Ho'omana Health Ministries

Opening Hymn

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
       wash me, and I will be whiter than snow....

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 ¹¹ Do not cast me from Your presence
       or take Your Holy Spirit from me.

       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51: 6-12

 ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God. 

Matthew 5:8

We moved from California to Arizona about two months ago.  Last week I finally unpacked the last box. It felt so good to finally have the house free of clutter. It just brought peace to my soul to be able to move about the house without having to walk around boxes or fear tripping into something. Now that the boxes were not in the way anymore, I felt impelled to go a step further. I cleaned the house from top to bottom...even washed the windows. I don't know how long it will last (especially with 2 dogs and 2 cats sharing our home) but for the moment, I am really enjoying this clean, organized household.

I was thinking while I was in the midst of this cleaning mode, "Wow! There really is some merit to the concepts of Feng Shui." As the clutter decreased, I could feel better energy flowing through the house. The next morning as I was in the midst of my morning communions, I realized that cleaning our bodies has a parallel effect in the spiritual realm as cleaning our house does in the physical realm. The human body is the house of the Holy Spirit. The Divine Spirit within us flows better and stronger when the house (our body) is clean.

The voice of God can resonate more clearly when the vessel is pure. The will of God is more easily followed when we are not encumbered by a lot of trash in our lives. That is why a simple, pure, clean lifestyle has always been a fundamental philosophy of the Essenes. The main reason that the Essenes separated from main stream Judiasm is because they did not agree with the unclean lifestyle. The Essenes recognized from the beginning that healthy bodies are a prerequisite for spiritual awareness. Enoch, the founder of the Essenes, lived such a pure life that his "eyes were opened by God so that he saw a vision of the Holy One in the heavens" (Book of Enoch)

Throughout the Torah, there are examples of the Essene precept of physical purity leading to spiritual awareness. The best example I can think of is the story of Daniel. While in exile in Babylon, Daniel and his friends chose not to eat the rich but unhealthy food of the Babylonian King's table.  Instead, they ate vegetables and  drank water.  As a result, they grew more physically healthy than those who ate the king's food. In this state of physical health, the Spirit moved so strongly through Daniel that he was able to have Divine visions  of the future. He also had spiritual perception that enabled him to interpret the king's dreams. His friends prospered mentally and spiritually as well and became the king's special advisers. Samuel is another example. He was separated to God at birth and was raised up following the Nazarite vow of no alcohol and pure living. He was so spiritually in tune that he could hear the voice of God when he was just a small boy. He later became the high priest of Israel.

Often in the scriptures, people are instructed to fast before some great spiritual feat can occur. There is a good reason for this. Fasting is the ultimate cleanse of the body. Denying the body food allows the body to utilize the energy no longer needed for digestion. The body then can mobilize and remove toxins and heal. Besides healing the body, fasting is a great discipline for the mind. It helps us to remove our attachment to physical needs and concentrate on the spiritual. After the first few days of fasting (which I have to admit are difficult) the body has cleansed from toxins, the appetite fades and the attachment to food diminishes. The mind is then free to put more awareness on the Divine instead of on the appetite. The mind and spirit are free to commune with God.

Many religions incorporate fasting as part of their worship. Even mainstream Judaism commemorates the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, with 24 hours of fasting. Essenes utilized fasting to a greater extreme than most religions, though. In fact, it was a usual practice of an inner core group of Essenes to fast 40 days a year.  Yeshua, as an Essene Master, fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. He was showing through his example that fasting leads to the ability to forsake bodily desires, attain clarity of body and mind, and achieve the highest state of Spiritual communion with the Father and Mother. Yeshua taught the disciples that the more one experiences the freedom of bodily desires in fasting, the easier it is to maintain that state when not fasting. Yeshua referenced this power of fasting in Mark 9:29 when he stated that certain difficult spiritual road blocks can only be removed "by prayer and fasting". 

According to Maslow's hierarchy  of needs, the physical needs (food, shelter, safety) must be met before a human can aspire to fulfill higher needs (social, mental, self-actualization). Extrapolating from this theory, humans must be physically healthy before their minds can function correctly. Minds have to function correctly before humans can have correct relationships with one another. Correct relations must be in place with one another before one can have a correct spirit. After accomplishing all these feats, one can attain the highest level of human accomplishment, which is oneness with the Divine. Then we can truthfully say, like Yeshua, "I and my Father are one". 

It is not an easy task. How do you stay healthy, clean and physically fit in a world full of pollutants, toxins, chemicals and junk food ? How do you stay mentally sound in a world of noise, stress, traffic and deadlines?  How do you maintain right relationships with others when responsibilities and financial obligations pull you away from those you love? No wonder evil has attained such a foothold in the modern world! Satan has created the perfect set of distractions to prevent God's children from harnessing the power within them.

It would be easy to give up. However, if we, as God's children, do not consciously strive toward spiritual awareness, we contribute to the problem.   Remember the second law of thermodynamics. Things that are left to themselves fall apart. Just try not cleaning your house. What happens?? Pretty soon it becomes such a mess you don't know where to start. But if you continue not to act, the food on the dishes get hard and moldy in the sink. Then bugs and mice start living with you. If you let it go long enough, the whole place falls apart.

The best thing to do is pick up every day. Don't let the process of destruction start. The same is true in the spiritual realm. The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is that good men do nothing. We must strive for spiritual awareness even in a world that screams profanities. Those of us who continue to follow the Way, in spite of the obstacles are the only hope for creation. Scripture says that all creation groans awaiting the transformation that is possible if God's children awaken to the power within them.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started now. Take the trash out of your life. Turn off the TV. When McDonald's calls don't listen. Wash out all the grime in your body with a juice or water fast. Then, put everything in order in your relationships. Finally, clean out the dust in your spiritual life. Go out in God's creation. Walk with the Father and Mother. Don't worry if it seems like not much is happening at first. Just keep consciously striving to make your life cleaner and quieter. Then you will be able to listen for the still small Voice. When at last, the noise is removed from your life and you are able hear the Voice, speak the words you hear. When the mud of inertia is cleaned up and you are able to feel the flow of the Spirit, move with the current. When the windows of your soul are cleaned and you are able to see the light, follow it. The world is waiting for the blessings of God's words and actions relayed through you.

Closing Prayer

The Nazarites made a personal choice to live their lives set apart from the world. They wanted their lives and their bodies to be clean vessels, ready for God to work through them. If that is your desire today, make your commitment to Father Yahweh and invite Mother Shekkinah to come and cleanse as you make this song your prayer. 

Final Thought

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This lesson will help reveal some truths that were secretly hidden in Scripture....a cleverly hidden map to the Way of the Nazarene Essenes

This is the fifth installment of a series of seven introductory lessons in Essene studies.

Scripture Reading

 ²¹So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Matthew 2:19-23

 ⁵"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect ⁶and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. ⁸By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him."

 ⁹The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.

 ¹⁰When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. ¹¹You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹²My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. ¹⁴However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, ¹⁵and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 

Acts 24:5-15

 ¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Luke 1:1-4

Lesson 

As we read the Scriptures above, we get two different accounts of what it means to be a Nazarene. According to Matthew, Yeshua was called a Nazarene strictly because he lived in the town of Nazareth. Luke seemed to have different information concerning Nazarenes.  Luke wrote in the Book of Acts that the Nazarenes were those who followed the Way. According to Luke, the term, Nazarene denoted a member of the religious sect of Nazarenes. Luke writes that the members of this sect believed everything in accordance with the Law and the Prophets.

Luke mentioned two other Jewish sects. These sects were the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Philo of Alexandria, a first century Jewish philosopher, added a third sect in his writings which he called the Therapeutae. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, discusses a third sect as well which he calls the Essenes. He states the Essenes were scattered far and wide and were in every city, being numerous in Judea in his time. When one reviews the characteristics of Philo's therapuetae and Josephus' Essenes, it becomes apparent that the Egyptian Therapeutae and Judean Essenes were different versions of followers of the same belief. Josephus also alluded to a "fourth sect" beside the Essenes but he did not name it. According to Luke, that fourth sect was the Nazarenes.

As we have explained in a previous lesson, Nazarenes were a group of northern Essenes from Mount Carmel. The term, Nazarene is derived from the Hebrew word, Nazir. It is from the verb, Nazar, which means "to separate". The Torah often mentions those who take a vow of separation, a Nazarite vow. The Nazarene sect seems to have evolved from these "separated ones".

The hidden message woven into the Book of Acts and the Book of Luke is that Yeshua was a Nazarene Rabbi. As a Nazarene Master, he guided His followers to a new understanding of the path to God. He called this path "the Way". In the Book of Acts, Luke describes the Nazarenes as a sect that was "persecuted", "spoken against", "maligned" and blamed for "no small disturbance". Here are some other references in his scripture that describe the Nazarenes and their Way: 

 ^"About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way." Acts 19:23

(Paul speaking) "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison" Acts 22:4

"But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect." Acts 28:22

Throughout Acts, Luke references the followers of Yeshua as members of the sect of Nazarenes that followed the Way. Why then does Matthew provide an explanation that results in the Christian world believing that Yeshua was called a Nazarene because he lived in Nazareth? The answer to this question is can be found carefully hidden in Luke's writing.

Both of the books authored by Luke, the book of Luke and the book of Acts, are letters addressed to Theophilus. Scholars have never determined who this person was. Some assume it was a new Christian but there is no records of an actual person by this name. Is there a hidden meaning to this name? Theo means God. Philus comes from the word for love. The most prominent theologian (or lover of God)  of this time period was Philo...Theo - philo... could the name Theophilus actually be a code to the first century Christians reading the works of Luke? Perhaps he is saying the readers should go to Philo to understand this scripture?

The Jewish philosopher, Philo was famous for his writings and his admiration for the Therapeutae, an Egyptian Essene sect. Some speculate that he was an Essene himself. Philo's works were enthusiastically received by the followers of the Way. It would not be unusual for Luke to call on Philo's methodology. It is very possible that his reference to Theophilus was a thinly veiled psuedonym for Philo that would have been easily recognized by those in the know. 

Philo writings asserted that there is a twofold meaning in the Bible, the literal and the allegorical.  The two interpretations, however, are not of equal importance. The literal sense is adapted to human needs. The allegorical sense is the deeper meaning. It is the meaning that only those who are initiated can understand. Yeshua often used this method in his parables. He allowed the crowd to understand the literal meaning but later, in private, explained the deeper meaning to his disciples. This is what he meant when he would often say, "He who has eyes to see, let him see" 

Philo developed a special method to determine if there was an allegorical meaning to a scripture.  As a result of his rules of interpretation, the literal sense of some passages of Bible must be excluded altogether. In these passages, the literal interpretation would say something unworthy of God or of scripture, so one must look for an allegorical meaning. If a literal interpretation is senseless or contradictory or inadmissible, then one should look for an allegorical interpretation. Also, an allegorical expression can be used to draw a reader's attention to the fact that the literal sense is to be disregarded. 

Philo developed special rules that directed the reader to recognize the passages in which there may also be an allegorical  interpretation, and a deeper meaning. The following is a list of his rules of allegory.

1. The doubling of a phrase;
2. An apparently superfluous expression in the text;
3. The repetition of statements previously made;
4. A change of phraseology—all these phenomena point to something special that the reader must consider.
5. An entirely different meaning found by a different combination of the words, disregarding the ordinarily accepted division of the sentence in question into phrases and clauses.
6. The synonyms must be carefully studied as to why one phrase is used in one passage and a different one in another, etc.
7. A play upon words utilized for finding a deeper meaning
8. A definite allegorical sense may be gathered from certain particles, adverbs, prepositions, etc.;
9. and in certain cases it can be gathered even from the parts of a word.
   
10. Every word must be explained in all its meanings, in order that different interpretations may be found.
11. The skillful interpreter may make slight changes in a word, following the rabbinical rule, "Read not this way, but that way." Philo, therefore, changed accents, breathings, etc., in Greek words.
12. Any peculiarity in a phrase justifies the assumption that some special meaning is intended: e.g., where "one" is used instead of "first" etc. Details regarding the form of words are very important:
13. The number of the word, if it shows any peculiarity in the singular or the plural: the tense of the verb, etc.;
14. The gender of the noun;
15. The presence or omission of the article;
16. The artificial interpretation of a single expression;
17. The position of the verses of a passage;
18. Peculiar verse-combinations;
19. Noteworthy omissions;
20. Striking statements;
21. Numerical symbolism: Philo found much material for this symbolism in the Hebrew Bible, and he developed it more thoroughly according to the methods of the Pythagoreans and Stoics.
    

So back to the question at hand: Using Philo's rules of allegory, what was Luke trying to reveal in his writings? Let us start with some key passages in the first chapter of the book of Luke. I will use excerpts below but you can read the entire chapter by clicking here.

Luke 1:5-20 contains important links to the Old Testament that reveal who the story is about. In this passage, an "Angel of the Lord" appears to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.  The story Luke wrote of John's conception is taken almost verbatim from the Old Testament story of the conception of Samson which is described in the Book of Judges. Here are some selected passages that depict the similarity:

...there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. Luke 1:5-7

1Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.... the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth Luke 11:1-13

...Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. ³ The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. ⁴ Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, ⁵ because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Judges 13:2-5

The key to understanding the allegorical meaning of this passage is Philo's rule number 19, noteworthy omissions. This story about John the Baptist was nothing more than a retelling of the story of Samson. There is one piece of information provided about Samson, however, that Luke omitted when he copied Judges to introduce John the Baptist. Samson was a Nazarite. Nazarites were a precursor sect to the Nazarenes. What Luke was trying to say, is just like Samson, John the Baptist was of the sect  of the Nazarenes.

There is another passages in the first chapter of Luke that mirrors an old testament passage. In Luke 1: 46-55, there is a well-known section of scripture in which Miriam, mother of Yeshua praises the Lord. This section which is known as 'The Magnificat" is strikingly similar to the "Song of Hannah" found in l Samuel 2:1-10. Hannah (Anna) was married to Elkanah. Like John the Baptist mother and Samson's mother, Hannah had been unable to conceive. In l Samuel 1-11, she made this vow, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will set him before you as a Nazarite for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

After making this vow, Hannah became pregnant and bore a son, Samuel. She did not forget her vow. Later in chapter one of l Samuel, she is quoted as saying, "After the child is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD..., I will offer him as a Nazarite for all time." So Hannah and baby Samuel were also Nazarites. According to Philo's rule of noteworthy omissions, Luke's associated Miriam, mother of Yeshua with Hannah and Samuel.Samuel was consecrated as a Nazarite at birth and became the new high priest of Israel. Yeshua was a Nazarene who guided us to a new way of worship.

Luke's method of defining "The Way" and identifying the Nazarenes as the fourth sect was incredibly clever. He took great care to submerge his information in wording that would not be immediately understood by the uninitiated. Apparently he was not able to write openly about Yeshua and John's association with the Nazarenes. In his writings, he explains the reason why he must be so cautious. He states that there are those who would persecute and malign the Nazarenes. These unnamed enemies also apparently did not want Yeshua or John the Baptist associated with the Nazarene sect.

Who was this enemy of "The Way"? Luke's closing words in chapter one reveal the answer. In Luke 1:68-79, there is the following prophesy spoken by the father of John the Baptist:

⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

 ⁶⁸"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
      because he has come and has redeemed his people.
 ⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
      in the house of his servant David
 ⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
 ⁷¹salvation from our enemies
      and from the hand of all who hate us—
 ⁷²to show mercy to our fathers
      and to remember his holy covenant,
 ⁷³the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 ⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
      and to enable us to serve him without fear
 ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
 ⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
      for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
 ⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
      through the forgiveness of their sins,
 ⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
      by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
 ⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
      and in the shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the Way of peace."

According to Philo's rule # 20 (striking statements), Luke used the term Holy Spirit, to signal that this passage has a deeper meaning. Luke guides us to David as the key to this passage.  Some of the words of this passage can also be found in the words of David. In the preface to Psalm 18, it says, "David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when YHVH delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul." Luke put the words spoken by David in Zechariah's prophesy but omitted the name of the enemy. Remember Philo's rule of noteworthy omissions (rule # 19). Luke was saying that the enemy was Saul.

There were three noteworthy omissions found in the first chapter of Luke.  First, Luke omitted Nazarite to associate John the Baptist (Nazarene) with Samson (Nazarite). Then Luke omitted Nazarite again to associate Yeshua (Nazarene) with Samuel (Nazarite). The third omission was the name Saul as David and John / Yeshua's enemy.

Philo and the Essenes both had a great interest in numerical symbolism. (See rule #21) Philo utilized Pythagorean  sacred numbers.  It is interesting to note that there are five numbers in Luke chapter one. Those numbers are: Five (Luke 1:24), six (Luke 1:26), six (Luke 1:36), three (Luke 1:56), and eight (Luke 1:59).

5 x 6 x 6 x 3 x 8 = 4320 (one of the most "Sacred" of the Pythagorean "Sacred Numbers"

4320 divided by 2 = 2160 which is the diameter of the moon (the great light of the night)

432,000 multiplied 2 = 864,000 which is the diameter of the sun (the great light of the day)

432 x 432 = 186,614  which is the speed of light within .0012 miles per second

Luke ends the prophecy of Zechariah with "the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the Way of peace." The Nazarenes were called "children of light" and there "Way" was the way of peace. The numerical symbolism emphasized the light by leading to daylight, night light and the speed of light.

The solution to the allegorical puzzle presented by Luke is as follows:

"We are Nazarenes.The Way of the Nazarenes began with the Nazarites Moses elected to serve God (Numbers 6:1-5). The Knowledge of the Nazarites became the Science of the Pythagorean "Sacred Numbers." We are not residents of Nazareth. We are members of a sect that is opposed by powerful people who will destroy anything we write that openly tells of the knowledge we hold and the persecution we face. We have been accused of causing great disturbances when in fact we have tried to set the people free by teaching them the Truth. The hand of our enemy – the enemy of Knowledge and Truth - belongs to Saul."

Luke's gospel was written to correct the misinformation contained in Paul's letters and Matthew's gospel that claimed to be about, and on behalf of, JESUS THE NAZARENE. This is just the first allegorical message that contains the theme that Saul aka Paul was an infiltrator and enemy of the Nazarenes, and Matthew's gospel was written (or altered) to lead people away from Jesus' teachings, also known as THE WAY OF THE NAZARENES.

More Insight

If you would like to study this subject further, here are some helpful links.

As I promised, I have included articles from my friends at www.thenazareneway.com.

The original series of articles on allegory: Allegory 101

More evidence why Yeshua was a member of the Nazarenes and NOT a resident of Nazareth: Nazarenes vs Nazareth

Another view point on the enemies of "The Way". 

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Opening Hymn

                           Let's begin our worship time today with a  traditional Thanksgiving tune. 

Ancient scriptures frequently use the metaphors of harvest and of sowing and reaping. The concepts were readily understood by the people of the time. Most civilizations prior to this century lived according to the cycles of nature. In a predominately agricultural society of 1st century Judea, harvest was the most important time of year. It was the time to store the abundance and prepare for time of scarcity. It was the culmination of all the work of the year.

 In our century we have distanced ourselves somewhat from the cycles and patterns of nature. We live in artificially lit, climate controlled environments. We eat foods harvested half-way around the world in the middle of our winters. It is more difficult for us to relate to the importance of planting in the spring or storing crops for winter. It is unfortunate that our civilization has become so far removed from the natural world.  The delicate cycles of nature were put into place by Father and Mother God, who have a purpose in all that is created. Understanding the patterns of nature provides us a glimpse of the Divine Mind.

Yeshua used the concepts of the seasons frequently in explaining the work of God's Kingdom. To Yeshua's followers, the cyclic nature of life was an easily accepted and understood concept. Spring, Summer, Harvest and Winter were unalterable  and well understood facts. Human life, too, was understood to follow the same cycles. Just as there are four seasons in nature, there are four phases of human life. In infancy, life begins. It is the springtime of human life. The seeds are planted for the future. During childhood one experiences the summer days of  rapid growth.  In adulthood, one experiences the autumn of life where each man reaps the benefits of  his maturity. Lastly comes the senior years, the winter of life, where one can share one's accumulated abundance of knowledge and experience. In this phase, one can comfortably complete the cycle of life IF one has prepared appropriately.

All of God's creation follows the same patterns. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" There is a time to be born (Spring) and a time to die (Winter). Creation itself follows the same seasons. Our Father and Mother God, Creator and Nurturer of our world, have always been and always will be. All that has been created was nurtured and grew and died. This world is no exception. The Hopi tribe in which we live has stories of the previous creations of this world. They say there have been four manifestations of this world. The first creation was destroyed by the breaking up of all one land into many lands. A reference to the breaking up of land of the world is briefly referenced in the Bible as well. The Hopi legends say the second world ended in ice and the the third world ended in a giant flood.

After each world, there have always been some who survive to start a new world. We are currently living in  the fourth world according to the Hopis. They believe this creation, too, is preparing to end. Yeshua used the season of harvest as a metaphor for the age in which we live. Spring and summer are over. Now it is the season to prepare for winter. He frequently and emphatically stated that we live in the time of harvest.  He stated that the age of the sower was complete. Now is time of the reaper. It is time to complete the work of this age... to gather up, to store, to reap the abundance.

The implication is that there is much to do and the time is short. In our finite minds, it would seem to us that Yeshua was mistaken. If the time of harvest started with Yeshua, it has lasted almost 2000 years already. That seems like a very long time from a human perspective.

However, the human perspective is very different from the viewpoint of an eternal Divine Intelligence that has always been and always will be. This creation is one of many creations over many millenniums and many universes. From that perspective, 2000 years is next to nothing. Yeshua states that the next manifestation of this creation is a very important one. It will be what He called the Kingdom of God. In light of that, perhaps 2000 years of Harvest are necessary to prepare humankind and creation for this next manifestation - the new heaven and new earth.

Yeshua, Son of Man, was sent as a catalyst for the beginning of the Harvest age. He was our messenger and our guide to show us the Way. He told us to prepare, to help enlighten and guide. He warned us not to be complacent. In spite of what we see, harvest is here. Yes, it has been almost 2000 years since Yeshua first disseminated this message. His public ministry began at age 30 so, to be exact, he began spreading this message 1982 years ago. But the message is still valid.

In fact it is more valid today. Yeshua also provided us clues of when the next season, Winter, would begin. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. There will be earthquakes in diverse places. There is the sign of the fig tree (which many scholars believe to be the creation of Israel as a nation again in 1948). All of these are signs that this creation is breathing its last breath. Winter is here.

The Hopi's believe that winter began with the use of nuclear weapons in world war 2 and the creation of the UN. They interpret these two events as manifestations of the "great gourd of ashes" and the "house of mica in the east" that were foretold in their prophecies. I personally believe that the worldwide financial crisis that we just experienced was a tool that our Mother and Father God used to prepare us for winter. It was a way to wake up mankind from a materialistic mindset. It has helped us as a culture to understand the temporal nature of things. It is also pretty symbolic of winter in that all the abundance that we thought we had, suddenly died on the vine in one day of frost.

So how long will winter last? Do we have 2 years or another 2000 years before the death of this world? I personally believe it is going to be pretty swift. I also believe that the right to free choice which God has given man will have some determination on how long and severe this winter will be. This world is predestined to end. All things eventually die. But humankind can help determine the quality of life left in this world by acting correctly. Humankind can also make the winter much more painful by acting incorrectly.

Even if there is going to be another 20,000 years of this winter season before the Kingdom of God on earth, it should not really effect how we act.  Our purpose is still the same and our time available is still limited. The lifespan of man in this age is 70 to 80 years (if we are lucky). That is not much time to complete our life's mission. Each of us has been placed in this creation as part of the Eternal Plan.  We are not here by accident. There is a purpose and a plan to our life.  Before we were born, a special calling was engraved into our DNA by the hand of God.

Mother and Father God do nothing by accident. We each are a thread in the tapestry of God's great plan. Our lives have been intricately woven together into the fabric of this creation for a reason. Our task is to listen to the innate Divine calling within us. Find our purpose and do it. Even if it makes no sense, do it .  I write this blog for a reason. I don't know why. I just do it. You are reading it for a reason. Listen. Do what God calls.

Trust Mother and Father. Don't worry about the winter winds. Prepare as you can. God will see you through. 

Closing Hymn

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Total time to make: 45 min

15 min prep

SERVES 5

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Opening Hymn

So the stock market and the banks are supposedly stable now. In spite of that, the unemployment rate went up to 9.8%. If they counted all the people who are under- employed and stopped looking for work, the rate would be about 17%. The real estate market still had not found its footing. Now the experts say there will be a new wave of defaults of commercial real estate as businesses go bankrupt. 

To say that these are uncertain times is an understatement. There are wars (Afghanistan and Iraq) and rumors of wars (Israel and Iran). Even Mother Nature is no longer reliable. The weather patterns have changed causing fires in the West and floods in the East. There are storms and earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Pacific. There is an ice shelf about to break off of Antartica. We cannot even count on something as predictable as our Sun. It has been letting us down. The current predicted solar cycle that was supposed to have started about a year ago still hasn't really manifested.

How do we as individuals (and as a society) handle such massive change. What is the correct reaction when everything you have relied upon is taken away? Here is the answer. Wait. Yes. I said wait.  Remember that the upheaval cannot last.  It will have to settle. Some people try to grab on to anything and hold on as tight as they can. But that kind of panic reaction is a waste of energy. God says to let go. Have you ever seen someone drowning? They panic, struggle, gasp for air, bob around looking for something to hold onto until they wear out. When I was in swimming lessons one of the first thing I was taught was a survival float. I stretched out over the water and barely moved to expend the least energy I could. That strategy maximized the time I could survive before being rescued.

We are children of God. We are not meant to flounder in the water. We are meant to float on the stream of the Holy Spirit. We just follow that flow and it will guide us to landfall.  The Prophet Isaiah had a different metaphor. He said "They that wait  upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will rise up on wings like eagles." Ever see an eagle fly? There is minimum expenditure of energy. The bird just flows with the currents of air.

Today is the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) which will continue until next Friday, the 9th of October.  This feast commemorates the time that the Israelites left captivity in Egypt and wandered in the wilderness waiting for God to lead them to the promised land. The Israelites left most everything behind when they began this journey. They had to live on the land and rely on God for just about everything for forty years. To celebrate this festival we are told to build temporary shelters and  eat in them as if they were our homes.

What we are going through in this world today, is a transition from one age to another. It is much like the Israelites wandering in the desert. Just like Israel, some people are mourning what they left behind instead of looking forward. Many are scared, not sure of what is going to happen. But instead of running scared, stand still. Wait. If you allow yourself to be in tune to the Spirit, a light will guide you. You will find your way. It is part of the plan.

Final Thought

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