combined armies, of Babylonians, and Scythians, marched up, the left bank, of the Tigris River, and surrounded the city, it happened in early spring, at the time, of the annual rainfalls, since the rains, were especially hard, that year, the Tigris, and other rivers, flooded, and apparently, washed away, a portion of the walls, leaving a breach, for the armies, to enter the city, the Greek historian,

[20:02] Deodorus Siculus, says that the river, not only broke down, the walls of the city, it also, inundated part of it, at this point, the king, Sardanapalus, remembering an oracle, that is a prophecy, to the effect, that Nineveh, would only fall, when the river itself, declared war, against it, believed that, the oracle, was fulfilled, and abandoned, any hope, of saving himself, the king, built a gigantic, funeral pyre, in the royal precincts, heaped up, large quantities, of gold, and costly clothes, shut his concubines, and eunuchs, in a chamber, he had made, in the midst, of the funeral pyre, and then, burned himself, his family, his concubines, and eunuchs, and the palace, whatever, had not been, burned in the conflagration, was destroyed, by the entering armies, there was a, terrible slaughter,

[21:05] Diodorus the historian, said, so great, was the multitude, of the slain, that the flowing stream, mingled with their blood, changed its color, for a considerable distance, that is not at all, hard to understand, or to believe, when we have records, of how, streams, and rivers, were running red, with confederate, and yankee blood, at some of the horrendous, battles, that took place, in the civil war, we just cannot imagine, the depth, and the scope, of that, and it reminds us also, of what is prophesied, when Jesus Christ returns, and confronts, the armies, of the antichrist, that have amassed, in the plains of Megiddo, and are marching south, while he comes, from Petra, and is marching north, to meet them, and they converge, in the valley, of Jehoshaphat, which is also, the Kidron Valley, and there, it will be, the sharp sword, that will proceed, from his mouth, which is nothing more, than the spoken word, of God, that will decimate, the army, of the antichrist, and we are told, that the blood, will flow, to the horses, bridles, we don't know, if that's intended, hyperbole, and exaggeration, or to what extent, it's really going, to be true, but it is going, to be an onslaught, the likes of which, you cannot imagine, these are going, to be representing, armies, from all over the world, that will gather, in mass, in the plains of Megiddo, and then come south,

[22:39] Dr. Boyce goes on, there was unparalleled, looting, for centuries, the wealth, of the ancient world, had been pouring, into Nineveh, as a result, of the Assyrian conquests, now, it poured out, this was characteristic, of every nation, that successfully, invaded another nation, and defeated it, and they would always, carry off, the treasures, of that nation, back to their own nation, and they would serve, as trophies, reminding the population, of the glorious victory, that their army, had accomplished, and that was typical, all over the world, and in fact, in Rome, in Rome today, you can see, it is still there, it is one of the main, tourist attractions, in the city of Rome, it is a picture, a bas-relief, massive, a picture, that depicts, the Romans, carrying, articles, from the temple, in Jerusalem, where they carried them, back to Rome, and they put that up there, and in a huge, carving, relief, that can still be seen today, and you can make out, everything, and it shows, these Roman soldiers, carrying these things, and they would also bring, prisoners, captives, of those, that they had defeated, with manacles, on their wrists, and a chain, around their neck, and parade them, through the city, as well, and all of the people, of course, would praise, the conquering army, and they would show, these prisoners, as their booty, and all of the valuables, that they had taken, from them, as their trophies, and then of course, they would put them, on display, and they would be, bragging points, for the people, and for the army, incredible kind, of situation, he says, now, excuse me, they plundered, the spoil of the city, a quantity, beyond counting, this seems, literally, to have been the case, the royal reports, of Nineveh, speak again, and again, of its, unmeasurable wealth, on the black, obelisk, of Shalmaneser, the third, are listed, tribute, of Suah, the Gilzonite, silver, gold, lead, copper vessels, staves, for the hand, of the king, horses, camels, tribute, of Jehus, which is Jehu, the son of Omri, who is the northern, northern king, of the ten tribes, silver, gold, golden bowls, golden beaker, golden goblets, pitchers of gold, lead, tribute, of Carapunda,

[25:27] Atina, silver, gold, lead, copper, copper vessels, ivory, cypress, and on and on, the Nimrod slab, of Adan, and the Iri, lists 2,000 talents, of silver, 20 talents, of gold, 3,000 talents, of copper, 5,000 talents, of iron, colored woolen, and linen garments, and ivory bed, and ivory couch, and on, and on, and on it goes, what would the plunder, of a city like this, be like, Nahum tells us, Nineveh, is like a pool, and its water, is draining away, Stop, stop, they cry, but no one turns back, plunder the silver, plunder the gold, the supply is endless, the wealth, from all its treasures, she is pillaged, plundered, stripped, hearts melt, needs give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale, it is an impressive confirmation, of this prophecy, that nothing, of all this gold, and silver, has been discovered, in the ruins of Nineveh, by archaeologists,

[26:33] Nineveh, was indeed, stripped bare, and one of the things, that was absolutely fascinating, that the archaeologists, reported discovering, and this was, in the 20th century, in unearthing, some of the area, of Nineveh, they found, huge, huge, piles, of ash, indicating, of course, that so much, had been burned, and so much, of course, was made out, of limestone, and we don't ordinarily, think of stone, as being flammable, stone burning, but, limestone, burns, it can be consumed, in fact, we are told, that, one of the dastardly, deeds, that the Romans, accomplished, when they, moved in, and occupied, Israel, was that, they, literally, deforested, the land, they just, virtually, cut down, all the trees, in Israel, and used, the wood, for firewood, to burn, the limestone, and, in burning, the limestone, you turned it, into an almost, like, cement product, that they could use, to form, and fashion, in a way, just like you pour concrete, you know, you can, you can make forms for it, and make fashion, and do whatever you want with it, and that has a lot more flexibility, and that's, one of the things, that the Romans did, with that, and you know, it's interesting, that,

[28:10] Israel, for the most part, remained, largely, deforested, for, for a couple, of thousand years, and when you go, all the way back, to the temple, they were, they were kind of short, on the kind of, trees that were needed, anyway, and the Bible, talks about, the cedars of Lebanon, and Lebanon, of course, is on the Mediterranean, coast, and it is north, of Israel, and Hiram, Hiram, was the king, of Lebanon, and he, and Solomon, were personal friends, they were neighbors, and they had, great rapport, and they engaged, in trading, back and forth, and it was, a deal, that Solomon, negotiated, with Hiram, the king, of Lebanon, for the cedars, of Lebanon, and they would, cut down, these massive, cedar trees, in Lebanon, take them, to the coast, and float them, down the coast, to Israel, then they would, bring them inland, and use them, in the construction, of the temple, enormous undertaking, but they had, an abundance, of cedars, beautiful cedars, very mature, there in Lebanon, that Israel, did not have, and I remember, reading an article, about, when Israel, became a state, again, in 1948, and they, succeeded, in recapturing, much of the land, from the, from the war, for independence, up from then, up till this present time, guess, how many, trees, of all, varieties, you can imagine, have been planted, in Israel, since 1948, 50, million, are you kidding me,

[30:06] I mean, a million, is a lot, but, 50 million, and when I first, heard that, I thought, well it's not, supposed to be 50 million, it's supposed to be, 5 million, and that was a whole lot, and I researched it further, and guess what, that's accurate, 50 million, trees, since 1948, and part of the reason is, in Israel, they plant a tree, in memory of everything, and anything, any excuse they have, whether it's a baby born, or whatever, they plant trees, these people plant trees, like you wouldn't believe, all over Israel, 50 million trees, and listen, Israel is about the size, of New Jersey, that's, wow, they have really, reforested the place, and they place a great premium, upon those trees, and they plant them, for everything, every occasion, that you can imagine, every event, that ever happened there, they plant a tree, in honor of it, and you can, today, even as a Gentile, you can contribute, to Israel's tree fund, and they will, they will use your money, to buy trees, and they'll plant trees, whatever, all over the place, and I just,

[31:18] I was stunned by that, I mean, 50 million, that is a lot, of trees, so, in many respects, Israel has been, reforested, since 1948, and you know what, they're still planting them, they're still planting trees, I haven't heard, what the latest count was, and that, by the way, that 50 million, was as of a number, of years ago, so I don't know, what's been added, to it since, so, this is all, Middle East stuff, fellas, and it's hard for us, it's hard for us, to imagine, that this part, of the world, is where it all began, and this part, of the world, is essentially, where it's going to end, and that's quite remarkable, because we tend to think, that we, in the western world, we are the cock of the walk, and that we are the people, I mean, after all, our technology, our accomplishments, our modernization, our, you can name it, but, we are not, going to be, the leading, we are not going, to play the leading role, in the final outcome, it will be there, in the mid east, essentially, in the, what is referred to, as the fertile crescent, that involves, excuse me, that involves, southern,

[32:44] Iraq, which we call, today, Iraq, but then, of course, it was Babylon, that's where it all began, according to the revelation, chapter 17, and 18, commercial Babylon, and political Babylon, that's where it's going to end, and it will be, quite significant, this, Babylon, is just, well, Babylon, in the revelation, in chapter 17, and 18, Babylon, is described, as the mother, of harlots, and once again, fellas, this isn't talking about, physical sexuality, it's talking about, spiritual, idolatry, that began, there in Babylon, and you know, you know, when Abraham, came out of Ur, of the Chaldees, do you know, where he came from, he came from Babylon, Babylon, and the Chaldeans, are names, that are virtually, interchangeable, and when Abraham, was called, of God, to leave his land, leave his family, and so on, go to a land, that I will show you, it was out, of Babylon,

[34:01] Ur of the Chaldees, that Abraham, came, and the people, of Babylon, were moon, worshippers, and if you wonder, if there is a connection, between moon, worshipping, and Islam, the answer is, yes, and it is no significant, it is no insignificance, that part, of the official, crest, of Islam, is the moon, slice of the moon, you know, Israel has the star of David, and part of the official, crest of Islam, is the moon, and it goes, all the way back, to moon worship, Abram, Abram, Abram, was likely, among those, who were moon worshippers, and remember, when, when Abram, wants, to, have, a wife, for his son,

[35:11] Isaac, and he is, unwilling, to take, any of the local women, this is when marriages, were arranged, by parents, and they still are, by the way, over there, and he sent, this unnamed servant, to go, and find, a bride, for Isaac, and where, did he send him, he sent him, back to his home, back in Babylon, this guy traveled, all the way back, to Babylon, ancient Ur, of the Chaldees, which was Abraham's, original homeland, to seek a bride, for Isaac, and that's where, this unnamed servant, came upon, a young lass, by the name of, Rebecca, and, he was on a mission, and he, told her, and by the way, these people, Rebecca, and her father, Laban, were related, to Abraham, by blood, and that blood line, was sustained, that's a principal reason, why Isaac, could not take, any of the girls, there, in that, land where he was, in this new land, of Canaan, of Israel, but he had to go back, to the blood line, and bring Rebecca, and he made the offer, to Rebecca, and she said, that she would go, and we, we think that, that is so, that is so amazing, because, she is, agreeing to go, miles and miles away, and marry this guy, she's never seen, but Isaac,

[36:39] Isaac is also, willing to marry, a girl, that he's never seen, and you know, the story about, about, Rachel, and Leah, and how, the old switcheroo, was on, you know, he ended up, with the wrong wife, that he thought, was Rachel, and it was really Leah, but all of this, is tied together, and let me tell you, something guys, like it or not, believe it or not, what so much, of this stuff, boils down to, Israel, Israel, Israel, the good reason, why they are referred to, as the apple, of God's eye, and what that means is, the pupil, the pupil, of God's eye, they are, the very core, and center, of significance, and it is just, amazing, what God has done, and how he is committed, to working through, an infinitesimal, minority, like Israel, and let me close, with this one statistic, again, because God has always, worked in a minority, and I've shared it, with you before, you may not, you might want to remember, but I want to share it, with you so you won't, be able to forget it, okay,

[37:58] Israel, Israel, Israel does not, make up, even one percent, of the world's population, they comprise, two tenths, of one percent, of the world's population, and yet, they are the, singular, strategic nation, in the plan, and program of God, and when this whole thing, that the world refers to, as the end of the world, which won't be at all, but it will be, the end of the age, it will be the end, of the dispensation, and when that occurs, the tiny little nation, of Israel, is going to be, smack dab, in the middle of it, a key player, and it is, really significant, what God has, promised, and prophesied, through the nation, of Israel, hey, any comments, or questions, before we conclude, I know, I kind of lose my audience, once the food shows up, so, isn't there a verse, in scripture, that says something, about whose God, is their belly, okay, okay guys, enjoy your breath, yeah, where is Nineveh, where is Nineveh, it's on the Tigris, it's on the Tigris, river, banks, actually, it's still very much, in existence, the ruins, etc., and it is there, in, northern,

[39:29] Iraq, close to Syria, it's right there, in, right there, in the, in, north of Israel, and, very, very strategic, so, today, we talk about Syria, you know, there's a lot going on, in Syria now, and who knows, what's going to happen, with, with these troops, being pulled out, and by the way, the big concern is, that, this could very well, mean, a slaughter of the Kurds, and I don't know, how that's going to play out, but just for your information, when you read, you read in the Bible, particularly in the days of Esther, the Queen, Queen Esther, you read about, the, the Persians, and the king, and, and, and, the, the Medes, and the Persians, they were the people, that defeated, the Babylonians, remember, when, in chapter 5, of Daniel, when he saw the writing, on the wall, well, it was, it was a combination, joint, force, of the Medes, and the Persians, that invaded Babylon, and reduced that city, to rubble, but the point I wanted to make is, that, the Kurds, today, that, that Saddam Hussein, or not Saddam Hussein, but,

[40:50] Assam, gassed, remember, the, the pictures they have, of the, the poison gas, that they, dumped on these people, that resulted in, in, in the death of, who knows how many, those were the Kurds, and the Kurds, are direct descendants, of the Medes, and the Persians, they are, the descendants, of those people, that goes back, clear, six centuries, before Christ, and, and they are, they are right now, in jeopardy, as to, what the outcome, of this is going to be, so, hey guys, thanks again, for being here, and enjoy your breakfast, in the day ahead.