1 Kings 1 – King David has become too old to sit on his royal throne – Adonijah attempts to set himself upon his father David’s throne – King David declares to Bath-sheba that he will pass along the Kingdom to their son Solomon — ‘1 Kings 1:29-30 And the King [David] sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.’

Solomon is anointed to be the 3rd and final King over a united Israel: '1 Kings 1:32-39 And King David said, Call me Zadok the [High] Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the King. The King also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And *let Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anoint him there King over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, *that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be King in my stead: and *I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the King, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the King say so too. As the LORD hath been with my lord the King, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David. So Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the Tabernacle [the Temple has not yet been built], and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon.' - The three offices of God; King, Priest and Prophet are all three still in existence and functioning separately in Israel during the reign of King Solomon.

JewishVirtualLibrary.org: Solomon – The biblical King Solomon was known for his wisdom, his wealth and his writings. He became ruler in approximately 967 B.C. – Solomon’s downfall came in his old age he had taken many foreign wives, whom he allowed to worship other gods – Solomon died in Jerusalem after 40 years as ruler of Israel – He was buried in the City of David [Jerusalem] – His son, Rehoboam succeeded him as king – Under Rehobaum’s rule, Solomon’s empire was lost and his kingdom was divided into two parts [Israel (Northern ten Tribes) – Judah (Southern two Tribes, Judah and Benjamin)]

The biblical King Solomon was known for his wisdom, his wealth and his writings. He became ruler in approximately 967 B.C.E. and his kingdom extended from the Euphrates River in the north to Egypt in the south. His crowning achievement was the building of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Almost all knowledge of him is derived from the biblical books of Kings I and Chronicles II. Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Solomon was not the oldest son of David, but David promised Bathsheba that Solomon would be the next king. When David's elder son Adonijah declared himself king, David ordered his servants to bring Solomon to the Gihon spring where the priest anointed him while David was still alive. Solomon inherited a considerable empire from his father. At first Solomon was faced with opposition. Two of David's closest advisors, Joab son of Zeruiah and the priest Abiathar, sided with Adonijah. When Adonijah came to Solomon and requested the king's servant as a wife, Solomon saw that this was a veiled threat to take over his kingdom and sent a messenger to kill Adonijah. He banished Abiathar to the city of Anathoth. Solomon then followed his father's last instructions in which David had ordered him to kill both Joab and one of his father's enemies, Shimei son of Gera. Solomon thus overcame the last potential threats to his kingdom. He then appointed his friends to key military, governmental and religious posts. -- Solomon accumulated enormous wealth. He controlled the entire region west of the Euphrates and had peace on his borders. Kings I states that he owned 12,000 horses with horsemen and 1,400 chariots. Remains of stalls for 450 horses have in fact been found in Megiddo. Solomon strengthened his kingdom through marital alliances. Kings I records that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, although some regard this number as an exaggeration.2 He had a large share in the trade between northern and southern countries. He established Israelite colonies around his province to look after military, administrative and commercial matters. The empire was divided into twelve districts, with Judah constituting its own political unit and enjoying certain privileges. ... Solomon was also renowned for his other building projects in which he used slave labor from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. He spent 13 years building his own palace, and also built a city wall, a citadel called the Millo, a palace for the daughter of Pharaoh (who was one of his wives) and facilities for foreign traders. He erected cities for chariots and horsemen and created storage cities. He extended Jerusalem to the north and fortified cities near the mountains of Judah and Jerusalem. Solomon's downfall came in his old age. He had taken many foreign wives, whom he allowed to worship other gods. He even built shrines for the sacrifices of his foreign wives. Within Solomon's kingdom, he placed heavy taxation on the people, who became bitter. He also had the people work as soldiers, chief officers and commanders of his chariots and cavalry. He granted special privileges to the tribes of Judah and this alienated the northern tribes. The prophet Ahijah of Shiloh prophesied that Jeroboam son of Nebat would become king over ten of the 12 tribes, instead of one of Solomon's sons. Outside Solomon's kingdom, Hadad, of the royal family of Edom, rose up as an adversary of Israel. Rezon son of Eliada, ruler of Aram also fought Solomon, and created tension between the two kingdoms that was to last even after Solomon's reign ended. [link]

1 Kings 2-3 – King David hands the Kingdom to his son Solomon – Instructions are given to Solomon by David in how to be a strong King and how to rule wisely – King Solomon is told to put the deceitful opportunist Joab to death and not to let him enter into the new Kingdom age – ‘1 Kings 2:10-12 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David [Jerusalem]. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.’

King Solomon begins to reign: '1 Kings 3:1-3 And Solomon made affinity [a relationship] with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. Only the people [still] sacrificed in high places, because there was no House [Temple] built unto the Name of the LORD, until those days. And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he [wrongly] sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.' - It was worldly wise to negotiate with Egypt but spiritually it was a big mistake for Solomon to make to invite Egypt back into the affairs of Israel and it will be a costly mistake for Israel. When Israel departed from Egypt and was 'baptized' unto Moses in the Red Sea the same baptism that "saved" the Nation of Israel also "destroyed" the perusing Egyptian army. The 'baptism' is in part to cut us off from our past and from any enemy that is perusing us and once we are baptized in the Holy Spirit and by water [in part to show the spirit realm that we are now clean and separated from the demonic realm] the enemy cannot return to us with the freedom it once had or as it would desire to do however like Solomon we can still return to those old enemies, those old habits, emotions, addictions and those old demons and invite them right back into our life again though we should Know that once baptized we are now separated from the past life of bondage in Egypt and we do have authority over the enemy to return the enemy to Egypt while we continue to live spiritually apart in our new home the eternal, heavenly Jerusalem. -- God gives Solomon earthly, worldly wisdom but not godly, heavenly discernment. '1 Kings 3:7-15 7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant King instead of David my father: and I [Solomon] am but a little child [in knowledge]: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. *Give therefore thy servant an [worldly] understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the Kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.'

1 Kings 4-6 – King Solomon begins construction on a seven year project in the building of the 1st Jerusalem Temple – King Hiram of Tyre sends his servants to help and provides timber from Lebanon for the Temple — ‘1 Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year [480] after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.’ – ‘John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto Him (Jesus), What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these [Messiah] things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy This Temple, and in three days I will [Resurrection] raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this [stone] Temple [2nd Temple, Herod’s Temple] in building [in Jerusalem], and wilt thou rear it up in three days? *But He spake of the Temple of His body. When therefore He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His Name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because he knew all men [mankind], And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what [deceit] was in man.’

The Temple of God is built in Jerusalem: '1 Kings 6:7 And the House (Temple), when it was in building, was built of stone *made ready before it was brought thither [to the Temple Mount]: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the House (Temple), while it was in building.' - Peter quotes this well-known fact that one of the requirements to building the Temple in Jerusalem required that the granite stones had to be quarried away from the Temple site and that the stones had to be chiseled into their proper dimensions before leaving the stone quarry because there was to be no hammering, chiseling or shaping of the stones once at the actual Temple site. Peter [whose name means rock] refers to his fellow Christians as 'living stones' meaning that the true Temple is in Heaven and that while we are here on earth in this quarry the shaping and molding process is taking place however when we get into heaven [the Temple Mount] there are no sharp tools for the shaping of people in heaven so when we leave the earth we are already to have been completely shaped to fit into the Kingdom of God in Heaven. - '1 Peter 2:1-6 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word (Bible), that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, *as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, *Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an Holy Priesthood (Melchizedek), to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture [Isaiah 28:16], Behold, I lay in Sion (Zion) a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.'

!!!Highly Recommended: The Way of Agape (Love) and Be Ye Transformed [life change] by Nancy Missler – based on the architecture of the Temple in the Bible (Mp3’s)

Here are the messages from our 2009 catalog, available exclusively for free download.  [link]

1 Kings 7-8 – King Solomon built the Temple for God in seven years however he spent thirteen years in building his own house — ‘1 Kings 7:1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.’

King Solomon dedicates the Temple: '1 Kings 8:27-28 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this House (Temple) that I have builded? Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee today:' Solomon is asking God to accept the Temple and for God's visible presence to dwell there in the Temple and God does. - '1 Kings 8:52-61 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD. And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.' - '2 Chronicles 7:1-4 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying [a second prayer], the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.'

1 Kings 9-11 – The Queen of Sheba visits Jerusalem, the Temple and King Solomon – Later King Solomon the third and final Trilogy of Anointed Kings over a united Israel turns his attention and affections from God and becomes a type of the coming NWO Antichrist — ‘1 Kings 10:14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six [666] talents of gold.’

King Solomon deals deceitfully with others in becoming a type of Antichrist: '1 Kings 9:10-14 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the House (Temple) of the LORD, and the King's house, now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire, that then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul ["Cabul" as meaning, in Phoenician, "what does not please" - wiki.com] unto this day. And Hiram sent to the King [Solomon] six score talents of gold.' - Here King Solomon represents the conduct of the coming Antichrist a complete ruler who will rule at the expense of others of everyone in fact. There will not be any winners in the Antichrist system it will quickly become a completely broken useless system where all the wealth, treasure and authority is in the hands of a single person [possessed by Satan] and everyone else will be like King Hiram receiving 'Cabul' and paying an enormous price for it.

Ethiopian Christianity – King Solomon & the Queen of Sheba – Ethiopian Christians tell this story about Solomon and the Queen of Sheba – Their version holds that the Queen of Sheba was an Ethiopian sovereign named Makeda (Magda) and that she returned from her celebrated journey to the court of Solomon in Jerusalem [pregnant] bearing the king’s son, David, who became the first king of Ethioipia, ruling as Menelik I. Makeda’s tale is told in an ancient Ethiopian book, the Kebra Negast, or Glory of Kings, from which this is taken

Ethiopians claim that they have possession of the original biblical Ark of the Covenant, taken from the Temple in Jerusalem, just as the Babylonian army invaded Judah and took the Jews into captivity for seventy years. See II Kings 25 for the Biblical account of the fall of Jerusalem. While there is no way to verify the truth of their claim, particularly since only the Keeper of the Ark is permitted to actually see it, it is not inherently historically implausible. The Ethiopians make as good a case for possessing the Ark as anyone else could, and are virtually the only people who do claim to have it. Most historians and biblical scholars assume that the Ark was taken by the Babylonians as plunder, along with the rest of the Temple treasure. This is certainly as likely to be the cases as is the claim that it is in the Church of St Mary Zion in Axum. However, two factors lend credibility to the possibility that the Ethiopians are speaking the truth. First, the Ark of the Covenant was the greatest of all of the treasures in the Temple. If the priests were to attempt to escape Jerusalem with only one treasure, the Ark is the most likely candidate. Second, if the priests did make off with the Ark of the Covenant, they would have taken it west towards Egypt. Those (including Isaiah [*Jeremiah]) who escaped Judah after the Babylonian captivity went to Egypt, Egypt was Judah's political ally, and the Babylonians came from the east. If the priests took the Ark to Egypt, they would probably take it up the Nile River as the safest part of Egypt, and this comports with the Ethiopian claim that it was kept along the Upper Nile for many years, before being conveyed to Ethiopia. The strongest modern argument supporting Ethiopia's claim has been presented in Graham Hancock's book, The Sign and the Seal. While this page does not fully support Hancock's argument, neither does it find the case he makes entirely without merit. [link]

The Queen of Sheba – A foreign queen from a distant land with strange gods, she converted to [Judaism] Solomon and his God – An outsider with an insider’s understanding – This is the woman who Jesus later claimed would rise up to condemn unbelievers – ‘The Queen of the South will appear at the Judgment when this generation is on trial’ — ‘Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south [Sheba] shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold [Jesus], a greater than Solomon is here.’

We learn only a little about her from the Bible, but it is what happens to the story in the telling that is most fascinating. 1 Kings 10 describes her visit to Solomon. She came to 'test him with hard questions' - she wanted to know whether he was really as wise as they said he was. So, the Bible is interested in her because of her mind. She was a wise woman, a Carol Vorderman or a Joan Bakewell. But posterity has remembered her for the rich gifts she brought with her, spices, gold and precious stones, gifts that lend her a kind of oriental exoticism. The text says that she was 'breathless' before Solomon's wisdom and admitted that his God must be the greatest. We are told that Solomon gave her all that she desired. Later readers have assumed that her desires were erotic rather than intellectual and that she was breathless with passion rather than with hard thinking, but its hard to tell. I suppose that whoever has ears to hear will hear it their own way. But whether it was mind or body or both, Sheba is seduced by Solomon. Though almost his equal in money and brains, she gave in and adored him. A foreign queen from a distant land with strange gods, she converted to Solomon and his god. An outsider with an insider's understanding. This is the woman who Jesus later claimed would rise up to condemn unbelievers. ... Sheba might have been a match for Solomon and the Bible text almost has it so. But tradition has made him her conqueror and so inspired and validated many other victories of Europe over the orient, of man over women, of 'Truth' over error. But Jesus promised that Sheba would have her day, that she would rise up in judgment. We still live in a world in which the old conquerors are still at work, a world marred by racism, sexism, imperialism, and terrifying will to power. And, as Jesus promised, the Queen of Sheba still rises in judgment. In Britain today you are more likely to suffer harassment and violence and less likely to find work, if you are black. Just a few miles from here is a detention center where 120 mostly black men are held without trial, for undetermined periods of time, subject to racist abuse, and many in desperate fear. And the Queen of Sheba rises in judgment. Many black Christians coming to this country feel excluded from 'white' churches and as they set up their own. And the Queen of Sheba rises in judgment. - The people of Israel left Egypt, fleeing from oppression and racism, from a land where foreigners could only be slaves. Joseph had even put it in his will that his bones were to be repatriated. But the Kingdom of God, the place of our dreams, must be one in which no one ever needs to flee, in which the whole earth could be home to any man or woman, in which Sheba and Solomon could be each other's match, whether in wits or in love. In Christ there is no East or West. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. All are one in Christ. Until earth and heaven are made new, Sheba will still rise in judgment. Until she and all her sisters can be black and comely, until all wisdoms will be recognized, until any Jew could rest his bones in Egypt, until any human being could hold the hand of another in honest and co-equal love, the queen of the south will rise in judgment. [link]

Freemasonry: The Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon – Upon reading the title of this paper, you may well wonder, “what on earth has the Queen of Sheba got to do with Freemasonry?” – The Board of Installed Masters is a ceremony, not a degree, so I will plead “not guilty” of divulging any secrets when I tell you that during this ceremony the VOSL is opened at I Kings 10 – Nonetheless, I hope it has given you some insight into the life and times of King Solomon, our first [Freemason] Grand Master

Who was the Queen of Sheba? I don't want to spoil my story, but before going any further, I should tell you that no archaeological evidence has ever been unearthed or uncovered that suggests or supports that the Queen of Sheba ever visited King Solomon. There are, however, records of the ancient country of Sheba, which date from 715 BCE. Sheba was sometimes called Saba, meaning "Host of Heaven," and "peace," and is thought to be what is now the country of Yemen in the South West corner of Arabia where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean. The people who lived in Sheba were called Sabaeans [? - not sure]. The Sabaeans have been described as a tall and commanding people, both woolly-haired and straight-haired. Semitic in origin, they are believed to have been descendants of the land of Cush in the Bible. The Sabaean people inhabited most of NW and SW Arabia, some 483,000 square miles of mountains, valley and deserts. Some historians claim that Ethiopia, on the western end of the Red Sea, was also part of Sheba's territory. The Sebaeans conquered all of the other South Arabian countries at the start of the Christian era. Sheba was a wealthy country, rich in gold and other precious stones, as well as incense and exotic spices sought by neighboring kingdoms. From ancient times, perfumes and spices were popular commodities in the near East, and the spice trade was a particularly active one. From both the Bible and other classical sources it appears that the valuable plants from which the coveted aromatic resins, incense, spices, and medicinal potions were produced, were grown mainly in the kingdoms of southern Arabia. From this area, major land and sea trade routes branched out to all the great trading centers of the ancient world. The Sabaeans were both extensive traders and bandits and engaged in the slave trade. Sheba engaged in a lucrative caravan trade. By 1000 BCE, camels frequently traveled the 1400 miles up the "Incense Road" and along the Red Sea to Israel. The spices of Sheba were highly prized. Frankincense, an offering to the gods, was heaped on funeral pyres, and given as an antidote for poison, and as a cure for chest pains, hemorrhoids and paralysis. Myrrh, an ingredient in fragrant oils and cosmetics, was used in preparing bodies for burial, for healing ear, eye and nose ailments, and inducing menstruation. Other Sabaean spices were saffron, cummin, aloes and galbanum. The capital of Sheba was the city of Ma'rib. Nearby was a great dam, which may have been as high as 60 feet, which provided enough water to make Sheba an agricultural nation, as well as a land of beautiful gardens. It was a fertile oasis in the desert. There is evidence that this dam burst, and the devastation caused by the ensuing flood, coupled with the loss of water for agriculture, may have led to the demise of several Sabaean cities which no longer exist today. Because of its isolation, Sheba was secure from military invasion for at least 500 years, and was independent and at peace with its neighbors during the 11th and 10th century BC History reveals that at least five kings preceded the Queen of Sheba. Yet Arabian documents portray all of Arabia as matriarchal and ruled by queens for over 1000 years. In Ethiopia, the Kebra Negast refers to a law established in Sheba that only a woman could reign, and that she must be a virgin queen. Rule by queens was not unusual in prehistoric times. Women played a large role in government, especially in the Near East where there is evidence of their prominence in economics, the family, and religion. According to Ethiopian legend, the Queen of Sheba was born in 1020 BCE in Ophir, and educated in Ethiopia. Her mother was Queen Ismenie. Sheba was known to be beautiful, intelligent, understanding, resourceful, and adventurous. A gracious queen, she had a melodious voice and was an eloquent speaker. Excelling in public relations and international diplomacy, she was a also competent ruler. The historian Josephus said of her, "she was inquisitive into philosophy and on that and on other accounts also was to be admired." Since Sheba was a center of astronomical wisdom and the ruling monarch was the chief astronomer/ astrologer, religious life involved worship of the Sun and Moon. Shams was the Sun god. The earliest known Arabian temple was at Ma'rib, the capital of Sheba, and was called Mahram Bilqus, "precincts of the Queen of Sheba." In Arab lore, this queen was named Bilqus or Balkis; in Ethiopia, Makeda (also Magda, Maqda and Makera), meaning "Greatness" or "Great One." Others say Maqda is a short form of Magadhi, and that Magadhi was a long-gone tribal language in which there were sixty-three different ways to say each word. All that can be ascertained now is that it stands for the letter "M" -that's what Maqda means. Years later, the historian Josephus, referred to her as Nikaulis, Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt. ... The Origin of the Ethiopian Monarchy-Sheba and her son Menyelek: The Bible says nothing about a marriage between Solomon and Sheba, but states simply that she returned to her own land. However, the Abyssinians (the country now known as Ethiopia) have adopted some of the Arab tales and trace the lineage of their royal house to the Queen of Sheba. The Ethiopians claim that their rulers are descended from Menilek, son of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba, thus giving rise to the imperial title "Lion of Judah." The Kebra Negast is regarded as the final authority on the early history of Ethiopia, and its origin in the Solomonic lines of kings, which "descends without interruption from the dynasty of Menelik I, son of Queen of Ethiopia, Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Jerusalem." This idea exists in the folk lore of many Jewish, Moslem and Christian countries. *The relationship between Ethiopia, Lion of Judah, and Israel is apparent in Ethiopia's national emblem, the six pointed star [actually a five pointed star], which corresponds to the Shield (Seal) of David on Israel's flag Here is the tale of how Solomon's son became the King of Ethiopia ... [link]

Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – Examining a photo of the Iranian president holding aloft his identity card during the nation’s [June] 2008 elections, the newspaper discovered Ahmadinejad’s original family name – prior to their conversion to Islam – was Sabourjian, a Jewish name meaning “cloth weaver” – According to a London Telegraph report, his ferocity may be overcompensation … for his own Jewish roots {Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is probably a CIA, Illuminati, Freemason, Satanic, UN-NWO plant however they only plant people particularly in 3rd World governments that they can also take down relatively easily. Ahmadinejad probably has several self-destruct mechanisms one of them being Jewish that the NWO can activate at their convince to eventually bring in another more advance NWO mole into that position. Ahmadinejad’s anger is real unlike an Alex Jones type of NWO plant [Alex Jones is extremely likely a Bohemian Grove member and probably one of the red robed (human sacrificing) priests] who is actually an insider a part of the system and is working from the outside [as a pretend outsider] to bring in the very NWO system that he is pretending to oppose while at the same time Ahmadinejad is an outsider trying desperately to earn his way inside to be a part of a NWO system that ultimately (doubly) opposes him [the NWO system opposes all the people affiliated with Abraham including Jews, Muslims and Christians]. A third type of very common NWO plant would be the Fox News type – Rupert Murdoch, Bill O’Reilly, Genn Beck – type of person who thinks they are a NWO insider acting as an outsider however they are just an outsider being used and later discarded by the system.}

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has exasperated the world with incensed condemnations of Israel and his insistence that the Holocaust is a hoax, but could there be another reason behind his seeming hatred for the Jews? According to a London Telegraph report, his ferocity may be overcompensation ... for his own Jewish roots. Examining a photo of the Iranian president holding aloft his identity card during the nation's 2008 elections, the newspaper discovered Ahmadinejad's original family name - prior to their conversion to Islam - was Sabourjian, a Jewish name meaning "cloth weaver." Ahmadinejad has not denied that his name was changed when his family moved to Tehran in the 1950s, but he has also never confirmed what that original name was. A note on his identification papers, when magnified from the photo, however, suggests the man from Aradan, Iran, carried a common Jewish name from the region of his birth. "Sabourjian," the Telegraph reports, is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior. ... Ahmadinejad, the fourth of seven children to a man who worked as an ironworker, grocer, barber and blacksmith, moved with his family to Tehran was he was a small child. Reportedly, the family moved to seek better economic fortunes, but also took on the new, Islamic name. A 2007 Congressional Research Service report lists the Iranian president's original family name as "Saborjhian," linking the name to the Farsi "sabor," meaning "thread painter." Some biographers, including Joel C. Rosenberg, list Ahmadinejad's original family name as "Sabaghian," meaning "dye-master" in Persian. But the Telegraph reports the name on his papers is "Sabourjian" and cites a London-based expert on Iranian Jewry, who says the "jian" ending is specifically Jewish. "He has changed his name for religious reasons, or at least his parents had," said the newspaper's source. "Sabourjian is well known Jewish name in Iran." If Ahmadinejad is of Jewish ancestry, he has done much to distance himself from his heritage. In a 2006 speech aired on the Iranian News Channel, Ahmadinejad listed alleged crimes by Israel against Palestinians while the crowd chanted, "Death to Israel! Death to Israel!" [link]

THE MYSTERIES OF THE KABBALAH AND FREEMASONRY (The Key of Solomon) – The Hebrew alphabet has 32 letters – The Kabbalists argue that there are 32 paths of widsom, which lead to knowledge about God – It is interesting to note that the Babylonia version of the Talmud has 32 tractates – Again, the number 32 is a significant feature in both the Kabbalah and Freemasonry – The Kabbalists contend that the soul is comprised of three levels. The Nefresh deals with all of the instincts and bodily desires. The Ruah concerns itself with morality and ethical conduct. The Neshama is the highest level of the soul and is related to the divine spirit of man. These gradations of the soul can be compared to the first three degress of Freemasonry

At the heart of Freemasonry and its masonic precepts is the encouragement and inculcation of values whech can "Make good men better." Faith, hope and charity and values such as fortitude, prudence, temperance and justice are the cornerstones of masonic conduct and comprise many of the fundamental precepts of Freemasonry (see attached illustration at the end of this file from Gershom G. Scholem's book, On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism. Wisdom, strength, and beauty are the foundations of the masonic lodge, and in fact, beauty, with which the freemason is taught to adorn all important undertakings, is at the very center of the Sefiroth. Furthermore, the Sefiroth of strength is found on the left-hand side of all the Sefiroths, which corresponds to the placement of one of the pillars in the masonic lodge. According to Ponce, there are three pillars in the Sefiroth. The pillar on the right is the pillar of mercy, which can be masonically related to the value of charity. The pillar on the left side is the pillar of judgment, which can be related Masonically to the concept of establishment. The middle pillar provides a balance between the left and right pillars. The middle pillar also represents the Creator of the universe. The fellowcraft freemason stands between these two pillars and is at the center. Symbolically, the fellowcraft freemason dramatizes President Kennedy's statement that "God's work here on earth must surely be done by man." - Ponce recounts that the earliest forms of Kabbaiistic literature dealt with the mystery of the Merkabah. The Merkabah was the throne chariot of God. One could reach the Merkabah by passing through a series of heavenly halls. Those who sought to reach the Merkabah had to possess secret words to gain admission into each heavenly hall. The freemason is required to know certain words which facilitate his entrance into the lodge. Moreover, certain words denote which degree is being conducted by the lodge. The Kabbaiists believe that the transmission of the name of God from master to pupil is part of the rites of initiation. The newly-raised brother also receives a word in a certain manner, which is never used in normal conversation. Masonically, the ability of a freemason to recite the word and reproduce it as it was given to him are the identifying characteristics of a Master Mason. The Kabbalists study Sefer Yetshirah, or the Book of Creation. Again, the information in this book could only be communicated by the master to his disciple by word of mouth, study may explain the origin of the masonic practice of the "Mouth to ear" instruction. All of the masonic oaths or obligaitons impose a requirement that the freemason should hold the work of Freemasonry to be inviolate. Furthermore, the act of creation of the world is particularly pronounced in the first degree of Freemasonry. The Kabbalists believe that air, water, and fire were used to create the world. The Hebrew letter, Mem, belongs to the class of Mutes, according to Ponce. These letters do not have any sound in their production. The letter, Mem, is associated with water, and since the fish is the chief occupant of water, it is silent as well. The newly-raised freemason is instructed about a particular word which is whispered to another brother. This "muted" word begins with the letter, "M" which corresponds with the letter, Mem. The Kabbalists also believe that the earth was created from water, which is related to the dirt of Hiram's burial site. Therefore, the word used in raising a Freemason has the characteristic of being earthlike. Other letters in the Hebrew alphabet represent the five human senses, which are emphasized in the fellowcraft degree. - The Hebrew alphabet has 32 letters, which also serve as numbers. Some Kabbalists manipulate words and numbers for explaining much about the universe and the works of God. The number 32 denotes the number of degrees in the Scottish Rite. The Hebrew letters Yod, Heh, and Vav are an important symbol in the Royal Arch degree. Hebraically, these letters form the name of God and this is also a magnificent centerpiece of the Royal Arch degree. There is no question that the Kabbalistic En-Sof and the masonic manipulation of these letters are conceptually related. The Kabbalists argue that there are 32 paths of widsom, which lead to knowledge about God. It is interesting to note that the Babylonia version of the Talmud has 32 tractates. Again, the number 32 is a significant feature in both the Kabbalah and Freemasonry. Charles Ponce describes a magic circle that King Solomon created so as to protect himself from evil svirits. Within this circle one finds the Greek letter, Tau, which has been masonically represented as a combination the words "Temple, Hirosalmis" (Templum Hierosolymae or Temple of Jerusalem). Furthermore, the points of the compass in the circle correspond directly with the officers' places in the masonic lodge. The Kabbalists contend that the soul is comprised of three levels. The Nefresh deals with all of the instincts and bodily desires. The Ruah concerns itself with morality and ethical conduct. The Neshama is the highest level of the soul and is related to the divine spirit of man. These gradations of the soul can be compared to the first three degress of Freemasonry. The first degree relates to youth and so the Nefresh or bodily desires are paramount. The second degree in Freemasonry is identified as a freemason coming to full maturity, so that ethical conduct and control over one's desires is accentuated. The third degree represents old age and the fullness of maturity, which is also represented by the highest level of the soul, the Neshama, or in the case of Freemasonry, the Master Mason. Death awaits the Master Mason, but his soul is raised to divine heights. The Kabbalists warn us that reaching the level of the Neshama was only awarded to some and not guaranteed to all. Therefore, as is true with the third degree in Freemasonry, the level of Master Mason is only reached when a man proves himself worthy of that esteemed title. - In conclusion, this study has contended that there is a relationship between certain themes of the Kabbalah with the lectures and degrees of Freemasonry. This should come as no surprise. Freemasons are taught both the universality of God and of brotherly love. Therefore, any religious belief or practice can be found within the parameters of Freemasonry. The imagination of man allows him to approach the unknowable and create structures and practices that assist him in gaining faith in the Glorious Supreme Architect of the Universe [Satan]. [link]

1 Kings 12-13 – King Solomon passes away and is buried in Jerusalem – Solomon’s son Rehoboam is seated on the throne of David – Within days the ten northern Tribes of Israel succeed from Judah and install their own king and initiate their own priesthood — ‘1 Kings 11:41-43 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the Acts of Solomon? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city [Jerusalem] of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.’ [The ‘Acts of Solomon’ was apparently a secular chronicle that has been lost to history.]

God divided the Nation of Israel into two kingdoms: '1 Kings 12:1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.' - '1 Kings 12:12-24 So Jeroboam [Rehoboam's spokesman] and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. And the king [Rehoboam] answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father [Solomon] made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that He might perform His saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam [a man from the Northern tribe of Ephriam] the son of Nebat. So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse [King David]: to your tents, O Israel [ten Northern Tribes]: now see to thine own house, David [Judah]. So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam {now the Southern King} reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam {now the Northern King} was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel [ten Northern Tribes], to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the *House of Judah and *Benjamin, *and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from Me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.'

Non-Christian Source: NWO Occultism – The myths of King Solomon who used the demon “Asmodeus” to build the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, clearly a metaphor for helping him create his power base, is illustrative of this – However, this alliance ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple, as King Solomon reneged on the deal with his demons – This popular tale amongst occultists, indeed it is the cornerstone of Freemasonry, clearly contains the moral “always pay your dues to the devil” or your temple will come crashing down {Note: The devil has no part and nothing is due him in regards to the Temple of Solomon or in the actual real human Temple that the Temple of Solomon represents. In true Judeo/Christianity the person is the Temple of God not an agenda or a human domain. The true Temple of God is for God and is built by God without (human) hands. Humans are built by God in the water of the human womb by and for the Holy God to have a living, intimate, spiritual relationship [His Spirit and His Words (the Holy Bible) are intended to be within us] with His creation. Occult practices are to assign other concepts and human values particularly physical blessings to the heavenly, eternal, spiritual and divine blessings and attributes of the Holy God established and displayed in Christianity.}

Occultism today includes a broad mix of activities from many traditions. The fundamental difference between Occult pursuits and Spiritual pursuits is that the occultist seeks to gain control over the powers of the Universe, while the pursuer of Spirituality seeks the passive role of alignment with the powers of the Universe. Occultism is basically derived from Shamanism, but as modern societies developed from tribal societies, a split occurred between Religion and Magic. In Europe's Middle Ages, Magic was pursued through Alchemy, and mixed practices and beliefs from the pagan Wiccan religion of the ancient Celts, with the Christian Gnostic concepts that saw a popular revival in the 12th Century. The Wiccan nature cults included sacrificial rituals of animals and humans, and sexual fertility rites designed to harmonize communities with the sometimes brutal forces of Nature. Many Gods were worshiped for their individual powers, including the horned and hoofed "Pan", and the Father of the Celtic Gods "Cernunnos", who standing proud with his huge erection, can still be seen today on the hillside of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England, towering 100 feet over a Roman Catholic monastery. - Christian Gnosticism with its stories of the mystical powers attained by Christ, was embraced as a fulfillment of ancient myth and prophesy, and Christ as a high-priest who achieved God-like powers, was a natural figure to include in their pantheon. Thus, the ancient Celtic Gods of Europe began to merge with the Christian Gods. Satan and Pan were recognized for their similarities, not only in their physical form, but also in their personal traits. As the Satan of Gnostic Christianity had such unified and great power in the Universe, as "king and creator of this world", he was a fabulous addition to the supernatural array of Gods. The ancient nature cults, particularly the Gauls, used the conjuring of spirits, a practice derived from Shamanism, as part of their communication with the Gods. According to St. Augustine's "The City of God", the spirits were used for seeking advice and favor, and were divided into "demons called Deuses, and the ancestors". Demons were hard to control, but could be convinced to do the will of an individual on the material plane if he or she followed certain principles. The Christian Gnostic Satan became an obvious demon figure for worship, as he would be a powerful ally. According to the traditions of the Nature cults, it would be natural to offer sacrifice in return for favors, or have sexual ritual in order to connect with a chosen spirit or demon, as is seen to this day in the indigenous/Hindu beliefs and practices of islands such as Sumatra or Java. -- In Europe's Middle Ages, the confusion arising from a clash of mythic and cultural symbolism had obvious moral and ethical implications. Ultimately, the question of whether a person was a "Satanist" would come down to what they were asking the demon to do for them, and what they were prepared to do in return. Of course, this all depends on one's personal beliefs, ethics, morality, and standing within the social order. While a peasant was accused of selling his soul to Satan to ensure a good harvest, a King who embarked in a Faustian deuce or pact with the Devil, was merely entering into another business arrangement. The myths of King Solomon who used the demon "Asmodeus" to build the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, clearly a metaphor for helping him create his power base, is illustrative of this. However, this alliance ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple, as King Solomon reneged on the deal with his demons. This popular tale amongst occultists, indeed it is the cornerstone of Freemasonry, clearly contains the moral "always pay your dues to the devil", or your temple will come crashing down... such is the dichotomy within institutions of Western power and Judeo-Christianity. The Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church designed to root out "Satanism" claimed millions of victims from the peasant and indigenous classes, obliterating what remained of the Pagan nature cults, while "Satanic" practices continued amongst the circles of the power elite within their occult and alchemical secret societies, growing ever more morally and ethically inverted. -- The Grail/Dragon aristocratic bloodlines, also known as the Rex Deus fraternity, were evidently the Kings of Satan. Adolf Hitler and his inner circle of Nazis called the Holocaust "The greatest and most powerful dance of death of all time". Perhaps the real difference between a shamanically informed Pagan ritual, and a Satanic ritual, lies in the consent of any party. A victim by definition is the unconsenting prey of the predator, and any such ritual intends to, and will only, create Darkness. "The old beliefs will be brought back to honor again. The whole secret knowledge of nature, of the divine, of the demonic. We will wash off the Christian veneer. I want to see in the eyes of youth the gleam of the beast..." said Rosicrucian front-man Adolf Hitler. Although the Nazis have often been labeled neo-Pagan, their rituals of death were as far from Pagan ritual, and as close to Satanism, as the human race has ever been. [link]

BBC: King Solomon’s Tablet Of Stone (part 1 of 5) – Looking at the stone, several linguists said ‘fake’ [Aramaic and Phoenician scripts] – Some of the Hebrew, they claimed, was not ancient – The authorities presented their conclusions – They announced that the stone tablet, and the James Ossuary, were elaborate fakes – But who was producing these fakes and how? – When the police took Oded Golan into custody and searched his apartment they discovered a workshop with a range of tools, materials, and half finished ‘antiquities’. This was evidence for an operation of a scale far greater than they had suspected – Dozens of these items have now been examined by Dr Goren, and all have been revealed to be forgeries – Some archaeologists have now concluded that everything that came to market in the last 20 years without clear provenance should be considered a fake (YouTube)

"The authenticity of many Holy Land artifacts is thrown into doubt" In 2001, a clandestine meeting of leading Israeli archaeologists are shown a remarkable artifact. It's a stone tablet, apparently from 1,000BC. The writing on its face describes repairs to the temple of King Solomon. It is the first archaeological evidence ever found of this legendary building. The relic caused a sensation. But this was only just the start. For authentication, the tablet was taken to the Geological Survey of Israel. Here, after a battery of tests, including radiocarbon dating, scientists officially pronounced the stone to be genuine. The tests even revealed microscopic particles of gold in the outer layer of stone. These were apparently the result of the tablet surviving the fire which, according to the bible, destroyed the temple when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586BC. The stone tablet was offered for sale to the Israel Museum, home to many of Israel's greatest treasures. Rumors suggested the asking price was as high as $10 million. But the museum needed to know where the stone had come from. Even its owner was a mystery. To make matters more complex, the stone itself had disappeared again. The Israeli Antiquities Authority wanted answers. A nine month search for the mysterious stranger who had first appeared with the stone eventually led them to a private detective who had been hired by a well-known antiquities collector, Oded Golan.Golan insisted he too was just a front man for another collector. But the authorities were suspicious. He was known to be the owner of the James Ossuary, another extraordinary artifact which had appeared a couple of years earlier. This was a burial box with an inscription linking it to Jesus' brother. The authorities raided Golan's apartment and recovered both the ossuary and the elusive stone. It was time to establish once and for all if both were genuine. So they set up a committee of linguists and scientists to examine them. Looking at the stone, several linguists said 'fake'. Some of the Hebrew, they claimed, was not ancient. Other experts claimed that so little is known of ancient Hebrew that it's impossible to be sure. The committee turned to geology. Dr. Yuval Goren, a geo-archaeologist and head of the Archaeological Institute at Tel-Aviv University, soon found evidence that a team of sophisticated forgers had led the earlier experts astray. The patina on the stone had in fact been manufactured artificially. The charcoal particles which produced the convincing radiocarbon date had been added by hand The gold fragments hinting at an ancient fire were a clever final addition. The authorities presented their conclusions. They announced that the stone tablet, and the James Ossuary, were elaborate fakes. But who was producing these fakes and how? Dr. Goren decided to piece together how the stone tablet had been made. He tracked the origin of the stone itself - apparently a building block taken from a Crusader castle. It was even possible to work out how the fake patina had been manufactured and the ingredients used. What was clear was the team of forgers included experts in a range of disciplines. When the police took Oded Golan into custody and searched his apartment they discovered a workshop with a range of tools, materials, and half finished 'antiquities'. This was evidence for an operation of a scale far greater than they had suspected. Investigators have established that collectors around the world have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for artifacts that came through Oded Golan's associates. Dozens of these items have now been examined by Dr. Goren, and all have been revealed to be forgeries. Police now suspect that artifacts made by the same team of forgers have found their way into leading museums around the world. Some archaeologists have now concluded that everything that came to market in the last 20 years without clear provenance should be considered a fake. Many of these objects, like the stone tablet which started the investigation, were cynically playing on the desire of many of the collectors to see the bible confirmed as history. For those in search of the temple of Solomon - their goal is as far away as ever. [link]

A stone tablet could be a relic of King Solomon’s temple or a clever forgery – “I believe it is a fake” He noted, among other flaws, that some of the letter shapes were more typical of the seventh century B.C. Aramaic and Phoenician scripts than of Hebrew – the inscription has too many “anomalies” to be authentic – The text appears to be a “mishmash” of usages and words lifted from several of these ancient texts, in addition to the Bible

The most startling discovery, though, was that the patina contained tiny globules of pure gold. The researchers speculated that when the First Temple was set ablaze by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., as the biblical account holds, the gilding on the walls melted and settled on the ground as tiny particles, which later became embedded in the tablet. The GSI team didn't state definitively that the tablet was authentic, but Shimon Ilani, one of the researchers, told the Jerusalem Post, "If this is the work of a forger, I would have to shake his hand." The owner's representatives also showed the tablet to Joseph Naveh, an epigrapher at Hebrew University, who had a different reaction: "It is not just that I have serious doubts about its authenticity, but I believe it is a fake." He noted, among other flaws, that some of the letter shapes were more typical of the seventh century B.C. Aramaic and Phoenician scripts than of Hebrew in the ninth century B.C., when the tablet would have been carved. Other experts in ancient Semitic inscriptions have jumped in, pointing out what they see as damning errors in the usage of certain words. In an upcoming issue of Israel Exploration Journal, epigrapher Frank Moore Cross argues that the forgers reveal themselves by mistakenly using the Hebrew verbal noun bdq, which today means "the repair of." The forgers, he says, apparently did not know that in ancient times, the word had almost the opposite meaning--a "fissure." Thus, line 10 of the inscription refers to creating fissures--a suspect usage in an inscription that's all about repair work. [link]

1 Kings 14-16 – Israel begins to quickly transition from a period of Kings ruling over an undivided Nation to a period of a divided Nation being providentially guided by the hand of God through various kings and prophets — ‘1 Kings 14:15-16 For the LORD shall smite Israel [Northern Tribes], as a reed is shaken in the water, and He shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river [to Assyria], because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.’ {Note: Israel the Ten Northern Tribes are going to be defeated and taken into captivity by the powerful nation of Assyria because the Northern Tribes sought power they were taken captive by another power. Later the Southern Tribe of Judah will also be defeated and taken into captivity but by the nation of Babylon (Iraq) because Judah sought mysticism they were brought into captivity by mysticism (Babylon).}

Each King continues to become more wicked: '1 Kings 16:30-34 And Ahab [King of Northern Israel] the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife *Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; *and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build [a new city of] Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun [Joshua 6:26].' - Hiel committed the human sacrifice of his oldest son in a ceremony dedicated to laying the foundation of the City of Jericho and then committed a second human sacrifice of his youngest son in a ceremony dedicated to setting up the gates at the entry of the city. This is a time when Israel is seriously off course of what God intended for His Children living in His Promise Land.

1 Kings 17-18 – The third and final Godly office the office of Prophets begins to enter into preeminence – The era in Israel of Elijah the Prophet begins — ‘1 Kings 17:1-2 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab [King of Northern Israel], As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ {The drought will end up lasting for three and a half years. Luke 4:25, James 5:17}

God hears and answers Elijah's prayers: '1 Kings 18:20-24 So [King] Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the [false] prophets [of Baal] together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them [false prophets] choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: *And call ye on the name of your gods, *and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let Him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.' - '1 Kings 18:29-39 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.' - The prayers of the false prophets are unanswered by God but the prayers of His people are both heard and answered as God shows forth His strength for His Children. Later in the Book of Revelation the Antichrist will eventually finally be able to call his own fire down from above as God has given to the Antichrist more power and authority over the earth. - 'Revelation 13:11-18 And I beheld another beast [after the Antichrist beast of the sea arises] coming up out of the earth; and he [beast of the earth, false prophet] had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he [false prophet] exerciseth all the power of the first beast [Antichrist] before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that *he [false prophet] maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666].'

bible.org: The Man Elijah – Elijah is the Hebrew Eliyahu that means “My God is Yahweh” – Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead – He is called “Elijah, the Tishbite” six times – “Tishbe” means “captivity” – This suggests the title was significant [and] could have stood as a warning of eventual captivity if Israel refused to repent and [return] turn to the Lord

Elijah's Description and Locality: Elijah is called "the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead." He is so called because he was likely from a town called Tishbe in upper Galilee known to us from the Apocryphal book of Tobit 1:2. One source says that "Tishbe" means "captivity." It certainly is a derivative of shabah, meaning "to take captive." In view of God's warnings in Deuteronomy 28:15-37, this could have stood as a warning of eventual captivity if Israel refused to repent and turn to the Lord. He is called "Elijah, the Tishbite" six times and was well known by this title (cf. 1 Kgs. 17:1; 21:17, 28; 2 Kgs. 1:3, 8; 9:36). This suggests the title was significant. Scholars debate the exact location of Tishbe. If Tishbe is a town, then he was born in Tishbe, but became an inhabitant of Gilead, perhaps by choice. We are not told why, but since "the settlers of Gilead" really means "the sojourners of Gilead," it may declare something about Elijah's character and relationship to God. The name Gilead means "a rocky region" and refers to a mountainous area east of the Jordan that was comparatively uninhabited. It was an area well adapted for spending time alone with God. The phrase is certainly suggestive of his lifestyle as a sojourner, as one whose focus was on the things of God. ... Application and Conclusion: We are living in a time when the foundations are being systematically destroyed. We see the decadent results of a nation that has turned away from the moral absolutes of the Word and our Christian heritage. In its place we have turned to the relativism of secular humanism with its evolutionary foundation. Many have opted for a New Age philosophy. As a result, we live in a time that is growing in hostility to the true God and to those who want to follow the God of the Bible. ... Like the 7,000 of Elijah's day who were hiding in caves to escape persecution, we tend to crawl off into the cave of our "business as usual" routine, or into our particular strategy by which we seek to become narcotized to the problems. Then, out of our minds and mouths flow a river of typical human excuses--enough excuses to lose our nation. Elijah is God's commentary against the excuses and fears that so often paralyze us. As we have seen, He had none of the so-called advantages of the world. So, what made him tick? What made him such a powerful tool for the Lord? What gave him his courage, and how can we tap in on what he had so God can use us in the way and to the degree He desires?  [link]

1 Kings 19-20 – After the great victory at Mt. Carmel over the false prophets of Baal – Elijah then begins to have some doubts, fears and insecurities – eventually Elijah flees all the way back to Mt. Horeb [Mt. Sinai] — ‘1 Kings 19:4 But he [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.’ {Often in the Bible the call of the believer is a request to God to end their life. At times it just seems that getting on to Heaven is a better option than remaining here on earth and laboring against seemingly all odds to do the will and accomplish the works of God. However God then reorients the believer into more of a present earthly Kingdom and eternal perspective it provides helping to take away the anxiety and insecurity that this world so often has to offer. Also Note: The much more dangerous request of the non-believer is a selfish request to simply be left alone from God that they might live completely in their own sins and not have any affiliation whatsoever with the Kingdom of God.}

Elijah flees from Israel all the way back to Mt. Sinai where he hears the voice of God: '1 Kings 19:5-16 And as he [Elijah] lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an Angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake (bread) baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the Angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb [Mt. Siani] the Mount of God. And he came thither *unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, *the word of the LORD came to him, and He (God) said unto him, What doest thou here [in Arabia], Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the Mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and *after the fire [God spoke in] a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering [to go back] in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here [back at the cave - there is work to be done in Israel], Elijah? And he [having not learned much] said [again], I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And the LORD said unto him, Go [back to Israel], return [there is work to do] on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, *anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and **Elisha [the Prophet to replace Elijah] the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.' - Just as Moses and the people of Israel had previously met God at Mt. Sinai, Elijah would also have an encounter with God at Mt. Sinai where he would hear the 'still small voice' of God and receive the correction and encouragement to go forward that the voice of God offers. - Also Note: After his Damascus road conversion to Christianity and fleeing from Damascus the Apostle Paul then spent three years in Arabia [Galatians 1:17] in the area and region of Mt. Sinai himself learning from God and then back to Damascus before he eventually returned to Jerusalem and met with Peter and James and others of the early Church Apostles and Elders. - The Biblical Mt. Sinai is in Median [Saudi Arabia] 'outside of Egypt' [Exodus 16:1] while the traditional Mt. Sinai is still located in Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.

Mountain Of Fire – The Search For Mount Sinai part 4 of 5 – Mt. Sinai and The cave of Elijah {Note: At 1 minute and 30 seconds in this segment of the video the broken and burnt rocks might be from Elijah’s experience with God [1 Kings 19:12] while the burnt top of the Mountain itself is from the experience of Moses and the Nation of Israel [Exodus 19:18].} (YouTube)

Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. -- {Note: The Apostle Paul is writing about Mt. Sinai from both common knowledge of the day and his experiential knowledge having been to Mt. Sinai himself. After his Damascus road experience and departing Damascus the Apostle Paul went to Saudi Arabia and stayed in Saudi Arabia for about three years. Earlier the Prophet Elijah [1 Kings 19:8] had also gone to Arabia [Mt. Sinai also called Mt. Horeb] and stayed for a short time in the cave on Mt. Sinai (video part 4 of 5).} 'Galatians 1:17 Neither went I [Apostle Paul] up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; *but I went into Arabia [for about three years], and returned again unto Damascus.' - 'Galatians 4:25 mount Sinai in Arabia ...'  [link]

1 Kings 21-22 – King Ahab desires the Vineyard of his neighbor, Naboth – Naboth will not sell his vineyard because it is his inheritance from his forefathers – Jezebel the wife of Ahab plots to kill Naboth and take his vineyard – False charges are brought up against Naboth and he is convicted in the courts of King Ahab and stoned to death — ‘1 Kings 21:11-15 11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast [acting under the cover of religion], and [deceive Naboth with false acclamation] set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial [then] witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.’

The Northern and Southern kingdoms of Israel try to briefly reunite: 1 Kings 22:40-44 So Ahab [King of Northern Israel] slept [died] with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa [King of Southern Israel] began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places. And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. - The continued amount of deceit especially from the Northern kingdom and the distrust between the two kingdoms made reuniting difficult even impossible even after the two kingdoms had been joined together in marriage. - 1 Kings 22:48-49 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of [from] Tharshish [Europe - Spain, England, France] to go to Ophir [Southeast Asia] for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber [a port in the Red Sea]. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. - Now several generations after the great Kingdom of Solomon King Jehoshaphat of Judah still has a formidable empire in that he obtains ships from Europe intending to send them to Southeast Asia with merchandise to trade for gold to bring back to Israel however his ships are damaged and unable to make the voyage as the kingdom of David and Solomon continues to diminish in earthly stature but grow in spiritual stature with the coming of the Prophets in Israel.

CLARKE’S COMMENTARY – 1 KINGS 22 – A lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab’s prophets persuades [King] Ahab to go up against Ramoth – this prophecy of the king’s [false] prophets is couched in the same ambiguous terms by which the false prophets in the heathen world endeavoured to maintain their credit, while they deluded their votaries (devout adherents)

It is worthy of remark that this prophecy of the king's prophets is couched in the same ambiguous terms by which the false prophets in the heathen world endeavored to maintain their credit, while they deluded their votaries. The reader will observe that the word it is not in the original: The Lord will deliver IT into the hand of the king; and the words are so artfully constructed that they may be interpreted for or against; so that, be the event whatever it might, the juggling prophet could save his credit by saying he meant what had happened. Thus then the prophecy might have been understood: The Lord will deliver (Ramoth-gilead) into the king's (Ahab's) hand; or, The Lord will deliver (Israel) into the king's hand; i.e., into the hand of the king of Syria. And Micaiah repeats these words of uncertainty in order to ridicule them and expose their fallacy. - The following oracles among the heathens were of this same dubious nature, in order that the priests' credit might be saved, let the event turn out as it might. Thus the Delphic oracle spoke to Croesus words which are capable of a double meaning, and which he understood to his own destruction:- Croesus, Halym penetrans, magnam subvertet opum vim, Which says, in effect:- "If you march against Cyrus, he will either overthrow you, or you will overthrow him." He trusted in the latter, the former took place. He was deluded, and yet the oracle maintained its credit. So in the following:- Aio te, AEacida, Romanos vincere posse Ibis redibis nunquam in bello peribis. - Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, understood by this that he should conquer the Romans, against whom he was then making war; but the oracle could be thus translated: "The Romans shall overcome thee." He trusted in the former, made unsuccessful war, and was overcome; and yet the juggling priest saved his credit. The latter line is capable of two opposite meanings:- "Thou shalt go, thou shalt return, thou shalt never perish in war." Or, "Thou shalt go, thou shalt never return, thou shalt perish in war." When prophecies and oracles were not delivered in this dubious way, they were generally couched in such intricate and dark terms that the assistance of the oracle was necessary to explain the oracle, and then it was ignotum per ignotius, a dark saying paraphrased by one yet more obscure. [link]

King Solomon’s Gold Mines Mount Ophir Gunung Ledang Malacca Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Peninsula Almug (Algum) Tree Red Sandalwood First Temple Pillars I Kings 10 Ancient Transoceanic Voyages Phoenician Navigators

In I Kings 10 of the Old Testament in the Bible, King Solomon sent ships to Ophir for the finest gold and almug wood (for the Temple's pillars). The ships sailed from the Red Sea and headed east, to the Malaysian Peninsula, where the gold mountain there, east of the town of Malacca, which is just down the coast from Kuala Lumpur, was named Ophir, now known as Gunung Ledang, where are ancient mineshafts like honeycombs, from which huge amounts of gold were extracted by methods now unknown to the natives, nor to the Chinese who have also exploited the region through the centuries. And corroborative of this, that the mines of Ophir were across the vast Indian Ocean, is that also in I Kings 10, the almug (algum) tree, now known as red sandalwood, which grows only in southeast Asia, was sought by Solomon's fleet to construct the pillars of the First Temple; but how could they have navigated safely there and back, when it is commonly considered that such voyages were impossible because they could not accurately chart their course across a vast ocean? - Read article #2 at http://IceAgeCivilizations.com, to understand how they accurately measured time by the stars, with a simple mechanical instrument, and so could measure direction and distance, commonly thought to have been impossible before the invention of Harrison's chronometer in the 1850's. You can see that the evidence is solid that Malaysia is the location of Ophir, and now you can know how the ancients actually did navigate the globe in ancient times, exploiting the minerals which were available, such as in the ancient mysteriously complex mines of Mount Ophir, so check it out, and read further in the other categories to see how science and archaeology corroborate the Bible. [link]