____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ *** The Little Worker's Newsletter *** Issue of September 2006 Published by CDTTT - The Committee for the Difussion of The Third Testament _________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS: - First Word - Elijah, the Prophet - Elijah, the Ray of God - Elijah, the Forerunner - Elijah, the Shepherd - Elijah and the Storm - Final Word ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - First Word This month's issue is dedicated to Elijah, our beloved universal Shepherd. The importance of Elijah is great, not only as the spirit whose merits made him worthy of receiving from our Father the delicate mission to guide us in our journey back home to our Lord, but also his spiritual power made him worthy to triumph over so many battles against evil that is the ignorance. Elijah, for us, is the friendly and wise hand, that lifts us in times of weakness or tribulation, that guides us in times of doubt, because he knows the pathway since he traveled it before than us. Let's then talk a little about this extraordinary being. ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Elijah, the Prophet He appears suddenly in the Bible. We can only guess where he was born; the 1st Book of Kings describes him as a Tishbite, probably meaning that he came from a little village called Tishbe, of Gilead at the north of the kingdom of Israel. There is no mention in the Bible of the names of his parents at all, which is strange in an Old Testament that gave so much weight to the genealogy of its main characters, nor any mention to relatives or family is made anywhere in the Scriptures. There are no facts regarding his childhood and he left no writings so everything we know about him, was narrated later by third parties. He is known as a prophet -- the Hebrew word for prophet is "seer", a man that has visions -- yet we have no clue, recollection or any testimony of what these visions were, as we do with Isaiah, John, and so many prophets. Still, his spiritual presence is felt in all the Bible's prophets and in the life of the Divine Master himself, Elijah, through John the Baptist, plays a key role. Then, why is it affirmed that Elijah was a prophet, the greater of them all? Well, we can start by agreeing in that there is the known fact that around Elijah existed a school with many prophets, one of them Elisha, who was the one to continue with his mission, once Elijah was taken alive up to heaven. And also there is the fact that Elijah communicated directly with the Lord God, and this made him powerful and wise. Up to this very day, many legends in the Jewish people remain that seem to have emanated from an oral tradition transmitted from generation to generation, where many wonderful events of the life of Elijah are described. Furthermore, even today, in many Jewish families, each Passover, a special cup of wine is filled and put on the 'Seder' table. During the Seder, the door of the house is opened and everyone stands to allow Elijah the Prophet to enter and drink. At every bris, a chair is also set aside for Elijah, and at the conclusion of Shabbat, Jews sing about Elijah, hoping he will come "speedily, in our days...along with the Messiah, son of David, to redeem us." Even the Hebrew name of Elijah, Eliyahuw, is an clear indication of his closeness to God; Yahuw or Yahu was the most common denominations with which the Hebrews understood the holy name of our Father, encircled in the four letters of the tetragrammaton, that was later erroneously interpreted as Jehova by early Latin Christian translators of the ancient books. Thus, one of the biblical references to Elijah is Eliyahuw Ha-Navi, Elijah the Seer, or as we use to say in English, Elijah the Prophet. And a prophet he was. "Elijah rose as a prophet, announcing prophecies soon to be fulfilled, and that the same witnesses who heard them saw became reality, as well as prophecies for times ahead, that the new generations testified." "I manifested Myself through him, I spoke to men through his lips. I placed My power in his right arm, and so that you were witnesses that Elijah passed over death itself and true life was in him, I made him return." The Third Testament ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Elijah, the Ray of God Elijah invoked the power of God and it manifested in a awe-inspiring manner because of the petition of the great prophet of Israel. "Elijah was and had to be, because he is the Ray of God which stablishes communication between the children and their Father, he is the one that prepares the pathway, the one that makes the spirits to be ready and keeps the hearts awaken and watchful". The Third Testament In that period of time, Elijah clashed with the king of Israel, Ahab, which Elijah reprehended for instigating the people of Israel towards idolatry; the king, weak before the charms of Jezebel, his wife, who was herself a believer of the pagan god Baal, yielded his power to the priests of the false god, corrupting Israel with that idolatric worship. Elijah reprehended the people of Israel too due to their oscillating doubts: "- How long halt ye between two opinions?" - he said them - "If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. - And the people answered him not a word." (1st Kings 18:21) This is a great lesson about how powerful true faith is, since Elijah, driven by his zeal for our Father, confronted just the same an ignorant multitude as well as the human power. Elijah, always resolute and faithful to the true God, oposed with all his strength the idolatry and challenged the king, the queen and her priests, to sort out who the real god was, Baal or the Father, who they knew as Yahwe (Jehova). The account of what happened when the Queen and his puppet King decided to take the challenge, could not be more fascinating and inspiring: "Then said Elijah unto the people... Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken." "And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made." "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them." "And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." "And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down." "And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed." "And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood." "And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again." "Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God! The Lord, he is the God!" 1st Kings 18:22-39 And Elijah, at his spiritual return in this era, will too demonstrate to the world who the true God is, because today many forms of idolatry exist: Idolatry to science, to war, to material power, to religious fanaticism, to the flesh and its pleasures, are many other deities to which men surrender and kneel in worship. Paganism is not a thing of the past, it still prevails in the hearts and the minds of many people, even in some that in the outside seem to belong to a religious creed. ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Elijah, the Forerunner Elijah has always preceded us in the path of life; this is the reason why he is our guide and our spìritual shepherd, for since knowing the pathway beforehand, he knows all things that we could encounter in that path. His wisdom, his experience in life, both in the human aspects as well as in the spiritual, are of an immense value for us. He is no stranger to sin, and when he gives us counsel, sure he knows what he is talking about, for he already had traveled that road before, and there is no human passion that he ignores and knows how to overturne. It is enough, in times of trouble, or amidst a trial, that we invoke the spiritual presence of Elijah, and he, loving, fraternal and plentiful of spiritual power, will manifest before us, to lend us a hand and help us. "Truly I say to you: Elijah has always been before." "Before man came to dwell on the planet, Elijah appeared to give it spiritual atmosphere, to inundate with spiritual essence all the corners of your dwelling, to convert this planet, not only in a terrestrial paradise, but in a sanctuary for the spirit, so that man would not bow only before Nature to adore it, but rather that he could discover through Nature the presence of God." "The great prophet, the forerunner, the envoy is among you, but this time he has not incarnated; he is in spirit, and the ray of light through which he has manifested himself, is the same one that he used to destroy the false gods, and with which he lit the true faith in the hearts of the people of the Lord." "Elijah appears along the path of the spirits always as a forerunner preparing the pathways, removing the thorns and rough stones so that the soles of My children are not injured along the way; spiritually ringing at full the bell, which speaks to you through the conscience down to the deepest profoundness of the spirit." "Elijah, a spirit of great power, has always been My forerunner. Today he has come once again to prepare the chosen, those who have served Me as spokesmen, and all of Humanity." The Third Testament ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Elijah, the Shepherd One of the main books that have been hidden to Humanity for a number of reasons, is the Book of Enoch. The word "Apocrypha" have been used to designate certain books that, as we have said, have been kept out of the reach and sight of the people, mainly because the leaders of some organized religions found it convenient. Many people wrongly believe tha "Aapocrypha" means false, when in reality it is the Greek word for "hidden". By the way, the false or forged writings are called "pseudo-epigrapha" which means "fake signature" in Greek. Well, that book we are telling you about is one of the most referenced and quoted in the very Bible. Moses quotes it, when he talks about the Nephilim or giants that existed before Noah's Flood. Jude, the Tadeus, in his epistole under his name that comes in the New Testament, quotes it not only with the words but also with the name. Paul, in Hebrew 11:5 also quotes it, giving it plenth of authority. Furthermore, the Greek identified Enoch with the mytical Hermes Trismegistus, because it was attributed to Enoch to have taught Humanity three things: Writing, the study of divine things and the principles of agriculture. Trisgemistus means "blessed thrice", which would be an indicative of the mission of Elijah in the three eras as a Forerunner. One of the ancient prophecies that our Lord, in this Third Era, has repeatedly mentioned in His teachings says: "Every eye shall see Me and every flesh shall feel Me", DOES NOT come in the Bible as we know it now, but it comes in the Book of Enoch. In that book came, also, visions in which there are parables and metaphors, one of which refers to the sheeps of Israel and their shepherd. Jesus Himself, the Divine Master, alluded to this part of the Book of Enoch in several occasions, as it is written in the Second Testament, the one that most of Humanity still calls the New Testament. Furthermore, the paralelism between Enoch and Elijah is astounding: Both are great prophets, both are masters of prophets and both are driven away and taken to Heaven without knowing death. The name of Enoch, in ancient Hebrew means "dedicated", as a servant to his master, keeps a very close similitude to the meaning of Elijah. The symbol of the chariot of fire in which Elijah is taken to Heaven, is found in several myths and legends in some people of the Antiquity; even the sound of the name of the Greek god Helios, keeps a very strong resemblance to the word Elijah (it is pronounced ee-LYE-jah). Helios was imagined as a handsome god crowned with the shining aureole of the sun, who drove a four-horse chariot across the sky, in a quite obvious allegory to the Elijah and his chariot of fire. "Elijah, like in a chariot of fire, moves his spirit throughout the Universe, leaving a trace of love, that love which is the fire of the Spirit of God, light that illuminates and fire that embraces, that warms up those who are cold of spirit and heart." "And if Elijah has passed throughout the Universe, could he possibly not have passed by the nations of this world? In truth I say no, his light has been with everyone, and also his preparation." "He is the forerunner; that is why he awakens the spirits as he passes by and if some still remain lethargic, it is because they are waiting for the call of Elijah as the shepherd. And he, who is tireless, will insist on those who are sleeping soundly until they have been awakened." The Third Testament The analysis that you, my beloved brother, make of all this written aboven, would possibly lead you to the conclusion that the mission of Elijah, in all eras, has been of guiding and taking Israel to safe ground, to the divine sheehold, just like a shepherd does with his sheep. Oh, what a beautiful task and how hard! As a token of our gratitude to this loving spirit, we should try to help Elijah in this noble mission. How? Well, in the first place, avoiding ourselves to go astray from the path and secondly, taking us under our care brothers of ours that could be outside the pathway marked by him, and bringing them back to Elijah's spiritual flock. "You see now how you have always had one shepherd who has prepared the pathway for you and has always followed you: Elijah." "Pray and sense how Elijah covers the space from one end to the other, shedding light on darkened paths, redeeming those who have strayed; unifying those who are blemished; awakening those who sleep in ignorance, and placing everything in order, because this is his Era. Do not fear him; love him, for he has come as a shepherd to guide you to the Father, to the Heavenly fold that awaits you." "What will the flock do without shepherd and without fold? And what footsteps will the sheep follow when the bells do not call them back to the fold anymore?" "That is when, My people, the sheep will exhale their bleat toward the Hereafter, when they seek their Shepherd on the summit of the mountain, and then My Kingdom will come upon everyone; I will come on a cloud, according to My promise, according to the word of My prophets, no longer settling on the understanding of the spokesman, but rather upon your spirit, and every sinner and non-sinner will contemplate Me." The Third Testament ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Elijah and the Storm "And, behold, the Lord passed by,and a great and strong wind rentthe mountains, and brake in piecesthe rocks before the Lord;but the LORD was not in the wind:and after the wind an earthquake;but the Lord was not in the earthquake:and after the earthquake a fire;but the Lord was not in the fire:and after the fire a still small bleating.and it was so, when Elijah heard it,that he wrapped his face in his mantle,and went out, and stoodin the entering in of the cave.And, behold, there came a voice unto him,and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?"1st Kings 19:11 This is, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful passages of the Bible that describes best, what our Lord is. In the religions, our Lord is described, mainly in the Old Testament, as a vengeful god, unforgiving and cruel, inclined to wrath and to destruction. But, oh! How descriptive this wonderful passage is, where Elijah, in a cave, is called by God to converse with him and offer him comfort. Was God in the roar of the storm? No. Was He in the violence of the earthquake? No. Was the Lord amidst the fire? Neither. God manifests to Elijah in the softness and delicacy of a small bleating noise. Let us medidate upon this lesson, beloved brothers, so that we cast aside forever from our mind the false concept of that dreadful and violent god, with which the religions have made the heart of Humanity fear our ever loving Father and Lord. How unfair has this been for that Supreme Being all goodness, all mercy, all peace and love! ____________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥« ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Final Word Dearly beloved: I hope I haven't abused of your patience with the extent of this newsletter, but I believe that the topic is worthy of it. The spiritual magnitude of Elijah is so great, that it should be analyzed and comprehended accordingly to the importance of his mission. Let us be then, my brothers, obedient little sheep that follow their shepherd, knowing for sure that he is leading us towards the divine fold. May the peace of my Father be with all my brothers Your brother in the Lord The Little Worker ************************************************************* Join as an spiritual volunteer to the Spiritual Corps of Workers http://www.144000.net/cuerpo/ ************************************************************* PASS THE WORD: If you find this humble newsletter interesting enough, feel free to copy it and send it to your friends, family and colleagues... and why not? Start your own mailing list! **** PAST ISSUES AT http://144000.net/newsletter/ **** ************************************************************* UNSUBSCRIBE (instant!): http://144000.net/remove.htm