Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Name of God

The rest of the week passed rather uneventfully. I didn’t seem to be looking forward to my weekly meeting with John as much as usual because I knew I would have to give the handkerchief back. During the week, Elizabeth didn’t let it out of her sight. She had it in her possession at all times. It seemed to work for her though. She had most of her strength back and we went for short walks each day. In addition to this, she did most of the housework and cooking. I was beginning to feel like we were a normal married couple again, except it was now Thursday and I had to deliver the handkerchief back to John.

That evening Elizabeth went to bed early. At about eleven I went upstairs to see her and observed her lying peacefully asleep with the handkerchief clutched in her right hand.

I nudged her. “Sweetie,” I said. “It’s time for me to take the handkerchief.”

She squeezed it tighter. “No,” she said. “It gives me strength.”

“I think it’s much better if we give it back than if we keep it.”

“Ask John if I can keep it a while longer.”

I paused and took a deep breath. “OK. I’ll ask him, but I need to take it back.”

“Let me keep it while you’re gone.”

“John made a point that I’m supposed to listen to his exact words. I think I should take it back, but I’ll ask him if you can have it a while longer.”

I almost thought I felt strength withdraw from Elizabeth as I took the handkerchief. I felt like a heel, but I thought it was the best thing to do. I kissed her good-bye and went out into the garage and seated myself in the car. Just as I reached to put the key in the ignition I felt a tingling feeling throughout my body.

The next thing I knew, I found myself sitting on the floor of a sparsely furnished room. I looked around and saw John sitting at on a chair drinking a cup of tea next to a dining table. “Why don’t you come over here and join me,” he smiled.

I got up and walked toward him, somewhat disoriented.

“Cup of tea?” asked John.

“Sure. Why not?” I said. I looked out the window. The sun was in the East. It looked like morning, wherever I was. “Where am I, and why is the sun up? Isn’t it eleven o’clock at night?”

“Here, drink this,” said John, pushing a cup of tea my direction. I took it, sat down and started sipping. “Wow, this really has a zing. What is it?”

“I’m not sure, really. Joshua made it. There are several combinations that He likes.”

“Joshua?? You mean Jesus?”

“That’s the man.”

“He was here?” I couldn’t believe my ears!

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Can I meet Him?”

“That’s not on the agenda yet.”

“Are you telling me Jesus was here, a few minutes ago, making and drinking tea like a regular guy?”

“That’s exactly what He did.” John looked like he was having fun with this.

“But isn’t He ascended into heaven or wandering around in the next world somewhere?”

John laughed, “You still have a lot to learn, my friend. But enough small talk. I am pressed for time and we need to get started.”

“You never told me where I am and why it’s morning.”

John studied me for a second. “You are in Tel Aviv, and it is eight-twenty in the morning, here.”

I stared at him. “I’ll tell you this,” I said in amazement, “if I was not a believer before, I am now.” I glanced out the window again. We seemed to be in the midst of the city center, most of the way up a fairly tall building.

John looked at me in earnest. “As you know, when we started this relationship, I shared some of my memories with you. Would you mind if I shared some of yours?”

I noticed John asked if he could share my memories. I thought about the request a few seconds. “That would be fine, but there are some embarrassing things that are now floating around my mind I would just as soon not share.”

“Don’t worry about it,” John smiled. “I will only tune into the memories associated with our relationship and the teachings. A true teacher will only tune into memories that are released through free will. Now hold up your hand.” Our right hands touched fingers and I felt a slight tingle.

John sat back in his chair and smiled. “So far, so good.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You’ve been tempted to tell Wayne about me, but you have resisted. It’s a good thing. Those who cannot keep a secret are usually revealed at this point. You shared discussions on the first key with him, but I did not forbid that.”

“Was that all right then?” I asked, eagerly.

“It was more than all right. This type of sharing will prepare you for your mission. You will be doing much of it in the future if you are faithful to the inner voice.”

“You keep talking about a mission. Can you tell me more about it?”

“If you are faithful, your mission will embrace several areas. One will be the teaching of the keys. Any more I can say would merely be a distraction at present. Now we must move ahead. In your own words, tell me: WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU?”

I took a deep breath. “OK, here are my thoughts. If I am not my body, mind or emotions, and if all the other terms I’ve passed by you do not have enough meaning, I guess all that is left is consciousness itself. I am consciousness.”

“Do you know what consciousness is?”

“Consciousness is livingness. Life.”

“And what is life?”

“An awareness.”

“An awareness of what?”

“An awareness of whatever is out there?”

“How about things that are inside yourself? Is consciousness awareness of that too?”

I thought a moment. “I suppose,” I said.

“So consciousness is awareness of things outside and inside self.”

“I think so,” I said, unsure of myself.

“So the real you is like a camera that takes snapshots of what is outside and inside of itself?”

“I’m not sure,” I replied weakly.

“That just doesn’t feel right, does it?”

“No it seems silly when you think about it. We’ve got to be something more profound than a camera,” I said.

“Again you found something that you are not. A camera is something a living thing uses, but it is another type of vehicle that is in use by the real Self.”

I thought silently for a few seconds. “I think I’m at a dead end here. I have passed by you every thing that a human being has ever considered that he was, and not one of them is the right answer.”

John smiled. “If the answer were obvious, you would not need a teacher. A true spiritual teacher does not show up to teach maxims that are readily available in the books of the world. There are hundreds of books in print dealing with the divinity in man or the idea that humans are gods. Then there are many others dealing with the standard spiritual ideas. Joshua and those working directly with Him only present a teaching when it is either something not yet clearly revealed to humanity or an aspect of an old teaching that is not understood in today’s world. There are many teachings that have never been revealed, and there are yet many others that have been revealed in the past but have been lost for a number of reasons. The time is coming soon when all the old truths will be restored, and many new ones will be revealed.”

“Are the keys a new revelation or lost knowledge restored?”

“A little of both. Most will be new knowledge to seekers, but there are several of them that are openly taught in the world today, but the full meaning is not understood. Each key has points of enlightenment that the seekers of the world need to tune in to. To solve each of them, you must not only come up with the right answer, but you must demonstrate right understanding. I see from your memories you have been doing some thinking about the nature of God as described in Corinthians.”

“Yes. Do I need to run my thoughts by you or can you read it from my memories?”

John closed his eyes for a moment and said: “Your memories give me the general idea of what you have come up with. You are on the right track, and we’ll talk more about who or what God is later. We are short on time right now, however, so we must move on. Continue to contemplate the mystery of godliness to prepare your mind for the future. Meanwhile, are you ready for your next hint?”

“Yes. I am really curious because I’ve reached a dead end here. I can’t imagine what the next hint will be.”

“The next hint revolves around the mystery of God that you have been contemplating. I’m sure you remember the story of Moses.”

“Well, I’ve seen the Ten Commandments and I’ve read the Bible story,” I said.

“Do you remember what Moses did during the second forty years of his life?”

“He was chased out of Egypt and became a sheepherder in the desert. If I remember right, he was around eighty when he freed the Israelites, so I guess he was a regular guy most of the time during the second forty years. We don’t know much about that period of his life.”

“No part of any person’s life is lost. All is eventually retrievable. Not much is written of this time period because it was a time of preparation. He found his father-in-law, Jethro, to be a wise man with teachings that had been passed down for many generations, and he learned a lot from him and the brotherhood of which he was a member. One of the major points of discussion Moses had with his little conclave over the years was about the nature of God. One of the great mysteries that was discussed at that time was whether or not God had a name and, if he did, what it would be.”

John continued: “The reason the name of God was such a big item then was that it was a tradition among the Hebrews and many other ancient peoples to attach great meaning to a person’s name. In that period, a lot of thought went into naming a child, because it was believed that the name was connected to or would determine the child’s destiny.

“For instance, Abraham meant father of a multitude and that was what he became. David meant beloved, and David was the beloved of God. The name Joseph means the person will have increase and Joseph — who was sold into Egypt — became the world’s richest man along with a very great posterity.

“Because of this great interest in names, one of the greatest mysteries for Moses was the name of God itself. If one were to discover the name of God, he would hold the key as to what type of being He really was.”

I nodded. John took a sip of his tea. “During this forty-year time period, Moses spent many a day tending sheep alone with his thoughts, questioning many of the mysteries of the time. The prime mystery that was in the front of his mind was the mystery of the name of God. He contemplated and wondered about this over and over.

“Finally came the experience of the burning bush, where he entered into the presence of God and received that rare chance to ask any question he wanted. Do you remember what that question was?”

“Yes,” I replied. “He asked God what his name was. You know, I kind of wondered why he asked that question, but now it makes sense.”

“Do you remember what the answer was?”

“God said, ‘I AM THAT I AM.'”

“What kind of name is that?” John asked.

“I don’t know for sure. I always thought it was kind of a strange answer. I guess God is just saying that He just IS.”

“Was God saying He has no name?” John asked.

“I’m not sure. It sounds like it. I have heard some say that His name is just I AM.”

“If you were Moses, and God gave you that answer to your question, would that satisfy your curiosity?”

“Hmmmn. Not really.”

“If you were Moses, what would have been your response?”

“I would have asked, ‘What kind of name is I AM THAT I AM?'”
“Moses was an intelligent man. Why do you suppose he did not ask for some type of clarification for a weak answer to a question he had been contemplating for forty years?”

I thought a moment. “I haven’t thought about it that way, but you’re right. I just figured it was one of the Mysteries.”

“There are two possibilities. First, perhaps Moses was not the curious after all, or, second, he was satisfied with the answer. Which do you think it is?” John asked.

“You said Moses thought about this question for forty years. So he had to be curious, but I cannot see why he would have been satisfied with the answer.”

“You’re right,” John said nodding. “Moses was too curious to let a partial answer pass by. Let us say that Moses was satisfied with the answer. How could this have occurred?”

“Maybe he understood the answer better than I do.”

“That is correct. However, he did understand the answer better than you do — not because he was smarter, but because he heard a different answer than is presented in the various translations of the Bible.”

John pulled out his old Bible again, opened it to Exodus chapter three and asked me to read verse 14. I read the words: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

“This is pretty much the standard translation in most Bibles, but it is a very bad one, and most honest Hebrew scholars know this. In the Hebrew it reads: I Am Becoming that which I Am Becoming. Go say to the children of Israel that He who Is Becoming has sent you.

“The ancient Hebrew is much different from the English you are used to. It always had gaps in it that were to be filled by either the obvious or by the intuition. Now let me tell you plainly the answer that Moses heard. As you remember, Moses asked God what His name was. To this question God said: You ask for my name so you will know who or what I am. This I cannot give you because I Am Becoming that which I decide to Become. Go tell the children of Israel that He who is Becoming has sent you. John paused a moment. “Now tell me how you think Moses understood this answer.”

“I think you’ve turned on a light in my head,” I said excitedly. “Here’s the way I see it. As you said, in that age, a name revealed the core essence of who the individual was, and Moses was expecting an answer like this from God. In other words, he thought he might get an answer like, I am the great and powerful one. Instead, God told him that He could not give Moses a standard name because He is in the process of becoming whatever it is that He wants to become. Thus, any name given to Him at one time may not apply at a future time.”

“Great answer! Perhaps we have the right man for the job after all,” John smiled. “Your answer is right on track. God is always changing the image that He presents to the various parts of the world at different times in history. For instance, in the time of Moses, He presented an image of the all-powerful ruler who is to obeyed at all costs. Then, in the time of Christ, this changed to the all-forgiving God of Love who sacrificed His only Son. This was a definite change in the presentation of God that is not acknowledged by most Christians. Also, God is presented to the world in different ways in many other religions that had inspired beginnings. Notice that each religion has a different name for God. This is because the name has a particularly important message for their consciousness that will help their particular group or race progress.

“God has many names because He is many things to many people in many times. Thus, He could not give Moses any ultimate name because He becomes what He decides to become to the consciousness of any group or individual.”

I nodded, but a thought struck me. “But isn’t there a scripture that says God does not change? It sounds like He, in fact, is in a constant state of change.”

John nodded. “When the prophets wrote about the changelessness of God, they were telling the people that the words of God are 100 percent dependable — that He does not promise the people one thing today and break it tomorrow. They were not saying He does not change in any way. I tried to make this clear in my own Book of Revelations. I talked about God revealing a new name, that He will create a new heaven and new earth, and that He will make all things new. Look at the earth and the universe around you, which is God’s Body. It is all in a state of change, becoming new or renewed. Everything is changing. Because God is everything and everything changes, God changes.”

“Speaking of new, this is certainly a new teaching. I have never heard anything like this in any church.”

John’s countenance became serious. “The religions of the world do not believe in new things. They will always resist any new teaching and attempt to preserve the old, even if it is scientifically proven to be incorrect, as in the days the church persecuted Galileo for merely revealing what his eyes saw through a telescope.”

“I’ve come to that conclusion myself. That’s why I don’t attend any church, even though I basically believe the scriptures.”

“That is also one of the reasons you were chosen. Anyone whose mind is fixed in a dogma is not usable to us as a world teacher. It may seem hard for you to accept, but if the standard believer who is fixed in a dogma were to have experienced all that you have with me and were to have heard what you have just heard, I would be rejected as an agent of the devil.”

“Even if he were transported halfway around the world in an instant?” I asked.

“The closed-mindedness of those stuck in religious dogma is beyond belief,” said John, shaking his head. “This was demonstrated by Joshua when He raised Lazarus from the dead after he was three days in the grave. Instead of converting the religious leaders, it just inflamed them and hastened the crucifixion. The leaders also knew without doubt that Christ was raised from the dead, for He appeared to them after the resurrection so they would be without excuse. Even this did not convert them, and they fought all the harder against His followers. When the average person has his mind centered on a belief, only the destruction of the world created by that belief will change him. That can happen by an inner or outer collapse.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way, but I can certainly see that you are correct. I don’t mean to change the subject, but what is my hint for this week?”

“What we have talked about is the hint,” John said evenly.

I thought a moment, recalling the Bible verses. “Can’t you give me something more direct?” I pleaded.

“I have given you much food for thought. Contemplate in particular what we have talked about concerning Moses and God.”

I thought for a moment. “I have a couple of other questions.”

“Ask away. I have a few minutes.”

“You said you have been killed a number of times, even once under Hitler. How could this happen to you when you have power to disappear? Look what you did to me. You teleported me halfway across the globe.”

John smiled. “Intelligent question, my friend. There are certain laws and principles in place that regulate how an evolving humanity can be assisted. The higher they evolve on the spiritual ladder, the more directly they can be worked with by the Brotherhood of Light. When a member of the Brotherhood decides to work directly with the people, he must be subject to the same personal limitations the general populace has. Thus, when I directly worked with Staufenberg in Nazi Germany, I became subject to the same perils he was. The only way I can be invulnerable to death is to work at arm’s length, through a disciple like yourself. If I were to work side by side with you, there would be so much controversy stirred up because of the nature of the work that we would both be killed before the work was done. There is another factor. In past ages, I could move from one part of the world to another and no one would be the wiser. With today’s communications systems, once my picture appears in a National Enquirer or the Star, any hope of anonymity is over. So taking all things into consideration, we have decided it best to work through an apparently ordinary mortal such as yourself.”

“You mean I am just apparently ordinary?” I asked with interest.

“Joshua sees much more potential in you than you might guess,” John said with a smile. “Even though your life has seemed fairly ordinary, you have had many experiences which have prepared you to be a teacher. You, in turn, will find others who will become major players in this part of history. Some of these would have just lived ordinary lives if not for the great opportunity you will present. Great opportunity brings forth greatness of the human spirit.”

Wow, this gave me a lot to think about, but I couldn’t remember having many experiences that would lead me to teaching. “Sounds overwhelming. So what are you doing here in Tel Aviv?”

“We have disciples like yourself here and in several other Middle Eastern countries. Their primary purpose is not to teach, but to influence political leaders on the path to peace. Believe me, we have a difficult task, particularly since the Dark Brothers also have their disciples carefully placed. I thought I could spend some time relaxing in Boise and teach you at my leisure, but we seem to have a lot of crises coming up lately that have to be dealt with. One major problem is the proliferation of nuclear weapons to third world countries that would not hesitate to use them. This is a much greater threat than your leaders realize and needs to be dealt with. This is all I have time to tell you about this at present.”

Realizing my time was short, I reluctantly pulled the handkerchief out of my jacket pocket and handed it to John. “My wife appreciates the relief. Is it possible she can keep the handkerchief a while longer?”

John replied softly, “Believe me, I feel for her and also you, but the natural laws must be allowed to flow. She’s got to be on her own with her struggle. Let me warn you it will be more difficult than you expect the next few weeks, but the end will be good if you both follow the highest you know.”

“That’s encouraging, I guess,” I said without confidence. “Elizabeth will be so disappointed,” I thought.

John patted my back. “Time to send you back. Perhaps we can spend more time together next week.”

The next thing I knew I was back in the front seat of my car. I got out and walked into my home in somewhat of a daze. It was several hours before I got around to going to bed.
Copyright 1997 by J J Dewey

Chapter Sixteen

Easy Access to all the Writings

Register at Freeread Here

Log on to Freeread Here

For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE

Check out JJ’s Political Blog HERE

JJ’s Amazon page HERE

Join JJ’s Study class HERE

Series Navigation

Chapter FourteenChapter Sixteen