One Thousand Years
Genesage
"Learning"
(Chp3:10)
Culture shock began in heaven.
It was obvious no one knew what to do when most of us were face down when we should have been standing and singing. Then standing when we should have been sitting.
When it came to sitting, no one wanted to sit down after the Son of Man began to wash their feet.
Every person at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb was waited on hand and foot, literally. Of course, everything in Creation had been literal, but no one had understood “how.” The “how” had led to so many speculations it was about as close as the heavens were above the earth.
Or as the “Old World Expression” had been: “east from the west”
There was nothing more humbling than to have your feet washed. On earth it would have been almost in acceptable, in Heaven a whole different story. It was certainly life changing.
To be in heaven, out of place, out of time, (for some of us almost out of mind) and have God wash your feet. It made all of us a lot tenderer to the plight of the survivors.
Eben thought of a rather famous American cartoon character named Bullwinkle. He was a moose, who while performing a magic hat trick is supposed to pull a rabbit out of a hat. He tells his counterpart Rocky, a flying squirrel,
"Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!"
"Again?"
"Buckle up my sleeves and .., Presto!"
He pulls anything and everything except the rabbit, and abruptly shoves the wrong animal back in.
"Wrong Hat,"
He comments.
We were the fortunate ones and we must have looked like Bullwinkle the moose to Jesus,
Eben reflected.
Wrong hat, wrong ideas, and wrong motivations.
It wasn't as if everyone was completely off base or completely wrong, it was just inaccurate to the experience. You could only explain and adapt to it as you experienced it.
John the "Apostle" had much the same experience and results before we did, but even in reading about him did not really prepare anyone for what happened in heaven. Paul was right, it was almost a sin to try to describe.
"Of course I know now it makes dealing with those who had not been raptured so much easier to understand,"
Eben rationalized as he surveyed his students.
Considering his classroom again he reviewed his current students.
Two Mormons; one Quaker; a techno-geek; a catholic; a philosopher; a Spiritualist; and a mystery woman gave Eben some things to think about at times when he would indulge himself in his students rather than his garden, or reminiscing the Celebrations.
The Mormons where easily shedding their ideas it seemed. Eben was sure the next generation would hold less of the old ways and learn melechlachim, the “Kingdom Ways” easily.
Halacha, literally "the Way" had been codified by the Jew previous to the Kingdom and set a standard which had been a 'Way of Life’ for the Chosen of God to live. The Rabbis of those times had not wanted to be absorbed into the cultures and morays of the society's they were scattered to.
While beneficial in some ways, it also led to mistrust and a wrong type of separation. God had wanted to Save the World, not just His People. In some ways, “Orthodoxical” and “Rabbinical” separation became the ultimate selfishness.
Since the King of the Jews had come; a New Way was declared. "Melech"= king "L'cha" =way, or lachim, ways, so what the King of Kings said became "melechachim". “The Ways of the King” “The Kingdom Ways” “The Way of the Lord”
Those rules or laws, decrees or statements, sent out by the King that governed those who lived in the Kingdom.
Everyone accepted the Kings Way. There was God's Will and God's Way. His will was done and it was done his way.
Melechlachim.
Ha lacha had become Melech lacha.
Of course mused Eben, naming your new children in the kingdom Joseph Smith Mormon and Brigham Young Mormon didn't exactly make assimilation easier. He expected someone would name their kids Rambam Judaism and Barak Obama President.
Of course that hadn’t happened , yet.
Chuckling to himself, he looked over at Caleb Quaker Oats staring at him with that knowing twinkle in his young eyes. It made all Ebens' thoughts worthwhile. Maybe the “Oties” didn’t get it, but the “Newties” (NT’s) seemed to catch on.
Eben smiled remembering when Caleb had explained the jargon.
“OK, so your parents who came INTO the Kingdom are called Oties”
Grinning Caleb said,
“Yes. And we are the Newties.”
Eben grinned.
He had already heard Apple say they had their own name for their generation, so in a little quiet amusement he wondered who would win out. All he knew was that he didn’t like the name Survivor; it still reminded him of some TV game show.
Caleb the Quaker had decided at his maturity celebration to name himself Caleb Quaker Oats. While his parents frowned, the look of love from all of Bethleben made the parents realize maybe their sons' natural good humor was ok.
So far, seemingly, at least on surface, he was following daddy's Quaker ways, so they thought it was okay to add a sense of laughter to this new kingdom with their son’s name.
Eben and Caleb had become quite close and while Caleb kept some of his families old traditions, he embraced the freedom and discipline of the kingdom.
Likewise He often discussed Moshiach with Eben.
Brother Michael, somehow, was a Monk from a family who knew little about Catholicism. But after the “Great Deception on the Earth”; there had come the Time of Revolt; followed by the “Days of Judgment”. Those who passed into The Kingdom, or a great number of them, still associated themselves together in a large sect called Catholic.
Some “assuming” they recalled what was Catholic than they actually knew.
While no Pope was in place, only the true King Jesus in Jerusalem, the sect held to their ideas. Several of their people served as guides for the rest visiting together from distant communities once a month assembling in private meetings amongst themselves.
Sighing Eben always hoped all Catholics, not just some, would embrace their heritage and true calling and become “Believers in God” eventually Sons of God.
Apple,
Who named her daughter after a computer?
Apple was lost in between her parents wanting to go back to technology and her love for the forbidden fruit of embracing the Kingdom.
She at times seemed an innocent but with insights of brilliance she flashed a suffused genius for seeing the obvious when others were lost on tangents. An avid student she loved knowledge. All knowledge, any knowledge, everything fascinated her.
Thirsty after knowledge she seemed ever curious like the proverbial cat to explore new ideas and concepts.
Caleb seemed to be drawn to Apple as an avid student of wisdom. He was perhaps more cautious about knowledge than she was. But he loved to talk to her and to Eben.
Of course Apple’s parents were too busy for such foolishness. Her parent’s only desire was an audience with Jesus. What Apple was doing they didn’t often notice caught up with their own activities.
They wanted to Jesus about having electricity and technology restored. Restored immediately, or at least put before a vote of all the people.
For fifty years into the kingdom it was said that they had not yet had their audience with the King. But they had not stopped trying to change things "for the better" by adding sciences to it.
Delilah was a mystery.
Quiet, intense, she rarely spoke and her family also remained aloof, silent and watchful.
Given the freedom by Messiahs Laws of Forgiveness and his Law of Mercy the Survivors were allowed to seek and be Seekers of the Truth as long as they chose to be healed and helped to uncover the Way, the Truth, and Life.
This meant as long as they did not disrupt community they were allowed their privacy which they exercised and took full advantage of.
If Delilah was a mystery Donald was an oddity.
He was ever and always out and about the land exploring. Never around he could be found about ever fourth week showing up unexpectedly with stories of faraway places, then off again.
When he was around, Eben enjoyed what little He saw of him.
Tom was raised by a collegiate couple who planned out their survival and succeeded. In spite of all they saw and all they had been through even to the very Second Coming of Jesus Christ, they held to their own values, morals, education, and became part of the refuseniks.
Those people who in shock or stubbornness or pain or anger or a combination of many elements, rejected all they were in or a part of. They would not and could not "yet" accept God ruling on earth.
They were stubborn and stiff necked not unlike another people group Eben knew. Still Tom wasn’t as adamant as his parents had been.
In the early days of the Kingdom, about 7 or 8 KA Eben had heard of a great turmoil in one place in the Kingdom where Messiah had to go personally.
It was said a Refuge City had decided to not participate in the Morning Meetings.
Eben at the time had thought.
Good, it was chance to sleep in so to speak.
Apparently it had been more serious than that.
There had been a problem that according to what Eben had found out developed into a rejection of the leadership Messiah had put into place.
God came and spoke to those who were in the community. Apparently after that people chose to obey the King. Especially after they had personally talked to Him.
Two did not.
Eben was told the “Watchers[1]” came and escorted those two out of the Land. “Where” was a mystery to Eben, but more amazing to him was the fact that after seeing and talking with Jesus face to face, they would still reject him. That dumfounded Eben.
You would think after riding in on white horses and stopping the world from destroying itself then setting about to restore the world after man had nearly committed self-annihilation, people would have been grateful to let someone else be in charge for a change.
But apparently not. They had rejected the rule and been removed from the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
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