THE GOD of GODS.

The TRUE GOD is an All-Powerful God. Psalm 82 says, "GOD STANDS in the Assembly of gods. HE STANDS as JUDGE among the Judges. HE says, 'How long will you judge unfairly and show special favors to the wicked?   (1-2)
Romans 2 says, "You ARE NOT A TRUE JEW if you are only a Jew in your Physical Body. True circumcision is not only in the Outside of the Body. A TRU JEW is one who IS A JEW INSIDE. The circumcision is done IN THE HEART. It is DONE BY THE SPIRIT, not by the written Law. And anyone who is circumcised in the Heart by the Spirit GETS PRAISE FROM GOD, not from People.
(28-29)"
Deuteronomy 6 says, "These are the Commands, the Laws, and the Rules that the Lord your God told me (Moses) to teach you. Obey these Laws in the Land that you are entering to live in. You and your descendants MUST RESPECT the Lord your God as long as you live. You MUST OBEY all His Laws and Commands that I (Moses) give you. If you do this, you will have a long life in that New Land. Israelites, LISTEN CAREFULLY and OBEY these Laws. Then everything will be fine with you. You will have many children, and you will get the Land filled with many good things -just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, PROMISED.  LISTEN, PEOPLE of Israel! The Lord is OUR GOD. The Lord is One. You MUST LOVE the Lord your God WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, and WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH."  Deuteronomy 6: 1-5.
Romans 3 says, "What the Law says is for THOSE PEOPLE who ARE UNDER the Law. The Law stops anyone from making excuses and it brings the WHOLE WORLD UNDER GOD's Judgment, because NO ONE can be made RIGHT WITH GOD BY FOLLOWING THE LAW. The Law only shows us our sin. (19-20)"

Anything worshiped can be termed a god, inasmuch as the worshiper attributes to it a force much greater than his own and venerates it as such, letting it be a governing entity towards him.
Ancient Nations taught that EL (meaning God) and the other gods met together to decide what to do with the PEOPLE ON EARTH. But many times Kings and Leaders were also called "gods."

Psalm 83 says, "God, your enemies are getting ready to do something. Those who HATE YOU will soon attack. They are making secret plans against Your PEOPLE. Your enemies are discussing plans against the PEOPLE YOU LOVE. They say, 'Come, let us DESTROY THEM completely. Then no one will ever again remember the Name Israel.' God THEY have ALL joined TOGETHER. They have united AGAINST YOU. Their army includes the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moabites, and Hagar's descendants, - the People of Byblos, Ammon, and Amalek, - the Philistines, and the People of Tyre. Even the Assyrians have joined them. They have made Lot's descendants very powerful." (2-8)

"God says, 'They don't know what is happening. They don't understand! They don't know what they are doing. Their world is falling down around them.' I, God Most High, say, 'You are gods, my own sons. But you will die as all PEOPLE must die. Your life will end like that of any Ruler.' "
(Psalm 82: 5-7)
The Psalmist in Psalm 83 says, "God defeat them just as you defeated Midian. DO What You Did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. YOU DESTROYED the enemy at Endor, and their bodies rotted on the Ground. Punish their Leaders as You Did Oreb and Zeeb. DO What You Did to Zebah and Zalmunna. They said, 'Let's make this Land our own -these Fields of grass that BELONG TO GOD!'
MAKE them like weeds blown by the Wind. Scatter them, like the Wind scatters straw. BE like FIRE that destroys a Forest or like a FLAME that sets Hills on Fire. CHASE them away with Your Blasts  of Wind; FRIGHTEN them with Your Storms. LORD, Cover them with Shame until they come to you for help. May they be forever ashamed and afraid. DISGRACE and DEFEAT them. Then they will know THAT YOUR NAME IS YAHWEH - that YOU ALONE ARE THE LORD. They will know that YOU ARE GOD MOST HIGH, Ruler over all the Earth."   (9-18)

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EVENING FESTIVALS.

The 7th New Moon of each year (corresponding with the 1st day of the month of Ethaninm or Tishri) was sabbatical, and the Law covenant decreed it to be a time of complete rest.
Leviticus 23: 1-36 says: "The Lord said to Moses,'Tell the Israelites:You will announce the Lord's chosen Festivals as Holy meetings. These are my special Festivals:
-Sabbath: Work for 6 days, but the 7th day, the Sabbath, will be a special day of rest, a Holy meeting. You must not do any work. It is a day of rest to Honor the Lord in all your homes.
-You will announce the Holy meetings at the times chosen for them. The Lord's Passover is on the 14th Day of the 1st Month just before dark.
-The Festival of Unleavened Bread is on the 15th Day of the same Month. You will eat unleavened bread for 7 days. On the 1st day of this Festival, you will have a special meeting. You must not do any work on that day. For 7 days you will bring sacrifices offered as gifts to the Lord. Then there will be another special meeting on the 7th day. You must not do any work on that day.
-Festival of the First Harvests: The Lord said to Moses, Tell the Israelites: You will enter the land that I will give you and real its harvest. At that time you must bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.
The priest will lift the sheaf to show it was offered before the Lord. Then you will be accepted. The priest will present the sheaf on Sunday morning. On the day when you present the sheaf, you will offer a one-year-old lamb. There must be nothing wrong with that lamb. That lamb will be a Burnt Offering to the Lord. You must also offer a Grain Offering of 16 cups of fine flour mixed with olive oil. You must also offer 1 quart of wine. The smell of that offering will please the Lord. You must not eat any of the new grain, or fruit, or bread made from the new grain until you bring that Offering to your God. This Law will always continue through your generations, wherever you live.
-Festival of Harvest: From that Sunday morning (the day you bring the sheaf to be presented to God), count 7 weeks. On the Sunday following the 7th week (that is 50 days later), you will bring a new Grain Offering to the Lord. On that day, bring 2 loaves of bread from your homes. The bread will be lifted up to show it was offered to God. Use yeast and 16 cups of flour to make those loaves of bread. That will be your gift to the Lord from your first harvest. One bull, one ram, and 7 one-year-old male lambs will be offered with the Grain Offering from the people. There must be nothing wrong with these animals. They will be a Burnt Offering offered as a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord. You will also offer one male goat for a Sin Offering and 2 one-year-old male lambs as a Fellowship Offering. The priest will lift them up with the bread from the first harvest to show they were offered with the 2 lambs before the Lord. They will belong to the priest. On that same day, you will call a Holy meeting. You must not do any work. This Law continues forever in all your homes. Also, when you harvest your crops on your land, do not cut all the way to the corners of your field. Do not pick up the grain that falls on the ground. Leave it for poor people and for foreigners traveling through your country. I Am the Lord your God.
-Festival of Trumpets: Again the Lord said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: On the 1st day of the 7th month you must have a special day of rest. Blow the trumpet to remind the people that this is a Holy meeting. You must not do any work. You must bring an Offering as a gift to the Lord.
-Day of Atonement: The Lord said to Moses: The Day of Atonement will be on the 10th day of the 7th month. There will be a Holy meeting. You must not eat food, and you must bring an Offering as a gift to the Lord.You must not do any work on that day because it is the Day of Atonement. On that day the priests will go before the Lord and perform the ceremony that makes you pure. Anyone who refuses to fast on this day must be separated from their people. If anyone does any work on this day I will destroy that person from among the people. You must not do any work at all . This is a Law that continues forever for you, wherever you live. It will be a special day of rest for you. You must not eat food. You will star this special day of rest on the evening following the 9th day of the month. This special day of rest continues from that evening until the next evening.
-Festival of Shelters: Again the Lord said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: On the 15th day of the 7th month is the Festival of Shelters.  This Festival to the Lord will continue for 7 days.  There will be a Holy meeting on the 1st day. You must not do any work. You will bring offerings as gifts to the Lord for 7 days. On the 8th day you will have another Holy meeting. You must not do any work. You will bring an Offering as a gift to the Lord.
Leviticus 23: 37- 44 also says: "These are the Lord's special Festivals. There will be Holy meetings during these Festivals. You will bring offerings as gifts to the Lord -Burnt Offerings, -Grain Offerings,
-Sacrifices, and -Drink Offerings. You will bring these gifts at the right time,"
"You will celebrate these Festivals in addition to remembering the Lord's Sabbath days. You will offer these gifts in addition to your other gifts to the Lord. You will offer these things in addition to any offerings you give as payment for your special promises. They will be in addition to any special offerings you want to give to the Lord."
"On the 15th day of the 7th month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you will celebrate the Lord's Festival for 7 days. The 1st day will be a special day of rest, and then the 8th day will also be a special day of rest. On the1st day you will take good fruit from fruit trees. And you will take branches
from palm trees, poplar trees, and willow trees by the brook."
"You will celebrate before the Lord your God for 7 days. You will celebrate this festival to the Lord for 7 days each year. This Law will continue forever."
"You will celebrate this Festival in the 7th month. You will live in temporary shelters for 7 days. All the people born in Israel will live in them.  Why?  So all your descendants will know that I made the Israelites live in temporary shelters during the time I brought them out of Egypt.   I Am the Lord your God."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MOON.

The Hebrew word for Moon is "Ye'Rahh", meaning "lunar month." Since the lunar month always began with the appearing of the New Moon, the term "new moon" also came to mean "month."
Genesis 7:11 says:"On the 17th day of the 2nd month (New Moon), when Noah was 600 years old, the springs under the Earth broke through the ground, and Water flowed out everywhere. The Sky also opened like windows and Rain poured down." Exodus 12:1-4 says:"While Moses and Aaron were still in Egypt, the Lord spoke to them. He said,'This month will be the 1st month (New Moon) of the year for you. This command is for the whole community of Israel. On the 10th day of this month (New Moon) each man must get one lamb for the people in his house. If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, then he should invite some of his neighbors to share the meal." Isaiah 66:22-24 says:"I will make a New World -New Heavens and a new Earth that will last forever. In the same way, your names and your children will always be with Me. Everyone will come to worship Me on every worship day; they will come every Sabbath and every first day of the month (New Moon)."
As the "lesser luminary for dominating the night," God provided the Moon as a means for marking "appointed times." Genesis 1:16 says:"So God made the 2 large lights. He made the larger light to rule during the day and the smaller light to rule during the night." Psalm 104:19 says:"Lord, You made the Moon to show us when the Festivals begin, and the Sun always know when to set."Jeremiah 31:35 says:"The Lord makes the Sun shine in the day, and He makes the Moon and the Stars shine at night."1 Corinthians 15:41 says:"The Sun has one kind of beauty, the Moon has another kind, and the Stars have another. And each Star is different in its beauty."
The Hebrew wrod "l'Va.Nah," meaning "white," occurs 3 times in the Hebrew text describing the white brilliance of the Full Moon that is particularly evident only in the Scriptural lands, since the shadow formed during a total eclipse is marked down only in that part of the world. Song of Songs 6:10 says:"Who is that young woman? She shines out like the dawn. She is as pretty as the Moon. She is as bright as the Sun. She is as awesome as the stars in the sky." Isaiah 24:23 says:"The Lord will rule as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. His Glory will be shown to the city leaders with such brightness that the Moon will be embarrassed and the Sun will be ashamed." Isaiah 30: 26 says:"At that time the light from the Moon will be as bright as the Sun, and the light from the Sun will be 7 times brighter than it is now. One day of sunlight will be like a whole week's worth. This will happen when the Lord bandages His broken people and heals the hurts from their beatings."
The Hebrew word "Ke'Seh," meaning "fullness,"also appears twice and is translated "Full Moon."
Psalm 81 says:"Be happy and sing to God, our strength. Shout with joy to the God of Jacob. Begin the music. Play the tambourines. Play the pleasant harps and lyres. Blow the ram's horn at the time of the New Moon and at the time of the Full Moon, when our Festival begins. This is the Law for the people of Israel. The God of Jacob gave the command. God made this agreement with Joseph's people, when He led them out of Egypt. In a language we did not understand, God said, 'I took the load from your shoulders. I let you drop the worker's basket. When you were in trouble, you called for help, and I set you free. I was hidden in the storm clouds, and I answered you. I tested you by the Water at Meribah.'"
Proverbs 7:6-10 says:"One day Wisdom was looking out by her window at some foolish teenagers and noticed one who had no sense at all. He was walking through the marketplace and came to the corner where a certain woman lived. He then turned up the road that goes by her house. The day was ending. The Sun had set, and it was almost dark (fullness of darkness). Suddenly, there she was in front of him, dressed like a prostitute. She had plans for him. She was a wild and rebellious woman who would not stay at home."
Among the Israelites each New Moon marked the occasion for the blowing of trumpets and the offering up of sacrifices according to the Law covenant. The Offerings prescribed were even greater than those normally offered on the regular sabbath days. While nothing is stated specifically as to the New Moon's marking a day of rest , the text at Amos 8:5- indicates a cessation of labor.
Numbers 10: 9-10 says:" If you are fighting an enemy in your own land, blow loudly on the trumpets before you go to fight them. The Lord your God will hear you, and He will save you from your enemies. Also blow these trumpets for your special meetings, New Moon' celebrations, and all your happy times together. Blow the trumpets when you give your Burnt Offerings and Fellowship Offerings. This will be a special way for the Lord your God to remember you. I command you to do this; I Am the Lord Your God." 2 Chronicles 2:1-5 says:"Solomon planned to build a Temple to give honor to the Lord's Name. He also planned to build a palace for himself. He got 70,000 laborers and 80,000 stonemasons to cut stones in the mountains. He chose 3,600 foremen to supervise the workers. Then Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre:'Help me as you helped my father David. You sent him cedar logs so that he could build a palace for himself to live in. I will build a Temple to honor the Name of the Lord my God. At the Temple we will burn incense in front of Him, and we will always put the Holy Bread on the special table. We will offer Burnt Offerings every morning and evening, on the Sabbath's days, during New Moon' celebration, and on the other special meeting days that the Lord our God has commanded us to celebrate. This is a rule for the people of Israel to obey forever." Isaiah 1:8-14 says:"The City of Jerusalem is now like an empty shed left in a vineyard. It is like an old straw hut abandoned in a field of cucumbers or like a city surrounded by enemies. If the Lord All-Powerful had not allowed a few people to live, we would have been destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened! You officers of Sodom, listen to the Lord's message. You people of Gomorrah, listen to God's teaching. The Lord says, 'Why do you continue giving Me all these sacrifices? I have had enough of your sacrifices of rams and the fat from well-fed animals. I do not want the blood of those bulls, sheep, and goats. When you people come to meet with Me, you trample everything in My yard. Who told you to do this?  Do not keep bringing Me those worthless sacrifices. I hate the incense you give Me. I cannot stand your Festivals for the New Moon, the Sabbath, and other special meeting days. I hate the evil you do during those Holy times together. I hate your monthly meetings and councils. They have become like heavy weights to Me, and I Am tired of carrying them.'"
Amos 8:1-10 says: "This is what the Lord showed me: I saw a basket of summer fruit. He said to me: 'Amos, what do you see?' I said: 'A basket of summer fruit.'Then the Lord said to me: 'The end has come to My people Israel. I will not ignore their sins anymore. Their Temple songs will become funeral songs. There will be dead bodies everywhere. In silence, people will take out the dead bodies and throw them onto the pile. Listen to Me, you who trample on helpless people. You are trying to destroy the poor of this country.' You merchants say, 'When will the New Moon be over so that we can sell grain? When will the Sabbath be over so that we can bring out more wheat to sell? We can raise the price and make the measure smaller. We can fix the scales and cheat the people. The poor cannot pay their loans, so we will buy them as slaves. We will buy those helpless people for the price of a pair of sandals. Oh and we can sell the wheat that was spilled on the floor.'  The Lord made a promise. He used His Name, "Pride of Jacob,"and made this promise: 'I will never forget what those people did.There will be an earthquake
that will shake the whole land because of what they did. Everyone living there will cry for those who died. the land will be tossed around. The whole land will rise and fall like the Nile River in Egypt. At that time I will make the Sun set at noon and make the land dark on a clear day. I will change your Festivals into days of crying for the dead. All your songs will be songs of sadness for those who are dead. I will put mourning clothes on every body and baldness on every head. I will cause mourning everywhere, like that for an only son who has died. It will be a very bitter end.' "

THE TEMPLE BUILT BY SOLOMON.

King David had a strong desire to build a House for God, to contain the Ark of the Covenant, which at that time was dwelling in the middle of tent cloths. God was pleased with David's proposal, but told him that, due to the fact that he had shed much blood in warfare, his son Solomon would be privileged to do the building. The Temple was to be built in peace by a man of peace.
2 Chronicles 3:1 says, "King David, Solomon's father, had already prepared a place for the Temple. It was in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David, at the place which Araunah the Jebusite had used as a threshing place."
King Solomon took a census of all the foreigners living in the Land of Israel, similar to the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 resident foreigners. Solomon assigned 70,000 of them to transport materials and 80,000 to cut stones in the mountains, and appointed 3,600 supervisors to make sure the work was done. 2 Chronicles 2: 17-18
The Temple which King Solomon built was 90 ft long and 30 ft wide. The entrance room was the full width of the Temple (30 ft), and was 180 ft high. The inside of the room was overlaid with pure gold.
The main room was paneled with cedar and overlaid with fine gold, in which were worked designs of palm trees and chain patterns. The king decorated the Temple with beautiful precious stones and with gold imported from the Land of Parvaim. He used the gold to overlay the Temple walls, the rafters, the entryways, and the doors. On the walls the workers carved designs of winged creatures. The inner room, called the Most Holy Place, was 30 ft long and 30 ft wide,  which was the full width of the Temple.  25 tons of gold were used to cover the walls of the Most Holy Place; 20 ounces of gold were used for making nails, and the walls of the upper rooms were also covered with gold. 2 Chron. 3: 3-9
The king also had his workers make 2 winged creatures out of metal, cover them with gold, and place them in the Most Holy Place, where they stood side by side facing the entrance. Each had 2 wings, each wing 7 1/2 ft long, which were spread out so that they touched each other in the center of the room and reached to the wall on either side of the room, stretching across the full width of 30 ft.
A curtain for the Most Holy Place was  made of linen and of other material, which was dyed blue, purple, and red, with designs of the winged creatures worked into it.   2 Chronicles 3: 10-14
The king had 2 columns made, each one 52 ft tall, and placed them in front of the Temple. Each one had a capital 7 1/2 ft tall. The tops of the columns were decorated with a design of interwoven chains and 100 bronze pomegranates. The columns were set at the sides of the Temple entrance: the one on the South side was named "Jachin" and the one the North side was named "Boaz." 2 Chron 3 15-17
God blessed Solomon with wisdom, glory and riches as long as he remained firm for true worship and the nation of Israel likewise enjoyed God's favor.
2 Chronicles 9 says, "Every year King Solomon received over 25 tons of gold, in addition to the taxes paid by the traders and merchants. The kings of Arabia and the governors of the Israelite districts also brought him silver and gold." (13-14)  "King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world. They all consulted him, to hear the wisdom that God had given him."(22-23) "He was supreme ruler of all the kings in the territory from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border." (26)
Solomon Proverbs and the Books of Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon and at least one of the Psalms, namely, Psalm 127, were written during this period of faithful service to God.
However, Solomon began to disregard God's Law. and his heart did not prove to be completely with God like the heart of David his father. It was then that Solomon proceeded to build a high place to Chemosh, the chief deity of Moab (people of Chemoch) on the mountain that was in front of Jerusalem and to Molech, the god of the Ammonites. God's Law prescribed the death penalty for anyone,even an allien resident, who would give his offspring to Molech. (Leviticus 20)
The Prophet Jeremiah, in foretelling calamity for Moab, indicated that her principal god Chemosh as well as his priests and princes would go into exile. The Moabites would become ashamed of their god because of his impotence, just as the Israelites of the 10-Tribe Kingdom had become ashamed of Bethel. (Jeremiah 48)
As long as king Solomon maintained an obedient heart, he had God's favor and prosperity. But his bad outcome demonstrate that knowledge, great ability, or power, riches and fame are not the things that prevail over the things of the spirit and that turning away from God is to forsake His wisdom.
Solomon's own counsel proved true: "More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life." (Proverbs 4: 23)
Solomon case illustrates the treacherousness and desperateness of the heart that belongs to a sinful man and the best of hearts can be vulnerable and enticed if constant vigilance is not kept. Loving what God loves and hating what God hates, constantly seeking His guidance and the doing of what pleases Him, are a sure protection. (Jeremiah 17; Proverbs 8; Hebrews 1; John 8)

EZEKIEL AND HIS SYMBOLIC ACTS.

Ezekiel 4: 1-3 says, "Mortal man, get A BRICK, put the brick IN FRONT OF YOU, and SCRATCH LINES on the brick REPRESENTING the city of JERUSALEM. Then to REPRESENT a SIEGE, PUT TRENCHES, EARTHWORKS, CAMPS, and BATTERING RAMS all AROUND it. Take an IRON PAN and SET the iron pan UP LIKE a WALL between you and the city. Face the city. The CITY IS UNDER SIEGE, and you are the one besieging. This will be a sign to the Nation of Israel."
Ezekiel 5: 1-4 says, "Mortal man, take a sharp SWORD and use the sharp sword to SHAVE off your BEARD and all your HAIR. Then WEIGHT the hair ON SCALES and DIVIDE it into 3 PARTS.
BURN UP a 1/3 of it IN the CITY when the SIEGE is OVER. Take ANOTHER 1/3 and CHOP it up WITH your SWORD as you move around OUTSIDE the CITY. SCATTER the remaining 1/3 to THE WINDS, and I WILL PURSUE it WITH MY SWORD. Keep back a FEW HAIRS and WRAP them IN THE HEM OF YOUR CLOTHES. Then take A FEW of them OUT AGAIN, THROW them IN THE FIRE, and let them BURN UP. From them FIRE will SPREAD TO the whole nation of ISRAEL."
Ezekiel 5: 11-17 then says, "Therefore, as I AM THE LIVING GOD -this is THE WORD OF THE SOVEREIGN LORD -because YOU DEFILED MY TEMPLE with all the evil, disgusting things you did, I WILL CUT YOU DOWN WITHOUT MERCY. A 1/3 of your people will DIE from sickness and hunger IN the CITY (burn up 1/3 in the city when the siege is over), a 1/3 will be CUT down BY SWORDS (as you move around) OUTSIDE the CITY, and I WILL SCATTER the last 1/3 TO the WINDS and PURSUE them WITH a SWORD. You will feel ALL THE FORCE OF MY ANGER and RAGE until I AM SATISFIED. When all this happens, you will be convinced that I, the LORD, HAVE SPOKEN to you because I AM OUTRAGED AT YOUR UNFAITHFULNESS. Everyone from the nations around you who passes by will sneer at you and keep their distance. When I AM ANGRY and FURIOUS with you and PUNISH YOU, all the nations around you will be terrified. They will look at you with disgust and make fun of you. I WILL CUT off your SUPPLY of FOOD and LET YOU STARVE. You will feel the pains of hunger like sharp arrows sent to destroy you. I will send hunger and wild animals to kill your children, and will send sickness, violence, and war to kill you. I,  the  LORD, HAVE SPOKEN. "

A WOMAN CLOTHED IN THE SUN.

The Woman clothed in the sun is a symbolic figure described in Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation.  The Woman gives birth to a male child who is threatened by a dragon identified as the Devil and Satan, who intends to devour the child as soon as he is born. When the child is taken to heaven, the Woman flees into the wilderness leading to a War in heaven in which the angels cast out the dragon.
The dragon attacks the Woman, who is given eagle wings to escape and then attacks her again with a Flood of Water from his mouth, which is subsequently swallowed by the earth. Frustrated, the Devil initiates War on the remnant of the Woman's seed, identified as the righteous followers of Christ.
The Woman adorned with the sun, moon and stars are images taken from Genesis 37 that says:
"Jacob stayed and lived in the Land of Canaan. This is the same Land where his father had lived.....
Joseph was a young man, 17 years old. His job was to take care of the sheep and the goats of his father Jacob. Joseph did this work with his brothers, the Sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (his father's wives). Joseph told his father about the bad things that his brothers did."   Genesis 37: 1-2
Joseph was born at a time when his father Israel (the nation) was very old (Jesus came to the world in the same sense), so Israel (the true God's people) loved him more than he loved his other sons. His father gave him a special coat, which was long and very beautiful. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated their brother because of this. They refused to say nice things to him. Then Joseph had a special dream. Later, he told his brothers about this dream and after that his brothers hated him even more."Gen:37:3-6  He said, "I had a dream. We were all working in the Field, tying stacks of wheat together. Then my stack got up. It stood there while all of your stacks of wheat made a circle around mine and bowed down to it.' His brothers said, 'Do you think this means that you will be a king and rule over us?' His brothers hated him more now because of the dreams he had about them. Genesis 37: 7-8 Then Joseph had another dream, ans he told his brothers about it. He said, "I had another dream. I saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing down to me." Joseph also told his father about this dream, but his father criticized him. His father said, "What kind of dream is this? Do you believe that your mother, your brothers, and I will bow down to you?" Joseph's brothers continued to be jealous of him, but his father thought about all these things and wondered what they could mean."   Genesis 37: 9-11
The story symbolizes God's people (Israel) in the Old and New Testament. The Israel of old gave birth to the Messiah and then became the new Israel, the Church of Christ, which suffered by the attacks of the dragon, the Devil. The Old Israel became stubborn and instead of following the Lord, they rebelled against Him. God sent the Prophet Ezekiel to warn the rebels about the siege of Jerusalem.
The Sovereign Lord said,"Look at Jerusalem. I put her at the center of the World, with other countries all around her. But Jerusalem rebelled against My Commands and showed that she was more wicked than the other nations, more disobedient than the countries around her. Jerusalem rejected My Commands and refused to keep My Laws. Now listen, Jerusalem to what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. By not obeying My Laws or keeping My Commands, you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You have followed the customs of other nations. And so I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you that I Am your enemy. I will pass judgment on you where all the nations can see it. Because of all the things you do that I hate, I will punish Jerusalem as I have never done before and i will never do again."  Ezekiel 4: 5-9
Deuteronomy 20 says to the true followers of God's Laws and Commands: "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horses, chariots, and many more people than you have, you must not be afraid of them. The Lord your God is with you and remember that He was the One Who brought you out of Egypt." 20: 1       "When you go to the battle, the priest must go to the soldiers and speak to them. The priest will say, 'Men of true Israel, listen to me! Today you are going against your enemies in battle. DO NOT LOSE YOUR COURAGE.  DO NOT BE TROUBLE OR UPSET.   DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE ENEMY. The Lord your God is going with you to help you fight against your enemies. HE WILL HELP YOU WIN!' "   Deuteronomy 20 2-4
Revelation 21 says, "Then I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth. The first heaven and the first earth disappeared, and the Sea vanished. And i saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to meet her husband. I heard a loud Voice speaking from the Throne: 'Now God's Home is with people!. He will live with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them, and he will be their God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or  crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.' " Revelation 21: 1-4

THE JAPANESE BOOK OF ANCIENT MATTERS.

The Japanese Book of ancient matters (Kojiki) is the oldest chronicle dating from the early 8th century CE .
The Book was compiled and edited by O No Yasumaro (died August 15, 723). The Empress Genmei (707-721) charged him with the duty of writing the Book using the differing clan chronicles, myths, early legends, songs, genealogies, oral traditions and semi-historical accounts concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago.
The primary purpose of the Book was to erase falsehoods and establish truth furthering in this way the imperial agenda.
The historical narrative in the Book is clearly broken into the Age of Gods and the Age of Human Emperors, wherein the myth of the Gods which gave birth to the land is told and transitioned in a chronological fashion to the reign of the emperors, who descend from these same gods.
The story of the creation of heaven and earth is described first-hand at the beginning of the Book. It says that at the beginning the universe was immerse in a beaten and shapeless kind of matter (chaos), sunk in silence. Later there were sounds indicating the movement of particles. With this movement, the light and the lightest particles rose but the particles were not as fast as the light and could not go higher.
Thus, the light was at the top of the universe, and below it, the particles formed first the clouds and then Heaven, which was to be called "High Plain of Heaven" (Takamagahara). The rest of the particles that had not risen formed a huge mass, dense and dark, to be called Earth.
The Seven Generations of the Age of the Gods is called "Kamiyonanayo" and emerged after the formation of heaven and earth. They were born in the World of Heaven (Takamagahara) and unlike the later gods, these deities were born without any procreation.
The 3 deities that first came into being alone without any procreation, as opposed to those who came into being as male-female pairs, were: -Central Master (Amenominakanushi); -High Creator (Takamimusubi); -Divine Creator (Kamimusubi). Later, 2 more gods came into existence: -Energy (Umashiashikabihikoji); and -Heaven (Amenotoko-tachi).
The next 7 generations of gods born in the world of heaven that followed the previous gods were the Kamiyonanayo, which included the patriarch and matriarch of all other Japanese gods, respectively.
Amaterasu is the Japanese expression of the solar goddess. The name Amaterasu is derived from Amateru and means "shining in heaven" and the meaning of her whole name is "the great august deity who shines in heaven." The Emperors of Japan are considered to be direct descendants of Amaterasu.
The oldest records of Amaterasu (712 CE) presents her as the sister of the god of storms and the sea (Susanoo), and of the god of the moon (Tsukuyomi). Amaterasu painted the Japanese landscape with her siblings while she created ancient Japan. She was said to have been created by the divine couple Izanagi and Izanami, who were themselves created by, or grew from, the originator of the Universe, Amenominakanushi.
The World of the Dead (Yomi) or the World of Darkness is located beneath the earth. Once one has eaten at the heart of Yomi it is impossible to return to the land of the living. In there all the deceased carry on a gloomy shadowy existence.

THE WORLD OF THE DEAD.

Do people have any idea of what the world of the dead means? Are they aware of soul's victories and defeats? Death is one of the most misunderstanding subject of today world. For many Death is a mystery and evokes dread, uncertainty, and hopelessness. For others believe the dead are not dead but instead live in other realms. Millions are confused about the relationship between the body, spirit and soul. What you believe about the Dead will have a profound impact on what happens to you in the near future.
The Devil lied to Eve about Death. He said to her that she would not die. This lie is one of the pillars of his treacherous teachings since the beginning of the world. He has worked powerfully using sorcery to trick people and deceive the world about the real meaning of being dead.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-13 says, "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in Death so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no Hope." "David ... is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day ...     For David did not ascend into the Heavens" (Acts 2: 29, 34)."
Genesis 2:7 says, "The Lord formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of Life; and man became a living soul." Ezekiel 18:20 says, "The soul that sinned, it shall die." Also Ezekiel says in chapter 37:8 "And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no God's breath in them."
Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, "Then the dust will return to the Earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." James 2: 26 says, "The body without the spirit is dead."
2 Corinthians 5:1 says, "For we know that if the Earthly Tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an Eternal House in Heaven, not built by human hands."5:4-10 "For while we are in this Earthly Tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the One who has fashioned us for this very Purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by Faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at Home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at Home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
1 Corinthians 15: 12-22 says, "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the Dead, how can some of you say that there is no Resurrection of the Dead? If there is no Resurrection of the Dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is the Faith. More than that, we are then found to be False Witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the Dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the Dead are not raised. For if the Dead are not raised, the Faith is futile; and we are still in our sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this Life we have Hope in Christ,we are of all people the most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been Raised from the Dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since Death came through a man, the resurrection of the Dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
Job 14: 12, 21 says, "Man lies down and does not rise. Till the Heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep ... His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he does not perceive it."
John 5: 28-29 says, "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His Voice and come out -those who have done what is good will rise to live and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned."
The Scripture in Luke 16: 23 says, "And being in torments in Hades( the rich man) lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom."
Hebrews 12: 1-2 says, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also let aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely and let us run with perseverance the race set before us, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our Faith, who for the sake of the Joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame and has taken His seat at the right of the Throne of God.
Matthew 10: 28 says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell."
Philippians 3: 20-21 says, "But our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the Power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body."
Revelations 20: 11-15 says, "Then I saw a great white Throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the Throne, and Books were opened. Another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judge according to what they had done as recorded in the Books. The Sea gave up the dead that were in it and Death and Hades gave the dead that were in them
and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written  in the Book of Life was thrown into the Lake of Fire."
Remember what Timothy says in chapter 3 :16-17 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in Righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." ... "For we walk by Faith and not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7) .

INCANTATIONS.

Incantations were belief-rhyme magical formulas recited to prevent or ward off potential harm from evil influences, to cure disease by driving away the demons that caused it or to obtain favors from higher forces -for example, ending the rains or a drought or hastening the return of an absent beloved.

The spoken magical words were considered to activate a force and only qualified individuals were able to understand its powerful language and transfer it on suitable objects. Even meaningless and meaningful words, names, numbers, vowels and certain phrases recited backward have been viewed as a force magically powered. 

Magic can be described as the art of influencing the course of events by the use of hidden forces in control of natural phenomena through the application of known oral or written ritual observances.

Deuteronomy 18: 9-12 says, "When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the incantation practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you."

Ezekiel 13:18 says, "Thus says the Lord God: 'Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to My people and keep your own souls alive?' "

Micah 5: 12 says, "And I will cut off incantations from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes."

Exodus 7: 10-12 says, "So Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 

Acts 19: 17-19 says, "And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to 50,000 pieces of silver."

1 John 4: 1 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Colossians 2:8 says, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

Colossians 2: 20 says, "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations."

Acts 8: 9-24 says, "But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the City and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, 'This man is the power of God that is called Great.' And they paid attention to him for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached Good News about the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed." 

"Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet He was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, Simon offered them money, saying, 'Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.' But Peter said unto him, 'Your money perish with you, because you have thought that the Gift of God may be purchased with money. You have neither part nor lot in this matter: for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee, for I perceive that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.'  Then Simon answered and said, 'Pray you to the Lord for me, that none of these things which you have spoken come upon me.' "

Many Christian believers are guilty of using the precious power of the Name of Jesus Christ like an incantation or magic spell. They use this power as a means of communication trying to make demands of and direct God as to what He should and should not do. This type of action is incantation. The use of any formula of particular words during a prayer and use it as a spell or verbal charm in order so that it will produce the desired effect is an incantation.

There is a clear evidence in the Scripture that the enemy uses the Word of God and twist its effect to his own purpose. Do not be fooled by him because what he wants is your soul. That is why it is important to look at the entire Word of God, not just a tiny piece of it. When we pray and ask in His Name, we pray as an authorized of and approved soul by Him and directed by the Holy Ghost, then He will listen to it. We are in essence, acting as His agent in this world. We have no authority on our own but He has given us authority to do as he directs our actions according to His plan of action. This not something to be taken lightly. This is very serious!

THE VALUE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

GENESIS 24 says: Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."
The senior servant asked Abraham,"What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land?
Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"
Abraham said, "Make sure that you do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, Who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and Who spoke to me and promised me on  oath, saying, 'To your offsprings I will give this land' -He will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there."
So the senior servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. (24: 1-9)

Sometimes we do not understand the importance of obedience, because we truly do not understand the severity of God. We fail to appreciate the enormous value of belonging to the kingdom of God.

MATTHEW 13 says: The kingdom of God is like a  grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it grows larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree. The birds of the air can come and make nests in its branches (13:31-32). The kingdom of God is like leaven that a woman took and hid in 3 measures of flour, till it was all leavened (13:33).  The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, and he concealed it. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (13:44).   Again, the kingdom of God is like a merchant in search of fine pearls (an already made treasure), who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it (13: 45-46).   Again, the kingdom of God is like a net that fisher-folk threw into the sea. The net gathered all sorts of fish. When the net was full, the fisher-folk drew it ashore. They sat down and sorted the good fish into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and cast the evil into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (13:47-50).  Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of God is like a master of a house, who brings out his treasure both what is new and what is old (13: 52).

We won't find the spiritual kingdom of God, far more greater than any of the world empires if we are not seekers of it. God's kingdom has no boundaries and it will be revealed to us only when we seek for it and its value is far superior to all of the riches of the earth. We must secure it in our heart and keep it safe from the devil tricks trying to steal the power of it, because it brings us joy that last forever. Jesus said: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees" (Matthew 16:6) in regards of how the power of evil can permeate the heart of the believer just as much as the goodness of God can and we are the ones to notice the difference between nurturing our spiritual life or killing it.

MARK 4 says: The kingdom of God is like a man scattering seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows -he knows not how. The earth, by itself, produces first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once man puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come (4: 26-29).

The spiritual nature of the kingdom of God is shown through our hearts. The kingdom is of God, not of man. It is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. All we mortals can do is seek for it. As soon as we find it God alone make the seed grows stage by stage until it mature for harvest. We can not offer to anyone a place in heaven, we has nothing to do with that, except to nurture the process in all brothers and sisters in faith and watch it happen with wonder.

MATTHEW 22 says: The kingdom of God is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, "Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet." But they paid no attention and went off -one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized the king's servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, "The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find." So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the  people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
"Friend," the king asked, "how did you get in here without wedding clothes?"The man was speechless.
Then the king told the attendants, "Tie him hand and foot and throw him outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Nothing is hidden from God. You cannot serve two masters. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death.

REVELATION 21 says: And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead small and great, stand before God; and the Books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Book, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

THE SYMBOLIC ROLE OF THE EGYPTIAN ARMY.

The first evidence of horses in Egypt dates from the 13 dynasty. But they were introduced on a major scale only from the Second Intermediate Period onwards.
Horses were very luxury animals, and only the very wealthy could afford to keep them and treat them according to their worth. they were never used for ploughing and only rarely ridden during the 2nd millennium BC. For war and hunt alike they were harnessed to chariots.
Tutankh'Amen enjoyed not only driving his chariot, but also mounting on horseback. this has been inferred from a riding crop found in his tom bearing the inscription that "he came on his horse like the shining Re."
Ramses II (1278-1237BC), remembered for his military campaigns and his extensive building program,
built a complex of six rows of stables for 460 horses at Per-Ramses on the Southern edge of the Delta, covering 1,700 square meters. They had sloping floors and troughs at the lower end for keeping the floor as dry as possible and catching the horses' urine. The stables contained stone water basins and stone tethers. He, like his father Seti I, pursued a vigorous foreign policy by attacking the Hittites, the chief opponents of the Egyptian empire in the East. The army of Ramses consisted mostly of Egyptians, with a few Nubian contingents and some Sherden mercenaries. The chariots were mannered esclusively by Egyptian noblemen. It is generally assumed that an Egyptian division was comprised of 5,000 foot soldiers. Ramses setting out with 4 dividions of 20,000 seems reasonable.
Pharaohs often supervised personally the treatment their horses were getting. Ramses III frequented his stables and Piye (Pi'Ankhi, son of Kashta, the Golden Age of Nubian domination of Egypt), having conquered the Middle Egyptian Town of Shamumu after a lengthy siege, accused the defeated prince Nam'Lot of not feeding his horses properly. He said: "As I have lived and loved Re and breath is in my nostrils' thus my heart grows heavy seeing how these horses have been starved, which is worse than anything you have done from the evil in your heart."
Egyptian horses became famous throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. The Assyrian conquerors, when extracting tribute, made sure to get as many of them as possible.
The great prophet Isaiah who lived in Jerusalem says : "Those who go to Egypt for help are doomed! They are relying on Egypt's vast military strength -horses, chariots, and soldiers. But they do not rely on the Lord, the holy God of Israel, or ask Him for help. He knows what He is doing! He sends disaster. He carries out His threats to punish evil people and those who protect them. The Egyptians are not gods -they are only mortals. Their horses are not supernatural. When the Lord acts, the strong nation will crumble, and the weak nation helped by the strong nation will fall. Both of them will be destroyed.
(Isaiah 31: 1-3)
Horses were prime material in those ancient days, so multiplying horses indicated territorial aggression and warlike spirit, and most importantly, it showed a lack of Faith in God and too great a faith in the fleshy nature of the armies.
We can notice God's instruction to kings in Deuteronomy 17, which specifically warns against multiplying horses, wives, silver and gold. The king Solomon was blessed with wisdom that no one could gainsay, he was also blessed with wealth and ability no one had ever possessed before. This king, the son of Davis and Bathsheba, a man of peace and learning, was commissioned to build the most beautiful Temple to God in the City of Jerusalem. David and his armies had essentially subjugated all of the world that mattered at that time. King David of Israel, was the head of the nations and faraway kings he did not even know trembled at the mention of his name. As the sole superpower in the region, wealth poured into Israel. When Solomon was made king upon David's death, not a nation on the face on the earth would have considered attacking Israel. So, Solomon ruled the known world and as time progressed, he did not see the need to obey God's Law fully that He had commanded the kings of Israel to do. In his power and wealth, Solomon saw no problem with compromising a little with God's Law.
He failed completely in his old age, but the seeds of that failure were sown early in his reign.
1 King 10 says that Solomon had thousands of horses imported from Egypt. he also imported chariots and sold horses and chariots to other nations. Solomon armed the Hittites and Syria, providing them with the means to attack Israel and Judah in later years (1 Kings 11; 20; II Chronicles 22).
From the action of importing horses, Solomon was an accessory to the sins of idolatry and outright murder, sins that he would never have considered committing at the beginning of his reign. At the end of his life, Solomon himself worshipped Ash'Tor'Eth, Milcom, Chemosh, and Molech.

THE MEANING OF INTEGRITY.

The Hebrew terms relating to integrity have the root meaning of that which is "complete" or "whole."
But mainly it describes unswerving devotion to righteousness.
The first human couple were given the opportunity to manifest integrity in the Garden of Eden. The restriction regarding the tree of knowledge put to the test their devotion to righteousness. Under the pressure of temptation from God's adversary and his appeal to selfishness, they gave way to sin. Their shame, their reluctance to face God and their lack of candor in responding to His questions all gave evidence of their lack of Integrity.
When Satan's rebellion occurred, it produced an issue of universal importance -that of the Rightfulness of God's sovereignty over all His creatures, His right to require full obedience of them.
Psalm 119 says: -Determination to Obey the Law of the Lord: "I lie defeated in the dust, revive me, as You have promised. I confessed all I have done, and You answered me; teach me Your Ways. Help me to understand Your Laws and I will meditate on Your wonderful teachings. I am overcome by sorrow; strengthen me, as You have promised. Keep me from going the wrong way, and in Your goodness teach me Your Law. I have chosen to be obedient; I have paid attention to Your Judgments. I have followed Your Instructions, Lord; don't let me be put to shame. I will eagerly obey Your Commands, because You will give me more understanding. (25-32)
Since the issue with Satan was not one of superiority of power but, rather, a moral issue, it could not be settled merely by the exercise of power, as by God's immediately crushing Satan and the human couple out of existence. This fact is an important aid to understanding why Wickedness and its author, Satan, have been allowed to continue so long.
Since God's adversary first drew upon humans for support and endorsement of his rebel course, this made the question of man's integrity to God's sovereign Will an essential part of the overall issue. Proof of this is seen in the case of Job.
Satan's challenging statements in Job's case show he held the position that all persons could be drawn away from God's side, as it occurred in the story of David and Bathsheba, that none served out of a purely unselfish motive.
Proverbs 11 says: 1-The Lord hates people who use dishonest scales. He is happy with honest weights.
3-If you are good, you are guided by Honesty. People who can't be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty. 4-Riches will do you no good on the Day you face Death, but Honesty can save your life.
5-Honesty makes a good person's life easier, but the wicked will cause their own downfall. 7-When the wicked die, their hope dies with them. 6-Righteousness rescues those who are honest, but those who can't be trusted are trapped by their own greed. 8-The righteous are protected from trouble; it comes to the wicked instead. 9-You can be ruined by the talk of godless people, but the Wisdom of the righteous can save you. 11-A city becomes great when the righteous give it their blessing; but a city is brought to ruin by the words of the wicked. 13-No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put Confidence in someone who is Trustworthy. 12-It is foolish to speak scornfully of others.16-A gracious
woman is respected, but a woman without virtue is a disgrace. 18-Wicked people do not really gain anything, but if you do what is right, you are certain to be rewarded. 19-Anyone who is determined to do right will live, but anyone who insists on doing wrong will die.
Since all men are imperfect and unable to measure up perfectly to God's standards, it is evident that the integrity of man does not mean perfection of action or speech. Rather, the Scripture shows that the spirit of integrity means wholeness or completeness of heart devotion.
David committed several serious wrongs, but he, nevertheless, "walked with integrity of heart," for he accepted reproof and corrected his way (1 King 9). David thereby proved that his heart still retained genuine love for God's ways (Psalms 26). As David later told his son Solomon: "Know the God of your father and serve Him with a complete heart and with a delightful soul; for all hearts God is searching, and every inclination of the thoughts He is discerning."
Integrity is therefore not restricted to any one aspect of human conduct; it does not apply just to matters defined as "religious." To serve God is a way of life in which the individual walks constantly searching to know God's Will (Psalms 119).
One "proves himself faultless" before God over a period of time, as did Noah, Abraham, David and others (Genesis 6; 17; 2 Samuel 22).
Integrity requires uncompromising Loyalty to God and adherence to Righteousness, not merely under favorable conditions or circumstances, but under all conditions and at all time.

WHAT WE LEARN FROM DAVID/BATHSHEBA's SIN..

David is a young shepherd, chosen by God, and anointed by Him to be a King, who first gains fame as a musician and later by killing Goliat. He went from being a shepherd boy to the Palace as king.
David, with the help of the Mighty Warriors, conquers Jerusalem, taking the Ark of the Covenant into the city and establishes the kingdom founded by Saul.
Bathsheba is the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of the Mighty Warriors in King's David army, that later became the wife of David. She was the daughter of Eliam, also a Mighty Warrior, and he is mentioned in 2 Samuel 23 as the son of Ahithophel, who is described as the Gilonite. Ahithophel was a counselor of King David and a man greatly renowned for his sagacity. During Absalom (David's third son) 's revolt Ahithophel deserted David and supported Absalom. When he saw that the revolt would fail, he left Absalom's camp at once and returned to Giloh, his native place, and after arranging his worldly affairs, hanged himself and was buried in the sepulcher of his fathers (2 Samuel 17).
The Haggadah, a Jewish text that tells to every Jew's son about the liberation from slavery in Egypt (things of the flesh), states that Ahithophel was misled by his knowledge of astrology into believing himself destined to become a king of Israel. He therefore induced Absalom to commit an unpardonable crime (2 Samuel 16), which sooner or later would have brought with it, according to the Jewish Law, the penalty of death. His astrological information had been, however, misunderstood by Ahithophel; for in reality it only predicted that his granddaughter, Bathsheba, the daughter of his son Eliam, a Mighty Warrior, would become queen.
The mighty warriors at the front battle lines are identified in 2 Samuel 23 and in its final 4 chapters as a group of his best 37 fighters (later expanded to around 80) with mighty powers, who fought side-by-side with King David. According to the text, Abishai, the brother of Joab, killed 300 men with a spear, and so became famous among the The Mighty Warriors. The Text also states that despite the fame and respect Abishai was not included among the Three Best Warriors, suggesting that being part of the The Three powerful ones, fame was not the only accountable thing, but something which an individual has to prove or achieve beyond it in order to gain such exclusive title, and that is integrity (what we do when we think nobody is looking at us).
David's first interaction with Bathsheba, the granddaughter of Ahithophel, is described in 2 Samuel 11.
David decided to leave the place where God call him to be and take a time off. The Scripture does not give us a reason why he did that. What we can see is that all of the overwhelming victory caused by his role as a leader was really beginning to affect him. He was a shepherd by nature and a leader by the calling of God. He was designed to lead men face to face, not from afar.
Bathsheba was summoned by King David during his time off, after had seen her bathing in her courtyard from the roof of his palace and lusted after her. 2 Samuel 11 says:"One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, 'She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.' Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness). Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, 'I am pregnant.' (2-5) Informed that her husband was Uriah the Hittite, David summoned Uriah from battle to meet him, suggesting that he go home and "wash his feet," meaning to spend time at home and attend to his wife. He refused, claiming a code of honor with his fellow warriors while they were in battle. It was common for Mighty Warriors and in warriors in general in preparation for battle to abstain from sex. Uriah repeatedly refused to see his wife, forcing David to elaborate a sinister plan to kill him in battle due to Bathsheba's pregnancy, and finding no way to hide it. David sent Uriah to the captain and commanding officer Joab, with a letter that ordered Joab to put Uriah on the front lines and have the other Mighty Warriors move away from him so that he would be killed by the enemy soldiers.
Uriah the Hittite was from the ethnic Hittite residents in Israel that had lived in and around the region, the Land of Canaan, since before the time of Abraham. The Hebrews, upon their entry into Canaan, had been commanded (Deuteronomy 20) "to kill anything that breathes .. in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance," with the explanation that "otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do .. and you will sin against the Lord your God." Some of the earlier inhabitants were spared, in some cases for cooperating with the Hebrews (Joshua 2, Joshua 6, Judges 1) in other cases from failure to carry out the extermination order of the forces of evil (Joshua 15, Joshua 16, Judges 1).
In the era of David's rule, many residents of non-Hebrew descent followed the Hebrew faith and came to be accepted as Israelites. This included Uriah, as his name in Hebrew means "God is my light." His status as an mightier officer and his closeness to David, living closely to David's roof, would indicate this acceptance within the ethnic community.
Joab the son of Zeruiah, king David's sister, on the other hand, was David's nephew and he made him captain of his army (2 Samuel 8; 20; 1 Chronicles 11; 18; 27).The name Joab is derived from "Yahweh" meaning "Father." Uriah referred to Joab and not David as "my lord or commander" (2 Samuel 11). Joab is a king maker who dispatches ruthlessly his own military rivals, Abner and Amasa.
Joab is sufficiently powerful that David, on his deathbed, advises Solomon to arrange his death (1 Kings 2). David saw a deeper threat from Joab through his entanglement with Uriah's wife.
Joab's name is given to two other individuals in the Scripture (Ezra 2; 8). Those are the descendants of Joab of Bethlehem the son of Zeruiah, king David's sister; the subject is of the House and head of the House. The individual is Obadiah the son of Jehiel. Joab had two brothers, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was killed by Abner in combat, for which Joab took revenge by murdering Abner in Ambush, against David's wishes and shortly after Abner and David had secured Peace between the House of David and the House of Saul. (2 Samuel 2; 3 )
The prophet Nathan confronted David about Uriah's murder plan, by telling him a story of a rich man and a poor man. Hearing the story, David grew angry and replied: "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb 4 times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." Nathan replied: "You are that man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's House to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the House of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you more. Why did you despise the Word of the Lord by doing what is EVIL in His Eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the Sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the Sword will never depart from Your House, because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own."
Nathan then informs David that his child with Bathsheba must die. David mourns and begs for mercy. Indeed, their first child dies after 7 days. His entire story from that moment results in civil war and division in his family. The consequences for his actions were severe.
Proverbs 28:2 says: "When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability." Every great person live by core values and integrity. They pave pathways in life rather than just allow life to take its course. What goes inside of every individual determines where they are headed in life.
It takes integrity to maintain what God gives us. It takes persistence, determination, and consistency to make sure that we are focused.
David's heart pushed him towards the throne. It was not title, prestige, good money or job, not even favor with his family that did that for him. God never held a person back from transformational leadership, and the invitation will always be on the table.
Unfortunately, temptation is like a filter that always sneak in when our guard is down. Let's no make room for temptation. We have to show integrity by keeping our word and stay faithful and hold ourselves accountable to the standards we want to live out based on God's Word and calling.

THE CHARIOTS AND ITS SUPERNATURAL USE OF POWER.

A chariot is a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle, developed for the battlefield rather than as a means of transportation for troops movement behind the lines of war. Basically, it consists of a semicircular platform mounted on a single axle, with sides thigh-high and curved around the front. The open back of the car has a tongue and yoke harnessed to speedy horses and a floor of rope network that provides speed, maneuverability and stability for fast and easy entrance in combat and gives soldiers a mobile firing platform and furnish them with psychological shock power when charging into ranks of foot soldiers.
The Book of Joshua testifies about the power of this type of instruments of war by saying in chapter 17:
The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one part of the Land to possess as our own? There are very many of us because the Lord has blessed us." 17:14
Joshua answered, "If there are so many of you and the Hill Country of Ephraim is too small for you, then go into The Forests and clear ground for yourselves in the Land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim." 17:15
They replied, "the Hill Country of Ephraim is not big enough for us, but the Canaanites in the Plains have Iron Chariots, both those who live in Beth Shan and its surrounding Towns and those who live in Jezreel Valley." 17:16
Joshua said to the Tribes of Ephraim and West Manasseh, "There are indeed many of you, and you are very powerful. You shall have more than one share. The Hill Country will be yours. Even though it is a Forest, you will clear it and take possession of it from one end to the other. As for the Canaanites, you will drive them out, even though they do have Iron Chariots and are a strong people."
The Book of Judges also testifies about the use of the chariots' power by saying in chapter 1:
The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went on with the People of Judah from Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, into the barren country South of Arad in Judah. There they settled among the Amalekites. The People of Judah went with the People of Simeon, and together they defeated the Canaanites who lived in the City of Zephath. They put a curse on the City, destroyed it, and named it Hormah. The Lord helped the People of Judah, and they took possession of the Hill Country. But they did not capture Gaza, Ashkelon, or Ekron, with their surrounding territories. These People living along the Coast had Iron Chariots, and so the People of Judah were not able to drive them out. 1: 16-19
As Moses had commanded, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove out of the City the three clans descended from Anak. But the People of the Tribe of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, and the Jebusites have continued to live there with the People of Benjamin ever since. 20-21
Chariots with many variations of design are widely illustrated on ancient monuments, attesting their widespread use in antiquity. Often they were outfitted with auxiliary equipment consisting of quiver and bow cases, shields and spears. And added menace to foot soldiers were the iron scythes that sometimes extended from the hubs of the wheels. When there was only one charioteer, the reins were held around his waist or hips in battle, leaving his hands free to handle the weapons. Larger and heavier chariots with multiple spans of horses had crews of two, three or four, with a driver and one or two fighters and a shield-man. Also by moving the axle toward the rear, greater maneuverability and stability were achieved. Spoked wheels replaced the solid ones, lightening the weight and increasing the speed.
In Israel no sizable national Chariot force developed until the time of Solomon. This was due in large measure to YHWH's warning that the King was not to multiply horses, as if the nation's security depended on them. Horses were used at that time to power such vehicles of war (Deut,17). Samuel warned of the burden that human kings inflict on God's people by saying, "Your sons YHWH will take and put them as His in His Chariots ... and some will have to run before His Chariots" (1 Sam 8).
Both Absalom and Adonijah, in attempting to usurp the kingship, had chariots made for themselves and put 50 men to run before each chariot (2 Sam 15). When David defeated the king of Zobah, he preserved a hundred chariot horses (2 Sam 8-10). King Solomon expanded the number of chariots of Israel's army to 1,400 (1 Ki 10; 2 Chron 1).
1 Kings 7 says: King Solomon sent for a man named Hu'Ram, a craftsman living in the City of Tyre, who was skilled in Bronze work. His father, who was no longer living, was from Tyre, and had also been a skilled Bronze craftsman, his mother was from the Tribe of Naphtali. Hu'Ram was an intelligent and experienced craftsman. He accepted King Solomon's invitation to be in charge of all the Bronze work (13-14). Hu'Ram cast two Bronze columns, each 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference, and placed them at the entrance of the Temple (15). Huram placed these two Bronze columns in front of the entrance: the one on the South side was named Jachin and the one on the North was named Boaz (21).
He also made two Bronze capitals, each one 7 1/2 feet tall, to be placed on top of the columns (16). The capitals were shaped like lilies, 6 feet tall (19).  The top of each column was decorated with a design of interwoven chains and two rows of pomegranates (17). There were 200 pomegranates in two rows around each capital (20). The lily shaped Bronze capitals were placed on top of the columns on a rounded section which was above the chain design (19).
Hu"Ram made a round tank of Bronze, 7 1/2 deep, 15 feet in diameter, and 45 feet in circumference.
All around the outer edge of the rim of the tank were two rows of Bronze gourds, which had been cast all in one piece with the rest of the tank. The tank rested on the backs of twelve Bronze bulls that faced outward, three facing in each direction. The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, curving outward like the petals of a lily. The tank held about 10,000 gallons (23-26).
Hu'Ram also made 10 Bronze Carts, each was 6 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4 1/2 feet high. They were made of square panels which were set in frames with the figures of lions, bulls, and winged creatures on the panels; and on the frames, above and underneath the lions and bulls, there were spiral figures in relief. Each cart had four Bronze wheels with Bronze axles. At the four corners were Bronze supports for a basin; the supports were decorated with spiral figures in relief. There was a circular frame on top for the basin. It projected upward 18 inches from the top of the Cart and seven inches down into it. The circular frame had carvings around it. The wheels were 25 inches high; they were under the panels, and the axles were of one piece with the carts. The wheels were like Chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of Bronze. There were four supports at the bottom corners of each cart, which were of one piece with the cart. There was a 9-inch band around the top of each cart; its supports
and the panels were of one piece with the cart. The supports and panels were decorated with figures of winged creatures, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was space for them, with spiral figures all around. This, then, is how the Carts were made; they were all alike, having the same size and shape.
Huram also made ten basins, one for each Cart. Each basin was 6 feet in diameter and held 200 gallons.
He placed five of the Carts on the South side of the Temple, and the other five on the North side; the tank he placed at the South East corner (27- 39).
In addition to Jerusalem, other towns known as "Chariot Cities" had special facilities for taking of all this vehicles of war (1 Kin 9; 2 Chron 8-9). After Solomon's death, chariots were very common in both the Northern and Southern kingdoms. The Northern kingdom had a "chief of half the chariots"(1Ki16).
War Chariots were employed in Biblical times by many of the nations who opposed the God of Israel. At the Red Sea, Pharaoh's entire army including his 600 special war chariots, and "all the other chariots of Egypt,"were destroyed by YHWH (Exodus 14-15; Joshua 24).When conquering the Promised Land the Israelites routed the enemy and burned many of their captured chariots (Joshua 11). Jabin the king of Canaan held the Israelites in bondage for 20 years until YHWH pinned down and destroyed his fleet of 900 Chariots equipped with iron scythes and commanded by Sisera, at the Kishon River (Judg 4-5).
During Israel's kings period, at one time or another, the Philistines, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Syrians, Assyrians and Babylonians battled against them with large Chariot forces, as many as 30,000/32,000
chariots on different occasions (1 Sam 13; 2 Sam 1; 1 Chron 19; 2 Chron 12-14-16; Isa 37). Prophets, in their pronouncements of doom era, mentions the chariots in which enemy nations prides themselves
(Micah 5; Jer 50-51).
Though the Chariot was primarily a war instrument, there are also instances where it was used for other peaceful purposes. Joseph as a food administrator of Egypt rode in a Chariot of Honor, second only to that of Pharaoh. In his chariot he rode out to meet his father Jacob when he entered Egypt (Gen 41-46).
Upon Jacob's death many chariots were in the funeral procession that went from Egypt to Mach'Pelah, the burial place that Abraham had purchased (Gen 50). As a means of transportation, chariots were also employed by Kings Rehoboam and Ahab, Naaman the Syrian army chief and the Ethiopian official who invited the evangelist Philip to ride with him on the Road down to Gaza (1Ki12; 18; 2 Ki 5; Act8).
Richly decorated and shaded Chariots carried victorious rulers in processions. Sacred Chariots and the horses that drew them were dedicated to the power of the sun by apostate Judean rulers and were used in ceremonial driving to meet the energy that encompasses the rising of the sun (2 Ki 23).
In a figurative and prophetic sense, chariots are used as symbols of war, just like the bow and sword.
Isaiah 22 says: This is a message about the Valley of Vision. What is happening? Why are all the people of the City of Jerusalem celebrating on the roof of the houses? The whole City is in uproar, filled with noise and excitement. Your people who died in this war did not die fighting. All your leaders run away and were captured before they shot a single arrow (1-3). This is a time of panic, defeat, and confusion in the Valley of vision, and the Sovereign Lord Almighty has sent it on us. The walls of our City have been battered down, and cries for help have echoed among the hills. The soldiers from the Land of Elam came riding on horseback, armed with bows and arrows. Soldiers from the Land of Kir had their shields ready. The fertile Valley of Judah were filled with Chariots; soldiers on horseback stood in front of Jerusalem's Gates. All of Judah's defenses crumbled (4-7). When that happened, you People brought weapons out of the arsenal. You found the places where the Walls Of Jerusalem needed repair (8-10). In order to store water, you built a reservoir inside the City to hold the water flowing down from the Old Pool. But you People paid no Attention to God's Word, who planned all this long ago and who caused it to happen. The Sovereign Lord Almighty was calling you People then to weep and mourn, to shave your heads and wear sackcloth. Instead, you People laughed and celebrated. You killed sheep and cattle to eat and you drank wine.You said,"We might as well eat and drink! Tomorrow we will be dead." The Sovereign Lord Almighty Himself spoke and said, "This evil will never be forgiven them as long as they live. I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken."(11-14)
Isaiah 27 says: On that Day the lord will use His powerful and deadly sword to punish Levi'Athan, that wriggling, twisting dragon, and to kill the monster that lives in the sea (1). On that Day the Lord will say of His pleasant vineyard, "I watch over it and water it continually. I guard it night and day so that no one will harm it. I am no longer angry with the vineyard. If there were thorns and briers to fight against, I would burn them up completely. But if the enemies of My people want My protection, let them make peace with Me. Yes, let them make peace with Me (2-5). Israel's sins will be forgiven only when the stones of idol altars are ground up like chalk, and no more incense altars or symbols of the goddess Ash'Erah are left" (9). On that Day, from the Euphrates to the Egyptian border, the Lord will gather His people one by one, as threshing separates the wheat from the chaff. When that Day comes, a trumpet will be blown to call back from Assyria and Egypt all the Israelites who are in exile there. They will come and worship the Lord in Jerusalem, on His sacred hill (12-13).
"The War Chariots of YHWH"are said to be "in tens of thousands, thousands over and over again, "denoting YHWH's invincible power to destroy His enemies. (Psalm 68; 2 King 6).

ANCIENT INDIAN RELIGION.

Indian religions based on a contemplative life and not centered on the idea of deities, are the ones that originated in the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Evidence attesting to prehistoric religion in the Indian subcontinent derives from the corresponding final period of hunter-gatherer cultures and from which scattered rock paintings have been found.
- Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world and today scholars refer to it as a way of life widely practiced since 1500 BCE. It contains a broad range of philosophies linked by shared concepts, rituals such as worship (Puja) and recitations, meditation, family oriented rites of passage, cosmology, annual festivals, textual resources and pilgrimage to sacred sites. Sources of authority and eternal Truths in its texts play an important role and there is a strong tradition of questioning authority in order to deepen the understanding of these Truths and to further develop them. Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring leaving beings (Ahimsa), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, and compassion, among others.  Prominent themes include the 4 proper goals or aims (Purusarthas) of human life: 1) ethics/duties (Dharma), 2) prosperity/work (Artha), 3) desires/passions (Kama), 4) liberation/freedom/salvation (Moksha); action, intent and consequences (Karma), cycle of rebirth (Samsara), and the various paths or practices to attain liberation/freedom/salvation (Yogas).
- Jainism postulates  an eternal and ever-existing world which works on universal laws. It has a firm and an unalterable shape which is measured by means of a unit (Rajju) that is supposed to be very large. The universe is divided into 3 parts. The world is surrounded by 3 atmospheres: dense-water, dense-wind, and thin-wind. It is then surrounded by infinitely large non-world which is absolutely empty. The whole world is said to be filled with living beings. In all 3 parts, there is the existence of a very small living beings (nigoda). Nigoda are of 2 types: Nityas which will reborn as Nigoda forever and the Itaras which will be reborn as other beings too. Within the mobile region of universe there are animals and plants everywhere and where humans are restricted to 2.5 continental area of middle world. The beings of the lower world are called Naraki (hellish). The demi-gods (Deva) live in whole on the top and middles world and the top 3 realms of lower world. Living beings are divided into 14 classes (Jivasthana): 1)fine beings with one sense. 2)Crude beings with one sense. 3)Beings with two sense.
4)Beings with three sense. 5)Beings with four sense. 6)Beings with five sense without mind. 7)Beings with five sense with a mind. These can be under-developed or developed which makes it a total of 14. Humans get any form of existence and are the only ones which can attain salvation. The followers are called "Jains," a word derived from the Sanskrit word "Jina" meaning "victory" and connoting the path of victory in crossing over life's stream of rebirths through an ethical and spiritual life.
- Buddhism is the world 4th-largest religion or 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. It is an Indian religion attributed to the teachings of the Buddha. He was moved by the innate suffering of humanity and its endless repetition due to rebirth. He set out on a quest to end this repeated suffering.
He first studied under Vedic teachers, learning meditation and ancient philosophies, particularly the concept of "nothingness, emptiness" and "what is neither seen nor unseen." Finding this teachings to be insufficient to attain his goal, he turned to the practice of a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often to the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Then he turned to the practice of meditation, which he had already pursued in his youth. He famously sat in meditation under a sacred Fig Tree. He gained insight and attained enlightenment. He attracted followers and founded a monastic order (Sangha). Now, as the Budha, he spent the rest of his life teaching what he had discovered and died at the age of 80 in India. His teachings were propagated by his followers, and in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE, 18 Buddhist sub-school of though were founded, each with its own basket of texts containing different interpretations of Buddha's teachings.
- Sikhism was founded in Punjab area of South Asia, which now falls into the present day states of India and Pakistan. The Sikh faith began around 1500 CE, when Guru Nanak (1469-1539) began teaching a faith that draw from the religious ideas of Hindu and Islamic thought. He was already an original spiritual thinker and expressed his thoughts in extraordinary poetry that became the basis of Sikh scripture.
Nanak's birth and early years were marked with many events that demonstrated that God had marked him out for something special and was keeping an eye on him. He soon showed an advanced interest in religion and studied Islam and Hinduism extensively. As a child he demonstrated great ability as a poet and philosopher. One famous story about him tells of his rebellion at the age of 11. At this age Hindu boys of his caste would star to wear the sacred thread to distinguish them. Nanak refused to wear the sacred thread by saying that people should be distinguished by the things that they did, and their individual qualities, rather than by a thread.
Nanak continued to demonstrate a radical spiritual streak by arguing with local holy men and sages, both Hindu and Muslim, that external things like pilgrimages, penances and poverty were of far less spiritual importance than internal changes to the individual's soul.
He worked for a while as an accountant but while still quite young decided to devote himself to spiritual matters. He was inspired by a powerful spiritual experience that gave him a vision of the true nature of God, and confirmed his idea that the way to spiritual thought was through meditation and through living in a way that reflected the presence of the divine within each human being.
In 1946, although married and having a family because of his family tradition in the Hindu faith, Nanak set out on a set of spiritual journeys through India, Tibet and Arabia that lasted nearly 30 years.
Nanak studied and debated with learned men he met along the way and as his ideas took shape he began to teach a new route to spiritual fulfillment. The last part of his life was spent at Katarpur in the Punjab, where he was joined by many disciples attracted by his teachings.
The most famous teachings attributed to Nakar are that there is only one God, and that all human beings can have direct access to God with no need of rituals or priests. His most radical social teachings denounced the caste system and taught that everyone is equal, regardless of caste or gender.

THE MEANING OF KIDRON VALLEY.

The Kidron Valley is frequently mentioned in the New Testament as being crossed by Jesus in his journeyings to and fro (John 18). It was through this Valley that Jesus walked to go from Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane immediately prior to His arrest and His death by crucifixion. It was at Gethsemane that the Lord felt the full force of His upcoming death. It was also at Gethsemane that we see the Lord's perfect unselfish submission to the Will of His Father. Also, Judas Ischariot travelled the same path to Gethsemane, resulting in the betrayal and arrest of Christ.
In the Book of Matthew, the Kidron Valley is mentioned as the place where Jesus was tempted by Satan. It says: "Then, after Jesus was baptized, he was led out into the Wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. For 40 days and 40 nights Jesus ate nothing and became very hungry. Then the Devil came and said to Him, 'if you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.' But Jesus told him, 'No! The Scripture says, People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every Word of God.' Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, 'if you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scripture says, God orders His Angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your food on a stone.' Jesus responded to the Devil, 'the Scripture also says, Do not test the Lord your God.' Next the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the World and all their glory and said, 'I will give it all to you if you will only kneel down and worship me.' "Get out of here, Satan,' Jesus told him. 'For the Scripture says, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only Him.' Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.
The Book of Mark mention the Kidron Valley in relation to Jesus by saying: "Immediately after finishing supper, Jesus and his disciples leave the Old City and cross the Kidron Valley heading towards the Mount of Olives."
The Hebrew name Kidron is derived from the root "Qadar,"meaning "to be dark, ashy dark color, or turbid" The Valley is related to the feeling of sorrow, the state of mourning and death.
The central point of reference for the Upper Kidron Valley (a mountain ravine) today is its confluence of Jerusalem's richest concentration of rock-hewn tombs and graves. Burying people here became a practice in the days of Josiah (2 Kings) in the Second temple period. Its precipitous, rocky banks (outskirts of the Old City) are filled with ancient tombs, especially the left bank opposite the Temple area. The greatest desire of the Jews of today is to be buried there, from the idea that the Kidron is the Valley of Jehoshaphat mentioned in the Book of Joel. Through this mountain ravine no water runs, except after heavy rains in the mountains round about Jerusalem.
In the Old Testament the Scripture says in the Book of Jeremiah: "The days are coming"declares the Lord, "when this City will be rebuilt... The whole Valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the East as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The City will never again be uprooted or demolish."
In Christian tradition the similarity between the Greek word for "cedar"(kedros) and the Greek name of the valley "Kedron,"  has led to the Kidron Valley being wrongly called "Valley of the Cedars."
The Kidron Valley is on the Eastern side of the Old City of Jerusalem, and runs North-South separating the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives (the city of David). The Valley then continues through the Judean desert in the West Bank towards the Dead Sea, descending 4000 feet along its 20-mile course. It is important to realize that the Kidron Valley was much deeper 2,000 years ago. The bottom of the Valley has been raised by the rubble and debris of centuries falling into it.
The Gih'On Spring naturally filled this Valley, but the settlers of Jerusalem diverted the natural water into pools and channels to be used by the city. In the Book of Genesis, the Gih'On (to burst forth) is described as one of the 4 Rivers that branched out from the main River issued on Eden and "encircling the entire land of Cush."
At various times in the Old Testament it was at Kidron, where false idols were destroyed, symbolically representing termination, or death of idolatry itself. This took place 3 different times: under the rule of Asa (1 King 15, under the rule of Josiah (2 Kings 23), and under the rule of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29;30).
In 2 Samuel, a  situation is described involving King David fleeing bare-foot and weeping, across the Valley of Kidron up to the Mount of Olives with all his followers, to escape his son Absalon.
In 2 Kings, Athaliah is mentioned as being executed at the entrance to the King's House, out to the Gate where the horses enter the palace grounds, in the Kidron Valley, after her evil reign in Judah was brought to a violent end.
The Kidron Valley afterwards became the receptacle for all manner of impurities. 2 Chronicles 29 says,
Hezekiah was 29 years old when he became the king of Judah and he reigned in Jerusalem 29 years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his ancestor David had done. ..Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repair them.
He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the Courtyard East of the Temple. He said, "Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary. Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, our God. They abandoned the Lord and His Temple; they turned their backs on Him. They also shut the doors of the Temple's foyer, and they snuffled out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting Burnt Offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel. That is why the Lord's Anger has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has made us an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can so plainly see. Our fathers have been killed in battle and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity. But now i will make a Covenant with he Lord, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us. My dear Levites, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to minister to Him, and to lead the people in worship and make offerings to Him." ... The work began (by specific men whose names were mentioned) on a Day in early Spring. These men called together their fellow Levites, and they purified themselves. Then they began to purify the Temple of he Lord. They were careful to follow all the Lord's instructions in their work. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple Courtyard all the defiled things they found. From there the Levites carted it all out to the Kidron Valley. In 8 Days they had reached the foyer of the Lord's Temple. Then they purified the Temple of the Lord itself, which took another 8 days. So the entire task was completed in 16 Days.
The Lord's end times renovation of Kidron is a beautiful picture of us being saved permanently from the darkness of sin to the light of God's Holiness.