Lectionary Readings for Thursday, March 3rd, 2022
Oahspe
1. AFTER the creation of man, the Creator, Jehovih*, said unto him: That thou shalt know thou
art the work of My hand, I have given thee capacity for knowledge, power and dominion. This was the first era.
2. But man was helpless, crawling on his belly, and he understood not the voice of the Almighty. And Jehovih called his angels, who were older than the earth, and he said unto them: Go ye, raise man upright, and teach him to understand.
3. And the angels of heaven descended to the earth and raised man upright. And man wandered about on the earth. This was the second era.
4. Jehovih said to the angels that were with man: Behold, man hath multiplied on the earth. Bring ye them together; teach them to dwell in cities and nations.
5. And the angels of Jehovih taught the peoples of the earth to dwell together in cities and nations. This was the third era.
6. And in that same time the Beast* rose up before man and spake to him, saying: Possess thou whatsoever thou wilt, for all things are thine, and are good for thee.
7. And man obeyed the Beast; and war came into the world. This was the fourth era.
8. And man was sick at heart, and he called out to the Beast, saying: Thou saidst: Possess thyself of all things, for they are good for thee. Now, behold, war and death have encompassed me about on all sides. I pray thee, therefore, teach me peace!
9. But the Beast said: I do not know peace, but only war. I only wish for the destruction of all things but myself. And I shall eat of whatsoever I shall desire.
10. And man ate fish and flesh, becoming carnivorous, and darkness came upon him, and he no more heard the voice of Jehovih, or believed in Him. This was the fifth era.
11. And the Beast divided itself into four great heads, and possessed the earth about; and man fell down and worshiped them.
12. And the names* of the heads of the Beast were Brahmanism*, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. And they divided the earth, and apportioned it between themselves, choosing soldiers and standing armies for the maintenance of their earthly aggrandizement.
13. And the Brahmins had seven million soldiers; the Buddhists twenty millions; the Christians seven millions; and the Muslims two millions, whose trade was the destruction of life. And man, in service of the Beast, gave one-sixth of his life and his labor to war and standing armies; and one-third of his life he gave to dissipation and drunkenness. This was the sixth era.
14. Jehovih called out to man to desist from evil; but man heard Him not. For the cunning of the Beast had changed man’s flesh, so that his soul was hid as if in a dark cloud, and he loved sin.
15. Jehovih called unto His angels in heaven, saying: Go ye down to the earth once more, to man, whom I created to inhabit the earth and enjoy it, and say ye to man: Thus saith Jehovih:
16. Behold, the seventh era is at hand. Thy Creator commandeth thy change from a carnivorous man of contention to an herbivorous man of peace. The four heads of the Beast shall be put away*; and war shall be no more on the earth.
17. Thy armies shall be disbanded. And, from this time forth, whosoever desireth not to war, thou shall not impress; for it is the commandment of thy Creator.
18. Neither shalt thou have any gods, nor lords, nor saviors, but only thy Creator, Jehovih! Him only shalt thou worship henceforth forever. I am sufficient unto Mine own creations.
19. And to as many as separate themselves from the dominion of the Beast, making these covenants unto Me, have I given the foundation of My kingdom on earth.
20. And all such shall be My chosen: By their covenants and by their works shall they be known henceforth on the earth as Mine, and shall be called Faithists.
21. But to as many as will not make these covenants, have I given the numbers of the Beast, and they shall be called Uzians, signifying destroyers. And these shall be henceforth the two kinds of people on earth, Faithists and Uzians.
22. And the angels of heaven descended to the earth, to man, and appeared before him face to face, hundreds of thousands of them, speaking as man* speaketh, and writing as man writeth, teaching these things of Jehovih and His works.
23. And in the thirty-third year thereof, the Ambassadors of the angel hosts of heaven prepared and revealed unto man in the Name of Jehovih, His heavenly kingdoms; and have thus herein made known the plan of His delightful creations, for the resurrection* of the peoples of the earth.
24. Not immaculate* is this Book, Oahspe; but to teach mortals how to attain to hear the Creator’s voice, and to see His heavens, in full consciousness, whilst still living on the earth; and to know of a truth the place and condition awaiting them after death.
25. Neither are, nor were, the revelations within this Oahspe wholly new to mortals. The same things have been revealed at the same time unto many, who live at remote distances from one another, but who were not in correspondence till afterward.
26. Because this light is thus comprehensive, embracing corporeal and spiritual things, it is called the beginning of the Kosmon Era. And because it relates to earth, sky and spirit, it is called Oahspe.
Notes
vs. 1. Jehovih. This is the Creator’s Name. It is used in the
Hebrew Bible more than 300 times as “Yehovih.” This
name is equivalent to Yahweh.
vs. 6. Beast. In this context, the “Beast” is referring to
man’s ego, pride, greed, desire for power and discord.
The term can also refer to false religion.
vs. 12. names, referring to various false religions, or
sectarian, nominal versions of the original. In many cases,
the original teaching of the true founders of various
religious communities, was usurped by false teachers
who came later or during the lifetime of the founder. For
example, during the time of Siddharta Gautama (the
Buddha), a false Buddha came into existence. Similarly,
there were false Jesus’ in the first century A.D., one of
which is worshiped by nominal Christians to this day. This
false Jesus usurped the teachings of Joshu (Yoshu,
Yeshua) who came to restore the Law to Israel. Essene
Faithists believe that Yoshu is the historical “Jesus” of the
first century A.D. and that his teachings can be found
primarily in the Bible book of Matthew. Additional texts
that support Yoshu’s teachings can be found in the
Didache and the epistle of James. The purest form of the
true Buddha’s teachings can be found in the
Dhammapada and few other texts, but even these, as
history has shown, have become corrupt by the hands of
the Beast.
vs. 12. Brahmanism. Hinduism as taught through a
priesthood which practices the caste system.
vs. 16. put away. The call to abandon false religion (see
vs. 19).
vs. 22. as man. When necessary, angelic beings are given
the ability to appear in the flesh. Some angelic beings are
actually Divine Messengers sent by the Creator to teach
humanity.
vs. 23. resurrection. In this sense, the resurrection is
referring to the course of perfection in the spirit world.
This especially occurs after shedding the mortal coil. The
soul then ascends in various grades, learning as it
ascends, coming closer to the Presence of the Creator.
vs. 24. not immaculate. The Oahspe does not claim to be
infallible. All Faithists are encouraged to conduct
independent research, but personal interpretation can be
dangerous. The interpretation of the Oahspe and any
spiritual text within the context of Essene Faithism, is the
responsibility of the Divine Messenger in the spirit plane
and his Rabbah on earth.