"America's Rabbi" Warns: "Enormous, Humanic and Historic Upheaval" Rapidly Approaching

LifeSiteNews ^ | 6/25/07 | John-Henry Westen

[wagglebee]

Interview with Rabbi Daniel Lapin on How Today's World Compares to the Days of Noah

By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, June 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The recent death of Mrs. Ruth Graham, the beloved wife of preacher Billy Graham, has caused renewed reflection on her oft quoted comment:  "If God does not judge America soon, he'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."  Indeed, with the culture war raging on abortion and same-sex 'marriage', many a Christian has wondered about a coming purgation - a cleansing as in the time of Noah and the flood.

It may come as a surprise to some, but Orthodox Jews too have a belief in a coming purgation.  As the man popularly known as "America's Rabbi" told LifeSiteNews.com, we are "moving towards some kind of enormous, humanic and historic upheaval."

Nationally acclaimed speaker and best-selling author, Rabbi Daniel Lapin spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about his newly released audio series "The Gathering Storm: Decoding the Secrets of Noah", in which he looks at the similarities between the time of Noah and our present day.

Rabbi Lapin is the founder and leader of Toward Tradition - a ground-breaking coalition of Jews, Christians and other Americans united in fighting secular fundamentalism and promoting traditional, faith-based American principles of constitutional and limited government, the rule of law, representative democracy, free markets, a strong military, and a moral public culture.

Key to interpreting the Bible (the Old Testament) suggests the Rabbi, is the Hebrew language.  In that language, he notes, the Bible tells that in the time just before the flood there were aborted babies.  "Everyone is familiar with that section just before the flood, of giants," said Rabbi Lapin.  "The King James translation refers to these people as giants - one thing, in the Hebrew, it becomes immediately very clear is that what we really are talking about is aborted people, aborted fetuses." 

"In Hebrew," explained the Rabbi there is "one word for giants (and) aborted fetuses." Comparing the time of Noah to the current day, the Rabbi said, "Babies that are aborted eventually bring about a culture of death that destroys society."

Asked if Jews, like some Christians, feel a time of purgation is coming, Rabbi Lapin replied bluntly, "Yes, it is extremely intense." 

The Rabbi stressed however that a Judeo-Christian view of the end of time is a hopeful one, in contrast to the secular view of the end of time which sees only doom and gloom.  "There is a dichotomy here between a secular world view in which the end of time is hopeless," Rabbi Lapin told LifeSiteNews.com. "It is doomed.  It ends in oblivion . . .  Right now it is global warming, a few years ago it was nuclear winter.  Before that it was that we were all going to starve and die naked and cold when Thomas Malthus at the end of the 18th century made his predictions."

"The secular world view will generate an end of time picture of hopelessness and doom and by contrast a Biblical world view of both Jews and Christians shows an end of time picture that, while it may have its turbulent threshold, is a time of some kind of unimaginable solution to all human problems."

Asked, if it would be "a time of renewal of goodness on earth?," the Rabbi replied, "Exactly right. Yes."

As for God having to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for not acting on America for its sins, Rabbi Lapin suggests God is in fact acting on America.  "God doesn't necessarily act towards every culture in the same way," he said.  "Every culture that adopts abortion and homosexuality as normal is a culture that begins to decline and eventually vanish off the stage of world history - that is God acting."

"That is precisely the point.  It is not that hard to see in many ways the fortunes of the US of A are simply not where they were before these twin scourges became prevalent.  Yes, He is acting - He is not going to have to apologize to Sodom at all.  He is being very consistent.  He may not be burying us in thunderbolts and mountains of salt but the damage that the US of A is enduring is no less fatal."

Rabbi Lapin sees another striking similarity between our day and the time of the Biblical flood.  Noting the political situation in the United States, where the major argumentation seems focussed on abortion and same-sex 'marriage, Rabbi Lapin observes: "Undoubtedly, it was very significant, that never before in a presidential election has there been this much focus on the faith and beliefs of the candidates which again brings us back to this Noah like period in which divisions between people are lining up very clearly on a spiritual level."

While Rabbi Lapin rejects any attempt to fix a date on the coming upheaval, he does say that it is rapidly approaching.  "What is unquestionably crystal clear is that time and history is accelerating.  Things happen more quickly now than ever before so it is moving rapidly towards this event, whatever it will look like."

[Zionist Conspirator]

I can only find two scriptural uses of the Hebrew word nĕphiyl (H5303) (Gen 6:4 and Num 13:33). Strong's and Gesenius' Lexicon's do not seem to reference aborted fetuses in their definition. They do refer to the root word naphal (H5307) which does refer "to fall down, to lie prostrate, caste down, rot", etc. but again no specific reference to connect it with unborn children. Anyone have any specific Scripture references where nĕphiyl or nephal are used in specific reference to the aborted unborn? Thanks - OB1

I'll try to do some checking later, but for the moment, please consider that the vocabulary of the Hebrew Bible is of necessity limited. However, the Hebrew spoken in the Biblical era was a living language with a much larger vocabulary. It is likely that nefil is a Biblical Hebrew word that never actually appeared in the Bible but which has been preserved in Talmudic and Rabbinic usage in discussing abortions/miscarriages.

[steve86]

You aren’t going to find the terms “partial birth abortion” or “saline injection” or “morning after pill” in Scripture. It doesn’t work that way. Rather, the Holy Spirit will help us interpret words that are ambiguous due to their historical context.

[OB1kNOb]

It is likely that nefil is a Biblical Hebrew word that never actually appeared in the Bible but which has been preserved in Talmudic and Rabbinic usage in discussing abortions/miscarriages.

That's what I was inclined to think. Just checking to see if I was overlooking something in the O.T. Thanks.

[RightWhale]

Humanic, is it? Art Bell used to talk about the Quickening a lot but he never made up a word like that.

[OB1kNOb]

You aren’t going to find the terms “partial birth abortion” or “saline injection” or “morning after pill” in Scripture. It doesn’t work that way. Rather, the Holy Spirit will help us interpret words that are ambiguous due to their historical context.

I was simply asking if there was an old testament reference using the Hebrew word nĕphiyl in the context of addressing aborting the unborn that I was overlooking. That's what I was interpreting the rabbi to mean in his statements in this article. Perhaps he was referencing texts other than in the O.T. - Thanks.

[uglybiker]

BTTT

[Mamzelle]

re: "In Hebrew," explained the Rabbi there is "one word for giants (and) aborted fetuses." Comparing the time of Noah to the current day, the Rabbi said, "Babies that are aborted eventually bring about a culture of death that destroys society.")))

Would love to hear more about the etymology of the Hebrew word.

[ukie55]

Please put me on your list.

[ukie55]

What about the possibility that the use of the word is intention, meant to have a double meaning, so that it describes BOTH situations. That there were corrupted humans living on the earth and abortion was rampant? The Bible says that in the days of Noah, violence FILLED the earth.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Would love to hear more about the etymology of the Hebrew word.

It's from the triliteral Hebrew root nun-peh-lamed, meaning "to fall;" hence, nafil (masc. plural nefilim) "fallen one." Two angels "fell" in the days before Noach and abortions/miscarriages "fall" instead of being born.

[Zionist Conspirator]

What about the possibility that the use of the word is intention, meant to have a double meaning, so that it describes BOTH situations. That there were corrupted humans living on the earth and abortion was rampant? The Bible says that in the days of Noah, violence FILLED the earth.

I don't doubt it. I'm sure the land was filled with abortion, and "wasting seed in vain" is also explicitly mentioned in Torah sources as helping to bring on the Flood. It was an evil time.

However, giants were indeed born to the fallen angels. One of them, `Og, survived the Flood, lived for hundreds of years, and was finally killed by the Israelites under Moses.

[Stultis]

Key to interpreting the Bible (the Old Testament) suggests the Rabbi, is the Hebrew language. In that language, he notes, the Bible tells that in the time just before the flood there were aborted babies. "Everyone is familiar with that section just before the flood, of giants," said Rabbi Lapin. "The King James translation refers to these people as giants - one thing, in the Hebrew, it becomes immediately very clear is that what we really are talking about is aborted people, aborted fetuses."

Yeah. Sorry. Not buying this one. Too much like that whole "72 Black-Eyed Virgins" is really "white raisins" thing with the Koran.

[wagglebee]

Yeah. Sorry. Not buying this one. Too much like that whole "72 Black-Eyed Virgins" is really "white raisins" thing with the Koran.

I pinged some others who can correct me if I'm wrong to point out a big distinction. A "true" hand-scribed Torah would be exactly the same today as it was thousands of years ago. Not a single letter has been changed from the time of Moses. So yes, a Hebrew scholar could easily read the words and tell us exactly what the meaning is.

[NYer]

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[B-Chan]

He’s absolutely right. The “rapture” isn’t coming; what is coming is a great falling away, a second cosmic rebellion in which Man again grasps at becoming God, able to define for himself good and evil. As before, this state of discord with the natural order of the Universe will end up in a global catastrophe — a “tribulation” the likes of which has not been seen since the dawn of recorded history. Kipling’s “Gods of the Copybook Headings” will limp up to explain it again; the trauma will be intense, and ultimately every person with the faculty of reason will be forced to declare allegiance to God or Man-As-God. Those who choose the true God will suffer, and war will wrack the Earth. But just as defeat seems certain, God will send those who did not give up hope a Hero and a Sign, and in that Sign the Hero will conquer. Arthur will return at last; the Good King and his holy knights will rule, and all men will salute the Emperor.

Beneath the flag of this Empire the Earth will be united in peace, and a thousand-year Age of Our Lady will begin. The Earth will be repaired and restored, culture will be renewed and refreshed, and the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost will be worshiped. We will explore the planets and stars; we will tend the Earth and raise children; and all will be well. This is the millennium.

And in the end? After this millennium, the Cosmic Rebel will be allowed to make one final attempt to seduce the race of Man to wrest the Throne of the Universe from God. There will be war in Heaven, led by Michael and his angels; the Dragon and his followers will be cast down; and at last, the Author will appear on the stage of the physical world. In the Presence of the Triune Godhead, matter and energy will evaporate like vapor; every accident will boil away and vanish, leaving each one of us naked in substance before the Just Judge. Those who chose to be united to Him will remain with Him; those who knowingly denied him will crumble into spiritual ash, to the Cosmic Rebel and his defeated minion in an eternity of bitter, endless isolation.

And after that? No mind can comprehend. But we do know that God will be All in All. In that hope we continue to live.

[Zionist Conspirator]

I pinged some others who can correct me if I'm wrong to point out a big distinction. A "true" hand-scribed Torah would be exactly the same today as it was thousands of years ago. Not a single letter has been changed from the time of Moses. So yes, a Hebrew scholar could easily read the words and tell us exactly what the meaning is.

This is true. The Torah Scrolls used in synagogues are hand-written according to the strictest rules to insure that no deviation ever creeps in. Scribes have been writing these Scrolls for thousands of years. There are a few differences in various traditions of script (probably dating back to the Tribes), but the text is identical all over the world, among both 'Ashkenazim and Sefaradim. The only differences are in the Torah Scrolls of the Temanim (Yemenites), where a few more/less vowel letters have crept in due to insulation from the rest of the Jewish world, but even here no meaning of a single word has been changed.

The only alteration in writing that has ever occurred (which is a little complex and the subject of various opinions) is that after the sin of the molten calf the Jews lost the right to use the sacred script in which it had first been revealed. Only one scroll (written by Moses) was written in this original script. From then until the days of Ezra the so-called Ketav `Ivri (a more mundane script of lesser holiness) was used. After `avodah zarah (the most depraved form of pagan idolatry) was removed in the days of Ezra, however, the original script (Ketav 'Ashuri), the original Heavenly script from which the world was created was restored to Israel, and it is the script that has been used exclusively from that day to this. You can probably find information from this online or from a Jewish FReeper.

[Domestic Church]

Ping and a prayer!

[Zionist Conspirator]

Sorry I'm so late, but I got out my Holladay and looked up Biblical usages of n-p-l that actually refer to abortions/miscarriages.

In Exodus 22:21 the word biflilim is said to be a contraction of binfilim, and to refer to miscarriage, though Holladay says this is "open to question." The context is a woman who interferes in a fight between her husband and another man, is struck, and miscarries.

Although the verse is very difficult, Holladay says the word yippelu in Isaiah 26:18 is a form of this verb in the sense of "to be born."

There is an entry on the word nefel (a noun from the same triliteral root) defined as "miscarriage." The three verses cited are Psalms 58:9, Job 3:16, and Ecclesiastes 6:3.

I hope this is of some help!

[Salem]

""The King James translation refers to these people as giants - one thing, in the Hebrew, it becomes immediately very clear is that what we really are talking about is aborted people, aborted fetuses.""

That's a first for me. I have only been aware of the giants in the land, that were subsequently dispatched quite handily by the Hebrews. Anybody have anything online that deals with this specifically? Or books?

[Salem]

"The only thing that will mend the broken heart of this nation is for each of us to go out individually and as the church of God to spread His word. If they can understand the love and sacrifice of the death and resurrection of Christ, all of these other things will fall away. "

Yep!