Fiction Book Proposal

Fiction Book Proposal - Ancient Book of Eli Proposal Title Page
Jim Adams 123 New Street Gator, Fl 11111 444-555-6677 MyEmail@server.com 253,732 words 453 pages Seventeen Chapters File size: 1,075 KB
Fiction Proposal Ancient Book of Eli Categories Upmarket fiction / Semi fiction / Realistic fiction / Speculative fiction / Compelling fiction / Womens fiction / Historical fiction / Early Christian fiction / Inspirational fiction / High-concept fiction / Adult fiction / Magical Realism fiction / Comedy / Romance By Jim Adams This proposal contains: Proposal Cover Letter One Sentence Description, Promo or Hook Purpose of Proposal One Page Sell Sheet Purpose and Need Plot Unique Angles Key Characters Expected Audience, Primary and Secondary Reader Profile Novel Classification Book Length Competing Works Marketing Plan Key Selling Points Author Credentials Author Platform Table of Contents Outline Summary Ancient Book of Eli - First Three Chapters
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Fiction Book Proposal - Ancient Book of Eli Proposal Cover Letter

Jim Adams 123 New Street Gator, Fl 11111 444-555-6677 MyEmail@server.com xyz Agency 123 Dr. Town, State zip Dear abc, My book takes its readers into a world that I have created, where my characters are real people. My book was written about a fictions cousin of Jesus, who in the overall scheme is not an important man, but he was related to the most influential man in history, who has changed the world forever. The time is just after Jesus ascended into heaven. Eli, Jesus step cousin returned to Jerusalem after working in Rome for the last three years. He acquired a horse in Rome and brought it back with him along with some presents for his family. Eli meets his Aunt Mary, the mother of Jesus and she invites him to a party. Eli attends this party, he gets engaged to his old flame Ruth and two other couples also get engaged at this party. Eli makes a record of the parables and he builds the stations of the cross in the back yard, while living in Nazareth with his Aunt Mary. Wedding plans are made, a rehearsal is held, and there is a dinner party with music after that. A triple wedding takes place, followed by a reception in Cana. Wedding guests eat, dance and have a good time. The honeymoon starts with three couples going to Byblos, trouble ensues and only Eli and Ruth end up sailing to Rome, leaving the other couples behind. They share a room on the ship with Chaman, who is going to Rome to visit her son. In Rome Eli stays with his friend, who trains horses for chariot races. In Rome they go to the bath house, there is a shopping trip, a day is spent at the races, followed by a birthday party. They return back to Byblos where they are in for several surprises. Elis Aunt Mary wants to go see the temple in Jerusalem. Mary falls down, they go back to Nazareth, where she dies and then Jesus takes her body to heaven. My title for this work is the Ancient Book of Eli, and my finished manuscript is 253,732 words in length. This novel is intended for a mass audience, it is a historical fiction, but also a comedy, inspirational and it contains romance. Anyone that reads my book will learn, how Jesus became friends with Lazarus, who got married in the wedding at Cana, who came up with the symbol of the fish
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Fiction Book Proposal - Ancient Book of Eli

to represent Christianity, how Jesus met Mary Magdalene, what happened to Barabbas after he was set free and the origins of holy water. My dad was a great story teller, and my brother my sister and I, would all ask him to tell us stories. as we enjoyed hearing them much more than watching TV. I am able to write on almost any topic, I enjoy doing research and because I went to Catholic school when I was younger, I have the necessary background to write this story. On my first engineering job, I was taught the value of digability, which is the ability to dig, to search, to persevere until you find exactly what you are looking for. Every compelling and innovative idea should discover a way to plant itself, as creative spirit should never be denied, it must always find a way. I simply enjoy writing stories and I wrote this one till I reached an ending, where I had nothing left to say to my readers. I hope that you enjoy the concept of my finished novel and that you want to read my entire book. I want my book to find life and during its life, I hope that it will reach one of my readers, so they can obtain enlightenment. Sincerely,
Jim Adams
One Sentence Description, Promo or Hook

Every Christian would probably love to know more about Jesus, even if it is all speculation.
Purpose of Proposal
I thought that I was done after the thousands of hours of writing that I spent writing, when I finally completed my book. I had no idea that I needed to write a query letter or a book proposal. I figured that all the literary agents and publishers were constantly searching for great books to represent, they would be happy to find the next bestselling author. At first I hated the fact that I had to do more writing, and I wondered why I should have to figure out how to sell it. I expected that many Publishers would be beating down my door to get the rights to publish my book, but since I have not found any agents who have been groveling at my feet, I decided to grit my teeth and do what was required, mostly because I knew that I am able to write on any topic. I convinced myself that this was just a creative writing exercise, it was a leap of faith that would probably get rejected anyway, but I decided to stick it out, remain polite and keep smiling. I was a salesman for one day, selling Electrolux vacuums going door to door and I hated it, however I did make a sale with the first door that I knocked on. The lady answered the door and told me that she already had an Electrolux vacuum, but
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she needed more bags for it and she asked me if I had any. We canvassed this neighborhood in a group from my boss car, so I told her that I would be right back after I checked with my boss, as I knew that he had some stuff in his trunk. When I told my boss about this lady needing bags, he told me that I just made my first sale. I repeated to my boss that this lady already has a vacuum and then he said, You got your foot in the door and the rest of this sale is the easy part. We all went back as a group and my boss told the lady that he could get her the bags that she needed, but he wanted her to let me put on my demonstration for her, as this was my first day and I needed the practice. We had a new vacuum with us and we proved to this woman that it did a much better job than her current vacuum and my boss arranged a deal for her to make a trade in. He was very slick and he had the ability to sell anything to anybody and this was a skill that I knew I would never have. I took two technical writing courses in college, but most of my writing skills are self taught. When I first started writing my book, many of my words seemed wrong, my sentences were awkward, until finally the right words just flowed out of my keyboard and I experienced the same thing while writing this proposal. I read up on query letters and proposals and the more I started learning about this part of the publishing process, the more I started enjoying perfecting my query letter and adding different sections to my proposal. The more I sent my book out to other literary agents, and the more rejection replies that I got back, the more determined I became. This gave me the motivation to get the attention of someone in the publishing industry and make myself stand out amongst the stiff competition. The most difficult portion of this writing process for me has been checking the submission guidelines for each agency, because my book is so broad based. I have tried to tailor my information, so it is appropriate for many agencies, but every agent has their own set of preferences, and I have not been able to find that agency where one size fits all. Some agencies accept literary, historical, upmarket and womens fiction, but they have no interest in Christian or inspirational fiction. I understand that many agencies do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, which simply means they want a query letter first. I realize that the publishing industry has expanded into the electronic universe with the advent of the E-book, but I want my book to be solidly connected to the world that Gutenberg made, being printed on paper and bound for repeated readings. I am beginning to realize how tough the publishing industry is and grasp the fierce competition that exists, as I now realize that I not only need a great idea and great writing, but also a kick-ass proposal. I guess I would be lucky to get any agency to represent me, but I need the right literary agent, one who will give me the representation that will further my career. My book is different from others
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and the right agent for me would have to ignore their intuition, common sense and gut feelings, and not let labels hold them back from taking a chance on me.
One Page Sell Sheet

My book was written from the authors point of view and I wrote it in order to tell stories that are the result of my quirky, eclectic ideas. The Biblical stories are about Abraham, Balaam and the talking donkey, Cain, David, Eli the high priest, Elijah, Eve and Seths quest for the Oil of Mercy, fallen angels and the flood, Jacob, Jesus, Job, John the Baptist, Jonah, Joshua, Lilith, Og the giant, Solomon and the Trinity. My story about the three wise men contains a new twist. My story about Jesus childhood in Egypt and His younger years spent in Nazareth with His friend Levi are both original, as well is the story of how He met Mary Magdalene. Several of the apostles are characters in my book, like James, John and Peter and Jesus mother is also a major character in my book. Several stories are told about Jesus as He made His way to Mount Calvary for the crucifixion. My book contains stories about the wedding in Cana, Jesus feeding multitudes, the Transfiguration of Jesus, the last supper and Jesus rising from the dead. Peter talks about when he denied knowing Christ and about walking on water. Peters wife Sarah tells that it was her idea to use the fish as a symbol of Jesus. My book reveals why Jesus cursed a fig tree. My book contains stories about Byblos, Persians, Phoenicians, the Temple of Baalat Gebal, the Persians claim that they invented wine and what it is like to sail on a ship. My book discusses ancient thoughts about nudity, sex education, soul mates, getting pregnant, having babies and the power of faith for healing. My book addresses other social issues, like modesty and the duties of a wife, the Law for Cuddling, how women are abused, how the law dealt with wife beating and slavery. One of my main characters is Chaman, who was a Vestal Virgin and she tells all about Vestal Virgins, the goddess Vesta and the festival of Vestalia. She also discusses the origins of Rome, starting with Mars and Venus and then goes on to Aeneas the Trojan hero and wraps up with Rhea Silva, Romulus and Remus. There are many other stories about other Roman gods, Jupiter battling the Titans, the goddess Juturna, the rape of the Sabine women, the dance of the Bacchantes, the legend of Aesculapius, the Gratiae, the Muses, the Pierides, chariot races, Roman aqueducts and the Mouth of Truth. There are stories in my book about the Roman emperor Tiberius, King Tut, Socrates and Aristotle. People in my book talk about chickens and eggs, there is a story about a sea monster, a mermaid and a genie. There is a lunar eclipse, a violent storm rages on the ship and every one drinks wine all the time. Barabbas
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becomes the new interim mayor of Byblos. In Jerusalem a cicada falls out of a tree and lands on Susanna, which makes her jump and scream. Mary talks about her husband Joseph and how she met him and then she goes to see his tomb, before she dies and goes to heaven.
Purpose and Need

Various pieces of sacred Hebrew literature eventually came together and they are regarded as holy scriptures, by Jewish and later, Christian communities. Some scholar or group of scholars, scrutinized all of the available literature, and then they decided which works most clearly reflected the words of God. It is no wonder why the Bible can be interpreted differently by various readers, as it was assembled from highly artistic texts from a different time and place. The stories assembled for the Old Testament all shared certain common views, believing the author of the Bible to be God, thus making it perfect. The Bible is for everyone and most of the stories are entertaining and they hold strong moral agendas, which people can use to acquire virtues, so they are able to live good lives. In 1997, a journalist named Michael Drosnin published his bestselling book, The Bible Code, where he claimed that the Israeli military used these alleged codes to gain a military advantage during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. If a higher intelligence was able to encode secret messages about the future that could not have been known by the human authors of the Bible, would that prove that God was behind the content in the Hebrew Bible? The codes can be broken down by computers to reveal the names and events of the future. These codes are so complex, so mathematically advanced, that no human mind could have authored them. The code is composed of words spelled out by skipping equal numbers of letters through the original Hebrew text. This phenomenon is called ELS, Equidistant Letter Sequences and it reveals words by making equal jumps of spaces between each letter. Are these just random coincidences or can statistics prove that they were deliberately encoded by a Higher Power or intelligence? Any large book will contain similar clusters of words that match those found in the Bible. What makes these codes appear to be supernatural, is the simple fact that people are looking for what they want to find. When I was young, I enjoyed doing those connect the dots picture puzzles, and over the course of my life, I cultivated this special skill to the point where I am able to understand the relationship between different ideas and experiences, which many others do not see. Connecting the dots ignited my curiosity and allowed me to embrace science, technology, engineering, math and truth. The people who put together all the stories in the Bible did a wonderful job, but when you are able to look back at it over time, it is clear that some of the dots were never connected.
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Any book can be a good book and my book just like the Bible, explores human history through stories. Interpreting the Bible can be difficult at times, for instance a brother can be a biological brother, but it can also mean an extended relative, or even a spiritual brother. Several Bible verses mention Jesus siblings; Acts 1:14, 1 Corinthians 9:5, Galatians 1:18-19, John 7:1-10, Luke 8:19, Mark 3:31, Matthew 12:46, 13:5556, and they give the names of His four brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas and it is also mentioned that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named and it is not known how many there were. There are differing viewpoints on the immediate family of Jesus and some people believe that, when Joseph became Mary's husband, he was a widower with six children, making Jesus siblings His halfsiblings, while others believe that these siblings are the actual children of Joseph and Mary. These brothers are never called the children of Mary, like Jesus is. My opinion is that Joseph was much older than Mary and these six children were all older than Mary and they came from Josephs first wife, making them all half-siblings of Jesus. Since they were all older, there was no reason for any of them to travel with Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt. Some people contend that these children were all younger than Jesus, but if that were the case than why would Jesus have to leave His mother in the care of the apostle John, rather than with one of His brothers or sisters. There is no mention that Mary had any brothers or sisters, so Jesus could not have had any first cousins. Mary did have two cousins who became the second cousins to Jesus, but he probably called them His Aunts, because of the age difference. These Aunts or second cousins each had children and they became the third cousins of Jesus. The apostles James and John were both the third cousins of Jesus and John the Baptist was also. There is no mention of Josephs family other than him being a direct descendant of King David and my book makes the assumption that Joseph did have a brother and he had a son named Eli, who became a step cousin to Jesus. I feel that there are several things missing from the Bible, like all of the Unnamed people that are in many of these stories. I think if these people are worthy enough to be in these stories, than they should at least have a name. To go a little further on this, does anyone else besides me, think that it is possible that Mary Salome and Mary of Clopas are the same person? My stories are not strictly Biblical, as they are about everything and some of them hold deep, profound and emotionally intense values. I believe that my book should be published, because it has the potential to become a NY Times bestseller, but it is probably not good enough to win a Pulitzer prize. I have wrapped up all of my thoughts on the Bible into a neat package and I tied a pretty ribbon on it, but many skeptics may find flaws in my logic. Many Bible experts will say that the
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Blessed Virgin Mary did not die in Nazareth and that it was either in Jerusalem or Ephesus, somewhere between three days and 24 years after Christ's ascension, and some will contend that she did not die. My answer to these Christian theologians is, Prove it.
Plot
Stories can start out in all sorts of places and my book starts out in the first century in Jerusalem, with my main character being invited to a party. Clues of what to expect next are left for my readers, as events progress. Lazarus challenges his dinner guests to each tell a story about how Jesus influenced their lives and this sets the trend for the rest of my book. My book contains many conversations between my main characters, who are all introduced to the reader, so my readers are able to care about what they're saying, and they will not feel like they are listening to strangers. My characters are put into various situations which are resolved by conversations, for example they might be looking at a statue and this triggers a story. My stories to get to the bottom of these circumstances, and seeing how this is done will make my readers want to keep reading. I created the sense that something special is about to happen in every conversation that takes place. There is a dinner party, a wedding with entertainment and a honeymoon trip to Rome, however my book is not about plot. It is about letting my readers travel along with my characters through every page of my book. My book is about the conversations that my characters engage in, which allows them to connect with each other and share meaningful ideas. My book is all about storytelling, as that is what makes the best conversations. The riveting stories in my book contain unexpected biblical insights, which are meant to captivate my readers. My book is structured into scenes and chapters, which gets my story moving and should keep my readers engrossed. My plot is dynamic, as it lets my characters experience human desires and reach their goals.
Unique Angles
The characters in my book all have a good time, drinking, dancing, singing, reciting poems and telling stories. My readers will be told many Biblical stories, but there are also stories about birds, camels, chickens, donkeys, horses, mermaids, rabbits, scorpions, snails, snakes, spiders, squirrels, turtles, unicorns and sea monsters. The wide variety of stories will entertain readers for years to come. My book was written in modern English and I feel that it is much easier to read than the Bible. I understand that translating the scriptures from their original language, can create difficult challenges for readers, and that over time certain words change their meanings, but it should not be so hard to read that it drives you
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off the path of Christ. According to a survey commissioned by the organizers of World Book Day, 24% of the people in this study admitted to lying about reading the Bible. New research just revealed that reading literary fiction helps people to embrace ambiguous ideas and avoid snap judgments, thus making them more sophisticated thinkers, who possess greater creativity skills. People need an inclination to read, so their mind is employed and their attention can be fixed. Many people do not like to read Shakespeare, because no one speaks that way anymore, they struggle with his words, finding them hard to comprehend. People relate better to West Side Story, than they do to Romeo and Juliette. My book will not frustrate anyone who attempts to read it, and my readers will not need a lot of perseverance and prayer to get through it. My readers will instantly become comfortable with the language, as they read my beautiful stories. Many Bible stories deal with deceit, hatred, ignorance, jealousy, murder, oppression, rape, sex, slavery, violence and war, because those things are all part of real life. No one should ever have to blush, just because they hear the word sex, or think that sex has to be done under the cover of night, as this refreshing act, is what makes our hearts race with pleasure. The Bible says that sex is a gift from God, and He invented sex to bring great joy to married couples. I wrote this book for adults, not prudes, it contains stories about couples who are on their honeymoon, who know each other in the biblical sense, so they are having sexual intercourse, but this was not written to be erotica. The sex scenes in my book depict the pleasures of sex and they show how sex can be used to enhance passion. The sex stems from desires for intimacy, and this results in the consummation of deeper relationships that bind men and women together, in a bond of mutual respect and satisfaction, which ultimately serves as the foundation for creating a family. My story demands to be read, because it is original, well thought-out and it has compelling, dynamic, intelligent, relatable, well-developed characters, that have a strong authorial voice, which allows them to transcend the pages and they will remain in your thoughts, long after you have closed my book. My book will capture your attention and keep you turning the pages, as it pushes the boundaries of storytelling, with fresh voices and crisp prose and a story that lasts well beyond the final page. My book will grab you and not let you go, because of the plethora of entertaining stories that it contains. I developed a unique perspective that will keep you excited, as you turn every page and you will be so immersed in my stories that you cant put it down. When you finish my book, you will say that it was one of the most satisfying reading experiences that you have had in your whole life. By the time you reach the end, you will have cried, laughed, been inspired by my songs and poems, aroused with sexual excitement and there is a
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good chance that you will have learned something new about another time, different places and diverse cultures.
Key Characters
Eli makes friends wherever he goes, because of his charming personality traits, which are similar to those of his cousin Jesus. It is amazing how much Eli seems to know about almost any topic and he is an astounding story teller. Eli does not like onions and this is a reoccurring theme throughout my book. Ruth is a loving person, who enjoys helping out with chores and she is always willing to wash someones feet, wash clothes, help with dinner and she even does windows. She is an orphan, who has been living with her uncle that is a rabbi and more than anything else she wants to get married to Eli. Ruth enjoys teasing. Barabbas is an ex-thief, who has changed his life around, since meeting Martha and watching Jesus get crucified. His mother was a prostitute and he grew up in the House of Pleasure in Byblos. Chaman spent thirty years of her life serving as a priestess at the Temple of Vesta in Rome where she had to maintain her chastity. She is a wonderful person and she makes a great traveling companion for Eli and Ruth. Mary of Clopas is an entertainer and the songs that she sings, make the rehearsal party and the wedding reception very special.
Expected Audience
Primary: Christianity is the largest religion in the world, being comprised of just over 2.2 billion human beings, who all believe that Jesus is the Son of God and they try to follow His teachings. We have gospels which give us a basic idea about who Jesus really was, but evidence points to them being written long after Jesus died. It is thought that they were a collection of stories that people passed down from one another over the years. Every Christian would probably love to know more about Jesus, even if it is all speculation. Secondary: My book was not written for any specific religion and I think that many faiths would enjoy reading my stories. My book takes place after Jesus died and went to heaven, but before the Christian religion became popular and my characters are Hebrews, just like Jesus was. I feel that that my stories will be of interest to many Jewish people. In my book the main characters travel to Rome, where they learn about Roman gods and customs and this aspect could be interesting to many people.
Reader Profile
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I have been inspired and motivated to complete my book for the past year and a half, and I was able to do this, by living in a bubble, planting myself down in front of my monitor and keyboard, trying to avoid human contact by any means, letting all phone calls go directly to my answering machine and only showering every other day. These drastic methods were critical for me to complete such a long novel, but the one mistake I made, was not having my reader in mind while I wrote this book, because I have discovered that it is harder trying to get my book published, than it was writing it. I understand that my book needs to be targeted to the right audience to alleviate confusion, uncertainty, lack of direction and also to add cohesion, but honestly I feel that my book is for everyone. My book is different from many others and I have not developed a genre that follows a basic formula, or an established set of expectations, which my readers will look for. My book does not contain any hidden agenda or hidden message, as my main reason for writing this book was to have fun, so if any person can relate to having fun, than they should be able to get a lot out of my book. My novel is intended for a mass audience, as it covers many genres of fiction. My ideal reader would be a person that believes in God, one that does not want to go to hell and one that can enjoy my unique sense of humor. I feel that both men and woman of adult age may want to read my book, but I expect most of my readers to be female as the men will wait for the movie to come out. I imagine that my reader would have to be at least fourteen or older, if they lead a very sheltered life. I have pulled many different stories together and any reader that has a basic knowledge of Jesus or the Bible, should be able to jump right into my book, as I start off with an introduction. Bible study groups, or book club readers, that are able to grasp certain key principles in my stories, may want to open up a discussion for analysis and interpretation to increase a deeper understanding about God, after they read my book. My average reader would be a female between 40 to 65 years old. She would buy my book from a bookstore, in hard copy with a jacket, or online as she is internet savvy. She is single, either divorced or a widow and all her children are grown. She has an associates degree or higher and she is not retired yet and she probably works as a nurse or doing something with medical records. She could be Black, Hispanic, White or other and she might be slightly overweight or have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. She discovered a lump in her right breast while conducting a routine self-exam, but the subsequent biopsy proved to be benign. She lost her father several years ago and her sister is currently caring for her mother. Her sister belongs to a book club and she is the one that recommended this book for her to read. Like everyone else, she dreams of winning the lottery, so she can provide a better life for herself and her family. She buys Power Ball or Mega Millions
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tickets at the convenience store, where she fills her car up with gas and gets her cigarettes. She does not realize that she is six times more likely to die in a car accident while driving to get her lottery tickets, then she is of ever winning a big jackpot. She wants to go on a cruise this year in the Caribbean and lay on a beach and sip drinks with umbrellas. She likes music and dancing and she goes out at night on weekends to Karaoke bars. She stays up many nights wondering why her beautiful 23 year old daughter is still a virgin and if her 18 year old nephew will ever go back to finish his high school education.
Novel Classification
Many librarians may have a difficult time determining exactly which shelf they should place my book on. Many people are not exactly sure of what constitutes literature, how it can be defined, recognized and what group it belongs in. A good literary fiction is simultaneously character driven and plot driven, a hybrid whose characters and plot are both memorable years after first reading. A novel with a well thought out plot, will keep its readers attention while they are reading the book, but rarely will a plot be so unique that it stands apart from all other plots. Most plots are reminiscent of other plots, only differing in the details and how well an author crafts their storyline. A character driven novel absorbs its readers with memorable well constructed characters, where a plotdriven novel has a recallable plot which is based on conflict. Good fiction will have a finely crafted balance between plot and character, that is portrayed in a structured format, introduces the material, gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and provides other necessary facts, so the reader can understand the story. The Ancient Book of Eli is a fiction, because it contains information and events that are not real, which I invented. My fiction consists of many factual truths, which have been recorded in the Bible and other historical works. My book is a realistic fiction, because the whole premise of my book is untrue, but most of the stories and situations in my book could have actually happened. Many events, people, and places are real, and it is very likely that, my imagined events could have taken place. My book is also a semi-fiction because it implements a great deal of non-fiction, where many parts are based on true stories, fictionalized accounts and reconstructed biographies. My book is literary fiction because it should appeal to an intellectually adventurous audience. I think my book has literary merit and it should stand the test of time, because my characters are complex, literate, original, realistic, and my story is concerned with truth. I feel that I have done some excellent writing, by putting in many of my original thoughts, and using a style that will raise my book above the level of ordinary written works. My book is serious, elegantly written,
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lyrical, and layered to appeal to readers outside genre fiction. My literary fiction attempts to engage my readers with one or more questions, making it relevant to a broad scope of humanity. I guess my book could also be considered commercial fiction, because it should attract a broad audience and it might fall into a subgenre, like comedy, historical, romance, womens fiction, and inspirational. I think my book would be organized by the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), or Dewey Decimal System under the 800 series for Literature. It is clearly American literature, and it contains collections of various types (poetry, drama, fiction), so it should belong in collections of things that aren't classified separately, thus placing into the 828 miscellaneous writings category. My book is upmarket fiction, because it blends between the lines of commercial and literary fiction. It is literary fiction with a commercial appeal, so its pretty damn good writing, but it has commercial potential , so it can be a winwin for everyone. My upmarket fiction contains excellent writing with fabulous stories along with a story line that should have broad appeal to readers of women's fiction, romance, comedy and historical fiction, thus allowing it to enter the mainstream, because it should appeal to both audiences. I feel that my book is compelling fiction, as it has a plot that does not beat around the bush, and it was written to serve up life to people. At first, I struggled to find that emotion that I was writing about and once I found it, I worked it till I was satisfied. My characters became real people to me, as they were put into situations where they had to make decisions, and sometimes life did not always end up the way they planned it to, but that was ok, because that taught them to be happy with what they have. I tried to make my readers care about my characters, and I think that all of them wonder about what happened during the missing 27 years of Jesus life. My book can be considered to be Speculative fiction, as it includes Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, and Historical Fiction. Speculative fiction embraces works that don't fit neatly into the separate genres, which clearly defines my book. I take my readers into a world that I created, where anything can happen. My story is about a place that is beyond reality, but this place that could have been, and my special insight to the past makes it come to life. My speculative fiction pushes the boundaries of my readers imagination, by making them think, while also providing them a new insight into human nature and even giving them a new outlook on life. The Ancient Book of Eli is a historical fiction, because it takes place in the past, all the way back to the early part of the first century. What kind of book that is set in the distant past, would make a reader wonder what the author has to say? Many people are acquainted with certain aspects that took place in the life of Jesus, but did the scriptures miss important details? I am not professionally trained to be
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a historian, but I do know how to make things up. My setting changes when the characters move from place to place, but it is drawn from history, and it contains historical persons, however my main characters are fictional. I have tried to portray the manners and social conditions of the people in my story and present the time period accurately. C. S. Lewis once wrote that history is a story written by the finger of God. It has a well-defined plot, pivoted on Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Judgment. Over time, historical realities become abbreviated to the point of distortion, but I tried to pay attention to all of the period details. My book may be considered to be a comedy, as it is full of fun, jokes and satire, which is meant to entertain my readers and cause them to laugh. My book is not strictly a romance, but I feel that women will view it as being entertaining. It does have elements of fantasy, love, and adventure, but there is no heroic lover who overcomes impossible odds to rescue his true love from an evil man that is threatening her. I think my book could fit into the category of womens fiction, although it does focus on relationships, however it has one or more strong female protagonists, some of my women triumph over different circumstances, and several situations in my book allow women to become unified. I dont like to think of my book as being a drama, but it does contain verse or prose, that displays conflicts and emotion, which is expressed through the dialogue of some of my characters. The Ancient Book of Eli contains stories about unicorns, a giant, a talking donkey, a sea monster, a mermaid, a genie and Roman myths, so it could be looked at as being Magical Realism fiction. I have incorporated fantastic or mythical elements into an otherwise realistic fiction, and they are blended into my realistic atmosphere through stories told by my characters. They are presented in a straightforward manner and explained like normal occurrences, which allows the real world to merge with, instead of conflicting with my fantastic stories, thus allowing them to be accepted in a rational view of reality. My book may be considered to be High-concept fiction with the proper original and unique pitch, hook or twist, as my book is something that has never been done before, and my pitch does capture the essence of my story. Highconcept fiction has a story with mass audience appeal, which I feel mine does and the following pitch is story specific. High-concept fiction must articulate the basic idea in useful terms, so the potential is obvious within the pitch. High-concept fiction must sell, not explain, and it needs to give the premise of the story. My High-concept pitch is for a book that is a new take on a well known story. Many people are acquainted with certain aspects that took place in the life of Jesus, but the scriptures missed out on countless important details, which are revealed in my book. Others may see my book as being adult fiction, because several of my stories include some level of sexual excitement, which range from innocent kissing, but
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fall short of being graphic, as I tried to avoid giving explicit details in my love making scenes. My characters all experience, react to, and interact with others in an adult ways and in an adult world, like going to work and getting married. I like to classify my book as being inspirational fiction, because it contains stories that provide inspiration, which are meant to uplift and entertain my readers. My main character Eli, knew Barabbas as being a murderer and a thief, who acted first, and asked questions later, but Barabbas changed when he saw Jesus being crucified and when he met Martha. When Barabbas learned that his sister was beaten by her husband, his first thought was to castrate this man, but his wife Martha was able to calm him down. This allowed him to overcome adversity, and reach a new level of understanding, which resulted in a positive change in his life. When a violent storm approached the ship, my characters prayed for help from a higher power. Some people may feel that my book is Christian fiction, which is part of inspirational fiction, because it celebrates God's presence in our lives. Most of my characters have a relationship with God and my book is full of wholesome stories, but I wanted my stories to be compelling, so there are parts of my book that may be unacceptable to some Christian readers. Christian novels tend to focus on ordinary people, who are challenged to live their lives in accordance with Christian principles, and my book does all of this. My novel takes place before Christianity became mainstream, and actually the word Christian was not even used until the end of the first century, which is decades after my book ends.
Book Length
A novel needs to be as long as it needs to be! If people are able to read James Joyce's masterpiece Ulysses, that was originally damned as obscure and obscene, and it contains 262,869 words, then they should have no trouble reading my book, as it is 9,137 words shorter. Victor Hugos classic Les Miserables is also a large book containing 530,982 words when it is translated to English. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy has a word count of either 587,287, or 561,093 or 544,406 that varies dependent on translation issues. Maybe I should not be putting myself in the same group as James Joyce, Victor Hugo and Leo Tolstoy, but I actually have several things in common with each of them. James Joyce is Irish and my ancestors on my fathers side are also Irish. James Joyce attended Catholic school, he worked many odd jobs and he went through periods of financial instability, all of which I can personally relate to. In Ulysses, Joyce relayed the private erotic fantasies and the toilet habits of one of the characters, which provoked a reactionary stance in some censors and I expect that some critics will have harsh feeling about some of the content in my book.
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Victor Hugos later works focused on themes of God and Satan and my book also contains this subject matter. In his novel Les Misrables, Hugo spent 50 pages describing the sewers of Paris. Hugo said that, The history of mankind is reflected in the history of waste disposal, and he deserves credit for exposing the subterranean muck in the sewers of Paris, that were filled with festering diseases. My water treatment experience consisted of working with industrial and municipal plants for process/production filtration, indirect heat transfer, sludge & bio-solids processing, wastewater clarification, and dry scrubbing of off-gas. I also helped to design vacuum filters, filtration, clarification, extraction, cake washing, and drying for waste water treatment plants. I utilized automatic corrosion protection systems that prevented electrolysis and galvanic corrosion from attacking the submerged surfaces of vessels and fixed structures. I also worked on several ion exchange membrane water treatment projects that recovered inorganic and organic acids and bases from process or waste streams. I worked with high capacity well water purification systems that served municipalities and removed radium, arsenic, iron, manganese, VOCs, and many other contaminants. Leo Tolstoy is Russian and my ancestors on my mothers side are also Russian. Tolstoy is often classified as being stubborn and arrogant and many people have said those things about me. I enjoy gambling, but I am not addicted to it the way Leo Tolstoy was. In Anna Karenina and War and Peace, Tolstoy fictionalized some biographical events from his life, just as I did in my book. Tolstoy had unconventional, controversial spiritual beliefs, which I imagine people will also say about me one day.
Competing Works
To my knowledge, there are no books on the market today that compare with my book, as most people do not write fiction about Jesus. 1) One book that resembles mine, as it contains Jesus and chariot racing is: Ben Hur by Lew Wallace 2) A book that portrays Jesus as being human, sort of the way that I do is: The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis 3) A book that discusses Jesus' youth, and tells of his family's journey is: Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice 4) A book with a liberal viewpoint that features wine, women, song and fascinating mythology is: King Jesus by Robert Graves 5) A story that shows Mary Magdalene as an educated woman and not as a prostitute or being possessed by demons is: The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow
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6) Since my book is about Jesus and it features humor, than this book from 2002 may be considered to be similar to mine: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore 7) A book which contains a collage of compelling Hebrew Bible stories like mine, but differs from mine because of its irreligious wisdom is: The Good Book: A Humanist Bible by A.C. Grayling
Marketing Plan
My book should be read for pleasure and information, and it should be very profitable, because it can be marketed to reach a great number of people quickly. The best way to sell my book would be to make posters and deliver them to bookstores. These posters would feature the cover of my book and above that it would say Eli is Here, however the word Here would be covered up with a flip calendar that said Coming and then show the release date below. The phrase "Eli's Coming" would signify that something momentous is likely to happen, as in the Laura Nyro song, that was made famous by Three Dog Night. A television commercial would be too expensive, but a short video that was downloaded onto a video-sharing website like YouTube could work out. This video would be made in four different parts, that would run seamlessly one after the other. Each part would be take up just 15 seconds of air time and it would need a studio, a camera man and actors, but it should not require a director. The first part of this commercial would feature a Denzel Washington look alike, who starred in the Book of Eli and he would be holding my book and saying, The Ancient Book of Eli has become the flower of light in the field of darkness that's giving me the strength to carry on. The second part of this commercial would feature more look alike actors representing Archie and Peyton Manning, who are looking out the window in their home and Peyton says, It looks like Eli is a coming, we better run. The camera turns to Eli Manning and you see him walking up to the house carrying my book. If a Papa Johns pizza box were shown on the table, we might be able to get them to pick up some of the production costs. The third part of this commercial would feature a sign that says, Vatican Book Screening Room, and then fade to the inside of this room, where a monk has just finished reading my book. The monk would walk up to a table, and on the right side, there would be a sign that says Acceptable. The sign on the left of this table would say, Banned and there could be a flaming pit behind that sign. As the monk places my book in the Acceptable area he says, Even though this book has too much sex in it for my taste, I am going to recommend it to the pope,
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as I feel that it has the potential to make the Bible interesting and maybe it will get people back into reading the Bible again. The fourth part of this commercial would feature me holding up my book, while I am wearing an ephod and saying, That is right, I wrote the Ancient Book of Eli and you better run out and buy it. I have another idea about making a sarcastic viral video, featuring either Chris Rock, Kevin Heart, Sarah Silverman, or some other irreverent comedian. I think this is hilarious, but it could have the potential to backfire. The would do a fake infomercial concerning warnings or side effects that might accompany reading my book. The comedian would say, I have just finished reading the Ancient Book of Eli and I am fucking fine, although since I finished reading this book, many people have told me that I am saying the word fuck much more than usual, as if that is even fucking possible. Jim Adams has been promoting this book as reading that is worth dying for, however in some rare instances a few readers have suffered heart attacks and strokes. This risk may be greater if you read by candle light or if you are in orbit above the earth, or if you have a family history that traces your ancestors back to Benedict Arnold or Adolf Hitler. Readers with dementia-related psychosis that is being treated with Tarot Cards are also at an increased risk of death. People that smoke, have heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, should not have to worry about any of these side effects, because they are going to fucking die anyway. I need to tell you that a small number of readers have experienced some minor sexual dysfunction while reading this book. Dont be ashamed if this happens to you, because the good news is that there are many pharmaceutical medications, pumps, implants, surgery and several natural options are also available for treatment. If you experience any issues in the bedroom, you should stop reading this book immediately and check yourself into a psychotic ward. On the flip side, readers who read this book in reverse order, have been reported to become chronic masturbators. Several readers have reacted badly to reading this book by developing a persistent cough, having this overwhelming sensation that their throat is itchy and they have an airway obstruction, or a feeling that they swallowed something the wrong way. There have also been reports about people who have read this book having infrequent but serious encounters with hemorrhoids, bloody or black tarry looking stools, persistent stomach and abdominal pain, vomit that looks like white clumps of cottage cheese, nose bleeds, shortness of breath, unusual sweating, insomnia, dizziness, sudden vision changes, anxiety/panic attacks, hostile/angry feelings, impulsive actions, irritability and very rapid severely slurred speech. These effects can occur without warning at any time while reading this book! Older adults or
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any Mongolian readers should avoid drinking pomegranate juice while reading this book, unless the Dalai Lama instructs them to do otherwise. If you happen to get any of these symptoms, just put the book down and stop reading it, as there is no medical therapy or emergency service that can help you. The next marketing step would be to get a website along with social media like Facebook and Twitter where I or my publicist could blog. I would like to be a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher and make an appearance on the Howard Stern show. I could go on book signing tour and meet with some book clubs.
Key Selling Points

My book contains many features that will appeal to countless prospective buyers. People who have encountered troubles in their lives often show interest in reading the Bible, thinking that God will fix their broken marriage, drug problems, fertility concerns, financial woes, health issues or help victims of tragedies. All human beings are sinners and many prayers may never be answered, just as true and lasting peace will probably never exist in the world. People need hope, so they can hold a positive sense of optimism for their future, which is vitally important to their happiness and the stories in my book offer hope. I expect to get my potential reader's attention, respect, and create interest in my book. The key to the effective selling of any book is what advertising and marketing professionals call having a "unique selling proposition" (USP). Only the people who are able to pinpoint what makes their product unique in a world of homogeneous competitors, will be able to target their sales efforts successfully. Pinpointing what makes your book have a USP, requires some hard soul-searching and creativity. If a writer is able to analyze what books are selling, then they can learn a great deal about how they can distinguish their book from all the others. The two key points in any form of advertising or promotion are relevance and credibility and I will point out the relevance that my book has in the market today and show my credibility for being able to write it. The stories in my book are pertinent, connected, and they are applicable to current times and social issues. The Bible and biblical themes will always be popular and it is currently featured in contemporary music, films, television, and cultural arts. In June of 2013, the Associated Press reported that the No. 1 best-seller for Norway is the Bible. The Scriptures, in a new Norwegian language version, has become Norway's best-selling book. Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard is already number three on the New York Times bestsellers list, because it is easy to read, because there are always good guys and bad guys, because it contains lots of journalistically juicy, salacious gossip, and because the reader can learn quite a bit about a particular era without having to think too much.
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This book is entertaining, but it reads more like a fiction than a history book. My book is also easy to read and my readers will learn many things. A spiritual song Like Incense/Sometimes By Step by Brooke Ligertwood & Rich Mullins was released on June 29th 2010, which figures to be adopted by churches everywhere, because it is filled with Biblical language and allusion. This song combines many verses from the scriptures and the title, "Like Incense" is taken from the Psalm 141:2, "Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!" Other lyrics, are taken from Daniel, Deuteronomy, Galatians, Hebrews, Isaiah, John, Mark, Matthew, Micah, Philippians and Revelation. On April 3, 2012, American hip hop GOOD Music rappers Kanye West, Big Sean and Pusha T along with their Def Jam label-mate, southern rapper 2 Chainz released their song "Mercy", that features a Biblical reference. There are seven references to weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Bible and lyrics in their song say, It is a weeping, and a moaning, and a gnashing of teeth. In June 2003, American hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas released a song titled Where Is the Love? and in it they sing, Can you practice what you preach, And would you turn the other cheek. The Bible teaches, Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. In 2003, Ben Harper recorded a rock song titled Temporary Remedy, in which he says, I killed a snake with a bible. In 2007, Rufus Wainwright released Hallelujah and in this song he says, I've heard there was a secret chord, That David played and it pleased the Lord. Jerry Lee Lewis always said that rock and roll would send him to hell. Little Richard felt that rock 'n' roll was to be the way he could "teach love, because music is the universal language." According to some of Elvis Presleys close friends, he thought that he was a reincarnation of Jesus, and he thought he could heal people by touching them, and he claimed that he could form clouds with his mind. Bruno Mars sang Locked Out of Heaven during his halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVIII. Some of his lyrics include, Never had much faith in love or miracles, But swimming in your water is something spiritual, Cause your sex takes me to paradise, Yeah, you make me feel like I've been locked out of heaven, You bring me to my knees, you make me testify, You can make a sinner change his ways, and Open up your gates cause I can't wait to see the light. This is not my cup of tea, but many 18 year old girls seem to like him. In 1968, Paul McCartney wrote a very spiritual song named Let it Be where his lyrics say, When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, Speaking words of wisdom, let it be. There will be an answer, let it be. When all the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an
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answer, let it be. The Beatles were ordinary men, but many of their fans felt that their music and lyrics contained hidden, magic, secret or subliminal messages that were revealed when the records were played backwards. Whenever the Beatles were questioned about this, they said that they did not know what their songs meant, anymore than anyone else did. The popular Simpsons animated TV show, featured many recurring religious and Christian themes and it has inspired several authors to write books about the Simpsons concerning religion and this also made others assemble religious teaching guides and lessons. In some of these episodes, Homer gives up church, Bart Sells His Soul, The Simpsons Family joins a cult and Homer believes in the power of prayer. The First Church of Springfield preaches a Sermon on Gambling and they make 'Hallelujah Trading Cards' that feature Joseph of Arimathea and an autographed Methuselah rookie card. In one of television's best-written fantasy series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the lead character Buffy, wears a cross around her neck in every episode. This TV series contradicts the book of Genesis, by stating in its original two-hour pilot that, This world is older than you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the earth and made it their home, their hell. Buffy's primary weapons, are the stake and holy water which are both used for offensive fighting and the cross is a defensive weapon, as it can be wielded to repel, at least temporarily, a vampire. Some very popular movies such as The Da Vinci Code and The Passion of Christ have both recently attracted enormous interest and controversy and they each question the identity of Jesus. It is hard to know the whole story about any person, even someone who has lived in our own time, let alone someone who lived 2,000 years ago. The Da Vinci Code stated that, The Bible is a product of man, not God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book. The Passion of Christ clearly portrays the New Testament worldview, where the world we can see is not all there is, but there is also an unseen supernatural world, which contains both good and evil beyond the human scale. Some people that watch this movie object because they feel that this film is anti-Semitic, others say that it is too violent, and there are still others that contend that it is historically inaccurate, but my objection is that I cannot watch a movie that is this long that makes you read subtitles. Artists often use their artworks to express their own faith or to describe Biblical events and views on Christianity. The Bible has influenced society by its presence in the great art throughout history. If you visit the great museums in
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Europe and America, like the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, youll find many paintings whose subjects are inspired by the Bible. Some of the most famous biblical art includes Leonardo Da Vincis Last Supper and his statue of David. The Sistine Chapel in Italy is famous for its ceiling painted by Michelangelo, which is bursting with beauty from biblical scenes. In the Tate Museum in London, youll find engravings by William Blake on the Book of Job. Botticellis painting on the Adoration of the Magi is a delight to look at. The painting of David with the Head of Goliath by Caravaggio is also well known. In 1966, Marc Chagall's created a series of twenty-four large color lithographs that tell the story of Exodus. In 1965, Visionary artist Howard Finster heard a voice from the Lord which told him to transform two acres of land into a "Paradise Garden." Using junk, broken dolls, tools and clocks he embedded these materials in concrete walls, which surround a tower thirty feet high built of bicycle parts and his own church called "The World's Folk Art Church". Religion has an eternal shelf life, it will always be relevant as it does not have an expiration date. I realize that I have only discussed the Biblical relevance in my book, but since my main character is a step cousin of Jesus, this aspect has to be addressed. Now I will focus on my credibility and prove to my potential readers that I am trustworthy and an expert on this subject. My father taught me a personal code of ethics, integrity and to always respect God. My credibility for writing this book can be traced back to my childhood years that I spent in Catholic school and going to church with my dad. I have personally flourished in the structured environment of Catholic schools, because it held me to high standards of scholarship and personal behavior. In my years spent in Catholic school, I had to pay attention, but when I transferred to Public school, it was all about having fun. The atmosphere in a typical Catholic school provides a sound spirituality for all of its students, giving each student experiences and opportunities to know that God is a very real presence in life. Religious education in a Catholic school can be looked at as being a journey of faith, which will only benefit the student if the teacher is able to engage their students in the topics. The nun teaching my math class would walk around the room with her yardstick, checking to see if everyone was on the right page. After my knuckles got cracked enough times, I got with the program. In religion class, I learned what it means to be a Catholic, but logical explanations were never given on why there seemed to be one God who loved and one God who punished. Another thing that always puzzled me was, if God sees and knows all things, then why didnt he prevent Satan from tempting Eve, if He knew that she was going to eat the forbidden fruit. I was taught that Jesus Christ set up a Church upon the rock of St. Peter, and that the gates of Hell will never prevail against it. For me Catholicism was more about accepting certain beliefs,
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rather than examining the concept of spirituality. I did not learn much about the Old Testament, as the teachers focused more on the Son of God, the mystery of God, the Image of God, the Truth of God and the Word of God. I guess that I learned most of the Old Testament from watching movies. Just like the way my math teacher made me pay attention in class, my father always made me pay attention when we went to Sunday mass. When I was young, I never ate meat on Friday and certain parts of the mass were in Latin back then. After the mass was over as my dad drove me back home, he would question me on what I thought about the Gospel, the Homily where the priest would teach about the Scriptures to encourage parishioners to put Gods word into practice, the Liturgy and the Second Reading, which came from one of the New Testament Epistles. I knew he wanted to hear my comments and that he would explain anything that went over my head. I hope that I have proved both the relevance of the Bible and my creditability to write on this subject.
Author Credentials
I am an electrical engineer, but currently I am in between jobs. I have done a lot of technical writing, which nobody ever reads, but it was required for getting the customers to except engineered designs. Most engineers are consider to be very boring people and the technical writing portion of engineering can be grueling at times, especially since engineers hardly ever get any feedback on their work. Technical writing must be done by a Subject Matter Expert (SME), who needs to check and double check their work, but it does allow the writer to express a certain of style, which I have always tried to do. I have written numerous technical reports including protocols such as Master Validation Plans, Installation Qualifications (IQ), Operational Qualifications (OQ), Performance Qualifications (PQ), Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) and I have also created many procedural checklists. I have written countless process specifications, technical specifications, operator manuals and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). I have prepared Engineering Change Notices (ECN) and devised Methods Operations Changes (MOC) for documentation purposes of process upgrades. I have written many status reports and I also wrote the agenda for project meetings and I kept records of the minutes. I also wrote an unpublished book titled Mans Footprint in Water.
Author Platform
I am not someone with visibility or authority, who has proven ability to reach a target audience, but I plan on taking meaningful steps and making waves that will attract other people to me, although I expect this will be a long journey.
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As far as who knows me, I guess that would include my family, my friends, people that I have worked with and neighbors. Many of these people know that I already wrote two books, which no one has ever seen or read, because they have not been published. I sent some of my stories out to my family and a few select friends and I also pasted some poems and songs on facebook. When something needs to be written, people turn to me and I wrote the eulogies for both of my parents. Whenever I do a favor for someone, I tell them that they can pay me back by reading some of my work and offering me positive or negative criticism. My work is not spreading, as it is remaining stagnant in my computer. I am not currently engaged in any communities or activities related to social, religious, athletics, arts, civic or occupational interests, but I plan on joining some real soon. I live in a gated community and every now and then I go to the clubhouse to exercise and swim. I have a friendly, outgoing personality that many people respond to, and some people are drawn to my friendly smile. I am always trustworthy and I strive to be approachable and I engage other people in conversations by asking them questions. I ask people about their families, or how they met their spouse. I realize that someone has to take the initiative and organize the office football pool, and since I am able to do this better than anyone else, where ever I go, I always end up running the pool. I try to be honest and treat everyone equally and I am always willing to help others. I realize that everyone is busy, but they still want to have conversations that matter. I try to be genuine and build up real relationships, maintain deeper connections and translate my gifts to others. I am able to communicate clearly, and elicit trust. I always try to deliver on any promises or commitments that I make, and I would rather be an hour early than one minute late. I believe that a messy desk, means that you are actually doing some work, but I always stay organized, because I would never want to lose any important documents. I am always washed and groomed and I wear clean clothes, but I like to dress casual, however making sure that I stop way short of the point to where anyone would think that I was bedraggled, in a state of disarray, disheveled, disordered, messy, rumpled, scruffy, unkempt or untidy. I am a team player and I always share my ideas and my progress with others. I have made mistakes and I am willing to admit them, but I tend to focus on the lessons that I have learned. My resume and portfolio both contain technical writing skills that I have done on past jobs. My electrical engineering education, work habits and references are also focused on technical writing and these are my credentials, as I have not been published yet. I did write an article titled Classifying Flow and I downloaded it on Scribd. I still have a lot to learn about proven reach, return on engagement, Web page optimization, credibility-based design, keyword targeting, viral video, content
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dissemination through RSS feeds, content management systems, blog software, analytics, browser extensions, APIs, integrated strategies for honing and maintaining online relationships through personal interaction and compelling digital content and I dont have high-profile reviews, or testimonials from A-listers in my genre. I know who my target audience is and that they want me to entertain them. I dont feel that engineers are any better than politicians or lawyers, but one day a n engineer died and then he found himself standing in line at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter checked his list and he did not see this engineers name on it, so Saint Peter sent him to Hell. It did not take long before the engineer became rather dissatisfied with the level of comfort in Hell, so he soon started to design and build several improvements. Shortly thereafter, Hell had air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators. Needless to say, the engineer was a pretty popular guy. One day, God called Satan and asked, How are things going in Hell? Satan replied, Things are going great! We've got air conditioning, flush toilets, and escalators. And there's no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next. What! God exclaimed, You've got an engineer? That's a mistake, he should never have been sent to Hell. Send him back to me. Not a chance, Satan replied, I like having an engineer on my staff, and I'm keeping him! God insisted, Send him back or I'll sue! Satan laughed and answered, Yeah, right, where are you going to get a lawyer?
Table of Contents
Abstract 2 Introduction . 7 Chapter One - Eli Arrives at the Party . 8 Chapter Two - Dinner is Served .... 12 Chapter Three - Party Moves to the Living Room .... 43 Chapter Four - The Ride Back Home 60 Chapter Five - Parables .. 64 Chapter Six - Stations of the Cross 90 Chapter Seven - Wedding Plans - Girl Talk ... 104 Chapter Eight - Rehearsal and Dinner Party ... 121 Chapter Nine - Triple Wedding .. 137 Chapter Ten - Traveling to Byblos . 157 Chapter Eleven - Adventures in Byblos . 184 Chapter Twelve - Sailing to Rome . 218 Chapter Thirteen - Arriving in Rome . 278 Chapter Fourteen - Adventures in Rome .... 327 Chapter Fifteen The Day of the Ass . 380
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Chapter Sixteen - Heading Back to Nazareth . 415 Chapter Seventeen - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary ... 442 Conclusion .. 450 About the Author .... 451
Outline Summary
Abstract Background information on Christianity and my purpose for writing this book. Introduction Information about Eli and how he got invited to the party. Chapter One - Eli Arrives at the Party Eli arrives at the party and he sees his old girlfriend there. Eli goes out back of Lazarus house to water his horse. Elis Aunt Mary tells him about Barabbas childhood. Chapter Two - Dinner is Served Lazarus wants all the dinner party guests to share something on how Jesus affected everyones lives. Lazarus tells that Jesus taught him how precious life is. Martha tells that she was there when the three wise men came to Bethlehem. Barabbas tells that he followed Jesus as He made His way to Mount Calvary. Eli lets Barabbas know that they met a long time ago. Peter tells that he denied knowing Christ three times. Sarah tells about when Jesus healed her mother. Mary Magdalene tells how she met Jesus. Ruth tells the story of Lilith. Eli tells the story of the ring of Solomon. Aunt Mary tells that Jesus showed her the future. Levi tells of his experiences witnessing the crucifixion. Susanna tells of Jesus feeding multitudes. James tells about the Transfiguration of Jesus. John tells about the wedding in Cana. Lazarus' sister Mary tells about living with baby Jesus in Egypt. Chapter Three - Party Moves to the Living Room Sarah tells that it was her idea to use the fish as a symbol of Jesus. Levi offers proof that Jesus is the Messiah. Mary Magdalene tells about seeing Jesus risen from the dead. Martha tells of day Jesus came over for a visit. Eli tells about his trip to Rome. Peter tells about walking on water. Aunt Mary talks about the name Jesus. John talks about the Last Supper. Lazarus tells how Jesus enjoyed wine. James tells that Jesus cursed a fig tree. James tells how Jesus spent forty days in the desert. Eli proposes to Ruth, Barabbas proposes to Martha and Levi proposes to Susanna as three couples all get engaged at the dinner party. Chapter Four - The Ride Back Home A room full of Marys. The wagon jostling around on top of all the wine forces a stop for pee. John tells a joke. Girls discuss Maids of Honor. Back in Nazareth. Chapter Five - Parables
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Eli makes a record of the parables and gives his opinion of what each one means. Chapter Six - Stations of the Cross Eli creates the stations of the cross. Aunt Mary talks about angels and tells about her family. John tells that him, his brother James and Jesus went to see John the Baptist. This enclosed garden. Ruth talks about Solomons Song of Songs. Chapter Seven - Wedding Plans - Girl Talk Ruth is worried, she is crying because her wedding plans are not set and she has a pimple. The other two brides to be, Martha and Susanna drop by and they wedding gets organized as they all discuss an order, walking down the aisle, cutting the cake and throwing the bouquets. Plans are made for the date, priest, church, reception hall, guest list, finances and the honeymoon. The girls discuss wedding vows, wine, cake, food, music and dancing. Chapter Eight - Rehearsal and Dinner Party Zacharias gives explicit instructions of what everyone is expected to do and the rehearsal runs real smooth. The band plays five songs which I wrote. Uncle Isaac tells what Jesus taught him about the Cabala. The guys smoke some black hash. Ruth tells about the girls day out. Chapter Nine - Triple Wedding Guests arriving and taking their seats. This beautiful wedding features a flower girl, a ring bearer and at the end the grooms break the glass and everyone yelled out 'mazel tov'. The reception is held at Cana. A table full of misfortunate people are invited. The cake is cut followed by flower toss. Six new songs are played by the band. Guests eat, dance and have a good time. Chapter Ten - Traveling to Byblos The honeymoon starts and Eli talks about Byblos, Persians and Phoenicians. Barabbas talks about his mother who works in the Pleasure House. Ruth talks about modesty and the duties of a wife. Eli describes what it is like to sail on a ship. Barabbas sings the Traveling Thief. Eli tells a story about a man that drowned. Rain pours down and romance takes over in the back of the wagon. The three couples decide to make rules about when to have sex. Barabbas talks about his old friend Kamran. Girls talk about getting pregnant. Eli tells the story about story about Tammuz and the talking rabbit. Levi tells about the many stories in the scriptures concerning sex. Another night of honeymoon sex. Levi tells childhood stories of him and Jesus. Martha tells that Jesus father Joseph made her a doll. Barabbas talks about the Temple of Baalat Gebal. Barabbas says Persians claim to have invented wine. Chapter Eleven - Adventures in Byblos The honeymooners go out to dinner at a place owned by Barabbas old friend. Mehragan talks about the old days. Barabbas visits his old friend Kamran. Barabbas looks for his mother, finds out she is dead, but now he has a sister.
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Martha, Eli, Ruth, Levi and Susanna meet Agape who lost her charm. Lunch with Agape and she tells how she met her husband Halius. Levi tells about his special talent. Monica takes them to see Barabbass sister Tanith. They find Tanith and she has been beaten up by her husband Hamilcar. Eli talks about the power of faith for healing. Tanith falls asleep. In the kitchen, Eli tells Monica about Jesus. Everyone leaves except Martha and Barabbas. Eli tells Monica about Abraham, as they walk her home. Eli tells Monica about Elijah. Martha and Barabbas rub honey onto Taniths bruises. Agape talks about the law and wife beating. Levi thinks water is in Agapes yard. Barabbas confronts Hamilcar. Dinner at Mehragan's again and Kamran brings his wife Chaman. Susanna talks about how women are abused. Chaman mentions the Messiah. Chaman tells that she met Kamran in Rome when she was a Vestal Virgin. Kamran finishes telling the story. Ruth tells about the fallen angels and the flood. Eli explains how the Sun stood still for Joshua. Levi and Susanna back out of going to Rome because Susanna is afraid of ships. Eli and Ruth decide to share a room with Chaman aboard the ship. Chaman talks about her childhood and how she learned to accept nudity. Kamran tells of the sex education that his son Aref received. Chapter Twelve - Sailing to Rome On the ship to Rome Ruth talks about her friend Naomi. Eli tells the story about Og the giant. Eli tells the story of Balaam and the talking donkey. Chaman tells a story about Mars and Venus. Chaman tells about the origins of Rome and Aeneas the Trojan hero. Chaman tells about Rhea Silva the mother of Romulus and Remus. Chaman talks about the Law for Cuddling. Eli tells the story of Jacob. Chaman talks about chariot races. Farhad tells the story about the sea monster and the mermaid. Chapter Thirteen - Arriving in Rome Chaman tells them that her son Aref and her both share the same birthday, and this is the first day of the festival of Vestalia. Chaman tells a story about Jupiter battling the Titans. Chaman tells a story about Vesta. Aref tells his mom that he just broke up with his new girl friend Cassia. They all go to the bath house. Aref talks about nudity. Aref talks about Byblos and Phoenicians. Eli and Aref meet two men that are discussing chickens and eggs. Eli tells Aref all about the Roman aqueducts. Aref tells Eli a story about the goddess Juturna. They all walk to meet Elis friend Appius and his servant Castus lets them in. Everyone is introduced and Appius wife Tullia and then she gives them a tour of their home. Appius asks Eli about a centaur statue. They all admire the statue of Pegasus that Eli built when he was last in Rome. Daughter Thoria, the dance teacher comes home. Thoria talks about the dance of the Bacchantes. Aref tells why he broke up with Cassia. They are told that Chicken Bacchus will be served for dinner without onions. Chaman and Aref are
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invited to spend the night. Varia cooks and Decia serves a five course dinner. Soup has snails, mussels and oysters accompanied with bread and wine. Thoria loves pancakes. Appius says that his horses are all trained and ready to be sold. Thoria talks about dancing. Tullia talks about shopping and gardening. Ruth talks about Aunt Marys garden. Eli talks about mushrooms and then tells a story about Jonah. Aref mentions that there will be a lunar eclipse tonight. Chaman recites her poem that is called My Lost Dream. Chaman recites another poem titled Keepers of the Flame. Thoria talks about the festival of Vestalia. Aref sings a song called Love and Wine. Thoria thought the song had a sad ending. Aref changes the ending. Aref talks about soul mates. Thoria reveals that she is in love with the idea of falling in love. Chaman says that Aref must marry a Hebrew woman. Thoria suggests that Aref could be a really bad kisser. Thoria talks about Passionate Kisses. Thoria kisses Aref. Eli says, Wow, Roman women are so hot. Eli tells the story about the quest for the Oil of Mercy. Ruth talks about the pool of Bethesda. Tullia is tired and Eli shows Chaman and Aref to their rooms. Thoria washes Chamans and Arefs clothes while Ruth washes hers and Elis. Thoria sings a song to Minerva. Eli, Ruth, Thoria and Aref all decide to stay up and watch the eclipse. Ruth tells a story about a woman who never stopped to smell the flowers. Aref and Thoria feel passion. Ruth tells about the honeymoon couples that felt lust in the back of the wagon. Nakedness follows. Aref explains the eclipse. The night is over. Chapter Fourteen - Adventures in Rome Chaman, Tullia and Ruth go to Vipsanias house who is Chamans mother. Eli helps Appius with the horses. Vipsanias servant Marilla lets the girls in. The girls go shopping at the Forum. They go into a shoe store and the girls buy sandals. Ruth mentions that her husband Eli does not like onions. Chaman tells how the Vestal Virgins dressed. Chaman talks about becoming a Vestal Virgin. Chaman talks about keeping the fire. Chaman talks about severe penalties then they stop for a snack. They talk about the temperature. Ruth talks about Hebrew garments. Tullia tells the story about the rape of the Sabine women. Vipsania talks about the role of a Roman wife. They stop at a dress shop. Ruth bumps into a naked man with a snake wrapped around his neck. Eli tells the story of Cain. Tullia tells about the Mouth of Truth. Eli talks about truth. Eli talks about Jesus. Slow Soup made with snails and turtle. Tullia talks about her wine heritage. Ruth talks about her crazy dream. Appius talks about dreams. Appius tells about the legend of Aesculapius. Eli tells a story about Jesus meeting a wild man. Eli talks about the Trinity. Eli talks about Jesus, John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit. Eli tells a story about Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Eli tells about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Eli talks about the trial of Jesus. Eli tells that Jesus wants love. Appius talks about Roman gods. Appius tells about the Gratiae.
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Appius tells about the Muses. Appius talks about his horses. The men go to bed and Ruth and Tullia stay up to wait for Thoria. Thoria talks about her night with Aref. Ruth talks about being Jewish. Aref tells Thoria that he likes to read the book of Job on his birthday. Ruth, Thoria and Aref go to Vipsanias house to clean it for the party. Ruth sings a song called Twerking while Thoria dances. Vipsania recites Chamans poem titled Poetry. Vipsania talks about books. Vipsania talks about Tiberius. Vipsania talks about slavery. Thoria talks about having babies. Aref sings a song about Thoria the dancer. Monday was routine Chapter Fifteen The Day of the Ass They head out to the festival. Castus tells the story of King Tut. The parade is over and they enter the Circus Maximus. Titus Firmus explains Roman chariot racing. Ruth mentions that Elijah went up to Heaven in a chariot. The race is on and the Red teams win. They all go to Vipsanias for the birthday party. Gifts are given and then dinner is served. Eli talks about Jesus changing water into wine. Eli compares Jesus with Socrates and Aristotle. Eli discusses the merits of running away. Chaman reads her poem about the sirens. Chaman tells a story about the Muses and the Pierides. Chaman reads her essay about donkeys. Chaman tells how a donkey helped Vesta. They all play a game called geography. Eli tells the story of Eli the high priest. Appius talks about stories. Chapter Sixteen - Heading Back to Nazareth Eli, Ruth and Chaman are back on the ship heading to Byblos. Chaman mentions how glad she is that she got to see her son. Eli talks about how smart Aref is. Chaman talks about friendship. Eli tells Chaman that Ruth enjoys seeing he naked. Chaman talks about seeing other women naked. Chaman talks about her childhood as a Vestal Virgin. Eli says whatever happens on the ship, stays on the ship. A violent storm rages around the Marah. Ruth talks about Jesus. Chaman talks about leaving the Vestal Virgins. The rain is over and Captain Pelles finds dead rats in the cargo hold. Farhad tells a story about a genie. Kamran is waving at them from the docks, as they arrive back in Byblos. Kamran says that while they were gone Tanith recovered and mayor Batnoam died from camel toe and Barabbas is the new interim mayor. They fill Kamran in on their adventures and then they go eat lunch. They meet Taniths new boyfriend and Eli reveals that Ruth may be pregnant. Chapter Seventeen - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary wants to go see the great temple in Jerusalem. Mary, John Susanna and Levi walk to the garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. They talk about Psalms, Jesus, Nehemiah and Zechariah. Mary talks about her husband Joseph. A cicada falls out of a tree and lands down Susanna's top. Mary splits from the group as they are walking back to Jerusalem, because she wants to visit her husbands tomb. Mary gets weak, falls down and the angel Gabriel tells her to go
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back to Nazareth because she is dying. Mary dies in her house and Jesus takes her body to heaven. Conclusion Eli finished his book, but years later the church banned it.
Ancient Book of Eli - First Three Chapters

Introduction My story is about Eli who was a step cousin of Jesus. Secrets are reveled in this book that reflect the changing times and attitudes of early Christianity. Joseph the carpenter, husband of Mary and father to Jesus had a brother named Seth of Bethlehem. Seth was a stone worker and he taught Eli this trade. Eli's mother was named Elizabeth and she was the wife of Seth. Jesus taught Eli some basic truths which helped Eli to coexist in harmony with others. Eli did not witness any of the miracles that His cousin performed, but Eli eventually learned about all of His miracles. Eli did not look at his cousin Jesus as being the Son of God, till after He died, but Eli always looked up to his cousin even though Eli was four years older than Jesus. In my book, the Immaculate Blessed Virgin Mary is well off, as her husband Joseph was a very successful carpenter. She is not rich, but she has nice clothes and she wears jewelry. Eli's father Seth often worked with his brother Joseph building houses together. Two months after the death of Jesus, Eli returned to his homeland where his parents lived in Ephraim, which was not very far away from Jerusalem. Eli went to Jerusalem and he happened to run into his Aunt Mary the mother of Jesus, there in the Market. Aunt Mary invited Eli to a special dinner party that was going to take place the next day. Aunt Mary told Eli the dinner party would be in Bethany at the home of Lazarus, where he lived with his two sisters, Mary and Martha and she gave him directions. Eli had not seen his Aunt in three years since he went to the Wedding at Cana, because he was away working in Rome. Eli had never met the hosts before, but Aunt Mary told Eli to make sure that he came, as she had invited another special guest that wanted to see him. ********************************************
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Chapter One - Eli Arrives at the Party Eli is tall, his skin is bronzed, his body is athletically chiseled from lifting boulders, stones and rocks. Eli knocked on the front door and he heard a voice tell him to come in. As soon as Eli entered, he saw Ruth an old flame sitting with his Aunt Mary and she smiled at Eli. They had not seen each other in three years and she looked especially beautiful this evening. Eli was elated to see Ruth and he wondered how his Aunt Mary was able to locate her after all the years since they grew apart. As shocked as Eli was at seeing his old girlfriend again, he was even more stunned when he recognized Barabbas was also a guest here. Barabbas the acquitted thief who was convicted of killing several Roman centurions, was let back into society and he had become a Christian. Both Jesus and Eli had seen Barabbas before when they were traveling to Jerusalem on their way to the Water Festival, as Barabbas robbed their caravan. To Eli's surprise, Barabbas had a fish embroidered on his shirt and he was listening to stories being told by Peter the apostle about the childhood of Jesus. This dinner party changed Eli's life forever, as this is the night that Eli became a Christian. Ruth stood up as she noticed Eli approaching her, and she put her hands on her hips and sashayed from side to side as Eli drew near. Ruth smiled and asked: "Eli are you happy to see me?" All Eli could do was smile, hearing those lovely words coming out of her sweet lips, but soon Eli recovered and greeted her with a hug and a kiss. Eli responded, "Of course I am happy, as I have thought about you so many times since I have been gone. It is so good to see you again, but you must tell me how you got here". Ruth replied, " I came here to meet your family and now I want to know the Way. When I heard that Jesus was killed, I knew that I had to come to see Mary to tell her how sorry I was for her loss." Ruth was the same age as Eli, they were both sixteen when they first met in Jerusalem twenty one years ago. Ruth was from Jerusalem, she was the daughter of Jacob, a moneychanger and the niece of Isaac a Rabbi, who taught at the Great Temple. The Romans ruled the Jews and everyone was paid in Roman coins, however since this Roman money contained images of Caesar and pagan deities, it was considered blasphemous to the Jews. Herod struck his own Temple approved coins with Hebrew inscriptions and Jews often traded the pagan money for their own currency thus making money changing a lucrative and respectable business of the day. Ruth informed Eli that she had arrived in Galilee six weeks ago and that she had no difficulty locating his Aunt Mary. She told Eli how much Jesus had influenced her life, even though she had only known Him for a short time. Ruth told Eli how lucky he was to have an Aunt like Mary, as the two of them had instantly become great friends. Ruth said that there was nothing left for her back
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in Jerusalem, since both of her parents had passed away and that Mary had encouraged her to spend the rest of her life here with her and the apostles. Ruth had been staying with her uncle Isaac before, but she decided that she did not want to be a burden to him anymore. Eli's Aunt Mary stood up and Eli went over towards her and knelt before her, kissing her outstretched hand and Eli thanked her for inviting him to the dinner party. Eli started to apologize to her for not being a closer part of her life and she said, "Jesus loved you very much and I am so happy that you guys were such good friends". Mary told Eli that they would be close from now on and she said that Jesus had some special plans for Eli. Mary said, "I must introduce you to our hosts and all of the other guests that are here." Aunt Mary led Eli into the kitchen, while he grabbed Ruth's hand and pulled her along with him. When Eli entered the kitchen, he saw pomegranates, grapes, melon, dates and bread on the table and he could smell the stew brewing. Aunt Mary said, "These are my two dear friends Mary and Martha, they are the sisters of Lazarus". They both stopped their preparations and greeted Eli. Martha smiled and said, "Mary has told us so much about you Eli, and it is a real pleasure to finally meet you". Her sister Mary spoke next and said, "Eli, your Aunt Mary has told us that you do not like onions, so we made the lamb stew special for you without onions". Eli replied, "Oh, you are too kind and your house is so lovely". Martha said, "Dinner will be ready at sunset, which should be in a short while, but how about I get you a drink? Would you like to have some wine or water?" "No thank you", said Eli, "I will be fine until dinner is ready, but I left my horse out front and I think he would like a bucket of water". "Sure, that is no problem," Martha answered, "Bring your horse around the back where we have a fountain and I will get you a bucket". Eli asked his Aunt Mary if he could be excused to take care of his horse and she said that was fine. Ruth spoke, "Eli, can I meet your horse?" Eli replied, "Sure Ruth, he seems to like women and I am certain Hiram Abiff will be happy to meet you". Ruth and Eli went out the front door together and Hiram Abiff had a gleam in his eyes and he neighed in a gentle tone when he saw Ruth. Eli said to Ruth, "See he is wagging his tail at you because he likes you." Yes, I can see that he is a fine horse" Ruth replied, "Where did you get him?" "Oh that is a long story" Eli said as he was leading his horse around the back, "but since we have some time before dinner, I will tell you. He is a chestnut Maremmano horse of the Lazio region around Rome and I picked him up after I finished my work on the labyrinth of dark catacombs beneath the Roman amphitheatre in Verona. I went to Rome to see a chariot race at Circus Maximus and that is where I met a man named Appius Sextus. Appius wanted a fountain and a cistern constructed in his back yard and I did the work in trade for this horse."
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"Appius had trained this horse and he won many chariot races, but when he reached the age of ten, he was retired to the stables. Appius named the horse Poseidon, he taught him to do tricks and he gave his horse good care. I gave him the more fitting Hebrew name of Hiram Abiff to honor a man that gave up his life to maintain his secrets. Hiram was an architect that worked on the building of Solomon's Temple and he knew the Name of God. Hiram, became the victim of evil men that wanted his special knowledge, and when he refused to share this with them, they killed him." Ruth responded, "This reminds me of the story that Jesus told us about Lilith, where she spoke the true Name of God". Aunt Mary met Eli and Ruth around the back of the house by the fountain and she said, "Martha asked me to bring you this bucket". Hiram Abiff knelt down when he saw Aunt Mary and Eli exclaimed, "That is one of his tricks". Eli filled the bucket with water from the fountain and let Hiram Abiff have a drink. Eli spoke, "Aunt Mary, I thought I saw the criminal Barabbas inside the house". Aunt Mary responded, "Yes, Barabbas is here, but he is no longer a criminal, he is a changed man and you should never judge someone until you have walked a mile in their sandals. Barabbas is working for Lazarus in his vineyard and he is courting Martha. In fact, you may have a lot in common with Barabbas, as he was born in Byblos and he speaks Latin, Greek, Phoenician and Hebrew and as I remember you can speak Latin, Greek, Egyptian and Hebrew. Barabbas never knew his father and his mother Asrar was a prostitute." "When Barabbas turned nine, he left Byblos and worked for a spice trader named Bodashtart from Sur, and they saw the world from Arabia through Persia and on to India. They travelled overland by camel through the desert purchasing cinnamon and pepper with gold, in the time before the spice trade became almost entirely maritime routes. Spice traders were often the victims of ambushes and robberies from pirates on their caravan routes, and desert storms also caused them great peril. Barabbas learned how to protect himself from thieves and he learned how to defend himself using the scimitar. When Barabbas was fourteen Mongols attacked and killed his master Bodashtart. Barabbas hid in the sand as Bodashtart instructed him to do and he was left unharmed but he was all alone in the desert." "Barabbas wandered for three days with no food and no water before he ran into three strangers, who he asked for water. They were curious why he was out in the desert all alone and Barabbas told them about the Mongol attack. The leader Kamran said, We can give you food, water and shelter, but first I am going to make you an offer that you will find hard to refuse. We are thieves and you can join us or die, but if you decide to join us, then you must prove that you are worthy.' Barabbas knew that severe punishments awaited thieves and that they would often lose a hand or even be put to death if they were captured, but he did not see any other way of surviving, so he agreed to join them."
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"Kamran said, 'You must prove yourself by stealing a jewel from the Sultan's turban, when we get to the next village.' Barabbas was given food and water and introduced to the other two thieves Farhad and Omid. When they reached the next village, Barabbas saw the sultan up on the balcony of his palace drinking wine in the sun and he thought that the sultan would sleep good that night. Barabbas fastened a hook to the end of a rope and tied it into a knot to keep it fixed. He waited till well into the night and then he swung the hook up to the balcony and stealthily climbed up the rope to where the sultan was sleeping. Barabbas carried a jug of oil with him and after he snatched the jewel he spilled the oil and set it on fire to cover up his escape. The thieves were impressed with Barabbas's brains and bravery and this became his new life. Barabbas learned their tricks and the art of deception from them till eventually one day he became the leader." Aunt Mary went on, "Barabbas had no guidance and he got caught up with the wrong crowd. Barabbas has repented the sins of his past criminal life and he is trying hard to become a better person. Barabbas was a lost sheep and he has returned back to the fold and Martha likes him, so please show him respect. He is no longer a drunken immoral man and he is learning the way that Jesus taught us." Eli said, "I am glad that Barabbas is a changed man and that you have told me this story as I was a bit worried when I saw him sitting with Peter." Eli reached into a saddle bag on his horse and grabbed a silk cloth and handed it to his Aunt. Eli said, "Aunt Mary I picked this up for you in Rome. It is silk that was made in China and it comes from trees. I hope that you will enjoy wearing it!" Eli also grabbed a wheel of Pecorino Romano cheese and said, "I also brought this from Rome to give to our host. I think it is very tasty and I hope that everyone enjoys it." Aunt Mary said, "Thank you Eli, this cloth is lovely and it is so soft. I am sure that I will enjoy wearing it. Ruth, would you like to feel it?" Just then, a bell rang and Aunt Mary said, "Let's go back inside, as our hosts are calling us to dinner." Eli replied, "Ruth, you go in with my Aunt and please bring this cheese with you and as soon as I tie up my horse I will join you." ********************************************
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Chapter Two - Dinner is Served Eli walked in while everyone was sitting at a large formal table, that was full of food and places were set for everyone that included cloth napkins, silverware and china. Lazarus was sitting at one end of the table in a chair and all the guests were seated on two benches along the sides of this table. Lazarus has a distinguished look featuring white curly hair on his head, and he had a long white beard. He is fit, but he has a pot belly from drinking too much wine. Lazarus noticed Eli and said, "Eli take the honored chair at the opposite end of the table from me. Did you know that your uncle Joseph made this table and these chairs?" Eli responded, "Well now that you mention it, I do recognize his craftsmanship, as he made a very similar one for my parents." Martha sat to the right of her brother, she is cute, slender and has dark hair that is parted in the middle, which she keeps pulled back and tucked under her veil. Barabbas sat next to Martha, he is the oldest man at the table and he has olive skin and a muscular body. Barabbas has a scar on his right cheek and his forehead is wrinkled. Barabbas has a bushy moustache that has a unique horseshoe shape. The apostle Peter is seated next to Barabbas. Peter is a slender person with a pale complexion, sporting a short, thick, curled beard, and he has very thin eyebrows. Peter is the most outspoken of the twelve apostles, and he is a fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Peters lovely wife Sarah is sitting next to him. Sarah is a charming woman with an egg shaped face and a long neck. Her hair is very curly, it is fashioned in a circular pattern and she wears it pinned up on the top of her head. Sarah is wearing earrings with beads dangling from them. She has a jeweled necklace chocker and she is also wearing a longer and thicker necklace with a brown stone displayed in the front. Sarah and Peter have known each other their entire lives, as they both grew up in Galilee and her mother was best friends with Peter's mother. They have been married for twelve years now, but they dont have any children. Mary Magdalene is sitting next to Sarah. Mary Magdalene is captivating, enchanting and stunning! She dresses simple with no jewelry, her skin is fair and she wears her hair with bangs and no head covering. Eli's girlfriend Ruth is sitting at the end of this bench next to Mary Magdalene. Ruth is attractive, bubbly and delightful and she is dressed eloquently. Her deep blue eyes seem to twinkle like a clear night sky. Mary the mother of Jesus is sitting on the other bench across from Ruth and next to Eli. The Virgin Mary is glorious, magnificent, miraculous, remarkable and astonishing. Her face is glowing, her lips are ruby red and her eyes are stunningly bright. She is wearing a hood and she has a hat on underneath that, so none of her hair is showing. Her hat is fringed with dangling coins and she has very long earrings that look like chimes. Her cheeks are rosy and her skin is radiant. Levi
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was a childhood friend of Jesus and he is sitting next to Eli's Aunt Mary. Levi is slim, handsome, likeable and he has straight short brown hair. Levi is articulate, bright, brilliant, intelligent, literate, logical, organized and systematic. Susanna, a good friend of Mary Magdalene who went with her to help minister unto Jesus' body at the tomb was seated next to Levi. Susanna looks fantastic, she is incredibly gorgeous, intoxicatingly marvelous and mesmerizingly fabulous. She is astoundingly beautiful, amazingly breath taking and terrifically sexy. She is wearing a blue bandana and she has tiny golden hoop earrings. Her smile lights up the whole room. The apostle James, son of Zebedee and Salome, is sitting next to Susanna. James is a third cousin of Jesus, as Salome is the first cousin of Jesus' mother Mary. James is distinguished and good-looking and he has short curly hair with a beard and a moustache that is starting to show a touch of grey. The apostle John another fishermen on the Sea of Galilee is sitting next to his brother James. John has brown hair, he is wearing a hooded headpiece, because his hair is starting to recede. John always looks neat, keeping his hair groomed and his beard trimmed. Lazarus' other sister Mary is sitting at the end of this bench between John and her brother. Mary is plane looking without any striking features, but she looks pure and her hair is lovely. Her dark hair is long and shiny and it is set off by the white lotus flower that she has pinned on the side of her head. Eli took his seat and Lazarus bowed his head and said, "Everyone hold hands, as we give thanks for our food. Father in heaven we thank you for providing us with this meal. Let us all partake in the body and the blood of Christ. I want to thank all of my guests for coming, my sisters Mary and Martha for their labor in preparing this feast and Eli for bringing that special cheese all the way from Rome. Everyone here has been touched in some special way by Jesus and I would like to go around the table, while we are eating and have each person share a story how Jesus affected their life. I will get things started as Jesus taught me how precious life is." "It was probably a combination of the hot sun, me getting up too fast and also drinking more than I should have, but as I got up I became dizzy. I took two steps and then I stumbled and fell. I tried to catch my balance, but I slipped backwards and went down smashing the back of my head into the ground. My sisters, Mary and Martha both rushed over to help me and I told them that it was a good thing that I had such a hard head. They lifted me up and put me in my bed to sleep it off. The next morning they went in my room to check on me and I may have still been a bit hung over, but that was not what worried me. My head was sore, I still felt dizzy and I had the chills. They both told me to stay in bed and get rest and they got an extra blanket to put on me. I slept all day and then at night I told them that I still had the chills and I felt faint. They both got real worried that I might die, so they sent a messenger out to contact Jesus and tell Him that I was very sick. The
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messenger returned and informed my sisters that Jesus said my sickness would not end in death. Jesus told the messenger that my sickness was for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it. My sisters did not understand these strange words when our messenger returned with them. I actually got worse the next day as my head got warmer, I started vomiting and I was very sleepy, but my sisters told me to hang on, as Jesus would soon be here to help me. Going to bed that night was the last thing I remembered. Martha and Mary said that they went to wake me the next morning, but I was not breathing and my heart had also stopped beating, so I guess I was dead." "When Jesus arrived in Bethany my sisters confronting Him about why He had deliberately delayed His journey, as their brother was already dead and buried. Martha said, 'If You had been here sooner, my brother would not have died, but Jesus assured her that their brother would rise again and He said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?' The apostles rolled away the stone from my tomb. Jesus looked up and said, 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.' Jesus called out to me and it seemed like I woke up from a deep sleep, then I came out still wearing my grave clothes. My sisters did not recognize me at first because my dark black hair had all turned completely white. Many people have asked me what it feels like to be dead and the only thing I could say to them is, to ask them what did it feel like to you, before you were born. It did not feel like anything to me, I was not even aware that I was dead, I did not see a tunnel of light and I don't remember having any dreams. Jesus took my grave clothes away from me and He handed me a robe to wear and then I went home with my two sisters." "Jesus said that each day is a gift from God and every minute should be enjoyed, as if it is the last day of your life. Jesus told me to cherish my loved ones and to live in harmony with nature, plants and animals alike. He taught me to appreciate the simple things, such as clean water and sunlight. Jesus taught me that God feels every life is precious and each life has a special purpose, because He created all life. Jesus said that people are made in God's image, so they are able to have the ability to relate to Him. Life goes by quickly and when trouble arrives we should stand up and smile and remember that today is a good day. Martha, do you have a story about Jesus that you would like to share?" Martha cleared her throat and said, "I was there when the three wise men came to Bethlehem. I was 6 years old at the time and my sister Mary was just three and Lazarus was just born, so they do not remember any of this. In fact, this is how I met Jesus. These men were all royal astronomers and respected advisers to their
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kings from the east. Melchior came from India, Balthazar from Chaldea, and Gaspar was from Persia. They all followed the same star which led them to Jesus. They travelled here separately from their own lands and they met each other on the outskirts of Jerusalem. They each came bearing gifts for a new born king." "The wise men loaded their camels with treasures, tents, bedding, food and water for their journey when they saw the prophesied star in the sky. Eleven days after the star first appeared the three wise men all reached Jerusalem. The wise men camped on the outskirts of Jerusalem, beside a hill where three different roads came together and merge into one. Melchior arrived first from the road on the left and he already had a fire going and was getting ready to cook some food when Balthazar arrived from the road on the right. Balthazar tried to greet Melchior, but they did not understand each other. Melchior thought that Balthazar was dressed strange, but then since he was also a stranger in this land he thought maybe this was normal. Melchior had put his meat on the fire while Balthazar was setting up his tent and then they both looked up to see Gaspar coming up the road in the middle. Gaspar smiled at the two men and he pointed up in the sky at the miraculous star that stood in the sky, contrary to the natural movements of the heavens. The wise men all spoke different languages, but soon they found out that they all knew how to speak Greek." "Melchior said, 'Our shaman Balaam predicted over 1400 years ago that a star would rise in the West and this will signal the birth of a great king. I have been watching the stars every night for 10 years to see if any unusual light showed up in the sky. When I saw this bright new star, I knew that I had to find this new king so I could worship Him.' Balthazar said, 'I have studied the sky for years also and when this astounding star appeared, all the people of my country were greatly amazed and they went to my king to ask about this. I was instructed to follow this wonderful star where ever it leads me and to bring gifts to the special place where it takes me.' Gaspar said, 'An angel named Gabriel appeared before me and let me know of a precious baby that was just born. Gabriel told me that this baby was going to rule the world and that I should follow the star to find Him. I asked Gabriel how I would be able to recognize this new born king and he told me to go where the star shines the brightest and there I will find the lamb of God. I have not rested since my journey began, I have hardly taken any time out to eat or drink, because I have been consumed by this wondrous star.' Melchior said, you are welcome to my food and I hope we can all travel together the rest of the way.' Balthazar helped Gaspar set up his tent, they all ate and decided to rest for the night and then make their way into Jerusalem the next day to search for the new king." "The next day the three wise men made their way into Jerusalem and the stopped at the palace where Gaspar who was able to speak Hebrew, asked Herod
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where the new king was. Herod had no idea what they were talking about and he felt threatened by the talk of a new king taking his place. The wise men said that they knew that they were close, as the star was almost directly over head. Herod was troubled, so he had gathered all the chief priests together and he demanded to know where this new king was to be born. They responded that according to the scriptures, a king would be born in Bethlehem. Herod told the wise men to go to Bethlehem and when they found the young child, that they should bring him word, so he could also go there to worship him." "The wise men departed and they neared Bethlehem as night approached again. They stopped at my house because they heard my newly born baby brother Lazarus crying. Gaspar spoke and introduced himself and his companions and then he said that Herod told them a new baby was here in Bethlehem. I asked, 'Did you come all this way to see my brother?' Gaspar said, 'I know we are close, but we are not here to see your brother, we came to worship the new born king.' I told him of a place, where I had just seen a baby that was being cradled in a manger and several shepherds had stopped by to bring Him gifts. Gaspar said, 'That is it, the shepherds are the symbols for the lamb of God. Please show us the way.' I took them to the place where the star was high in the sky, and as we got closer to the stable where Jesus was, the star shone brighter! When we finally arrived by the new born child, the star lit up and started twinkling in the sky to mark the place where Jesus, Mary and Joseph were staying. They all took one look at Jesus and they dropped to their knees and praised God above. The three wise men presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Him. The angel Gabriel appeared in front of Jesus and told the wise men that they should not return to Herod for he was not to be trusted. The three wise men walked me back home and they told my parents that their son may be in danger and suggested that we should flee before Herod sent his soldiers to slaughter all the innocent babies. I never saw the wise men again, but I became great friends with Mary and Joseph and they let me babysit for Jesus many times as our family ran into them on the road to Egypt. Barabbas, you should tell the story of when we met." Barabbas said, "Since I never really met Jesus that sounds like a good idea. I did know Dimas, the thief that was crucified on the right side of Jesus, as we had met in prison. I could not believe my luck when the crowd called out to Pontius Pilate, that they wanted me to be set free. I got drunk that night when I was set free and I woke up the next day with an awful hangover. I felt bad for Dimas, as he seemed to be a nice enough guy, so I followed the multitude of people to Mount Calvary. I saw Jesus carrying His cross and He stopped by a group of women where I spotted Martha for the first time. Jesus called out, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.' I was puzzled why a man that was about to meet His death would be concerned with
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others. I got closer to Martha and I asked her who that man was. Martha said, 'That is Jesus, a great prophet and He is the one that is being killed in your place.' I heard from Martha, how Jesus had spent the previous night without sleep, enduring beatings and being mocked cruelly and then scourged by the Romans. I felt terrible, knowing that I was a convicted thief out getting drunk, while this holy man was suffering this horrendous ordeal. Martha offered me some water and we walked together to the crucifixions. I saw Jesus talking to Dimas, and Jesus forgave the thief when he repented, telling Dimas that it is never too late to find God. I felt like there was something wrong in my life, and I reasoned that it must be because of the way I was living it. This event changed me and I decided that I was going to be a good person from now on." Eli spoke up and said, "Barabbas actually you did meet Jesus and you met me on the same day, although it was a long time ago and Jesus and I were both very young." Barabbas replied, "I am sorry, but I do not remember meeting either of you." Eli spoke, "We were out in the desert and you and your bandits attacked our caravan. We were lined up against our wagon while your men held their swords on us. You were directing all of us to hand over all of our valuables when suddenly your camel spit on your head. Jesus laughed when he saw the camel spit on you and you said, 'Do you think that is funny boy?' Jesus said, 'Your camel only spit on you, to let you know that he was thirsty.' You spoke to Jesus and said, 'Yes we could all use a drink', then you ordered your men to put away their swords and you said, We have much bigger fish to fry, let these people go free.' Barabbas said, "OMG now I remember meeting you, there was something about Jesus that made me feel sympathy for your whole caravan." Peter spoke next saying, "Eli, I am really enjoying this cheese that you brought and in fact this whole meal is scrumptious. Jesus taught me to face up to my fear and not to run away from it. I never had any fear when Jesus was around, as I sensed strength pouring out of Him. At the last supper that we shared together, I promised Jesus that I would stand by Him, but my fear got the better of me. I became afraid that the Roman soldiers would kill me if I acknowledged that I knew Jesus. Jesus predicted my cowardice when He said. 'Peter, you will deny that you know me three times before the cock crows.' Fear can make a person do things that they know in their heart is wrong, but now I know that love, faith and prayer will always conquer fear." "In our last visit to Jerusalem, Jesus became infuriated with the commercial practices that were carried on at the Temples steps. Jesus told me that priests were renting the space on the Temples steps to vendors, so they could peddle their wares to unsuspecting pilgrims that came there to pay homage to God. Jesus said that the Temple was sacred and that no one had the right to make money for renting this sanctified ground. Jesus said that Jerusalem is a big city and there is plenty of
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room for business men to sell their goods in other places. When we reached the Temple and saw the moneychangers and vendors doing a lively business selling sacrificial animals, Jesus yelled at these people calling them thieves. Jesus took his staff and He overturned like the tables, because He was infuriated by the abusive and corrupt practices at the Temple, which served to oppress the poor. When we left Jerusalem, Jesus warned me that trouble was probably going to follow us and He asked me to carry a sword for my own protection. Jesus liked to pray in the garden of Gethsemane, on the lower slopes of Mount Olive and the night that He was arrested, He went there to pray for strength. I made a promised to remain with Jesus, I knew trouble was brewing and I even told Him that I was not afraid to die with Him. I tried to do the things that I had promised, but my fear got the better of me. Jesus had invited James, John, Luke and myself to share in His sorrow and struggle and to pray with Him, so we could avoid falling into temptation. We all fell asleep because we did not have the same faith that He had. Jesus came back and found all of us sleeping and He was upset, because He knew that we were not prepared for the ordeal that was ahead of us." "Two dozen Roman soldiers, four court servants from the Sanhedrin that were armed with swords and clubs approached us and Judas seemed to be leading all of them. Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss and Jesus seemed to know what this was all about, but He went out anyway to ask them, 'Who is it you want?' The Roman commander said, 'We are looking for Jesus of Nazareth', and Jesus responded, 'I am He'. Jesus told the Romans to let His disciples go, but I did not want Him to be arrested. I recognized a man named Malchus, as one of the high priest's servants and he snickered, 'Look at the King of the Jews'. I drew my sword, which I had concealed under my cloak and I took a wild swipe at Malchus and I cut off his right ear. Jesus looked at me and I could see that he was disappointed and He said, 'Put up thy sword into the scabbard, all those who take the sword will die by the sword. Do you not think that my Father would come here to help me if I asked Him, and He would arrive with legions of angels? The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?' Jesus then picked up the bloody ear, and asked Luke to bring him some water. Jesus washed the dirt from the detached ear and then He reattached it to Malchus and it was healed. Jesus looked at the Roman commander and said, 'Friend, do what you have come for.'" "They seized Jesus, and led Him away. I followed from a distance hoping that I could find out what was happening to Jesus. I saw that they brought Jesus to the High Priest Caiaphas house. I stayed outside by the gate, but it was very cold being outside in the wind, and I saw the servants and guards had a fire going in the middle of the courtyard and they were standing around it, warming themselves. I knew this was a dangerous place, but I went over towards them to warm myself. A servant girl started staring at me, and she said, 'This man also was with him.' The
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girl had recognized me and I tried to save myself, forgetting the promise that I made to Jesus. I denied Jesus, saying, 'Woman, I don't know him.' A short while later a cousin of Malchus saw me, and said, 'You also are one of the disciples of that man!' I answered, 'You are mistaken, I am not!' I stepped back into the shadows, as I had warmed up enough from the fire by then and just being in the courtyard out of the wind, I was no longer chilly. In my new position I could see inside a window and I saw the back of Jesus. An hour passed, and one of the Sanhedrin court servants said, 'I saw you in the garden with Him, you are one of the Galileans!' I replied, 'I don't know what you are talking about!' Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. I saw Jesus turn around and look at me, and I remembered His words, 'Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.' I left, I went home and I cried the rest of the night. I was filled with fear, heartache, confusion, and deep disappointment, as I grieved and after several hours of crying I finally put it all together. I figured that if Jesus knew about the rooster, than He must have also known about His arrest and that He must have had a plan of how this would all work out for the best." Sarah spoke, "Yes I remember trying to console you that night, but I did not know what to do, as I had never seen you cry before. I saw all the tears that you were shedding and I knew you must have had a good reason, but I figured that I should just let you cry your heart out. I figured that when you were ready, that you would tell me what got you so upset. I used to be angry with Peter all the time because he was always away following Jesus. He hardly ever came home and my mother nagged me all the time about why I had married him. I always loved Peter and I learned to live without him, but because my mother lived with us, there was little peace in our marriage. One day Jesus came over and He saw that my mother was lying in bed with a fever. Jesus put His hands on my mother's forehead and He healed my mother. When Jesus touched her, the fever left and He held out His hand for her, and she got up and began to wait on him. That miracle not only cured my mother, it also fixed our marriage, as I never heard my mom say a bad thing about Peter ever again." Mary Magdalene said, "Sarah, that is such a lovely story, you are going to make me cry. I guess it is my turn to reveal something about Jesus. I met Jesus when I was twelve and He was fourteen. I was spending the summer in Haman with my Aunt. I walked to the Sea of Galilee and I spotted Jesus throwing stones into the water. Jesus was skipping the stones across the water and He was real good at this. When I got close enough I said, 'Wow you are good at that'. Jesus said, 'Actually I am awesome', and then He smiled at me and said, 'My name is Jesus and I am from Nazareth. Do you live nearby?' I told Jesus that my name was Mary and that I was from Magdalene and I asked Him if he could teach me how to skip the stones. Jesus said He would be happy to teach me and He said the first
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step is finding the right stones to throw. Jesus said 'You need to use the ones with flattened bottoms so they will bounce off the surface. When I collect them, I think about problems that I will need to overcome in my life and when I throw them, I feel like I am releasing my problems. I have collected a whole pile here, would you like to try?' I said, 'Sure that sounds like fun, but what kind of problems would a man of your age have? Jesus said, 'Now my life is fine, but I expect it to get more complex as I get older.' Jesus told me that the best way to skip stones is to use a sidearm toss, so you are able to throw the stone at the proper angle and that I would need to flick my wrist, as I released the stone to create spin. He also said that I should try to throw it hard enough to develop enough speed, so it would be able to bounce off the water. Jesus explained that He pitches the stone down so that the trailing edge of the stone hits the water first, which allows it to bounce and after each bounce, the stone will slow down, until it eventually sinks under the water surface, instead of skipping over it. Jesus said that when the stone skips the surface of the water, it is reflected upwards, because its downward velocity is reversed, which also reduces its horizontal velocity. Jesus then lost me when He mentioned hydrodynamics, momentum, and gravity affecting the stones interaction with the water surface." "After we went through the pile of stones, Jesus asked me if I liked to go swimming. I told Him, 'Yes, but I do not want to get my clothes wet'. Jesus said, 'I am going to remove my clothes, because I don't want to get mine wet either'. I laughed at Him and said, 'You are just trying to see me naked'. Jesus said, 'That is not my intention, but since you are such a pretty girl and since I have never seen a girl naked before, especially close up, I would look at your body. If you ask me to turn around while you get undressed and get into the water, I would gladly do that for you.' Jesus stripped and went running into the water and He teased me about how wonderful the water was. There was no one around and something about Him, made me trust Him, so I said, 'OK turn around and I am coming in'. We splashed around and enjoyed our swim in the water and then we got out and got dressed and Jesus asked if He could walk me home. We held hands and talked about our families. I told Jesus that I had never seen a man with hair as long as His. Jesus said, 'You should see my third cousin John, who lives in the desert, as his hair is much longer'. When we arrived back in Hamam at my Aunt's house, I told Jesus that I would like to cut His hair. Jesus said, 'That would be fine, but do not cut my hair any shorter than my shoulders. Mary, do you think a beard would look good on me, when I am old enough to grow one?' I cut His hair and He left. The next day He stopped by to call on me. He was so excited because he told me that everyone that saw Him, complimented Him on His hair cut. Jesus said, 'I will never let anyone but you cut my hair ever again'. Jesus said that He saw seven spirits inside of me (a spirit of wisdom, a spirit of understanding, a spirit of
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knowledge, a spirit of counsel, a spirit of strength, a spirit of piety and a fear of God) and Jesus told me that we would be best of friends from now on. Jesus said that His friends would be my friends and that my friends would become His friends. I introduced Jesus to my two best friends Susanna and Joanna and He introduced me to His family and His followers. When Jesus introduced me to the apostles, He told them that I had seven spirits inside of me and I thought it was very strange when Luke said 'I bet you were happy when Jesus removed your demons'. I do not know how it got confused from being seven spirits to becoming seven demons, but I never bothered to correct this faux pas, as now I was a woman of mystery that commanded respect. Jesus and I became very close and we always got along well. I always felt comfortable being with Jesus. I considered it a privilege when we were able to walk together. Once I met Jesus I never felt alone again." "I can still remember when His disciples first saw us kissing each other, and they complained to Him. It took them a long time for them, to finally come around and accept me as one of His followers. At first they wondered why Jesus would want to speak secretly with a woman, and if it was possible that He preferred my company to theirs. We enjoyed each other's company, we enjoyed talking and laughing and I enjoyed His teachings. Jesus taught me about the night sky and He knew the name of all the planets and the stars. Jesus told me how the pyramids in Egypt were astronomically aligned to certain stars and the North Pole of the Earth. I learned about the Sun and our moon, all the planets and many of the stars. One night while we were camped in the desert, I looked up and saw something streak across the sky and then I turned to Jesus and said, 'Hey look it is a shooting star'. Jesus smiled at me and said 'Yes it is a beautiful evening, but stars do not shoot. You are looking at little chunks of rock that are entering the Earth's atmosphere from space. They are called meteors, they heat up and begin to glow in the night sky and then they usually burn out'. We laid down in the desert staring up at the sky and I learned so many fascinating things from Jesus." Ruth spoke, "I know how Jesus could make a person feel relaxed. He had a special way of making me feel comfortable and although I only met Jesus a few times, I did learn much from His stories. I remember when I first met Eli in Jerusalem, at the Feast of the Passover. The instant our eyes met, I sensed that Eli was something exceptional, no ordinary person, because I felt a rhythmic pounding in my heart. Eli walked over to me and he introduced himself and said, 'Hi, I am Eli and you have the most beautiful eyes that I have ever seen, they seem to sparkle like stars. I usually do not flirt with girls, but I thought I saw you smiling at me.' I replied, 'Yes, you caught my eye, I saw your spirit rejoice when the shofar blew. You looked so excited, that I could not help but smile at you. It is nice to meet you Eli, my name is Ruth. I live here in Jerusalem, where are you from?' Eli said, 'I
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came here with my family from Nazareth, we came in a caravan. We will be leaving tomorrow.' Ruth said, 'Ah, that is too bad, as my uncle Rabi Isaac will be teaching on the steps of the temple tomorrow.' Eli said, 'Yes it is a shame, as I was looking forward to getting back home, but now that I met you, I want to stay. I bet my cousin Jesus would love to meet your uncle, as He seems to know an awful lot about religion.' I said, 'It was a pleasure meeting you and if you change your mind then I will see you at the Temple steps early tomorrow morning.' Eli said, 'It was my pleasure, I hope that you have a super sparkly day Ruth.' I stared at him till he disappeared in the crowd." "The next day, Jerusalem was returning to normal, as most of the pilgrims had left or were packing up, so they could get back to their homes. I looked up and I saw Eli and he introduced me to Jesus. Several people had already assembled on the Temple steps and they were sitting on the ground waiting to ask my uncle questions. I told Eli and Jesus to take some seats, as I knew my uncle would be there soon. My uncle Rabi Isaac approached and asked if there were any questions for him. A man with a beard that appeared to be about eighteen years old asked my uncle, 'What was life like in the Garden of Eden?' My uncle laughed and said, 'How old do I look to you?' Jesus spoke, 'I can tell you what is was like to be in the Garden of Eden.' My uncle smiled again and he said, 'OK son tell us all what life was like in the Garden of Eden.' I told my uncle that this was Jesus and that he was from Nazareth." "Jesus said, 'It was much like what Moses wrote in the first chapter of Genesis, except that Moses did not mention Lilith. She did exist and she was made at the same time as Adam. Lilith was a beautiful woman, but she quarreled with Adam constantly. The weather was perfect every day and neither Adam or Lilith ever wore clothes. They spent their nights together and they discussed what each other did during the day, however they were never intimate with each other. Lilith enjoyed swimming and she would sing to the animals while Adam enjoyed exploring and hunting. Adam ventured out every day, leaving Lilith in charge of keeping the fire going. Adam liked to hunt squirrels and he would skin them and cook them, but Lilith only ate fruit and vegetables. Adam would come home tired and many times Lilith would have eaten before he got back and that upset him when she did not wait. Adam was a virile man and he was always playful. He always enjoyed slapping Lilith on her backside, especially when she bent over to pick something up. This behavior irked Lilith and caused them to distance themselves even more. Adam got aroused when he saw his beautiful wife and he always asked her to submit to his advances, but Lilith had no interest in being taken. Adam asked her to be an obedient partner saying, 'Lie beneath me, woman!', but Lilith knew that she had been created from the same dust that Adam was and she always felt that she was his equal. Lilith had free will, the same as
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Adam and thus she did not have to submit to his desires. They did not fight about who should be on top, as Lilith was frigid and she just did not see the point in having sex. Their quarrelling became more constant and one day Adam arrived back home late and he was smiling, because he had snagged six squirrels that day, but his happy mode quickly changed to despair, when he saw that Lilith had let the fire die out. He yelled at Lilith and called her lazy for not doing the one chore that she was in charge of. She yelled back at Adam and said she was glad that the fire died out, as now she would not have to smell the stinking squirrels cooking. Adam told Lilith that he was sick of her and that he wished they had never met. Lilith said, 'That is impossible, as there is no one else around here'. Lilith was fed up, so she spoke the true name of God, 'YHVH', and then she soared up into the air. Lilith attained immortality and gained entrance into heaven, escaping Adam and all the bickering. Contrary to stories that you may have heard about Lilith, she did not become a demon, as God graciously accepted her into His house and she is up in heaven now, as she was born without original sin. God then came to Adam and said, 'I have the perfect woman for you, but it will cost you an arm and a leg'. Adam responded 'God, what can I get for a rib'? We all laughed and I almost peed in my pants." Eli said, "Jesus was the best story teller that I ever knew. He would change His voice when He was doing different characters, I never got tired of listening to Him. Jesus taught me so many stories, I do not know which one to tell. He taught me about the pond of Abraham, the well of Miriam, the ring of Solomon, the ladder of Jacob and the pottery of Hosea. Does anyone have a preference for any of these stories?" Susanna responds. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!, please tell me about the ring of Solomon." Eli responds, "Ok, I hope I can do that justice. It was always one of my favorite stories and I must have had Jesus tell me this story over one hundred times. I remember when Jesus first told me this story, I had a lot of trouble trying to get to sleep that night, as I had demons on my mind. Jesus would change His voice when He did Solomon and he described the demons so well, giving so many details about how they looked, what powers they had and how they would haunt humans. This is a long story and I cannot remember all the details, especially the way Jesus did, but I will give it a shot." "Solomon was David's second son by Bathsheba. The great prophet Nathan informed David that God willed that his firstborn son must die, as punishment for David's method of execution of Uriah the Hittite, and his fornication relationship with Bathsheba, Uriah's wife. David prayed and fasted for a week when he heard the news that his son had died, but he was soon comforted when he found out that Bathsheba became pregnant again. David was not permitted by God to build the Temple, because he had blood was on his hands from all the wars he fought. God
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said His Temple must be built by a man of peace and David did not qualify, but his son Solomon did. God asked Solomon to build the first Temple in Jerusalem, as a permanent abode for the Ark of the Covenant that was given to Moses. Solomon was renowned for his great wisdom, wealth, and power but he was also very tolerant of his converted wives, when they worshiped their other gods. Solomon employed thousands of laborers and skilled artisans to do the work building this temple." Demons are very similar to angles, as they are both divine beings with magical powers, but demons followed Beelzebub or Satan, so they were cast out of heaven! Demons are a constant hindrance to mankind wielding their supernatural powers to harass and destroy souls. Demons make people sick and crazy causing mental illness and every other unexplained physical illnesses is usually blamed on them. A demon named Ornias persecuted Solomon's favorite worker Yitzchak, when the Great Temple of Jerusalem was being built. This creature attacked the worker's young boy Tiras each night by sucking out his energy through his thumb. The child grew thinner every day, and Ornias also stole half of the workman's wages. When Solomon heard about these nightly attacks, he prayed to God that he could be given authority over this horrible beast. Solomon's prayer was answered and God sent his archangel Michael to give Solomon a ring that held the power to lock up all demons of the Earth. Michael the archangel said, 'Take, O Solomon, king, son of David, the gift which the Lord God has sent thee, the highest power. With it, thou shall lock up all demons of the earth, male and female; and with their help thou shall build up Jerusalem. You must wear this seal of God and this engraving of the seal of the ring sent to you is a Pentagram.' Solomon's Signet Ring was a band of gold and it had a special seal on it with the star of David that enabled Solomon to command the demons. The Most Great Name of God was engraved under the star and four jewels from four different angels were also set into this magical enchanted ring, so that Solomon could control the four elements (earth, fire, water and wind)." "Solomon was a powerful sorcerer and he was able to understand the language of the birds and ants, and he could see the hidden glory in the world that was not accessible to ordinary human beings. His wisdom even reached other planes of existence. King Solomon wrote incantations, he knew the magical uses of plants and animals, he had the knowledge of astronomy and astrology, he understood the forces of spirits, he was an expert exorcist who had the ability to chase demons out of those whom they possessed and he had the ability to understand and speak the languages of all Earth's creatures. Now that Solomon had this special ring, he felt that he must compel the demons to work for the glorification of God and the good of humanity by using them to help build the Temple, but first he must deal with Ornias."
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"Solomon called Tiras and gave him the ring, and said to him, 'Take this, and when the demon comes, throw this ring at his chest and say, In the name of God, King Solomon calls thee hither, then come to me, so I can deal with the demon. The child took the ring, and behold Ornias, the fierce demon, came to feed off Tiras that very night. The child threw the ring at the chest of the demon, and said, 'King Solomon calls thee hither', and then he ran off to the king. Tiras rejoiced when he saw Solomon, and said, 'I have brought the demon, as you commanded me. Solomon rose up from his throne, and saw the demon was shuddering and trembling. Solomon interrogated the demon found out that he was called Ornias and he was of the Water-pourer sign and he learned the demons secrets. Solomon sealed the demon and set him to work cutting stones for the Temple, but the demon begged to be set free, and he promised to bring back more demons in his place, if he could be set free. Solomon gave Ornias his seal and said, 'Away with thee, and bring back the prince of all demons.' Ornias left and went to Beelzebub, who had power over all the demons. He said, 'Solomon calls thee.' Beelzebub said, 'I do not know this Solomon who you speak of'. Then Ornias threw the ring at the chest of Beelzebub and said, 'Solomon the king calls thee.' Beelzebub cried aloud with a mighty voice, and he shouted out a great burning flame of fire, and he reluctantly followed Ornias back to Solomon. Solomon compelled the powerful demon Beelzebub to call up all the other demons, one by one, so that Solomon might learn all their names, and how each of them persecuted mortals, and how each could be controlled." "Solomon interviewed the demons, some of them were quite grotesque and many of these demons did not have names. Some were only known by a number and from the works they mastered, as each spirit had a special talent. Using his ring Solomon was able to get these demons to tell him the authorities that they wielded against men, and by what angels these demons were responsible to answer to. Solomon then bound many of the demons using the magical ring and forced them to do various tasks. Solomon was able to control all spirits of the air, on the earth, and under the earth. King Solomon managed to capture 72 demons and made them his slaves." "Solomon asked Beelzebub if there were any females demons and he found out about Onoskelis, a demon born of an echo. Solomon sealed and bound this demon and made her stand all night and spend her whole day spinning hemp into ropes. Solomon calls up another demon named Asmodeus, who acted belligerent toward him, so he bound him more carefully, and ordered him to be flogged. Solomon discovered that Asmodeus was afraid of water, so he forced this demon to make clay for the Temple, and gave him ten water jars to carry with him. Solomon ordered Beelzebub to bring his child to him. Beelzebub's son is ordered to cut marble for the temples columns. Solomon commanded another demon to him,
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who carried his face high up in the air, but the rest of the spirit curled away like a snail. It broke through Solomon's soldiers, and raised a terrible dust like a tornado. Solomon stood up, and spat on the ground in that spot, and sealed the storm with the ring of God and then the dust-wind stopped. Solomon found out that this spirit caused fever in men, and he set his seal on the demon, and commanded him to seize great stones, and toss them up to the workmen on the higher parts of the Temple." "Solomon ordered another demon to come before him and seven female spirits came bound and woven together. Solomon found out that they were collectively called the thirty-three elements of the cosmic ruler of the darkness and individually they were 'Deception', 'Strife', 'Klothod meaning battle', 'Jealousy', 'Power', 'Error' and the seventh was 'The worst of all'. Solomon sealed them with his ring and made them dig the foundations of the Temple. Solomon called up the next demon to come before him. This demon was headless and he enjoyed devouring heads, in an attempt to secure them for himself. The demon inherited the voices of the men he devoured and he said that he would enjoy eating Solomon's head because he was hungry. Solomon discovered this demon has power over lightning, so he sealed him up and sent him back to Beelzebub in case he might find a use for him later." "Solomon ordered another demon to come before him that was named Staff and this demon was very large and shaped like a hound, and it spoke with a loud voice telling Solomon that he would like to work in a mountainous spot, and if Solomon permitted that, he would find precious green stones. When Solomon heard this, he figured that the temple would look good adorned with emeralds, so he ordered his servant to set off with this demon taking the ring, so he can keep control over this hound. Solomon bade another demon come to him and this one came in the form of a lion roaring. Solomon ascertained this lion had the power to cast out demons, and that he had legions under his control. Solomon commanded this legion to carry wood from the thicket, and the lion shaped demon to saw up the wood with his teeth, so it could be burnt in the furnace for the Temple of God. Solomon bade another demon come forth, and this was a three-headed dragon called the crest of dragons, who had human hands, so Solomon forced him to make bricks for the Temple." "Solomon bade another demon present itself, and a woman spirit named Obizuth came who had a head without any limbs, and her hair was so messy that Solomon ordered her to go wash up. Solomon discovered that this demon was connected with the destruction of children, making their ears deaf, putting evil in their eyes, binding their mouths, ruining their minds, and placing excruciating pains their bodies. Solomon did not want this demon working for him on his Temple, so he had her hair bound, and he ordered that she should be hung up in
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front of the Temple. Solomon ordered another demon to come and this one looked like a dragon with wings on its back, but it had the face and hands of a man. Solomon commanded this the dragon-shaped demon to saw up marble for the Temple." "Another spirit was called that was named Enepsigos and it took the form of a woman, but she had two other heads with hands on her shoulders. This demon was able to change her shape, so Solomon sealed her with a triple chain. The spirit prophesied that eventually all the demons that Solomon had put in jars would eventually be set free again. She told Solomon that his time was short and said that eventually evil would prevail again. Solomon commanded another spirit to come before him and this one was named Kuno and it had the shape of a horse in front, but behind it looked like a fish. The spirit said he could only live out of water for three days. Solomon had him thrown into a vial with ten jugs of sea-water and then deposited him in the Temple. Another enslaved spirit, came which had the form of a giant man, with gleaming eyes and he was bearing a blade in his hand. Solomon locked this demon up with the rest. Solomon commanded another demon and this one was thirty-six spirits, their heads were shaped like dogs, but the rest of them were human in form. They had faces of asses, faces of oxen, and faces of birds. Solomon questioned all 36 demons and he had some bound in his prison, some he made fetch water and others were made to do heavy construction work." "Solomon's final demon was called Ephippas and he had the power to cut exact measurements which were needed for the corner stone of the temple. Solomon sent a servant boy with his ring to take captive this wind demon, who was harassing the land of Arabia. The boy was told to hold up a wineskin against the wind with the ring in front of it, and then tie up the bag when it was full. The boy succeeded in his task and returned with the wineskin. The imprisoned demon was made to cut the corner stone and raise it into the entrance of the temple. Solomon felt that he had made peace on the earth by commanding many demons and imprisoning many others, and he got the entire Temple built to honor the Lord God. The kingdom of Jerusalem rejoiced. Solomon turned Jerusalem into a showcase of opulence and beauty and Kings came from the ends of the earth to behold the Temple which was built with such splendor." "The demons that worked on the temple were set free, once the temple was complete and Ornias and Beelzebub were also freed, because they were cooperative. The captivated demons that Solomon thought were dangerous to men, were sealed in a bronze barrel and then thrown into the depths of a big lake. When Asmodeus the fourth demon, who was afraid of water was set free from his burden of bearing the ten water jars, he concocted a plan to get revenge on Solomon. Asmodeus tricked Solomon into parting with his signet ring by promising to reveal the secret of demonic superiority over man. When Asmodeus
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had the ring in his control, he transported Solomon four hundred miles away and then he threw the ring into the sea. Asmodeus then transformed Solomon into a vagrant and gave him amnesia. Solomon wandered around for a while and eventually he became the cook of the king of Ammon. One day the princess Naamah was eating fish for dinner and she discovered a ring inside of her fish. She called for the cook and Solomon came and his memory returned when he saw his ring. Solomon married the princess and he returned to Jerusalem with his new wife to recover his palace. Solomon sealed Asmodeus into a pot of water. The enchanted ring which gave Solomon this power over the demons was never mentioned again." "Now that I am an adult, I have a hard time believing this mystic world of Solomon and the stories of him summoning all these demons to help create the Temple, but this story could be a way of explaining his genius, his wisdom and the grace and favor with which God endowed him. The part that I have the most trouble with, is why would the corner stone be set during the end stage of building this temple. I work with stone every day and the corner stone is always the first stone that is placed in a structure, but since Jesus told the story this way, who am I to argue? Also I once heard that Jesus said, 'Did ye never read in the scriptures? The stone which the builders rejected, is the same one that has become the head of the corner; this is the Lords doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.'" "Many young children suck on their thumbs, because it makes them feel safe and comfortable, it seems to sooth them and it makes them calm down. This is harmless for most children under the age of four, but eventually all children need to kick this habit, as it will end up deforming the development of their permanent teeth. If I ever have any children and they are reluctant to stop sucking on their thumb, then I will tell them the story of the demon Ornias who might come by and start sucking out all of their energy through their thumb, because they are making it look so tasty." Eli's Aunt Mary said, "Jesus acquired many of His story telling skills from my husband Joseph. Joseph had the ability to capture an audience's attention and transport his listeners into feeling as if they were actually there. Joseph would create and share a vision and then build the right sequence of events to convey a message or deliver a special meaning. I think that Jesus spoke in parables because he learned this from my husband Joseph. And Eli, you are so right, as Ruth does have magnificent eyes." "Jesus showed me the future. Jesus came into my room one night while I was sleeping and He woke me up and told me that He had to show me some things. I told Him it was late and I said that I was sleepy and I asked Him if it could maybe wait till the next morning. Jesus assured me that it was very important and that He knew that I was sleepy and that was the reason that He was here, as this is the only
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way it would work, when I was sleepy. I started asking Him a lot of questions all at once, 'What will work, what do you mean, why is it so important?' Jesus said, 'Mother, please just trust me. Relax, I need you to close your eyes and try to go back to sleep and then start counting backwards from 100.' I closed my eyes like Jesus asked me to do and I started counting, '100, 99, 98, 97, 96' and I drifted back off to sleep. The next thing I was aware of, was Jesus grabbing my hand and pulling my spirit out of my body! I looked back at my body and I was amazed that I could still see myself lying there on my bed. Jesus smiled at me and said 'Hey you made it'. I was floating above the floor and my body was tingling as I looked back at myself still in my bed with my eyes closed." "As my senses became more aware of what was going on around me, I saw that Jesus was also floating. Jesus spoke, 'I want you to look at this as being an adventure, don't be afraid, follow me and don't let go of my hand'. Jesus led me out of my bedroom and then He closed my door and He said, 'I don't want your body to be disturbed, while we go on this adventure'. We went into His bedroom but without opening up His door, we just went right through it. Jesus pointed to His body sleeping in His bed and He said, 'See, I am also sleeping. I am going to show you many things tonight, as I need you to be prepared for the pain that you will feel when you watch my dying up on the cross. I will show you destruction, devastation, misery, pain along with rebuilding and advancement. I will show you new religions evolving and the evil caused by many religions, as wars are fought and innocent people are killed and tortured. The first thing I want to show you is a woman that is crossing the frozen river Sikoris in the winter.' Jesus said, 'Now hold on real tight' and we went up through the roof and we were flying up in the sky." Jesus said, 'Now we are in the future, we have traveled hundreds of miles North and what you will be seeing is 25 years from now. That woman below is Herod's evil stepdaughter Salome, and she was responsible for the beheading of your nephew, John the Baptist. This is God's judgment, no one can see us or hear us, as we are invisible. I want you to be perfectly clear on what is happening now, so I will go through all of the background information, although I am sure that you know most of this. Some things happened inside the palace walls and you may not be aware of this.' I interrupted Jesus to say, 'She has stopped moving' and Jesus said, 'Yes, I know, I paused her, so you can hear the rest of story, before you see what happens.'" Jesus started His story again saying, 'The Herod family was descended from Abraham, but they are not from the line of David. Herod accused his son Antipater of high treason and had him executed and many people feel that it would be preferable to be one of Herod's pigs rather than to be one of his sons. Herod the Great ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of two years at the time when I was born in Bethlehem. The Herod family bows to the Romans and they do not
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worship God properly. We came back from Egypt after Herod the Great died and then we moved to Nazareth. When Herod died, his three remaining sons took over his kingdom. Herod Antipas ruled the area of Galilee and the east bank of the Jordan, as tetrarch of Galilee and Perea and he was often called Herod the Tetrarch. Herod Philip became tetrarch of the Golan heights in the north-east ruling Iturea, Gaulanitis, and Trachonitis. The last son Herod Archelaus became the leader of Samaria and Judaea, but he was a bad ruler and the Romans dumped him after ten years and replaced him with a Roman. These brothers had a cousin named Herodias, who first married and divorced her uncle that lived in Rome, then she married Philip, and then she divorced Philip to marry Antipas. Salome was the daughter of Herodias and Philip and she was only a teen when her mother Herodias left her husband Philip to marry Antipas.' 'John the Baptist was infuriated by this immoral marriage and he condemned them, because the law clearly stated that a man can not marry his brother's wife while he is still living. The High Priests in the Great Temple were afraid of king Herod, so they never said anything about him breaking the law. John the Baptist told Herod that he was committing sin and Herod wanted to put him to death for saying this, but he feared the crowd, because John was an admired prophet, so John ended up in prison. Herod had a birthday party and he invited all his lords, high captains and rulers of Galilee. Herodias asked her daughter Salome to perform her exotic dancing at the party, because she knew how much Herod enjoyed watching her. Salome danced before Herod and the sensuality of her dance pleased Herod and those that were watching with him. The king said to her, Ask of me whatever you want and I will give it to you, up unto half my kingdom. Salome went to her mother and asked her what she should tell king Herod Antipas that she wanted and then she hurried back to the king and asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, in revenge for the embarrassment that John had caused her mother.' "Jesus said, 'Look down now as Salome has started moving again.' I looked and indeed Salome was crossing the frozen river. I saw the ice break, Salome fell through the ice and her body was trapped in water, while her head stayed above the ice. Salome was flailing helplessly in the icy water, as the strong current of the river was trying to drag her under. She was holding on struggling to keep her head above the frigid water. Salome was trapped and then shards of ice broke off upstream of her body and they pierced her neck decapitating her. Her body was carried away under the ice, but her head remained on top and I could still hear her screaming. I gasped and said, 'That was atrocious' and Jesus said, 'Yea, payback is a bitch'." Jesus said, 'We are now going to Jerusalem and what you will see will happen in about 40 years from now. The Romans are still ruling the Jews but they are treating our people very badly, as they don't seem to care if we get robbed or
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murdered in our own land. The Roman soldiers actually started going out of their way to provoke the Jews into rioting against them. The Jewish people did start a riot and the Roman troops killed 3,600 Jews in Jerusalem, when they were sent in to stop the uprising. The Roman soldiers, lusting for blood, charged into the crowd of protestors, killing many Jews, but the Jews fought back valiantly and they were successful in making the Roman soldiers retreat. After this many other Jews began revolting in other lands against the Romans.' 'The Romans wanted a war and the battle eventually began in Jerusalem and it raged for three weeks. The outnumbered, exhausted, starving Jewish warriors continued to fight against the Romans, but it was hopeless. Look this is the last battle and you can see that many of the structures adjoining the Temple are burnt or are on fire. Watch that Roman catapult as it is hurling fire into the Temple, and now the Holy Temple is burning.' I watched as the Jews were not able to put out the fire, and I heard their screams, as they filled the air and I saw the floor of the Temple was covered with bodies, and blood was streaming down the steps. When the flames finally died down, only one wall remained standing." "Jesus said, 'Now I will take you further into the future to a city named Carthage where you will see a strong-willed Roman noblewoman named Perpetua. She is twenty-two years old, married and she has one child. She has been arrested and thrown into prison along with her husband Satyrus, because the Romans are persecuting Christians who are followers of my words. The Christians provoked the wrath of the Romans, because they are refusing to pay homage to pagan Roman gods.' I saw the Romans take Satyrus from his prison cell and they executed him. I saw Perpetua having a dream, where she was standing before a narrow stairway, and at the bottom of the stairs she saw a terrible dragon-like serpent that was slithering about. Perpetua saw her husband Satyrus in this dream and he was courageously stepping over the serpent as he climbed up the stairs. When he got to the top of the stairs, he turned and cried, Perpetua, come, I am waiting for you. Be courageous and step over the serpent or it will get you. After Satyrus said these words, he turned away and went through an open door and walked into a bright light. This dream gave Perpetua the strength to face her destiny." "Jesus told me that Pepetua's father was a pagan and he would often come to the prison to plead with his daughter to renounce her new religion and save her life. Pardon was usually granted to Roman citizens, if they would burn incense on the altar of a pagan god, thus signifying their submission to Rome's dominance. Perpetua was given a choice to reject Jesus as her God and worship Caesar or she would be killed, but she decided to give up her life rather than deny her faith. I saw Perpetua being led into the arena where the crowd yelled that she should be scourged. A wild bull was let loose to attack her and after she was wounded, Perpetua was put to the sword."
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Jesus said, 'Now we will go even further into the future, we are going to a city named Alexandria, which is in the northern part of Egypt. Here you will see an Egyptian woman named Hypatia, being chased by a crowd of Christians that were influenced by a false teacher. I always taught love for one's neighbor and that people should be tolerant of others. Hypatia is beautiful and brilliant, but she is a pagan. Hypatia is an astronomer, mathematician, philosopher and she is also a powerful political figure in the city. Bishop Cyril, the false teacher, who turned the people of Alexandria against Hypatia when he accused her of being a witch and using sorcery. Look down now, Hypatia is riding in her chariot.' I looked and saw the Christian mob chasing her through the city. They caught up to her and stopped her horse and pulled her down from her chariot. I saw them strip her, rape her, then they killed her and tore her body apart, all because she had different beliefs from them. The crowd marched into a building and then I asked Jesus to tell me what was happening. Jesus told me that they were going to destroy the Great Library of Alexandria, and this will start a dark age for man. Jesus told me that the Romans will soon fall to barbarians from the north and then a horrible disease will come that is carried by rats infected with fleas and this will kill thousands of people." "Jesus told me that we would go even further into the future and that I would see myself floating in the air with a glow around my head talking to many people and telling them about Him and letting them know how to get into heaven. I saw myself in the sky clothed with the sun and the moon under my feet, and on my head was a crown of twelve stars. I saw myself becoming friends with a poor, sick, little girl named Bernadette and I made her a fountain for her which others could use for healing. I then met three children, they were shepherds and I gave them a vision of hell and I watched them to pray on beads. Jesus told me that we were almost done with my visions, but He had to show me one more thing. We were outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem." "Jesus told me this will happen very soon and it is sad, but that He needed to draw His strength from me, so I needed to be brave. Jesus showed me that He was carrying His cross on the way to Calvary. I saw myself talking to Jesus and giving Him the courage to accept His death, because I knew how much He wanted to please His Father. It was very hard for me to look at my Son, seeing Him in so much pain, but He had turned out to be such a wonderful Son and I knew that this was His purpose for being on earth. Jesus told me that He wanted me to forget the pain involved in His death. Jesus said it is only His physical body that would die and that His spirit would live forever. Jesus said, 'Look up in the sky we are both spirits floating above' and I looked up and I saw us looking down, it was surreal. Jesus said that I should remember His life and all the spectacular times that we shared together. He told me that His cousin Eli would come back from Rome
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after His death and that I should ask Eli to record His teachings, so His word could be spread. Jesus told me that we were going home now and that one day I might feel better if I shared my secret visions of the future with some special friends that I trusted. Jesus advised me to use my willpower and determination to try and keep these visions to myself, so please do not let anyone else know what I have just told you or at least refrain until after my death." Levi said, "When Jesus was crucified, I was standing along the road next to with a man named Simon. Simon came to the Passover from Cyrene and it took him almost a month to make this pilgrimage, as it is nearly 900 miles away from Jerusalem. Simon was there with his two sons, Alexander and Rufus. Jesus was wearing a white robe and He was being beaten mercilessly with a whip. The Romans were yelling, 'Pick up the pace, we do not have all day for this.' I could see that Jesus had lost a lot of blood, His flesh was severely torn and they forced Him to carry His cross all the way to Calvary. He did not have all that much further to go, but in His beaten condition it was a long journey and the last part was uphill. One of the Roman centurions said, 'This is taking way too long' and then he grabbed Simon and said, 'You look like a strong man, help Him carry this cross for a while'. I looked at Jesus and I saw His anguish, but I did not know how to help him. I grabbed the hands of Alexander and Rufus and yelled out to Simon, 'I will watch them for you.' Simon obeyed the Romans and picked up the cross as he saw that Jesus was barely able to stand, let alone have to carry this heavy cross. We followed along for about a quarter mile when one of the other centurions said, 'This condemned man should be carrying His own cross, I don't care if it takes longer that is part of His punishment.' The other centurion replied, 'OK but I think that crucifixion should be enough punishment.' They let Simon of Cyrene go and forced Jesus to pick up the cross again. I told Simon that he had been carrying the cross of the promised Messiah. Simon said, 'I was in the crowd when Pontius Pilot sentenced Him, I never saw the city in such an uproar. I knew He was a teacher, I learned that He fed many people and I heard that He raised a man from the dead. Thanks for watching my boys.' I responded, 'No, thank you for helping my Lord.' Angry mobs were crowding the road making it difficult to maneuver, as everyone wanted to see the man that was going to be killed." "We followed along behind Jesus carrying His cross. I saw Sheraphia, also known as Veronica, the wife of a Sanhedrin Rabbi. She approached Jesus, as her husband stared at her in disbelief. Veronica walked past the hostile armed soldiers and the Romans let her get close to Jesus, because they knew that her husband was of high importance. Veronica wanted to relieve His suffering, so she took off her veil and offered it to Jesus, so He could use it to wipe the blood and sweat from His face. Jesus smiled at her and thanked her for her kindness and as He handed her back the veil, I could see the face of Jesus remarkably imprinted on it. I was so
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proud of Veronica for refusing to stand silently by and I will always respect her for being so brave." Jesus seemed to have gained a renewed strength and He picked up His cross and struggled down the road again. The cross got heavy for Him again, it seemed as if He were carrying more than a cross. This holy man who had cured and healed so many people in His life, looked as if He were carrying all the sins of mankind. I watched as I saw the cross grow heavier and heavier and it became more difficult for Jesus to carry. The soldiers would not let Him stop and rest. They keep poking at Him to walk faster. Jesus was weak again, He felt the weight, the pain, the solitude, and the humiliation. He tried to keep moving to avoid being lashed again from the soldiers. A pebble got stuck in His sandal and as He shook His foot to dismiss the stone, He fell to the ground and the heavy, wooden cross fell on top of Him. I saw Jesus lying face down on the ground in pain on the dirty street and He was struggling to get up. One of the Roman centurions took out his whip to lash Jesus, but another centurion stopped him and this centurion reached out his hand to help Jesus get up off the ground. Jesus looked at him and thanked him for his help. As Jesus was getting back on His feet, I heard Him say, 'I must be strong, and adapt, so I can overcome'. One of the Romans said, 'This is the second time that He has fallen, I hope this condemned man has enough fortitude to make it the rest of the way'. Jesus grabbed His cross again and started taking one agonizing step after another towards His death." "Jesus continued walking toward Calvary, His clothes were tattered and He was dirty from being on the ground. Jesus was still in terrible pain from his flogging, I think that He sensed that He was abandoned by his disciples. Maybe Jesus was mad because He was betrayed by one of his closest friends and He could have been angry that this travesty was being carried out against an innocent man. Jesus approached a group of women who started to wail and lament as they saw His face. Jesus paused and spoke to them saying, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the women which never had young to suck on them. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?' Many people expected Jesus to overthrow the government and become the rightful King, but He let Pilate turn Him over to the religious rulers, who called for His execution. Jesus sensed that these women were mad because they thought He failed to become the rebel leader they had hoped He would be. Jesus told them not to cry for Him as He knew that they had their own troubles coming, especially if they would dare to oppose the status quo, as He had just done. Jesus was warning this crowd of women how dangerous it is, to keep on letting the Romans push them around. He
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was also leaving these women a message that the spiritual authorities in Jerusalem have taken too much power. Jesus was telling them to try to be kind and gentle to others and to teach their children to do that, because this would make Him feel better." "The hill of Calvary was now in sight, His strength was waning and was now almost depleted. Jesus looked up at the hill of death, He was barely proceed to the end and all His sufferings suddenly seem to be compressed into this devastating sight and He couldnt stand it any longer. The crowd of people watching Jesus was excited and the soldiers wished that He would hurry, so they do not cause a riot. As Jesus reached the foot of the hill, He is packed in so close, that He could hardly breathe. Jesus fell down again and He was lying in pain. Jesus tried to summon all His remaining strength, but His body was not responding and He laid on the ground helpless. His executioners looked at him and they saw a broken man, a pathetic criminal that deserved to die. They were doing their jobs and they wanted this to end. They helped Him up, so He could carry His cross the rest of the way up the hill to His crucifixion. This last fall was devastating, the king who has just rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey who was being hailed by many people, was now utterly humiliated and crushed." "Jesus reached the top of the hill, the place where He was to be crucified and the soldiers tried to give Jesus some wine, but He refused this drink. The soldiers stripped Jesus and roughly pulled His clothes off Him. I could see His pain as His clothes were sticking to His sore back. The soldiers took His outer garments, His cloak, outer tunic, girdle, headdress and sandals. Jesus was left wearing only a loincloth. The soldiers did not strip Him completely naked, out of respect and the fact that He was not considered to be one of the dregs of society. His outer tunic was without seam and the soldiers thought this was something of value, so they cast lots for it. Jesus was thrown to the ground on His back with His arms stretched out along the crossbeam. His hands were nailed to the cross. The soldiers stood the cross up into a hole in the ground and Jesus was hoisted upright. His feet were nailed, one on top of the other. Pilate had made a sign that was placed at the top of the cross above Jesus. The sign said, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." The temple leaders did not like this sign, as they hated Jesus and they didnt want Him to be considered their king." "Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus. One robber was put beside Jesus on the right and the other was put on the left. People walked by Jesus and they mocked and taunted Him saying, 'You said you could destroy the temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!' They laughed at Jesus and said, 'He saved other people, but he can't save himself!' Gesmas, the thief being crucified on the right of Jesus said, 'If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Take us down
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with you!' Jesus was weak and He chose not to answer. The other criminal Dimas didnt like Gesmas challenging Jesus and he said, 'You should be afraid. We are dying because we deserve to die. Jesus has done no wrong. You shouldnt mock Him.' Then, Dimas looked at Jesus and said, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' Jesus responded, 'You will be with me in a good place today.' I left Calvary before Jesus died, because I did not watch Him suffering anymore." Susanna said, "I saw Jesus perform a great miracle. A great crowd of people followed Jesus, because they heard about the miracles that He did, and they were waiting for Him after He crossed the Sea of Galilee. A multitude of about 5,000 people came out from the surrounding cities on the side of the sea, hoping to hear Jesus teach. I greeted Jesus and He told me that He felt sorry for these people and He compared them to a flock of sheep, without a shepherd that needed someone to lead them. Jesus then spoke to them about the kingdom of God and He healed many of them that were suffering. It was getting late in the day and His disciples approached and suggested that He should send the crowd away, so they could go into the neighboring countryside and villages to find a place to eat and spend the night. Jesus said, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.' The disciples were hungry, they did not have food for themselves much less did they have food for this massive crowd. They knew they didn't have enough money to buy food for all those men, women and children!" Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread. Philip knew this area and he knew where food could be purchased. Philip answered Jesus saying, 'If we were to spend eight months' wages, that would not be enough to buy bread for everyone to have a bite!' Andrew then informed Jesus about a boy in the crowd who had brought his lunch with him. The lad had packed five loaves of barley and two small dried fish. Andrew said the boy was willing to share his lunch with Jesus. Jesus had the crowd settle down in a field of grass and then He told His disciples to have the people sit in rows of 100. Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks and started breaking them and put all the bread in a basket. He cut up the two fish and put them in another basket. Jesus gave me the basket of bread and asked me to pass it amongst the people. Jesus gave the basket of fish to Joanna, the wife of Chuza. I went down into the first row and people reached their hands in and took out bread from my basket. The bread began to multiply and make more bread instantly as people filled themselves up from my basket. Joanna followed me with the fish and we kept passing out the food, until everyone had eaten enough so they were full. We made it down to the last row of people and they all ate and were all satisfied. We brought the baskets back to Jesus and He told His disciples to satisfy themselves. When they had been fed, Jesus took some bread and a piece of fish for Himself and then He said to me, 'Make sure that you and Joanna get some food.'
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After everyone was done eating Jesus instructed His disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.' When the field had been cleaned up Jesus saw that the people were calling out that He should be their king, so Jesus thanked me and Joanna for our help and then He told His disciples that it was time to go." Susanna continued, "Peter I know that you said that you will no longer be afraid, but I did speak with Joanna this morning and she asked me to give you a warning. Joanna told me that she heard from her husband Chuza, that Herod was speaking about your upcoming arrest. There is nothing certain about when this will happen, but as Herods steward, Chuza is privileged to a lot of sensitive information and Joanna said that they want to make an example out of you." Peter said, "Thanks for the warning, but I have faith that God will take care of me till my time is over." Eli spoke up and told Peter, "If you need a good place to hide I could draw you a map of the catacombs, that I just worked on and in there no one would ever find you." James said, "Jesus and I went for a walk one day. Jesus also took Peter and my brother John with him and He led us high up into Mount Miron, where we were all alone and He began to pray. Jesus did a lot of praying, because this relaxed Him. I knew enough to follow Jesus, but I did not understand all that was going on around Him. Peter, John and myself were all a bit tired from the long walk uphill and the thin mountain air made us drowsy. We all took a nap while Jesus was engaged in prayer . We all woke up at the same time, when we saw a bright shining vision. I had a tremendous thrill of sudden splendor, as my Lord Jesus was transfigured before my ravished eyes. His face shined as bright as the sun, and his garments became dazzling white, more white than snow. Jesus became so bright in appearance as light emanated from His whole Body. It became difficult to look at Him, however I was transfixed and I could not take my eyes off of Him, as I saw His glory. As Jesus was transfigured, two others appeared with Him. I saw Moses and Elijah both on top of the mountain talking with Jesus. I was a little bit frightened and I did not know what to say, but Peter spoke to Jesus and said, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' As Peter was still speaking, a cloud appeared and it enveloped Jesus, Moses and Elijah, and a voice came from the cloud that said, 'This is my Son, whom I love and I am well pleased with Him. Listen to him!' Hearing God speaking from the cloud, we all fell to the ground in fear, but Jesus approached us out of the cloud and touched each of us and told us not to be afraid. Suddenly, the cloud was gone and when we looked around, Moses and Elijah had also disappeared. As we descended the mountain, Jesus gave us orders not to tell anyone what we had seen, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."
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"I asked Jesus, What He meant by 'risen from the dead'? Jesus said, 'Soon we will go to Jerusalem and I will be captured and executed and I am telling you this, so it will not be such a huge shock and surprise when it happens. God, my Father selected Me to die for the sins of mankind. This is a great honor for Me and I intend to make my Father happy.' I asked Jesus, 'Can you tell us what you were talking about with Moses and Elijah?' Jesus said, 'I prayed to my Father for strength and encouragement, because I have not known death before. My Father said that this is a hard topic for Him to have to explain to Me and maybe it would be better if I consulted with someone that was better able to relate this experience to Me. My Father asked Me if there was anyone that I wanted to meet. My Father told Me to pick two people and He would send them to Me. I picked Moses as he was a great leader. I was unsure who to pick next, then I thought about how my third cousin John the Baptist, who has been living his life emulating the prophet Elijah, so I picked him because I knew I would feel close to him. When they appeared, I reached out my hand and introduced myself as Jesus the Son of God. They both smiled at me and said, 'We know who you are.' Moses spoke and he said, 'I have been waiting 1400 years to meet you.' Elijah spoke next and he said, 'I am so proud that you picked me to talk with. I was standing up in Heaven, next to Abraham and he told me that you would pick him after Moses. As you know, only a select few of us have made it up into Heaven, because your Father did not want us to have to wait.' Jesus said, 'I wanted to consult with both of you about this very topic. My upcoming death will deliver mankind from their sins and many souls will be let into Heaven all at once. When My spirit leaves this body, many tombs will be opened, and the souls of those who have fallen asleep will be raised up to heaven. I want you guys to be ready for them. Please see what you can do to make the gates of Heaven ready for all the new comers.' Elijah said, Your cousin, John the Baptist has already arrived in heaven and we will enlist his help with this task.' Jesus said that He spoke to Moses and Elijah about the trials which were waiting for Him in Jerusalem, and they each offered Him words of encouragement, telling Him how they were sure that Jesus would do fine and please His Father." "As we got to the bottom of the bottom of the mountain, Jesus turned to Peter and He said, 'What made you think that we needed tents?' We all laughed at this idea that Peter came up with! Jesus then turned to Peter and said, I have been thinking about putting you in charge of the Gates of Heaven when your time comes. Is that a job that you think you would enjoy?' I was happy for Peter and I wondered what Jesus had in mind for me." John said, "I was invited to the wedding in Cana along with my father Zebedee, my mother Salome and my brother James. My third cousin Jesus and my second cousin Mary, who I always called Aunt Mary, were also invited. My uncle Joseph
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had passed away by this time, but his children, Jesus' step brothers James, Joses and Simon and Jesus' stepsisters Assia and Lydia all came. I remember seeing Eli's parents Seth and Elizabeth and you Sarah were also there as Eli's guest. My uncle Zacharias, my Aunt Elisabeth both attended, but their son John the Baptist was not able to come. It was a wonderful family reunion, as my sister Mary was getting married to a man named Clopas, who was a baker. Jesus was very proud of the wedding gift that He brought with Him for the newlyweds. Jesus spent a lot of time crafting His gift, as He thought it would be just what they would need to spend their new life together. Jesus made a seven-branched candelabrum which stood on a sloping base supported by three small legs very similar to the one that Moses put into the tabernacle and those made by Solomon for the temple, except it was made from wood, not from gold." "We were all eating and dancing, when suddenly Clopas, the bride groom came over to my father Zebedee and told him that the wine had run out and he did not know why this happened. Zebedee told my mother Salome that we may be going home early, as some kind of mistake has been made with the wine. My mother Salome informed her cousin Mary and Mary said, 'I will speak to my son Jesus about this.' Mary told Jesus, 'They have no wine.' Jesus abruptly responded, 'Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.' Mary replied, 'Jesus, I know that you have already been baptized and that you have defeated Satan, when he tried to tempt you out in the desert and well sometimes you just need to take charge. I know this is not your problem, but we are all enjoying ourselves and since life is short, I do not know if we will ever get the chance for all of us to be together again like this. Every mother develops a sense of when the time is right to urge her sibling out of the nest. You are a grown man now, so maybe Your time has come. Also, I do not appreciate You calling me WOMAN, as I am your mother and I know you love me and you were just being a little rebellious and maybe even trying to impress your cousins. Remember your manners, be polite when you speak to me and if you want to impress someone, then please help them!' Mary called the waiters over and told them to follow Jesus and do whatever He tells them to do. Jesus was no longer able to ignore His mothers raised eyebrows and her pleading expression, so He got up and walked outside, followed by the waiters." "They went over by a fountain, where Jesus saw six stone water jars that were there to be used for ceremonial washings, after the meal had ended. Each vessel had the capacity to hold about twenty five gallons. Jesus told the waiters, 'Fill all of these jars with water up to the brim.' The waiters filled them up as they were instructed. Jesus told them, 'Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter for his approval.' So they took the jugs of water over to the headwaiter and when he tasted the cup that had been drawn out for him to sample, the water that had
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changed into wine. The waiters were perplexed, as they knew that they filled these jars with water. The headwaiter went over to the bridegroom Clopas and said to him, 'Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one is offered, but you have kept the good wine until now. Also I was told that we have 150 gallons of this superb wine, so we will remain open for as long as you like, but please tell your guest to drink up!' I was so proud of my cousin Jesus for saving the wedding of my sister." Lazarus' sister Mary said, "I remember traveling with my family when we were fleeing Bethlehem. We were almost at Hebron, when Martha yelled out for my dad to stop the wagon, when she saw Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus and their donkey. My dad Mordekay, pulled our wagon over and he introduced himself and my mom Liya and asked Joseph where he was going and if he wanted a lift. Joseph said that he recognized my sister Martha from last night and then he introduced his family and said that they would be happy to accept a ride, as their donkey was heavily burdened down with skins of water, loaves of bread, blankets and a cage full of live birds. Joseph told my dad that they were headed for Egypt, as he had a distant cousin there that they planned on staying with." "Joseph hitched his donkey up to the back of our wagon and he helped Mary and Jesus into the wagon and then he sat up front with my dad. My dad told Joseph that we really did not have a destination and Egypt sounded as good as any other and off we went. We lived in Alexandria just down the road from Joseph, Mary and Jesus for just over five years. Jesus and Lazarus became best friends and they played together every day. I hope my brother does not take any offence to this, but Lazarus was a strange boy. He had an imaginary friend named Ghosty that was always with him. My parents thought that Lazarus having Ghosty as a friend was a good way for him to express his feelings and practice his social skills, but I just thought it was odd. Jesus said that He was able to see Ghosty and He was the only person besides my brother that would talk with him." "Jesus would often hold the door open for Ghosty and make sure that there was an extra chair at the table for him when Jesus came over to visit us. One day Martha and I walked down into a field where Jesus and Lazarus were laying down on their backs looking up at the sky. We asked them what they were doing and they said that they were watching the clouds change into different pictures and they said that we could join them if we desired. I told them that I was not going to lay down on the grass, because it was probably full of bugs. They assured me that the only bugs there were butterflies and they said that I should not be afraid of them. Martha and I laid down in the field next to my brother, Ghosty and Jesus and we started staring up in the sky." "Familiar shapes began to appear and we saw animals and images that looked like faces in the clouds. The clouds were moving quickly and they changed shape
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suddenly and they began to transform before our eyes and I said, 'Can you see that turtle?' Lazarus said that the clouds often change into whatever we are thinking about and all that we need to do is concentrate to find the shapes that are being revealed. Martha spoke next and she said that she saw a whale, then Lazarus said that he saw an elephant. Jesus told us that He could see the face of God looking down on us and we all looked up immediately to see this magnificent cloud in the sky. We all saw Gods long flowing hair, His bushy eyebrows, His majestic beard, His beautiful smile and the Sun shining through the holes in the cloud that formed His eyes." "As this cloud passed over us, Jesus spoke and said, 'Ghosty, where are you going?' We all looked at Jesus and He told us that Ghosty left, because he wanted to be with God. We looked up again and saw this wispy cloud soaring under the face of God cloud and Jesus said, 'Lazarus and I will both miss you, but we understand why you have left.' Lazarus never spoke about Ghosty again!" Ruth looked at Eli and said, "Jesus is the Christ and I believe that He is the Son of God, so that is why I am learning the way. I love Jesus and I love your family and I love all of these wonderful stories. I spent my whole life as a Hebrew going to the Temple and listening to the scriptures, but my spirit was never captured. Now that I have become enlightened in this new faith, I feel so much more vibrant and alive. Everything is exciting and I want to learn as much as I can and spread the words of Jesus to others. Eli, I hope that you will also accept your cousin as being the Son of God, and become a follower like me" Eli said, "I have always known that Jesus was more than a man and after hearing all of these stories, I do accept that He is the Son of God, but what is the deal with all the fish? I see that everyone is wearing an embroidery with a fish. I know that many of you were fisherman, but no one has explained this new fashion statement to me." Aunt Mary replied, "Eli, now that you have accepted Christ, you have become a Christian and you will also wear a fish to signify your new faith." Ruth said, "I will make you one tomorrow and sew it on for you." Aunt Mary said, "Jesus told me that you would return from Rome soon and He has a job for you. Jesus always admired your intelligence, the way you are able to listen to others and decide what they have said. Jesus wants you to record the good news of His life, death and resurrection." Martha spoke, "Let's retire to the living room and I will clean the table while my sister Mary serves everyone tea. We made a cinnamon cake for desert if anyone has room left." Ruth said, "You must let me help you with the dishes." Eli knew right then that he wanted to marry Ruth. Eli had known for years and that Ruth was going to be his woman, but he felt this was the time to make his move. Eli got down on one knee and grabbed her hand and said, "Ruth, I do not have a ring, but I want you to be my wife." Everyone cheered as Ruth said yes! Eli's Aunt
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Mary removed her wedding ring and said, "Eli I would be honored if you would accept this gift." Eli looked at Ruth and saw that she approved, so he gladly accepted the ring and placed it on Ruth's finger. Eli gave Ruth a passionate kiss on her lips and Barabbas said, "Why don't you two get a room?" Ruth smiled and said, "We just got engaged, so we are not ready for that yet". Eli said, "Ruth I will be waiting for you in the living room." Eli reflected on the image of everyone sitting around that table and he knew that this would become one of the warmest memories of his entire life. ********************************************
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Chapter Three - Party Moves to the Living Room Eli walked into the living room with the rest of the guests and Peter's wife Sarah said, "It is so nice to be able to sit and relax after eating a meal. I would have offered to help clean up, but too many cooks ruin the soup and I did not want to get in the way." Eli said, Yea, I think that they have enough help. Sarah turned to Eli and said, "You know it was my idea to use the fish as a symbol of Jesus. My husband, Simon Peter was a very experienced fisherman and he spent his whole life catching fish. Simon knows where to catch fish, how to cast nets, how to clean fish, how to cook fish and he also knows he way around boats, because he spent so much of his life on the waters. Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, one day when a great crowd surrounded Him to listen to the word of God. Jesus felt like the crowd was pushing in on Him, when He saw two boats at the water's edge. My husband, Simon was in one of these boats washing his nets. Jesus stepped into Simon's boat and asked him to push it out further into the water, so He could finish preaching to the crowd on the shore from there. Jesus finished speaking to the crowd, and then He told Simon to go out deeper into the water and let down his nets. Simon replied, 'We worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if You say so, we will try again.' When they dropped in their nets, they caught such a large number of fish, that their nets began to break. Simon and his brother Andrew signaled their partners in the other boat, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were also the third cousins of Jesus, to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Jesus told Simon 'Do not be afraid, from now on you will be fishing for the souls of men.' Simon willingly left his life of fishing behind to follow Jesus and Jesus changed my husbands name from Simon to Peter." "One day Jesus and His disciples arrived in Capernaum and they were asked to pay a temple tax. Jesus knew that He didnt have to pay this temple tax, but since He did not want to waste time, Jesus thought it would be better to just pay the tax and be done with it. Jesus knew how much Peter liked to catch fish, so Jesus sent Peter down to the nearby lake to catch a fish. Jesus told Peter that there would be money in the fishs mouth and that they would use that money to pay the tribute tax. Peter gladly obeyed the Lord, went down to the water, and the first fish he pulled in had a coin in its mouth." "Peter was distraught when Jesus was crucified, partly because he had recently denied knowing Him, but mostly because he did not have a clear direction in his life any more. Peter was miserable, moping around the house thinking that his life would never be the same. After Jesus was Resurrected and Peter saw that Jesus was still with him, Peter's hopes were restored. When Peter saw Jesus was alive,
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his fears disappeared, he had just received the Holy Spirit, and now he wanted to go fishing. The apostles all went fishing together and I encouraged Peter to go along, because I felt it would be good for him to get out again. At dawn Jesus came to them, while they were still out fishing and He stood on the beach by the Sea of Galilee, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. He called out to them and asked, 'Friends, have you caught any fish?' They answered, 'No.' He then told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and they would find some. So they cast their nets as directed, and now they were not able to haul their catch in, because there were so many fish." "The disciples suddenly realized the Man on the shore was Jesus, so they made their way towards Him. There were 153 large fish in the net, and even though there was so many, the net was not torn. When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he jumped into the water, and swam ashore, not wanting to wait for the boat to turn around, because the One Whom he loved was near and he couldnt get there fast enough. The others made it to shore with the boat several minutes after Peter got there. They pulled the loaded net to the shore, and saw that Jesus and Peter had a fire burning. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples, since He had been raised from the dead and Jesus said, 'Bring some of the fish you've just caught and let's have some breakfast!' Peter promptly responded because he was interested in how many fish they caught and now that he was with Jesus again, he was hungry. They ate the fish together and Jesus served them bread that was smeared with honeycomb. He was happy to be with His disciples again. Peter came home and told me this story and now every time I see a fish, I think of Jesus." Martha, Mary and Ruth all returned bringing tea and cinnamon cake with them for everyone. Now that everyone was settled in the living room Levi said, "I know that Jesus was the Messiah or the Christ and I can prove it, even though a lot of people have trouble accepting this as being the truth. Many people do not think of Jesus as being the Messiah, even those who have personally witnessed the miracles He performed. Once a person has made up their mind that Jesus is not the Christ, no amount of evidence will ever be able to convince them otherwise. It seems that most people think that the Messiah was going to be a political leader and since Jesus did not deliver us from the oppression and tyranny of Rome, these people are still waiting for the Messiah to come." "Several prophets foretold His birth, mission, death and resurrection and I can sum up their predictions, if anyone wants to listen to my words." Everyone in the living room enthusiastically said, Yes, Levi please tell us. Levi went on, "The prophet Micah, who criticized the people for their spiritual infidelity, because they were worshiping false idols, proclaimed that Israel would one day triumph among the nations of the world. Micah said the Messiah will come to deliver our people
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and he predicted the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and He promised that He would come again when everything is ready. Jesus rose into the sky and disappeared into a cloud saying 'I'll be back when the trumpet call of God is heard again!' When Jesus returns, the people of Israel will be delivered. Isaiah the prophet that walked around naked for three years and who named his son Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey said, 'The Lord's anointed will preach the good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted'. Isaiah foretold of a miraculous birth, where an adolescent unmarried woman, possibly a virgin would conceive a son named Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.' This prophecy did not say that the Messiahs name would actually be Immanuel, but it was more of a reference that the Messiah would bring Gods presence to man." "Isaiah said, 'A voice is calling, Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.' Isaiah was telling us that the Messiah would be preceded by a messenger. Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married, when the angel Gabriel came to them in the sixth month of her pregnancy and said that Mary would be honored among the women of all nations, because she would give birth to a holy son, named Jesus who would save His people from their sins. John the Baptist lived in the desert and he prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance and offering baptism for the remission of sins and he declared Jesus to be the Son of God. Isaiah foretold many of Jesus' miracles, 'Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.' Isaiah prophesized that the Messiah would be silent at His trial. 'He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.' Isaiah said that the Messiah would sacrifice Himself for us, 'But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.' Isaiah described how the Messiah would be tormented. 'I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.' Isaiah described how the Messiah would be crucified with thieves, 'I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.' The transgressors were the two criminals that were crucified along with Jesus. Isaiah said that the Messiah would be buried in rich man's tomb, 'He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.' Jesus died with wicked men, and He was buried in a rich man's grave, the sepulcher of His great uncle
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Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was also a prominent member of the Sanhedrin Council, so he went to Pilot and asked for the body of Jesus." "The prophet Jeremiah, who wondered why his people had turned away from God, delivered many sad prophecies and warnings that unless the people reform their morals and return to the true worship of God, as taught by Moses, that Jerusalem would be destroyed and its people would be killed or exiled. Jeremiah prophesized about the coming of a Messiah, telling of the days when a righteous King would be born, from the line of David, who would reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In the days of this Messiah, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. Jeremiah said the Messiah will be called, The Lord Our Righteous Savior. I see this prophecy fitting Jesus if one looks at His days as not being over yet. Thus the prophecies about the Messiah that were not fulfilled during Jesus first coming, will occur when He comes back a second time. Jesus had His first coming into Jerusalem, where He became a suffering Messiah and one day He will return as a conquering Messiah. The prophet Zechariah foretold that the Messiah would enter into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people should all rejoice when their King is coming, because He is just and He brings salvation. Zechariah said, 'And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son." "Zechariah made predictions of our Lord's first corning, and he spoke about the second burden and a promise of Messiah's second coming. Zechariah compared Corrupted Shepherds and Compassionate Shepherds when he spoke about people that had leadership positions such as teachers, priests, judges or rulers. Zechariah spoke in parables, just like Jesus did and Zechariah was speaking about his own life when he talked about a good shepherd whose service is brought to an end. Zechariah requested that he be paid his wages for shepherding the people since his contract had been terminated. He reluctantly asked to be released and get his final paycheck. Zechariah said, 'And I said unto them, If you think good, give me my hire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver. And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah.' This payment of 30 pieces of silver was the same price set by law that one must pay to remedy the damage done to a slave that had been gored by a neighbors ox. I see Jesus as being the wounded slave, because He was a servant of God and He was wounded by the nails and the Roman sword during His crucifixion. Just before His Last Supper, Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver when Judas Iscariot told the Romans when and where they could arrest Him. Judas was upset
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after he betrayed Jesus, he repented and took the thirty pieces of silver back to the Temple, so he could cast them down at the priests. Judas then hanged himself and the chief priests used his blood money to buy the field where Judas was buried." "The prophet David from the tribe of Judah, who eventually became king, foretold in a Psalm that the Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced, For dogs have encompassed me, the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me, they pierced my hands and my feet. David also predicted that the Roman soldiers would cast lots for His clothing, They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. Ezekiel spoke about the Messiah when he said 'I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes. I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel,' Jesus spent His whole life preaching peace and the more His words were heard the more people followed Him. When Herod died, Joseph took his family out of Egypt and back to Judea, but he was afraid to return to Bethlehem, because it was so close to Jerusalem, where Herod Archelaus, the son of Herod, now reigned as king. So Joseph took his family to the northern district of Galilee, to a small town called Nazareth where Jesus grew up became an adult and began His ministry among His people. At the end of His life all His disciples had deserted him as He was nailed to the cross alone. Jesus rose from the dead and He needs our help to make His name holy." "The prophet Hosea spoke about the Messiah saying, 'For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod and teraphim. Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.' We have waited so long for our Messiah and now that He has come, we need to ensure that the teachings of Jesus are heard by everyone. The prophet Zephaniah said, 'For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.' Zephaniah wanted everyone to unite together under our Lord. The prophet Daniel saw the coming of Jesus the Messiah when he said, 'restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah'. Samuel the prophet and judge of Israel declared that the Messiah would be a descendent of King David and King Solomon. 'When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish
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His kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.' The room was silent after Levi finished talking and finally Mary Magdalene said, "Levi, that argument of yours about Jesus truly being the long sought Messiah is very convincing and you are an eloquent speaker. The saddest day of my life was when I stood under the cross and watched Jesus die. Jesus always seemed to be in control of everything that was going on around Him, but while He was up on the cross, He looked so helpless. Jesus was innocent and He suffered and died and to His very end, He was trying to save others by requesting forgiveness for those who crucified Him. When the Sabbath ended, I went to His tomb with Jesus' mother Mary, His Aunt Salome and my good friend Susanna, so we could anoint Jesus' body with burial spices that Nicodemus had given us. On our way there, we discussed how we would be able to roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. We decided that we would look to see how big the stone was and then recruit as many disciples, as we thought would be necessary to help us. We arrived at the tomb early Sunday morning, just past sunrise. When we arrived, we saw that the very large stone had been split in two and was laying on its side, so we entered the tomb. Inside on the right we noticed a young man sitting clothed in a white robe, which startled us. Once our eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tomb, we realized that this was not a young man, but an angel. The angel said, 'Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Remember He told you that He would be turned over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise again on the third day! Now go and give this message to His disciples, including Peter. Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as He told you before he died!' We fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, not saying anything to each other, because we were too frightened to talk. We knew that the apostles were with Steven, who was one of the seven ordained deacons that helped to look after the care for the widows and the poor. We found them hiding out in the upper room at his house, when we arrived there. Inside Steven's house, we saw Peter, Andrew, John and James and I told them that I had seen an angel of the Lord, and we all reported the instructions that were given to us from the angel." "Salome's husband Zebedee was at Steven's house and her daughter Mary was also there with her husband Clopas, the baker. Clopas had made honey buns topped with sugar frosting in the shape of a cross, which he said was to honor Jesus. Clopas also made these rolls of pastry filled with grape preserves that were shaped like bunny rabbits, which were also delicious. Joanna the wife of Chuza soon arrived. After we ate this lovely breakfast, Peter and John went back to the
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tomb with me to see for themselves. They saw the stone was gone and they looked inside the tomb and they saw the linen cloths that Jesus' body had been wrapped in, but nothing else. Peter and John were amazed at what they saw and they believed what I had told them, but shortly after they said that they were going to Peters house, as they were confused about what they should do. I remained standing outside His tomb weeping. I was still seeking direction from the one that I loved so dearly. I was burning with the fire of love, longing for Him who had been taken away from me." "Suddenly Jesus was standing there beside me, but I did not recognize Him, as I thought this man must be the gardener. Jesus said to me, 'Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?' I replied, 'Sir, if you have taken Him away, tell me where He is, and I will take Him!' Jesus said, 'Mary!' Then I recognized this gardener to be Jesus and I exclaimed, 'Master!' Jesus said, 'Don't hold on to me, because I have not yet returned to my Father. But go to my disciples and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' I ran all the way to Peter's house and said to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord!', and I told them everything that had happened." Martha said, One day Jesus came over to visit my brother Lazarus and they were relaxing in the main room and my sister Mary was with them. I was very excited that Jesus was visiting with us, but I wanted everything to be just perfect for Him, so I kept myself busy cooking and cleaning the whole time while Jesus, Lazarus and Mary kept telling different stories. I felt like Mary should have been helping me with the work, because I was having a hard time doing it all by myself. I kept rushing around, cleaning and cooking, gathering herbs and vegetables from the garden, and everyone else was relaxing." "I became angry when I glanced at Mary, who was just sitting at Jesus feet, listening to all that He said and doing no work at all. Just then, Jesus looked up at me and came into the kitchen where I was busy. I asked Him, 'Lord, dont You think that my sister Mary should be helping me with all these chores that I have to do?' Jesus answered, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things . Only a few things in life are really worth worrying about. Actually it is just one thing. Your sister Mary wants to hear the words that I am teaching. Thats a good thing and it should not be taken away from her. Why dont you do the same?' All of a sudden, I felt so relaxed, my tight muscles loosened up their knots. I had a great big smile on my face, instead of the frown that I had worn all morning. I followed Jesus back into the room and settled onto the floor next to my sister and we listened to the words of Jesus." Aunt Mary said, "Eli, I am sure that everyone here would love to hear about your trip to Rome." Eli said, "OK if you insist, but most of the time I was working and although this was interesting for me, I am certain that it would be boring to
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everyone else. I often got lost when I was in Rome, as only some of the major streets have names. The Romans were good at pointing out landmarks, such as buildings, statues, fountains, bath houses, temples, gardens and even distinctive trees, which helped me to find my way around. Rome was not built in a day, as it is a very big city and I heard someone say that a million people live there and many of them are slaves. The city is so crowded, that carts and wheeled traffic are forbidden from driving through the streets of Rome during the day, except those that are used to carry Vestal Virgins. Rome is a splendid city with magnificent structures, but it also has slum areas . Wealthy Romans are the privileged citizens and they have large beautiful private houses, mostly situated in the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. During hot weather, many Romans would take their mat or bed up on their flat roof and sleep out there. Their homes are decorated with mosaics and they have window panes of glass and many heat their homes with a hypocaust systems and they also have water piped in. Wealthy Romans enjoy a rather extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings. They are surrounded by servants and slaves, who cater to their every desire. They often hold gluttonous dinner parties that often last for several hours and they serve their guests scrumptious food at these great banquet affairs. Romans do not use clay for their beverages, all of their pitchers and drinking cups are made from glass." "The poorer Romans live in cramped quarters in tall tenement apartment buildings, their walls are cracked and their roofs often cave in. They are packed into shabby, dirty, little rooms that are unsanitary and susceptible to fire. They are not allowed to cook in these houses, so they have to go out to buy hot food from shops. They sweat all day working in their menial jobs as servants. It was not uncommon to see a newborn baby abandoned in the streets, its former parents hoping that someone else would take their baby in as a servant or slave. The poor greatly outnumber the wealthy and when they are not working, they enjoy being entertained by seeing chariot races or gladiators fighting, which helps them to forget their poverty." "Like everywhere else, the man is always the head of the household, although his wife does most of the work around the home. The man is always in charge of all decisions, such as the fate of their children including who they would be allowed to marry. Each male citizen has to register for the census and declare his family, wife, children, slaves and riches. If a Roman citizen fails to register, his possessions will be confiscated and he would be sold into slavery. Family structure is important to the Romans and they all seem to have a member who they call godfather. This godfather protects family members if they get in trouble with the law, but in return he expects their full support and loyalty on all issues. Rich and poor Romans all go to the baths after work each day. They go there to wash, socialize and exercise. This practice of bathing makes the citizens
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of Rome feel superior to the rest of the world, bathing makes them feel Roman. Most Romans use public lavatories, their rivers are all polluted, no one swims in them or drinks from them, but they are used for transport. The streets of Rome are washed every day and there is a big sewer system. The Romans feel that dirt brings disease and they stress the importance of cleanliness. Aqueducts bring clean water to public fountains, which are everywhere in the city, so no one ever goes thirsty." "Merchants fill the rectangular space called the Forum in the streets of Rome and they sell their goods at a much higher price in Rome than they could get in rural areas. The Romans eat bread and fruit for breakfast and they usually have fish, cold meat, bread and vegetables for lunch. Breakfast and lunch are usually eaten while standing up, but the Romans always eat dinner sitting on chairs, or reclining on their sides on couches. The main meal eaten in the evening consists of meat, vegetable, egg, and fruit, which they drink wine with. The Romans also enjoy eating dessert, which is usually cakes, cheese, dates, figs, grapes, honey, pudding and nuts. The Romans worship many gods and they make offerings of wine and food to their gods and there are many Roman holidays. Every Roman village has its own local god, which has its own annual festival celebrated with eating, singing, and dancing lasting well into the night. The Romans are obsessed with sex. Naked statues are prominently displayed everywhere. They are always talking about how many times a day they have sex and what positions they do it in. I saw many prostitutes in Rome, but they were restricted to the suburban areas. Graffiti is scribbled on many of the walls, quacks and charlatans are everywhere and the daily news is hung up in public places. As children, boys are taught by their fathers, while girls learn from their mothers. Girls are educated the same as boys in early childhood, but boys go on to learn more advanced subjects, while girls may read literature or learn how to play a lyre, or dance and sing." Ruth said, "Eli, I hope that you did not lay down with any prostitutes." Eli quickly responded, "No that is not my thing, but I do understand the freedom in being with a prostitute, instead of having a girlfriend or a wife, as once she gets paid there is usually no more complaining. In Rome prostitutes are widely accepted, but what I think is much worse is seeing the men having sex with other men in the bath houses, it makes me sick when I see that. Speaking about laying down, that reminds me of a funny story. One day a man walked into a tavern with a giraffe, the giraffe got really drunk and went to lay down. The bartender said, 'What is that lyin there?' The man said, 'That's not a lion, it's a giraffe.' Sorry I just could not resist telling that joke." Barabbas said, "Ruth you will never know true happiness until you are married, however by then it will be too late. One day I would like to travel to Rome, but
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what I would really like to do, is to walk on water. Peter, I was told that you have walked on water, can you please tell me what that feels like?" Peter said, "It felt like my body was a sail on a ship, being blown towards Jesus. Every impossible step I took, every move I made, I prayed that I would be able to keep my eyes on Jesus. It felt like a dream, but I knew that I was awake. Jesus had just finished feeding multitudes of people with a few fish and some crusty loaves of bread and then He got the news that His third cousin, John the Baptist was just beheaded. The crowd was still buzzing about the whole thing when Jesus told me to go on ahead on to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and He said He would catch up to us later. I knew He needed some time to be alone, so I go into the boat with the rest of His disciples and we started to cross the Sea of Galilee." Several hours later in the night, we encountered a storm and we saw Jesus coming to us, walking on the water. We were all terrified as we thought that we were seeing a ghost. Jesus called out to us, 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' I replied, 'Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.' Jesus waved His hand inviting me to come. I saw Jesus, walking on the water, He did not need a ship to keep Him afloat. I knew that walking on water was possible, because I had faith in Jesus. My faith in Jesus could guide me towards Him. I got out of the boat and began walking on the water toward Jesus. I was doing fine, I knew that I had to clear my mind, keep my eyes on Him and open my spirit to Him. I was outside of the boat, walking on the water instead of thrashing around in the water or sinking under it. I was thinking, don't look to the left or to the right, just walk straight to Jesus, walk to the light where He is shining. I said to myself 'Keep your eyes on Him, don't look down because there is no ground and you will drown in the water.' Jesus was able to stay above the water, because He was in perfect harmony with nature, but I was defying laws of the universe trying to reach Him. I was getting closer and closer to Jesus, but then I took my eyes off of Him, just for a moment, because the wind was blowing hard, the waves were picking up, the water got real choppy and suddenly I began to sink, as my faith wavered. I cried out to the Lord, and Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught hold of me. Jesus held on to me and we climbed into the boat together, and then the storm ceased. I had returned to safe firm ground and the water became still and placid and I felt at peace. I think that everyone has the power to walk on water, but only if their faith is strong enough to let them do that." Ruth turned to Aunt Mary and said, "I have always loved the name Jesus and I feel like He is watching over us now from above." Mary said, "Yes, I agree as I always feel His presence. Joseph and I named Him Jesus, because we were directed to do this by the angel Gabriel. I really liked that name, as it seemed like a combination between Joshua son of Nun, who led our people across the Jordan
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River and Jeshua the high priest, who returned back to Jerusalem from Babylon with Zerubbabel. I did some research and discovered that this name is derived from Yahweh which means the one who delivers or rescues, but Jesus took many other names in his short life time. Of course He was called Jesus, son of Joseph, Jesus baby of Bethlehem and Jesus of Nazareth." "Jesus was a carpenter just like my husband Joseph, so He was called Jesus the carpenter. Jesus is the Son of God, but He liked to call himself the Son of man and others called Him the Son of Love and Life. I have heard others call Him the king of kings, king of glory, lord of lords, prince of peace, the chosen one and the holy one. People called Jesus the Son of David, the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, Emmanuel, Redeemer, King of the Jews and King of the universe. John the Baptist declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God and Jesus said that He was the bread of life. Others have said that Jesus is the light of the world and the good shepherd. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and the word of God. Jesus is God, so He is the almighty, the merciful, the righteous one, the beloved salt-of-the-earth, the all-knowing Creator of everything. Jesus was called a healer, a teacher, a master, a rabbi, a miracle worker, a trouble maker and Jesus will return back to earth one day and He will judge every person. Jesus saved me from the stain of original sin and I nourished Him at my breasts, cuddled Him in my arms, raised Him with my love and I always put my trust in Him. I endured the pain of His scourging, crucifixion and death, but I was rewarded by witnessing His resurrection and ascension into heaven." John said, "I went to the house of Nicodemus with Jesus and Mary Magdalene on the Wednesday before He died. We went there at night, because Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling Sanhedrin council and he did not want anyone to see us coming or going. Jesus told Nicodemus that his house was lovely and that He would like to use it to have a meeting with His disciples and share a meal with them the next evening. Nicodemus told Jesus that he would be happy to accommodate His needs, but he had a previous dinner engagement with Joseph of Arimathea, so he would be out most of the night and he would not be able to join us. Nicodemus showed us a large hall and told us that it could be furnished as a dining room. Jesus told Nicodemus that his house would be absolutely perfect for His needs and He thanked Nicodemus. Jesus assured him that everyone would come by and leave at night, so he would not have to worry about anyone seeing us in his house or any people reporting him. Jesus said that Mary Magdalene would arrive early, so she could roast the lamb and set up the table for this feast." "I walked back there with Jesus, my brother James, Peter and Andrew on that Thursday night of the supper. Mary Magdalene greeted us at the door and told us that Nicodemus had already left and that we were the first to arrive. Mary said that the table was almost ready and that the food would be ready shortly. Mary showed
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us a bench and asked if we would like to sit there, so she could finish setting up without us being in the way. Jesus said that was a good idea and then He asked Mary if she could bring Him a small basin of water and a few towels. We sat on the bench and Mary came back with the water and then Jesus got up and told us all to remain seated, because He wanted to wash our feet. Jesus went up to Peter first and Peter said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. No, said Peter, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered, Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. Simon Peter replied, Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well! Jesus answered, A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you. I felt a bit awkward when it was my turn to have my master wash my feet, but it was very soothing and Jesus smiled at me the whole time He was washing my feet. Mary came back and told us that the table was ready now and that she would wait by the door and wash the feet of everyone else when they arrived. We all took seats at the long table, which only had chairs on one side of it. The rest of the Apostles arrived moments later." "Once everyone was seated at the table, Jesus told us to bow our heads and He picked up bread, and He gave thanks to God, then he broke the unleavened bread and passed it around to us, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Jesus carved up the lamb and Mary served it to us with bitter herbs. There were several bowls of olive oil on the table for us to dip the bread into. Honey sweetened chopped nuts and fruit were also dispersed around our table and we all dug in to the food. Jesus said, 'I am giving you a new commandment, that you all must love one another, as I have loved all of you. I want all men to know that you are my disciples and that you have love for one another.' Jesus talked about His death and He told us that one of us would betray Him. This revelation shocked all of us and many said that it would not be them. At the end of the meal, Jesus got up and He walked around and filled all of our cups with wine. Jesus held His cup up in the air and said, 'This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'. Jesus told us that all of our gatherings should include the bread that is His body and the wine that is His blood, so we would always remember Him. Jesus said that before we eat and drink we should always bless the bread and the wine, as this is to become a new sacrament that He is giving to all mankind." Lazarus asked his sister Martha if she could bring out another bottle of wine, as he was thirsty from listening to all the stories of his guests. Mary his other sister stood up and asked if anyone would like another slice of cake, as she would be happy to get it for them. Barabbas said. "It seems from these stories that were told tonight, that Jesus enjoyed drinking wine." Lazarus said, "Yes, He did! Jesus was
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no stranger to the grape and in fact He helped me to pick out this land for my vineyard. I heard Him when He was preaching to a large crowd one day and He told a story about a farmer. After Jesus was done teaching, I went up to Him and said, that I was not aware that He knew so much about farming." "Jesus smiled at me and He said, 'All these things I said are mostly common sense, but I was not speaking about farming, I was talking about having faith in God, so you can reach the kingdom of heaven. However, I actually do know quite a bit about farming and if you have any questions, I would be glad to help you.' I told Jesus that I wanted to buy some land, so I could plant a vineyard and make my own wine. Jesus said that He would be glad to help me, as long as I would let Him come by to taste my wine when He was in the area. Jesus told me that this was a noble endeavor and that right after the deluge was over, Noah planted a vineyard and he discovered the soothing, consoling, and enlivening effects of drinking wine. Jesus told me that I should be aware that this is a big project and that it would work better if I was able to break it all down into smaller steps and work towards my goal. Jesus said that the climate that we live in is very conducive for growing grapes and much of the land in this area has the proper nutrients to grow a healthy crop. Jesus suggested that I should buy a plot of land that was big enough, so I could expand my fields later, if things worked out for me. Jesus told me that the three most important growing conditions for plants are to have sunshine, water and good soil, so they can grow their roots. Jesus wanted me to understand that planting, maintaining and harvesting a vineyard is strenuous work, which requires hard physical labor, that often needs to be done in the heat of summer." "That next day, Jesus came by and we went out together to look for some land. Jesus said we should find a place that has a stream nearby, so my vineyard could be watered. As we walked around the area, Jesus told me that I would need to build a fence around my vines, to keep deer, pigs, rabbits and gophers out. Jesus said that I would need to sketch out the area where I wanted to plant my grapes, and that I should leave enough space between the rows, so my vines could be tended. Jesus also told me that I would need to break up the soil before the fall and winter rains arrived and the deeper I plowed the soil, the better it would be for the vine roots. We looked at three different fields and the first one was too big and there was no water source. The second field did have water and it was the right size, but it was filled with stones and Jesus said it would not work out for me. The third plot of land was ideal, having water, being the right size, the land was not rocky and it already had a fence put up around it. I made the owner an offer and the timing was perfect, as he was just going to put it on the market. I moved into the new house with my two sisters and I started out small, just like Jesus had advised me to do. I planted one row with ten vines the first year and Jesus came by and blessed my crops. I planted a cover crop of
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clover and other grasses on the rest of my ground to keep my soil from eroding during winter rains. Mary and Martha planted vegetables and flowers all around, which seemed to attract beneficial insects that helped with pollination. I learned how to stomp the grapes into wine and how to let it sit and ferment. I called Jesus over when my first batch of wine was ready and we shared several pitchers and told stories late into the night. Jesus commented that I had done a great job and He said that my wine was awesome. Jesus said that my wine was just as good as the wine that He had made for the wedding at Cana. I was so happy when Martha started seeing Barabbas and I offered him a job to help me tend the crops and make the wine. Barabbas has a sharp mind and he is a quick learner, so I plan to be expanding my vineyard next year with his help. He is doing a wonderful work in the vineyard and if he and Martha ever get married, I will ask him to become my business partner." James said, "The craziest thing that I ever saw Jesus do, happened one day when I was walking with Him and the rest of His disciples to Jerusalem. We all saw a fig tree off in the distance, and noticed that it had leaves. Jesus was looking forward to enjoying some of the fruit, as He approached the tree, but when He finally arrived at the tree, He found that it had no fruit, for the figs were not yet in season. When Jesus saw the barren fig tree, He cursed the tree, saying 'May no fruit ever come from you again, no man will ever eat fruit from you from now on forever'. We all went with Jesus to Jerusalem, during this last week before His crucifixion, where He encountered some trouble. On the way back out of Jerusalem, we passed that same fig tree and it had already withered away from the roots up." "As you all know, the fruit on a fig tree generally appears before the leaves, and this fruit is green, so it blends in with the leaves right up until the time when it is almost ripe. We all saw that this tree had leaves on it from a distance, and we expected that it might also have fruit, even though it was earlier in the season for a normal fig tree to be bearing fruit. When the fig leaves first appear, they are accompanied by a crop of small knobs known as taqsh, which is a fig-like fruit that grows on fig trees, before the real figs start to grow. Taqsh drops off the fig trees before the real fig is formed, but they can be eaten if you are very hungry. If the leaves appear unaccompanied by taqsh, there will be no figs that year. When Jesus got close enough to the fig tree, He noticed that it did not contain any of these taqsh, so that meant that this tree would not have any figs when the time was right for it to have figs and this was a fruitless and a hopeless tree. Jesus was both God and human, so when He got hungry. He may have also gotten annoyed, as I know I do, when things dont go my way. Getting angry is part of being human and Jesus could have just went on His way, but since He knew that His death was near and this tree had pissed Him off, He put His curse on this tree."
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"God commanded all of His angels to worship Jesus and perhaps Jesus may have thought that the angels placed this fig tree along His path, so He could sustain His hunger. Jesus could have had legions of angels at His command any time He wanted them, but he did not ask for them for help, even when He was suffering from hunger. Jesus was able to sense things that the rest of us were unaware of, but one thing is for certain, His angels did not place this fig tree there for Him. Perhaps, Satan put this fruitless fig tree along our path to tempt Jesus. God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus, so He could show us how to deal with the devil. As the Son of Man, Jesus had to face the enemy and be tempted. Jesus faced down Satan and came out victoriously, not just as God, but as a human being." "Jesus knew that Satan was a powerful ruler of demonical spirit forces and the devil tempted Jesus three times when He was preparing Himself spiritually for His ministry. Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit after He was baptized in the River Jordan. This vast desert was an lonely, barren, inhospitable place that was full of danger and not too many people ever dared to venture into it, especially for long periods of time, knowing that being out there would cause them to suffer the hazard caused by scorching heat, extreme cold, wild animals, snakes, scorpions, as well as the scarcity of food and water. Jesus was seeking solitude in order to purify and prepare Himself for the tests that were ahead of Him and one of those was to be tempted by the devil." "After Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights, He was hungry, and the devil came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become loaves of bread.' But He answered, It is written, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the holy temple said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, jump off, for it is written, 'He will command His angels for You, and their hands will catch You, so that You will not hit Your foot on a rock,' Jesus said to the devil, 'Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.' Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The devil said to Him, 'All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, Go away from me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and you shall only serve Him.' Then the devil left Jesus, and behold, angels came to Jesus and helped Him." Aunt Mary stood up and said, "Lazarus I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, you are such a gracious host and I want to thank you and your sisters Martha and Mary for all of your hospitality. I have a long walk home and I should get started soon. The food was great, your wine was very tasty, and Mary I will need to come back some day and get your recipe for that cinnamon cake." John stood up and spoke, "Mary, Levi is taking all of us home in his wagon. I would
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never let you walk all the way home from here in the dark. I can't believe that you would even think of walking 25 miles, especially this late at night. You know that I came here with Levi, Mary Magdalene, Susanna, Peter, Sarah and my brother James and we are all going back to Galilee together. There is plenty of room left for you and Ruth and if Eli wants to ride along with us, then he can hitch his horse to the back of the wagon." Mary said, "Yes I expected that you would offer me a ride home and I don't want to be a party pooper but I am much older than everyone else and I do get tired." Ruth stood up and said, "I am ready to leave at any time now and I also had a lovely evening listening to all of these amazing stories. Lazarus, Martha and Mary thank you so much for inviting me to your beautiful home." Eli stood up next and said, "Now that we are engaged, I must see you safely back to your door. It was a real pleasure meeting all of you and I hope to see all of you again real soon and if not, then at our wedding. All of these stories about my cousin Jesus made me think of all the wonderful times that we shared together and I can see how Jesus had a profound effect on everyone else here." Barabbas stood up and said, "Eli, I need to thank you for showing me how to propose to a woman and if Martha will accept me in her life, I want to marry her." Barabbas got down on one knee in front of Martha and he said, "Will you marry me?" The room was silent until Martha broke out into a big smile and said, "Yes!" Eli started a chant, "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her" and everyone joined in on the chant. Barabbas lifted Martha up into his arms and kissed her deeply and passionately. Ruth said, "Maybe you two are the ones that should get a room?" Barabbas said, I was thinking that we could get married after the harvest, so we will have plenty of wine for us and our guests." Eli said, "That is a great idea and maybe we could make it a double wedding, since we are all such close friends now." Martha said, "I love that idea, as long as Ruth is OK with it. We can make our dresses together." Ruth said, "I love the idea also, but Eli will have to tell his parents before we finalize any of these plans." Levi said, "I can feel a lot of love in this room and maybe it is the full moon influencing my feelings right now, but Susanna I have been in love with you for a long time and I need to let you know this." Susanna blushed and said, "Levi I feel the same way toward you, but I never knew how to express these feelings that I also have for you." Levi said, "Three has always been my lucky number, as I was born on March 3rd, what would you say to a triple wedding?" Levi got down on one knee and said, "Susanna will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Susanna said "Yes, praise the Lord, I thought that no one would ever ask me to marry them!" Levi said, "Don't bother to chant as I plan on kissing her right now." Levi lifted Susanna up and as they kissed, Eli kissed Ruth and Barabbas kissed Martha again. Aunt Mary went around the room and kissed everyone good night.
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Ruth and Eli followed Mary saying their goodbyes. As Eli, Ruth and Mary were walking out, Barabbas said, "Eli has left the building!" ********************************************
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Fiction Book Proposal - Ancient Book of Eli

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Fiction Book Proposal - Ancient Book of Eli

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Fiction Book Proposal - Ancient Book of Eli