There
is a group described in scripture that live in the Latter days (now). They have
an important task to complete and they are described in great detail in
scripture that was written by the Old Testament Prophets (Contact Personalities)
who collaborated with Melchizedek as told in the Urantia Book.
The following are excerpts from the book The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand. The latter days are when Jews are regathered from all over the world back to their homeland of Israel only to be attacked, in a still future prophecy, by "all the nations" in war As you read the current events of this unfolding situation in modern Israel it is good to be aware that what is happening now was prophesied over 2500 years ago. We are living in a very special time in history which will witness the coming of Melchizedek to assume his rightful sovereignty of our world. The group of people described below are characterized by their willingness to elect the will of God over and above their own.
The act of choosing the Will of God over all other concerns requires the
obliteration of the dead center of doubt and results in the total
identification of man’s will with God’s Will. Let’s look further at these people in
scripture who elect the Will of God as their own.
Those Who Elect God’s
Will
1Enoch 95:4
You shall not fear those who trouble you ;
for restoration shall
be yours; a splendid
light shall shine around
you, and the voice of tranquility shall be heard from Heaven.
1Enoch 97:9
But in those days blessed shall they be, to whom the word of
wisdom is
delivered; who point
out and pursue the path of the
Most High (God); who walk in the way of righteousness, and
who act not impiously
with the impious.
The ‘word
of wisdom is delivered’
to the elect through
special books as we shall see later. Continuing on with the those who elect
God we have:
1Enoch 91:2
Let not your spirit be grieved on account of the times; for the
holy, the Great One, has prescribed a
period to all.
1Enoch 91:3
Let the righteous man arise
from slumber; let him
arise, and
proceed in the path of righteousness, in all its paths; and let him
advance in goodness and in eternal clemency.
1Enoch 91:1
That which was written by Enoch. He wrote all this instruction
of wisdom for
every man of dignity,
and every judge of the earth,
for all my children who shall dwell on the earth and for subsequent
generations.
1Enoch l: 1
The word of the blessing of Enoch, how he
blessed the elect and the
righteous who were to
exist in the
time of trouble. (the end of the age
trial period)
1Enoch 1:2
From them (the angels in his vision) I (Enoch) heard all things, that
will not take place in this generation, but in a distant generation,
which is to succeed on
account of the elect.
1Enoch 1:9
The elect shall possess light, joy, and peace; and
they shall inherit the earth.
1Enoch 1:11
Then shall wisdom
be given to the elect,
all of whom will live and
not transgress.
1Enoch
Another mystery also I point out. To
the righteous and wise shall
109:10
be given books of joy, of integrity, and of great wisdom…Who from
these (books) shall acquire the knowledge of every upright path.
A particular group of people is
being described here. So far, this group, referred to as the elect:
1. Receive books of great wisdom, through which they are made wise
2. Acquire the knowledge of every upright path
3. Pursue and point out the path of the Most High (God)
4. Live in the latter days, the time of tribulation, in a distant generation
from
Enoch.
5. Inherit the earth (after the ruling elite are deposed)
6. Are from among ‘Israel’ or Christendom of today.
The Book of Revelation contains a vision of the apostle John
where John is instructed to write messages to the seven churches. The seven
churches are the various types or groups of Christians living at the end of the
age right before Messiah Melchizedek arrives. These messages contain a divine
assessment of the pluses and minuses of each group or personality type existing
at the end of the age upon us now. All of the seven churches have considerable
portions of negative criticism except for one – the Church of Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:7
And to the church of Philadelphia write: "This is the message
from the one who is holy and true. He (Jesus) has the key that belonged
to David, and when he opens a door, No one can close, and when
he closes a door, No one can open it.
The one
who is holy and true, with the key of David, is Jesus Christ who holds the keys
to the spiritual kingdom of heaven within. He says to the church of
Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:8
I know your works. Behold, I have set an open door before you,
which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power;
and that you have kept my word (or have been faithful to my message: Phillips
translation) and have not denied my Name (Jesus).
This is
a group that Jesus gives wholehearted approval (an open door), living at the
end of The Age, who are true to the
message of Jesus, the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Consider the "door" which
Jesus speaks of:
Revelation 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock,’ if anyone hears my voice and opens his
door, I will come in to dine and eat with him and he with Me.
Matthew 7:7
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find,
keep
on knocking and the door will be opened to you.
John 10:1
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who does not enter by the
door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way is a thief and
robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of sheep…
10:6
But they (the apostles) did not understand what He was talking
about.
10:7
I tell you that I Myself (Jesus) am the Door of the Sheep.
The
door represents entrance into the kingdom of heaven within where man communes
directly with God, as son with Father. For the price of faith and obedience,
God promises to do everything else. Jesus is the personification of faith and
of obedience to God’s will: "not my will but Your will be done,"
Jesus prays. And so, the Father is glorified in Jesus and Jesus is glorified in
his Father. "The kingdom of heaven is the will of God enthroned in the
heart of
man." (UB) And so,
the door of the kingdom of heaven is always open to the members of the church
of Philadelphia because they
already know God and
seek to do His Will, i.e. they already understand the
kingdom of heaven. Now we need to know more about this church of Philadelphia:
Philadelphia, not a very large city, was a busy commercial center.
was the meeting point of roads from Sardis, from the coast and from
regions in the Northeast and Southeast. (Handbook on Revelation to John
–
United Bible Societies)
The final letter to the church of Philadelphia takes us to the ultimate
evolutionary stage – full knowledge of consciousness, a state beyond
duality… (Revelation, Peter Lorie, Simon & Schuster)
From the very beginning Philadelphia was seen as a monument to the
possibility of divinity within mankind. The Greek word
"philadelphers"
means one who loves his brother"… Founded in around l50 B.C., it was
situated on high ground and formed a perfect geographical position for
trade. It was known as a gateway to the East…We can suppose that for
John, Philadelphia would have epitomized the ideal of a city which had
balance, good will, and good judgment. This gives us a good allegory for
the final stage of human spiritual evolution – that of enlightenment, the
ultimate consciousness, a state that brings perfect balance. At this stage
according to all Eastern and Western traditions, there is no duality, but a
oneness with life and all existence. The other six letters of Revelation can
be exemplified by the opposites of the Zodiac signs – Leo and Aquarius,
Gemini and Sagittarius, for example. Here we have characteristics that are
in opposition to one another, whereas in the final stage of human
development (as symbolized by Philadelphia) we become one with
existence – enlightened. (Peter Lorie, Revelation)
Put
simply we become holy, the word derives from the Old English hal, whole or
integrated and complete.
Transcendence, overcomes the paradox of duality, the experience of the reality of the Kingdom of heaven
within allows us to identify with a higher, spiritual reality, instead of a
lower, material reality. The higher completes the lower. And the Highest
Reality, the source of all reality is God, who’s very Will is motivated by love
and guided by wisdom. Now, lets look at the missing links contained in the Urantia Book regarding Philadelphia:
UB 1869
Within a short time after the destruction of Jerusalem, Antioch
became the headquarters of Pauline Christianity; while Philadelphia
remained the center of the Abnerian Kingdom of heaven.
From Antioch the Pauline version of
the Teachings of Jesus and
the teaching about Jesus spread to all the Western World;
from
Philadelphia the missionaries of the Abnerian Kingdom of heaven
spread throughout Mesopotamia and Arabia until the later times
when these uncompromising emissaries of the teachings of Jesus
were overwhelmed by the sudden rise of Islam.
UB 1832 …the
believers at Philadelphia held more strictly to the religion
of Jesus, as he lived
and taught, than any other group on earth.
Now
prophecy is true both in the context of the time of its writing and in the time
of its prophetic future fulfillment. And so, the church of Philadelphia spoken
of in Revelation as existing in the latter days (now)
would have characteristics like the church of Philadelphia existing at the time
of John’s vision and writing. One might then expect this congregation or church
of the latter days to be a group, like Abner’s, true to the message of Jesus
(the gospel of the kingdom of
heaven), and to be
concerned with issues of brotherly love such as the brotherhood of man
predicated on the Fatherhood of God. This is exactly the effect of the Urantia
Book, ie; to explain and inspire the living of the kingdom of heaven within;
the true way, the true gospel of Jesus that the apostles did not understand. The
Urantia Book actually brings into being this latter day church of Philadelphia. The Urantia Book teaches the doing of
God's Will. The elect are those who choose (elect) God's Will. Now if we
integrate these concepts from Revelation
about the Church of Philadelphia with
the concepts of 1Enoch, one could envision a group in the latter days that:
1
is blessed with book(s) of joy and great wisdom;
2 that give them
knowledge of the way of God which they practice
and
point out to others; (the choosing of God's Will)
3 that know the
true message of
Jesus and are faithful
to it, (the choosing
of
God's Will)
4 and have reached
the enlightenment stage of brotherly love.
5 live in the
latter days, the time of tribulation, in a distant generation from
Enoch.
6 have but little
worldly power, probably a small group.
7 Are found among ‘gentile’
Christians.
These descriptions from Enoch and Revelation seem
to mesh very well. The "elect" congregation is one and the same as
the "church of Philadelphia." Also, consider this line of scripture
addressed to the church of Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon; hold
fast what you have, so that no one may
seize your crown.
Remember this crown?
Deuteronomy 33:16
Let the blessings come upon the head of Joseph, upon the crown
of the head of him who was separate (in Egypt) and prince among
his brothers. (The crown follows the "elect" , those who elect God.)
Those Who Elect God’s
Will
Genesis 49:26
The blessings…on you (Joseph) are as lasting as the bounties of
the eternal hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the
crown of the head of him…who is prince among
them (twelve sons
of Jacob).
Genesis 37:9
Joseph dreamed another dream…He said, behold, this time not only eleven stars
but also the sun and moon bow down to reverence me.
The
crown seems to track "the elect" which passes from Joseph to Ephraim.
We have already seen that both terms Joseph and Ephraim are used to denote Lost
Israel, which has in turn been identified with Christians. Therefore one might
look for the elect among Christians and more specifically the future remnant of
the Christians. The elect appears to be the leadership group, among the
Christians, who know and practice the "path of God," who are given
books of great wisdom (from which they learn the way of every upright path),
who point out to others the path of the Most High (God), and who are faithful
to the true message of
Jesus. Now consider a
slightly different use of the word elect as part of a completely different
topic.
1Enoch 39: 1
In those days the elect and holy race descend from the upper heavens
and their seed shall be with the sons of men.
This
"holy and elect" race of people are implied to be not of the sons of
men (human kind) Their "seed" shall be with the sons of men, apparently for
procreative purposes. These are definitely physical beings because they produce
"seed" presumably eggs, sperm or both. Since we are talking about
physical beings, their "descent from the upper heavens" is also a
physical event, which could be interpreted as coming down from the sky or space
and "descending." Now consider:
UB 1025
Is there a possibility that an unexpected and unprecedented event
is about to take place, the sometime return to the planet of Adam and
Eve or certain of their progeny…
With a
large amount of speculation, one might consider 1Enoch 39:1 as referring to the
Adamic racial strain as the elect. This would explain why they are referred to
as the "elect and holy race" as this race may be the children of Adam
and Eve. The crown
of Joseph may in part
indicate his endowment of Adamic genes acquired through the breeding of a male
line of the mixed Semitic heritage with the female line of an Adamically
enriched heritage. The word elect may partly refer to similar genetics, as well
as other more important intangible factors, such as the election of God’s will as their highest goal. Genetics may play
a role in the nucleus
of this group, but as in
Moses’ time, in a majority
of the group, genetics
may play little or no role. Genetic considerations are present, but are a limited factor among
many that define this
group, or any other group for that matter.
Also consider:
Isaiah 45:4
…Israel mine elect, I have called thee by name: I have surnamed thee, though
thou
hast not known me.
Here,
Israel is addressed as "mine elect." We already know that Israel is
derived from Joseph and that Lost Israel is modern Christendom. Again, the
elect are among the Christians. Further, Christ in Christian means Messiah and the Messiah has
been identified as Melchizedek, therefore Christians are surnamed after
Melchizedek, the Messiah, who then says, "I have surnamed thee, though
thou hast not known me." Christians are surnamed after Melchizedek the
true Messiah or "Christ," and Christians do not know anything about
him – yet! Remember, Jesus is not the Messiah! The name Christ (Messiah) is
what Jesus is not. Rather, the person Jesus Christ lies above Melchizedek in the hierarchy of divine Sons, just as
Adam and Eve lie below as described in the Urantia Book. At the very bottom of
the hierarchy of course lies the human being, also a son of God, small s of
course. We continue with further prophecy regarding the elect:
Isaiah 65:9
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an
inheritor of my mountains: and my elect shall inherit it, and my
servants shall dwell there.
This
goes along with the statement in Enoch regarding the elect inheritance. The
greater the number of different sources, the higher the probability of
accuracy, although 1Enoch could be derived from Isaiah or vice-a-versa.
Matthew 24:22
And unless the Lord had shortened the days, no human being
Amplified
would be saved; but for the sake of the elect; His chosen ones (those
Bible
whom He picked out for Himself) he has shortened the days.
What is
implied here is that God would allow the world to destroy itself if not for the
presence of the elect. But we shouldn’t get the idea of a "chosen
group" – this is definitely not so. The elect are those who elect God to a
position of central importance in their lives. God has chosen every human being through the gift
of His indwelling spirit. We
are all chosen, but only
some choose Him in return. It is not God’s Will that anyone suffer,
either physically or spiritually, but due to prior antecedent causes, freely
chosen, there is a harvest of evil to reap for the family of man. And even
this, God will turn to the benefit of those that love Him.
Also consider:
Daniel 12:1
At that time…there shall be a time of trouble, straightness, and distress
Amplified such as never was
since there was a nation till that time…
Bible
Daniel 12:3
And the teachers and those
who are wise shall shine
like the brightness
of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness shall give
forth light like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:10
Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be
tried, smelted, and refined, but the wicked will do wickedly. And
none of the wicked
will understand, but the
teachers and those who
are wise shall understand.
Here we
have a group who understand, are wise, and who teach others. They purify
themselves because they choose God’s will under difficult circumstances and are
transformed (purified and refined) in the process. These unnamed people of
Daniel fit precisely with what we already know about the elect. Since these
people of Daniel do
the same things as the
elect do, they are
the same. Scripture
speaks directly to these elect who choose God saying:
Isaiah 41:6
Each one helps the other.
Saying to his fellow, "take courage!"
Isaiah 41:9
You whom I drew from the ends of the earth
And called from its far corners…
Isaiah 41:10
Be not frightened for I
am your God,
I strengthen you and I help you.
I uphold you with My victorious right hand.
Shamed and chagrined shall be
All who contend with you;…
Isaiah 41:12
Those who struggle with you
Less than nothing shall be
Isaiah 55:17
No weapon against you
Shall succeed,
And every tongue that contends with you at home
You shall defeat
Isaiah 61:6
…You shall be called "Priests of the Lord,"
And termed "servants of our God."
Isaiah 66:14
You shall see and your heart rejoice,
Your limbs shall flourish as the grass.
Now lets turn to the Dead Sea Scrolls on this important topic about those who
elect God Below, the Teacher of Righteousness, the leader of the Qumran Community,
is giving his interpretations of various scripture passages regarding these
same elect:
4Q215
Prophecy of Naphtali - …they (the elect) will endure the affliction of
Col 2
distress and the ordeal of the pit, and they will be purified by these
things and shall become the elect of righteousness;
11Q13
By the power of Melchizedek, dominion on earth will pass from
DSC
Belial (Devil/Caligastia) to the righteous Sons of Light.
(DSC A New
Translation, Wise, Abegg & Cook)
This latter group (The Sons of Light) constitutes those who are
predestined to belong to the party of Melchizedek, "the congregation
of the sons of
righteousness." (the
elect)
4Q160
Thy people shall take refuge…amid the rage of the enemies of
DSC
Thy people, Thou shalt verify Thy glory over the land and sea…
And all the peoples of Thy lands shall know that Thou hast created
them…and the multitudes shall
understand that this is Thy people…
Thy
holy ones whom Thou hast sanctified. (Wise, Abegg & Cook)
4Q174
Interpreted (Psalm 2:1)this saying concerns the Kings of the nations
DSC
who shall rage against the elect of Israel in the last days. This shall
be the time
of trial to come…so as to perfect…(…represents missing scroll
text) (Wise, Abegg & Cook)
4Q174
A remnant of the people shall be left according to the lot assigned
DSC
them, and they shall practice the Whole
Law…Moses. (…represents
missing scroll text) Thy people who know
God shall be strong.
They are the masters who understand…(Wise, Abegg & Cook)
4Q 243,
(In that time) those
who are called by name shall
be gathered…
244, 245 from among
the Gentiles, and it shall be, from that day…the
holy
DSC ones…(missing
text) (Wise, Abegg & Cook)
The
above passages from the Dead
Sea Scrolls, describe a
group of people who: take refuge from the rage of its enemies, are ultimately
glorified by God, are perfected by trials, who practice the "whole
law," and are "masters of understanding." Finally, we learn that
these people are "called by name" (by God and Melchizedek) and are
found among the gentiles in the latter days. These individuals match up with
what we already know about the elect from prior descriptions. This group, by
many names, is found consistently from among diverse sources of scripture
including 1Enoch, Revelation, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah and Jeremiah among
others. In fact, a
high percentage of unfulfilled scripture, regarding the end of the age, is
about this group and its experiences. Further,
we have further scripture interpretation by the Teacher:
4Q171
This (Psalms 37:14-15) refers to the wicked of "Ephraim and
DSC Manasseh,"
who will try to do away with the Priest and the
members
of his party during the time of trial that is coming upon
them.
But God will save them from their power and afterward
hand
them (wicked) over to the wicked Gentiles for judgment.
(Wise,
Abegg & Cook)
4Q171 Interpreted
(Psalms 37:16), this is the
congregation of His elect who
DSC do
His Will. (Dead Sea Scrolls, Vermes)
The
reference in the first stanza (4Q171) to "the Priest and members of his
party" is to the Messianic final prophet to come and "his party"
is the "congregation of the elect." The wicked of "Ephraim and
Manasseh" are members of "Lost Israel" (leaders of America and
England, discussed later) who try to destroy the congregation of the elect.
(Probably because they reveal the truth about these corrupt leaders.)
Further interpretation by the Teacher of
Righteousness:
DSC This
(Psalms 6:1-4) refers to the Last Days, about (the righteous,
pg. 234
when) Belial (devil) planned to destroy them in his fury, so that
Wise none
would remain of…God
will not allow Belial…But
the Angel of God’s truth
will help keep the
Children of Light from the power of Belial.But the righteous are
always beloved, and the Great power of God is with them,(Wise, Abegg, &
Cook)
(… represent missing original text)
Why
Belial is so angry at this group is not explicit, but is presumably due to the
promulgation of truth, which discloses and sets up resistance to Belial’s
activities. The divine protection of the elect and righteous, during the messianic period, is
described over and over in scripture across many different sources. It has a very high probability of
happening. This is similar to the protection afforded the ancient Israelites by
"the Lord" as his servant Moses led them out of Egypt. The end is very much like the
beginning in sacred history.
From Dead
Sea Scrolls by Geza
Vermes, we continue on the subject of the elect:
4Q381 DSC
Man will not be strong and will not rise
Vermes Fr.46 …and Thou hast tested all.
Noncanonical And
the elect, like an offering;
Psalms.
Thou wilt purify
before Thee,
Thanksgiving Light
shines and joy bursts forth;
Hymns
Morning vanishes and sorrow flees.
Peace is revealed,
dread ceases
Iniquity has stopped, plague has ceased
With no more illness
For He humbles the proud spirit with no remnant
And from the dust He lifts up the poor to eternal heights
He raises freely the totterers of the earth,
And His might is with their steps.
4Q267
… He established
appointed times of goodwill for those who
Fr. 1
search His commandments and walk in the perfection of way.
And he revealed hidden things to their eyes, and opened their
ears so that they might hear deep (secrets) and understand all
future things before
they befall them.
It would appear that God is going to make available to those who elect God, and
all who will listen, the events that will happen before they befall them. This
is possibly mediated through His servant, the final prophet, who is said to
reveal deep secrets and foretell all that will happen to the elect through the
interpretation of the Prophets of Old. Further:
4Q4l8
And you, elect of truth
Fr. 69
and pursuers of righteousness and justice
… guardians of all knowledge,
How will you say:
We labour for
understanding
And keep awake to pursue knowledge.
Finally, we generalize our
search regarding the elect and find:
John Hogue
Millennium Prophecy
I saw the sun-eyed children of a marvelous dawn
…the massive barrier breakers of the world
…the architects of immortality
…bodies made beautiful by the Spirit’s light,
Carrying the magic word, the mystic fire,
Carrying the Dionysian cup of Joy
Sri Aurobindo (l946-47), Saut.
Millennium
You will not have to be good, you will find you are good.
Prophecy You will not have to
be loving, you will find you are
love.
Osho (l987), RBSP
Nostradamus
15Q96
To speak the truth they will have closed mouths.
Millennium
Those who really desire to understand,
Prophecy Who are looking to
find that which is eternal,
Without beginning and without end,
Will walk together in great
intensity,
Will be a danger to everything that is unessential,
To unrealities, to shadows.
And they will concentrate, they will become the Flame,
Because they understand.
J. Krishnamurti ( l929)
Millennium
One hundred years ago, Madame Blavatsky saw a future where
Prophecy America becomes the
cradle of a new human kind. (John Hogue)
Those
who "keep awake to pursue knowledge" and "labour for
understanding" are "the massive barrier breakers of the world."
Like Jesus, they "will have closed mouths to speak the truth" and
they will "walk together in great intensity." And so, the Lord
preserves his "servants" who are mindful of him and will give them
the land to dwell on. What’s more His "chosen ones" are given actual
possession of the earth. This means that when the present world leadership is
removed that sovereignty will pass to Melchizedek and Melchizedek will give it
to "his chosen ones," elsewhere called the elect. The elect are those who understand,
elect, and do God’s will. Consider:
Those Who Elect God’s
Will
1Enoch 1:1
(This is) The word of the blessing of Enoch, how he blessed the elect and the
righteous who are to exist in the time
of trouble;…
1Enoch 1:2
that which will not take place in this generation; but in a generation, which
is to
succeed
at a distant period, on account of the elect.
Mt. 24:22 And
except those days
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the
elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened.
Isaiah 65 For
Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy
name:
I have surnamed
thee, though thou has not known me.
Isaiah 43:1 Fear
not, for I will redeem you,
I
have singled you out by name,
You
are mine.
When
you pass through water,
I
will be with you;
Through
streams,
Thy
shall not overwhelm you
When
you walk through fire
You shall not be scorched…
Because you are precious to Me
And honored, and I
love you.
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you
Shall succeed…
Such is the lot of the servants of the Lord,
Such their triumph through Me.
From
1Enoch we see that this people who love God, i.e. the "elect," is a
group that exists during the trial period, that "distant period" of
time referred to by 1Enoch at the end of the age. Also, we notice, that God’s
entire plan for salvation during this period is enacted for the sake of those people who love God and live
according to His Will; those who elect
Him.
Matthew confirms 1Enoch, or derives from 1Enoch, this
same sentiment. Isaiah gives clues to the identify of the elect and emphasizes
the divine
protection and support they
will receive in their attempts to stand up to the evils of "those
days," through which those people will be further refined and "made
white" in the fires of adversity. Further:
1Enoch
To the righteous and wise shall
be given books of joy,
of integrity,
104:10
and of great wisdom. To them shall books be given, in which they
shall believe;
104:11
And in which they shall rejoice. And all the righteous will be
rewarded, who from these (books) shall acquire the knowledge
of every upright path.
104A: 1
In those days, saith the Lord, they (the elect) shall call to the
children of the earth and make them listen to
their wisdom.
Show them that you are their leaders…Rejoice, children of
integrity, in the truth.
Rejoice
indeed. It would appear that through some remarkable books, a certain group or
groups of people will be brought into a whole knowledge of "every upright
path." These people become leaders in teaching other people, the
"children of the earth," the ways of truth. Perhaps this teaching may
relate to other scriptural statements that "before the end (of the age)
the gospel of the kingdom of heaven will be proclaimed to all the world."
Notice that this gospel is about the kingdom of heaven, the true gospel of
Jesus. Now, all we need to do is find those people who have been taught, by books, about
this mysterious subject, the kingdom of heaven, and wake them up to their task ahead. Lets turn now to see what the Dead Sea
Scrolls have to say about the elect.
DSC Why
do the peoples rage and the peoples meditate vanity? Why
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do the kings of the earth rise up, and the princes take council together
against the Lord and his Messiah’ (Psalms 2: 1).
Interpreted, this saying concerns the kings
of nations who shall
rage up against the elect of Israel in the last days. (Interpretation by the
Teacher of Righteousness, leader of the Qumran community)
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‘But the wicked shall do wickedly and shall not understand,
but the righteous shall purify themselves and make themselves
white (Daniel.12: 10)’ ...the
people who know God shall be strong.
They are the masters
who understand…(Interpretation
by Teacher
of Righteousness; dotted lines represent missing original text)
Notice
here that the Teacher of Righteousness is interpreting Psalms 2 and Daniel 12:10
in the same vein as we have been. He identifies an elect group, who is standing
up against the world and the powers to be ("peoples" and "Kings
of the nations" rage). The Teacher of Righteousness also recognizes the
unique understanding that these people will possess, they know God in their
hearts and understand His Kingdom of Heaven within. Scripture is reinforcing
and repeating important information. Information so reinforced, is very likely
to be accurate judging from past performances. Also note that the elect are ‘of
Israel’ which have previously been identified as Christians, many of whom are
living in the Chief of Nations during the latter days. More on the identity of
the elect will be presented later in this book.
Now, we return again to Isaiah where the Lord says:
This presentation is from the
book, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand” by Edmund J. Roache