The heroic death of Saint Lawrence

The heroic death of Saint Lawrence

This story took place during 253-259 AD. Valerian was the King of Rome during that time. He was a monarch and ruled the people with an iron hand. He had a deep hatred towards Christians and their very sight would arouse his anger. During the year 253 AD, October 22^nd, King Valerian appointed his son Kalian as Caesar. This was the first thing he did after becoming the king of Rome. King Valerian felt that it was a great task to rule the entire Roman Empire all by himself and hence he empowered his son to rule the western regions of Rome and he ruled the eastern regions.  During this time few of the European kingdoms who were under the rule of the Romans started to fight for their freedom and this became a great headache for the Roman government.

King Valerian and his son decided to suppress this agitation with their iron hand and the Roman senate gave its full support. At this point of time the eastern cities of Rome namely Damascus and Antioch were captured by the Sasanians and Edessa was captured by the Persian King Shaphur I. on hearing his news King Valerian went forward with his great army to Edessa. From 254 AD to 257 AD King Valerian went around Edessa and captured all the states surrounding it and finally he captured Antioch. He defeated the Sassaninas and once again established the roman government in Edessa. But fate had a different trouble for him. During the year 259 AD king Valerian decided to defeat the Kath tribe and conquer the whole region of Edessa. He had already won the whole region of Asia Minor and hence decided this new attempt. With this intention in mind he wrote a letter to the Roman Senate which was considered as not only a letter but a government order.

    The letter stated that: all the citizens of Rome especially the Christians should worship the Roman kings and their gods only. They should not have and other gods or worship any other gods. If anyone disobeys this command, they will be considered as traitors and will be subject to severe punishment and tortures which would even lead to their death. Also their wealth and possessions will be taken over by the government. This order was to put into immediate effect. This order was once again enforced with greater momentum in the next year also. Hence, these orders lead to the persecution of Christians all over the Roman Empire. During this time the pain and sufferings and torture of Christians were beyond words could explain.

     In such a tough situation, our story now moves to a small city called Husia which was located in Arakon in Northern Spain. This place was ruled by rich people of royal origin who were decedents of ancient kings.  Our dear saint Lawrence belonged to the city of Husia. He was born in 225 AD. Nothing is known about his birth or family background. But few information states that he was born in a wealthy family. He was a genius in his time and had a great desire to study Theology. Hence he came to the city of Cambosthala. There he met St. Sixtus who was a great man of God and had enormous knowledge about the word of God. St. Sixtus had a great liking for Lawrence and hence he asked Lawrence to come and follow him in Rome. Lawrence accepted his invitation to assist him in Rome and left to Rome with St. Sixtus. After reaching Rome the dedication and passion which St. Sixtus had towards God made his the bishop of Rome and soon he was ordained as the Pope of Rome. After this he was called as Pope St. Sixtus II. Lawrence continued his life as a Deacon.

It was during this time the first edict of the emperor of Rome was issued in the year 257 AD. Pope St. Sixtus II sensed that very soon persecutions will start all over Rome and hence handed over all the holy materials and churches which were under his control to Lawrence. He also made Lawrence the head of the seven deacons whom he had already appointed. 

  The seven deacons of Pope St. Sixtus II were Jenuvaris, Vincent, Macnus, Stephen, Felicissimus, Agapitus and Lawrence. The vine glass which Jesus used during his last supper with his apostles was one of the holy materials which Pope St. Sixtus handed over to Lawrence. Lawrence handed over this precious cup to one of his dear friends and asked him to give it to a person who belonged to the royal family which lived in the city of Arakon. This person in turn handed over this vine glass to a sage. Likewise this cup changed many hands and later no one was able to find out the whereabouts of the same. Finally the search was not in vain. This cup is now kept in a church in Valencia, located in Spain.

   Somehow many Christians, priests and deacons escaped the first edict but they could not escape the second edict. This second edict clearly stated that all the priests, bishops, Cardinals, deacons including the pope should be immediately put to death. The pope and bishops who anticipated this kind of a persecution preached words of faith to the Christians so that they may withstand the persecution. For the Bible states, “he who stands till the end…..” they also told the people, “Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Behold! The devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and fro ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.”(Revelations 2:10). These meetings and preaching’s could not be done in public and hence they had their meetings, preaching’s and regular Holy Mass secretly in caves. In this manner there were many secret caves in those days. The martyr’s bodies were also secretly buried in those caves. Since the caves were used for many purposes like burial, conducting Holy Mass, and also hiding, these caves were dug for many kilometers with proper ventilation facilities and secret outlets to move out quickly during time of emergency.

   The roman soldiers somehow came to know about these caves and the activities carried out there and were secretly investigating about it. On their investigation they came to know that the following day Pope St. Sixtus II would come there along with his deacons to conduct Holy Mass. With this information the roman soldiers waited for the right opportunity. On the following day, the pope came to the Kalistha cave to offer Holy Mass. During the sermon the roman soldiers came forward from their hiding place and captured the pope and his seven deacons and arrested them. At that moment Pope St. Sixtus looked at the people gathered there and said, “Dear people of God do not fear. All this was determined to happen and it is as per God’s will.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. And if we are children, then we are heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us! So fear not those who can destroy you bodies but fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. So use this time to stand as witness for God. God almighty will be with you all. Amen”

    Along with the pope all his deacons were also arrested and taken to the governor. The governor commanded all of them to be put to death. So they were taken to the Kalishta caves once again. At this time, Lawrence looked at Pope St. Sixtus II and said, “My Lord, do not leave me…. I am ready to come with you where ever you go even if it is to Calvary. Have you ever done the ministry of God without me, the head of your deacons? So why do you leave me alone now and go, take me with you…… please do answer me and give me a word of comfort…..”

   Pope replied, “Lawrence there is a reason for me to leave you alone here and move on. I am not leaving you alone here because I do not trust you. It is because I trust you I have still kept you in charge for all the wealth and treasures of the church. Continue to do your work. Four days from now you will be with me in heaven. You will undergo sever torture to receive greater glory in the hands of God. So you, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Take your share of the hardships and suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Think over these things I am saying, for the Lord will grant you full insight and understanding in everything. The saying is sure and worthy of confidence: if we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny and disown and reject Him, e will also deny and disown and reject us. If we are faithless, He remains true, for He cannot deny Himself. I am an old man, but you are young…… I can’t endure the sufferings the way you can. So I am going now. Take care of my sheep as long as you are on this earth.”

    Then the Pope St. Sixtus II was made to sit in his chair and was beheaded and killed. All the other deacons were killed in the similar manner. When the turn of Lawrence came one of the soldiers said that he was in charge of all the church property. Hence Lawrence was once again taken for trial. The governor asked, “Lawrence, are you the treasurer for all the riches of the church? I heard that the pope St. Sixtus II has left all the church property under your control. Is this true? Tell me the truth.”

Lawrence replied, “Yes my Lord…. I have all the church property in my control.”

The governor replied, “Good Lawrence, I appreciate your truthfulness. Can you give me an estimate of your church property? Since we incur huge expenses on account of the war taking place in eastern Rome, I am in need of huge amount of money. As your Lord Jesus Christ rightly said, give that which belongs to Caesar to Caesar and that which belongs to God to God. So give me that property.”

Lawrence said, “My Lord it is true that my master has left me in charge of church property. But I don’t know anything about it. I am yet to go and take a list of all that belongs to the church and find out where all they have been kept. Only after assessing these details of the property I can rightfully become the treasurer. Since you asked me all of a sudden I am not able to give you a clear picture. If you could give me three days time, I can submit the entire report of the church property without fail.”

On hearing this governor said, “Alright Lawrence I give you three days time. But can you give me a rough estimation of the church property?”

   Lawrence replied, “Yes my Lord, I can tell that. The total estimate of the church property is many times higher than the total property value of your King Valerian.”

    The eyes of the governor opened wide with greed. He said to himself, “Oh my God! I never expected the property value of the Roman Christians to be so high….. So I will take half of this property and send the remaining half to Caesar and King Valerian. Luck is not in my pocket….. ha ha ha ha…. This Lawerance is so true and he is asking only three day’s time….. Let me give it to him…. Oh my soul be happy that you will soon be rich and royal.” So Lawrence was handed over under the guardianship of Hipolinen. Lawrence utilized this opportunity wisely and sold all the church property and gave them to the poor. On the fourth day morning there was a huge crowd gathered at the entrance of the house of Hipolinen. There were men and women, children, blind, deaf, dumb, lame, lepers and people with all kinds of disease. Hipolinen was shocked to see this crowd in front of his house.  At that time a blind man by name Cresentine shouted aloud, “Dear brother Lawrence has mercy on me. I know and believe that you are a messenger of God and have the power of healing bestowed on you from heaven. Please lay your hands on me and pray that I might receive my sight.” Lawrence replied, “If you believe in my Lord God and on me then let it happen to you as you have believed and asked for.” So saying Lawrence laid his hands on the blind man prayed for him. Immediately the blind man received his sight. On seeing this miracle the Roman guard Hipolinen believed in Jesus Christ.

    The governor came with high hopes that he will receive a huge amount of property that day. He looked at Lawrence and asked him, “Lawrence have you assessed the property of the church? Where are they….?” Lawrence replied, “My Lord, these people whom you see here are the true treasures of the church.” The governor who did not expect this answer roared in anger saying, “Lawrence enough of your useless talks. Where are the gold and silver utensils? Where are the gold coins? Come on answer me right now.”

Lawrence gave a calm reply saying, “Do not get panic or angry my Lord. Truly these people are the real property of the church. Their souls are more precious to God than mere gold and silver. The treasures of this world will fade away and will turn to nothing. But the souls of men will live forever. These precious souls are more precious than your wealth as well as the wealth of Caesar and your king Valerian.”

The governor understood that further talk is of no use. So he decided to put Lawrence to immense torture. Accordingly Lawrence underwent high level of torment. He was whipped on bare body and all his skin along with his flesh were torn apart. His flesh was burnt with red hot iron plates. At this time one of the soldiers who were there by name Rommel who said, “Sir, I see a young man by your side holding a linen cloth in his hand. He is wiping your wounds with it and immediately the wounds are healed. Can you tell me who this young man is? But I believe that you are truly a man of God. I believe in you and your God. Please baptize me immediately.”

A little later the governor came, called the soldiers and told them, “Tonight this man Lawrence should be put to death. His death should be one of the cruelest one this world has ever seen. Take a red hot iron cot and place him on it. Ensure that the cot is not so hot that he will die immediately. Have it in low flame and roast him throughout the night, torture him and kill him. This will be the best punishment for betraying the Roman governor. No one else should dare to play with me here after.”

In the same way Lawrence was tortured on the red hot iron cot the whole night. In his agony Lawrence said, “My Lord have mercy on me.” Immediately the Lord replied saying, “Dear son do not fear. I am with you.” Lawrence alone heard this soothing voice of the Lord. At that time a huge comet appeared in the sky which looked like a huge ball of water. This was later named as the tear of Lawrence. When the time drew near for Lawrence to die he was very happy and said, “let this night last longer….. You cruel coward Valerian, the fish by name Lawrence is now roasted well on this side…. Take and turn it on the other side and eat the roasted side till your thirst for innocent blood is satisfied.” Valerian could not withstand this insult and wondered how a man who is almost being roasted on fire could take so boldly. Then Lawrence died after undergoing great agony.

Roomelu who witnessed this cruel death of Lawrence and the courage with which he spoke offered his heart to Lord Jesus Christ. Roomelu and Hipolinen accepted Jesus Christ and died as martyrs. This heroic death of Lawrence induced great faith among the people of Rome towards Jesus Christ. Idol worship was destroyed in the city. The person responsible for this cruel death of Lawrence, King Valerian was rightly punished by God. king Valerian faced the worst insults which none other Roman king had ever undergone. In the history of Romans, the only king who suffered terrible insults in the hands of his enemies was Valerian. The persian king Shaphur I waged a war against Rome and Valerian in the place called Edessa and won him. He arrested Valerian who lost terribly in the battle. Thus the entire Roman Empire collapsed. I do not know who was responsible for this defeat of King Valerian, whether it was nature or God himself. The actual reason is the Roman soldiers who were engaged in war in Edessa were infected by a deadly disease and thus many of them died. Thus this was an added advantage for Shaphur I, who rightly used this opportunity and won the battle.

  

   King Valerian did not have any other choice other than to surrender to Shaphur I. but Shaphur I did not treat Valerian with due respect as he had promised him. He insulted and ill-treated him in many ways. 

 

   Wherever the Persian King Shaphur I would get down from his horse, Valerian was to bow down as a foot stool for Shaphur I. in this way King Valerian had to undergo such insults for a long time. His death too was very cruel. The Persian king promised Valerian that he would give him a royal death sentence. Accordingly melted gold was poured into King Valerian’s mouth which burnt his mouth up to his anus. He suffered a lot and died. All this was a result of what he did for our dear saint Lawrence. A famous proverb states, “Be good to people on your way up….. for you will have to meet them on your way down” another historical information states that King Valerian gave a huge amount as a settlement amount to king Shapur I and the king in turn received the money and then caught hold of King Valerian and whipped him to death. 

   The Roman soldiers who received the body of King Valerian buried him with royal respect. Not only the death of King Valerian was cruel but that of his son was even worse. Kaliaian the son of King Valerian also followed his father in persecuting the Christians. The people who were not able to bear his torture joined together and rose against him. Fearing the crowd he committed suicide.

But our dear saint who died on account of the sentence of King Valerian was honored by God. the Christians considered Saint Lawrence next to Saint Peter and saint James. Saint Lawrence died on August 10^th, 258 AD. King Constantine I have built a church in the place where Saint Lawrence was killed. This church is called as Saint Lawrence Basilica.

      The iron cot which was used to kill Saint Lawrence is kept as a relic in this church. Also a church has been built in the place where Saint Lawrence was buried. Every year on the day on which Saint Lawrence died, his skull is kept for public view in the museum of Vatican. The pilgrims who visit Rome should not miss this one of the seven wonders of the seven church’s namely Saint Lawrence Basilica. 

Dear saint Lawrence please pray for us

A letter to Jesus and a letter from Jesus

A letter to Jesus and a letter from Jesus

What is this statement…? “A letter to Jesus and a letter from Jesus...” usually the bible is considered to be the letter written by God to his people. But this is a letter which is not recorded in the bible but has happened in history. Most of my stories are based on the real life incidents which are not recorded in the bible but are of great importance.  Did Jesus really write this letter? If so to whom did he write this letter? You will soon find the answer to all these questions which arises in your mind as you read the title. This is a true story in history and I am happy to introduce this to you. The historians accept the fact that the king of Edessa, Apkar heard about the greatness of Jesus and wrote a letter to him asking him to heal his sickness and Jesus also wrote a reply for this letter.
Edessa is a place in the northern part of Turkey. During the time period when Jesus Christ was on this earth, Edessa was ruled by king Apkar. He was quiet old and he suffered from leprosy. In those days there was no medicine for this disease. It was considered as the curse of God and also people believed that only God can cure this disease. Due to this reason the lepers were set apart from the society and were considered as untouchables. This rule was applicable to all the people whether the person was a king or a beggar. Hence king Apkar was mentally and physically down with sorrow. He often thought “how nice it would be if someone could be merciful enough to deliver him from this disease? If I find such a person then I will surely consider him and accept him as God. Is there such a person in this world? Is there a God who is so powerful and merciful to cure me of this curse? Will I meet him in my lifetime?” in this way king Apkar started to long for the hour of his miracle day by day.
In this situation king Apkar came to know about Jesus Christ and all the great miracles he performed through the travelers and his own official messengers. These people informed the king that there is a great man of God who is a Jewish Rabi who belonged to Palestine, and that if he prays any dreadful disease was sure to be cured. They also told him that Jesus has even raised the dead alive. They also told him that Jesus had given sight to people who were born blind and made the lame people walk who were born lame.  Hearing all this Apakr asked one of his messengers whether Jesus Christ had healed any lepers. His messenger told him, “Dear king, not just one leper…. But jesus Christ has healed ten lepers on the same day. Also once a leper came to Jesus and told him ‘Lord, if You are willing, you are able to cleanse me by curing me.’ And Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed.” All this gave new hopes in the heart of king Apkar. He thought to himself, “What leprosy got cured instantly, that too just by a touch of Jesus? Oh! If I would have been the one whom Jesus touched, then I too will be cleansed and cured of this dreadful disease.”
Along with this good news King Apkar came to know about the hatred toward Jesus by his own people, the Jews and the high priests and that they planned to kill him. The king was deeply troubled and worried on hearing this information. So he wrote a letter to Jesus inviting him to come to his city where he could be safe and also requested Jesus to cure him of his dreadful disease. The contents of the letter are as follows:
Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
“Greetings to the great physician of Jerusalem. This is a letter from the king of Edessa, Apkar. 
Dear Lord, I bow before you with great respect and love, 
To a physician who is pure and gentle like a dove,
You cure worst disease not by medicine or pills, 
But with just a word you cure all those who are ill
Your word drives away the forces of darkness and hell
Your word breaks the bondage of curse and spell
Your words make the blind to see and the lame to walk, 
Your words make the deaf to hear and the dumb talk, 
Your words raise the dead and make them rejoice, 
Your words cleanse the lepers who came to hear your voice
All this information about you makes me conclude that you are a physician from heaven and that you are truly the son of God in the form of man living on this earth. I believe in this statement of mine and hold on firmly to it. After coming to know all the great miracles you have done, I have a request and I place it in front of you right now. I know Lord that nothing is too hard for you…… I humbly request you to cleanse me of the dreadful disease I am suffering from….. Leprosy and cure me on account of your great mercy. Also since I came to know that your own people are your enemies and are waiting for an opportunity to kill you, I am greatly troubled in my heart. I will not let this happen to a great man of God like you. So I request you to come to my country along with your disciples and preach to my people and help them to know you and accept you. Also cure my people of their dreadful disease. I make this humble request to you Lord. Though my country is a very small place, still it is very beautiful and peaceful. We can live happily here. Once again I request you to come to my country and bless me and my people.
Thanking you,
Apkar Okaama
King Apkar handed over this letter to his minister Hennan and asked him to hand over the same to Jesus Christ with due respect and care. Hennan handed over the letter to Jesus Christ with due respect as instructed by king Apkar. Jesus Christ received the letter and read the same. He understood the heart of king Apkar and wrote a reply letter in his own handwriting and gave it to Hennan and asked him to hand over the same to king Apkar. The great historian Ebusis confirms that the letter was written by Jesus Christ himself. The contents of the letter of Jesus are as follows:
“I am happy to know your faith and belief you have on me even though you have neither seen me or my miracles. For it is written in the holy bible, that. “Those who see me do not believe in me but those who do not see me believe in me”. Since you believed in me even though you have not seen me, I bless you and grant you all that you wished and requested for. According to your request I will surely come to your country but not now….. I will surely remember you, when I have completed all the will of my father on this earth and be seated in heaven on the right side of my father. I will meet you and your people and make them mine. I will bless them and give them the mantle of salvation. I will send my servant who will preach the good news about me to you and your people and on that day no one will be able to overcome you and your country. After the entry of that disciple of mine in your life, your life will take up a totally new dimension. You will have a new life in me. I bless you and grant you peace.
Jesus Christ”
[Some of the historians do not agree that this letter was written by Jesus himself. They agree the relationship between king Apkar and Jesus Christ and all the incidents that had happened in their life. But they do not agree that the letter was written by Jesus Christ himself. They are of the opinion that the letter could have been written by one of the disciples of Jesus or by the minister Hennan himself as dictated by Jesus Christ. The chances of Hennan having written the letter as dictated by Jesus Christ is high since he was an artist and in the later days he painted the picture of Jesus Christ. This was possible only because he saw Jesus Christ that too so close to him.]
Let’s come back to the story. Jesus Christ gave the letter to Hennan and said, “Good minister, hand over this letter to your master who sent you to me. Also tell him that everything is going to be fine. He need not worry any more. Tell him that I bless him and his people.” After saying this Jesus took a towel and wiped his face and the impression of his countenance got printed on the towel. Jesus Christ gave the towel to Hennan and asked him to hand over the towel along with the letter to his master and asked him to tell his master to wipe his face with that towel and when he does that he will be cured of his leprosy. So saying, he sent the minister away.
[After the death of Jesus and his ascension to heaven, Jesus remembered his promise to king Apkar. He sent his apostles Thaddaeus and Thomas to Edessa.]
King Apkar received the letter and the towel from his minister and wiped his face with the towel. Immediately that great miracle happened. The moment he wiped his face with the towel, he was cured of his leprosy. His joy reached great heights. In honor of this great deliverance, he became a Christian and also converted the people of his country to Christianity. He also announced his country as a Christian country. In this way the whole country of Edessa became a Christian country. Hence this is a living example that Jesus Christ keeps up his promise.
Now let us see some interesting facts about this great country Edessa:
Since many Armenians got settled in this country and became Christians, this country was also called as Armenia Mesopotamia.
Historical information states that during the time when Saint Thomas was doing his ministry in this country he had the chance to meet two of the three wise men who came to Jesus when he was born. Historical information states that he met those wise men in Arabia, before the death of Jesus Christ. One of the wise men who was the youngest of the three, Seir, died of some disease before he could meet Jesus Christ. The other two wise men, Thiyokinon and Mensur lived many years after the death of Jesus Christ in Arabia. Hence Saint Thomas had the chance to meet them when he lived in Edessa.
Saint Thomas died in India and was buried in Mylapore, Chennai. In 232 AD his bones were taken to Rome through land transport. They had to face a lot of hindrances before they could take the bones safely to Rome. At that time his bones were buried and kept in the country of Edessa for a long time.
Historical information states that the bodies of the three wise men were brought to the country of Edessa and was buried there where the people used to go and show their reverence. After many years the bones of these three wise men were taken to Rome and from there they were taken to Germany and are being kept in a place called Colon. They are there even today. Similarly the bones of Saint Thomas were taken from Edessa and were taken to Italy. It was taken to Archie and kept in a cathedral in a place called Ortano. It is also said that there is a tomb for Saint Thomas in that cathedral.
The Armenians of Edessa keep the towel with the impression of Jesus Christ as their most valuable treasure. The towel in the country of Edessa, the impression of Jesus Christ in the towel of Veronica, and the impression of Jesus Christ in his death shroud shows us how Jesus would have looked like when he was on this earth. Since the scientists confirm that the impression in all the three clothes is the same, it gives us the confidence that the bodily resemblance of Jesus Christ in the clothes is true. Also the Southern church has announced that the impression of Jesus in the towel kept in Edessa is not a hand print painted by any human being.
The southern church has acknowledged that king Apkar (who was healed by this towel) as a saint. The Armenian government has released their currency with the impression of king Apkar.

 That currency depicts king Apkar pointing towards the towel with the impression of Jesus Christ.
“In the tide of time nothing lasts except memories, sweet memories…. It is in the heart that one locks his ever green memories…. And so did this king Apkar treasure the towel and letter of Jesus Christ…. And was surely rewarded for his faith….”

The mount of scandal

 The mount of scandal

 “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets; she cries at the head of the noisy intersections; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:”

Wisdom is the priceless gift of god to man. This story centers on a person on whom God bestowed all His wisdom. God also witnessed that there was and there will not be anyone who would equal the wisdom of this person forever.

A famous king once said, “Honey and poison come forth from the same earth…..” This story of ours has a great resemblance to this statement. This story has its center of focus on Mount Olive which is located in Jerusalem. One side of the mountain faces the holy temple in the city of Jerusalem but the other side is well known for the treacherous plots which were made by men at various times of history on that mountain. Hence this mount is also known as  the mount of scandal

 “”. This is the place where the plot to kill Jesus was executed. Judas, the apostle of Jesus agreed to betray Jesus for a price of 30 silver coins on this mount. This is the mountain where the chief priest Caiaphas resided. This is the mountain where Judas committed suicide after knowing that he had betrayed Jesus and his innocent blood. Judas did not betray Jesus with a wrong intention. Judas had been with Jesus just like all the other apostles. He too had witnessed all the miracles Jesus had done. Judas thought, Jesus who had raised so many dead people alive will surely have a way to save his own life…… also many times Judas has seen Jesus disappear when the crowd was agitated and a threat for the life of Jesus arose. So he thought that even if he deceives Jesus, Jesus would surely escape and later he could seek his mercy and rejoin with him. He thought that Jesus would surely establish his kingdom in Jerusalem and that he too would be given a high post in the government. 

  This was the reason Judas accepted to betray Jesus for the price of 30 silver coins. But Judas never knew the great plan of almighty god through his son Jesus Christ. When he came to know that Jesus was going to be crucified on the cross, he understood that his calculations had gone wrong. His heart broke and his conscious tortured him saying, “You have betrayed innocent blood for just 30 pieces of silver”. He could not bear this torture and hence hung himself. But the sad thing is the branch on which he hung himself was not able to bear his weight and hence it broke. Thus Judas fell upside down and his head banged the ground and he fell on a spot which tore his belly to pieces and all his intestines came out.

  Thus Judas betrayed Jesus and before Jesus could die on the cross, Judas had a tragic death. Before Judas could commit suicide, he threw the 30 silver coins in the temple of Jerusalem in front of the high priest. But the priest did not put the money in the offering box since it was a price paid for the blood of Jesus. Hence they got a land from a potter with the money and it is called as AKLADAMMA which means land of blood.

   Now there is a monastry in the name of Saint Onuphrius.in this land acladama in which the

tradition says the  tomb of judas iscariot and the high priests Annaas and kaipaas are situated.

     Though with the change of time a lot of big buildings have crouched around this land, even today no one has dared to touch this land and build anything in this.  This land has not been sold or altered and remains just like how it was at the time of Jesus. This land is situated right in front of the house of the high priest Caiaphas in the mount of scandal. If a part of this mount olive is honey the other half is poison. So much of evil plots had been executed in this mountain. If we are to think that the plot to kill Jesus was just the thought of Judas and the high priest, we are certainly wrong. The seed for this great plot was sowed during the time of King Solomon. King Solomon was the person who sowed the seed but he did not realize what he was doing and the consequences. “No one has ever existed or would be born who would be equal in wisdom which Solomon possessed” was the gift God gave to Solomon.

    Once Solomon became king, everything was fine for some time. His treasury overflowed. He was becoming richer and richer. God kept his promise and blessed him abundantly. As Solomon promised his father, King David, he was very true to his God and pleased him. But slowly his riches and power blindfolded him. He deviated from the ways which was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. As a fact of special mention, he was very much addicted towards beautiful women. They made him sin in the eyes of the Lord. Though he was warned by his mother and by God he could not control his lust and desire for young women. They made him worship other gods which was highly disgusting in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord god of Israel commanded Solomon to stay away from three things: 1. in the first place Solomon should not marry any women from any other race or country except women from his own Hebrew race, 2. Secondly since The Lord God Almighty is their protector, Solomon was not supposed to have any horse battalion or soldiers, 3. Thirdly Solomon should not build any palaces or forts for his own use. But Solomon did not keep up any of these three commandments. Just like Adam and Eve who disobeyed God and ate the fruit of knowledge, their generation has always been following their footsteps and Solomon was no exception to this. He too disobeyed god and committed sin.  He married any woman who were appealing in his sight. This sin of Solomon was the seed which thirsted for the innocent blood of Jesus Christ after many generations. This information might be a shock to those who are reading this. But this is truth and you will know what actually happened as you read the rest of the story.

   Solomon built the great temple of Jerusalem for his God as he had promised his father David which was a historical landmark. The foundation for this great temple was laid on 966 BC, 17^thApril. This happened just four years after Solomon had become king. For the execution of this great project of building this magnificent temple, the great architect Huramibi of Lebanon was appointed. A young man by name Joseph was appointed as assistant for this architect. Solomon noticed the great skill and talent which Joseph exhibited in his work and hence paid him double the wages than all the other workers. In this situation Joseph was possessed by a demon. On account of this he became thin and weak day by day. He was not able to work efficiently. Solomon, who noticed this change in Joseph, called him one day and asked him the reason for his lack of efficiency and his physical condition. Joseph replied in tears, “My Lord, as long as I work in the temple, I don’t have any problem. But once evening comes and I am out of this temple, a demon takes possession of me and takes away half of my earnings. At last it bites my thumb and sucks my blood and then leaves me. This is the reason I am becoming weak day by day and I am not able to concentrate in my work.” This troubled the heart of Solomon and he wanted to find out a way of relief for this situation. He decided to seek the help of the most holy god and went into the temple. He set forth his petition to God and suddenly the arch angel Michael appeared to Solomon in a flash of light. Michael said to him, “Solomon, your prayer has been answered. Behold the signet ring of God which bears his holy name. Praise the Lord God….. When you wear this ring, all evil demonic forces will surrender to you by the power of this ring. With the help of this ring you can avail any kind of help required to build the holy temple from any one you want.” The angel disappeared after handing over the ring to Solomon.

…Solomon called his favorite worker Joseph and handed over the ring to him and said, “Joseph, when the spirit comes to harm you the next time, punch its chest with this ring without any hesitation. Then command the spirit to come and meet me and run to me immediately.” Joseph followed the instructions of Solomon and punched the spirit on its chest. Then the demon looked at Joseph and said, “Joseph, why did you do such a thing to me? If you could have asked me, I would have provided you all the riches of this world….. Instead why did you get me trapped by Solomon?” so saying the demon followed Joseph. Joseph met Solomon and handed over the ring to him. Solomon looked at the demon and asked, “Who are you unclean spirit? Where do you come from? What is your name? Who has authority over you? Answer me right away.” The demon replied, “Great king Solomon,

“My name is Oornais and I come from the Abyss.

I once lived in heaven but now I am one among the pagan

Inducing lust and making people to sin, Is the prime job I do and in this I always win

I live on earth and I live in the water, I also live in the sky for the type of place doesn’t matter

I can take the form of a vulture and sore high up in the sky, Or prowl around in the form of a lion all over the land so dry

No one in this world can defeat me and this is not a lie, Do not play with me anymore, king Solomon or you are sure to die”

Solomon replied, “I am here right before you who have the authority and power to defeat you…..I don’t want any of your self praise….. Tell me who has authority over you????? Who can bind you????”  The demon replied, “If you are so keen in knowing it, let me tell you….. The mighty angel Uriel has the power to bind me.”

Solomon immediately gave his command, “Oornais, I command you to bring stones and rocks required to the building of this great temple from the Kethron valley. Also go and bring your captain Beelzebub to me on my command.” Oornais did as Solomon commanded and brought the captain of demons, Beelzebub to him. Then Oornais went to the site where the rock were being cut into stones for the building of the temple and started his work as commanded by Solomon. Solomon now questioned Beelzebub and it replied, “Oh you great king Solomon, do you know this proverb, ‘Pride will have a fall’….. Don’t boast about because you have authority and power….. This is just for a short while….. Very soon you will lose your authority as king….. I don’t even wish to talk to you….. It is my fate that I have to stand before you and answer your questions…. But this situation will soon change.” Immediately Solomon punched its chest with his ring and the next moment Beelzebub fell to the ground with a loud cry of pain as if he was pierced with a flaming spear. Then the demon said, “Solomon, stop torturing me. I will do all that you command me….. Tell me what do you want?” Solomon smiled and said, “That’s a good decision…… now introduce few of the demons who are under your control. Especially introduce women demons first…… at least one of them….” As requested by Solomon a beautiful woman appeared before Solomon. She was of exceeding beauty. Though she was in the form of human being, her legs resembled those of a horse. Solomon was wonder struck and questioned her. She replied, “Your highness, my name is Oonasis Kelis. I live in caves and mountain tops. I also reside in the star by name Capricorn. I come from the place called as dark heaven. I am a spirit body but appear in the form of human beings. My work is to hypnotize men. This is the command given to me. But men do not know this and fall in my trap and thus fall into sin. Solomon curtailed her powers and asked her to make ropes, throughout day and night. These ropes were useful in carrying stones and wood for the building of the temple.

   Another unclean spirit appeared before Solomon. (It is essential that the readers remember the name of this spirit). Solomon once again asked his usual questions, “Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your name?” But these questions set the spirit on hot temper and it replied, “How dare you question me? Who are you to ask my name?” Solomon also picked up temper and showed his ring to the spirit and said, “Can you see this ring? Do you know the power of this ring? If you fail to answer me in the right way then you will have to face the consequences….. What do you say? Are you ready to give me the answers?” The demon replied, “Solomon you are just a human being….. Born of this world….. A man with flesh and blood….. But do you know who I am? Though I was born of a woman on this earth, my father is an angel. I reside in the outer space high up in the sky. I am called as the GREAT BEAR. I have a collection of stars under me. Now I think this is more than enough for you…. Don’t ask me anything further. I don’t have any need to answer you…… because I live high up in the sky and you live low down on the earth….. You are far below me…. Far far below me Solomon…… you can become equal to my status…. So I think this respect which I have given you is more than sufficient and keep it up…” These words of the demon added fuel to the burning fire in Solomon’s heart. He said in a harsh voice, “You nasty demon…. You have to answer me…. There is no way of escape… if you fail to do, I will punch you with this ring...” so saying Solomon tried to punch the demon with the ring…. The demon opened its mouth and said, “Oh what is the great hurry my dear King….. We shall talk…. Tell me what do you want? My name is Asmothyuis. My work is to plan wicked plots. I bring confusion and ignorance in the minds of people. Especially, I induce the thoughts of suspicion in the hearts of newly married couples. I separate families…  I give pleasure to those who obey me for some time and then torture them for eternity. But what a pity…. People how do not know this worship me as god. See even you are torturing me…. But your rule will come to an end in a short period. As long as you are a king and you have this signet ring you will have the power to control me….. But very soon you will lose this signet ring and then fall down at my feet as my slave…. All these will take place very soon….. Wait and see and then you will know my powers….”

Solomon’s anger reached its peak and he asked the demon, “who is the angel who has control over you? Come on and tell me immediately…..” The demon replied, “The only angel who has authority over me is Archangel Raphel…..  Also I am greatly terrified at the very sight of the fished which live in the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. I would like to remind you of an incident in my life…. In the ancient times once a young couple was on their way to their home town. Angel Raphel assisted the husband whose name was Thopias. I took control over his wife. At this point suddenly angel Raphel took the intestine and liver of the fishes in the river and threw them on me. Immediately I came out of the women through her nose in the form of a snake. Archangel Raphel caught hold of me and sent me back to my place in the sky….. Ok it is all past events…. Now what are you going to do with me? Are you going to send me back? Or are you going to keep me here with you?” Solomon did a wise thing. He brought the oil which was taken from the liver of those special fishes and lighted a lamp. With the help of the light of the lamp he controlled the demon. He also changed the demon into a vulture and kept him next to him. This was the beginning of the sad fate of Solomon. He encountered many more demons and brought them under his control and with their help got all the work done for building the holy temple. Thus with the help of the signet ring, Solomon interacted with many demons and it was said that there was almost not one demon left which Solomon was unaware of. He started show great interest in witchcraft and became a master in it. All the demons of hell listened to him except Beelzebub. 

Solomon further questioned Beelzebub showing him the signet ring and asked him, “Tell me Beelzebub, whom you fear the most? Who can suppress you and defeat you? Who has the authority to bind you in chains?” Beelzebub replied, “The only person who can control me is Immanuel, the son of Jehovah…… no one else can control me.” On hearing this Solomon punched the demon with the ring and the demon surrendered. But it roared in anger stating, “Solomon, you have defeated me now, this is a temporary defeat…. A day will come when Immanuel will come down to this earth in the form of man. At that time I will have him in my control… he will suffer in my hands…. I will torture him… I will take my revenge…. But you will not live to see that…. But will be there…… this will happen…..” Solomon commanded the demon not to speak another word.

The entry of the queen of Sheeba

As it is said, “Time and tide wait for none”, time rolled over very quickly. The great wisdom of Solomon became well known all over the world. Many people from many parts of the world came to see Solomon and the way he settled disputes and cases in the wisest way. There was a man called Thambrin, who was belonged to the city of Ethiopia, and was an ambassador in the court of Solomon representing his country. He was a great merchant. Through him the queen of Sheba came to know about the great wisdom of King Solomon and the magnificent temple which he had built. She desired to see King Solomon and waited for an opportunity. Her name was Macatha. She was a spinster. By this time Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Solomon had married the daughter of pharaoh of Egypt. This Egyptian wife of Solomon did not like to stay in the palace where all the other wives of Solomon stayed. She was adamant to live separately and insisted Solomon to build her a separate palace. So Solomon built a separate palace in the place called Milo in the city of jerusalem and kept her there. I am sure Solomon must have had special talent to take care of all these thousand women who were with him.

    The vulture Asmothyuis was very good to Solomon for a long time and he too treated it in a well deserved way. But this relationship did not last long. Solomon wanted to travel all over the world with the help of this vulture. So he called Asmothyuis and gave him the command to take him all over the world. The vulture also obeyed his command and made him sit on its neck and flew high in the sky. Solomon asked the vulture, “Asmothyuis is this all you can do? Is this your maximum speed? Why don’t you fly at a greater speed?” Asmothyuis used this opportunity in the right way and said, “Dear king, I have lost all my strength and power over these years. If you want me to fly faster and swifter, I need my old strength back. So if it would please you, give me your signet ring for some time. Once I gain my strength back, I will return the same to you.” Solomon was such a wise king, but at that moment he was not able to understand the plot of this vulture. Without a second thought he took off his signet ring and gave it to the vulture.

      That was the great mistake Solomon did. The vulture that waited for this opportunity caught hold of it. Once the vulture got the ring, it became all powerful and stretched one of its wing covering the entire sky and the other wing towards the earth. While it flew over Jordan, it slanted itself in such a way that Solomon fell down to the ground. Instead of picking up the fallen king, the vulture drifted off to Jerusalem. As it flew over the sea, it dropped the signet ring deep down into the Red sea. Thus the vulture got back its original demonic form. Now it was set free from its bondage. It said, “Solomon how did you underestimate me????? Did you think I am a fool? Did you expect me to sit under you all my life? All these years I waited for the right opportunity and now I got it. You will die in the desert near Jordan and I will be the king of Jerusalem.” So saying it laughed loudly and took the form of King Solomon and sat on his throne.

   In this pitiable situation, King Solomon waked all the way in the hot desert and reached the city of Ammon.  He was tired of hunger and thirst. A cook hired him as his assistant. Solomon was given assistant job in the palace kitchen and the king of Ammon. Solomon understood his foolishness and regretted for the same. Once he lost the signet ring most of his powers were also lost. Now he was one among the common man. Hence he did not disclose his identity with anyone. Even if he disclosed no one would ever believe him. So he silently waited for the right opportunity.

     One day the chief cook fell ill and hence Solomon was asked to cook. Since he was well versed in all fields, he cooked the best dish for the king that day. The king and his daughter Naamaah by name  were delighted to taste such a delicious meal. So they praised Solomon for his excellent work. As they were praising, the princess looked keenly at Solomon. Solomon also noticed the princess. Thus this spark which began in their eyes became a great flame of love between the two. They started to meet in person and share their love. Slowly people started to find out this love affair and when the king heard of it, he became furious. He could not bear to think that his daughter would fall in love with an ordinary cook. The king did not know that the ordinary cook is the world famous king, Solomon. So unaware of this truth he decided to kill his daughter and Solomon in secret and made necessary arrangements for the same. But somehow Solomon and the princess came to know about the king’s plot and eloped from the city that very night. They reached a nearby village and lived there in disguise. Solomon got some fish for dinner and when he cut them open to clean them, he was surprised to find his signet ring in the stomach of one of the fishes. His happiness reached the sky. With the help of the ring he got back his lost powers.  Immediately he left to Jerusalem and fought with Asmothyuis. He brought it under his control and changed it into a vulture once again and had it with him. Thus each and every wife of Solomon has a special story.

     Now let us get back to the queen of Sheba. The queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon along with rich gifts and all her men. Though she was known as the queen of Sheba her actual name was Macatha. Solomon was very glad to have her in his palace. One of the reasons was that she was a spinster. The grand reception which Solomon gave for the queen of Sheba is well known all over the world and the gifts Macatha presented to King Solomon is also well known all throughout the world. A incident of special mention is, Macatha had brought many animals as a present to the king and a chimpanzee was one among them. King Solomon completely lost himself to see the pranks the chimpanzee played and joined with it. While everyone was excited at the visit of the queen of Sheba, the only people who were greatly unhappy were the wives of Solomon. With the entry of Macatha all the old wives of Solomon really became outdated in the sight of Solomon. Macatha who had heard about the Wisdom of Solomon through many men now had the chance to see and know his wisdom with her own eyes.  She was very excited and enjoyed her stay at his palace. She then wanted to see the temple which Solomon had built for his god. She amazing wisdom of Solomon and the magnificent temple made her understand that the god of Israel is the only true god and the gods which she had worshiped all her life, namely the sun and the moon, were only the creations of this great god. So Macatha along with her people accepted the god of Israel as their own god.

    One day King Solomon invited Macatha alone for dinner with him. Solomon had instructed the cook to prepare a spicy dinner. After the dinner the king and the queen were left alone. Solomon said, “Dear Macatha, you can stay in my palace as long as you want. I will never disturb you in any way. But you should not use any of the things in my room without my permission.” Macatha was quiet surprised at this statement of Solomon and said, “Dear king, I will not ask anything from you nor will I touch anything in your palace without your permission. Even I have all the gold and diamonds that you have. I did not come here for these riches…. Don’t mistake me” But Solomon continued saying, “Oh no, I did not mistake you. I just wanted to remind you that every human being will have to face a challenge or a temptation at certain part of his life. We cannot say when such a situation would happen. Ok let us have a challenge. If I win in my challenge you will have to listen to my command and if you win I will do anything you ask me to. Are you ready to take up the challenge????” 

    The queen was unaware of the plot and agreed. Soon she fell asleep. After a while she felt very thirsty. She woke up and saw the king was fast asleep and did not want to disturb him. So she reached out to the golden jar next to the king and drank some water from it. Solomon who waited for this moment woke up and caught hold of Macatha’s hand and said, “Dear queen you have broken you covenant….. You have touched my jar without my permission. You have done this with an intention of stealing.”

     The queen was greatly shocked at this statement. She started to cry and said, “No my lord, I did not take to jar with an intention of stealing it. I was thirsty and I came here to drink from this jar. Please do trust me.” But Solomon said, “Macatha, there is no precious object in this world than this pure drinking water. You who have travelled all the way from Ethiopia, crossing so many deserts, don’t you know the worth of water? There is no use in crying. Accept your defeat and obey my command. What do you say?” The queen who had no other option asked him, “What do you expect from me? I will do anything you ask me to do.” Solomon looked at her filled with romance and said, “would you make my bed special by your presence in it?” The queen who now understood the intention of Solomon said, “Your highness I am a spinster. Marry me and then I will fulfill your command.” Solomon also agreed to marry her.

    That night Solomon had a dream in which he saw the sun which rose on the following day stand still for a while and then move towards Ethiopia. Then it stood still there and never came back to Judea. This was not just a dream. Solomon expected that the sun would return to Judea but it never did return. Thus the glory of Jerusalem also started to decrease but Ethiopia flourished. Macatha got conceived and thus the generation of Solomon started to grow in the womb of Macatha. (Macatha named that child as Ipna Hakkim). King Solomon bid farewell to his dear wife and before she could leave Solomon gave her the signet ring. He asked her to give the ring to their son and send him back to him so that he would crown him as the king of Jerusalem. He gave her this promise in the name of the god of Israel. Macatha went to her place. 

    Twenty years later she sent her son to Solomon with the signet ring. Before she sent him she asked him to promise her that he would never stay in Jerusalem, he should never marry anyone in Jerusalem and that he has to come back to Ethiopia and become its king. But Ipna Hakkim met his father Solomon and was crowned as the prince of Jerusalem. He also received the title David II from his father. He returned the signet ring to his father and returned to his homeland. He was crowned as a king by name Menalech. But before he could leave Jerusalem, he stole the Arc of the covenant from the temple of Jerusalem and took it to Ethiopia along with him. From that day the fame and glory of Jerusalem faded and the dream of Solomon came true.

   Solomon reached the age of sixty. The most beautiful wives of Solomon (the women from Jordan, Ammon, and Cana, Egypt) showed special love and care for him and tried to have him with them all the time. This made King Solomon become a slave for their love and affection. Even the wisest of men are just slaves in front of the beauty of women and Solomon was not an exception. This is how man was created. Though his soul constantly instructs him to flee from sin and lust, his body urges him to invite pleasure and happiness. It is a tough war between the soul and the body and in most situations the body wins. This is exactly how Solomon fell for the flattery of his dear wives and started to offer sacrifices to their gods. Due to this act of Solomon, all the evil spirits, demons which were kept under the control of Solomon, which he did with the help of the signet ring, became free and were released from their bondage. The words of Beelzebub and Asmothyuis came true. It was all because of these beautiful women and the wicked plot of satan. Once the demons were free they set up their residing places on the slopes of mount Olive. Hence now Solomon became a slave for these demons who were once his slaves. This is indeed a pitiable state. This is the reason the God of Israel commanded Solomon not to marry any other women other than those who belonged to the Hebrew clan. But things went out of control. Solomon became bed ridden.

    This state of Solomon clearly shows the state of a person who deliberately breaks Gods commands. How long will man disobey God and test his patience? How long would god be patient with man and his short comings? But god wanted to make people understand the consequences of God being patient with men and their constant disobedience. Jesus wanted to make people know all the tribulations that would happen to the people and city of Jerusalem on account of their disobedience. He knew how he would have to suffer and die. Hence Jesus stood on the slopes of this mount Olive and looked at Jerusalem and cried loudly, “Oh! Jerusalem, Jerusalem! you who continue to kill the prophets and to stone those who are sent to you! How often I have desired and yearned to gather your children together around me, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you would not!. Behold, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see me again until the time comes when you shall say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the lord!” In the later days the Christians have built a church in this place which is in the form of a tear representing the incident that Jesus stood in that place and cried. This place is called as DOMINUS FLEVETI. 

    But all that Jesus foretold came true. In 70 AD, Titus of Rome wanted to teach a good lesson to these Jews and hence surrounded them on all sides and tortured them with fire. Many of the Jews died and underwent immense agony. There were loud shouts and cries of agony. No one escaped right from men women and even children became a prey to the anger of the Romans. Titus killed almost anyone his eyes saw. He did not stop with this; he also destroyed their houses, forts and palaces so that they will not get back to their old glory. As this great slaughter was taking place one of the Roman soldiers told Titus, “Lord, once a Jewish prophet named Jesus Christ foretold that there won’t be a stone on another and in this way Jerusalem will be destroyed. Shall we see whether this prophecy would come true?”

  Titus also agreed and hence a wall of the temple of Jerusalem was pushed down. Even then nothing happened. But in order to test the validity of the prophecy, the Romans tried to rebuild the fallen wall. At this moment the sky became dark and a roar of thunder was heard from the sky. The sound of the thunder shook the wall which the Romans tried to rebuild and shattered it completely. Immediately the entire city of Jerusalem was immersed in darkness. The birds of the sky and the animals on the land sensed that something bad was on its way and became restless. The day turned into night and the moon and the stars appeared on the sky. This situation lasted for some time and then once again everything became normal as usual. Titus who saw these unusual things said, “The prophecy of the Jewish Rabbi, Jesus Christ is true even today.” After this Titus thought that the purpose of his coming has been accomplished and started to loot the city of Jerusalem. He entered the temple and took all the gold and silver in it including the most holy altar utensils which Solomon had gifted the temple with. Titus did not leave anything in the temple and took all its treasures to his country. He also took the remaining men and women of the city as slaves to his place.

      King Solomon saw all these incidents with his spiritual eye and understood the power of the prophecy of Jesus Christ against Jerusalem. With this pain in his heart Solomon looked up to god and said, “Lord, My Lord….. Immanuel…. Have mercy on me…… have mercy on my people…… please do not curse my people…. They are just not my people… they are your chosen race…. Do not curse this holy land which is so dear to you…… we are your people Lord….. We are your children and you are our father….. Oh Titus, how dare you torture my people…..? Oh Titus, don’t destroy the temple which I built with so much of love and adoration for God….. Don’t dare to touch the holy temple worship utensils…. You who has unclean hands…. Don’t dare to touch the holy objects… it will turn as a curse on you….. Beware… beware….return back to you place…. Don’t dare to enter my city….” Tough Solomon shouted out in pain and agony of the future events, his wives who stood around him could not understand what was happening to Solomon. 

   They were confused and said, “Lord…. Lord… look at us… what is wrong with you? Are you alright? Oh your body is burning hot….call the physician immediately….” So saying they ran here and there not knowing what was actually happening to Solomon. The physician came and treated Solomon and advised his wives to leave him alone to take rest. But none of his wives were ready to leave his side for they feared that if they move then someone else might take their place. Somehow Solomon regained his health and started to walk. Immediately one of his wives hugged around his neck and another around his chest. Likewise all his wives surrounded him and he walked along with them. As he walked he saw a vision.

        He saw the scene after the last supper of Jesus. Judas the disciple of Jesus was hurrying to betray Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “Dear friend, go and do things quickly that which you have to do.” So saying Judas left the place and immediately satan entered into him. Just not one demon, but there demons entered into him. They were Asmothyuis, Asthragus and Beelzebub One of the demons hung round him on his back and the other hung around him on the front and they were pushing him on his way. The third one went in front of him with great joy playing all kinds of tricks. At this point the state of Judas was similar to that of King Solomon. Even in that situation Solomon said, “No Judas, do not betray Immanuel the most high. Don’t commit that sin for that will bring everlasting curse on you. Eternal hell awaits you for this act of yours. Return to your house and do not go to that mount of Plot.” As Solomon stammered and said these words, his wives were once again confused about what was happening to him but none of them was ready to depart from him. Just like how the three demons dragged Judas to the mount of Plot, Solomon was also dragged to the mount of plot by his wives. Any man on this earth is a slave for the pleasure which a young woman gives him. Even though Solomon was the wisest person on this earth, he too was a man and was ready to face any disgrace to enjoy that short lived pleasure. 

    Thus Solomon writes, “So I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me and stood by me. And whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion and reward for all my toil. Then I looked on all that my hands had done and the labor I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it, and there was no profit under the sun.” Thus not knowing what he did, Solomon offered sacrifices to the demons which were once under his control and this aggravated the anger of his only true God of Israel. Thus he brought a curse on himself. These demons which were now set free waited patiently in this mountain to take revenge on Jesus Christ after thousands of years.

    King Solomon was resting in his bed. He was breathing hard. He called his army general, Pennaya and asked him a favor. Solomon said, “Pennaya will you do me a favor?” The General replied with tears in his eyes, “My Lord, command me and I will do anything you wish for.” Solomon said, “I know that all my authority is limited within this bed room. It is long since I lost my wisdom and have become a fool to my wives. It is all because of my disobedience and fate. I did all that was disgusting in the eyes of the Lord and lost all his grace and mercy. I have betrayed my god and have received his curse. I also know that all that I have done now is going to take revenge on my Lord very severely in future. So promise me one thing. You should do all that I command you. Will you do it? If so promise me now.” Pennaya said, “Do not test my loyalty lord. I am always at your service. Command me and I will do as you say.” Solomon said, “I know your loyalty and I never doubt it. Do you remember the queen of Sheba? Do you remember our son Ipna Hakkim, that young man who had once visited me? He resembled me in his appearance….. why are you silent Pennaya?”

  Pennaya said, “How will I forget your son my Lord? I remember him and the title you gave him as David II and crowned him as prince of Jerusalem.” Solomon said, “Yes all that is true. But do you say that what my son did was right? Should he be forgiven for the treacherous act he did? How can I forgive him for stealing away the Arc of covenant  in which my Lords presence resided? How could I forget this act of his? Do you know all the sufferings I underwent after having lost that covenant box? The two people who were responsible for this were
my son Ipna Hakkim and the chief priest Azaria who was the son of Sadoak. For this reason I commanded you to arrest my son and kill all those who were with him….. Do you remember that? Then why did you not obey that command of mine? You just like that let them escape. What is the guarantee that you will not commit such a mistake this time? That is the reason I am just not giving it as a command but asking you to promise me…..”

    Pennaya replied, “Lord, it is since years that your son had visited you and has returned to his homeland. In all these eleven years if it is displeasing for our God of Israel to be in that heathen city, he would have surely come back to our place. Why did this not happen? Hence this is the will of God. If he desires to be there, then how will he come back to Jerusalem? Also how can your son carry our God without his consent? If it is not done with the consent of God, your son would have been struck dead at the moment he touched the covenant box. Lord I ask your permission to reveal a secret which I had kept within me all these eleven years.”

    Solomon said, “What, you have a kept a secret from me? Tell it immediately.” Pennaya said, “Lord, you commanded to arrest your son and kill all those who were with him. I gathered my men and went ahead to execute your command. I saw your son and all those who were with him hide the covenant box and stand in rows before it. At that time I saw a strange sight in the sky. I saw the Archangel Michael appear before me. He said, ‘Pennaya, stop. Do not harm anyone here. They are under my protection.’ The moment I heard these words I fell down on the ground and said that I had to fulfill the command of my Lord and King Solomon.

   For this Archangel Michael said, ‘Tell your king that this is the will of God.’ So saying he covered your son and his men with his huge wings. After this I saw all of them fly high in the sky. They flew from the northern part of Egypt up to the southern part. As they flew their shadows fell on the temples which were located along the banks of the river Nile. The moment their shadows fell on the temples, the temples shattered to pieces including their gods. The Egyptian gods fled to the desert place of Egypt with a loud cry. I got this information through our Egyptian spies also. Also the spies informed me that Archangel Michael had dropped your son and his men on the north western boundary of Ethiopia. From that place the queen of Sheba received her son and her men and carried the covenant box to the city of Axum, in a grand procession.

     (This covenant box is still  kept in the church of Mother Mary in Axum. But none of the people are allowed to see it). But I could not tell these things to you immediately because you were in a very depressed state.  Hence I told you that they have escaped with the help of their naval team who waited for them in the port of Edom. But they escaped with the help of Archangel Michael through the western portal city of Gaza. Since all these things happened with as per the will of God, I did not have much trouble. God saved me. But please do forgive me my Lord for not disclosing these things all these years.” Solomon also understood that it was the will of God and forgave his general.

     At that time Archangel Gabriel appeared to Solomon and said, “Solomon, God has been merciful on you for the promise he had done to your father David and your fore fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. From this time your days are being counted. So go and do all that you have to do.” So saying the Archangel Gabriel touched Solomon’s feet and he received strength. Solomon called for the High Priest Saddoak. He asked him to anoint his second son Rehoboam as king. Rehoboam had a defect in his leg and would not walk properly. So Solomon made his son come round the city mounted on the palace royal horse. Then he called his army general Pennaya and instructed him all that has to be done after his death and asked him to promise him.

      Then he leaned on his bed and sang a Psalm which his father David had sung, “Lord if you are to remember all our sins, who could stand in your presence? But since you are merciful and you forgive us I humbly bow down at your feet.” After these words Solomon started to think of many things. He started to blabber and with tears in his eyes he said, “Everything under this sun is vanity.” So saying, he closed his eyes. His son came back after his trip around the city and came to Solomon, to get his blessings. But by then Solomon was dead.

     After his death Solomon’s body was buried with official respect in the same place where his father David was buried. According to Solomon’s instructions his general Pennaya, buried countless riches, gold, silver, coins, jewels, diamonds and precious stones in his grave. This treasure is sealed by his signet ring and is being guarded by wicked demons. The signet ring was put in Solomon’s finger and was buried along with him. Also the demons are given strict orders to hide this ring from the eyes of anyone even those who are lying dead. It is said that all these are real facts.

    Once, King Herod fell into a big pit while he was renovating the walls of the fort of Jerusalem. The pit took him and his men to a secret place underground. There they saw a sight which struck them with fear. They saw the grave of King David and King Solomon amidst a huge heap of gold. At that moment many demons shouted, “Run…. Run….. Run for your lives…. Do not stay here. Do not tell anyone about what you have seen here. If you dare to tell your heads will burst……..” so all the men ran for their lives and some fell on the way. All those who fell down died on the spot says a old story.

     In 7 AD one of the Bishops Acquilt, who had come on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, states in his diary that: two masons who were working in Zion accidently fell into a pit which led them to the grave of Solomon and David. They too had the same experience as that of King Herod and his men. The bishop tried his best to find out the details of the grave of Solomon and his treasure, but the two men were not able to give the details of the location of the grave. That was the extent to which they were being warned by the demons. Also, we have information which states that two monks of Saint Franciscan had a similar experience and they too were not able to disclose the location of the grave of Solomon even to their head of the congregation.

This is the reason why no one was able to find out the grave of Solomon…….. It remains a secret.

Thus Solomon has rightly mentioned…….

“I searched in my mind how to cheer my body with wine – yet at the same time having my mind hold its course and guide me with wisdom – and how to lay hold of folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of me to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

I made great works; I built myself houses, I planted vineyards. I made for myself gardens and orchards and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

I made for myself pools of water from which to water the forest and make the trees bud.

I brought menservants and maid servants and had servants born in my house. Also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before m in Jerusalem.

I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of provinces. I got myself men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men – concubines very many.

So I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me and stood by me.

And whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion and reward for all my toil.

Then I looked on all that my hands had done and the labor I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it, and there was no profit under the sun.”

Though Solomon gained all this he lost out on his wisdom and hence had a miserable end. Hence “If we receive the word of god and treasure up his commandments within us, making our ear attentive to skillful and godly wisdom and inclining our mind and heart to understanding” then we will be precious in the sight of our Lord and all that we do will be victorious.