United States of the Solar System (3)

Aquaries1111 wrote:

Let's add some spice to this thread Ram.

Floyd wrote:

And the lord he came down to fill up the imagination of humans that doth look skywards.
His pity was doth reflected when both came to understand the mirror.
The mirror being nothing. But only the reflections.
The anthropomormic religions are a curse on humanity.
With all the blood and hatred that has followed them.

orthodoxymoron wrote:Thank-you Floyd and Debra. I am both believer and doubter. I've talked to a certain person who is rabidly atheist -- yet they know the Bible, Religion, and Politics better than most Preachers and Politicians. I respect that -- even though we are NOT on the same page!! I continue to think that I've bitten-off way more than I can chew -- so I really am trying to shut-up and study -- now that I've created a study-guide for myself (and anyone else crazy enough to go this far down the rabbit-hole). But once again, I've been told that the rabbit-hole mostly goes right up my @ss!! Could this be why I always seem to have my head up my @ss???!!! I love listening to Santos -- but I never know what is REALLY the truth about history and the otherworldly. This stuff is SO difficult to verify. Consider VERY CAREFULLY the term "Azazel" -- especially in an eschatological sense -- regarding bearing the ultimate responsibility for sin and evil in this solar system -- and the final solution to the sin-problem. Ram -- Bull -- Mithras -- Baphomet -- Christ -- Azazel -- Satan -- God -- et al. Try to put all of this together in some sort of a cogent and rational manner. Is Azazel a helper or savior of mankind (in some sense)?! What if whoever wrote Isaiah actually wrote the Whole-Bible (which was later nefariously edited, altered, and misused)??

This thread really gets my goat!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azazel Azazel [ə-ˈzā-zəl] or Azazael or Azâzêl (Hebrew: עֲזָאזֵל, Azazel; Arabic: عزازيل , Azāzīl) is a term traditionally understood to mean either as scapegoat or — in some traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — as the name for a fallen angel or demon. It is used three times in the Hebrew Bible. The term in the Bible is limited to three uses in Leviticus 16, where two he-goats were to be sacrificed to God and one of the two was selected by lot, for God is seen as speaking through the lottery.[1] The next words are לַעֲזָאזֵל la-aza'zeyl, read either as "for absolute removal" or as "for Azazel". This goat was then cast out in the desert as part of the Day of Atonement.

In older English versions such as the King James Version the word azazeyl is translated as "as a scapegoat", however in most modern English Bible versions the word azazeyl is represented as a name in the text:

8 Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

— English Standard Version[2] Leviticus 16:8–10

Later rabbis, interpreting la-azazel as azaz (rugged) and el (strong), take it as referring to the rugged and rough mountain cliff from which the goat was cast down.[3][4][5]

Despite the expectation of Brandt (1889)[6] to date no evidence has surfaced of Azazel as a demon or god prior to the earliest Jewish sources among the Dead Sea Scrolls.[7]

In the Dead Sea Scrolls the name Azazel occurs in the line 6 of 4Q203, the Book of the Giants, which is a part of the Enochic literature found at Qumran[8]

According to the Book of Enoch, which brings Azazel into connection with the Biblical story of the fall of the angels, located on Mount Hermon, a gathering-place of demons from of old (Enoch xiii.; compare Brandt, "Mandäische Theologie," 1889, p. 38). Azazel is represented in the Book of Enoch as one of the leaders of the rebellious Watchers in the time preceding the flood; he taught men the art of warfare, of making swords, knives, shields, and coats of mail, and women the art of deception by ornamenting the body, dying the hair, and painting the face and the eyebrows, and also revealed to the people the secrets of witchcraft and corrupted their manners, leading them into wickedness and impurity; until at last he was, at the Lord's command, bound hand and foot by the archangel Raphael and chained to the rough and jagged rocks of [Ha] Duduael (= Beth Ḥadudo), where he is to abide in utter darkness until the great Day of Judgment, when he will be cast into the fire to be consumed forever (Enoch viii. 1, ix. 6, x. 4–6, liv. 5, lxxxviii. 1; see Geiger, "Jüd. Zeit." 1864, pp. 196–204).

The translators of the Greek Septuagint understood the Hebrew term as meaning the sent away, and read:"8and Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat (Greek apompaios dat.).

9And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord, and offer it as a sin offering; 10but the goat on which the lot of the sent away one fell shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away (Greek eis ten apompen acc.) into the wilderness." Following the Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate,[9] Martin Luther[10] and the King James Bible also give readings such as Young's Literal Translation: 'And Aaron hath given lots over the two goats, one lot for Jehovah, and one lot for a goat of departure;'

This is rendered Za-za-e'il (the strong one against/of God), according to the Syriac Peshitta Version, as in Qumran fragment 4Q180.[11]

The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.

— 1 Enoch 10:8

According to 1 Enoch (a book of the Apocrypha), Azazel (here spelled ‘ăzā’zyēl) was one of the chief Grigori, a group of fallen angels who married women. This same story (without any mention of Azazel) is told in Genesis 6:2–4:

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. […] There were giants in the earth in those days; and also afterward, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

1 Enoch portrays Azazel as responsible for teaching people to make weapons and cosmetics, for which he was cast out of heaven. 1 Enoch 8:1–3a reads:

And Azazel taught men to make swords and knives and shields and breastplates; and made known to them the metals [of the earth] and the art of working them; and bracelets and ornaments; and the use of antimony and the beautifying of the eyelids; and all kinds of costly stones and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray and became corrupt in all their ways. The corruption brought on by Azazel and the Grigori degrades the human race, and the four archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Phanuel) “saw much blood being shed upon the earth and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth […] The souls of men [made] their suit, saying, "Bring our cause before the Most High; […] Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were in heaven, which men were striving to learn."

God sees the sin brought about by Azazel and has Raphael “bind Azazel hand and foot and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert – which is in Dudael – and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there forever, and cover his face that he may not see light.”

Several scholars have previously discerned that some details of Azazel's punishment are reminiscent of the scapegoat ritual. Thus, Lester Grabbe points to a number of parallels between the Azazel narrative in 1 Enoch and the wording of Leviticus 16, including “the similarity of the names Asael and Azazel; the punishment in the desert; the placing of sin on Asael/Azazel; the resultant healing of the land.”[12] Daniel Stökl also observes that “the punishment of the demon resembles the treatment of the goat in aspects of geography, action, time and purpose.”[12] Thus, the place of Asael’s punishment designated in 1 Enoch as Dudael is reminiscent of the rabbinic terminology used for the designation of the ravine of the scapegoat in later rabbinic interpretations of the Yom Kippur ritual. Stökl remarks that “the name of place of judgment (Dudael) is conspicuously similar in both traditions and can likely be traced to a common origin.”[12]

Azazel's fate is foretold near the end of 1 Enoch 2:8, where God says, “On the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. […] The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin."

In the 5th Century 3 Enoch, Azazel is one of the three angels (Azza [Shemhazai] and Uzza [Ouza] are the other two) who opposed Enoch's high rank when he became the angel Metatron. Whilst they were fallen at this time they were still in Heaven, but Metatron held a dislike for them, and had them cast out. They were thenceforth known as the 'three who got the most blame' for their involvement in the fall of the angels marrying women. It should be remembered that Azazel and Shemhazai were said to be the leaders of the 200 fallen, and Uzza and Shemhazai were tutelary guardian angels of Egypt with both Shemhazai and Azazel and were responsible for teaching the secrets of heaven as well. The other angels dispersed to 'every corner of the Earth.'

In the extracanonical text the Apocalypse of Abraham (c.1stC CE), Azazel is portrayed as an unclean bird who came down upon the sacrifice which Abraham prepared. (This is in reference to Genesis 15:11: "Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away" [NIV]).

And the unclean bird spoke to me and said, "What are you doing, Abraham, on the holy heights, where no one eats or drinks, nor is there upon them food for men? But these all will be consumed by fire and ascend to the height, they will destroy you."

And it came to pass when I saw the bird speaking I said this to the angel: "What is this, my lord?" And he said, "This is disgrace – this is Azazel!" And he said to him, "Shame on you, Azazel! For Abraham's portion is in heaven, and yours is on earth, for you have selected here, [and] become enamored of the dwelling place of your blemish. Therefore the Eternal Ruler, the Mighty One, has given you a dwelling on earth. Through you the all-evil spirit [was] a liar, and through you [come] wrath and trials on the generations of men who live impiously. — Abr. 13:4–9

The text also associates Azazel with the serpent and hell. In Chapter 23, verse 7, it is described as having seven heads, 14 faces, "hands and feet like a man's [and] on his back six wings on the right and six on the left."

Abraham says that the wicked will "putrefy in the belly of the crafty worm Azazel, and be burned by the fire of Azazel's tongue" (Abr. 31:5), and earlier says to Azazel himself, "May you be the firebrand of the furnace of the earth! Go, Azazel, into the untrodden parts of the earth. For your heritage is over those who are with you" (Abr. 14:5–6).

Here there is the idea that God's heritage (the created world) is largely under the dominion of evil – i.e., it is "shared with Azazel" (Abr. 20:5), again identifying him with Satan, who was called "the prince of this world" by Jesus. (John 12:31 niv)

The Mishnah (Yoma 39a[13]) follows the Hebrew Bible text; two goats were procured, similar in respect of appearance, height, cost, and time of selection. Having one of these on his right and the other on his left, the high priest, who was assisted in this rite by two subordinates, put both his hands into a wooden case, and took out two labels, one inscribed "for Yahweh" and the other "for absolute removal" (or "for Azazel"). The high priest then laid his hands with the labels upon the two goats and said, "A sin-offering to Yahweh" (thus speaking the Tetragrammaton); and the two men accompanying him replied, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever." He then fastened a scarlet woolen thread to the head of the goat "for Azazel"; and laying his hands upon it again, recited the following confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness: "O Lord, I have acted iniquitously, trespassed, sinned before Thee: I, my household, and the sons of Aaron Thy holy ones. O Lord, forgive the iniquities, transgressions, and sins that I, my household, and Aaron's children, Thy holy people, committed before Thee, as is written in the law of Moses, Thy servant, 'for on this day He will forgive you, to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord; ye shall be clean.'"

This prayer was responded to by the congregation present. A man was selected, preferably a priest, to take the goat to the precipice in the wilderness; and he was accompanied part of the way by the most eminent men of Jerusalem. Ten booths had been constructed at intervals along the road leading from Jerusalem to the steep mountain. At each one of these the man leading the goat was formally offered food and drink, which he, however, refused. When he reached the tenth booth those who accompanied him proceeded no further, but watched the ceremony from a distance. When he came to the precipice he divided the scarlet thread into two parts, one of which he tied to the rock and the other to the goat's horns, and then pushed the goat down (Yoma vi. 1–. The cliff was so high and rugged that before the goat had traversed half the distance to the plain below, its limbs were utterly shattered. Men were stationed at intervals along the way, and as soon as the goat was thrown down the precipice, they signaled to one another by means of kerchiefs or flags, until the information reached the high priest, whereat he proceeded with the other parts of the ritual.

The scarlet thread is symbolically referenced in Isaiah 1.18; and the Talmud states (ib. 39a) that during the forty years that Simon the Just was high priest, the thread actually turned white as soon as the goat was thrown over the precipice: a sign that the sins of the people were forgiven. In later times the change to white was not invariable: a proof of the people's moral and spiritual deterioration, that was gradually on the increase, until forty years before the destruction of the Second Temple, when the change of color was no longer observed (l.c. 39b).[1]

The medieval scholar Nachmanides (1194–1270) identified the Hebrew text as also referring to a demon, and identified this "Azazel" with Samael.[14] However, he did not see the sending of the goat as honouring Azazel as a deity, but as a symbolic expression of the idea that the people's sins and their evil consequences were to be sent back to the spirit of desolation and ruin, the source of all impurity. The very fact that the two goats were presented before God, before the one was sacrificed and the other sent into the wilderness, was proof that Azazel was not ranked alongside God, but regarded simply as the personification of wickedness in contrast with the righteous government of God.[1]

Maimonides (1134–1204) says that as sins cannot be taken off one’s head and transferred elsewhere, the ritual is symbolic, enabling the penitent to discard his sins: “These ceremonies are of a symbolic character and serve to impress man with a certain idea and to lead him to repent, as if to say, ‘We have freed ourselves of our previous deeds, cast them behind our backs and removed them from us as far as possible’.”[15]

The rite, resembling, on one hand, the sending off of the basket with the woman embodying wickedness to the land of Shinar in the vision of Zechariah (5:6-11), and, on the other, the letting loose of the living bird into the open field in the case of the leper healed from the plague (Lev 14:7), was, indeed, viewed by the people of Jerusalem as a means of ridding themselves of the sins of the year. So would the crowd, called Babylonians or Alexandrians, pull the goat's hair to make it hasten forth, carrying the burden of sins away with it (Yoma vi. 4, 66b; "Epistle of Barnabas," vii.), and the arrival of the shattered animal at the bottom of the valley of the rock of Bet Ḥadudo, twelve miles away from the city, was signalized by the waving of shawls to the people of Jerusalem, who celebrated the event with boisterous hilarity and amid dancing on the hills (Yoma vi. 6, 8; Ta'an. iv. . Evidently the figure of Azazel was an object of general fear and awe rather than, as has been conjectured, a foreign product or the invention of a late lawgiver. More as a demon of the desert, it seems to have been closely interwoven with the mountainous region of Jerusalem.[1]

The Latin Vulgate contains no mention of "Azazel" but only of capro emissario "emissary goat":

8 mittens super utrumque sortem unam Domino et alteram capro emissario. 9 cuius sors exierit Domino offeret illum pro peccato 10 cuius autem in caprum emissarium statuet eum vivum coram Domino ut fundat preces super eo et emittat illum in solitudinem. — Latin Vulgate, Leviticus 16:8–10

English versions, such as the King James Bible followed the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate in understanding the term as relating to a goat. A modern version English Standard Version provides the footnote "16:8 The meaning of Azazel is uncertain; possibly the name of a place or a demon, traditionally a scapegoat; also verses 10, 26". Most scholars accept the indication of some kind of demon or deity,[16] however Judit M. Blair notes that this is an argument without supporting contemporary text evidence.[17]

Ida Zatelli (1998)[18] has suggested that the Hebrew ritual parallels pagan practice of sending a scapegoat into the desert on the occasion of a royal wedding found in two ritual texts in archives at Ebla (24th C. BC). A she-goat with a silver bracelet hung from her neck was driven forth into the wasteland of 'Alini' by the community.[19] There is no mention of an "Azazel".[20]

According to The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Azazel is the Hebrew word for scapegoat. This is the only place that the Hebrew word is found in the whole Hebrew Old Testament. It says that the Book of Enoch, (extra-biblical Jewish theological literature, dated around 200 B.C.) is full of demonology and reference to fallen angels. The EBC (Vol 2) says that this text uses late Aramaic forms for these names which indicates that The Book of Enoch most likely relies upon the Hebrew Leviticus text rather than the Leviticus text being reliant upon the Book of Enoch.[21]

Cyril of Alexandria sees the apompaios (sent-away one, scapegoat) as a foretype of Christ.

Origen ("Contra Celsum," vi. 43) identifies Azazel with Satan.[22]

There is a depiction of Azazel in his familiar form of a goat-like demon, in Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal (Paris,1825).

Adventists teach that the scapegoat, or Azazel, is a symbol for Satan. This was commonly taught among Christians of other centuries as well.[23] The scapegoat scenario has been interpreted to be a prefigure of the final judgment by which sin is removed forever from the universe. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the sins of the believers are forgiven them, but the fact that sins were committed still exist on record in the "Books" of heaven (see Revelation 20:12). After the final judgment, the responsibility for all those forgiven sins are accredited to the originator of sin, Satan. After which, Satan is destroyed in the Lake of Fire. Sin no longer will exist anywhere.[24]

They believe that Satan will finally have to bear the responsibility for the sins of the believers of all ages, and that this was foreshadowed on the Day of Atonement when the high priest confessed the sins of Israel over the head of the scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:21)

Some critics have accused Adventists of giving Satan the status of sin-bearer alongside Jesus Christ. Adventists have responded by insisting that Satan is not a saviour, nor does he provide atonement for sin; Christ alone is the substitutionary sacrifice for sin, but holds no responsibility for it. In the final judgment, responsibility for sin is passed back to Satan who first caused mankind to sin. As the responsible party, Satan receives the wages for his sin – namely, death. Jesus alone bore the wage of death for the sinful world, while the guilt of sin is ultimately disposed of on Satan who carried the responsibility of "leading the whole world astray." Thus, the unsaved are held responsible for their own sin, while the saved, depend on Christ's righteousness. [25] The SDA Sabbath School quarterly, 2013 asks the question, "Does Satan then play a role in our salvation, as some falsely charge we teach? Of course not. Satan never, in any way, bears sin for us as a substitute. Jesus alone has done that, and it is blasphemy to think that Satan had any part in our redemption." [26]

The name Azazel (Arabic: عزازيل ‘Azāzīl) is mentioned in hadith to be the original name of Iblis. Iblis was the Jinni who worshiped Allah (God) from amongst the ranks of the angels. He denied Allah's command to bow down before Adam and later tempted Adam to eat from the forbidden tree. He made a promise to tempt mankind into sin and lead them all astray – those who are heedless of the signs of Allah (God). The word Iblis means "to despair" and Azazel despaired of the Mercy of God, thus earning him that title.

Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Masoud and some companions, said: that Iblis was the main chief between Angels in the first heaven close to the earth and Ibn Abbas said[citation needed]: Iblis name was Azazel عزازيل then Allah changed it to Iblis as the story mentioned in The Quran.

In Sufism, Azazel is mentioned in the Tawasin, the collection by the 10th Century Sufi writer, Mansur Al-Hallaj. Chapter Six of that writing is dedicated to the self-defence of Iblis, and in one section Hallaj explains how each of the letters of Azazel's name relate to his personality.[27]

In the Ismāʿīlī Ginans which are recognized as the explanation of the Qur'an, Pir Sadardin explains in the fourth verse of his Ginan Allah ek kassam:[28]

There are many references to the Azazel figure in popular culture, with the character appearing in some form in film, television, fiction, music, comics and video games.

References

1. "AZAZEL (Scapegoat, Lev. xvi., A. V.)". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906.
2. ESV Leviticus 16
3. "AZAZEL". Jewish Encyclopedia. JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
4. Yoma 67b; Sifra, Aḥare, ii. 2; Targ. Yer. Lev. xiv. 10, and most medieval commentators
5. For a delineation of the various Rabbinic opinions here, see R. Aryeh Kaplan's note on "Azazel" (Lev 16:.
6. Brandt "Mandäische Theologie" 1889 pp. 197, 198; Norberg's "Onomasticon," p. 31; Adriaan Reland's "De Religione Mohammedanarum," p. 89; Kamus, s.v. "Azazel" [demon identical with Satan]; Delitzsch, "Zeitsch. f. Kirchl. Wissensch. u. Leben," 1880, p. 182)
7. Ralph D. Levy The symbolism of the Azazel goat 1998 "the midrash is less elaborate than in 1 Enoch, and, notably, makes no mention of Azazel or Asa' el at all."
8. also referring to fallen angels. Loren T. Stückenbruck The Book of Giants from Qumran: texts, translation, and commentary
9. 16:8 mittens super utrumque sortem unam Domino et alteram capro emissario
10. 3 Mose 16:8 German: Luther (1545) Und soll das Los werfen über die zween Böcke, ein Los dem HERRN und das andere dem ledigen Bock.
11. D.J. Stökl in Sacrifice in religious experience ed. Albert I. Baumgarten p. 218
12. Andrei Orlov, Azazel as the Celestial Scapegoat
13. Yoma 39
14. Israel Drazin, Stanley M. Wagner, Onkelos on the Torah: Understanding the Bible Text Vol.3, p. PA122, at Google Books. Gefen, 2008. p. 122. ISBN 978-965-229-425-8.
15. Guide to the Perplexed 3:46, featured on the Internet Sacred Text Archive
16. Wright, David P. "Azazel." Pages 1:536–37 in Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman et al. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
17. Judit M. Blair De-demonising the Old Testament: An Investigation of Azazel, Lilith, Deber p. 23–24
18. Wright, The Disposal of Impurity: Elimination Rites in the Bible and in Hittite and Mesopotamian literature at Google Books. Scholars Press, University of Michigan, 1987. ISBN 978-1-55540-056-9
20. Blair p. 21
21. Gabelein, Frank E. (1990). The Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. p. 590. ISBN 978-0310364405.
22. John Granger Cook The interpretation of the Old Testament in Greco-Roman paganism 299
23. "In later times the word Azazel was by many Jews and also by Christian theologians, such as Origen, regarded as that Satan himself who had fallen away from God. In this interpretation the contrast found in Lev_16:8, in case it is to be regarded as a full parallelism, would be perfectly correct," International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Azazel article, Eerdmen Publishing, 1915.
24. White, E. G., 1911, The Great Controversy, p. 422
25. Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., 1957. Chapters 34 The Meaning of Azazel and 35 The Transaction With the Scapegoat.
26. http://www.absg.adventist.org/2013/4Q/TE/PDFs/ETQ413_06.pdf
27. Michael A. Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism, (Mahwah, New Jersey:Paulist Press, 1996), 266-80
28. Pīr Ṣadr ad-Dīn. "100 ginānjī ćopaḍī ćogaḍīevārī". Bombay: Lāljībhāī Devrāj, Khojā Siñdhā Ćhāpākhānû, 1903. MS Indic 2534. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Here is the second of two audio-recordings of a controversial lecture by Dr. Desmond Ford (which I attended). Notice especially what the respondent (Dr. Eric Syme) says concerning "Azazel". I know very little concerning this topic -- but I get the sinking-feeling that I should begin studying diligently (as if my eternal-life depended upon it). I attended dozens of Dr. Ford's classes -- and I spoke with Dr. Syme in his office, regarding Dr. Ford's "apostasy" and the aftermath. Dr. Syme told me that when he converted from Anglicanism to Adventism, his relatives thought he had gone "nuts" -- and he was beginning to wonder if they might've been right!! Dr. Syme drove his Triumph TR6 like a bat out of the hot-place!! Once more -- what is it about the English and Australians??!! Siriusly!! Once again -- think long and hard about David, Solomon, and the Queen of Sheba. Please read "Joshua and the Angel" immediately below the Ford-Video ("Ford has a Better Idea") for one version of "Good-News" concerning the "Investigative-Judgment". That's all I'm going to say about that -- for now.

orthodoxymoron wrote:

Raven wrote:

orthodoxymoron wrote:

Raven wrote:OrthordoxymorOn quote:

Frankly my dear - I don't give a damn. Hell - with all of my blasphemous posts and delusions of grandeur - I could be the damn antichrist!

Bingo!!!! Now go look in the mirror Satan

Raven! Now you're getting nasty! You're so sexy when you're nasty! Does it sometimes take one to know one? Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle 'black'? Leo Zagami said that he was Christ (and that Amen Ra was his father) - so if I am opposed to Leo (especially in regard to his 'Prison - 2012 - Armageddon rant' - then I take that as a complement. Once again - I wish for everyone to be happy - and that means everyone - including you, Raven. Namaste.

Yes Oxy it does take one to know one *wink* a black kettle indeed, womb of Isis. But then, YOU know.
I am extremely happy to know that my 'nasty' ways have turned you on Oxy, but we will chat later, I have an urgent task at hand.....well maybe its both hands...

I am the Tree of Akhenaton and the Djed of Amen Rah Mirror of Hathor
Raven.

No hard feelings, Raven. No, actually, I take that back. Think long and hard about that one. Speaking of back - I looked-up 'Djed' http://www.egyptartsite.com/symlst.html Speaking of Egypt - you remind me of Hathor. Double your pleasure by using both hands, Raven - but make sure that you have lots of Vaseline stockpiled in preparation for the coming earthchanges. These drawings were smuggled out of the Dulce Deep Underground Military Base by Thomas Costello. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIaYGz-vY4&feature=related Incidentally - my primitive Red Letter Christology includes Egyptology. I really think this thing will work out well for everyone, including you, Raven. That text you quoted from the Gospels is interesting and troubling - and highlights my belief that the Bible is a mixed-bag and a big puzzle - which needs to be completely understood and solved. Still - I don't do the numerology and symbology thing very well - so I have left that to others - such as Dr. Desmond Ford, Dr. Erwin R. Gane, Dr. Tonyblue, Dr. Matrix, et al. At some point, I would love to speak with you, without the mind-games and nastiness. I realize that you are much more knowledgeable and experienced than I am - but I like ladies who are experienced, and who know what they're doing...

SuiGeneris wrote:

Remember...

You are in our VVOMB Oxy

We Love you!!


Xeia kali de WaterFlyer Leviathan of The Sacred Waters of Heaven
&
Amzara Ishtara Behemoth of The Sacred Fires of Hell,

DoveRaven and RavenDove of The Logos Womb, Mirrors of Hathor, AMEN RA

SuiGeneris wrote:

The Creator's Agony!!

(A poem by Oxy as channeled through Xeia)

A hundred years of solitude awaits me...
for my Queen was banned from the Mists,
we were happy and fine with our fists,
but true fear and ignorance remains...
see this fire that burns in my veins?
It's my longing for her that berates me!
scarred, torn is what equates me...
in the wait I'm consumed with my pains.





Anointment of the ET-Breed/Clan
in the preparation of the Logos-Family for Contact!!

B.B.Baghor wrote:Thank you, ortho, for that link with Veronica's book, it works I've noticed it's a poetic form, not prose. It's beautifully designed. My book will be in prose, I'll let you know when it's finished and I might ask you to read a part of it and tell me how you find it.

I might publish it on one of my websites, in due time. Also I'm planning to add illustrations by my own hand, so it will take a while. No hurries whatsoever, though it's some sort of birthing process. The title will reveal itself in the process, easy does it

Look at this short promotional movie, created by General Motors. It shows how the Industrial Revolution shaped our reality, in a fast forward way, in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Now life itself seems to throw us off the Steel Age pedestal. I see many signs of rust. And I mean that also in a metaphorical sense. It will have to make way for new creations that are beneficial to all living beings. I believe life doesn't tolerate any other way, ultimately. Happy Eastern, ortho

New Horizons.
https://archive.org/details/ToNewHor1940

blue roller wrote:Doctor Who ? The man who travels in a blue wooden box (carbon) that is disguised as a public telephone free to use ! Why does the simple truth in that symbol not hit home ? Because until you realize your own brain is a cosmic telephone its just a joke Right ?

But its true and those who know and have experienced this truth will eventually see the message everywhere they look.

Freddie Mercury was an Italian Opera singer before he was Freddie Mercury . He looked exactly the same ,as did his Co star , Sarah Brightman , with whom he often co starred in Film. Bohemian Rhapsody make more sense now ?

The real Phantom of the Opera was and still is Freddie Mercury's Brother . Same features . During WW2 he was Richard Hope Hillary .

Highlander . Who wants to live forever when love must Die ? The curse of the Immortals . Oscar Wilde wrote a book about one .

Freddie released an album after his Death Called ? From Heaven. The stars.

Lake Geneva , the place of new birth. Vevey , the source of life under the watchful eye of the mountains called the Pleiades. Its all written in the geography Orthy.

Chateau Chillon. Montreaux, Mountain of the Eye . Time Flies ,tempus fugit . Swiss Watch maker Longines . Long Genes . Spear of Destiny wielded by Longinus. The arrow of time flys through the Bulls eye (stargate) and exceeding the speed of light ,defies time itself.

The truth is written in the stars. Ava Gardner. Anagram of per ardua as Astra. Eduard . Edward .

Know the language of the priest Kings and you will know all the stars in all their circuits. Language is augury , prophesying the future ! Co ordinates in words . Use the right words and you unlock the Telephone with the password.

blue roller wrote:You envy me ? Why ?

If you want the inside line you have to go inside . Why do you keep debasing yourself ? Is it because you think that by doing so God will love you ? That's programmed thinking Orthy , that's submission to a "god" who does not care about you. That's laying your son on the altar to appease a jealous god who hates you.

You cannot mix new wine with Old . You don't put new wine in old skins. Let that Old testament crap go . Its Mind poison.

I always get accused of being angry by those who don't want to see the simple truth . They want it complex like their 'god'.

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS WITHIN YOU.

I always get accused of hating and anger by those who feel threatened. Love does not stand idly by and watch suffering. It tries to help. But often that helped is rejected because the oppressed are addicted to pain and self hate .

When are you going to give yourself the gift of love and let go of all that self recrimination ?

The hills are alive with the sound of music and you are obsessing about evil . Get away from the madness and let the Queens give you some much needed comfort. Who is the most powerful player on the Chess board ? That's because the Queen IS the chessboard.

How many seek comfort in the Church and find only arid  stone walls echoing to the sound of empty chatter ,judgement and hate ? Natures temple is far more kind and forgiving than the Crystal cathedral of VANITY.

Self pity and self love cannot coexist . Old wine turned bitter does not sit easy in the stomach or the mind . It burdens it .

The well spring of eternal life is just waiting for you to pick up the phone and call home . But you keep making excuses Orthy . Stop masturbating to that chapter and verse gobbledygook and make that call. You have a perfect vessel but until you hoist sail your rotting in port.

You don't play scrabble by looking in a Dictionary .You take the letters and form words and connections . THEN you are making progress .

Don't do a Pris and bail out when the going gets interesting . Follow through .You have all the pieces you need to figure this out.

I am not going to waste any more time here when the Owner deletes my thread without a decent excuse so make it count Orthy. Stop playing with your self and help yourself.

The message is simple ,the message is love . But if you cant accept that then you are going round in circles of hate . Look around you . What do you really want ?

Carol wrote:

blue roller wrote:A mature response deserves a mature reply . But Infantile ridicule always backfires on the perp . So Orthy there is not much more to say other than this. My humble opinion based not on reading and preaching but Experience.

Its your life to live. Live it . Don't wait for approval here to feel validated . You wont get it . All you will get is obsequious chatter ,faint praise and empty platitude. Its like Church without the offsetting pleasure of decent music.

The Old Testament is like corporate marketing ,it is corporate marketing. Big on promises ,short on delivery.

Testament from the word Testes , the male regenerative organs. Weighed, measured and found wanting.

Who cares who begat who in genesis ? What does it matter ?

Some guy tells a group they are chosen and offers them the promised land IF they obey him . Uhuh. Sounds like tyranny to me. Sounds like the empty promises of every two bit fair ground hustler, car dealer ,realtor or politician.

Dr Who yes , good stuff . Lots of good stuff in Sci fi .Stick with it Orthy. Dont weigh it down with fear.

Who are you ? Who ,who,who,who .I really wanna know..........

William Bramley's book Gods of Eden , is a good book. Yes, I have read it and corresponded with him. Dont get bogged down in all the negative stuff though . Be the difference you want to see .Dont wait for it to be brought to you on a silver platter . Gotta lift that pack on to your back and make the pilgrimage yourself.

Most Humans who are successfully contacted by their ET brothers and sisters do so after they have set themselves free by Living ,traveling and being themselves. They make themselves ready and open and it happens so naturally then. They dont have anything to sell or loyalty to demand . They are to busy exploring the universe and having a blast to waste time with that small town mentality. When people are happy and free they naturally want to share that with anyone they see in pain. There is nothing to take ,just a chance to give freely without any thought of return. Feels good to do that.

Sure there are arseholes out there too but you only hang out with them if you want to be one of them . Do what makes you happy if you don't like being unhappy.

Many don't know it but we love to make contact on the road . We do it all the time. Because that's when people are open to adventure and new experiences. Not bent over a bible in the Men's room trying to squeeze logic out of lousy mass marketing. No we dont beam people up. We come as we are and talk , make a connection just like anyone else would. Share a beer and lunch .Walk awhile and chat. All that midnight abduction crap is just fear mongering by those who know that fear is the only way they can keep you enslaved.

Im not trying to shoot you down or demean you at all. I am saying simply this.You deserve to be happy . But you need to make the choices that will allow it to happen.

I get banned and censored because I am telling people HOW to get free. Why ?

 

blue roller wrote:Have to be quick because Im cooking dinner here .

Its okay to be ignorant and innocent you know ? Its okay to wander around lost if you follow your passion and keep your mind open. The journey is not always about getting answers , its about living through the questions and growing in the process .

I get monitored too but I dont take it personally . I will happily chat with an intelligence officer or Jehovah's witness and enjoy the interaction. The trick is not to hate on them , just let them be who they are while not compromising on your own sense of where you are going .

I do tend to be very direct but not to offend or hurt . Its just a cultural thing peculiar to my people I guess . Direct frank and to the point . To my people ,diplomatic double speak is offensive and tiresome and historically we have good reason to be leery of it. So yes I know , most people on this planet are used to a very vague nuanced and subject to interpretation way of speaking . Where I come from its called dumb insolence and insulting. Passive aggression is not something that we care for.

We all have Demons. We all have a dark side . But denying it only feeds it . When it comes up you have to see it , manage it and master it .

Why is that ? Because we are all connected and there is just no getting around that . I like to use humor and irony to color my conversation and avoid upsetting people to much. So for that reason I place greater value on experience than words alone. How can you know the word until you have experienced it ? Fire ? Whats that until you feel the heat for the first time ?

Life in a Human body needs to be adventurous to get the results your DNA needs to evolve . Its not an armchair kind of Body . Its a balls out go for it kind of vessel. Its like the old saying .Ships are safest in Harbour but that's not what ships are made for.

Eartheart wrote:
just returning from the great eastern rabbithunt on monkeyplanet om shree hanumaji

i am finding out that the great flood of words is still engulfing this creative thoughtsphere on our solarsystem governance, highjacked by well known terrorist jawohl et al pseudonyms, known for the genocide and holocaustic mindset of the unhappy infidels!!! Man of man Oxy

I wanted to see this propaganda smeer RISEN 2016 now, but this has to wait till i am through with this renewed onslaught of OT commentators and their 3.kind types...

: will not condem those Paulinistas and other side figurines caught up in the Lordly jesus & jeshua great mystery and wonder show, but to giveit a go andnoshot at all, lets consider and see what Dr Oxy would say:

Under duress of interogation and folter by countless religious extremists through the collectiv subconsciousness channels and divers neural circuit blockers i had to become acquainted with those simple but excidingly boring matters at mind of your proposed proposition...

As most is irrelevant in connection with the second serving or cumming (which is not only a male idea ), i have to really hard scrape for the essential templates in those Luke Ford / Desmond Ford / Meredith Kline / M.L. Andreasen / Ellen White Commentaries, but by resonant Cosmix it reveals what mass/mess/miss out the Spirit divinated in their respective lifes...

Ellen White forcefully drives home the point that Jesus must come in a humanity that is like ours. Christ reaches us 'where we are.' The ladder rests on the earth ; not on an insulated, shock absorber-outfitted platform above the earth. He 'took our nature;' His 'humanity reaches us.

See timely with the just ongoing resurrection we can affirm again, there is no Jesus extra, no God outside and no known religion than your own highest feelings of communion and your loving focus on them!!!

So there is no thing or person to idolize or follow, the whole indoctrination is from level 0 civilisation planets as every cat can tell you...

There is the bit of obscure wonder while wandering without beeing lost in the holo of divinespirit and as it is pervert to discuss the face/figurine of HisHer appearance, it might be the essence of those writers stupid fascinations with the false understood or mistranslated OT& NT poetic litany...

So: Someone under the divine supraordeal of Grace (say forced orgasm?)w ouldnt question and divide what HeShe witnessed or was made to create, things go way to fast than tohave time for such silly games and namequizzes, parables and tales from the clean shead

Earnestly i couldnt enter some churches because of their molded stench and wouldnt touch the old american paperbooks laid out in adventist prayerhalls (u know i love trees and those books are evil in content and production habitual) even with fbi-gloves to secure evidence of their counterproductive methodologic. You see on yourself what the false priest has to go through to reach atonement again, OxydOxydOxyd... by calling constantly for humility, by bringing us daily to our knees, by ending with us washing each others’ feet and sharing in Christ’s broken body and shed blood, showed us that while we can continue to discuss and study, the way forward is as brothers and sisters who have a shared message to tell to the world. christian BS observed in your community?

U got your statement of 28 Fundamental Beliefs. They hold together our core identity in terms of faith and doctrine. Resist any tendency to pluck out strains from any of these and make them into a separate and new doctrine which will divide the Living...

we can gain victory, but that will not be by settling the precise human nature of Christ; It will not be by the power of His example; it will be by the “power of his resurrection” (pointing at the holo, where the child is undivided from the parental love and got wholespirit wholeheartedly x-pressed)

While the intent expressed in such books like Andreasen’s The Sanctuary Service and QOD about "original"sin and "inheritance" of christ which is ours ect. may fascinate readers of "talking with god" english edition, we should !hear and know! like advertized in the secret doctrines...

Is it a dutyto fight a crusade against paedophiles or clean thetemple of moneychangers and digitalshadows of hitlers???
What is relevant 4 your revelation is the here mentioned holo of livinginspirit as overshadowed entety or devkid


In my incarnation those forces from high up gave my all of the existing details without asking for it, inscribing thought/freq processing and problem resolving reactions intothat akashic which guides humanity. While i witnessed a kind of following in the footsteps by "others" of the same, countries and cultures, minds and procedures i can just bear the war which is still fought on the nacked fronts. That must have been the same since the introduction of the reverse genetix by orions minions and AI protocol into our living webb... And it gives the same free open door of Loove like ever!!!

But Christ reaches us where we are. He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His nature might overcome....By His humanity He reaches us." ( Desire of Ages , pp. 311,312)

Learning certain technix from DevSpirit is on everybodies agenda! It is between the letters and in the top plane before we get asked and heared. Celebrating the wonder of discipleship is insane like a jihad on GMO or NWO. Smiling at your own miracle resurrection is sane, and in trust we all follow and invent and create patterns, which are part of thegreat celestine synphony of cutting through the interspecies BS and uniting the different olarsystems, so them can follow up the divine will/plan...

Hope i could funq with Toth&Seth in you a bit, see you in the nightly ether and now i have Hazel+cinnamoon+vanille+cardamoonCoffee and italian sweets and watch "Risen2016" thanx 4 your updted readinglist, extracted all relevant ideas in 44 seconds and stay happy

Thank-you Eartheart. I probably understood 50% of what you posted. That Last-Generation Perfection thing actually has a place in my theological-thinking -- but not in the way that most Perfectionists think of it. Some of them are just the opposite of Perfect!! What Would Kevin Paulson Say?? You haven't lived until you've argued with Kevin!! What Would Mark Martin Say?? What Would Nichol Hall Say?? What Would Gane Say?? I keep thinking that a Marriage of Last-Generation Perfection of Character -- and the Human-Potential Movement -- is a Match Made in Heaven!! Seriously, has there been ANYONE who has mastered Patriarchs and Prophets -- Prophets and Kings -- and Desire of Ages -- right down to the thinking and speaking style manifested therein -- perhaps in a Vala Mal Doran, PhD manner -- if you know what I mean??!! Think about Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra (1963) talking with EllenSpeak!!! What is the True-Origin of the Ellen White Editorial-Voice in her Post-1890 Material?? M. L. Andreasen had unprecedented-access to Ellen White and her writings at Elmshaven, in St. Helena, California (toward the end of her life). His bias was that she couldn't have possibly written her writings, because of her lack of education -- and her book's complexity and sophistication. Andreasen's first-book (in 1929, I believe) was Isaiah: The Gospel Prophet. Why did he choose Isaiah (in light of his close-association with Ellen White)?? White's last book was Prophets and Kings (which prominently features Isaiah). I've taken All of the Above out of the church -- and placed it in a Non-Christian Science-Fictional Context.

http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp44.html The Israelites deeply mourned for their departed leader, and thirty days were devoted to special services in honor of his memory. Never till he was taken from them had they so fully realized the value of his wise counsels, his parental tenderness, and his unswerving faith. With a new and deeper appreciation they recalled the precious lessons he had given while still with them.

Moses was dead, but his influence did not die with him. It was to live on, reproducing itself in the hearts of his people. The memory of that holy, unselfish life would long be cherished, with silent, persuasive power molding the lives even of those who had neglected his living words. As the glow of the descending sun lights up the mountain peaks long after the sun itself has sunk behind the hills, so the works of the pure, the holy, and the good shed light upon the world long after the actors themselves have passed away. Their works, their words, their example, will forever live. "The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." Psalm 112:6.

While they were filled with grief at their great loss, the people knew that they were not left alone. The pillar of cloud rested over the tabernacle by day, and the pillar of fire by night, an assurance that God would still be their guide and helper if they would walk in the way of His commandments.

Joshua was now the acknowledged leader of Israel. He had been known chiefly as a warrior, and his gifts and virtues were especially valuable at this stage in the history of his people. Courageous, resolute, and persevering, prompt, incorruptible, unmindful of selfish interests in his care for those committed to his charge, and, above all, inspired by a living faith in God--such was the character of the man divinely chosen to conduct the armies of Israel in their entrance upon the Promised Land. During the sojourn in the wilderness he had acted as prime minister to Moses, and by his quiet, unpretending fidelity, his steadfastness when others wavered, his firmness to maintain the truth in the midst of danger, he had given evidence of his fitness to succeed Moses, even before he was called to the position by the voice of God.

It was with great anxiety and self-distrust that Joshua had looked forward to the work before him; but his fears were removed by the assurance of God, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. . . . Unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." To the heights of Lebanon in the far distance, to the shores of the Great Sea, and away to the banks of the Euphrates in the east--all was to be theirs.

To this promise was added the injunction, "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded." The Lord's direction was, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night;" "turn not from it to the right hand or to the left;" "for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

The Israelites were still encamped on the east side of Jordan, which presented the first barrier to the occupation of Canaan. "Arise," had been the first message of God to Joshua, "go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them." No instruction was given as to the way in which they were to make the passage. Joshua knew, however, that whatever God should command, He would make a way for His people to perform, and in this faith the intrepid leader at once began his arrangements for an advance.

A few miles beyond the river, just opposite the place where the Israelites were encamped, was the large and strongly fortified city of Jericho. This city was virtually the key to the whole country, and it would present a formidable obstacle to the success of Israel. Joshua therefore sent two young men as spies to visit this city and ascertain something as to its population, its resources, and the strength of its fortifications. The inhabitants of the city, terrified and suspicious, were constantly on the alert, and the messengers were in great danger. They were, however, preserved by Rahab, a woman of Jericho, at the peril of her own life. In return for her kindness they gave her a promise of protection when the city should be taken.

The spies returned in safety with the tidings, "Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us." It had been declared to them in Jericho, "We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath."

Orders were now issued to make ready for an advance. The people were to prepare a three days' supply of food, and the army was to be put in readiness for battle. All heartily acquiesced in the plans of their leader and assured him of their confidence and support: "All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as He was with Moses."

Leaving their encampment in the acacia groves of Shittim, the host descended to the border of the Jordan. All knew, however, that without divine aid they could not hope to make the passage. At this time of the year--in the spring season--the melting snows of the mountains had so raised the Jordan that the river overflowed its banks, making it impossible to cross at the usual fording places. God willed that the passage of Israel over Jordan should be miraculous. Joshua, by divine direction, commanded the people to sanctify themselves; they must put away their sins and free themselves from all outward impurity; "for tomorrow," he said, "the Lord will do wonders among you." The "ark of the covenant" was to lead the way before the host. When they should see the token of Jehovah's presence, borne by the priests, remove from its place in the center of the camp, and advance toward the river, then they were to remove from their place, "and go after it.' The circumstances of the passage were minutely foretold; and said Joshua, "Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites. . . . Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan."

At the appointed time began the onward movement, the ark, borne upon the shoulders of the priests, leading the van. The people had been directed to fall back, so that there was a vacant space of more than half a mile about the ark. All watched with deep interest as the priests advanced down the bank of the Jordan. They saw them with the sacred ark move steadily forward toward the angry, surging stream, till the feet of the bearers were dipped into the waters. Then suddenly the tide above was swept back, while the current below flowed on, and the bed of the river was laid bare.

At the divine command the priests advanced to the middle of the channel and stood there while the entire host descended and crossed to the farther side. Thus was impressed upon the minds of all Israel the fact that the power that stayed the waters of Jordan was the same that had opened the Red Sea to their fathers forty years before. When the people had all passed over, the ark itself was borne to the western shore. No sooner had it reached a place of security, and "the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land," than the imprisoned waters, being set free, rushed down, a resistless flood, in the natural channel of the stream.

Coming generations were not to be without a witness to this great miracle. While the priests bearing the ark were still in the midst of Jordan, twelve men previously chosen, one from each tribe, took up each a stone from the river bed where the priests were standing, and carried it over to the western side. These stones were to be set up as a monument in the first camping place beyond the river. The people were bidden to repeat to their children and children's children the story of the deliverance that God had wrought for them, as Joshua said, "That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God forever."

The influence of this miracle, both upon the Hebrews and upon their enemies, was of great importance. It was an assurance to Israel of God's continued presence and protection--an evidence that He would work for them through Joshua as He had wrought through Moses. Such an assurance was needed to strengthen their hearts as they entered upon the conquest of the land--the stupendous task that had staggered the faith of their fathers forty years before. The Lord had declared to Joshua before the crossing, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee." And the result fulfilled the promise. "On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life."

This exercise of divine power in behalf of Israel was designed also to increase the fear with which they were regarded by the surrounding nations, and thus prepare the way for their easier and complete triumph. When the tidings that God had stayed the waters of Jordan before the children of Israel, reached the kings of the Amorites and of the Canaanites, their hearts melted with fear. The Hebrews had already slain the five kings of Midian, the powerful Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og of Bashan, and now the passage over the swollen and impetuous Jordan filled all the surrounding nations with terror. To the Canaanites, to all Israel, and to Joshua himself, unmistakable evidence had been given that the living God, the King of heaven and earth, was among His people, and that He would not fail them nor forsake them.

A short distance from Jordan the Hebrews made their first encampment in Canaan. Here Joshua "circumcised the children of Israel;" "and the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover." The suspension of the rite of circumcision since the rebellion at Kadesh had been a constant witness to Israel that their covenant with God, of which it was the appointed symbol, had been broken. And the discontinuance of the Passover, the memorial of their deliverance from Egypt, had been an evidence of the Lord's displeasure at their desire to return to the land of bondage. Now, however, the years of rejection were ended. Once more God acknowledged Israel as His people, and the sign of the covenant was restored. The rite of circumcision was performed upon all the people who had been born in the wilderness. And the Lord declared to Joshua, "This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you," and in allusion to this the place of their encampment was called Gilgal, "a rolling away," or "rolling off."

Heathen nations had reproached the Lord and His people because the Hebrews had failed to take possession of Canaan, as they expected, soon after leaving Egypt. Their enemies had triumphed because Israel had wandered so long in the wilderness, and they had mockingly declared that the God of the Hebrews was not able to bring them into the Promised Land. The Lord had now signally manifested His power and favor in opening the Jordan before His people, and their enemies could no longer reproach them.

"On the fourteenth day of the month at even," the Passover was celebrated on the plains of Jericho. "And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan." The long years of their desert wanderings were ended. The feet of Israel were at last treading the Promised Land.

http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp45.html The Hebrews had entered Canaan, but they had not subdued it; and to human appearance the struggle to gain possession of the land must be long and difficult. It was inhabited by a powerful race, who stood ready to oppose the invasion of their territory. The various tribes were bound together by the fear of a common danger. Their horses and iron battle chariots, their knowledge of the country, and their training in war, would give them great advantage. Furthermore, the country was guarded by fortresses--"cities great and fenced up to heaven." Deuteronomy 9:1. Only in the assurance of a strength not their own could the Israelites hope for success in the impending conflict.

One of the strongest fortresses in the land--the large and wealthy city of Jericho--lay just before them, but a little distance from their camp at Gilgal. On the border of a fertile plain abounding with the rich and varied productions of the tropics, its palaces and temples the abode of luxury and vice, this proud city, behind its massive battlements, offered defiance to the God of Israel. Jericho was one of the principal seats of idol worship, being especially devoted to Ashtaroth, the goddess of the moon. Here centered all that was vilest and most degrading in the religion of the Canaanites. The people of Israel, in whose minds were fresh the fearful results of their sin at Beth-peor, could look upon this heathen city only with disgust and horror.

To reduce Jericho was seen by Joshua to be the first step in the conquest of Canaan. But first of all he sought an assurance of divine guidance, and it was granted him. Withdrawing from the encampment to meditate and to pray that the God of Israel would go before His people, he beheld an armed warrior, of lofty stature and commanding presence, "with his sword drawn in his hand." To Joshua's challenge, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" the answer was given, "As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." The same command given to Moses in Horeb, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy," revealed the true character of the mysterious stranger. It was Christ, the Exalted One, who stood before the leader of Israel. Awe-stricken, Joshua fell upon his face and worshiped, and heard the assurance, "I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor," and he received instruction for the capture of the city.

In obedience to the divine command Joshua marshaled the armies of Israel. No assault was to be made. They were simply to make the circuit of the city, bearing the ark of God and blowing upon trumpets. First came the warriors, a body of chosen men, not now to conquer by their own skill and prowess, but by obedience to the directions given them from God. Seven priests with trumpets followed. Then the ark of God, surrounded by a halo of divine glory, was borne by priests clad in the dress denoting their sacred office. The army of Israel followed, each tribe under its standard. Such was the procession that compassed the doomed city. No sound was heard but the tread of that mighty host and the solemn peal of the trumpets, echoing among the hills and resounding through the streets of Jericho. The circuit completed, the army returned in silence to their tents, and the ark was restored to its place in the tabernacle.

With wonder and alarm the watchmen of the city marked every move, and reported to those in authority. They knew not the meaning of all this display; but when they beheld that mighty host marching around their city once each day, with the sacred ark and the attendant priests, the mystery of the scene struck terror to the hearts of priest and people. Again they would inspect their strong defenses, feeling certain they could successfully resist the most powerful attack. Many ridiculed the thought that any harm could come to them through these singular demonstrations. Others were awed as they beheld the procession that each day wound about the city. They remembered that the Red Sea had once parted before this people, and that a passage had just been opened for them through the river Jordan. They knew not what further wonders God might work for them.

For six days the host of Israel made the circuit of the city. The seventh day came, and with the first dawn of light, Joshua marshaled the armies of the Lord. Now they were directed to march seven times around Jericho, and at a mighty peal from the trumpets to shout with a loud voice, for God had given them the city.

The vast army marched solemnly around the devoted walls. All was silent, save the measured tread of many feet, and the occasional sound of the trumpet, breaking the stillness of the early morning. The massive walls of solid stone seemed to defy the siege of men. The watchers on the walls looked on with rising fear, as, the first circuit ended, there followed a second, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth. What could be the object of these mysterious movements? What mighty event was impending? They had not long to wait. As the seventh circuit was completed, the long procession paused. The trumpets, which for an interval had been silent, now broke forth in a blast that shook the very earth. The walls of solid stone, with their massive towers and battlements, tottered and heaved from their foundations, and with a crash fell in ruin to the earth. The inhabitants of Jericho were paralyzed with terror, and the hosts of Israel marched in and took possession of the city.

The Israelites had not gained the victory by their own power; the conquest had been wholly the Lord's; and as the first fruits of the land, the city, with all that it contained, was to be devoted as a sacrifice to God. It was to be impressed upon Israel that in the conquest of Canaan they were not to fight for themselves, but simply as instruments to execute the will of God; not to seek for riches or self-exaltation, but the glory of Jehovah their King. Before the capture the command had been given, "The city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein." "Keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed . . . and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."

All the inhabitants of the city, with every living thing that it contained, "both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass," were put to the sword. Only faithful Rahab, with her household, was spared, in fulfillment of the promise of the spies. The city itself was burned; its palaces and temples, its magnificent dwellings with all their luxurious appointments, the rich draperies and the costly garments, were given to the flames. That which could not be destroyed by fire, "the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron," was to be devoted to the service of the tabernacle. The very site of the city was accursed; Jericho was never to be rebuilt as a stronghold; judgments were threatened upon anyone who should presume to restore the walls that divine power had cast down. The solemn declaration was made in the presence of all Israel, "Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it."

The utter destruction of the people of Jericho was but a fulfillment of the commands previously given through Moses concerning the inhabitants of Canaan: "Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them." Deuteronomy 7:2. "Of the cities of these people, . . . thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth." Deuteronomy 20:16. To many these commands seem to be contrary to the spirit of love and mercy enjoined in other portions of the Bible, but they were in truth the dictates of infinite wisdom and goodness. God was about to establish Israel in Canaan, to develop among them a nation and government that should be a manifestation of His kingdom upon the earth. They were not only to be inheritors of the true religion, but to disseminate its principles throughout the world. The Canaanites had abandoned themselves to the foulest and most debasing heathenism, and it was necessary that the land should be cleared of what would so surely prevent the fulfillment of God's gracious purposes.

The inhabitants of Canaan had been granted ample opportunity for repentance. Forty years before, the opening of the Red Sea and the judgments upon Egypt had testified to the supreme power of the God of Israel. And now the overthrow of the kings of Midian, of Gilead and Bashan, had further shown that Jehovah was above all gods. The holiness of His character and His abhorrence of impurity had been evinced in the judgments visited upon Israel for their participation in the abominable rites of Baalpeor. All these events were known to the inhabitants of Jericho, and there were many who shared Rahab's conviction, though they refused to obey it, that Jehovah, the God of Israel, "is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath." Like the men before the Flood, the Canaanites lived only to blaspheme Heaven and defile the earth. And both love and justice demanded the prompt execution of these rebels against God and foes to man.

How easily the armies of heaven brought down the walls of Jericho, that proud city whose bulwarks, forty years before, had struck terror to the unbelieving spies! Thy Mighty One of Israel had said, "I have given into thine hand Jericho." Against that word human strength was powerless.

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down." Hebrews 11:30. The Captain of the Lord's host communicated only with Joshua; He did not reveal Himself to all the congregation, and it rested with them to believe or doubt the words of Joshua, to obey the commands given by him in the name of the Lord, or to deny his authority. They could not see the host of angels who attended them under the leadership of the Son of God. They might have reasoned: "What unmeaning movements are these, and how ridiculous the performance of marching daily around the walls of the city, blowing trumpets of rams' horns. This can have no effect upon those towering fortifications." But the very plan of continuing this ceremony through so long a time prior to the final overthrow of the walls afforded opportunity for the development of faith among the Israelites. It was to be impressed upon their minds that their strength was not in the wisdom of man, nor in his might, but only in the God of their salvation. They were thus to become accustomed to relying wholly upon their divine Leader.

God will do great things for those who trust in Him. The reason why His professed people have no greater strength is that they trust so much to their own wisdom, and do not give the Lord an opportunity to reveal His power in their behalf. He will help His believing children in every emergency if they will place their entire confidence in Him and faithfully obey him.

Soon after the fall of Jericho, Joshua determined to attack Ai, a small town among the ravines a few miles to the west of the Jordan Valley. Spies sent to this place brought back the report that the inhabitants were but few, and that only a small force would be needed to overthrow it.

The great victory that God had gained for them had made the Israelites self-confident. Because He had promised them the land of Canaan they felt secure, and failed to realize that divine help alone could give them success. Even Joshua laid his plans for the conquest of Ai without seeking counsel from God.

The Israelites had begun to exalt their own strength and to look with contempt upon their foes. An easy victory was expected, and three thousand men were thought sufficient to take the place. These rushed to the attack without the assurance that God would be with them. They advanced nearly to the gate of the city, only to encounter the most determined resistance. Panic-stricken at the numbers and thorough preparation of their enemies, they fled in confusion down the steep descent. The Canaanites were in hot pursuit; "they chased them from before the gate, . . . and smote them in the going down." Though the loss was small as to numbers--but thirty-six men being slain--the defeat was disheartening to the whole congregation. "The hearts of the people melted, and became as water." This was the first time they had met the Canaanites in actual battle, and if put to flight before the defenders of this little town, what would be the result in the greater conflicts before them? Joshua looked upon their ill success as an expression of God's displeasure, and in distress and apprehension he "rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads."

"Alas, O Lord God," he cried, "wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? . . . O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?"

The answer from Jehovah was, "Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath . . . transgressed My covenant which I commanded them." It was a time for prompt and decided action, and not for despair and lamentation. There was secret sin in the camp, and it must be searched out and put away before the presence and blessing of the Lord could be with His people. "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."

God's command had been disregarded by one of those appointed to execute His judgments. And the nation was held accountable for the guilt of the transgressor: " They have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also." Instruction was given to Joshua for the discovery and punishment of the criminal. The lot was to be employed for the detection of the guilty. The sinner was not directly pointed out, the matter being left in doubt for a time, that the people might feel their responsibility for the sins existing among them, and thus be led to searching of heart and humiliation before God.

Early in the morning, Joshua gathered the people together by their tribes, and the solemn and impressive ceremony began. Step by step the investigation went on. Closer and still closer came the fearful test. First the tribe, then the family, then the household, then the man was taken, and Achan the son of Carmi, of the tribe of Judah, was pointed out by the finger of God as the troubler of Israel.

To establish his guilt beyond all question, leaving no ground for the charge that he had been unjustly condemned, Joshua solemnly adjured Achan to acknowledge the truth. The wretched man made full confession of his crime: "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel. . . . When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekel's weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent." Messengers were immediately dispatched to the tent, where they removed the earth at the place specified, and "behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, . . . and laid them out before the Lord."

Sentence was pronounced and immediately executed. "Why hast thou troubled us?" said Joshua, "the Lord shall trouble thee this day." As the people had been held responsible for Achan's sin, and had suffered from its consequences, they were, through their representatives, to take part in its punishment. "All Israel stoned him with stones."

Then there was raised over him a great pile of stones--a witness to the sin and its punishment. "Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor," that is, "trouble." In the book of Chronicles his memorial is written--"Achar, the troubler of Israel." 1 Chronicles 2:7.

Achan's sin was committed in defiance of the most direct and solemn warnings and the most mighty manifestations of God's power. "Keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed," had been the proclamation to all Israel. The command was given immediately after the miraculous passage of the Jordan, and the recognition of God's covenant by the circumcision of the people--after the observance of the Passover, and the appearance of the Angel of the covenant, the Captain of the Lord's host. It had been followed by the overthrow of Jericho, giving evidence of the destruction which will surely overtake all transgressors of God's law. The fact that divine power alone had given the victory to Israel, that they had not come into possession of Jericho by their own strength, gave solemn weight to the command prohibiting them from partaking of the spoils. God, by the might of His own word, had overthrown this stronghold; the conquest was His, and to Him alone the city with all that it contained was to be devoted.

Of the millions of Israel there was but one man who, in that solemn hour of triumph and of judgment, had dared to transgress the command of God. Achan's covetousness was excited by the sight of that costly robe of Shinar; even when it had brought him face to face with death he called it "a goodly Babylonish garment." One sin had led to another, and he appropriated the gold and silver devoted to the treasury of the Lord--he robbed God of the first fruits of the land of Canaan.

The deadly sin that led to Achan's ruin had its root in covetousness, of all sins one of the most common and the most lightly regarded. While other offenses meet with detection and punishment, how rarely does the violation of the tenth commandment so much as call forth censure. The enormity of this sin, and its terrible results, are the lessons of Achan's history.

Covetousness is an evil of gradual development. Achan had cherished greed of gain until it became a habit, binding him in fetters well-nigh impossible to break. While fostering this evil, he would have been filled with horror at the thought of bringing disaster upon Israel; but his perceptions were deadened by sin, and when temptation came, he fell an easy prey.

Are not similar sins still committed, in the face of warnings as solemn and explicit? We are as directly forbidden to indulge covetousness as was Achan to appropriate the spoils of Jericho. God has declared it to be idolatry. We are warned, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24. "Take heed, and beware of covetousness." Luke 12:15. "Let it not be once named among you." Ephesians 5:3. We have before us the fearful doom of Achan, of Judas, of Ananias and Sapphira. Back of all these we have that of Lucifer, the "son of the morning," who, coveting a higher state, forfeited forever the brightness and bliss of heaven. And yet, notwithstanding all these warnings, covetousness abounds.

Everywhere its slimy track is seen. It creates discontent and dissension in families; it excites envy and hatred in the poor against the rich; it prompts the grinding oppression of the rich toward the poor. And this evil exists not in the world alone, but in the church. How common even here to find selfishness, avarice, overreaching, neglect of charities, and robbery of God "in tithes and offerings." Among church members "in good and regular standing" there are, alas! many Achans. Many a man comes statedly to church, and sits at the table of the Lord, while among his possessions are hidden unlawful gains, the things that God has cursed. For a goodly Babylonish garment, multitudes sacrifice the approval of conscience and their hope of heaven. Multitudes barter their integrity, and their capabilities for usefulness, for a bag of silver shekels. The cries of the suffering poor are unheeded; the gospel light is hindered in its course; the scorn of worldlings is kindled by practices that give the lie to the Christian profession; and yet the covetous professor continues to heap up treasures. "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me" (Malachi 3:, saith the Lord.

Achan's sin brought disaster upon the whole nation. For one man's sin the displeasure of God will rest upon His church till the transgression is searched out and put away. The influence most to be feared by the church is not that of open opposers, infidels, and blasphemers, but of inconsistent professors of Christ. These are the ones that keep back the blessing of the God of Israel and bring weakness upon His people.

When the church is in difficulty, when coldness and spiritual declension exist, giving occasion for the enemies of God to triumph, then, instead of folding their hands and lamenting their unhappy state, let its members inquire if there is not an Achan in the camp. With humiliation and searching of heart, let each seek to discover the hidden sins that shut out God's presence.

Achan acknowledged his guilt, but when it was too late for the confession to benefit himself. He had seen the armies of Israel return from Ai defeated and disheartened; yet he did not come forward and confess his sin. He had seen Joshua and the elders of Israel bowed to the earth in grief too great for words. Had he then made confession, he would have given some proof of true penitence; but he still kept silence. He had listened to the proclamation that a great crime had been committed, and had even heard its character definitely stated. But his lips were sealed. Then came the solemn investigation. How his soul thrilled with terror as he saw his tribe pointed out, then his family and his household! But still he uttered no confession, until the finger of God was placed upon him. Then, when his sin could no longer be concealed, he admitted the truth. How often are similar confessions made. There is a vast difference between admitting facts after they have been proved and confessing sins known only to ourselves and to God. Achan would not have confessed had he not hoped by so doing to avert the consequences of his crime. But his confession only served to show that his punishment was just. There was no genuine repentance for sin, no contrition, no change of purpose, no abhorrence of evil.

So confessions will be made by the guilty when they stand before the bar of God, after every case has been decided for life or death. The consequences to result to himself will draw from each an acknowledgment of his sin. It will be forced from the soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. But such confessions cannot save the sinner.

So long as they can conceal their transgressions from their fellow men, many, like Achan, feel secure, and flatter themselves that God will not be strict to mark iniquity. All too late their sins will find them out in that day when they shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever. When the records of heaven shall be opened, the Judge will not in words declare to man his guilt, but will cast one penetrating, convicting glance, and every deed, every transaction of life, will be vividly impressed upon the memory of the wrongdoer. The person will not, as in Joshua's day, need to be hunted out from tribe to family, but his own lips will confess his shame. The sins hidden from the knowledge of men will then be proclaimed to the whole world.