Ethnic Makeup of the Ancient Egyptians, Israelites, and Hyksos Ethnic Makeup of the Ancient Egyptians, Israelites, and Hyksos A comparative look at the peoples of the Nile and the Levant in the New Kingdom period (18th–19th Dynasties). Ethnic Makeup of the Ancient Egyptians The Egyptians of the New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1189 BC) were primarily a Northeast African population rooted in the Nile Valley. Their features reflected a mixture of indigenous Saharan, Nubian, and Nile Delta ancestry. Genetic studies of royal mummies and skeletal remains reveal a population connected to both Sub-Saharan Africa and the ancient Near East, consistent with Egypt’s geographic position as a crossroads of Africa and Asia. Royal families often intermarried with foreign princesses to cement alliances. For example, Amenhotep III married women from Mitanni and later Ramesses II married Hittite royalty. This resulted in foreign admixture at the highest levels of society, though the g...
Shalom, family. This has been a blockbuster year as far as world events are concerned, and the fact that I don’t even need to expound on that is a testament to the times we’re living in. For me personally, it’s been a spiritually trying and revelatory time, particularly in the month of July.
I had gone down a rabbit hole of prophetic passages in the Bible, watching videos interpreting these scriptures, and so forth. Starting on July 9th and for several days after, I was repeatedly waking up in the middle of the night after strange dreams or simply being awakened by the Holy Spirit. I started writing in my prayer journal during those nights.
On July 13th, I took my son to his cross-country camp at a local park in the area, as they were preparing for what would be a stellar season for him. That morning, I sat on a bench in the park with my Bible as the boys ran their 2 miles. I began reading the book of Daniel, and a passage that stood out to me was verses 19 through 23 of Chapter 2. It reads:
"During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: 'Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank and praise You, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, You have made known to me what we asked of You, You have made known to us the dream of the king.'”
Have you ever read a passage and felt it? The best way I can describe the experience of reading this passage that morning was as though it was being read to me. I believe the Holy Spirit was speaking the scripture to me. But why?
Later that day, my wife and I got dressed up and went to a food truck festival, where I sweated profusely for the pleasure of an Amish-made donut and some ribs. Afterwards, my wife called one of her close friends, and we decided to meet with him and his sister at Rusty Bucket. We chatted, had drinks, and ate what I can confidently say is one of the best coney dogs the city has to offer. The night was still young, so we then went to another bar in the area for better margaritas. While waiting for our drinks, we noticed the TV outside was tuned to the local news. We looked up and saw Trump on television with headlines about a shooting at his rally.
At that point, both my wife’s friend and I shook our heads and said that Trump had been handed the election on a gold-plated platter. After we left and went back home, I browsed YouTube for more information on the assassination attempt. Of course, it didn’t take long for conspiracy theories to hit the internet. As I was scrolling through videos, I saw a thumbnail of a bald-headed man named Brandon Biggs sitting in his car, with the video caption “It happened...” Ominous, right?
I clicked play because I had a feeling it was about Trump, and sure enough, there was this man I’d never heard of, speaking about how he predicted the attempt on Trump’s life. Now, I’m not one to just give heed to anyone with a platform claiming they’ve seen future events, especially in the name of the Lord our God. That’s dangerous territory that’s often abused. But sure enough, he provided clips from a video posted back in March of 2024, where he specifically described the vision he received from God. Fast forward to July 13th, and it was all playing out exactly as he had been told.
That same night, I saw another video from a pastor named Tomi Arayomi, posted four years ago. He spoke of the same thing—how he had been told by God about an attempt on Trump’s life. He then quoted scripture, and what verse did he quote? You guessed it: Daniel 2:21. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. The living Word. The Holy Spirit speaking. God speaking and confirming.
I know this election may not have turned out how you expected or wanted. But let me reassure you through God’s words: He deposes kings and raises up others. Does this mean Trump is a reflection of Biblical values and God’s law? Not necessarily. But God is sovereign, and much like we cannot always see how He is moving in our lives, we cannot always see how He is moving in the larger picture. Yeshua gave us the Lord’s Prayer, and in that prayer, we ask that His will be done on Earth. We have to submit to the reality that His will is not our own, and have faith that regardless of the outcome—political or personal—God will have the victory.
Amen.
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| King Nebuchadnezzar by Salvador Dali Biblia |
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