{"id":218,"date":"2019-05-24T22:28:45","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T22:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/?p=218"},"modified":"2019-05-24T22:28:45","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T22:28:45","slug":"lectionary-readings-for-saturday-may-25th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/2019\/05\/24\/lectionary-readings-for-saturday-may-25th-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Lectionary Readings for Saturday, May 25th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Seventh-Day Sabbath<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><strong>Book of Wars Against Jehovih Chapters 42 and 43<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Chapter XLII<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">1. God in Craoshivi prayed Jehovih what he should do to release De&#8217;yus and Anubi;<br \/>\nJehovih answered, saying: My Son, thou shalt first labor for them that desire; whoso<br \/>\ncourteth darkness deserveth not thy hand. I have proclaimed from since the olden time,<br \/>\nwarning to them that put M<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">E <\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">away; but in their self-conceit they denied My person and<br \/>\npower.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">2. Wert thou, this day, to deliver from hell De&#8217;yus and Anubi, and their thousands of<br \/>\nmillions of self-torturing slaves, they would but use their deliverance to mock My<br \/>\ncreation, saying: It lasted not; it was but a breath of wind. For which reason thou shalt not<br \/>\nyet meddle with the hells of Hored.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">3. In four hundred years I will bring the earth into another dawn of light. Till then, let<br \/>\nDe&#8217;yus and Anubi and their hosts take their course.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">4. God inquired concerning Osiris and Te-in and Sudga, and Jehovih answered<br \/>\nhim, saying: Sufficient unto them is the light they have received. Suffer them also to<br \/>\ntake their course, for they also shall become involved in hells of their own building.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">5. But be thou attentive to My Chosen, the Faithists, in all parts of heaven and earth; not<br \/>\nsuffering one of them to fall into the hells of my enemies.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">6. God acquainted Ahura with Jehovih&#8217;s words; then Ahura prayed to Jehovih, saying: O<br \/>\nFather, grant thou to me that I may go to Osiris, and to Te-in, and to Sudga, to plead Thy<br \/>\ncause. Behold, the Lord God is locked up in hell; even high-raised Gods would not find it<br \/>\nsafe to go to him.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">7. Jehovih said: Why, O Ahura, desirest thou to go to Osiris and to Te-in and to Sudga?<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"fontstyle0\">Knowest thou not, how difficult it is to alter the mind of a mortal man; and yet these selfGods are ten-fold more stubborn!<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">8. Ahura said: I know, I cannot change them; to break this matter of conceit, and all<br \/>\nlearned men are liable to fall therein, none but Thee, O Jehovih, have power. But these<br \/>\nself-Gods were long ago my most loved friends; behold, I will go to them as a father<br \/>\nwould to a son, and plead with them. Jehovih gave permission to Aura to visit them, the<br \/>\nthree great self-Gods.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">9. So Ahura fitted out an otevan, and with ten thousand attendants, and one thousand<br \/>\nheralds, and with five thousand musicians, besides the officers of the fire-ship, set sail<br \/>\nfor Che-su-gow, Te-in&#8217;s heavenly place, over Jaffeth. And when he arrived near the place<br \/>\nhe halted and sent his heralds ahead to inquire if he could have audience with Te-in.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">10. Te-in received the heralds cordially, and being informed of their object, sent back this<br \/>\nword: Te-in, the most high ruler of heaven and earth sendeth greeting to Ahura,<br \/>\ncommanding his presence, but forbidding Ahura and his hosts from speaking to any soul<br \/>\nin Che-su-gow save himself (Te-in).<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">11. Ahura received this insulting message with composure, and then proceeded and<br \/>\nentered the capital city, the heavenly place of Te-in, where he was met by one million<br \/>\nslaves, arrayed in the most gorgeous manner. These conducted him and his attendants to<br \/>\nthe arena, where Ahura was received by the marshals, who brought him to the throne,<br \/>\nleaving the attendants in the arena. Here Te-in saluted on the S<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">IGH OF <\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">T<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">AURUS<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">, and Ahura<br \/>\nanswered in the sign F<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">RIENDSHIP<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">12. Te-in signaled privacy, and so all the others fell back, leaving Ahura and Te-in alone.<br \/>\nTe-in said: Come thou and sit beside me on the throne. Ahura said: Because thou hast not<br \/>\nforgotten me I am rejoiced. And he went up and sat on the throne. Te-in said: Because<br \/>\nthou art my friend I love thee; because thou art beside me I am rejoiced. It is more than a<br \/>\nthousand years since mine eyes have beholden thee. Tell me, Ahura, how is it with thyself<br \/>\nand thy kingdom?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">13. Ahura said: As for myself I am happy; for the greater part, my kingdom is happy also.<br \/>\nMy trials have been severe and long enduring. But of my four thousand millions, more<br \/>\nthan half of them are delivered beyond atmospherea, high raised; and of the others they<br \/>\ngrade from fifty to ninety.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">14. Te-in said: And for thy more than two thousand years&#8217;toil, what hast thou gained by<br \/>\nstriving to raise up these drujas? Ahura said: This only, O Te-in, peace and rejoicing in<br \/>\nmy soul.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">15. Te-in said: Hereupon hang two philosophies: One seeketh peace and rejoicing by<br \/>\nlaboring with the lowest of the low; the other, by leading the highest of the high. As for<br \/>\nmyself the latter suiteth me better than the former. I tell thee, Ahura, all things come of<br \/>\nthe will; if we will ourselves to shut out horrid sights and complainings, such as the poor<br \/>\ndruk and the druj indulge in, we have joy in a higher heaven. To me it is thus; sympathy is<br \/>\nour most damnable enemy, for it bindeth us to the wretched and miserable. To put away<br \/>\nsympathy is to begin to be a great master over others, to make them subservient to our<br \/>\nwills.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">16. Ahura said: Is it not a good thing to help the wretched? Te-in answered: To help<br \/>\nthem is like drinking nectar; to make one&#8217;s senses buoyant for the time being. That is<br \/>\nall. They relapse and are less resolute than before, but depend on being helped again.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"fontstyle0\">For which reason he who helpeth the wretched doth wrong them woefully. To make<br \/>\nthem know their places, this is the highest. For hath not even the Gods got to submit<br \/>\nto their places. To learn to be happy with one&#8217;s place and condition is great wisdom.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">17. Herein have thousands of Gods fallen; they helped up the poor and wretched; as one<br \/>\nmay, in sympathy to serpents, take them into his house and pity them. They immediately<br \/>\nturn and bite their helpers. But speak thou, O Ahura; for I have respect to thy words.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">18. Ahura said: If a man plant an acorn in a flower-pot, and it take root and grow, one of<br \/>\ntwo things must follow: the growth must be provided against or the pot will burst. Even<br \/>\nthus draweth, from the sources around about, the lowest druj in heaven. None of the Gods<br \/>\ncan bind him forever. Alas, he will grow. All our bondage over them cannot prevent the<br \/>\nsoul, soon or late, taking root and growing. How, then, can we be Gods over them<br \/>\nforever?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">19. Te-in said: Thou art a God over them; I am a God over them. Where is the difference?<br \/>\nAhura said: I am not in mine own name; though I am God over them, yet am I not God<br \/>\nover them. For I teach them they shall not worship me, but Jehovih. I train them that I<br \/>\nmay raise them away from me. Neither do my people serve me, but serve the Great Spirit.<br \/>\nThou teachest thy drujas that thou art the all highest, and that they shall be contented<br \/>\nto serve thee everlastingly. Thou dost limit them to the compass of thy kingdom. I do<br \/>\nnot limit my subjects, but teach them that their progression is forever onward, upward.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">20. Te-in said: How do we not know but the time will come unto them, and they shall<br \/>\nsay: Alas, I was taught in error. They told me there was a Great Spirit, a Person<br \/>\ncomprising all things, but I have found Him not. Will they not then revolt also? Was not<br \/>\nthis the cause of De&#8217;yus&#8217;fall? He had searched the heavens to the extreme, but found not<br \/>\nJehovih. Then he returned, and possessed himself of heaven and earth. Although he<br \/>\nfailed, and is cast into hell, it is plain that his sympathy for drujas caused his fall. From<br \/>\nhis errors, I hope to guard myself; for I shall show no sympathy for the poor or wretched;<br \/>\nneither will I permit education on earth or in heaven, save to my Lords or marshals. When<br \/>\na mortal city pleaseth me not, I will send spirits of darkness to flood it unto destruction.<br \/>\nYea, they shall incite mortals to fire the place, and do riot and death. Thus will I keep the<br \/>\ndrujas of heaven forever busy playing games with mortals, and in bringing provender and<br \/>\ndiadems to forever glorify my heavenly kingdom.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">21. Ahura said: Where in all the world hath a self-God stood and not fallen? Te-in said:<br \/>\nThou mayst ask of mortals: Where is a kingdom or a nation that stood, and hath not<br \/>\nfallen? Yet thou perceivest nations continue to try to found themselves everlastingly. But<br \/>\nthey are leveled in time. Things spring up and grow, and then fall into dissolution. Will it<br \/>\nnot be so with ourselves in the far future? Will we not become one with the everchanging elements, and as nothing, and wasted away?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">22. Ahura said: One might say of man and spirits: There were some seeds planted; and<br \/>\nmany of them rotted and returned to earth; but others took root and grew and became<br \/>\nlarge trees. But yet, is it not true also of the trees that they have a time? For they die, and<br \/>\nfall down, and rot, and also return to earth.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">23. Ahura continued: Admit this to be true, O Te-in, and that the time may come when<br \/>\nthou and I shall pass out of being, doth it not follow that for the time we live we should<br \/>\ncontribute all we can to make others happy?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">24. Te-in said: If by so doing it will render ourselves happy, with no danger to our<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"fontstyle0\">kingdoms, then yea, verily. For which reason are we not forced back after all to<br \/>\nthe position that we shall labor for our own happiness, without regard to others?<br \/>\nOne man delighteth in art, another in philosophy, another in helping the poor and<br \/>\nwretched; and another in eating and drinking, and another in ruling over others; shall not<br \/>\nthey all have enjoyment in the way of their desires? Shalt thou say to him that delighteth<br \/>\nin eating and drinking: Stop thou; come and delight thyself helping the wretched!<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">25. Ahura said: This I have seen; the intelligent and clean have more delight than do the<br \/>\nstupid and filthy; the rich more enjoyment than the poor. As for ourselves, we delight<br \/>\nmore in seeing the delighted than in seeing the wretched. More do we delight to see a<br \/>\nchild smile than to hear it cry; but there be such that delight more to make a child cry than<br \/>\nto see it smile; but such persons are evil and take delight in evil. Shall we, then, indulge<br \/>\nthem in their means of delight? Or is there not a limit, as when we say: All men have<br \/>\na right to that which delighteth themselves, provided it mar not the delight of others?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">26. Te-in said: Thou hast reasoned well. We shall delight ourselves only in such ways as<br \/>\ndo not mar the delight of others. Whereupon Ahura said: Then am I not delighted with the<br \/>\nmanner of thy kingdom; and thou shouldst not practice what giveth me pain. Because<br \/>\nthou hast resolved to educate not mortals nor angels, thou hast raised a hideous wall in<br \/>\nthe face of Gods.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">27. Te-in said: This also wilt thou admit: that as we desire to delight ourselves<br \/>\nwe should look for the things that delight us, and turn away from things that delight<br \/>\nus not. Therefore, let not the Gods turn their faces this way, but to their own affairs.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">28. Ahura said: Thou art wise, O Te-in. But this I have found; that something within us<br \/>\ngroweth, that will not down nor turn aside. In the beginning of life we look to ourselves,<br \/>\nwhich is the nature of the young; but when we grow, we take a wife, and we delight to see<br \/>\nher delighted; then cometh offspring, and we delight to see them delighted. After this, we<br \/>\ndelight to see our neighbors delighted; and then the state, and then the whole kingdom.<br \/>\nThis delight to be delighted groweth within us; and when we become Gods we delight no<br \/>\nlonger in the delight of a few only, but we expand unto many kingdoms. As for myself, I<br \/>\nfirst delighted in the delight of Vara-pishanaha; but now I delight to see other Gods<br \/>\nand other kingdoms delighted. For that, I have come to thee. I fear thy fate. I love thee.<br \/>\nI love all thy people, good and bad. Behold, this I have found, that it is an easier matter<br \/>\nto suffer a river to run its course than to dam it up; to dam up a river and not have<br \/>\nit overflow or break the dam this I have not found. The course of the spirit of man<br \/>\nis growth; it goeth onward like a running river. When thou shuttest up the mouth,<br \/>\nsaying: Thus far and no farther! I fear for thee. I tried this matter once; I was flooded;<br \/>\nthe dam was broken. I see thee shutting out knowledge from mortals and angels; but<br \/>\nI tell thee, O Te-in, the time will come when the channel will be too broad for thee.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">29. Te-in said: How shall I answer such great wisdom? Where find a God like unto thee,<br \/>\nO Ahura? And yet, behold, the Lord God, Anuhasaj, toiled with thee hundred of years,<br \/>\nand learned all these things; yea, he traveled in the far-off heavens, where there are Gods<br \/>\nand kingdoms which have been for millions of years. And he came back and renounced<br \/>\nthe Great Person, Jehovih. He said: All things are not a harmonious whole; but a jumble;<br \/>\na disordered mass, playing catch as catch can.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">30. Ahura said: And what hath befallen him? And is here not a great argument? For we<br \/>\nbehold in all times and conditions and places, in heaven and on earth, wherever people<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"fontstyle0\">assume doctrines like unto his, they begin to go down into hell. They flourish a little<br \/>\nwhile, but only as a summer plant, to yield in the winter&#8217;s blast. For this I have seen for a<br \/>\nlong time coming against these heavens, even thine, that, as darkness crushed De&#8217;yus, so<br \/>\nwill thy heavenly dominions soon or late fall, and in the shock and fray thou wilt suffer a<br \/>\nfate like unto De&#8217;yus.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">31. Te-in said: For thy wise words, O Ahura, I am thy servant. I will consider thy<br \/>\nargument, and remember thee with love. In a thousand years from now I may be wiser;<br \/>\nand I may have my kingdom so built up that it will be an argument stronger than words.<br \/>\nHereupon the two Gods brought their argument to a close, and Te-in signaled his viceGods and marshals, and they came; and when Ahura and Te-in had saluted each other,<br \/>\nAhura was conducted away from the place of the throne, and after that beyond the capital.<br \/>\nThe vice-Gods and marshals delivered him to his own attendants, and with them he<br \/>\nembarked in his otevan, and set sail for Sudga&#8217;s heavenly kingdom, over the land of<br \/>\nVind&#8217;yu.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Chapter XLIII<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">1. Sudga, after assuming a heaven unto himself, moved it over the Nua Mountains and<br \/>\ncalled it Hridat, in which place he had eight thousand million angel slaves, after the same<br \/>\nmanner as Te-in&#8217;s. Sudga&#8217;s capital city, Sowachissa, his highest heavenly seat, was<br \/>\nmodeled after the fashion of Sanc-tu, De&#8217;yus&#8217;heavenly place in Hored, at the time of its<br \/>\ngreatest magnificence.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">2. The capital house of Sudga was made of precious stones and gems, the work of<br \/>\nthousands of millions of angels for many years. And when Hored was pillaged, prior to<br \/>\nDe&#8217;yus&#8217;being cast into hell, millions of its most precious ornaments were stolen and<br \/>\nbrought to Hridat. The streets of Hridat were paved with precious stones; and an arena<br \/>\nsurrounded the palace on every side, set with crystals of every shade and color, and of<br \/>\nevery conceivable manner of workmanship. On the borders of the arena stood five<br \/>\nhundred million sentinels, arrayed in gorgeousness such as only Gods had looked upon.<br \/>\nInside the line of sentinels were one million pillars of fire, kept brilliant day and night, by<br \/>\nthe toil of five hundred million slaves. Inside the line of the pillars of fire were one<br \/>\nmillion marshals, so arrayed in splendor one could scarce look upon them. These were<br \/>\nwatch and watch, with two other groups of one million each, and they stood watch eight<br \/>\nhours each.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">3. None but the vice-Gods and the high marshals could cross the arena to the palace,<br \/>\nwalking, but must crawl on their bellies; and for every length crawled, they must kiss the<br \/>\npavement and recite an anthem of praise to Sudga, who now took both names, Sudga and<br \/>\nDyaus. Neither must any one repeat the same anthem twice, but it must be a new anthem<br \/>\nfor each and every length of the person. For a tall person, a thousand lengths were<br \/>\nrequired, from the line of marshals to the palace, a thousand anthems. So that only the<br \/>\nfew, as compared to the millions, ever laid eyes on the throne of Sudga. And after they so<br \/>\nbeheld him on the throne, for they were only permitted to gaze but once on him, and that<br \/>\nat a great distance, and amidst such a sea of fire they scarce could see him, then they must<br \/>\nre-crawl back again to the place of beginning, again reciting another thousand anthems.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">4. Which made Sudga almost inaccessible, and permitted only such as were favored to<br \/>\neven look upon him, which with the ignorant is a great power.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"fontstyle0\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">5. When Ahura came to the capital and sent word to Sudga who he was, praying<br \/>\naudience, Sudga gave orders to admit him, commanding Ahura to walk upright into his<br \/>\npresence, along with the vice-Gods. Accordingly, in this manner Ahura came before<br \/>\nSudga, and saluted in L<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">OVE AND <\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">E<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">STEEM<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">, answered by Sudga in F<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">RIENDSHIP OF <\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">O<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">LD<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">. The<br \/>\nlatter at once commanded privacy, and so all others withdrew, and Ahura and Sudga went<br \/>\nup and sat on the throne.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">6. Sudga said: Because thou hast come to see me I am overflowing with joy. Because<br \/>\nI know thou hast come to admonish me for my philosophy and the manner of<br \/>\nmy dominions, I respect thee. Because thou didst once try to found a kingdom of<br \/>\nthine own, and failed, I sympathize with thee; but because thou wentest back on<br \/>\nthyself and accepted Jehovih, and so was rescued from thy peril, I commiserate thee.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">7. Ahura said: To hear thy gifted tongue once more is my great joy. To know that no<br \/>\nmisfortune was in store for thee and thy kingdom would give me great delight. Because I<br \/>\nlove thee, and the people of thy mighty, heavenly kingdom, I have come to admonish thee<br \/>\nand plead for Jehovih&#8217;s sake. As for myself, I have found that to cast all my cares on Him,<br \/>\nand then turn in and work hard for others, these two things give me the greatest<br \/>\nhappiness.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">8. Sudga said: Can a brave man justly cast his cares upon another? Was not thyself given<br \/>\nto thyself for thyself? If so, thou desirest none to work for thee? If so, how hast thou a<br \/>\nright to work for others? If thou prevent them working out their own destiny, wrongest<br \/>\nnot thou them? Moreover, thou sayest: To cast thy cares on Jehovih, and to work hard for<br \/>\nothers, these two give thee the greatest happiness: Wherefore, art thou not selfish to work<br \/>\nfor thine own happiness? For is not this what I am doing for myself in mine own way.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">9. Ahura said: Grant all thy arguments, O Sudga, where shall we find the measure of<br \/>\nrighteous works but in the sum of great results? For you or I to be happy, that is little; for<br \/>\na million angels to be happy, that is little. But when we put two kingdoms alongside, and<br \/>\nthey be the same size, and have the same number of inhabitants, is it not just that we<br \/>\nweigh them in their whole measure to find which of the two kingdoms hath the greatest<br \/>\nnumber of happy souls? Would not this be a better method of arriving at the highest<br \/>\nphilosophy?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">10. Sudga said: Yea, that would be higher than logic, higher than reason. That would be<br \/>\nthe foundation of a sound theory.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">11. Ahura said: And have we not found, both in heaven and earth, that all kingdoms that<br \/>\nare overthrown have the cause of their fall in the unhappiness and disaffection of the<br \/>\nignorant. As soon as the masses begin to be in unrest, the rulers apply vigorous measures<br \/>\nto repress them, but it is only adding fuel to the fire; it deadeneth it awhile, but only to<br \/>\nhave it burst forth more violently afterward.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">12. Sudga said: Thou reasonest well, O Ahura; go on. Ahura said: How, then, shall we<br \/>\ndetermine the happiness of two kingdoms, in order to determine which hath the greater<br \/>\nhappiness? Are not revolts evidence of unhappiness? Hear me, then, O Sudga; where, in<br \/>\nall the Jehovihian heavens, hath there ever been a revolt? And on the earth, where have<br \/>\nthe Jehovihians, the Faithists, rebelled against their rulers? Behold, in the far-off etherean<br \/>\nheavens, the Nirvanian fields, hath never been any God or Chief environed in tortures. As<br \/>\nfor my own kingdom, my people will not rebel against me, nor need I fortify myself<br \/>\nagainst disaster.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"fontstyle0\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">13. Sudga said: Thou art wise, O Ahura. The only way to judge a kingdom&#8217;s happiness is<br \/>\nby the peace and contentment and civility of its people toward one another, and by<br \/>\nthe confidence betwixt the ruler and the ruled. He who hath to guard himself liveth on<br \/>\nthe eve of destruction of his kingdom and himself. And yet, O Ahura, remember this:<br \/>\nthe Jehovihians of heaven and earth are high raised ere they become such; any one can<br \/>\nbe a ruler for them, for they know righteousness. But I have to deal with druks and<br \/>\ndrujas. How, then, canst thou compare my kingdoms with the Nirvanian kingdoms?<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">14. Ahura said: Alas, O Sudga, I fear my arguments are void before thee. Thou showest<br \/>\nme that the line betwixt selfishness and unselfishness is finer than a spider&#8217;s web. Even<br \/>\nGods cannot distinguish it. And yet, behold, there was a time when I said: I will be a<br \/>\nmighty God, and bow not to the Unknown that brought me into being. For this I labored<br \/>\nlong and hard; the responsibility of my kingdom finally encroached upon my happiness.<br \/>\nLong after that I put away all responsibility, and made myself a servant to Jehovih. Then a<br \/>\nnew happiness came upon me, even when I had nothing that was mine in heaven and<br \/>\nearth. This is also unknowable to me; it is within my members as a new tree of delight.<br \/>\nThis it is that I would tell thee of, but I cannot find it. It flieth not away; it baffleth words,<br \/>\neven as a description of the Great Spirit is void because of His wondrous majesty. Such is<br \/>\nthe joy of His service that even Gods and angels cannot describe it. With its growth we<br \/>\nlook famine in the face and weep not; we see falling ji&#8217;ay and fear not; with the ebb and<br \/>\nflow of the tide of Jehovih&#8217;s works we float as one with Him, with a comprehensive joy.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">15. Sudga said: To hear thy voice is joy to me; to not hear thee is great sorrow. Behold, I<br \/>\nwill consider thy words of wisdom. In thy far-off place I will come in remembrance and<br \/>\nlove to thee.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">16. Thus ended the interview, and Sudga signaled his vice-Gods and high marshal to<br \/>\ncome; whereat he saluted Ahura in the sign of C<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">RAFT<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">, and Ahura answered him in the<br \/>\nsign, T<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">IME<\/span><span class=\"fontstyle0\">.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"fontstyle0\">17. And then Ahura, betwixt the vice-Gods, led by the high marshal, departed, passed<br \/>\nbeyond the arena, where the vice-Gods and high marshal gave him into the charge of the<br \/>\nmarshal hosts, who conducted him beyond the line of sentinels, where Ahura joined his<br \/>\nown attendants and went with them into his otevan, and set sail for Agho&#8217;aden,<br \/>\nOsiris&#8217;heavenly place, which had been over Parsi&#8217;e, but was now moved over Arabin&#8217;ya.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seventh-Day Sabbath Book of Wars Against Jehovih Chapters 42 and 43 Chapter XLII 1. God in Craoshivi prayed Jehovih what he should do to release De&#8217;yus and Anubi; Jehovih answered, saying: My Son, thou shalt first labor for them that desire; whoso courteth darkness deserveth not thy hand. I have proclaimed from since the olden &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/2019\/05\/24\/lectionary-readings-for-saturday-may-25th-2019\/\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[46,40,39,34,36,35,38,33,41,31,32,47,50,48,44,45,43,42],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-lightofgod","4":"post-218","6":"format-standard","7":"category-lectionary-readings","8":"post_tag-calendar","9":"post_tag-daily-readings","10":"post_tag-eloih","11":"post_tag-faithism","12":"post_tag-faithist-church","13":"post_tag-faithists","14":"post_tag-jehovih","15":"post_tag-kosmon-era","16":"post_tag-lectionary-readings","17":"post_tag-oahspe","18":"post_tag-oahspe-bible","19":"post_tag-observances","20":"post_tag-religion-of-light","21":"post_tag-sabbath","22":"post_tag-united-covenant","23":"post_tag-united-covenant-of-light","24":"post_tag-yeshua","25":"post_tag-yoshu"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219,"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218\/revisions\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/religionoflight.org\/ns\/lightofgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}