Further Evidence for The Ultimate Messiah Continued
This is the continuation of a topic that was introduced in Blog Post 3. The subject of this discussion also relates to the fulfillment of other Messianic passages in Scriptures in connection with an Exalted Messiah: Such passages as those in Isaiah that pertain to the “Servant of the Lord” and His likely identity; how Aaron’s Divine “election” with his staff foreshadowed the ancestral home of the Exalted Messiah—the New Zion; how Jacob’s prophecy concerning Shiloh—a non-Jew—helps to recognize Judah’s successor to the Divine Authority (transfer of the Divine Scepter); how a Flaming-Sword-bearer—the Exalted Messiah—championed the Ultimate War against the anti-Christs led by Lucifer. Isaiah also prophesied this Final Combat between Good and Evil, but as a contest featuring the ascensions of Mount Zion by these Opponents—the Exalted Messiah and Lucifer; Isaiah’s take on the form of the contest is explained here.
The Servant is the Lord: Elijah
Rather than being despised, Jesus was feared and grudgingly respected by the leaders of natural Israel because they perceived Him as a threat to the nation. Their concern led them to reason that it was more expedient for one man to die for the people than for the entire nation to perish (John 11:49-50). Even after His death, their actions—such as securing guards to watch His tomb—demonstrated their continued apprehension (Matthew 27:62-66).
As a fellow Jew, Jesus was not despised due to His social status. While envy characterized the leaders’ feelings toward Him—mainly due to His large following—He was not viewed with disdain. Thus, He could not have been described as “the Slave or Servant of rulers.” His mission was directed toward His fellow Jews, and His preaching was primarily to them (Matthew 15:24; 10:6).
Jesus faced mockery primarily for His teachings, and this opposition intensified towards the end of His Ministry. Even then, it was largely instigated by the religious leaders. For most of His time on Earth, He attracted a significant number of admirers who regarded Him as a prophet on par with the greatest prophets (Matthew 16:14).
However, Scripture describes the servant differently:
Like a [lowly] root out of dry ground, He had no stately bearing in Him to make us look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him [in short: no charisma] (Isaiah 53:2)
Rather than being despised, Jesus was feared and grudgingly respected by the leaders of natural Israel because they perceived Him as a threat to the nation. Their concern led them to reason that it was more expedient for one man to die for the people than for the entire nation to perish (John 11:49-50). Even after His death, their actions—such as securing guards to watch His tomb—demonstrated their continued apprehension (Matthew 27:62-66).
As a fellow Jew, Jesus was not despised due to His social status. While envy characterized the leaders’ feelings toward Him—mainly due to His large following—He was not viewed with disdain. Thus, He could not have been described as “the Slave or Servant of rulers.” His mission was directed toward His fellow Jews, and His preaching was primarily to them (Matthew 15:24; 10:6).
Jesus faced mockery primarily for His teachings, and this opposition intensified towards the end of His Ministry. Even then, it was largely instigated by the religious leaders. For most of His time on Earth, He attracted a significant number of admirers who regarded Him as a prophet on par with the greatest prophets (Matthew 16:14).
However, Scripture describes the servant differently:
What I tell you in darkness, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops (Matthew 10:27).
Therefore, Jesus cannot be identified as the “despised servant” referenced in the Scriptures.
The paradox of the Divine unfolds in a profound mystery: the first is last and the last is first. The Servant is the Supreme Lord—Adonai. Adonai is Yahweh; and Yahweh is God—Elijah—the eternal one who reigns beyond time. As foretold, “Behold, my Servant . . . shall be lifted up and highly exalted.” (Isa. 52:13). And so, “Elijah” emerges not merely as a name but as a hidden mantle, a title veiling the identity of the Exalted Servant.
Seek His insignia, the Rock, for in it His presence is revealed: “For who is God except the Lord? And who is a Rock, save our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32; Psalms 18:31). The steadfast foundation, the unwavering might—by this sacred emblem, He is revealed.
Therefore, take heed! The Lord your God is not merely a comforting presence but a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:23-24). The time for recognition is now, for the truth blazes forth in undeniable splendor.
The Messianic Scepter
The Agbono Tree (Irvingia Gabonensis) stands as the scepter of the Consummate Messiah; forbidden to Ahaba people, it bears almond-like seeds and grows on both sides of the Niger River in the holy dwelling of God the Highest (cf., Revelation 22:1-2). This tree is akin to Aaron’s staff, which uniquely sprouted, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds overnight among the staffs of the sons of Israel, affirming his divine selection. By tagging Aaron’s staff while it bore ripe almonds for the confirmation of his divine election, Heavens foreshadowed the origin of the Chosen One, who is the eternal, Heavenly, High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:4). Aaron’s staff was, as such, a prophetic type of this Agbono Tree.
During Nnebisi’s era, the archetype of this tree stood near the Shrine of Onishe, the Throne of the Supreme God, beside the Niger River. Close as the tree was to the river, its leaves would only fall on the nearby land, never into the river itself. Awestruck by what he observed at this most sacred site, Nnebisi vowed to abstain from the fruit of Agbono tree. His descendants were, likewise, bound by the same oath. As the forbidden tree, it is reminiscent of the mythical tree in the primeval Garden of Eden, thus identifying Ahaba as the real Garden of Eden. All are now invited to eat of this Tree of Knowledge of good and evil to gain wisdom and eternal life by productive faith. (See Genesis 2:9.)
This Agbono tree, which grows abundantly in Ahaba, is another emblem of the Holy Spirit, the Exalted Christ. Accordingly, Scripture says of the Messiah as King and High Priest: “The scepter of your strength the Lord will extend from [New] Zion [Ahaba]: Rule in the midst of your enemies” (Psalms 110:2).
Once more, all of this is in keeping with the testimony in the Scriptures:
For that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand (Isaiah 52:15).
The Agbono tree, often found near riverbanks, reflects the Exalted Messiah as the model spirit. And so, the Scriptures liken the Blessed One to this “[Ideal] Tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in due season, whose leaves never wither” (Psalms 1:1-3; Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Again, the Exalted Christ is identified concretely with this messianic emblem—the mystical tree—while the Pre-exalted Christ is linked with the mythical stump of Jesse.
The bud (Jesus) that sprouted on the stump of Jesse in the Old Jerusalem has matured into the towering Agbono tree of Ahaba, now standing as the New Jerusalem. (See ¶9:12 on Page 103 and ¶9.26 on Page 105). Thus, a mystical transplantation was realized, in concert with Jacob’s prophecy:
The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet [that is, from his seed], until Shiloh* comes, to whom the nations shall render obedience (Genesis 49:10).
This sacred transplantation—the relocation of the scepter from Judah to “Shiloh”—the transmigration of Jesus Christ into Heaven, and the transition of the rock-fountain to Ahaba are all one and the same phenomenon: the renewal and relocation of the Primal Spirit. The culmination of this shift, and subsequent effusion of the Spirit, ratified by the cosmic priestly sacrifice in Asaba, heralded the establishment of the New Covenant. The stump signalized the transitory nature of the Spirit among the Jews, epitomized by Jesus, the Pre-exalted Christ.
The Scriptures attest to this transformation and to the mystical tree’s placement in the New Jerusalem, near the Throne of God:
And he showed me a river of life-giving water, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God [the Rock-Source] and of the Lamb. In the midst of the streets of the City [Asaba: The New Garden of Eden], and on either side of the river, grew the Tree of Life, which produce twelve kinds of fruit, and yields Her fruit every month . . . for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:1-2; cf., “The Consummate Messiah and the Messianic Capital” in Blog Post 2).
This mystical tree shares attributes with Mount Zion. As the Tree of Life, it produces twelve varieties of life-giving fruit, bringing renewal to the twelve dominions of light within Mount Zion. As the Tree of Knowledge, it manifests the dual nature of good and evil (Genesis 2:9), mirroring Mount Zion’s profound spiritual essence. As the Tree of Knowledge, the Spirit embodies wisdom discerning good and evil as the final arbiter of Divine Justice. Ultimately, the mystical tree represents the Holy Spirit—the Exalted Christ. His authority prevails over all creation, illuminating the path to spiritual truth and renewal.
The closeness of the Exalted Christ’s scepter—the Tree of Life—to the Supreme Throne is noted above; it accords with the following presentation of a scriptural passage on Him: “He grew up before [His Throne] like a young plant . . .” (Isaiah 53:2; cf., ¶13:132a). Indeed, after the confirmation of Aaron’s anointment with his staff, the Lord directed Moses to put Aaron’s staff back in front of the phantom throne where it had sprouted shoots and blossoms, echoing the foregoing scriptural presentation of the Exalted Christ, and further confirming this version of the scriptural distinction.
By linking the throne with Aaron’s staff which also bore ripe almonds, the Lord transformed the staff-turned-sapling into a scepter, and thereby bestowed Aaron’s priesthood with royal stature as the harbinger of the Exalted Messiah. The Cherubim had also been shown in close association with each of these royal emblems—the phantom throne (Exodus 25:18-20, 22; Psalms 80:1) and the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24)—thus reinforcing the sovereignty of the Flaming-Sword-bearer: the Exalted Messiah. The closeness of these emblems is more than physical, it signifies complementarity.
And so, the Heavenly Throne and the royal scepter are together emblematic of the Exalted Christ as the King of kings and reflect another facet of the complementary standards. As a complementary standard, the Throne signifies His personal attributes, whereas the scepter—as the Tree of Life, a fruit-bearer, and the award of justice for the many—symbolizes His impersonal, cosmic complement. Accordingly, the psalmist would intone (cf., ¶9:61-62 on Page 113):
Your Throne, O God, endures forever and ever; your Royal Scepter is a Scepter for Justice (Psalms 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9).
Therefore:
Whoever has ears should listen to the Spirit’s words to the churches: He that surmounts [Mount Zion] will I give to eat of the Tree of Life [an award], which is in the midst of the Paradise of God [Ahaba] (Revelation 2:7; 22:14) ⊗. (See Footnote ⊗)
Behold, Paul’s life goal: “. . . The prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
The True Messianic Emblem
The rock-fountain network, that is, the source, the river, and the streamlets—as well as the Tree of Life, and the Cryptogram—are all tangible, messianic symbols which also serve to identify the Consummate Messiah, and the messianic capital: Ahaba. These various symbols of the Heavenly Kingdom are essentially different aspects of the same spiritual structure: the messianic emblem. As copiously affirmed here, it is this emblem—the Cryptogram—that is the real messianic insignia, not the cross.
What I tell you in darkness, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops (Matthew 10:27).
The Mystical Warrior and His Sword
As reflected by the Spiritual Mountain, one’s progression at goodness, justice, and truth inherently implies a struggle or war: overcoming the downhill resistance of evil, in this mystical uphill climb (cf., ¶6:42 on Page 67). The Holy Spirit, who embodies this Cosmic Mountain, comes in a personal sense as Elijah—the Most High—to ascend to the absolute peak of the Structure**. And so, the Holy Spirit’s mission on Earth, Elijah, is the supreme mystical warrior. (It is through this messianic mission that the apparent peak of the structure merges with the potential peak: the renewal of the Supreme Throne.) Hence also, the Holy Spirit is identified with Israel (one who struggles or wars against [the Evil in] God). And pilgrims who ascend the mountain are known as the spiritual children of Israel.
Again, while Jesus is also a mystical warrior, as reflected in His saying that He has come not to bring peace on Earth but a sword, He is merely a mythical Sword-bearer, being the penultimate warrior. It is Elijah who is the ultimate warrior and Sword-bearer, as witnessed by His manifestation with this mystical sword: the Cryptogram, that is, the consummate Word of God***.
In his first mission, Elijah struggled against, and overcame, the prophets of Baal, by literally calling down fire from Heaven. Thus, he delivered the natural Israelites from evil (and executed the enemies of God). So now, in His consummate form, as the defender of the new Heavenly Sanctuary, Ahaba, He comes to war against the Evil in God, the antichrists, by calling down this mystical fire, and so deliver the spiritual children of Israel; hence Elijah’s cryptonym, Israel. (Thus, the pseudonymous identification of the servant-elect, a Gentile, with Elijah, Jacob, and Israel in the Scriptures, bespeaks His title, role and mission, consummately.)
Paul, indeed, prophesied this manifestation of the Lord, and His triumph over the Chief antichrist:
And then the Lawless One will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the Breath of His Mouth [that is, with the Fiery Sword] and destroy by the Manifestation of His [Presence] (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Isaiah 11:4; 4 Ezra 13:10-11).
The Scriptures further prophesied this Coming of the Lord (in the Spirit of Elijah, that is) in (mystical) fire, chariots and whirlwind (His former mystical mode of departure) to judge all mankind with the fiery sword; thus, fulfilling consummately the scriptural prophecy of Elijah’s return to Earth. As the bearer of this Sword, Elijah is the Eschatological Prophet (cf., ¶13:8, Page 172). With this fiery sword of the Spirit, the laconic Word of God, He bars the way to the Tree of Life (and the Supreme Throne) for the antichrists, thereby safeguarding it for the Spiritual Children of Israel♠.
Indeed, His name affirms all this: Olisadumkwu Obiaya: the Mystical Sword-(bearing)-Warrior. Again, whereas the “Word of God” was used, remotely, to designate Jesus—only after His mission (John 1:1, 14)—the Scriptures, however, prophesied the bestowal of this glorious name—the Mystical Sword-(bearing)-Warrior—on the Exalted One by birth.
In the Garden City of God, where the life-giving fruit was grown, the bearings of the Sovereign Throne, for the Sword-bearing One, was specified:
At the east of the Garden of Eden . . . settled the Cherubim [that is, the Standard Spirit] and a Flaming Sword [the Standard] which turned every way to guard the way to the Tree of Life [and the Supreme Throne] (Genesis 3:24).
Similarly, the orientation of the Shrine of Onishe, the Throne of the Sovereign Lord, in the true Garden of Eden located in Asaba, is reflected in the instructions given to Moses to construct the tabernacle facing East, in the likeness of this Heavenly Sanctuary (Exodus 26:22, 27-30.) Indeed, the “fiery sword” (the Cryptogram) has “turned every way,” addressing all significant, contentious, spiritual matters and previously unsettled theological questions; thereby “guarding the way to the Tree of Life” (and the Supreme Throne: The Onishe-Rock-Fountain)
Chuang Tsu, a later disciple of Lao-Tsu, also espied this Mystical Warrior, His attributes and role, and the concomitant Events of His earthly life:
A lone brave soldier may conquer nine armies for the sake of recognition. If so, how much more can be done by the [Warrior] who rules Heaven and Earth, the All-embracing Spirit who is embodied only for a time, whose ears and eyes are just for conceptualizing images, who synthesizes all knowledge and never experiences death? He will soon . . .leave the dusty world and rise to another level. The world will naturally follow Him. Why should He be concerned with the affairs of the world? (Chapter 5 of the Seven Inner Chapters).
If all this astounds you, it was anticipated in the Scriptures: “As many were amazed at Him . . . Who would believe our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 52:14-53:1).
(Again, these Blogs are excerpts from the Book: “Mount Zion: The Mystery of God”. The current Blog Post will be found in the Abridged Edition between Pages 199-207.)
* As in Footnote ♥ in Blog Post 3, this passage also relates to the transfer of Divine Authority—the Scepter—from Judah to a non-Jew, from the Pre-Exalted Christ to the Exalted One. Shiloh (He to whom it belongs), the Ultimate Messiah, refers not to Jesus, who descended from Judah, but to one like Melchizedek: And so, Heavens revealed to Ezra: “One shall reign whom those who dwell on Earth do not expect . . . and One whom the many do not know shall make His voice heard by night” (4 Ezra 5:6-7 or 2 Esdras 5:6-7). It is this Exalted One, whom Paul foresaw as the (Ultimate) Deliverer in Romans (11:25-27); Isaiah identified as: “One of those [a race] from whom men hide their faces” (Isaiah 53:3; cf., Isa. 49:3-6 where the Servant is titled Israel and yet distinguished from the tribes of Jacob); the Book of Daniel and the first Book of Enoch designated the “Most Holy One” (1 Enoch 46:2). Footnote ♥ in Blog Post 3 calls attention to the milestones in the succession-process to this Divine Authority. And from the above passage, the Coming of Shiloh marked the start of the Succession era. As noted too in Daniel, the Protagonist of this Succession is from another (chosen) race. And accompanying the shift of Authority is the relocation of the Messianic Capital, New Jerusalem. Ezra even espied the phantom transfer of the Seal of Zion (4 Ezra 10: 23 or 2 Esdras 10:23). In anticipation of Judah’s successor to this Divine Authority, Moses prophesied the envy of the Jews towards (Ahaba) people (Deuteronomy 32:21). It was prophesied: “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised . . . to bring to nothing the things that are; that no flesh might boast in His Presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
** When viewed from another perspective, Elijah’s ascension of Mount Zion will be seen alternatively in terms of His progression from the Darkness of ignorance and superstition to the Light of Wisdom and Truth. At the Peak of Mount Zion, Elijah attained Supreme Enlightenment, having surmounted the Dark Dominion of Satan. Hitherto, under the spell of “darkness”, Satan kept many souls in spiritual bondage. And so, from His renewed Heavenly Throne, Elijah comes with the Torch of Truth and Justice to dispel darkness and proclaim liberty to the captives.
How beautiful on [Mount Zion] are the feet of [Elijah] who brings good tidings: announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion: “Your God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7)
I, the Lord, have called [Elijah] for the cause of Justice . . . I have formed you and set you as a covenant for the people, a Light for the nations; to open the eyes of the blind; to bring out prisoners from detention; and from the dungeon those who live in darkness (Isaiah 42:6-7).
Indeed:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; [She] has sent me to bring good tidings to the lowly; to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to announce a year of favor from the Lord, and the day of vindication by our God (Isaiah 61:1-2).
Although the goal of pilgrims is also ascension to God Most High, none can draw near to the Supreme Throne except the Elect One, “who existed in [Her] Presence before the world was created, and forever” (1 Enoch 14:24; 48:5; 1 Timothy 6:15-16).
*** According to the Gospel of Thomas (16), Jesus said that He came to bring “Fire”, “Sword” and “War”; however, that saying found its ultimate fulfillment in Elijah, the Eschatological Warrior.
♠ (Genesis 3:24). The Word of God has come full circle: from the mythical Flaming-Sword-bearer of the Forbidden Garden in Its “Genesis” to His Co-Manifestation with the true Forbidden Garden in Its “Denouement; from Alpha to Omega, Beginning to End, First to Last. Behold, the Cherubim!
⊗ While the Tree of Life grows within the Garden of God, as correctly expressed in this passage, the river of life-giving water does not necessarily flow through the middle of the city, as many renderings of Revelation 22:1-2 appear to suggest. Such a reading would effectively divide the city into two sections. Genesis records that the Cherubim, commonly associated with the Divine Throne, were stationed east of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Likewise, other biblical passages indicate that the Tabernacle faced east in accordance with the heavenly pattern shown to Moses. Furthermore, Ezekiel’s vision places the source of the river at the threshold of the Temple (Ezek. 47:1), while Revelation describes the river of life as proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). Taken together, these passages suggest that the Throne, the source of the river, and the river itself are situated along the eastern boundary of the city rather than at its center. Ezekiel further states that the river flowed south of the altar, a detail that appears inconsistent with the notion of a river running through the middle of the city (Ezek. 47:1). Accordingly, Revelation 22:2 may be better understood as follows: “In the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, grew the Tree of Life . . .” This understanding closely parallels the imagery of the Tree of Life in Revelation 2:7 and accords with the orientation and architectural features of the Shrine of Onishe.