The woman in the Ephah

post 123

This section of scripture immediately follows the previous post titled; "The Flying Roll" I place it here because I believe this passage is showing us the origin of the new Babylon soon to come.
Again I use a line by line approach to walk you through what I see;

Zechariah 5:5 “Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth,”
The description of the angel going forth, indicates he moved again to a different topic. Verse five is not to be combined to verse four.

Zechariah 5:6 “And I said, what is it? And he said, this is an ephah 374 that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”
There is only one definition the bible uses for ephah. It is 374 in the Strong’s;

374 Eyphah, a measure for grain; hence a measure in general.

Surely Zechariah knew an ephah when he saw one. But he asked “what is it?” The angel did not rebuke him for being ignorant, but explains what he did not nor should he have known, that it is an ephah, a grain container, and apparently it is moving. (that goeth forth)

Now think about it. Zechariah was looking into the future, to our time perhaps. Today we ship grain in super sacks, and rail cars designed for the purpose, and even cargo containers. Any of these type of shipping containers used to measure a specific volume, can loosely be called an ephah, but I think it actually means a smaller container designed for shipping grain. Obviously the ephah Zachariah was seeing, was not something he was familiar with. The angel told Zechariah that this container is typical for the day they were seeing; “this is their resemblance through all the earth.” and used in shipping; “goeth forth”.

Maybe we are using these containers now, or maybe they are yet to become standard. The important thing to realize here, is that in the day this vision will be fulfilled, the event will take place with a common container for shipping goods like grain all throughout the world.
When before our time, has there been such universal world wide shipping all using the same containers?
Clearly we are fast approaching the time of this fulfillment.
Grain bins to go - http://farmindustrynews.com/grain-bins-go
Google C-TPAT for an amazing study in shipping regulations/anti terrorism organization.

Zechariah 5:7 “And behold, there was lifted up a talent 3603 of lead: 5777 and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.”

The Lid:
Talent 3603 kikkar; a circle, a round loaf, also a talent or large round coin.

I have read that a talent was about 100-130 lbs. but cannot verify this yet. Regardless, this is a quantity of lead. I challenge someone to calculate a round lid of lead with a practical thickness. I would imagine it would quite nicely accommodate the passage of a women.

Lead 5777 owphereth; feminine participle active of 6080; lead, (from its dusty color.)
6080 aphar a prime root meaning either to be gray or perhaps rather to pulverize. Used only as denominative From 6083; to be dust.
6083 aphar from 6080 dust, as powdered or gray; hence clay earth mud.

The original text wording makes for very strange possibilities, or very simple;
Is the talent actually lead as we understand it today? If so why? Some possibilities;
Lead is a protection from elements such as radiation.
It is also a shield to protect or hide from radar detection.
What if this talent was not actually lead, but earthen, or baked clay. These concepts are allowed in the definition of the original word.
The word has plenty of room to mean a substance not actually known in the day of the writing, to be accurately fulfilled in the future event, but the specific weight makes me think… lead.
A plate of steel ½” thick 32” in diameter weights about 113.92 lbs. (I was unable to find an equivalent in lead whose atomic weight is 207.2g)
We know that lead does not go well with food, but there are ways around this with sleeves and covers and such, but for some reason the lead lid is important and scripture knew we would question why lead with a grain container. There is a clue here we should be able to discover.
What we do know is that the talent of lead has a reason for being in scripture.

I believe at this time, “the woman” as yet not defined, is sitting in a shipping container, which has a round heavy lid. This lid rules out a supper sack.

The woman:
Having really worked that over let’s not ignore the rest of the verse.
“And behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.”
It is easy to miss the whole point that we see the lid lifted, then a colon. AND we see a woman already sitting in the midst.
The colon separates the lead from the woman, but connects the two in the event.
The lid opens to see what is inside.
Why do I make a big deal out of this? Because of what follows.

Zechariah 5:8a “And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast 7993 it into the midst of the ephah;…”

Cast 7993 shalak; a prime root; to throw down, out, or away.
I don’t see any cryptic wording here.

Originally I saw the angel call the ‘woman’ he casts into the ephah, ‘wickedness’.
But he cannot cast her in if she is already there when the lid is lifted.
Therefore I submit that he casts wickedness into the container with the woman already there.
We see the angel cast “it”, not “her”, adding confirmation of this idea.

I feel that we should interpret this concept in the same way we interpret the previous topic of the ‘curse’ that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth. Zec 5:3
We rationally conjecture that what God calls a curse is but a satellite with veiled evil purposes. This reveals our different focus from how God sees it.

This ‘wickedness’ is likewise combined with a tangible product for industry, which God sees as resulting in wicked purposes.
I surmise that the woman represents the cargo. Not wicked in itself.
But the addition of wickedness into the cargo makes the cargo wicked.

I am suggesting that the woman representing the cargo... Is actually a real woman. She IS the cargo.

Further: I cannot help but notice in v.7 the lid was lifted up by no one specific, but in v.8 the angel himself ‘casts’ the lead lid after tossing in ‘wickedness’.
Could this be telling us that the woman when she was placed in the container had good intentions? But the lid was lifted, possibly by men of evil business purposes, and it is at this time that wickedness is cast in with her. She is now in the sex slave market, not as a prostitute, but as a slave wife.
To us this drama really makes no sense. but when we learn later the actual destination of this human trafficking the specific declaration "this is wickedness" comes clear.
Of course we must wonder where would she be coming from and why must she be smuggled if not originally for evil?

The Lid:
Zechariah 5:8b “…and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.”
meaning; he caps the container with a heavy lid.
I believe this represents that wickedness is sealed inside the trade. Wickedness cannot be extracted from the trade. The trade is itself wicked. It is just unfortunate that the poor woman is sealed in this trade. Again I submit that the original purpose was apparently not wicked, but once the lid was lifted the purpose changed and became wicked.

I would like to point out that having this knowledge before hand would actually help the authorities attempting to hinder this wicked commerce if they would. They should be looking for common dry good containers with lead lids. Perhaps the lead is sealed on for the protection of the grain that is supposed to be in the container, and in this way the woman passes inspection undetected as the container cannot be opened.
How would she breath? Why would she not cry out? All good questions with easy answers we just don’t have yet beyond speculation. Perhaps drugged and a carefully calculated confinement time.
Google C-TPAT for a lesson in shipping security today.

“C-TPAT is a voluntary government-business initiative to build cooperative relationships that strengthen and improve overall international supply chain and U.S. border security. C-TPAT recognizes that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can provide the highest level of cargo security only through close cooperation with the ultimate owners of the international supply chain such as importers, carriers, consolidators, licensed customs brokers, and manufacturers. Through this initiative, CBP is asking businesses to ensure the integrity of their security practices and communicate and verify the security guidelines of their business partners within the supply chain.”
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/cargo_security/ctpat/what_ctpat/ctpat_overview.xml

What they are saying is; this form of smuggling should go undetected with little effort!

The transportation:
Zechariah 5:9 “Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.”
We have a common, modern shipping container,(the ephah) and now two women pilots flying a large cargo plane, with jet engines as literally the wind in their wings, and wings like the wings of a stork as cargo planes have.
I have read the interpretation that storks are unclean birds, but this prophecy is regarding the times of the Gentiles and has little or nothing to do with Jews. Therefore I think this describes a large cargo jet airplane, lifting the ephah between the earth and the heaven (space). That pretty much means the sky. Zechariah was not going all Nostradamus on us,*1 he was just describing what he was seeing in the best descriptive words he had. I mean this guy living 2530 years ago saw a jet plane!

I think it is significant that both pilots are women, Perhaps this is representational that the wicked commerce will be founded by two women. Or perhaps these women will really be the pilots, or both.

I know this next bit is a stretch, but the scriptures continue to amaze me how perfectly accurate it proves to be. So I am suggesting the possibility that “there came out two women,..” Might actually intend to mean these women expose themselves to be Lesbian at the time they set up this business. The wording in our own present vernacular, "coming out"!
I am not stuck on the concept that the pilots themselves are the women, but that they are the business owners who cause the specific shipping industry to its destination.

The Destination:
Zechariah 5:10 “Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?”
So, where are they taking it? Zechariah asks.
Don’t overlook the obvious. Not only the destination, but the source of the cargo as well. The scripture does not appear to give us any indication of where this cargo of wickedness originates, but we need to keep alert to this question in order to discover the fulfillment as early as possible. Now having this specific theory in mind, we can see the countries of origin would be numerous.
What if these women thought they were being smuggled out of a dangerous political situation to freedom, but were inspected in transit, and choice models purchased and diverted into the slave bride trade, the rest into prostitution in Babylon? This would very accurately fulfill this prophecy, as it is here that wickedness is cast into the cargo.

Zechariah 5:11 “And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.”

Shinar: Genesis 10:10 and 11:2 identify this as generally southern Iraq today, pretty much anywhere in the plain from Baghdad south.

We see the scripture switch words from ‘it” to ‘her’ suggesting a switch of topic;
I suggest that ‘it’ refers to the shipment; “to build ‘it’ an house in the land of Shinar:…”
“and ‘it’ shall be established,” refers to the house that is built, presumably to be the industry created by the shipping.
“ and set there upon ‘her’ own base” 4369. This switch indicates the ‘it’ before the comma becomes a ‘her’ that now has an established place. Genderdizing ‘it’ suggests probably a city or an independent entity which has grown from the neuter house or business that began it. We see scripture often call this wicked city Babylon 'a woman'. (much more later)
I propose Zechariah was observing the creation of the independent authority of Babylon revived in the midst of the otherwise Muslim nation of Iraq. (more validation later)
Yet I can see a compounding meaning to imply with this newly founded city will also be founded the idol of a female goddess which will represent the industry in a good light.
she will be set on her base along with the city Babylon to insure the tension with Islam is deeply established as prophesied by the iron and clay feet kingdom of Daniel 2:33.

Base 4369 mekunah; the same as 4350; a spot.
5350 mekonah; feminine of 4349; a pedestal, also a spot.
4349 makown; from 3559 properly a fixture, i.e. a basis; generically a place, especially an abode.
3559 kuwn; a prime root, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatiously) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literally (establish, fix, prepare, apply) or figuratively (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous).

Because of the much valued resource this new industry provides, the city that results will be an ever growing violation of the ways of Islam. But a blind eye will be turned to this new city because of the benefits it provides. This is the suggested interpretation of “and set there upon her own base.”
Projecting this independence, we can see how this Babylon business will grow into and entire culture represented as the clay part of the 7th kingdom which plays a powerful part though always a thorn to the iron of Islam. Daniel 2:41,43 (not yet v.42) Revelation 17:18

A good present day representation of this is as Vegas was established outside the normal US laws. In the rest of the U.S.A. the things done openly in Vegas were outlawed everywhere else. And even today the advertising phrase; “What’s done in Vegas, stays in Vegas” suggests the concept I am making.
Look what it has become! Vegas is now a national family destination for its sin and fun. and the sin there has become socially acceptable, but only there.
I submit perhaps this is how New Babylon will begin, but will quickly surpass Vegas to become a global destination with similar allure, while at the same time frustrating the desire of Islam.
If my timeline is correct, it will need to begin right away while America is still falling!


additional note:
Babylon will be clearly a shipping port - Revelation 18:17
But this cargo is flown.
Another reason to conclude the cargo is human trafficking.
The time in transportation is important, but this also may be indicating that New Babylon will begin by air transport before the shipping industry begins there.

I submit the interpretation of this passage is the purchase of stolen women for brides to Muslim men, and prostitution through human trafficking, a very real and growing problem in the world today. Women are not wicked, but to sell them as a commodity is.

Revelation 18:11-13 lists the goods sold in this new Babylon, and at the end of the list is; “…and slaves, and souls of men.” These are so casually added to an otherwise benign list it is hard to imagine. But these activities of commerce will be seen just as amoral as selling “wine, and oil, and fine flower…”
It is hard for us to fathom that a man can actually not know that purchasing an unwilling bride is wicked. But logic and reason and compassion will have no standing in this argument since the mind of man in this market region, at this time, will be so blinded. This activity is a long standing part of their culture and they simply cannot see this is evil.
Therefore God declares plainly; “this is wickedness.”
I wonder if His purpose is not as instruction for those men who do not wish to do wickedly but actually have no idea.
Maybe it is because the whole world will actually be confused as to the morality of this!
Once Sharia Law takes root, where will we find true morality regarding this? Here in this verse. “This is wickedness.”

This vision ends here.
But we can surmise easily that such a commerce based in Iraq will support a huge number of Muslim customers originally, and the kings of the earth later.
I submit this trade is occurring today, but is yet to be officially centered in southern Iraq.
Such a trade would have to be substantial to make it into the bible prophecy.
As bad as the problem is today, it will need to become far worse!
I submit the success and extent of this practice would shock you if you knew today what it will become so quickly.

Revelation 17:1 "...I will shew thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

I submit with speculation that this wicked conduct of slave wives will become accepted globally, and one can boast if he got his slave wife certified from Babylon! Once certified no law on the planet will be able to rescue these women.
And if you can’t take home a wife, there will be plenty of high quality prostitutes available.
This industry will be more glorified than ever before in history, and will be the foundation behind the incredibly successful city.
The scifi movie ‘Firefly’ shows well the respect that will be given to this profession.

I wonder about the fate of Natalee Holloway when thinking about this.


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*1 Nostradamus - http://www.skepdic.com/nostrada.html