Ancient Israel was taken into captivity for falling into the worship of the "baals." To understand something of Israel's apostasy, let us recall some of times Israel spiritually returned to Egypt via the golden calf.

The first time was immediately after leaving Egypt:
Ex. 22:4 "And he [Aaron] received them [gold objects] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

When the Ten Tribes of Israel formed their new kingdom, separate from the House of David, they immediately turned to the pagan gods of the surrounding nations. One of the first acts of Jeroboam, the first king of the Ten Tribes, was to set up two calves of gold. He proclaimed to Israel: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt (1 Kings 12:28).

These golden calves were representations of the gods of Egypt, i.e., Osiris, ¹  'Isis,' ²  and 'Horus' ³ the Egyptian trinity of Babylon, which are the ancient forerunners of our modern day trinity and twinity.

The Israelites continued deeper into apostasy and they soon began to build houses, or temples of 'Baal,' on high places. ⁴ That is still the custom among their modern-day descendants.

This descent into rank, baalistic worship directly resulted in the disgraceful end of the kingdom of Israel. However, their end did not come immediately. It took hundreds of years for the final destruction of Israel because ETERNAL, in His mercy, decided to send many prophets with warnings and pleas for His people to return to Him. But, one after another, the children of Israel rejected these prophets and their warnings until, finally, there was no other option but for CREATOR's divine wrath to descend on His own, chosen people. There are no Scriptures that show that Israel ever repented thus, wherever they are, they are still immersed in heathen practices today.

In ancient Israel, the king or leader was also responsible for the spiritual growth of the people and therefore, were responsible for Israel being a righteous or sinful nation. They are referred to in the Hebrew Scriptures as shepherds who are to watch over the sheep (people). Notice the following Scriptures:

Num. 27:16-18 "Let YHWH, CREATOR of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of YHWH may not be like sheep which have no shepherd. And YHWH said to Moses: Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him." ⁵

1 Kings 22:17 "Then he said, I [Micaiah] saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd And YHWH said, These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace."

Ps. 80:1 "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth"!

We find Israel today in the same polytheistic ⁶ worship that they had in ancient times and only the names of the members of the godhead has changed. To make it less obvious of their identity, modern twinitarian or trinitarian religions are enlightened. Thus, they only engage in orgiastic religious practices symbolically such as valentines day, may day pole, mistletoe at end of the year parties, and of course mardi gras. However, even in this enlightened age, it is the leaders or shepherds of the people who still promote this idolatry.

Who are the shepherds of Israel today? Since ancient times, the king or leader was responsible not only for the physical protection of the people, but for the spiritual protection of the people. Therefore, in today's world, all people who hold offices of legal or religious nature are the shepherds of Israel. This includes ALL public officials, whether elected or appointed, as well as ALL theologians, preachers, ministers, pastors, or anyone who speaks in any religious capacity.

The following message of Ezekiel thirty-four is a message to ALL of the shepherds of Israel from the CREATOR of humankind:

Ezek. 34:1-31 (TLB) "Prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Say to them, ETERNAL CREATOR says to you: 'Woe to the shepherds who feed themselves instead of their flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the best food and wear the finest clothes, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak, nor tended the sick, ⁷ , nor bound up the broken bones, nor gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with force and cruelty. So they were scattered, ⁸ without a shepherd. They have become a prey ⁹ to every animal that comes along. My sheep wandered ¹⁰ through the mountains and hills and over the face of the earth, and there was no one to search for them or care about them.'

"Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of ETERNAL. 'As I live, says ETERNAL CREATOR, you abandoned My flock, leaving them to be attacked and destroyed, and you were no real shepherds at all, for you did not search for them. You fed yourselves and let them starve; therefore, I am against the shepherds, ¹¹ and I will hold them responsible ¹² for what has happened to My flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock ¹³--and take away their right to eat. I will save My flock from being taken for their food.

"For ETERNAL CREATOR says: 'I will search and find My sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his flock. I will find My sheep and rescue them from all the places they were scattered in that dark and cloudy day. And I will bring them back from among the people ¹⁴ and nations where they were, back home to their own land of Israel, and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel and by the rivers where the land is fertile and good. Yes, I will give them good pasture on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in peace and feed in luscious mountain pastures." ¹⁵ I Myself will be the Shepherd of My sheep and cause them to lie down in peace' ETERNAL CREATOR says. 'I will seek My lost ones; those who strayed away, and bring them safely home again. I will put splints and bandages upon their broken limbs and heal the sick. And I will destroy the powerful, fat shepherds; I will feed them, yes--feed them punishment!'

"'And as for you, O My flock--My people' ETERNAL CREATOR says, 'I will judge you and separate good [sheep] from bad [shepherds], sheep from goats. Is it a small thing to you, O evil shepherds, that you not only keep the best of the pastures for yourselves, but trample down the rest? That you take the best water for yourselves and muddy the rest with your feet? All that is left for My flock is what you have trampled ¹⁶ down; all they have to drink is water that you have fouled.'

"Therefore, ETERNAL CREATOR says: 'I will surely judge between these fat shepherds and their scrawny sheep. For these shepherds push, butt, and crowd My sick and hungry flock until they are scattered far away. So I Myself will save My flock; no more will they be picked on and destroyed. And I will notice which is plump and which is thin, and why! And I will set one Shepherd over all My people, even My Servant David. ¹⁷ He shall feed them and be a Shepherd to them.'

'And I, ¹⁸ ETERNAL, will be their SOVEREIGN, and My Servant David ¹⁹ shall be a Prince among My people. I, ETERNAL, have spoken it. I will make a peace pact with them and drive away the dangerous animals from the land, so that My people can safely camp in the wildest places and sleep safely in the woods. I will make My people and their homes around My hill a blessing. And there shall be showers, showers of blessing, for I will not shut off the rains but send them in their seasons. Their fruit trees and fields will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken off their chains of slavery and delivered them from those who profiteered at their expense, they shall know I am ETERNAL. No more will other nations conquer them nor wild animals attack. They shall live in safety and no one shall make them afraid.'

"'And I will raise up a notable Vine (the Messiah), in Israel so that My people will never again go hungry nor be shamed by heathen conquest. In this way they will know that I, ETERNAL CREATOR, am with them, and that they, the people of Israel, are My people says ETERNAL CREATOR.'

"'You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture. You are My men and I am your SOVEREIGN, so says ETERNAL' (Ezek. 34:1-31 TLB).

[The Hope of Israel Index Page]

Footnotes

1. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker,   'Osiris': Of all savior-gods worshipped at the beginning of the Christian era,'Osiris' may have contributed more details to the evolving 'Christ'' figure than any other. Already very old in Egypt, 'Osiris' was identified with nearly every other Egyptian god and was on the way to absorbing them all. He had well over 200 divine names.    He was called 'Lord of lords,' 'King of kings' 'God of gods.' He was the 'Resurrection and the Life,' the 'Good Shepherd,' the 'God who made men and women to be born again.' From 'First to Last,' 'Osiris' was to the Egyptians 'the god-man who suffered, and died, and rose again, and reigned eternally in heaven.' They believed that they would inherit eternal life, just as he had done.
    According to Egyptian scriptures, "As truly as 'Osiris' lives, so truly shall his follower live; as truly as 'Osiris' is not dead he shall die no more; as truly as 'Osiris' is not annihilated he shall not be annihilated."
     'Osiris'' coming was announced by Three Wise Men: the three stars Mintaka, Anilam, and Alnitak in the belt of Orion, which point directly to 'Osiris'' star in the east, Sirius (Sothis), signification of his birth. Angelic voices hailed the coming of the 'Universal Lord' on this occasion, which marked the rising of the Nile flood. Oriental paths of the 'Osirian' tradition may be traced in Tibet, where the rising of the same star in the east marks the annual festival of setting free the waters of springs, as the Egyptian festival set free the waters of the Nile. Tibetans named the star 'Rishi-Agastya,' after a holy king of a very ancient time. Ancient Syrians called the same star 'Messaeiló the Messiah.'
    Certainly, 'Osiris' was a prototypical Messiah, as well as a devoured Host. His flesh was eaten in the form of communion cakes of wheat, the plant of Truth. 'Osiris' was 'Truth,' and those who ate him became 'Truth' also. Each of them another 'Osiris,' a 'Son of God,' a 'Light god,' a dweller in the 'Light-god.' Egyptians came to believe that no god, except 'Osiris,' could bestow eternal life on mortals. He alone was their 'Savior,' 'Un-nefer, the Good One.' Under this title, he was even canonized as a Christian saint. Egyptians were much afraid of death's corruption awaiting them without the kindly intervention of 'Osiris'.

2. Ibid.  'Isis': Egyptian scriptures said, "In the beginning there was 'Isis,' Oldest of the Old. She was the goddess from whom all becoming arose. As the 'Greatress,' she gave birth to the sun when he rose upon this earth for the first time." Her title, 'Giver of Life,' was applied also to the 'Queen Mother' of Egypt. In her Roman mysteries, 'Isis' was addressed as the 'One who is All.'
     Aristides also was initiated into the Mysteries of 'Isis,' and spoke of a mystical experience during which he saw, coming from 'Isis,' a light and other unutterable things conducing to salvation. To be initiated into her cult brought a privileged status after death (an idea copied later by Christians). 'Isis,' the 'Eternal Savior' of the race of men promises her votary. Egyptians addressed her as 'Mistress of the gods,' thou 'Bearer of Wings,' thou 'Lady of the red apparel,' 'Queen of the crowns of the South and North,' only 'One'... superior to whom the gods cannot be, thou mighty one of enchantments" (or, Words of Power).
    Hermetic texts said 'Isis' revealed the mysteries of the stars to 'God,' who was her son. Since 'Horus' was the sun of 'Ra,' or 'Osiris' in the form of 'Isis'' infant, an interruption of his life would naturally have caused the sun to stand still in heaven.

3. Ibid. 'Horus': 'Egyptian Divine Child,' or 'Reborn Sun'; a son-reincarnation of either Ra or 'Osiris,' or both. 'Horus' was depicted as a child with a long lock of hair curled to one side of his head and a finger in his mouth, signifying childlike dependence. Yet he was also a warrior, avenging his father or elder-self 'Osiris' by castrating and killing Set, the god of the barren half of the year.
     Some said there was a 'Horus' the Elder, born of 'Isis' immediately after her own birth, for he was conceived by the coupling of 'Isis' and her twin-brother-spouse 'Osiris' while they were still in the womb of their mother 'Mut.' Other myths said 'Horus' was the worlds firstborn sun, who arose from the primal 'Mother's lotus-yoni' at the beginning of time. He was another variation on the usual theme of the "dying-and-reborn god."

4. Unger's Bible Dictionary, p483,   High Place: (from Canaanite bamah, ridge, elevation of land), localities chosen as places of worship of 'God' or idols. The high places were features of Canaanite religion and the conquering Israelites were commanded to destroy them when they entered Canaan (Num. 33:52; Deut. 33:29). Israel came in contact with the high places of the Moabites before they entered the land (Num. 21:28; 22:41). Being defiled by Canaanite fertility cults and other paganistic pollutions, the high places were often connected with licentiousness (Hos. 4:11-14) and immorality (Jer. 3:2). One of the best known high places is the Conway High Place at Petra (See W. F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, p. 161-165). The Ugaritic tablets of the late fifteenth century BC from Ras Shamra show that animals were sacrificed in the high places of 'Baal' in North Syria. Always contiguous to the rock altar was a sacred pillar, massebah, being a sacred pole having phallic associations, capped with a symbol of the ashera, evidently denoting female fertility. Male prostitutes, kedeshim and sacred courtesans, kedeshoth (I Kings 14:23, 24; II Kings 23:7) maintained chambers for cultic prostitution in honor of the heathen deity. At Gezer, first-born babies were slain and their bodies placed in jars near the high place (Cf. Isa. 57:5). The idea of a high place, indicated by early shrines, was that elevation of the cultic center gave sin persuasiveness. Babylonians devised artificial hills called ziggurats. The Greeks loved their lofty Mt. Olympus and their Acropolis. The worship of Jehovah, contrary to the law of Moses, which specified one altar for all Israel, was often conducted on high places. The Mosaic prescription was a safeguard to protect the people from idolatrous associations and corruption. High places were legitimate in the Northern Kingdom when access to the Jerusalem temple was no longer possible. After Solomon, who grievously sinned in erecting high places to his heathen wives, (I Kings 11:1-8) this heathenistic institution prevailed among many kings of the Davidic line. Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son, made high places in the mountains of Judah (II Chron. 21:11), as did Ahaz. Hezekiah broke them down (II Kings 18:4, 22). Manasseh in his idolatrous orgy re-erected them (II Kings 21:3). They were again destroyed by Josiah (II Kings 23:5, 8, 13). The prophets denounced the high places (Ezek. 6:3). Emphasis was placed on the fact that Zion was the place to worship (Isa. 2:2; 8:18; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Amos 1:2; Micah 4:1, 2). M. F. U.

5. All quoted Scriptures are from the TLB.

6. The worship of more than the One SOVEREIGN of Israel, it may be a godhead of two, three, or four beings.

7. Zec. 11:15 "Then YHWH told me to go again and get a job as a shepherd; this time I was to act the part of a worthless, wicked shepherd. And he said to me, 'This illustrates how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the dying ones, nor look after the young, nor heal the broken bones, nor feed the healthy ones, nor carry the lame that cannot walk; instead, he will eat the fat ones, even tearing off their feet. Woe to this worthless shepherd who does not care for the flock. CREATOR's sword will cut his arm and pierce through his right eye; his arm will become useless and his right eye blinded.'"

8. Isa. 10:21 'The shepherds of My people have lost their senses; they no longer follow CREATOR nor ask His will. Therefore they perish, and their flocks are scattered."

9. Isa. 56: 9-10 "Come, wild animals of the field; come, tear apart the sheep; come, wild animals of the forest, devour My people. For the leaders of My people--YHWH's watchmen, His shepherds--are all blind to every danger. They are featherbrained and give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie there, love to sleep, to dream."

10. Jer. 50:6-7 "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds led them astray and then turned them loose in the mountains. They lost their way and did not remember how to get back to the fold. All who found them devoured them and said, 'We are permitted to attack them freely, for they have sinned against YHWH, SOVEREIGHN of justice, the hope of their fathers.'"

11. Ezek. 13:8 "Therefore YHWH SOVEREIGN says: 'I will destroy you for these 'visions' and lies.'"

12. Ezek. 3:18 "If you refuse to warn the wicked when I want you to tell them, 'You are under the penalty of death; therefore repent and save your life,' they will die in their sins, but I will punish you. I will demand your blood for theirs."

13. Ezek. 13:23 "But you will lie no more; no longer will you talk of seeing 'visions' that you never saw nor practice your magic, for I will deliver My people out of your hands by destroying you, and you shall know I am YHWH."

14. Isa. 65:9 "I will preserve a remnant of My people to possess the land of Israel; those I select will inherit it and serve Me there."

15. Jer. 3:15 "And I will give you leaders after My own heart, who will guide you with wisdom and understanding."

16. Jer. 12:10 "Many foreign rulers have ravaged My vineyard, trampling down the vines, and turning all its beauty into barren wilderness."

17. In its Messianic and evangelical import, this passage (vv. 11-31) is like a window letting the light of dawn into a hall of judgment. Verses 12,14-16,22 look forward to the Messiah, King David; [see our article New Proof of the Messiah] but the primary reference is to Israel - "there shall be showers of blessing" (v. 26), "they shall be safe in their land" (v. 27), "they shall be no more prey to the nations" (v. 28). Verses 23 - 30 speak of a restoration yet future, for the remnant of Israel, after the coming captivity under the Gentile yoke until they released by King David.

Ezek. 37:24-26 "And David, My Servant--the Messiah--shall be their King, their only Shepherd; and they shall obey My laws and all My wishes. They shall live in the land of Israel where their fathers lived, the land I gave My servant Jacob. They and their children after them shall live there, and their grandchildren, for all generations. And My Servant David, their Messiah, shall be their Prince forever. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting pact. I will bless them, multiply them, and put my Temple among them forever."

18. Ex. 29:45 "And I will live among the people of Israel and be their SOVEREIGN."

19. Isa. 11:1-5 "The royal line of David will be cut off, chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot--yes, a new Branch from the old root. And the Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of YHWH. His delight will be obedience to YHWH. He will not judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay, but will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked who oppress them. For he will be clothed with fairness and with truth."