Chapter 9. The Word of the Lord

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CHAPTER 9

THE WORD OF THE LORD

And it came to pass in the year of nineteen hundred and twenty four and the twelfth day of the ninth month, the word of the Lord, God of Ethiopia came to Athlyi saying:

"I am God, the Creator, Father of Ham, Canaan, Nimrod and Ethiopia." ³

"Why calleth thou my Holy Temple, Church?" sayeth the Lord unto Athlyi.

"Will thou also destroy the righteousness of my holy name?"

"Will thou even so teach that I am a God who confers honor upon the envious in mind, the lying, inhuman, murdering, plunderous, oppressive and adulterous characters in my name?"

And the Lord continued to say, "Athlyi! Oh Athlyi! I say unto you again. Why calleth my holy temple, 'Church'? Will thou also teach that I have p. 59 commanded to destroy the offsprings of Ham in Canaan?" ⁴

Athlyi answered saying, "Father, behold the house of Athlyi."

"This I have created," saith the Lord, "Verily I shall dwell in the High place at the House of Athlyi and shall give light to the Shepherd and the Shepherd to his Apostles and his Apostles to all people who shall constitute the auxiliaries of my most Holy house of Athlyi.

"But why calleth thou these auxiliaries, 'Church'?" he continued.

Athlyi hesitated and the Lord our God, who stood in the midst of a brilliant light, like unto a circle pointed to Athlyi and said: "I have commanded thee but thou art carried away by those who polluted the righteousness of my name."

At this saying Athlyi advanced towards the Lord with open arms and cried out, "O God of Ethiopia, I pray, redeem me, wash me clean and separate me from all gospels that pollute the righteousness of thy name that those in me unto thee may be clean and free from all things abominable in thy sight."

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"Thou art the supreme sage; pray! give me to nurse at thy breast the milk of wisdom that I may know and understand thee."

And it came to pass that the Lord, our God of Ethiopia, spoke saying, "Reach out and touch me."

Athlyi reached out and with the first finger of his right hand touched the personality in the light, straightway his heart became in motion and the eyes of Athlyi lit up like a torch. Evidently he had increased in wisdom, a man matchless in spirit.

And the Lord, God of Ethiopia, spoke unto Athlyi saying, "Thou art a star in my crown. Go ye through the lands that men may dwell in thee and see clear the impediments in the paths of their lives."

Now when the Lord had commanded Athlyi to carry the light unto others he departed and the light of his eyes lit up the near and distant darkness, and the word of his mouth brought freedom to the enslaved.

Footnotes

58:3 Cf. Gen. 10:6-7: "By these were the borders of the nations divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan."

59:4 Gen. 10:24-27: "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son [Ham] had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."