January, 2007Archive for

Could the Persian (now Iran) Empire rise again? According to Scriptural prophecies, it could be a shock to the entire geopolitical world when an empire that once ruled the world came back, as though risen from the dead!

You are looking at a map of the Persian Empire as it was in in 540 B.C.E. This was the time when the House of Judah was in exile in Babylon during the time of Daniel. Daniel was called to interpret writing that appeared on a wall while Belshazzar was having a royal party!

Belshazzar at the urging of his wife called Daniel before him and asked him to tell the meaning of the writing. Here is what Daniel told him:

“You, Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, have not humbled yourself as your father did, and of which you are well aware. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven. You had the goblets from His temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, and of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God [Elohim] who hold in His hand your life and all your ways. Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. This is the inscription that was written:

“MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPARSIN [lit. 'and Parsin']

“This is what the words mean:

“MENE [or mina - a unit of money]: God [Elahim] has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

“TEKEL [or shekel]: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

“PARSIN [or Peres, half a mina]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

“That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius, the Mede, a general or leader in Cyrus’s army took over the kingdom.

From Daniel 5, New International Version.

During the night the armies with Darius the Mede breached the city and entered through the unsecured river gates and took over the kingdom and destroyed Babylon.

After that the Persian Empire grew until it ruled over nearly all of the middle east and part of Greece. In my first Greek class, the Greek textbook told about the battles and dominance of the Persian Empire at that time.

Is there writing on the wall now?

At that time the writing said “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” or “Mina, Mina, Shekel and Half a Mina” which translated could mean an amount of some basic unit. Rembrandt’s painting shows the words written vertically presenting a nonsense phrase to those without wisdom.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia on this phrase says this:

While the Book of Daniel gives the meaning of the words, their origins and original meaning are unclear. Some have contended that the words have no meaning in themselves. However, since the late nineteenth century, a number of scholars have held the theory that the words are weights of coinage: MENE, a mena, TEKEL, a spelling of shekel, PERES, half a mena. (A mena would be about 30 shekels.) Hence, in English it might read “a half dollar, a half dollar, a penny, and two bits”. The meaning that Daniel decrypts from these words is based upon etymology, each turning on a pun using the word as a passive verb.

The total of 50 + 50 + 1 + 25 equals 126 pennies! They could just as easily have written 500 + 500 + 10 + 250 or 1260 pennies, which anyone familiar with Scriptural prophecy would recognize that number as a period of days at the end of our age when the Persian (Iranian) Empire once again dominates the middle east region and threatens, this time, the whole world.

Here is the prophecy Gabriel the messenger gave to Daniel about our time:

“I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. … In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” Daniel 8:19-25 NIV

See also:
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ELAHIM: {ehl-ah-eem’} a masculine, plural noun. The plural of Elah. Found in the Hebrew Scriptures, it is the noun most often translated into the English word “God”. Unfortunately, the word “God” does not carry the same meaning as Elahim.

“God” as a noun may have lost any real meaning of its own. Most often “God” takes the meaning imposed by the person, priest, preacher, or religion using the word. All of us have a definition of “God”. A god can be made out of stone, metal, wood, paint, or a personal concept or idea. A person can be a god, in the minds of other people. Too often, the existence of “god” depends upon our belief. The word for God in Greek was attributed to a pantheon of gods, not just one god.

Having studied both Hebrew and Greek, I found that Hebrew, by far, is the best “Theological” language. Nothing else comes close. Greek tends toward philosophy. It has one word for “God”: “theos.” Whereas Hebrew can have hundreds of names. The basic names are El, Elah, and Elahim. And virtually an unlimited number of names can be created by combining “El” with other words. Elijah, Elisha are examples. Elijah, however, is pronounced “Ehl-ee-yah-hoo” in Hebrew.

However, can we truly say we understand the real meaning of Elahim? The word really refers to a Kingdom of Elah or Mighty Ones. According to the Scriptures multiple millions of powerful beings inhabit the Kingdom of Elah. Elahim established a connection with humanity from the beginning:

In the beginning Elahim created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

Elahim said, “Let US make man in OUR image and after OUR likeness.”
Genesis 1:26

Elahim contains Beings, some with very great and important jobs, who plan and do great things and who serve as powers, messengers and judges. The Scriptures are full of descriptions about Elahim. In the Domain of Elah are “thousands upon thousands and ten-thousand times ten-thousand” messengers (the meaning of “angels”). There are almighty (with unlimited power) beings such as, The Ancient or Head of Days, the Lord of Spirits, the Chosen one who was given a name, 24 Elders, specially chosen armies, beings who control the universe and activities on earth, and beings with special tasks like helping us get through life. The list goes on. In the New Testament the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are the same as the Kingdom or Domain of Elah. When the New Testament is translated into Hebrew this is how it reads.

Even though we may not know about Elahim and this connection or even believe that there is such a thing, the existence of Elahim is not created or sustained by our knowledge, religion, or belief. The connection exists because Elahim made and sustains it. When we understand it, our life and existence depends upon The Elahim Connection — not the other way around.

What The Elahim Connection is not

If you were to go to a web search site like Google and enter the keywords “Elohim Connection”, you might be surprised, as I was, to see some weird stuff: connections to the Incas, Easter Island, UFOs, Elohim City in Oklahoma, photographs of strange appearing rituals, channeled messengers. There is enough stuff there to scare off most people.

Why an “Elahim Connection”?

I chose the words “Elahim Connection” simply because it seemed to be the most succinct way to express what appears to be the “spine” of Scripture. I started with the word “Elohim” only to find out later that this was not helpful, even though the word is the most popular transliteration. “Elahim” is closer to the Hebrew when you consider that three of the letters are ancient Hebrew vowels - not consonants. The words Elah and Elahim help understanding. The relationship between Elah and Elahim becomes very clear.

If there was a word in the English language that could communicate the same understanding as “Elahim“, then I might use that. But there isn’t. Using the plural “Gods”, doesn’t work either. The reason is there are some beings in Elahim who would refuse our worship because of their rank and because “for a little while” we have been made lower than them!

What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him for a little while [marg.] lower than the angels [messengers]; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet. In putting everything under him [mankind], God [Elah] left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at preset we do not see everything subject to him [mankind]. But we see Jesus [Eyahushuah] who was made for a little while [marg.] lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor!
Hebrews 2:6-9: quoting from Psalm 8:4-6

Without Elahim, frankly, there would not be Scriptures. The fact a body of material called Scriptures does, in fact, exist, is really a testimony to the existence of Elahim.

People may not be offended by saying we have a “connection with God.” But would they at the same time consider it blasphemy to say we have a connection with Elah and Elahim: the Hebrew words that the English speaking people translate so freely with the singular noun “God?”

This problem stems from the popular concept that “God” implies monotheism (our favorite religion) and a somewhat valid translation for the Hebrew “Elah” but not so for Elahim. And in that context, Christian religions try to explain a “trinity” of “Gods”. They sing: “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” Why not sing “God in countless millions, blessed Elahim?” That, at least, is closer to what the Scriptures say.

The word “Elahim” implies polytheism! Read in your Bible Genesis 6:1-4? Also read Hebrews 2:10-11. Can you explain it?

The original theology of the Israelites, for example, may have envisioned Yahweh as one god among many. One of the Hebrew words used in the Bible to describe the God of Israel is Elohim, a plural noun meaning “gods.”
Jonathan Kirsch, “God Against the Gods”

What does the polytheism implications of Elahim really mean — for you and me?

Solving Mysteries

Research reveals something completely unique: the existence, identity, power, love and purpose of One who is greater than everything else that exists — including Elahim! Elahim, according to the Kabbalah, is a manifestation of the One — the One who has neither beginning or end of days: the Deathless One: Elah. What does this mean?

This is a mystery.

Another phrase in the Hebrew Scriptures is YHWH Elahim, translated as “Lord God”. This seems to say YHWH is from Elahim as though Elahim is a family name. This is expanded in other phrases translated as “Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel”, which means “YHWH of Armies, the Elahim of Israel.”

However, using “YHWH” or “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” to transliterate, or “Lord” to translate the Tetragrammaton hides important scriptural prophecies. The real pronunciation of the Name, believed to be unknown, is prophesied to be revealed along with the depth of the meaning of all the Names, before the close of this age.

Leonora Leet, in her book, “The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah, Recovering the Key to Hebraic Secret Science,” wrote, after much discussion on the subject:

Beginning from the premise that the Tetragrammaton letters were not converted to vowels but were always three long vowels, the original full pronunciation can be unequivocally given as EYAHUWAH.

However, the sound of the Name was secretly kept in the Hebrew pronunciation of the name Elijah (EL EE AH OO) for centuries and can be known today! (See above) The Name is made of three Hebrew vowels, not consonants. And the Name was to be sung ["ee - ah - oo - ah"] in prayer and during Temple services, particularly at the time of the daily sacrifices in the evening and morning. Hence, substitutes, like those above, are weak and meaningless!

Here is what EYAHUWAH says (Isaiah 52:5-6):

And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed. Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I.

And in another place speaking to the people of all the Nations of Israel (Hosea 2:17-18):

“In that day,” declares EYAHUWAH, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master’ [Lord or literally 'Baali']. I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked.”

The ability to discern all things from the Spirit is the most powerful and valuable gift any human being can have. Webster defines discernment as the ability to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. The Spirit often hides spiritual things to keep them from the unwise and reveals them to the contrite and humble.

A proud person blocks himself from comprehending spiritual things. God resists the proud and gives grace or favor to the humble. A proud person cannot be taught. A humble person will never stop learning.

Each person, including you, can rise above the noise level of the world and understand the truth. But it takes something very special.

People can spend thousands of dollars looking for answers and solutions to life’s ills and yet never find them.

Scholars consume countless hours pouring over documents and find themselves no closer to the answers than when they started. A scientist with a head full of knowledge about a subject can be totally wrong — so say other scientists. Peer pressure forces many unknowing people to submit to the intellectual tyranny of those who claim possession of full knowledge.

Mind viruses control entire cultures and create a form of insanity that possesses the spirit of people so strongly that they can devote their life to the destruction of other people.

Those who should know, wring their hands and worry that “something awful is going to happen” and they don’t know what to do about it.

All situations, events, problems have solutions found in the spiritual realm. The entire world needs the love, wisdom, discernment and insight that comes through the Spirit. But no one “needs religion.”

Here is a classic example.

When I was in college, one of my friends professed, he thought, a profound and safe way to progress through life. He said, “I look to the majority of the evangelists. What they believe and teach I consider the truth.” He was speaking about the popular evangelists of that time — including TV, radio and traveling preachers.

So to find the truth: take a poll?

I asked him, “What if you found the majority wrong?”

He replied, “Not possible.”

But Jesus prophesied exactly that:

Many will come in that day and proclaim that I am the Christ, and will deceive the masses.

A study called the Jesus Seminar, conducted by a group of more than 70 scholars, tried to determine out of all of the written words in the New Testament, which words Jesus actually spoke. They published a book of their findings. They assumed that after editing out the words that, according to them, he didn’t speak, we are better off because now we have the “true sayings”.

Another group of writers countered with a book, Jesus Under Fire, where they challenged the reality of the Jesus Seminar.

But a shocking statement set the premise for the rest of this book and showed that they had fallen in the same trap as the authors of the Jesus Seminar:

But if truth really matters after all, then it follows that rationality also is crucial to a life well lived. Why? Because we have no other way available to us to put ourselves in the best position possible for making sure that among the things that we really believe, we have the highest percentage of true beliefs and the lowest percentage of false ones.

Wrong!

We do have another way: the Spirit.

No sound minded spiritual person considers playing the percentages. The authors claim that the religions of this world base their teachings upon the ratio of good things to bad things.

But one major bad idea destroys an entire harvest of good ones.

Without help, one cannot tell a good belief from a bad one. One defends his bad beliefs with the same devotion he does his good beliefs.

Chances are (back to percentages again) that most all people, religious or not, consider everything they believe as good. Psychologists tell us that we must maintain a psychological consistency within our thoughts, otherwise, we would go mad.

Those not sure about anything often fall prey to teachers who promise to tell them — if they join the teacher’s group.

Not so with those who can discern life spiritually. They don’t need anyone to tell them what to believe or not believe — they can see through the nonsense in the religions and stay free! They don’t need a security blanket for life.

The Spirit leads them into all truth.

Those of you who are spiritual know exactly what I am saying.

Both the Jesus Seminar and the counter, Jesus Under Fire, lack spiritual discernment. They force issues by an act of will power. Both appear religious and, perhaps, well meaning. But no amount of striving about words and material concepts leads scholars toward spiritual discernment.

Here is wisdom.

The ancient document, The Upanishads, splits knowledge into two types: higher and lower knowledge.

The illumined sages say knowledge is twofold, higher and lower. The study of the Vedas, linguistics, rituals, astronomy, and all the arts can be called lower knowledge.

The higher is that which leads to Self realization.

The rituals and sacrifices found in the Vedas deal with lower knowledge.

The sages ignored these rituals and went in search of higher knowledge.

Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing the sea of Samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to cross the sea of Samsara on these poor rafts.

Ignorant of their ignorance, yet wise in their own esteem, these deluded men proud of their vain learning go round and round, like the blind led by the blind.

Living in darkness, immature, unaware of any higher good or goal, they fall again and again into the sea.

But those who are pure in heart, who practice meditation and conquer their senses and passions, shall attain the immortal Self, source of all Light and source of all Life. Mundara Upanishad, part 1, chapters 1,2.

The spiritual person reads many books and discerns the truth, whether or not any exists in the books, and he or she can remain free from whatever mind viruses may have afflicted the authors.

The Light shines brightly within the spiritual person. The non-spiritual person, regardless of his or her religious convictions, walks in darkness and doesn’t know even that.

You can become a spiritual person

Those who lack spiritual discernment have difficulty even understanding what spiritual means. Words can convey the truth, but discernment comes from within.

The giver of Life offers you the gift of Spiritual discernment and power. You did nothing to have life. You gave no effort to produce the life you have. Life didn’t come to you as an act of your will power.

If you make your ear attentive to wisdom
And your mind open to discernment;
If you call to understanding
And cry aloud to discernment,
If you seek it as you do silver
And search for it as for treasures,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord [Eyahuwah]
And attain knowledge of God [Elahim].
For the Lord [Eyahuwah] grants wisdom;
Knowledge and discernment are by His decree.
Proverbs 2:2-6 Jewish Study Bible

Spirit is compared to the wind. You can’t see where it came from and you can’t tell where it goes, but you can feel it and see its effect. The word for spirit in the New Testament Greek means wind or breath.

This is how spiritual people appear to others. The things they say and the way they say them, the gestures, work habits, and the things they create, come from the spiritual source found within. Spiritual people do what they do and act the way they act because of what they are.

The spiritual person produces fruits with the same ease that an apple tree produces apples. The apple tree doesn’t will the apples to come. Neither does the spiritual person decide that “Today I am going to be patient.”

Trees are smart! At least, they appear smart. If they are attacked by a fungus, as my nectarine trees were last year, they take decisive action. My trees allowed the fungus to consume all the fruit and some of the branches. The trees self-pruned and this year they produced the best fruit we had seen, without any fungus! I cannot claim that it was anything I did, because I just stood by and watched it happen. When the fungus attacked, it consumed the fruit in a couple of days. This “intelligence” was internal in the tree. It took care of its own problem as a gift of the Life in the tree.

Although all of the characteristics of a spiritual person are very powerful, self-discipline is often overlooked, or even mis-applied. “Self-discipline” is translated from sophronismou and “self-control” from egkrateia.

President Ronald Reagan made a remarkable statement in his inaugural address on January 20, 1981:

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?

The spiritual person with eg-kra-tes possesses the remarkable ability to be under complete and total governance from within. That person needs no one to rule over him or her, because the spiritual person self-rules. He or she “is capable of governing himself”.

Also one with the Spirit of soph-ro-nis-mou naturally acts and speaks wisely and renders wise actions and words. The Spirit adds this as trait of character. But those, without the Spirit, consider this an act of will.

People, apart from the power of the Spirit, act from natural urges, fears, worries, jealousy, hatred, envy, bitterness. They lack the power to self-rule and cannot live life from a root of wisdom.

People without knowledge of their destiny struggle through life always living according to natural urges the human body produces. But the spiritual person knows his or her destiny and the future potential for those who have yet to live by the Spirit.

Prophecies reveal that all will truly live through the power of the One Spirit that gives Life to all.

Every person has the right to be a spiritual person with spiritual discernment. You received this as a birth-right. The fact that you possess life provides evidence that you also have the right to allow the Spirit of Life to emerge from within.

The entire history of human existence goes beyond the mundane filth and squallier born out of the human flesh. We are more than creatures waiting to die.

The Spirit reveals our future. This amazing knowledge teaches us that now, in this life, our physical body can house the Spirit of Life. And this is only a taste of a great and glorious future.

We must look beyond the smelling flesh to the Spirit of Life that keeps this flesh alive. We owe nothing to our body. But we owe everything to the Spirit of Life. Without that we would not have a body.

When we recognize this and become more aware of the power that gave us Life, we can then watch the Power of the Spirit of Life begin to manifest Itself as us.

However, as long as we demand “our rights,” while at the same time ignoring the One True Right that we all freely possess, we will not come out of the great darkness in which we stumble and fall. Because of your oneness with everything, you already have everything you need. But very few see that.

You do not need to join some church or religious order to become spiritual.

Through the power of spiritual discernment, you will learn that you already have everything that you need. When you become awakened to the Spirit of Life in you, and begin to live by Its power, you, without an act of your will, have become part of those whose hearts have been opened to the Spirit and the Spiritual Life.

Once you recognize that It is within you, then you can begin to watch It grow in your consciousness, and give you wisdom and understanding. It will also begin to make things happen in your life. It will begin to correct problems, change circumstances, open opportunities, lead to abundance and love, and make you wonder why you never saw It before.

A life of spiritual discernment is your destiny!

Here is what was written about Jesus and his experience with the spiritual life:

In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

Because the children had flesh and blood, He, too, shared in their humanity.

He had to be made like his brothers in every way.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The word “tempted” is translated from the Greek word peirastheis from which we get our word “pirate”. It means to suffer from attempts to be deceived, seduced, or to have something stolen from you. The forces that work against us were also at work against Him. These forces, from within or without, tempt each of us to hand over our life to those who would steal it from us.

From within, the forces, the base physical drives, deceive us into thinking that life is only physical. These tempt us to react in ways that are both unwise and without understanding. People search for their “identity” within the physical, but they will never succeed. We find our real identity through the Spirit, who reveals all things to us.

Forces from without deceive us to believe false, misleading, and mind-controlling things. And we, without wisdom and understanding, easily fall prey to these pirates.

But what is truly ours, these forces cannot take away. Their attempt to deceive, seduce and steal these precious things from us. They want us to depend upon them, rather than on the Spirit of Life that was given to each of us.

You enter into this life by being born into it. Birth happens not as an act of will-power. Ask any mother. After pregnancy the mother must carry the baby to full term, and give birth without choice. Conception may be a decision, but when pregnancy occurs, the process forces the mother to continue through to the end.

The spiritual life causes us to enter into a process. We have life as a gift from the Creator who provides the seed that causes conception. The seed can remain dormant, or it can produce Spiritual Life.

But without spiritual life, the Spirit within, you experience not what will come, but only what is mortal and corruptible.

The Life from the Spirit of Life can bring you to living Eternal life now! In this life you can experience immortal life. And even though this earthly body will some day stop working, we have a promise of another body that will never perish.

Jesus gave this instruction about the Spirit:

I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of the Creator. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Here is how to get started.

In the Hebrew Scripture, the Spirit is feminine. The Apostles knew this and taught that conception came from the Father, but Life comes from the Mother, who carries us, feeds us, and teaches us. To the Apostles, The Bridegroom and the Bride enter the Bridal Chamber and depart as the Father and Mother. They understood that the Spirit is the Mother. You now become the fetus, immersed or baptized in the Mother. There you will remain until the time of birth.

Now “as a little child” you grow and develop. The Father knows you as His child and as an heir of all that He has. This powerful process starts by meditation and prayer. Make your request known to the Father, and He will do the rest. You can be baptized into the Spirit and become a child of God.

Here is what you don’t need to do:

You don’t need cry and scream and cut your flesh as some do. You don’t even need to attend endless meetings, or swear oaths, or repeat creeds, or say long prayers, or repeat a few Hail Marys, and a couple of Our Fathers. You do not need to take a trip to the Himalayas, or to Jerusalem, or Mecca. You don’t need to walk through the streets carrying a cross and flagellate your body with whips. You don’t need to feel obligated to participate in Christian holidays, or even pay tithes to a church, or do any of these lower knowledge things. And some of them are very low.

Not at all!

If you knew the gift of God and who it is who speaks to you, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain or in Jerusalem. Yet a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

The meaning of “worshipper” is one who is humble before the giver of Life — One who realizes the awesome gift and is humbly grateful for both the gift, and the One who gives it.

You already have everything you need, but you need to ask with humility to receive the wisdom to see the Power of the Spirit of Life at work in you, and as you. Ask and then expect to receive. Look for it to begin to make good changes in your life.

If any of you lacks wisdom [who doesn't], he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1:6-7

The process needs a start in the same way a baby needs a start, by desire and acceptance. Then the process can begin its work in you. You don’t need to make a public announcement. The Spirit like a spring of water will well up within you, and you are on your way to the most incredible and beautiful experience — far beyond anything you could even ask for or dream up.