Tag Archives: Proper 28 Year B

Language, Mark, Teaching

Mark 13:1-8 – Let no one lead you astray

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As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.”

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This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 28. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a priest on Sunday November 18, 2018. It is important because Jesus foretold of the destruction of Herod’s Temple, telling how nothing man creates – no matter how grandiose – can withstand the tests of time. Only God offers everlasting accomplishments and without God is destruction assured.

When one reads that “one of his disciples said to [Jesus], “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!”’ he was marveling over the construction project that gave the Second Temple the nickname “Herod’s Temple.” According to the Wikipedia article on Second Temple, under the sub-heading “Herod’s Temple: Construction,” the following is written:

“Herod’s Temple was one of the larger construction projects of the 1st century BCE. Josephus records that Herod was interested in perpetuating his name through building projects, that his construction programs were extensive and paid for by heavy taxes, but that his masterpiece was the Temple of Jerusalem.”

By the time Jesus was in the final days of his ministry [he was in Jerusalem for his final Passover when this event occurred], the Temple beautification project initiated by King Herod [the Great] was in its forty-ninth year, having begun twenty years before Herod’s death. While much of the outer work might have been basically in place when one of the disciples pointed out the magnitude to Jesus, work on Herod’s Temple would continue until 63 A.D. [ref.], such that the rebuilding process stretched over eighty years. One should calculate that Jesus’ last Passover in Jerusalem [in the body of a living human being] was around 27 A.D., when he was about 33 years of age.

While in Jerusalem during the Passover at the onset of Jesus’ ministry, he had told pilgrims in Jerusalem, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19) That conversation was not recorded by the disciples of Jesus (neither Matthew nor  Mark), but three years later Jesus defined “Destroy this temple” as, “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

This meant not simply the destruction that would be done by the Romans, but the ravages of time after that, especially when the Saracens [Arabians] spread into Palestine, becoming synonymous with Muslims. Stones of the temple ruins would have been utilized in other small building projects over five hundred years of time, and the transformation of the temple mount to the Dome of the Rock [691 A.D.] would be when “all will be thrown down” completely [except part of the Western wall, today called the Wailing Wall].

It is important to grasp the history, both the prior and future changes affecting the Second Temple and the two times Jesus spoke of the temple being destroyed. First of all, God never asked for a temple of stone, as He said He preferred to be mobile. That means the destruction of a brick and mortal temple that had become a monument to Herod the Great, not to God, would be replaced by Jesus Christ [the high priest] being reborn in true Christians [each a rebuilt mobile tabernacle].  That transformation would wait until after Jesus had died by execution and was dead for three days before resurrecting. Third, the complete erasure of Herod’s Temple and the rebuilding of a Muslim holy building on that same piece of real estate would simply be God’s way of saying, “I Am That I Am when I am written on the hearts of Apostles and Saints [The Ark of the Covenant within the Tabernacle], which are in the name of Jesus Christ.”  God cannot be made a shrine that pilgrims must visit once in a lifetime, as God is limitless, available to all who love Him dearly.

When we read, “When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,” the Greek written by Mark includes a comma, such that the literal translation says: “And sitting of him upon the mountain the [one] of Olives  ,  opposite the temple”. This is two segments of words, not one.  The second segment is then a helpful segment of words that is used to clarify which mountain or hill with olive trees that Peter [through Mark] was talking about.

This story is found also told in Matthew and Luke. Luke does not state where Jesus privately told the disciples when the temple would be destroyed. Matthew wrote that it was on the mount the [one] of Olives, but did not get specific about where that hill was, in comparison to the temple.  This means mark’s version adds truth that is helpful to the one carefully paying attention to Scripture.

The reason Mark made this clarification is there were two hills that were known for having olive trees. Only one had an olive oil press [Gethsemane], which was near the base of the Mount of Olives. Simply by capitalizing “Elaiōn” the implication was “Mount of Olives.” Still, there was also a hill outside the Essenes Gate that was known as a “hill of Olive trees.”  That was where Jesus would lead his disciples after the Passover meal. However, Mark was making clear that the private discussion Jesus had with his disciples was on the mountain of Olives that was “opposite the temple.”

When Mark then wrote that “Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,” it should be realized that neither Matthew nor Luke listed anyone specifically. Only Mark [Peter’s Gospel writer] wrote those names. Peter was the brother of Andrew and James and John were the sons of Zebedee. Those were the disciples first chosen by Jesus.  Peter was making it clear that the ones who raised the question: “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” were the ones who had served Jesus the longest and the ones who thought they were Jesus’ most trusted disciples. Therefore, they felt it was their right to know when to look for the signs of destruction that Jesus knew was coming.

The reading then follows with Mark writing, “Then Jesus began to say to them.” The Greek word “ērxato” is the past tense of “archomai,” meaning “to begin” or “to commence.” It also means Jesus, for the first time, established the “rule” by which the times of Jewish destruction, as a religion meant only for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [a biological subrace of the human race – see “Physiological race”], would occur.

As it was then, the radiance of Herod’s Temple stood as an outward glorification of Judaism. Rather than a simple reproduction financed by the Persian kings Cyrus the Great and Darius I, Herod the Great would enhance the old, so it spoke loudly for his greatness.  Still, the grander the temple complex became, the more it projected how a most powerful, singular God, made Israelites [under David primarily] and Jews a select people, amid the vast empirical holdings of those who worshipped many gods, but rose and sank over time: Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and then Romans. For as lasting as YHWH had proved His capability to keep the children of Israel intact [remnants that they had become], still adherents to Mosaic Law, Jesus began to tell of the destruction that would be the end of that favor.

To best understand the words that then came out of Jesus’ mouth, one must remember that Jesus was not speaking as a favored son of God. That would be how the elite of Judaism saw themselves: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the temple scribes and high priests. Jesus spoke as THE Son of God, which meant he only spoke the truth, which the Father was speaking through him. Therefore, Jesus then responded to the question posed by his disciples in the voice of God that flowed through him.

It was then God that told Jesus’ disciples, “Beware that no one leads you astray.” In actuality, the capitalized Greek word, “Blepete,” is a one-word statement of importance, separate from the words that follow by a comma [real or implied]. As a form of the root word “blepó,” the impact is placed on “Sight, Perception, Discernment, and Observance.” To “Beware” means to become “Aware,” by being “Watchful.”

Before anything else, Jesus said, “Look!”  This is then the importance of Jesus’ parables about “Vigilance” and staying “Awake.” The purpose of staying “Awake” means to not fall asleep, which is the danger of mortal death and the recycling of reincarnation, rather than the wakeful state of eternal life.

It is then the importance of that state of “Alertness” that has one prepared to wait for the bridegroom’s call [Parable of the Ten Virgins], “lest anyone you mislead.” Being misled is then forgetting to keep oil in one’s lamp, so the light of alertness will shine through the darkness of night [symbolic death]. This translates according to common language as “that no one leads you astray,” but in the same words says one is responsible for not letting others be misled through self-failure of “Being aware.” The “Wakeful” state keeps one from misleading others and being misled.  That is parallel to the five bridesmaids who saw they would run out of oil and asked the other five to share their oil.  The lamp oil is what keeps one awake and alert, thus it represents personal devotion to the Lord.  Each is responsible for preparing one’s soul for a marriage to God.

God then said through His Son, “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.” This translation does not capture God as the voice speaking those words. The literal Greek states, “many will come in the name of me  ,  saying then  ,  I am  ,  and many will be misled  .” This needs closer inspection.

Jesus then prophesied that “many [lower-case] will come in the name of Jesus Christ [“mou” as “of me.”].” The word “mou” is a form of the Greek word “egó,” which means “I.” That is then a statement that “many will come” who will have sacrificed their “egos” [their “I”s] so they will assume the ego of Jesus Christ, where Jesus of Nazareth is a Son “of God.” Therefore, the Christ is the presence “of God” [“of me”] that “many will become” filled with love from.

This foretold of the advent of Christianity, where those “many” would be “then saying” or “speaking then” the truth of God, just as was Jesus of Nazareth. Rather than one man “speaking then,” who led a relatively small group of Jewish disciples [men and women], “many” would spread the breadth and scope of that Gospel.  Those who follow Jesus become reborn as Jesus Christ.

This spread of true Christianity will “then” lead “many” to “say” they are Christian [without the bold type], simply because it seems like the good thing to do. The problem that comes with those who “speak then” but do not tell the truth, is they do not say, “this voice comes from God as Jesus reborn.” Instead, they proclaim, “I am” a Christian, where the Greek word “Egō” is capitalized, showing there has been absolutely no sacrifice of self-ego for God. They proclaim they are gods, rather than acting as wholly subservient slaves of YHWH – “I Am That I Am.”

This is the Big Brain Syndrome that I speak of. People who say, “I am Christian,” often then say, “I am sure, if Jesus were here today, he would say the same things that I am saying. By admitting that I am Christian, I am then allowed to play god.”

God was then advising the disciples of His Son that “namely” [the viable translation of the Greek word “kai,” which commonly means “and”] is as “namely” does.  Using the “I” word then identifies those who will number “many,” such that through their claims of “I am” righteous “many will be misled.”

One has to see how God spoke through Jesus saying that the time was coming when the destruction of Judaism would be due to the improper leadership the people had. They would be misled into believing that “I am” was the ego of God’s chosen people. For that heresy, every stone of the renovations done to the Second Temple would be thrown down. Still, the errors of the Jews were foretold by Jesus to be repeated in the far distant future, when the stone foundations of Christianity would likewise come tumbling down. Any time that religious leaders mislead God’s children [false shepherds and false prophets], they will be exposed as liars and overthrown by God.

God then spoke through Jesus, saying “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.”

When one realizes Jesus spoke to his disciples in 27 A.D. [C.E.] that was still four decades before the Jewish revolt against Rome would begin [67 C.E.]. Prior to that there would be words of war, even rumors would spread that another Messiah had come [a warrior Christ], who would lead the Jews to independence and win the return of Israel into the world. By 70 A.D. [C.E.] that war would be won by Rome, with all the false prophets of Judaism killed and the grandiose temple in Jerusalem razed to the ground. However, even that many years after Jesus would be dead, resurrected, ascended and return in Apostles, “the end is still to come.”

The vision of God stretched well beyond that of ordinary human eyes. That “end,” from the Greek word “telos,” meaning the “conclusion” of the destruction of the religion of the One God Yahweh, that would be after “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines.”  That too needs closer inspection.

The Greek word “ethnos” is translated as “nation,” but it conveys a meaning of “the heathen world,” that of Gentiles. It is a statement that “race will rise against race.” We live now in a time when “race” is commonly used as a weapon of destruction. There is no longer a clear boundary that keeps the “races” of the world pure. The mixture of “races” dilutes that purity, so the “races” designed by God are forced to mingle, so pure blood become one global blob of humanity.  Then, none of the Gentiles stand out for their God-given superiorities. Likewise, the religions of the world have blended into misleading dogmatic rituals of meaningless sayings, because the “people rise against people” whose beliefs are impure [false].

The Greek word “basileia” means “kingdom,” which is different from the Israel under Herod the Great.  Judea had a governor that was appointed by an emperor, who reigned from Rome over many lands.  The segment of words that say “kingdom against kingdom” is then a vision that extended beyond the fall of the Roman Empire, to a distant time when the lands of Europe would be led by kings [and queens]. Those kings would be believed to have been descended from the holy bloodline of God’s Son, indirectly descended from Jesus of Nazareth. Those European “kingdoms” would then become the resurrection of the anger of brother against brother, or Can against Abel, since royal lines of “kingdoms” made them Apostles [regardless of gender] by holy blood. Eventually, all of those “kingdoms” would be reduced to governments of philosophies that lied to the people as if the will of all would rule a commonly elected few.

For God to state, “there will be earthquakes in various places,” this is a normal occurrence of shifting tectonic plates. Rather than have Jesus seem to state a forecast of common natural events, the Greek word “seismoi” should be understood as many violent “shakings” and “commotions” (from the root word “seismos”) on earth that will crumble the foundations of religious faith. These are then the philosophies of man that will introduce the concepts of democracy, equality among men [not always implying women too], and freedom, giving rise to all kinds of “–isms” that will shake belief in religions to their cores.

The statement, “there will be famines,” has nothing to do with the weather patterns that bring drought and failing crops. It has little to do with having billions of human beings on a limited space of land, where the land cannot produce enough food for that many people to be fed. It has no bearing on the desert environments of the world that have historically produced minimal numbers of plants and animals; and there is no correlation to global warming, pollutants caused by ignorant masses, or the extinctions of flora and fauna caused by an earth teeming with uncaring human beings. The “famine” God spoke of was due to a lack of spiritual food being available for a corrupted mankind to be fed. That lack of religious feeding will be most evident when the “end” time arrives.

Again, the evidence of all those signs stated by the mouth of Jesus are prevalent today. The people rise up against the people. The kingdoms have been reduced to political parties forcing their will upon the meek. The philosophies of the world are shaking religion just as the Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem. The people are famished from lack of spiritual nourishment. Thus, we are ripe for the end coming.

When Jesus then said to his disciples, “This is but the beginning of the birthpangs,” his word “archē” (“beginning”) refers them [and the reader] back to his first statement of explanation, which Mark introduced by saying, “And Jesus began to say to them.” Jesus was telling them that the words of what to look for, which they would see, would only be “the beginning of the birthpangs” of the destruction of Judaism. The “birth” would produce Christianity, but “birthpangs” are always followed by death pains. We are all born mortal, bound to die.  Death’s pains occur at the end of life on earth. For that reason, one should be “Awake” when the end time comes.

While this ends the reading selection as chosen, the text of Mark adds one more verse to this section.  It repeats the capitalized “Blepete,” or “Take heed,” returning one’s focus to the same important one-word statement. This warning of vigilance was directed at the disciples themselves, where Jesus told them, “You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.” (Mark 13:9; NIV) Those signs will indicate the beginning of a new religion of self-sacrifice for devotion wholly to Yahweh. The deaths of the Apostles will bring the birthpangs of true Christianity into being.

As the Gospel selection for the twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one is aware of the signs of the end times – the message here is to not be mesmerized by the wonders of a material world. Everything is in a state of change, which slowly builds up and slowly breaks down; it is often difficult to see how the world is crushing the life out of humanity. We have to know what signs to look for and we need to always be alert to the fact that Satan wants all human beings to be misled.

As American Christians, in a multitude of sects and denominations, just driving around town brings forth a reaction to the grandiosity of buildings of worship. They appear to strive, by design, to beacon to the passerby, “You need to come inside and see more!” This is akin to the disciples telling Jesus, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” We are easily distracted by bells and whistles, smoke and mirrors.

The problem with palatial buildings is the cost involved.  It should lead one to wonder, “To what end?” If there is so much pain and suffering in the world that needs donations and contributions, why is money being put into anything more than a tent with poles, folding chairs and some sawdust?

This is in addition to a monthly payment to his church’s Capital Campaign and normal Stewardship tithing.

The answer is profit. There has not been an American business man or woman yet that proposes spend a huge sum on freebies. The news in the past couple of years has been how the downtrodden of Houston, after a hurricane hit Texas, found chains put on the doors of Joel Osteen’s megachurch.  No public shelter there!  It seems he built it with money donated to him (not God) and he invested that money into a profit-making megastructure.  After what happened to the inside of the Superdome, following Hurricane Katrina, who can blame him wanting to avoid the renovation costs of being charitable?

[I do not name him specifically as the only one who has followed this model of profiting from selling religion to people willing to pay.  He is simply one of “many” – nothing more.]

Jesus replied to his disciples, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” He was not simply speaking about the beautification project of the Temple of Jerusalem. He was speaking of all who had, all who were, and all who would try to box God into permanent buildings. There has not been built one yet that can last as long as God. They will all find the same end that mortal human beings find – death and destruction of all that had been built over time. The only thing that lasts like God is the soul, but souls cannot return to God if they find a sense of self-pride in a magnificent building.

The private question the disciples asked Jesus – by Peter, James, John, and Andrew – were not much different than that asked by the young, rich ruler. Rather than, “What do I have to do to get to Heaven?” they asked, “When will Heaven come?” Such a question asked privately might mean those four disciples secretly either hoped for the destruction of evil, seen in opulent wealth and material objects of worship cast down, or they were most worried about when they should be careful of their lives, because the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem would mean a powerful enemy was at hand. Either way, there were inner doubts that they were trying to assuage by trying to get inside information about how much time Jesus was talking about.

It is important to remember that the disciples had not yet been filled with God’s Holy Spirit. They had not yet been given the Christ Mind, in exchange for their own self-egos. They are then the models of all Christians today, who know a thing or two about what Jesus did, but know nothing about the love of God and being adopted as His Son.

One has to imagine one’s own fears rising, as Jesus spoke for the Father about the fall of the religion the disciples had invested so much time and energy into believing.  Christians today feel exactly how the disciples felt. We are all still being taught to “Be aware!” “Stay awake!” “Be vigilant!” or be lost.

Jesus taught to his disciples in the same manner that parents teach their young children. They tell a child, “Do not touch the stove top burner, as it will hurt very much if you do.” Children trust their parents and listen to what they say. They do not have to touch the hot stove top to find out the truth, as the vividness of their imagination and having experienced pain and crying is enough to believe a warning from someone they know loves them deeply.

Jesus then told his disciples to always discern the truth. One has to see the truth with one’s own eyes, or belief will never convert into faith. By not testing the words of those who preach from a position of “I am!” humans return to that state of being as a trusting child. Humans do not want to take the time or put in the energy it takes to see a truth with their own eyes: what was really said and what that really means. This is the warning given by Jesus. If one does not test the many that will come and say, “I am speaking for Christ,” then those will be misled, fall asleep and miss the boat to Heaven.

I do not ask anyone to believe what I say. Believing what I say will make one a poor reproduction of me. If questioned about my life, anyone other than myself will turn and run away in fear. I demand that everyone who wants to become Jesus Christ resurrected test what Jesus said, as recorded in the Gospels.

If I am wrong, then tell me where I missed what you see.

Hebrews, Language, Teaching

Hebrews 10:11-25 – When one’s sins are no longer on God’s Mind

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Every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. [And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds,”

he also adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.]

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

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This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 28. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday November 18, 2018. It is important because Paul (once again) explained how an Apostle-Saint is the tabernacle in which the Ark of the Covenant is written on one’s heart.  It is within that chamber that Jesus Christ is the reborn high priest. One’s sacrifice of self, in service to God Almighty, brings forgiveness of sins past and brings on the true heart of faith.

Due to the length of this selected reading of Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, I will not dissect it into segments as I have been doing for shorter readings. While this process is important, this translation read aloud makes it easy to follow the intent. However, reading the Bible Hub Interlinear in a ‘side-by-side’ manner makes the message vividly clear, exposing the errors of the public translation.

Verse eleven is speaking of typical priests, as he knew them in Jerusalem, as well as in Greek and Roman temples. It was their daily rituals to make blood offerings to the gods. None of those offerings of animal sacrifice ever took away the sins of the people or the priests.  This then translates to all ministers, priests, pastors and preachers of Christianity, who have a college degree to memorize ritual and administer rites, with external laws of Moses forgotten [for Jews only] or misunderstood.

Verse twelve then does not specifically name Christ as read aloud. This is implied by the word “houtos,” which means “this one.”  That word implies a singularity not found in typical priests. One sacrifice, of Jesus of Nazareth himself, would last in perpetuity. That means the sins of all could be cleansed by that singular sacrifice. That singular sacrifice was not so Jesus would be raised into Heaven and then be seated [“sat down”] on a throne next to God, by His right hand]. That would mean God sacrificed His Son so His Son could be God II in Heaven [a ridiculous concept].  Instead, the Greek word “ekathisen” needs to be seen differently.  Rather than meaning “sat down,” it should be read as meaning “was appointed,” as in “given the official job” (“seated”) as God’s “right hand.” That “hand of God” was then given the authority to be the human sacrifice that would take away the sins of the world.  It is God’s right hand that extends from Heaven to the earthly realm.

You are sent by my right hand to be the lineage to my right hand man.

Verse thirteen then does not say that Jesus Christ sits in a throne waiting for his enemies to bow down before his feet.  Rather, it says that those who are sinners awaiting redemption (those who think they “should be fixed” by Jesus being sacrificed), without doing anything to show repentance and love of God, are acting as the enemies of God [and God’s “right hand”]. Such refusal to repent places them as the low of humanity, at the feet of God. “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)  One should realize that reaching for the right hand of God is more difficult when laying in the gutter, at the feet of God and Christ.

Verse fourteen then states that God allowing His Son to be sacrificed, Jesus Christ represents the perfect way to be made holy. Rather than others needing to be offered up as burnt offerings [death, followed by resurrection and ascension of the body and soul], one simply needs to sacrifice one’s own self-ego and submit to God.  Since this models just as Jesus of Nazareth did, that prototype of sacrificial perfection. That death of ego then allows the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ to be reborn within one’s flesh, which sanctifies each Apostle [i.e.: Saint]. It cannot get more perfect than that.

Instructions: Follow the real Jesus, not a dashboard model.

Verse fifteen [an optional verse, as well as are verses 16-18] confirms that it is the Holy Spirit that sanctifies one and clears the slate of all past sins. The translation that says “testifies” is actually the first word in verse fifteen, one that is capitalized as an important statement. The Greek word “Martyrei” is written, which better says “Bears witness.” This is the personal experience of the Holy Spirit, where one’s soul is baptized clean of sins, past, present AND future. One then “Bears witness” to the Christ Mind, as Jesus Christ resurrected. That Greek word is the root word for the English word “martyr,” which is then an important statement that “One has chosen to suffer death for religious purposes.” That “Death,” however, is not physical but mental, as the sacrifice of self.

Verse sixteen is then Paul quoting from Jeremiah 31:33, which fully states: “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” That quote says the presence of the Holy Spirit is known when the law is written in one’s heart by a profound love of God and it is written in their minds by the presence of the Christ. One “Bears witness” to all meaning of all Scripture … because of having sacrificed one’s brain, to stop holding one back from serving God.

Verse seventeen is a partial quote from Jeremiah 31:34, which fully states: “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” In this forgiveness of sins, one has to realize that God KNOWS ALL [He is omniscient].  This then means “remember” is not the best translation [although both Hebrew and Greek verses commonly use that translation]. Both languages allow for their respective words to also say, “call to mind.”  One’s sins will then never again (“no more”) “call [out] to [God’s] mind.”  The reason is there will be no more sins done by one filled by the Holy Spirit.  This is then a statement that once the Holy Spirit has come one with one’s soul, then there will never be any other sins that will call upon God’s mind for judgment.  God “remembers” the self-sacrifices of His beloveds.

This is then stated by Paul in verse eighteen, which is how the whole verse of Jeremiah says, “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me.” Knowing the Lord means being one with God, as a marriage union, such that ‘biblical knowing’ means making a baby. With God as the Husband, the baby that is born is Jesus Christ. When one is reborn as Jesus Christ, one will act exactly like Jesus did, so no more sins will ever need to be repented. Still, all Saints will always feel repentance for past sins; that is when they give thanks to God for having saved them from ruin.

Verse nineteen is poorly translated as it replaces Paul’s use of “brothers” with the generic and meaningless word “friends.” That misses the point of all Saints being the Son [a male designation] of the Father.  The “confidence” of which Paul wrote was not “to enter sanctuaries,” but the “boldness” that overtakes one, due to “the entering” of the Holy Spirit within their bodies.  That “confidence” immediately comes from the union of God with one’s soul. No longer were they disciples, they had themselves each been transformed into “sanctuaries,” which is better understood as those “sacred.”  This means the use here of “hagiōn” (translated above as “sanctuaries”) is repeating that stated in verse fourteen (“hagiazomenous“). They have each become tabernacles in which the high priest Jesus has entered, which is the blood of a human Saint infused with the Holy Spirit. This is the true meaning of Jesus telling his disciples, “Drink from [this cup of wine] all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Please take note how Jeremiah quoted God as having said the same thing.

Wine is wine. See how drinking of this ceremonial Passover cup of wine acts as a toast to seal the covenant with God that spiritually welcomes my holy blood within you.

Verse twenty then says that a Saint becomes like Moses, who had to wear a veil because the face of God shone upon his. A new Saint is a newly dedicated tabernacle of the Lord, one made of flesh that projects His Son through the “curtain” that is one’s flesh.  When one also sees a Saint being a new tabernacle that houses the Lord in one’s heart [the Holy of Holies place, behind the curtain], this is where only the high priest is allowed to go.  Visitors can only see the majesty of a phenomenal temple veil.

Verse twenty-one states that Jesus Christ is the great priest [high priest] that resides within that tabernacle of flesh.  Jesus Christ is the high priest that makes offerings to God above.

Verse twenty-two then says that this presence of the Trinity in each Saint draws one closer to Father [in our hearts] and the Holy Spirit [sprinkled clean] and Son [washed clean of evil]. In God one knows more than one believes, so Paul said each Saint has the full assurance of faith, through the experience of God’s love and loving God in return.

Verse twenty-three is confusing when “confession” and “hope” are the translations. The better statement means Paul said Saints will hold fast to their affirmations of faith. Rather than expressing hope for others (which is true), hope is best conveyed through “confidence,” which was first stated in verse nineteen. By demonstrating a fast hold on faith, from knowing God personally, others will find hope for them in the conviction of Saints.

Verse twenty-four says that each Saint should perceive each other as the same entity, which makes them all “brothers” [including women], because all are reborn as Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. By seeing one another in that way, the love of God within each is then stirred up for others in the name of Jesus Christ, which is the love of God shared with all who are likewise wearing the face of God. This is the most important commandment that Jesus told the scribe [two Sundays past]. All other commandments are then naturally subsequent to that love, due to God having written the laws on each Saint’s heart.

Verse twenty-five does not say that Saints should not neglect to gather together, as is the custom of Jewish synagogues. God does not extend His right hand to human beings so they will stay in one place and gather together, not as Jews, but as Christians. While Paul knew there were churches of true Christians, which included both Jews and Gentiles, the intent was not to create a new religion. Instead, Saints were to travel in pairs [not always the same partner] and spread the Good News to those who had not yet heard.

The “Gospel” is not simply that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, but more importantly it is one sharing with others their experience of God and Christ; to allow those who had never met Jesus of Nazareth to meet Jesus Christ in the body of a Saint. The role of Saints was (and is still) to recognize the Sabbath with strangers, in their churches or synagogues, staying as long as they were welcomed by those strangers. What Saints could not do was fail to encourage other Saints, those whose presence they knew prior [by encouraging them with loving letters], present [encouraging them with loving words], and future [teaching the meaning of Scripture with loving kindness]. This was to be done until those saintly souls were separated from their flesh on their “Day” of deliverance to God.

As the Epistle selection for the twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one should be fluent in the words of Paul, as the Mind of Christ shows one how to speak in the tongues of God – the message here (as always with Paul) is to serve the Lord with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul, and with all one’s strength. Then, one should love all others who equally love God and wear the face of God wherever they go, just as one loves God.

For as often as Paul wrote what it takes to be cleansed of sins, it is the waywardness of Christians that has a false belief in what “confession” means, what “Jesus died for our sins” means, and what the Lord’s Prayer means. One has to be transformed by a profound love of God to understand Paul’s letters.

In the Episcopal Church [all “catholic” churches] there is recited aloud each Sunday a statement of Belief [Nicene Creed], a Confession of Sins, and the Lord’s Prayer.

Christians should have faith, which comes from knowing God personally. The Nicene Creed was originally written [after much debate] by Saints, or people very close to that sacred status. Many who recite the modified words of that Creed [read from a Prayer Book or a printed handout] pay little attention to what the words say and mean. Some might believe that saying those words, like saying the Pledge of Allegiance, means one is Christian. When one’s faith is written on the walls of one’s heart, one’s faith is stated by the glow of wearing God’s face [depicted in art historically as a halo].  Words cannot replace that glow.

As we learn from this reading from Paul, God will not have the sins of a Saint come to His Mind. Why, then, do people speak out loud, in unison in a church about how miserable they were to not sin? They proclaim boldly, “We are sinners!”  Certainly, Saints confess their sins every day, multiple times, but they do not get all ‘Pharisee’ about it and shout so everyone can hear them. They silently ask God to keep them from sinning, asking forgiveness for past sins they have come back into their minds … remembrances of how they once were. They thank God for having given them the strength of Jesus Christ, so they cannot sin again.

When the disciples went to Jesus and asked him to teach them to pray, rote memorization of the example prayer Jesus gave his students is not how a Saint speaks to God. How many times did Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and all the judges and prophets of Israel and Judah recite the Lord’s Prayer?  The answer is never.

In John 17, when Jesus prayed for himself, his disciples, and all believers, he did not say the Lord’s Prayer. That is a prayer taught to children. It leads one to establish a comfort in talking to God. Prayer is done in private, and if spoken, done so calmly, quietly, and sincerely. Jesus taught his children-disciples, “God is your Father. Address Him as such.” For that relationship to be true, one has to love God as His Son [regardless of human gender].

And that’s all I have to say about that.

#Hebrews101125 #Jeremiah313334 #John17 #Matthew2312

1 Samuel, Language, Teaching

1 Samuel 1:4-20 – A double portion of love offering

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On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

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This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 28. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday November 18, 2018. It is important because the story of Samuel’s birth to a barren mother, as the answer to prayers to God, shows that Salvation is possible to all who swear devotion to God.

When we read, “On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; but to Hannah he gave a double portion,” the “portions” given are animals sacrificed. The sacrifices were made yearly in Shiloh, where a Levite priest would perform the ritual of sin offerings. This implies that all had sinned, but because Hannah was barren, her sins were worth double portions being sacrificed. Elkanah was willing to offer those extra animals “because he loved [Hannah].”

When we read, “she used to provoke her,” this was Peninnah pointing out to Hannah that her sins, which caused her barrenness, were why their husband Elkanah had to sacrifice more than customary. Peninnah had given birth to multiple “sons and daughters,” which she would point out to Hannah as proof that she was viewed by God as the better wife. These bitter words “provoked [Hannah] severely.” Thus, as time went on, Elkanah came to find Hannah weeping, not eating, and with a heart full of sorrow.

When we read, “After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh,” several deductions can be made here, with some important information missing from verses one through three being omitted from this reading.

One is the family traveled to Shiloh yearly. The Passover was not commanded to be observed at any specific location, but the eating and drinking could be an indication of that timing of travel. Even though 2 Kings 23:22 states, “Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed,” that truth leaves open the possibility of Levites honoring it yearly, while reminding the local Israelites to do so, family-by-family. It was not a pilgrimage event to a Temple of brick and mortar, but a private observance in each home. Still, Levite priests might have originated that concept informally.

Second, verse nineteen says “to their house at Ramah,” but verse one states this clearly as being Ramathaim Zophim. This is a distance of roughly twelve miles west of Shiloh, or about a day’s journey [with lambs]. Both places were in the area set aside for the tribe of Ephraim.

Third, it can seem as if Elkanah did the sacrificing. He was a prominent Levite of Ephraim, thus a priest who was capable of offering sacrifices; but verse three says that the sons of Eli – Hophni and Phinehas – made the offerings to God that Elkanah brought. Eli and his sons were priests of the tabernacle in Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and all were Aaronites [Levites directly descended from Aaron]. Eli was both the judge of Israel [following Samson] and the high priest of the tabernacle.

Eli’s sons would later be exposed as bad priests, who kept the best portions for themselves, meaning what Elkanah’s family ate and drank quite possibly was part of the of their sacrificed lambs. This would have been eaten with wine, which might not have been the ceremonial Seder cups later established, but the act of getting drunk on wine into the evening could be what led Eli to think Hannah was drunk.

Seeing the depth of reality that this reading places one amidst, we then read that after eating and drinking, “Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord.” She went to the tabernacle to pray to the Lord, because “she was deeply distressed.” Eli was sitting outside the entrance to the tabernacle, in a seat next to a support pole for the tent of meeting. In the dark, Hannah must not have seen Eli, but Eli saw her come up, as she would have been lit into visibility by the fire still glowing from the altar of burnt offerings.

We are told the prayer of Hannah, which was silently communicated as she “wept bitterly.” In the vow Hannah made to God, she asked God to “remember me, and not forget your servant.” In the Epistle reading from Hebrews 10, Paul quoted Jeremiah 31:34, such that Yahweh said the time would come when “I will remember their sins no more.” That echoes back to the times of Hannah and Eli, when God remembered the sins of His people, expecting them to remember the connection a judge had with the Lord.  The high priest made sin offerings to God, in remembrance of past sins.  This method of atonement pleased God, so His judges were anointed to lead the people.

Seeing this expectation each Israelite shared, Hannah knew she had lived a life of devotion – to her husband, to her family [which included her husband’s other wife and children], and to her God. She should then be seen in the light of Job, who also was without sin and punished unjustly. Just as Job cried as he tried to get God to rescue him from a punishment he did not deserve, Hannah cried [silently], “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death.”

A “nazarite” is defined as, “An Israelite consecrated to the service of God, under vows to abstain from alcohol, let the hair grow, and avoid defilement by contact with corpses (Num. 6).” This was Hannah then saying her greatest sorrow was not from the hurtful things people thought, which her sister wife Peninnah said openly, but that she had failed God as a Levite wife. It was the duty of a Levite’s wife to give birth to a firstborn son, who would be dedicated to a lifetime of service in the temple – a nazarite. Because Peninnah was not Elkanah’s first wife, her firstborn son was probably exempt from that rule. Therefore, Hannah could not reward the love Elkanah showered upon his first wife by honoring his love with the redemption of the firstborn son [Pidyon haben], as commanded by God [Exodus 13:2].

Seeing Hannah’s lips moving as she wept bitterly, Eli’s first thought was she had drunk too much wine. When Eli said to Hannah, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine,” he was quite possibly making reference to ritual red wine being consumed as symbolic of sacrificial blood. Remembering God passing over the Israelites because the blood of firstborn male lambs was painted one the thresholds of their homes, would then have been done with wine. Consumed, it would mark them within as those who served the Lord as His priests. That event of memory would then explain why she cried to God, “remember me, and not forget your servant.”

We then read Hannah’s response to Eli presuming her to be drunk on wine, saying: “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.” She did not pour out red wine that would artificially intoxicate her and separate her from her grief. Instead, she poured out her soul. Her soul was the blood of the innocent that was painted over her flesh for the Angel of Death to see.

When Hannah then said to Eli, “Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time,” Eli immediately knew in his heart that the Angel of Death, sent by God to judge the worthless and spare the innocent, had spared Hannah. Hannah had been passed over.  Because Eli was a judge and high priest of Israel, he was able to discern God’s Will. It was then from that holy connection that Eli did not speak for himself, but for God, when he said to Hannah, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.”

For as holy a man as Eli was, his brain made errors of deduction. His faulty abilities to think what was going on, proved he was in no way capable to know what Hannah meant when she said to him [a stranger, basically], “I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Eli did not have permission to speak blessings for God, as if he felt being judge and high priest made him a powerful dude. Eli was, however, sacrificed of self so the Lord had total permission to use Eli’s voice to speak His Will through him.  Whereas a high priest had specific rules and regulations to follow, in order to maintain the dignity of the tabernacle, a judge had the freedom to speak without dogmatic procedure being a hindrance.

We do not read that Hanna jumped with joy after she heard Eli’s promise that God had granted her prayer and vow. We read she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” She was not a servant of Eli, which means she was responding to God, recognizing it was His voice that came from His servant Eli – a nameless figure in robes, sitting on a holy throne of the temple. Eli served the Lord as a judge.  Hannah then thanked God by asking Him to show her thanks for Eli, for the role he played as medium to her petition.

The joy that Hannah felt was then stated as, “Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.” Hannah was a changed person after having been assured her prayer would be answered. She was not praying for a baby, but a son who would be given to God out of devotion. She knew she could live a loved life without children of her own to raise. However, her heart was raised by knowing she could fulfill her role in maintaining the lineage of God’s servants in His tabernacle.

The real happy ending to this story is then stated as: “They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.” That happiness came from the rise of a new day, when the glory of the Lord shone brightly on Shiloh AND “they worshipped before the Lord.”

The naming of the baby Samuel says, “Heard Of God.”  He was the fulfillment of a prayer that was heard by God.  The name Elkanah was then lived up to: “God Has Redeemed” through a firstborn son kohen (priest).  The redemption of Pidyon haben had occurred.  The truth spoke by God through Eli was the fulfillment of his name: “God Is Me.”  Eli did not grant a prayer would be answered; it was God.  Hannah had been blessed as she prayed to be, living up to her name: “Gratuitous Gift.”  Her gift of a nazarite was God’s gift to her, as both gifts were of “Graciousness.”  Yahweh remembers His people for their service, more than for their sins.

As a final note, the Passover is always recognized on the 15th of Nisan, which is the first full moon of spring, with spring being when the Sun reaches the Vernal Equinox [a Northern Hemisphere event of rebirth]. Supposing Elkanan and Hannah went home to Ramathaim Zophim and “knew” each other on 17 Nisan, then the birth of Samuel would have been around 17 Tevet (nine months later, in the tenth month of the Hebrew calendar). That would have been around January 9th (Julian calendar), or the dead of winter. That would be symbolic of Samuel being a seed planted in Israel, to sprout, grow, and become a mighty oak tree in Israel’s history, when the judges would be replaced by kings.

As an Old Testament reading selection for the twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one should have made a vow to God of self-sacrifice and service if God will allow one to give birth to Jesus Christ, the high priest “Heard Of God” – the message here is to feel the distress and “great anxiety and vexation” for not having yet delivered one’s soul into God’s hands. One needs to pour out one’s soul before the Lord.

The aspect of Elkanah giving twice as many animals to sacrifice for the sins of his wife Hannah has to be seen as him doing his priestly duty to bring a woman he loved dearly into favor with God. While it is not stated as why God answered Hannah’s prayer that specific time, knowing that verse three said this was a yearly time of sacrifice, Elkanah had sacrificed double portions each year. This has to be seen as the value of prayer for loved ones. All we can do is love one another and pray for the best for those we love, leaving everything in God’s hands and trusting He knows best.

The aspect of Eli sitting on a seat of honor outside the doorway to the tent of meeting makes him seem to be guarding the doorway, as only approved priests were allowed inside. That exclusion of common Israelites from the holy place, while positioned to watch anyone who entered the outer walls of canvas, into the outer courtyard, projects Eli as the Christian Church of today. He reflects all priests (ministers, pastors, or preachers), including bishops and others of hierarchical ranking, as he was the high priest of Israel.

The Church welcomes visitors (as Hannah was to Eli), but there is a line drawn that separates how far a priest can venture beyond the rules and bylaws of the Church, and how close the laity can get to a priest. Eli was an Aaronite, which means he was directly descended from Aaron and dedicated as a priest (even high priest) by birth. Such family connection to the institution of the tabernacle (the same with the Church) makes a high priest seem to be too high to associate with the commoners. As such, neither the tabernacle nor the Church [both holy buildings that attract God’s children to Him] can offer those institutions as substitutes to God. They are not allowed to be anything more than a place to offer sacrifices and prayers to the Lord.  A building cannot replace each heart’s need to connect to God directly.

It should be understood that the Israelites officially offered prayers three times a day: Morning; Afternoon; and Evening. Because Hannah showed up later than the evening prayer time, Eli thought a strange woman was not following normal visiting hours. Again, if drinking wine was a ritual practice during the ritual recognition of the Passover, as I have already stated, then Eli was led to think that a devoted Israelite had consumed her limit of wine, so he advised her: “Put away your wine.”  Wine acted as a false link to spirituality, which would have been the motivation Eli saw in a strange woman coming at a strange time to pray at the alter of burnt offerings.

That is how a Church that is not linked directly to God, through the Holy Spirit, makes poor decisions. It cannot know every woman’s heart that comes in crying and moving her lips. Instead, an institution becomes protective of its procedures, rules, and behaviors … because the public does not fully understand all that its own has to learn  and comply thereof.

Without the ability to cross the line that trusts only God and sees common humanity in more of a negative light (for self-preservation reasons), Eli was probably worried that a drunk woman might do some damage to herself or the altar of burnt offerings. That failure of a Church to hold every one of its members equally, as all being priests with full access to an order of brothers and sisters, will always (invariably) reject well-meaning people.  Some of the people are written off as the casualties of doing business for God.

That was the high priest Eli. However, Eli was also a judge. He had replaced Samson. The role of a judge of Israel was different than a high priest. It was not a position determined by birth or heredity. A judge was one within Israel who was anointed by God.

Samson, for example, was from the Tribe of Dan, close to where Israel bordered Philistia. Samson was also a nazirite, such that when Hannah promised God, “He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head,” Samson’s downfall was due to losing his strength from Delilah cutting his hair. Still, a judge was told by an angel of the Lord, “You’re it!” and they all had an ability to speak to God and know they were heard.

When the judge Eli spoke to Hannah it was not the same as the high priest Eli. He spoke to her as God having heard her vow, he was Eli the judge. Eli the high priest could only see her lips moving.

This has to be seen in terms of Elkanah double portion sacrificed. The reward sent by God was a double portion of Eli. If there had only been one portion set aside for Hannah’s need for fulfillment, Eli would have run her off as just another drunk woman that wandered into the tabernacle’s outer courtyard.  A single portion Eli would sacrifice one lamb to God and give an edible portion to Elkanah.  No more would be expected in return.  A double portion of Eli would be to call upon him as the judge.  The double portion was returned by the voice of the Lord being heard.

This reading should be seen by the reader as a test of one’s character. One does not get to choose only one of the characters that is closest to how one ordinarily acts or wants to be though of by others. Instead, one should see how all of the characters fit oneself. Do we set aside double portions of sacrifices for the special people in our lives? Do we cause anger in those who are less fortunate than us? Do we have anguish because we fail to serve God as much as we wish, feeling we are not giving as much as we should? Do we see strangers and think they are having a breakdown, when they are merely praying to God for help?

The most important characteristic we all should pray for is to speak the truth of the Lord as a judge. When that happens, we get a double portion of a priest and a judge. Jesus is the high priest that guards the tabernacle in our hearts. Jesus Christ is the voice of God that speaks through our lips.  Jesus Christ is the firstborn son we want born into us, so we can dedicate ourselves into God’s service forevermore.

That is when the Church and the people become equal and love flows eternal.

#1Samuel1420 #2Kings2322 #Exodus132 #Jeremiah3134

Daniel, Language, Teaching

Daniel 12:1-3 – A time of cold turkey

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The Lord spoke to Daniel in a vision and said, “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

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This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 28. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday November 18, 2018. It is important because it is seen as a prophecy of the end times, making it fit the theme seen in the Gospel reading from Mark 12.

When we read, “The Lord spoke to Daniel in a vision,” this is not stated in verse one of chapter twelve. Daniel was a man of many visions sent to him by God. In chapter eleven the written text tells of a vision being shown to Daniel in the first year of Darius the Mede’s reign. After chapter eleven told of the future for Persia, that vision has continued into chapter twelve, with focus now being put on the people of Israel.

At an earlier time (as told in chapter eight), Daniel was shown the angel Gabriel. In chapter ten he first met the angel Michael. Now, he is being shown the angel Michael again, who will be sent by God in the future.  God is telling Daniel of the end times.

Certainly, this vision could be interpreted as predicting the downfall of the Persians by the Greeks, and then the downfall of the Greeks by the Romans. All of those subsequent events would make this a prophecy that came true. However, in the vacuum of three verses, alone without context, that segregation makes these words be not truly been fulfilled to this day. That means they are prophetic, telling of the great end of the world [as we know that as thought to be].

If one looks at the Bible Hub Interlinear for this reading, then one will see a link to a similar reading [if not the same message repeated], which is Revelation 1:1-3. In John’s book, there is no mention of the specific angel, Michael, although John did mention his revelation came by way of an “angel” of God. This specificity should not be overlooked as having meaning.

The name “Michael” is one that asks a question: “Who Is Like God?” When that name is then attached to the literal Hebrew that says, “the great prince who stands [watch] over the sons of your people,” the one who is like God is Jesus Christ. This deduction can then be affirmed by John, where the beginning of his Revelation states, “Revelation of Jesus Christ.” That specificity then matches the specificity of Daniel, such that Michael is the Christ Spirit, the prince of peace.

Because Daniel wrote of Michael that he was “the great prince,” this also affirmed the prophecy of Isaiah, who wrote: “For a child is born, unto us a son is given, unto us and will be born dominion upon his shoulders; and will be called his name wonderful, councilor, god [“el“], mighty father everlasting prince of peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) That element of peace must now be seen as that which “shall arise” or “shall stand up.” This strength that watches over the people of God [Christians, when Michael is understood as the Christ Spirit] will be called upon when “there shall be a time of anguish” or “times of trouble and distress.”

When Daniel wrote, “There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence,” this becomes a match to Jesus telling his disciple, “nation will rise against nation.” The oldest civilization dug up by archaeology points to the Sumerians, which was in the Fertile Crescent, post-Flood. Because Jesus spoke of when the beautiful buildings of the Temple of Jerusalem would all be overturned, as far as their private question asked by the disciples, the expected historic answer would relate to the history that occurred in 70 C.E.  Comparing those words of Jesus to Daniel’s makes it clearer to see how Jesus was not talking about a Great War, as much as he was telling of the time when religion [Christianity] would reach “times of trouble.”

Daniel wrote of this time being a first since any nations existed. The cornerstone for any worldly nation is its religion, from which priests are dedicated to the gods [for Israel one God], to ensure the life of each nation. Jesus had told the pilgrims and leaders of Jerusalem, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19) He was not referring to the physical destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, but the people being led away from the decadence and corruption that it represented. Likewise, he told his disciples Judaism would be thrown down [“not one stone will be left on another”] in similar metaphor. Daniel prophesied when the world would no longer have nations seeking to please spiritual deities; and John also wrote of those end times.

God does not seek pilgrims who might come to Him, as a majestic building.  God wants hearts to live within. Therefore, Jesus Christ was prophesied as the tumbling down of building being a substitute houses for God.

When Daniel is then said to have written, “your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book,” the better translation that does not paraphrase says, “at that time that shall be delivered  ,  your people everyone who is written in the book  .” More than a whole people being “delivered,” the “time that” has been prophesied as coming [“a time of anguish”] will be delivered. Once all people are amid terrifying times, then not only will “your people” be held accountable, but “everyone” whose name is written “in the book” shall find themselves removed from the world. That will not be a rapture of the innocent, but the time of final judgment for all mankind.

This “book” is then the Akashic Records, or the Book of Life. The possessive pronoun “your,” which is applied to the word “people,” can be read as meaning the Israelites, since Michael [the Christ Spirit] has been appointed by God to govern the righteous. Still, the possessive reflects back on God [Yahweh], as He is the one to whom all Israelite hearts should be married. Through the prince of peace – Jesus Christ being reborn in both Jews and Gentiles – who stands up as the one who watches over God’s people [from within their souls], all humanity will have been given the opportunity to receive the Christ Spirit and be protected from these end times. The Book of Life then records who shall be given eternal life, or life back in a world that can no longer sustain life as we know it now.

When Daniel was told by God, through Michael [Christ], “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,” “dust” should be read as metaphor of a body of flesh [“ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” such that the breath of life is blown into dust and then taken away through mortality]. The word “sleep” should be recognized as synonymous with death, but being mortal is being born of death. The word “awake” is then the realization of eternal life, which transforms the soul from that eternal spirit reincarnated repeatedly into dust that requires sleep into one that desires to forever be returned with God. The word “many” is then less a number of souls, but the suddenness that “greatly” falls upon mankind, during these times of distress. This is then all souls being awakened to the day of reckoning.

That judgment is then stated as, “some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This, again, is a paraphrase, where the literal Hebrew states: “these to life  ,  everlasting these and to shame and contempt everlasting  .” The great awakening is to “life,” which is the soul state. A soul cannot die, as it is “everlasting.”

There are no words written that distinguish “some” being given “everlasting life” and “some” who will find “shame and contempt everlasting.” ALL souls will find they will get to “sleep” as a mortal one last time. ALL souls then lose their illusion of material bodies and must face “life everlasting.” This is where the word “many” is the number of souls that will find the “shame” of having forsaken God Eternal for temporal pleasures. In return, their “life” will find “contempt everlasting” as God’s rejection of those souls.

When Daniel was told, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky,” this refers to those who accepted the protection of Michael [Christ] and stopped being souls led by human brains. They sacrificed their self-egos to be led by the wisdom of the Christ Mind. This means the ones who will “shine like the brightness of the sky” will have sacrificed their human faces to wear the face of God. Those will be the Saints reborn of Jesus Christ, having married God in their hearts.

When that voice went on to say, “those who lead many to righteousness [will be] like the stars forever and ever,” this means the Saints will be the ones who have been granted redemption and salvation to shine like the sun [a star that reflects the light and the true of Jesus Christ] forevermore. The purpose of a Saint is to “lead many to righteousness,” with “many” being the great unknown number of soul that will awaken from their earthly slumber saying, “Ruh roh.”

While many should allow themselves to be led to righteousness, many will prefer to sleep in the dust of the earth. Thus the saying “head in the sand” is born.

This includes all those who foresee a rapture of God-fearing Christians who have no presence of God’s love in their hearts for their fellow neighbors that call themselves Christians of a different variety. Christians today would rather strike down other Christians, as Gentiles against Gentiles [“nation against nation”], rather than receive the Holy Spirit and go into the world “leading many to righteousness.”

As an optional Old Testament reading selection for the twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own ministry for the LORD should be underway – one should be trying to lead others to righteousness, rather than draw the contempt of God from persecuting true Christians and falsely claiming a right to speak for Jesus Christ – the message here is to wake up and see how the message always has been to see the lure of the flesh and the material realm is distracting one from a personal ministry for the LORD.  Life misleads a soul to self-worship and losing sight of God.

The Episcopal Church lectionary cycle is not some random schedule of Biblical readings. They were arranged with purpose and from spiritual insight making those choices be placed together. The Day of Pentecost [fifty days after the first full day of the Passover] represents when one has opened one’s heart to God and had Jesus Christ be resurrected within one’s flesh. The “after Pentecost” season [called “Ordinary Time”] is then when one’s ministry for the LORD should be underway. It is not alright to sit in a pew, year after year, lifetime after lifetime, never feeling one can risk material stuff for a gamble on God.

Advent is the dawning that rebirth must be a personal experience of Jesus born again. Christmas is the prophecy of that rebirth in oneself. Epiphany is the realization that one is too sinful to gain salvation. Lent is the purging of one’s addictions to sin, to make oneself acceptable to God in marriage. Easter is the willing sacrifice of self-ego so one can be raised by the cleansing of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is the Law being written within one’s heart, which releases Jesus Christ into a new Saint, which must minister to the needs of others, by passing on the Holy Spirit so the cycle renews.

The end times are then dependent on one receiving the Spirit from the readings each week. One needs to not hear meaningless stories, but be filled with the wisdom of discernment. The readings must have a personal connection for one to be self-motivated to begin the cycle all over again. Otherwise, one will be just like the many who will find life everlasting as a punishment for having wallowed in the sins that only exist in a material realm.

Try to imagine an addiction to heroin and then being locked into a void where nothing material exists. A soul will then crawl up and down imaginary walls for eternity, with no relief.

One does not need to know heroin personally to imagine such a scenario. One gets to fill in the blank as to what would be most distressful to lose, going “cold turkey” for eternity without _________.

Anything short of God filling that blank means eternal anguish.

1 Samuel, Language, Teaching

1 Samuel 1:4-20 – Hannah prayed and Eli made fun of her; but Yahweh answered

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On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though Yahweh had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because Yahweh had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of Yahweh, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before Yahweh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to Yahweh, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “Yahweh of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death give him to Yahweh all the days of his life. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she continued praying before Yahweh, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” But Hannah answered, “No, adonai, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before Yahweh. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; welohe of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

They rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and Yahweh remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of Yahweh.”

——————–

This is the Track 1 Old Testament selection to be read aloud in churches following the Track 1 course in Year B, on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 28], according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If read, then it will be followed by an additional reading from First Samuel, which is the song of Hannah, including the verse: “My heart exults in Yahweh; my horn is exalted in Yahweh.” That set will precede the Epistle reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus … let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where it is written: “As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

I wrote about this reading selection the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018) and I posted those views on my website at that time. A copy of that commentary can be read by searching this site. I welcome all to read what I wrote then, as everything presented is still valid as instructional today. I will state that in 2018 I was more trusting of the text read aloud in Episcopal churches, than I am now. I see a need to correct the translations so the truth can be known. In that endeavor, one will note how eleven times in this reading the proper name Yahweh was translated as (thus to be read aloud) “the Lord.” This reduces the value of the name Yahweh and should not be done. Additionally, verse eleven has been presented as the true Word, when it is a paraphrase. In that paraphrase the proper name of Yahweh is eliminated altogether, while adding the word “nazarite,” along with words that imply Hanna promised no consuming of alcohol. I have stricken out the false text and replaced it with a true translation into English. Finally, the words “adonai” and “elohim” have been obliterated in translation; so, I have restored the Hebrew text.

I will address these changes first. Then, I will add new insight into this reading selection, before showing how it fits into a theme established by the other reading selections for this Sunday. By reading my 2018 commentary and comparing it to todays, a better view of Scripture should be gained.

In my 2018 observations, I did not place focus on the names that appear in these selected verses. The names are always important to understand, as they add depth to the story. My primary reference for name meaning from the Holy Bible is Abarim Publications. The first name is “Elkanah” [or “El-kanah”], which means, “God Of Jealousy, God Of Zeal.” Strong’s translates this as meaning “God has created” or “God has taken possession.” Elkanah is the husband of Peninnah and Hannah. The name “Peninnah” means “Curler, Coral, Pearl.” The name “Hannah” means “Graciousness.” Then there is the name of Eli, who was the high priest of Shiloh; and, his name means “My God, (Yah is) High.” The name of the child that would be born is Samuel, whose name means “Name Of God.” The names of the places mentioned: Shiloh and Ramah, respectively mean: “Tranquility Town” and “Lofty Place.” In these name, I want to place focus on the three men, all of whom contain “el” in their names, which ordinarily translates into English as “God,” in some form.

According to the Wikipedia article entitle “Elkanah” the following is stated [under the heading: Lineage], “According to the Priestly Code/Deuteronomic Code only Aaronic priests/Levites (depending on the underling tradition) were permitted to perform these actions, and simply being a nazarite or prophet was insufficient.” This means that Elkanah was a Levite and a priest, able to make sacrifices in the Tabernacle in Shiloh. Eli was the high priest at that Tabernacle; and, Samuel would be left by Hannah with Eli to be trained to be a priest of that Tabernacle. As such, the inclusion of “el” in their names is not coincidence or happenstance. All three men must be considered to be “elohim” of Yahweh, which means His priestly servants, with all being Levitical obligations of their parents to be submitted into service to Yahweh. thus, they were given those names with divine purpose.

As for Elkanah, when “God” is retranslated to say “an el of Yahweh,” or “one of Yahweh’s elohim,” this makes the name say he took this service to Yahweh with fervor. The Strong’s translation that says his name means “God has taken possession” clearly becomes a statement of his soul having married with the Spirit of Yahweh, so that Spirit is the possessing factor that leads Elkanah’s life. He was without a doubt a most holy man. This would be why each year he traveled to Shiloh with his family and sacrificial animals, to offer blood to Yahweh as a sin offering. One could see this as a Passover observance, so the angel of death would not take their souls away from Yahweh. One can presume that Elkanah was the firstborn son of his parents. The Wikipedia article says the Talmud lists Elkanah as a prophet, making him be on the same list with Moses.

When this is realized here, the name from the last two Sunday’s readings from Ruth say that Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, was a priest of the Tabernacle, as a first born male son, who left Judah because he could be a high priest wherever he went, not wishing to serve wayward peoples as one who would offer sacrifices to redeem their sins. His name would then say he was one of Yahweh’s elohim, to whom his whole body and soul was a nation unto Yahweh, with Yahweh his King. Additionally, it shows the first born son of Adam was named “Ab-el,”* a name that means an el born to serve the Father (Yahweh, not Adam). Thus, Abel offered animal sacrifices (blood to Yahweh), which pleases Yahweh and Cain was not allowed to do the same.

In the name Eli, we can also see the root in Elijah, showing that both men were designated by their parents to serve Yahweh. The name “Elijah” means “My God Is He” or “God Is Yahu” (where “Yahu” is “Jehu,” meaning “Yah Is He”) thus, “Elijah” means “I am possessed by Yahweh as one of His elohim.” The same is implied in the name Eli, as “I am a possessed elohim (of Yahweh).” This means Eli was a true high priest, as he was not just holding down a day job (like so many priests in Christian churches today), so when he heard what Hannah said about her prayer, he was not just sprinkling some holy water on her and handing her a wafer to eat when he said, “Go in peace; welohe of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” Those words were Yahweh speaking through His servant Eli.

In the use of “welohe,” which is a combined form that adds “and” to “elohim,” Eli said, “and I say “Go in peace” as one of Yahweh’s official hands on the earth, one of His elohim, who Retains Yahweh as His elohim [the meaning of “Israel”]. This was Yahweh telling Hannah her silent prayer was heard; and, after Eli had spoken as a human guard of the Tabernacle in Shiloh, insulting Hannah by using his human brain, Yahweh is now apologizing for him, to you. This change in demeanor needs to be seen as an elohim not always being the best representative of Yahweh as could be; but it shows Yahweh will access His servants in times of need.

In the naming of Samuel, having previously in Year B read about his role with David and Saul, we realize he was a more attentive elohim of Yahweh. The name Samuel also means “Heard Of God,” which is why we read Hannah saying the reason for the name given is “I have asked him of Yahweh.” That specifically names “Yahweh,” while saying “Samuel” means “Heard Dedication to Yahweh, to be one of His elohim.” Samuel was able to hear the voice of Yahweh, unlike Eli. Eli had Yahweh speak through his lips, but his inability to hear Hannah’s prayer, only seeing her lips move, he was unable to hear divine communications. Samuel was able to hear Yahweh’s voice, therefore able to convey Yahweh’s messages, just as was Jesus [a name meaning “Yah[weh] Will Save]. It should be realized that Samuel would be the last judge of the Israelite people, before David. Eli would fail Yahweh because he could not punish his mortal sons (both priests); and, Samuel also had sons who were not able to be divine as was his soul.

In the translation that I have stricken through, as it is not written in the Hebrew text [checking multiple Hebrew references], the words written as “then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head,” they are a paraphrase. What is written is a promise to “give a male son to Yahweh [not written in translation as “the Lord”] for as long as he lives. The aspect of “He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants” is also not written. These are the translators assuming Hanna promised her son to be dedicated to a “nazarite” life, where these traits are stated in Deuteronomy 6. As the Wikipedia article on Elkanah states, relative to being “a nazarite,” that is merely a physical expression of one’s beliefs, not a guarantor of one’s soul in marriage to Yahweh. So, lots of Jewish priests can not trim their beards or heads and abstain from drinking alcohol, while not being able to do blood sacrifices in the Temple. That alone does not make them Yahweh elohim.

In this reading from First Samuel, the element of being able to hear the voice of Yahweh is missing. Eli could speak for Yahweh, through divine possession of his soul by Yahweh. He therefore offered a prophecy that would come true. The reading from Daniel, as the Track 2 Old Testament offering, tells of Yahweh speaking to Daniel in a dream. Coming from Daniel’s twelfth (and last) chapter, Daniel was no longer the young prophet who won the trust of Nebuchadnezzar, as he was old in years. His dream vision with audio matches the prophecy of Joel, who said, “Your old men will dream dreams.” The point is one who is an “el” of Yahweh [“Daniel” means “Judge Of God” or “God Is My Judge”] is a conduit of prophecy, due to the marriage of one’s soul to Yahweh and a commitment in marriage to serve Yahweh wholly.

The prophecy spoken to Daniel by Yahweh is seen as an “End Times” prophecy, such that the theme stated in that reading is related to a them stated in John’s Apocalypse. In the same way, when Paul writes in Hebrews about a “second coming,” people who do not have their souls married to Yahweh see lips moving, but cannot hear the truth. Christians who wait until the End Times for Jesus to return are missing the fact that Jesus has already returned in Apostles and Saints for two thousand years. The prophecy of Daniel is them speaking of their ignorance to hear the truth and let Yahweh speak through those silent lips.

In the Hebrews reading that accompanies this reading from First Samuel, Paul quoted Jeremiah 31:33, where the Hebrew that would have been written by Paul [the letter is named “Hebrews”] would have said in an English translation: “But this covenant that I will make with the house of Israel [“He Who Retains Yahweh as one of His elohim”] after days, those speaking as Yahweh, “I will put my law in their mind and written on their hearts, and they will be My elohim and they will be My people.” The English translation from a Greek reproduction of the Hebrew written by Paul becomes translators trying to read the lips of Paul, thinking whoever wrote this Hebrews epistle must have been drunk on new wine. They totally miss the truth that was told and set before them.

In the Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus told his disciples of major changes to come to the Temple of Jerusalem and those who called themselves believers, Christians today read those English translations and think of the End Times, making this Gospel selection be more in-line with the reading from Daniel. They fail to see the misunderstanding of divine text, in the same way Eli did not hear what prayer Hannah was speaking to Yahweh. The lesson to be learned from Eli is he let Hannah speak, after he ridiculed her wrongly. When he heard what she said, Yahweh flowed through his being and gave a blessing to Hannah. Certainly, Eli learned from his mistake. Hopefully modern Christians can do the same.

As a reading to be read aloud on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson is to pray to Yahweh and offer one’s soul up in marriage to Him. Then, one needs to look for the sings and listen to the voice of Yahweh coming to oneself [a “self” equals a “soul”] and hear Yahweh answering prayers. One is not put into the worldly realm to be given special privilege over others. Hannah was mistreated for years because she was barren. She prayed to be fertile, where the symbolism for a reader today is to stop crossing your legs [proverbially], asking Yahweh [“the Lord” to fake Christians] for everything in the Wish Book, while doing nothing to help anyone other than oneself. Until one becomes a Yahweh elohim, one is refusing to hear the voice of Yahweh and have faith in Yahweh. One cannot enter ministry as less than a Yahweh elohim, as only Yahweh can lead one to do His Will and bring others to do the same.

———-

* The name “Abel” is not read in this manner. It is instead translated as “Habel” or “Abel,” as one word, either meaning “Vanity, Breath” or “Stream.” The first two are stated to be the meaning of the son of Adam.

1 Samuel, Language, Teaching

1 Samuel 2:1-10 – Hannah’s Psalm of thanksgiving

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[1] Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in Yahweh;

my strength horn is exalted in Yahweh.

My mouth derides my enemies,

because I rejoice in my victory.

[2] “There is no holy one like Yahweh,

no one besides you;

there is no rock like kelohenu.

[3] Talk no more so very proudly,

let not arrogance come from your mouth;

for Yahweh is el of knowledge,

[Yahweh] by him actions are weighed.

[4] The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the feeble gird on strength.

[5] Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.

The barren has borne seven,

but she who has many children is forlorn.

[6] Yahweh kills and brings to life;

he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

[7] Yahweh makes poor and makes rich;

he brings low, he also exalts.

[8] He raises up the poor from the dust;

he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes

and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh‘s,

and on them he has set the world.

[9] “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,

but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;

for not by might does one prevail.

[10] Yahweh! His adversaries shall be shattered;

the most high will thunder in heaven.

Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king,

and exalt the power of his anointed.” [פ]

——————–

This is the accompany reading that falls in the category of a “Psalm” because it is a song of Hannah. It therefore will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 28], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow the story of Hannah in First Samuel, which says, “Her rival [‘sister wife’ Peninnah] used to provoke [Hannah] severely, to irritate her, because Yahweh had closed [Hannah’s] womb.” This set will be read loudly in churches following the Track 1 path and precede the Epistle reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together.” All will accompany the Gospel selection from Mark, where it is written: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

The above translation, which the Episcopal Church says comes from the NRSV, is presented without verse numbers supplied [for whatever reason, since the NRSV supplies verse numbers]. I have placed the appropriate verse numbers in bold type, within brackets. In addition, there are nine times the proper name “Yahweh” was translated by the NRSV as “the Lord.” That is not the meaning; so, I have restored “Yahweh” in bold type. In verse three, Hannah wrote “Yahweh” twice, but the second time is changed by the NRSV to say “and by him.” This is a lie. So, I have restored the name “Yahweh” in bold type, within brackets. Next, a Hebrew word is translated as “strength,” when the word written means “horn.” I have stricken out the bad translation and replaced it with “horn.” Finally, in verses two and three are uses of “kelohenu” and “el,” both of which were translated by the NRSV as a capitalized form of “God.” That too is wrong; so, I have restored the Hebrew text as written. All will be explained in the verse-by-verse breakdown I will now add.

In verse one, I have stricken out the translation that says “strength.” I have done this because the Hebrew word written is “qeren,” transliterated in the text as “qar·nî,” with the meaning being “my horn.” While the use is acceptable as a figurative word denoting “strength,” such as a ram’s horn reflects that, one cannot think Hannah all of a sudden got big muscles because Yahweh answered her prayer and allowed her to get pregnant and deliver a son named Samuel. Thus, the word is used to denote a “horn” that is used as “an oil flask.” This means Hannah praises the fact that her soul had been anointed by Yahweh, so she became “raised up, on high, or exalted” because “Yahweh” became the possessor [“my”] of her soul, through an outpouring of His Spirit. The “strength” she needed to become pregnant was from “Yahweh.”

In the same first verse, the use of “leb,” transliterated as “lib-bi” (adding the possessive as “my” to “heart”), states the reality that this word reflects on the “inner being, mind, and will.” The “inner being” is the soul. This means Hannah pronounced: “my being rejoices Yahweh.”
[Nothing is written that adds a preposition to “Yahweh,” such as “in”]. This says the presence of Yahweh with Hannah’s soul immediately became an elevation of spirit that led to singing songs of praise and thanksgiving. This explains why this song is written. The words flow forth from the “horn” of Yahweh then within her being.

When this view of “horn” is realized, then the continuation of verse one says the rejoicing of words that flow from Yahweh through Hannah come out her “mouth.” Without expressing words, Hannah’s “mouth” made a “smile.” This smile becomes an expression of happiness that cannot be removed, even when in the presence of “enemies.” It is a constant elation that is caused by the outpouring of Spirit from Yahweh, which made Hannah smile with rejoicing because she had her prayer answered by Yahweh.

The conclusion to verse one is poorly stated as “because I rejoice in my victory.” While Hannah was happy being a mother, the Hebrew states, “because I rejoice in your salvation,” where the “your” is a designation of Yahweh. The root Hebrew word for “salvation” is “yeshuah,” which should be seen as the root of Jesus’ name, with the name “Jesus” meaning “Yah[weh] Saves.” Rather than read this as Hannah flaunting her “victory” in the face of others, as “my salvation,” nah nah nah nah nah; it should be sung as her not only having conceived a male son (Samuel), but her soul had been promised salvation by the possession of Yahweh’s Son merged with her soul. This proclaims she was reborn herself, as Jesus within her soul.

Verse two is then misleading to show Hannah singing, “There is no holy one like Yahweh.” While that is a truth that can certainly be assumed, it is not what is written. The literal translation of the Hebrew says, “nothing is sacred Yahweh.” There is no comparison to be made [such as “like”]. The clear statement is “nothing is sacred” or “nothing is holy.” The name “Yahweh” is then a statement by itself of holiness. Thus, the intent and meaning is Hannah avowing that “no one is sacred” unless his or her souls have married “Yahweh.” Only by divine marriage of a soul to Yahweh’s Spirit can the holiness of Yahweh be expressed in the material realm. It says all flesh is “nothing;” and, without Yahweh married to a soul (a natural state of being from birth), this says “no one is holy.” Only a divinely led soul can emanate holiness through dead matter; and, such a soul must have come into union with Yahweh.

That is the meaning of the following words that sing, “none besides you,” which must be known that the word translated as “besides” also means “except.” Anyone who is without Yahweh is unholy and not sacred (a natural state of being from birth). This means people can dress up like priests all they want; but if their souls are not married to Yahweh, then they are “except” or “not” holy or sacred. Thus, verse two then concludes by singing that a truly sacred one becomes “a rock” of stability and certainty, when that soul has been transformed into one of Yahweh’s elohim – His angels in the flesh, or His “gods” given His powers on earth.

When verse three is shown to translate as saying, “Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth,” this hints at what Hannah actually said. The literal translation repeats the word “gə·ḇō·hāh” [root “gaboah”], which translates as “high, exalted.” This repetition is omitted by translating it as “very proudly.” The words written literally sing, “not many speak high exalted , let come no arrogance from your mouth ; for el of knowledge Yahweh , no not are measured deeds .” This says first that the vast majority of Israelites were designated as high priests, who could speak the word of Yahweh truly. Next, it says no true high priest – a Saint – will ever speak as if their egos proudly say, “I speak for God, when I say!” That arrogance is a sign of a liar. No true Saint speaks as if he or she is Yahweh, as they are all mere servants who have no “I” to be arrogant about.

This is where the use of “el” must be read in the lower case, as a “god,” not as Yahweh. If Hannah was referring to Yahweh, she would have written that proper name. The “god of knowledge” is a Saint who is one of Yahweh’s elohim, who speaks the truth that flows through his or her mouth, as a servant to Yahweh. This makes them appear to be “gods,” but they are not; and, they will not make that claim. This is why Hannah wrote a double negative – the first in brackets and the second in parentheses – saying “no not” as to this assumption that an “el” is “God.” The only measure of Yahweh is found in humans whose souls have married Yahweh, so His Spirit has them perform “deeds” that are impossible without Yahweh in their beings.

Verse four then fairly accurately sings, “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength,” as this relates to the “no not” statement prior. It says those who pretend to be the “archers” of Yahweh, as His priests in tabernacles, they will not know the truth of Scripture. They will bend the truth to suit their feeble knowledge of divine Word, which is the only height possible to achieve, by the most advanced human brains. Those “bows” bend to the point of breaking, which is proved by their history of having said something means one thing, which then comes back as an arrow landing up their butts, proving to mean something completely different. The second half of this verse sings happily that all Scripture puts a “gird on strength,” by purposefully being written by souls married to Yahweh, so only other souls married to Yahweh will know the meaning, as “an el of knowledge.”

Verse five is misleading when shown to sing, “Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.” The literal translation sings, “satiated with bread have hired themselves out , and the hungry have ceased ; even the barren has brought forth seven , and she who has many children has become weak .” Because the story of Hannah portrays her sister wife, Peninnah, as a woman who had seven children with Elkanah, the meaning of seven goes beyond that microcosmic analysis. This verse is singing about the failure of all within the Tribes of Israel who pretend to be priests of Yahweh, when their souls refuse to marry and submit themselves to His Will.

The “full of bread” must be seen as brains that have been filled with the bread from heaven, which is the teachings of Moses. They have filled their brains with memorizations of words, while being spiritually barren of the meaning that comes from those words. Those Big Brains then make a profit from their intellectualism. Because they then teach emptiness to the children of Israel, they are no longer “hungry.” They lack hunger because of that weak sense of understanding that is taught.

Because Yahweh’s Creation was finished on the sixth day, He rested on the seventh day. This means the number seven symbolically states a time of rest has come to the Israelites, due to the weakness of the elders, unable to properly teach their children. This makes the feminine gender in “wə·rab·baṯ” – “she who has many” – reflects the wives of Yahweh [ALL souls in bodies of flesh claiming to be His children]. Those children she has given birth to in the Promised Land have become “weak” and “feeble,” completely due to them not having married their souls to Yahweh. This makes the modern lingo applied to “they who were full have hired themselves out for bread” be a perfect prophecy of the “selling of religion,” which is prevalent today; with today’s children likewise “feeble” in their faith.

Verse six is then shown to sing, “Yahweh kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.” This needs to be seen not as Yahweh “killing,” so He can raise the dead, because all human flesh is death to begin with. Yahweh breathes in spirit [“rauch”] that animates that dead flesh, bringing life to dead matter. This that Hannah sings needs to be seen as Yahweh offering souls the choice to die of self-will and self-ego, in order to be married to His Spirit [become His wife]. Such self-sacrifice then assures a soul of eternal life, beyond the term limits of a body of flesh. All flesh is death in waiting, with death a certainty that comes when the eternal soul will be released. That release is for judgment, which is what happens in “Sheol.”

It is most important to realize that an eternal soul has three options after it has been released from a body of flesh that has died and is no longer able to sustain a place for a soul to reside. All options are based on Yahweh’s judgment. The first option is reincarnation, which is a soul being recycled into a new body of flesh. This says the soul did not marry Yahweh, therefore it had too many sins to allow it to become one with Yahweh for eternity. Reincarnation implies some sense of good works done will allow the soul a ‘second chance.’ The second option is banishment into the outer darkness and into the eternal fire of punishment. This implies the soul sold itself to Satan, doing sins that harmed other souls. This becomes an eternity of unavoidable torment. The third option is then salvation, when the soul had married Yahweh prior to death AND had served Yahweh as a Saint, leading other souls to find marriage to Yahweh as their path to eternal life. That option is the reward of one’s death of self, in submission to Yahweh. In that process, the death and resurrection is mirrored in one’s transformed life in the same flesh. Hannah was one so transformed, as before she had been barren, but then she was a mother whose soul knew Yahweh.

Verse seven is then shown to sing, “Yahweh makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts.” This is a reflection of the death and rebirth that was stated in verse six. Yahweh lets one know how spiritually “poor” one’s soul is, with reincarnation being the best it can look forward to, without a spiritual transformation. A soul becomes “rich” by marriage to Yahweh and the added value His Spirit brings to a soul. One must reach the depths of human existence, which is where Hannah was when she prayed to Yahweh to listen to her plea and bargain to offer her son up as a priest of Yahweh. This song of thanksgiving says Hannah was “exalted” with her rejoicing, from having come to know Yahweh as His wife.

Verse eight is then shown to sing at first, “He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.” Here, the first segment says a soul is breathed into “dust,” which gives life to dead matter and allows it “to stand up.” The “poor” is a body of flesh with only a soul. The “ash” is then a symbolic statement about transformation, where the body of flesh has died of self [been burned to ash], so it has sought salvation through “need.” In the days when judges maintained the direction of Israel, to be “set among princes” means for Saints to be seen as the voice of Yahweh to lead the people. This makes a Saint be one “inclined” as the hand of Yahweh on the earth, such that such prophets would be recognized as being themselves the “seat of honor,” with Yahweh reigning within them as their King.

This then led Hannah to write, “For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s, and on them he has set the world.” This says those who serve Yahweh are his “pillars,” which means they are freestanding supports that connect heaven to the earth. In the story of Boaz and Ruth, the name “Boaz” means “Strength,” such that one of the two “pillars” outside the Temple of Jerusalem was named “Boaz.” Neither of those two pillars supported any physical structure above; but the pillar to the left was named “Boaz.” This is how the words of Hannah should be read. A Saint or Prophet is that support on earth that upholds the Word of Yahweh for all to see. Each should aspire to become one of Yahweh’s “pillars.”

Verse nine is then shown to sing, “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail.” In this is found a similarity to verse three’s presentation of “no not,” with the use of brackets and parentheses. Here, that translated as “faithful ones” is written “[ḥă·sî·ḏōw] (ḥă·sî·ḏāw),” with the repetition being of Yahweh’s “saints,” of his “pious, or kind” ones. The brackets and parentheses are marking unseen proof to these states of being. This becomes how a “Saint” cannot be determined by looks or appearances. Everything is unseen, as the brackets and parentheses indicate as asides or unspoken words.

These become “the feet” of Yahweh, as His pillars set upon the ground. They are placed on the earth as His guards of His Will. They do not need to be “guarded,” but the “wicked” do. The pillars of Yahweh on earth are sent to guard the children of Yahweh from being tricked by Satan to do evil deeds. Those are the deeds that come from “darkness,” which leads souls to eternal banishment from Yahweh. This leads to the final segment of this verse, which literally sings, “for no strength shall prevail man.” This says no “man” is capable alone to resist the influenced of Satan, thus not be tricked into wicked ways. Only when one’s soul has married Yahweh, so oneself has the strength of being a pillar of Yahweh on earth, can one resist the temptation of Satan and make his whispers become silent.

Verse ten is then shown to sing, “Yahweh! His adversaries shall be shattered; the most high will thunder in heaven. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.” In this verse are more words presented in repetition, again placed within brackets and parentheses. The words repeated are “[mə·rî·ḇōw] (mə·rî·ḇāw)” and “[‘ā·lōw] (‘ā·lāw),” which draw from “rib” and “al” respectively. Those two words mean: “to strive, contend” and “upon, over, above.” This reflects a silent statement, which has been shown to be “His adversaries shall be shattered:’ but a better way of understanding this is as “those who shall contend against that from above.” These silent words follow the beginning words that loudly sing, “Yahweh shall descend.” The result will be the sound of thunder.

This verse of Hannah should be seen as similar to the words of John, who spoke of the voice of Yahweh that were heard by some, but not all. Those who could not hear the voice of Yahweh clearly said they heard thunder in the distance. That says they were not souls married to Yahweh, based on what Hannah wrote here. The meaning should be seen as a statement that when Yahweh descends to the worldly plane, His servants will clearly hear His voice of direction. Those directions will be to avoid or overcome those who contend against the truth of Yahweh, disbelieving in His presence over the people. This ability to hear and respond to that heard will then be how souls will be judged.

When Hannah wrote, “he will give strength to his king,” it should be remembered that Israel was not led by royalty at that time. We need to recall the name Elimelech means “An elohim whose King is Yahweh” [“God Is My King”]. This makes Hannah be saying the “king” of all who submit in marriage to Yahweh are those soul in submission to Yahweh as King. This is why Yahweh would tell Samuel, when he said the elders want a king to be like other nations, “I am their King.” One is not Israel [one “Who Retains Yahweh as one of His elohim”] if Yahweh is not one’s King. The strength of Yahweh is how one resists all temptations to sin and thus gains eternal life through salvation.

When Hannah’s song ends with the segment of words that have been translated as singing, “exalt the power of his anointed,” this is why I have stricken out “strength” in verse one and replaced it with “horn.” In these words is repeated the word “horn” – as “and exalt the horn of his anointed.” Again, the Hebrew word “qeren” is repeated and again it means a horn that is “used as an oil flask.” Here, it is most important to realized that one “anointed” by the “horn” of Yahweh becomes like David, and like all Saints who are souls married to Yahweh. It means His Spirit has been poured out upon those souls forever, which makes them be “Messiahs” or “Christs.” This song is a statement that Hannah was likewise a Christ of Yahweh, as Yahweh is the one who determines who His wives will be. Yahweh is able to Anoint the whole world, if the whole world were to submit to His Will.

As the accompanying song of praise to the First Samuel story of Hannah giving birth to Samuel, after having been barren, will be sung on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost. That is when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway and easily understood as one’s own song of praise to Yahweh. The lesson that must be clear here is to be one of Yahweh’s Anointed, as a Christ, who is Jesus reborn. The warning is the world is led by those full of intelligence, which goes in one ear and out the other of the children listening to adult praise themselves and not Yahweh. This lack demands those like Hannah step forward and pray to things to change. The world is barren of spiritual food; and, it can only be revitalized by the presence of Yahweh in His wives on earth.

Daniel, Language, Teaching

Daniel 12:1-3 – Finding everlasting life or the shame of everlasting contempt

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The Lord spoke to Daniel in a vision and said, “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

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This is the Track 2 Old Testament selection that will be read aloud in churches following that path on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 28], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will be paired with Psalm 16, which includes the verse that sings, “For you will not abandon me to the grave, nor let your holy one see the pit.” That set will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “We have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh).” All will accompany the Gospel selection from Mark, where it is written that Jesus said, “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.”

I wrote about this selection from Daniel the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018),; and, I posted those views on my website at that time. Those opinions can be read now by searching this site. I firmly stand behind what I wrote then and I feel they are quite appropriate today and well worth reading. Because I have already stated those views, I will not go into depth repeating what I have already said I see in these prophetic words. I will briefly touch on some points I made then, while adding some fresh perspective, focusing on how this short reading from Daniel fits into the theme of all readings for this Sunday. I welcome all to read my 2018 post and compare it to what I will now add.

In my commentaries of this 2021 Year B, I have talked much about the meaning of elohim. This is a word that means an “angel,” simply because it was elohim who Yahweh used to create the Universe. The word “elohim” is written thirty-two times in Genesis 1, each time it is translated into English as “God” [when the word is clearly plural in number, meaning “gods”]. Before there was the creation of “man,” the “elohim” could not have had any physical form. The elohim took physical form in Genesis 2, when the combination of words – “Yahweh elohim” – is found written eleven time, each relative to the making of Adam. They are therefore angles of Yahweh, which are placed in human forms as divine souls. While Satan is also an “elohim” [Job twice says Satan appeared in a meeting of the “sons of elohim”], a human soul can be possessed by an elohim and not be divinely led. Therefore, a “Yahweh elohim” is how one determines who are the wives of Yahweh, as souls married to His Spirit, becoming His angels in the flesh.

In the analysis I did of the Track 1 Old Testament reading, about Hannah, I mentioned the many names that contained the word el. Here, again, we see a name that contains “el.” That name is “Michael,” which questions, “Who Is Like God?, What Is God Like?” Those translations take the word “el” and translate it into English as “God.” The proper translation of the name “Michael” should be this: Who Is Like Yahweh as one of His angels [elohim]? Or, Who Is Yahweh Like when He possesses a human soul in the flesh [an elohim as a Saint]? In this way, the name Israel was applied to the human soul in the flesh named Jacob, elevating his soul to be one Who Retains Yahweh as one of His elohim. That is the way “Michael” should be addressed in this prophecy.

In my 2018 analysis, I mentioned how these three verses in Daniel are linked to the introductory verses of John’s Apocalypse, which is done because this vision of Daniel is seen as a prophecy still unfulfilled, as it The Revelation of John. This is then a selected reading on this Sunday because Jesus spoke of end times, just as did Daniel. In this, it is most important to see that Jesus spoke to each disciple individually, even though they sat together as a collective. In that gathering, Judas Iscariot is among those to whom Jesus spoke individually, which was not the same outcome (his ‘end time’) that was to be, compared to the other disciples. This means the “end times” are specific to each individual soul in a body of flesh, as that is the only ‘end time’ that matters. Thus, all ‘end times’ prophecy must be read as a prophecy that is relative to one’s own soul, relative to when that soul is released for judgment upon death.

This brings up the difference Jesus pointed out (in a later teaching on Mount Olivet) between the sheep and the goats. The same differences in human souls, in particular those who all claim to have some beliefs in Jesus, because the difference is that between belief and true faith. This is how this Daniel reading must be read. Otherwise, one does not see anything spoken by Yahweh through one of His divine prophets as being applicable to oneself. It is always easier to say, “This is not the End Times [yet], so I don’t need to read this as important to me.”

When we read verse one beginning by saying “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise,” this is not the reality of that written. The literal translation into English says, “and in time it shall stand up Michael the ruler great , it stands over the sons of your people”. Rather than a “prince,” this is the possessing Spirit of those souls married to Yahweh. Because Daniel was such a soul, the designation “your people” must be seen as all souls who will be like Daniel and have their souls married to Yahweh. This means “your people” will have all be truly known as “Israel” – those “Who Retain Yahweh as His elohim” – will then “rise up” to assume the name “Michael.” That “stance” will be when souls married to Yahweh will question all who claim to be Yahweh elohim [as Jews in captivity, which will include Christians born after Jesus], “Who Is Like Yahweh through divine marriage?”

To see this as a prophecy of these modern times, one then needs to understand the prophecy saying, “all who attain to written in the book” [which is translated by the NRSV as saying “everyone who is found written in the book”]. In my 2018 interpretation, I assumed this “book” to be the Akashic Record, which would be an ethereal listing of all history – past, present, future – which a divine angle, like Michael, could access. I now see this “book” as the “written” history of “your people” [Jews, and thus Christians], which is the Holy Bible. The prophetic portions of that “book written” would be the New Testament. Therefore, the prophecy shown to Daniel is saying the “time” would come when the “standing up of a spirit that questions, “Who Will Be A Yahweh elohim?” will refer to “all” who have done as the Gospels and Epistles have said, so they will be measured by who is Jesus reborn and who is not.

In the verse that states [NRSV], “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,” this does not refer to past soul, whose bodies of flesh have been long buried. Instead, it refers to all who will be living, prior to death [a personal ‘end time’], where the metaphor says “dead men walking” (from “those who sleep in the dust of the earth”) will then become “alive” in Spirit (from “shall awake”). When the verse then continues to say, “some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt,” this means the deaths of some people claiming to be Christians [just as in the past there were Jews having the same ‘end times’ judgments] will find some truly are souls married to Yahweh, who had given birth to His Son Jesus [as written], so as Apostles or Saints their souls will find “eternal life” with Yahweh in heaven. Many others will find they had lived lies and their judgment will be continuous reincarnations, leading their souls to experience “eternal contempt” for Yahweh, serving self rather than Him.

The final verse then says [NRSV], “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” In this, the word translated as “wise” means “prudent,” where the intent can be seen as a willingness to receive instruction from the Christ Mind and teach others. The “brightness of the sky” is the light of the sun, which shines as the truth of Yahweh, through the soul of Jesus resurrected within a Saint. They “teach” others, just as Jesus of Nazareth taught his disciples. Those who will truly be saved will be those who enter ministry as Jesus reborn, in order to save others. Therefore, those will “lead many to righteousness,” where the numbers of Saints born into the world over time [the past two thousand years roughly now] will be like the stars hinging light into the expanse of darkness.

In this reading being compared to the others, notice how the First Samuel reading tells of the past record (prior to Daniel’s old age), when the same ‘sheep and goats’ of Israel were shown as Eli and Samuel. Eli could not hear Hannah speaking to Yahweh and belittled her prayer as the utterances of a drunkard. Samuel would be her son, who she would leave with Eli to develop him into a high priest. Samuel would “stand up” to be a judge of the people. Eli would have two sons who were lousy priests; and, rather than punish his own sons for belittling the truth of an Israelite, he refused to do as Yahweh said, choosing to be judged as a failure. Both Eli and Samuel had personal ‘end times.’ One was rewarded, while the other was punished. This is the message of Daniel, shown as fulfilled in the past.

In the Hebrews reading, Paul quoted Jeremiah 31:33, where the words ‘written in the book” are translated into Greek with limitations, when are then further limited in a translation into English, so the original Hebrew of Jeremiah is not seen. We do not read Paul writing the name “Yahweh.” Instead, we read him quoting, “his is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Paul was writing this because the only way to have the law written in one’s heart and in their minds is to have their souls married to Yahweh and be Jesus resurrected, as the Christ Mind. The true measurement of what Paul wrote – “we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,” where one’s real blood becomes the blood of Jesus by his soul being merged with one’s host soul, as his soul resurrected – will be as Daniel wrote. One claiming to believe in Jesus, while worshiping self over Yahweh, will be finding death brings “everlasting contempt.” Those who are truly Saints, as Jesus reborn, through divine marriage of their souls, they will have been sent into ministry as Jesus reborn and granted “everlasting life.”

As a parallel prophecy to that told by Jesus to his disciples, the Temple would be destroyed; but the Temple is not just a building. It represented a false religion where the Jews of that institution were the goats who would be separated and cast into the other darkness, where there would be gnashing of teeth. The sheep would be those, like the disciples, who Jesus warned, ““Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.” Just like the last Sunday, when Jesus warned “Beware the scribes!” the same warning is there will be those who claim to serve Yahweh, when in fact they only sever themselves. They are the one who will lead others astray, rather than be Jesus reborn and lead others to righteousness. This becomes the future of this prophecy, which is always fulfilled and awaiting fulfillment, for as long as soul animate dead flesh.

For a reading that will be read aloud on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson is to read this prophecy as a personal prediction of your soul’s fate. The time to look into the distant future and say, “When Jesus comes again in the clouds” and “When the Rapture will punish all the evil creatures on earth and reward me” – who does nothing for anyone other than self – the reality is each and every human being has a soul that is on loan by Yahweh. When each soul is released at death [and all mortals will certainly die], then Yahweh will judge them for how long they had served Him as a submitted servant and wife. Those who have refused to see their name written in the book – the names Israel and Jesus – they will have brought on their own “everlasting contempt.” The time to hear the word and respond favorable, through self-sacrifice, is now. There can be no meaningful ministry for Yahweh without divine marriage and the resurrection of His Son with one’s soul. Without Yahweh’s Spirit, one is merely saying “I believe in Jesus,” when those lies will be revealed upon one’s ‘end time.’

Hebrews, Language, Teaching

Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 – Hebrew transformed into Greek and English

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Every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. [And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,”

he also adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.]

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

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This is the Epistle selection that will be read aloud on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 28], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow one of two sets of Old Testament and Psalm (or song) readings, either those of Track 1 or Track 2, depending on the path predetermined for an individual church. The Track 1 offerings will be from First Samuel, where Hannah’s story includes this verse: “Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk.” The accompanying Song of Hannah will then include this verse: “Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.” The Track 2 set will offer a reading from Daniel, which says, “There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence.” It will be accompanied by Psalm 16, which sings, “I have set Yahweh always before me; because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.” All will accompany the Gospel selection from Mark, where Jesus told his disciples, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

I wrote about this reading selection the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018) and I posted my views on my website at that time. That interpretation explains how so much text from an Epistle, as is that bitten off for today’s serving, becomes more written in explanation than most ‘casual’ Christians bear to read and ponder. I, therefore, presented a quick run-through of the meaning this reading conveys. I stand behind those views today, as they are still pertinent and worth study. I have made that commentary available now through this link. What I will add now is slightly different, based on the way I see Scripture today being evolved over time. I will now add some additional comments, none of which will lessen those made three years ago.

The first evolution in my thinking has occurred just recently, when the reading selections under the Epistle heading began coming from Hebrews. I have explained how I now see this text as one written by Paul, while in prison in Rome, with him writing these chapters in Hebrew, rather than Greek. His words written in Hebrew were then received by a Christian who was a Jew and fluent in Hebrew; but, more importantly, as a true Christian being the recipient of Paul’s letter, he knew the deeper truth of the Hebrew written. That person, or one with whom he shared these documents written in Hebrew, would have been the one translating (while divinely inspired) Paul’s Hebrew into his Greek. That ‘middle man’ would then be why scholars question who wrote this book that is named “Hebrews.” In this selection presented for this Sunday, Paul quoted Hebrew text, which would have certainly been a match for the Hebrew text of Jeremiah 31:33-34, which the translation into Greek would weaken – purposefully.

On a day when this reading is sandwiched between the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus, which makes one’s mind immediately jump to see scenes from some Left Behind movie, the last verse of this reading needs special attention. The NRSV has translated this to say, “and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” They capitalize the word “Day,” to place highlighted importance on Judgment Day, as an End Times event. In reality, the Greek word written is “hēmeran,” which is not capitalized. The lack of capitalization means this “day” is not one single “Day” when all will finally know Jesus is returning to judge the living and the dead. Instead, the lower case makes this be a statement that every soul animating a body of dead flesh will eventually find that dead body no longer capable of sustaining an eternal soul, so the body will return to death, releasing the soul. This is a “day” all mortals will know, at the chosen time.

Because there is no reason for Yahweh to follow the mindsets of ignorant human beings, as if Yahweh can only have His Son return one time, that makes the advent of true Christianity be reduced to the dismal state of present existence, when false shepherds tell this lie to paying customers. That makes the reality of true Saints (also called Apostles) be reduced to some humans who made names for themselves, simply by telling the people what they figured the people wanted to hear. Simply because there are fewer Saints in the world today does not mean it was that way when Christianity first began, when all Christians were Anointed by Yahweh, all reborn Saints in the name of Jesus Christ. To look for one “Day” that is always still to come, diminishes the truth that Saints were the truth of the Gospels, all being the return of Jesus into the bodies of flesh who were the souls married to Yahweh; and, Paul was such a wife of Yahweh, a Son of man in the name of Jesus.

In the first verse of this reading, the translation has Paul state, “Every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins.” This translation misses the fact that the Greek word “Kai” (capitalized) begins this statement, signifying it is of great importance to grasp. It is oh so easy to read those words and become locked into a mindset that says, “Those words talk about times long gone.” The closest American Christians come to eating sacrificial foods is when they eat beef, pork, or chicken bought at the grocery store. Perhaps, some might even consider eating a ‘kosher’ hot dog as eating blessed food? The problem comes from seeing that image and not realizing the importance of these word written, as they come from the Godhead and have lasting meaning, through all times – even now.

The Greek words written [translated from Hebrew] are this: “Kai pas menhiereus hestēken kath’ hēmeran leitourgōn,” which literally translates to say, “IMPORTANTLY all surely priest makes a stand each day performing religious ceremony”. This is a statement of truth that continues today. There are those who call themselves “priest,” or “minister,” or “pastor,” or “rabbi,” all of whom (males and females) take a daily responsibility to maintain the practices and religious dogma of a church organization. What was the Temple of Jerusalem – local synagogue system then – is now the whole that envelops all the Judeo-Christian world. They continue today, just as they continued then, practices taught to be holy and pious. [It is also worthwhile to see the word “hēmeran” written here, as this is the exact same word written in the last verse of this selection, which the NRSV saw need to capitalize it as “Day.”]

When Paul then wrote [translated into Greek], “kai tas autas pollakis prospherōn thysias,” this is another segment of words that must be realized as important. These words literally translate to say, “importantly these selves many times offering sacrifices”. In that, the word “autas” is the feminine plural form of “autos,” which means “self.” A “self” should be read as a “soul.” The same word can imply “same,” such that the “souls” of the “priests” are those being “sacrificed.” That means to be a “priest” means to give up something that ordinary people have the right to do. This, for example, could mean not mixing with the great unwashed, during one’s ‘off hours.’ There is nothing stated here about the killing of animals and the sprinkling of their blood and the serving of cooked flesh to others. Thus, it is important to realize a “priest” sees oneself as a projection of Yahweh in fine robes and set practices. That never goes out of style.

Following a comma mark [in the Greek translation], Paul then said, “haitines oudepote dynantai perielein hamartias,” which literally translates into English as: “all who never have the power to take away sins.” This says that everyone who joins a church organization [modeled after the Temple system] has done nothing and can do nothing that washes away sins of any kind. Not even his or her own sins can be cleaned by wearing robes and fancy hats. Much less can such cleansing come upon anyone who takes a wafer and a sip of wine from a priest [modern replacements for sacrificial animal parts]. This is Paul being divinely led by the voice of Yahweh within his soul to say anyone pretending to be a priest does nothing whatsoever that will eliminate sins anywhere. That is quite applicable today, just as it was when he wrote those words (in Hebrew) in a Roman prison cell.

In the NRSV translation, they present selected text in quotation marks, as it Paul were quoting Jesus. Paul never met Jesus of Nazareth physically. There were no ‘early editions’ of the New Testament circulating for him to read and memorize quotes. There were no marks written as indications Paul was quoting anything in what he wrote. The literal translation of verses twelve and thirteen say this: “here now , one on behalf of sins having offered sacrifice towards this continually , appointed in right hand who of God , this something that remains waiting until should be placed this hated of self a footstool of those feet of self”. In this, the first two words – “here now” – is a statement of Paul. Paul was there then, writing about a true “priest.” As such, Paul was “one” soul who had been an “offered sacrifice” to Yahweh, for his own sins of the past. This sacrifice is then “continual” or “perpetual,” as no sins will ever return to him. It is Paul who had been “appointed” by Yahweh to be His “right hand,” which is a statement of Paul being a Yahweh elohim. Paul was not unique, as Paul is writing to other true Christians who fully understood the meaning in the words he wrote.

That “hated” is Satan, who brings the influences to sin to a soul. The element of “feet” and a “footstool” says Satan is placed in his rightful position that does as Jesus told Satan to do, which is serve Yahweh as His elohim and get behind him. The footstool becomes the parallel to behind, as under one’s feet. It says one whose soul has become a self-sacrifice unto Yahweh (becoming His wife and begetting His Son) will always have the soul of Jesus “waiting until” it needs to defeat Satan and send a true priest into true ministry.

The translation of verse fourteen [NRSV] has Paul then writing, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” In this, the word “mia” means “one,” which is implied to be Jesus, as “one” sacrificed. Instead of that limitation, the use of “one” must be seen as not only being Jesus, but also the “one” who sacrifices to become Jesus reborn. When the Greek word “teteleiōken” is seen as a form of “teleioó,” stating “he has perfected” [3rd person singular active indictive], one cannot think Jesus was in need of perfection. Therefore, it is the addition [“one”] of Jesus’ soul to the sinner’s soul [“one”] that makes that divine possession be the act that “perfects, brings to an end, or completes” that which was imperfect or ongoing.

When Paul then quoted from Jeremiah’s thirty-first chapter, the verses he listed were relative to the “new covenant,” which “will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares Yahweh.” Paul was saying the fulfillment of this “new covenant” will be when Yahweh’s Spirit is within each individual soul of his people, so each will be reborn in the name of Jesus Christ. The difference says people following the lead of priests, refusing to submit themselves to Yahweh [a “self” is a “soul”], as only those souls merged [possessed by] the resurrected soul of Jesus [a name that means “Yah[weh] Will Save”] will be the people of Yahweh.

In verse eighteen [the last of the verses listed by the Episcopal Church as optional], Paul wrote [NRSV], “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” The “these” who are forgiven are those whose souls have married Yahweh and have had the laws written on the walls of their hearts and minds. That is a Spiritual presence that has nothing to do with going to see a priest in a building, one who wears fancy robes and high hats. It is a personal relationship with Yahweh. When one has been possessed by Yahweh [becoming one of His elohim] then one is forgiven once, which means no more sinning, therefore no more need to offer sacrifices of animals. One’s own soul has been sacrificed to Yahweh; and, one time means forever.

In verse nineteen, Paul wrote the word that was translated into the Greek that is “hagiōn,” translated by the NRSV as “sanctuaries.” That word is the: “Genitive plural form of άγιος (ágios).” [Wiktionary] This means the word states “saints’ or “pious people.” To translate this as “sanctuaries” is to transform a human body of flesh (with a soul) into a building, wherein abides a most divine soul. It is in those bodies of flesh that physical blood flows. Paul then called that “the blood of Jesus,” which says one’s own physical being has been transformed into that of Jesus. Jesus is a soul merged with a cleansed soul, so one’s body becomes a holy tabernacle, in which dwells Jesus, the high priest of that “saint.”

Verse twenty is then translated by the NRSV to state: “by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh).” There are no parentheses in the written Greek text, meaning this is a fabrication, where the added parentheses imply an aside that was not meant to be part of the prior text. The parentheses act as a supplement to that written prior, as some form of clarification to the prior text. This is not the case.

The Greek text of verse twenty is this: “hēn enekainisen hemin hodon prosphaton , kai zōsan , dia tou katapetasmatos , tout’ estin , tēs sarkos autou”. This literally translates to state: “who he renewed ours a path new , kai living , through this curtain , here exists , of this flesh of self”. All of this follows the prior verse that ended with the name “Jesus,” meaning “who” is referring to Jesus; and, Jesus has entered into one as one’s own “blood,” in order to ‘renew one’s path.” From waywardness then come righteousness.

When one sees the word “kai” denoting it being important to realize what is “new,” the word then stated is “living.” This means the presence of Jesus’ soul within one’s own being grants one’s soul eternal life. Just as one is “living” within one’s body of flesh, so too is Jesus “living” there as well. Jesus is just not visible materially, as his soul emanates through one’s flesh, as a “veil” or a “curtain,” which is how Moses had to shield the divinity of Yahweh within his body of flesh. It means Jesus cannot be seen physically, as only one’s body of flesh can be seen. Still, Jesus’ presence becomes the halo of a Saint – unseen but present.

When Paul wrote the words translated from Hebrew into the Greek “tout’ estin,“ this becomes a statement of Yahweh, as “I Am.” The word “estin” is a form of “ego,” which is a statement of “I am, as “is.” This “is” is a statement of being that says the soul of Jesus “is” now one, as a “brother” soul attached to one’s own soul. Thus, “of this flesh” [one’s own] is one “self” the “same” as the “self” of Jesus. This is a reborn “self,” as the “same” Jesus in new “flesh.”

The NRSV then translates this as the following: “since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Jesus is the high priest, but the Greek word “oikos” better translates as “dwelling,” than “house.” The translation of “house,” like the translation of “sanctuaries” gives the impression of Jesus being external to oneself, as a building one can enter. The “dwelling” is one’s own body of flesh, as one’s soul has submitted to Yahweh and received His Spirit in marriage. Jesus is then resurrected within one’s soul, making one’s flesh be where his soul dwells.

The element of “heart,” from the Greek word “kardias,” is then where Yahweh will have written His laws in one’s “heart,” with the word “kardia” meaning (other than “heart”) “mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center.” This then says Jesus is the writing on the walls from Yahweh. It is also a presence that is known personally, which is an elevation of “belief” to true “faith.” That is stated in the meaning of “pistis” as being “faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.”

All of what Paul wrote is profound, when one looks at the truth of what is written, rather than putting one’s trust in translation services, which are not married to Yahweh and divinely inspired. I welcome all readers to look at the remaining three verses of this reading on one’s own and let oneself be led to see the truth before one’s eyes. Nothing I can write can produce that in oneself. In the same way nothing greater than belief can come from reading what I say these words mean. One has to see for oneself to have a personal experience of the meaning, thus have true faith in what that meaning is. This is how believing in Jesus and Yahweh is nothing like knowing both personally. One can only come to that transformed state of being by seeking to go there. Please do that.

As the Epistle to be read aloud on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to learn to read divine text divinely. That requires work and effort. It demands one seek the truth and not be content by only hearing what others think. One has to realize Paul is saying Jesus died once so Yahweh would have his soul to perpetually place into his people, as his law written on their hearts and minds. One has to be there to have true faith.

Language, Mark, Teaching

Mark 13:1-8 – Spiritual famines brought on by rulers setting snares for souls

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As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.”

——————–

This is the Gospel reading to be read aloud by a priest on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 28], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This will follow one of two sets of Old Testament and Psalms (or song) that is either Track 1 or Track 2, depending on the course predetermined by an individual church. The Track 1 path will present First Samuel’s story of Hannah, which includes this: “[Hannah’s] rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because Yahweh had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of Yahweh, [Peninnah] used to provoke her.” That will be accompanied by the Song of Hannah (from 1 Samuel 2), which sings, “The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. Yahweh kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.” The Track 2 option will present from Daniel 12 this vision of the things to come: “There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence.” That will be followed by Psalm 16, which sings, “But those who run after others [gods] shall have their troubles multiplied.” One of these two sets will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.”

I wrote about this reading the last time it came up in the lectionary cycle (2018) and I posted my views on my website then. That commentary includes pictures of the Temple of Jerusalem and the proximity of the Mount of Olives, from which Jesus explained the end times to his disciples. I made clear observations that are still valid at this time; and, I invite all readers to read that publication now. It can be accessed by clicking on this link. I will not change any of my views to present here now, as I will only add new light to this topic of the end foreseen by Jesus. It must be understood that what Jesus said has not only already happened, but it reflects an ongoing prophecy that speaks to all who claim to be Christians … past, present and future.

I made observations about the Temple of Jerusalem [Herod’s Temple] in my past commentary and the literal prophecy of Jesus was the destruction of that building, which was roughly forty years in the future. It needs to be understood that everything written in the Holy Bible is applicable at all times, no matter what history came and went and leaves people questioning if the Scriptures got some thing wrong, because the words don’t match the facts known. Everything is prophetic through metaphor; and, the metaphor of the beautiful building that was a reflection of Judaic self-worship would be destroyed. Not one brick of their belief system would be left standing as it was then. When Christianity is said to be the reason for a New Covenant, then Jesus speaks of that ‘shining building on a hill’ that also cannot stand without the plan being Yahweh’s elohim, with their cornerstone being the soul of Jesus resurrected within their individual souls. Souls in bodies of flesh are therefore the “stones” of true tabernacles unto Yahweh.

It also must be realized that when Jesus said, “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ this is the truth of the advent of Christianity. It is Christianity that would destroy the Temple system of Judaism, so “not one stone will be left upon another.” The Romans who physically destroyed Herod’s Temple were not Christians. The “many who did come in the name of Jesus destroyed everything of value in a failed religion, failed race.

When Jesus then followed that statement of truth by saying, “they will lead many astray,” that is a mistranslation. Following a separate segment of words in Greek that say, “Egō eimi,” which is a statement of Yahweh that says, “I am,” which is the truth of possession by the Spirit of Yahweh, with Yahweh speaking through the lips of true Christians, Anointed by divine marriage and reborn as Yahweh’s Son, is a separate and subsequent statement that says, “kai pollous planēsousin.” That literally translates to say, “importantly many will be misled.” This has nothing to do with the truth of Christians being filled with the Spirit of Yahweh and saying truthfully, “I am.”

The spelling of “planēsousin” is the future active indicative, 3rd person plural, form of “planaó,” which means “to cause to wander, to wander,” (Strong’s Definition) and “I lead astray, deceive, cause to wander.” (Strong’s Usage) This is then a future state in the plural, as “they will cause to wander” or “they will be misled.” This becomes the future beyond the advent of true Christianity, when the Roman Church ceased the ministry of true Saints and turned Christianity into a business model, as an exact reproduction of the Judaic system that had been totally ruined. This needs to be seen as the ongoing warning that Jesus gave, stating first, “Beware that no one leads you astray.”

That warning was stated to all the disciples who sat on the hillside of Mount Olivet, as they looked down on the Temple below. One can assume that Judas Iscariot was sitting there listening to Jesus prophesy, so the message was as valid that evening as it is now. That warning is Jesus telling twelve men (therefore all who read his words forevermore), “Do not follow a leader to ruin. A leader will not take your soul to heaven. Only you can take your soul to heaven; but to do that, your soul has to marry Yahweh and submit totally to His Will. That includes having no say in anything, so Yahweh will speak truthfully through your lips, just like He does through mine now. Yahweh will say, “I am,” and it will be the truth. However, if you let someone tell you, “I am Jesus,” and you start walking behind that person, then you will be lead to ruin by a liar. So, beware that no one leads you astray.”

This is where I wrote in 2018 about the “ego” of “I” and human being worshiping self as a god. Christianity has fallen into idol worship by elevating popes to some false level of piety. Simply by putting on fancy robes and wearing a high hat and walking with some overblown shepherd’s hook, all of that regalia has made the statement, “Look at me! I am special!” There are mega-church ministers and televangelists who beg for money to do “God’s work,” when it is all about making themselves rich off ignorant people who are too lazy to not be led astray. It is the wolves knowing which of the flock is the weakest, thus the easiest to catch and feed off of. True Christianity is each soul given the expectation to submit fully to Yahweh AND ONLY TO YAHWEH and then minister to the seekers, showing them the truth, so they too can do the same and save their souls. It takes Yahweh elohim to do this; but the presence of true Yahweh elohim will lead to fakers. The fakers know to say the words that allow the lazy to be lazy, all losing their souls in the end.

In the verse that is translated to say, “For nation will rise against nation,” the Greek word “ethnos” is repeated. That word can equally translate as “a race, people,” with the word used to denote Gentiles often. When the following segment places focus on “kingdoms” [from “basileia”], to read “ethnos” as “nations” becomes repetitious and misleading. When “race” is seen as a sign” of the future times when everyone is being led astray, look at how the world began to divide along racial lines (including the religions that denote other religions much like Gentiles), where the Jewish “race” and the Arab “race” came after Jesus left [enter Mohammed] and then they discovered the darkest parts of Africa [not Nubia or Ethiopia], where the tribal system killed people nearby or captured them and sold them into slavery. The times when the world became more migratory and mixed have led to such pitting or races against other races; and, the Black Lives Matter pretense of modern America is just another “sign” of “race” being used in hostile ways.

In the part when Jesus said, “there will be famines,” it is important to see the recent reading options from First Samuel, relative to Elimelech and Naomi, and First Kings, relative to Elijah and the widow woman, both stories placed focus on “famine.” This has to be seen as not the repetition of drought, earthquakes, and wars on an earth, brought about because human beings exist and are like wild animals, but spiritual famine. The earthquakes and wars are both physical, but the aspect of religious upheavals and wars due to religions must be seen as being relative to the true form of Christianity being led astray, due to false shepherds and hired hands.

The last verse in this reading is translated to say, “This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” In reality, only three words of Greek are written, after a period mark that followed “famines.” Those words are: “archē ōdinōn tauta.” Those words literally state, “beginning of birth pains these.” Certainly, this forces one to understand the meaning of “ōdinōn” and how “beginning of birth pains” are relative to all the conflict Jesus mentioned prior.

The Greek word “ōdinōn” is the genitive plural form of “ódin,” which means “the pain of childbirth, acute pain, severe agony, a snare.” This makes the Greek word “archē” important to be understood as also meaning “rulers, magistrates,” with “beginning” being in the temporal sense, as a starting point. This should be seen as a word referencing the laws of races and kingdoms, where it all begins with “rules” installed by “rulers,” which have nothing to do with birthing babies and everything to do with the pain a trapped animal feels, when in a “snare.” Thus, Jesus said all the things prior would be due to the “rulers” of the world bringing about all those “pains.”

To see this Gospel reading paired with the reading from First Samuel, when Hannah was ridiculed by Eli, this needs to be seen as a reflection of how little the leaders of Christianity will have become. Eli is a reflection of a priest who offers personal opinions about those whom he oversees, having little connection to Yahweh. When he saw how distraught his words made Hannah feel, as she was talking to Yahweh, not knowing she was being judged, Eli becomes a middle mad of useless abilities. Hannah talked directly to Yahweh and her prayer was answered. Eli felt he could get into trouble somehow, by insulting a woman, saying she was drunk. Had it not been for Hannah’s need for Yahweh in her life, she might have been led astray by Eli. That says to Christians today, “Speak directly to Yahweh. Beware letting others be your go-between to Yahweh.

In the Daniel reading, it begins by stating, “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise.” While I explain the fault of that translation, which keeps the truth from being seen, look at the name Michael, knowing that is the name of an archangel. The name asks the question, “Who Is Like God,” with an adjustment to meaning being, “Who Is An elohim of Yahweh?” When Michael “arises” within a soul, it becomes a question that asks, “Can you say “I am” as Yahweh’s elohim? Or, do you say, “I am Jesus” when you have never known Yahweh in relationship?” That question becomes key to comparing the prophecy of Daniel to that of Jesus.

In the Hebrews reading, Paul again says the “priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins.” This is saying there will always be Elis holding down positions in churches. They are only there following some organization handbook of procedures and rituals, where talking directly to Yahweh for the cleaning of sins, with no new sins ever being a worry in the future, is not allowed. Such talk as that is ridiculed. The inability for a priest to explain the truth of the Hebrews reading – being Jesus resurrected within one’s soul – is why Christianity has reached spiritual famine times, when the rules are being changed to suit the needs of Gentiles, not promote true Christianity.

This reading from Mark will be read aloud on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway. The lesson to be gained is to see the dangers of being led astray. Being led by anyone other than Yahweh means wandering away from the only source of truth. One must find Yahweh and talk to Him about yo0ur needs. Anything less than saying, “I need my soul saved” will be ignored. Hannah promised her soul to Yahweh, along with her son, if her prayer was answered. That is what one’s soul must say to begin a relationship of love with the God one will marry for eternity. That means one will submit and Yahweh will speak through your body of flesh saying, “I am.” Jesus will then be moving your lips and feet, so you enter ministry seeking those souls in need of salvation.

Language, Psalms, Teaching

Psalm 16 – Raising a cup and singing a song in honor of one’s coming death

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1 Protect me, el, for I take refuge in you; *

[2] I have said to Yahweh, “You are adonay,

my good above all other.”

2 [3] All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *

upon those who are noble among the people.

3 [4] But those who run after others *

shall have their troubles multiplied.

4 [4] Their libations of blood I will not offer, *

nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.

5 Yahweh, you are my portion and my cup; *

it is you who uphold my lot.

6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *

indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless Yahweh who gives me counsel; *

my heart teaches me, night after night.

8 I have set Yahweh always before me; *

because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.

9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *

my body also shall rest in hope.

10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *

nor let your holy one see the Pit.

11 You will show me the path of life; *

in your presence there is fullness of joy,

and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

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This is the accompanying Psalm to be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 28], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If an individual church is set upon the Track 2 path for Year B, this will be sung after a reading from Daniel 12, where it is written: “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” That set will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “Where there is forgiveness of these [sanctified by Yahweh], there is no longer any offering for sin.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus told his disciples, “Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’”

In the above translation into English, derived from the NRSV, you will note that the Episcopal Church has slightly altered the verse numbering, making verse two be shown as part of verse one, which changes verse three into verse two; and, the first half of verse four is transformed into verse three, with the second half of verse four remaining verse four. I have restored the verse numbers but placing bold type numbers within brackets, indicating the true numbering. This matches what the NRSV presents. Additionally, I have placed in italic type words that have erroneously been translated as “God” [changing a plural word to the singular number] or are misleading as referring to “God,” when that is not the intent. David knew the name of his divine Husband, which I have restored in bold type as “Yahweh.” These four uses of the proper name have been translated as “Lord,” in some way. Because David knew the difference between Yahweh [a name that needs no title lessening that name applied to Him] and a “god” or “lords.” I will explain these as each verse is interpreted.

Omitted from the translation is the announcement in verse one that this song is a “miktam,” a word whose meaning is unknown. There are six “miktam” Psalms. It is believed this means the songs are more memorial poems, as epigrams, with some saying it has similar connection to the Babylonian word “nakamu,” which means a “lid, a cover to a vessel.” When one realizes the elders of the Church who arranged this Psalm to accompany a short reading from Daniel 12, which is seen as prophetic of times still to come, to see this song as a “lid to a ceremonial container for ashes,” one can see this leans the meaning of David’s words to prophecy the most typical of end times – one’s own death. Thus, for those who say a “miktam” can be satirical, David is singing praise to Yahweh at his soul’s release, well in advance of that release coming to be. As a funeral poem of celebration, this song can be sung by all whose souls have married Yahweh.

In verse one, the word that says “preserve me” [“šā·mə·rê·nî”] leads to the word “el,” which means “god” in the lower case. It is then David referring to “me” as a “god,” which means David’s soul has married Yahweh and become one of His elohim, as one “el.” Rather than see David asking for Yahweh’s protection or preservation [keeping or watching], David is making the statement that he is “preserved” as an extension of Yahweh on earth, through divine marriage.

Following a comma mark, that statement is then explained by David singing, “I put my trust in you.” In that, the translation of “my refuge” is most accurate to translate, as David knew his soul had been “preserved” because it did not attempt to stand alone, seeking Yahweh as his helper. Instead, David submitted his soul to Yahweh fully, allowing Yahweh to envelop his soul, placing his soul within that divine “refuge” or place of safety.

Verse two then sings, “has said Yahweh “lords you” , my goodness is not apart from you .” In this, the word “adonay,” which is Hebrew stating the plural number of “lords,” not a statement in the singular, as Yahweh calling Himself a Lord. It is a word stated by Yahweh, relative to David and all souls like him, who were “lords you,” meaning as extension of Yahweh in the flesh, they could become good shepherds of the flock of Israelites, which was Yahweh’s. Therefore, the truth of that arrangement says Yahweh’s “goodness, pleasantness, agreeableness” is one with their souls. This is the creation of an aura of righteousness that emits from a Saint to those seeking Yahweh for their souls, so a commitment to His Covenant is welcomed.

Verse three then sings, “as for the sacred ones who on earth they ; the excellent ones , all whom delight of mine .” This takes the statement of verse two, as those who are “lords” of Yahweh projecting to seekers the ease of marrying their souls to Him are now “sacred ones” or “saints.” Those like David walk the earth in flesh, as those who are elevated above all others, due to the ‘halo effect.’ As a “saint” of Yahweh, all are His possessions, as His wives [the “elohim”], whose souls take great delight in that presence.

Verse four then sings, “shall be greater their pains another who hasten not I will offer their drink offerings of blood ; nor take up their names , on my lips .” In this, the Hebrew word “acher” [transliterated “’a·ḥêr”] means “another,” with the assumption being “another” means “another deity.” This should be seen as anyone whose soul seeks “another” to serve in marriage by their souls, which makes anything less than Yahweh be “another,” with no need to specify that as a “god.” The element of “hasten” means a soul [also called a “heart”] does not rapidly beat in desire [love] of Yahweh, because their lusts are in material desires. It is those desires that those souls “drink,” which offers their “blood” to a lesser idol. Thus, those who celebrate marriage to “another” will not be “taken up” and those will not receive the “name” of Yahweh [“Israelite” – “He Who Retains Yahweh as His elohim”]. Those souls will not know the “kiss” of marriage, as Yahweh will not face them.

Verse five then sings, “Yahweh part my inheritance and my cup ; you , support my destiny .” Here, “Yahweh part” must be seen as a statement that one’s soul is “part” or a “portion” of His greatness, as one of His elohim. Because that comes from self-sacrifice in divine union, one’s “inheritance” is returning to be one with Yahweh after death. The “cup” is the shared blood of marriage, which is celebrated by the cup two drink from in marriage. The one-word statement that says “you” means a soul has totally submitted to Yahweh, so there is no “me” or “we.” Only Yahweh matters. In return for that complete commitment of marriage, Yahweh will then “support the destiny of one’s soul,” which means Salvation.

Verse six then sings, “the lines have fallen in me pleasantly ; yes possession , plenty abounds .“ In this, the Hebrew word translated as “lines” can also mean “bands” or “cords,” with “bands” being the physical things worn by a prophet. This then means the difficulty in communicating with Yahweh have “fallen” or gone away. Speaking with Yahweh becomes a “pleasant” ability. The use of “yes possessions” should be seen as a soul saying “I do” in the submission of oneself to Yahweh. He is then the owner of one’s soul, which places a wife soul in His name, as His wife. In that marital arrangement, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished by a soul-wife of Yahweh in ministry. All of His power can be used, when He sees fit.

Verse seven then sings, “I will kneel to Yahweh who has given me counsel ; also in the night , he disciplines my heart .”The use of “kneel” is another symbol of submission to Yahweh, as the altar of marriage. It also denotes a position of prayerful subservience, through which Yahweh leads one through life. The use of “night” reflects upon the darkness of a world that offers no light of truth, meaning Yahweh shines light in those dark times of need. One is taught to have faith in inner guidance, where one’s soul has great love of Yahweh.

Verse eight then sings, “I have set Yahweh before me always ; for at my right hand , not I shall be moved .” In the first word’s translation as “I have set,” this is less about what one’s soul has determined to be best, but that which has been set, which one allows. Where the translation is “Yahweh before,” this must be seen as oneself wearing the face of Yahweh, which is maintenance of the First Commandment. This then says a soul married to Yahweh will “continuously” wear the face of Yahweh as one’s own. Rather than see Yahweh as one’s right hand, the meaning is one becomes the right hand of Yahweh, becoming His arm reaching out to the world. One become a hand for the right, as a wife of Yahweh. Once this commitment has been made, there will be no changing back, as no divorce is desired, nor sought.

Verse nine then sings, “thus is glad my heart and rejoices my glory ; yes my flesh will abide in hope .” Here, the use of the Hebrew word “leb” means “inner man, mind, and will,” which is deeper than simply “heart.” This is the delight a soul feels merged with Yahweh’s Spirit. The presence brings forth “rejoicing” and projects the “glory” of Yahweh for others to sense also. When Yahweh is one with one’s soul, the body of “flesh” is then the projecting presence of “hope” that seekers will find.

Verse ten then sings, “when not you will leave my soul in Sheol ; not you will place your pious , to see the pit .” Here is where David sings of death known to come to all mortals. The first word then sings of ‘when,” adding that the guarantee of the Covenant says no divorce will leave a soul alone at the time of judgment [“Sheol”]. That judgement will “not” have a negative effect on where a soul will be “placed,” as all who have been made “sacred” will join Yahweh in His realm. Never again will those souls be returned to earth, or thrown into the pit of corruption.

Verse eleven then sings, ‘you will show me the path of life abundant with joy in your presence ; pleasures at your right hand forevermore .” This sings of the Salvation promised to come after service as Yahweh’s wife and Saint on earth. The “path of life” means eternal “life,” which is “abundant with joy in Yahweh’s presence.” This is the meaning of being seated at the right hand of Yahweh, as one’s soul will have become an angel of Yahweh, to be used forever as He sees fit.

As a companion Psalm to the Daniel reading that raises the name Michael, which asks the question, “Who Is Like God?” this sings all Yahweh’s elohim will pass that call when one’s end time comes. Being sung on the twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to realize this is a song of thanksgiving, sang by all souls who have been assured of Salvation after their mortal lives end and their eternal life go one. Verse four is the warning to all who will fear “End Times,” not once thinking they will die, making that the only ‘end time’ of significance. One must sacrifice self in submission to Yahweh and be transformed into His blood, as His servant. Ministry is only meaningful when one’s soul has married Yahweh and one does as He commands.