Secrets from Beyond The Grave

the English Bible the word wilderness is found 270 times. From the earliest days, Jewish rabbis believed that certain strong demon entities had their dwellings in the deserts. There is no word for "demon" in the Hebrew; however, there is a word used to identify devils, sa´iyr , which is translated as "goat-demon." This word is a primitive Semitic word that was used to identify a spirit in the desert. This word, which means "hairy demons," is found in Leviticus 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 11:15. The word is also used in Isaiah 34:14 where the "goat-demons" greet one another in the ruins of Edom. In the Old Testament, the goat was a creature often linked to deception. Jacob covered his arms in goatskin to deceive his father and take his brother Esau's blessing (Gen. 27:16-22). And later, Jacob himself was deceived into thinking his son Joseph had been eaten by a wild beast when Joseph's brothers presented his coat covered with blood (Gen. 37:31-34). Years later, on the Day of Atonement two identical goats were used, one marked for Azazel, and one marked for the Lord (Lev. 16:8). The goat for the Lord was slain on the altar, while the goat for Azazel had hands laid upon it and sin transferred from the people to the goat. This goat, called the scapegoat , would be led into the wilderness and eventually pushed off a cliff, meeting its death and thus releasing Israel from all their sins (Lev. 16:21-22). Thus the wilderness became identified with Azazel, who, according to the Book of Enoch (and text found in manuscripts in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea), was a fallen angel who came to Earth and revealed heavenly secrets that eventually caused mankind to sin.4 There is no direct biblical insight into why, but it appears that evil spirits dwell in the dry places. The children of Israel encountered "evil angels" during their wilderness wanderings (Ps. 78:49, KJV), and prior to Christ's public ministry, the Holy Spirit led Him "into the wilderness, being tempted . . . by the devil" (Luke 4:1-2). With the Dead Sea being the lowest spot on Earth, and with the biblical history of the area, including the Judean wilderness, this region of the world has certain features that mark it for spiritual judgment (Sodom and Gomorrah), temptation from Satan (Christ's temptation), and the fallen angels (Azazel). The Fire Under the Sea If we go back hundreds or thousands of years and explore the historical references related to the Dead Sea, it becomes evident that there is a huge fire burning under the sea. The first-century geographer Strabo said that it was "a land of fires," fueled by the substances from the area.5 About one hundred years before Christ, a Jewish writer wrote: Wisdom rescued a righteous man when the ungodly were perishing; he escaped the fire that descended on the Five Cities. Evidence of their wickedness still remains: a continually smoking wasteland.6 --Wisdom of Solomon 10:6-7, RSV Diodorus, a first-century writer, said: The fire which burns beneath the ground and the stench renders the inhabitants of the neighboring country sickly and very short-lived.7 Philo was a writer and philosopher from the first century. When speaking of Abraham, he wrote concerning the area of the Dead Sea: For the fire of the lightning is what is most difficult to extinguish, and creeps on pervading everything, and smouldering. And a most evident proof of this is to be found in what