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Who
are you ?
Who
are you? Where do you come from? What is your birth history? Your
parents??? Ancestors??? Are you the one about whom the great prophet Isaiah
foretold few centuries ago? Are you the messiah foretold by John the
Baptist? Are you the king of Jews whom the wise men from the east came to
see? I heard they presented you the gifts which are usually given to
kings…. Is that true? How did they escape from my father? Who guided them?
Who helped them to escape? Around thirty years back when my father passed
an order that all the male children within the age group of two years
should be killed, how did you escape? Where did you go? Who helped you
escape from my father’s sight? I heard that your parents took you and ran
off to Egypt, then how did you come back to my kingdom and live all these
thirty-three years out of my sight?
Who
taught you the trick of making the dumb speak, lame walk, blind see and all
the other so-called miracles which you performed? You even raised the dead
man Lazarus alive, is that true? Who gave you such great powers? You even
released hundreds of prisoners who were kept in fort Trisha by giving a
huge amount, from where did you get so much of money? You are the son of an
ordinary carpenter, jobless and you roam all over the cities and villages,
then from where did you get so much of money? Why are you silent? Speak up?
Are you afraid or arrogant?
Are
you the king of the Jews? Even last week your disciples welcomed you like a
king into the city of Jerusalem, is it? They even shouted out triumphant
slogans stating, “Long live the king of the Jews” … I am the king of the
Jews and no one else can come to my place. From the land of Judah up to
Galilee is mine and I am the king over this great region….. Then how dare you
announce that you are the king of this place? How gave you this
authority? This is treason against the king and his country. Do you know
the punishment for such a crime? It is death…. You will have to lose your
life…… you have insulted me in front of the crowd by calling me a sly fox….
Is this the way you insult your king in front of the public??? All these
are sufficient reason for me to sentence you to death. But, still I know
that you are a righteous man…. A man of God…. innocent and just…..I have all
the rights to set you free or sentence you to death. I just have once
obligation, I want you to cure me of a secret disease I have in my body….
The next moment I will set you free… what do you say??? Here is your golden
opportunity…. Don’t miss this….
All
because you are a citizen of my kingdom, I am the right person who has an
authority over you and for this reason Pontus Pilate has sent you to me to
be judged. So, if you decide to be in good terms with me, I will reward you
with priceless treasure and also release you. You need not worry about
these high priests or the other priests… you can go and preach anywhere you
want and anything you want. I will give you full authority to do so. So,
make a quick decision and cure me of my secret disease and save your life.
That will of good for you and for me” said the then King of Galilee, Herod.
But
Jesus Christ was not bothered about any of these statements and offers made
by Herod. He did not even look up at his face for he did not wish to even
look at the face of this sinner who still stood against God. Though one
word from the mouth of Jesus Christ had the power to take away the very
life of King Herod, Jesus was patient and calm and endured everything.
There was a strained relationship between Pontius Pilate and King Herod on
account of the water tank issue and King Heron wanted to use this
opportunity to set right the bitter terms. So, he sent back Jesus to Pilate
with a letter which accepted the conclusions of Pilate that Jesus Christ
was blameless. King Herod also asked Pilate to deal with Jesus Christ as he
wished and that he accepted any decisions Pilate would take in this case.
So, Jesus Christ was once again taken to Pontius Pilate who further
questioned Jesus in all possible ways. Finally, he looked at the crowd and
said “what do you want me to do with Jesus Christ of Nazareth?” the crowd
shouted back, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him on the cross!” Pilate
replied, “What? Do you want me to crucify your king?” the crowd shouted
even more loudly stating, “No No he is not our king. He called himself as
our king. Caesar is our only king and we are his people. So, crucify Jesus
for Caesar is our king” on hearing this confession from the crowd Pilate
asked, “think well before you put forth your decision. All these days you
refused to accept Caesar as your king and now what is the reason for this
change?” but the angry crowd was not patient enough to answer the questions
of Pilate. They shouted back stating, “Caesar is our king, and hence forth
Caesar is our only king. Crucify Jesus and kill him.” Having failed in his
attempt to save Jesus Christ, Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified. He
sat on his judgment seat and read out the death sentence “dear folks, I
came to his country as the representative of Agustus Caesar to set his rule
in this country. I also took it as a challenge not to return back to my
native place unless I have established the roman government in this
country. After many hardships and struggle, the citizens of this country
have agreed to accept Caesar as their king and welcome his rule in this
place. Praise be to the name of the present roman emperor Claudius
Tiberius. I accept and recognize the people of Judah as my own country
citizens of behalf of Claudius Tiberius. But unfortunately, I am in an
unpleasant situation to sentence Jesus Christ of Nazareth to be crucified
on account of having spread wrong ideas among the people of Judah. In order
to being in peace and happiness in this country, I sentence Jesus Christ to
be crucified on account of having called himself as the messiah, the son of
God and the king of the Jews. I have taken this judgment which matches with
the laws and decision of the high priest and the public as well. So I
command Jesus to be crucified on the cross and let him hang till death.”
But
Pilate did not expect that he would break his promise which he had made to
his dear wife Claudia stating that he will not allow any harm happen to
Jesus Christ the Jewish Rabbi. So, he faced shame from both sides. On one
part he was not able to keep up his promise to his wife. Secondly though he
knew for himself that Jesus Christ is blameless, in order to satisfy the
angry Jews, he asked his men to bring a bowl of water and washed his hands
off on the issue of any curse which would follow for shedding the innocent
blood of Jesus. He also broke his scepter into two in front of Jesus Christ
and threw the same in front of him and left the place as an indication that
he could not do anything further.
Jesus
Christ was taken to mount Calvary and there the Roman soldiers crucified
him naked on the cross. Jesus was shred of every human dignity. One could
not describe in words the amount of insult and pain which the mother of
Jesus would have felt while standing by the cross seeing her only son
crucified naked on the cross in front of the women and public gathered
there and the whole world. But Mother Mary stood by the cross with tears
and prayer to the Holy Father asking him to have mercy on Jesus Christ who
preached about holiness and way of good conduct, and now hung naked on the
cross. At that moment, Jonathus, one of the cousin brothers of Jesus
Christ, (the son of Joseph’s (foster father of Jesus) brother) ran to the
cross and took a piece of cloth and tied it around the waist of Jesus and fastened
it with the cross. He did this so quickly that the roman soldiers could not
stop him. He also said, “Oh please permit this for this man of God,
righteous but still hanging on cross, have mercy on him ‘so saying he ran
away. In this way the shame of Jesus was covered. Above the head of Jesus
were the letters which stated, “King of Jews”. This was mentioned on the
cross as a reason for his punishment.
It
was twelve noon. Even nature could not see or bear to witness this cruel
punishment for its creator. All of a sudden there was a loud roar of
thunder, but there were no rain clouds and the sky was clear. Also hail
stones fell all over Jerusalem from time to time which confused the people
on account of this strange change in nature. At the time when Jesus was
crucified and lifted up on the cross, one of the priests entered the church
built by King Solomon and blew his trumpet to announce that it was the time
of making offering for the Passover feast. The moment when the Jews heard
the trumpet, they brought the animals for sacrifice and stood in a row
waiting for their time to offer their sacrifice. But they did not know that
Jesus Christ offered himself as a true living sacrifice on the cross on
that day.
Also,
the rare signs which was seen in the sky set fear in the hearts of all
those who saw them. As soon as Jesus Christ was lifted on the cross, red
smoke rose from the ground, and spread all over, covering the whole world.
Darkness was spread over the earth. Even the sun lost its glow and
became dark. The moon quickly rose up from the east and stood right on top
of Mount olive. It was a full moon day. Within a few seconds the moon moved
fast and stood between the sun and the earth. There was no possibility for
such a natural change at that point of time. Such an incident could never
happen on a full moon day. Since the sun failed to give out its light and
also the moon stood right before the sun hiding the feeble light emitted by
the sun, the whole earth was covered with darkness. The darkness became darker
and darker. This solar eclipse stood as a witness for the tragic death of
Jesus Christ. This darkness which took place at noon left the shook the
whole world with fear. The cattle started to shout and the birds tried to
hurry up fast to their nest. Since it was very dark they could not find
their way back home and hit themselves on the tall towers and walls of
Jerusalem and fell down on the ground. The birds struggled to fly which
made any common man to catch them easily with their hands. But who was bothered
about catching birds when their own condition was worse than those innocent
birds.
The
people started to realize their foolishness of shouting out, “Let the curse
of killing Jesus fall on us and on the heads of our generation”. The curse
started to chase them right from that moment. In their fear they started to
shout out, “Oh merciful Father in heaven, forgive us our sins…. We have
betrayed innocent blood….we have been the reasons for the cruel death of
Jesus Christ….. We have done this out of our foolishness. Forgive us
Lord….. Forgive us…. Take away the curse of betraying innocent blood off
our heads…..” so saying they wept bitterly on the roads of Jerusalem.
The
Pharisees and the Sadducees and the members of the temple council, who spoke ill of Jesus, now
observed the drastic change in nature and fear caught their hearts and they
said, “Oh we have done a great mistake…. Lord forgive us and save us from
this danger….. Nature is against us and Lord saves us.” So, saying, they
rushed from Mount Calvary and ran into the temple in Jerusalem. For these
people who thought that the temple will be their hiding place from the
danger ahead of them, something worse awaited them in the temple. The
curtain which hung in the holy place covered the Shekinah glory
and the glory was taken away from the temple. Thus darkness entered the
temple. Those who had come to the temple to offer their Passover sacrifice
stopped their offering and left the temple hastily for they sensed that
something was abnormal in nature. On seeing this Annas and Caiaphas lit up
several Menorah lamps all over the church to bring in
light. They then called the people to come and offer their sacrifice and
said, “Please do come back…. There is nothing to fear…. This is just a
small change in nature and there is nothing to worry about it… “Though they
shouted out such slogans of bravery, fear gripped their hearts also. Deep
down in their hearts they murmured, “All this is because of the Galilean,
Jesus Christ….. His blood is pleading for justice…..” they feared to be
alone and always stood among the crowd. But Annas feared his conscience and
hid in the dark corners of the termple.
This
fierce change in nature sent waves of fear into the hearts of the Romans
also. Pontius Pilate called the chief officials of the temple and asked
them the reason for this drastic change in nature. But they said that it
was a normal change in nature and there was nothing to worry about it. But
Pontius Pilate’s inner conscience did not leave him easily. It pricked him
of his judgment. Added to his conscious one of the members of the community
by name Shaddock shouted out, “you are the one who sentenced Jesus Christ
to death…. You are the cause for all this disaster….. You killed him…. You
killed innocent blood….. Though you knew that Jesus Christ was
blameless still you offered him to be crucified….. Now the whole nature
stands testifying the cruel act of yours…..” Pontius Pilate replied
back in fear and frustration, “Oh no you are wrong, your people shouted out
asking me to crucify Jesus….. Your people took the decision…. I just
executed it and it was never my own decision…. You cannot blame me like
this. I am a third person…. A stranger…. Not even your country man….. Nor
am I in any way related to Jesus Christ. You asked for his death and were
adamant in it and I just accepted your request…. So, you can never blame me
in any way for the death of Jesus Christ.”
Though
Pilate gave a smart reply, his conscious did not allow him to rest in
peace. So he called his wife Claudia and said, “My dear wife…. I did my
best to stay away from this sin of crucifying that innocent man. That is
why I washed off my hands as a sign of not have any part in this death
statement. But still my heart is not at peace. Make necessary arrangements to
offer sacrifices to the Roman and Greek gods immediately.” He also closed
his palace gates and started to worship his god Pan. But his Greek God Pan
could not open its mouth and give him any reply. This Greek God Pan has the
face of a man, head of a goat, body of a man up to its hip and its legs and
hands were like goat.
When
the solar eclipse took place on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the stars which was close to the sun was that which
resembled the goat. (Once, when Jesus Christ was travelling with his
apostles through the cities of Philip Caesarea they reached a place
called Panias which had many caves and waterfalls. There
he made his chief apostle Peter stand at the entrance of a cave and said,
“And I tell you. You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades shall not overpower It.” the day when Jesus Christ
stepped into the city of Panias, the god of that place, Pan left the city
along with its other friends. From that day, no one offered worship or
sacrifice to that god in that place. This Greek god Pan which left the city
of Panias, went up and started to reside among the stars which resembled
the goat. During the time when Jesus suffered on the cross, the innocent
blood which was shed made this Greek God Pan lose all its power.
Claudia,
the wife of Pontius Pilate told him, “The dream which I saw last night has
come true now. Hence forth your condition will become more worse…..
Since I did not want such an unpleasant thing to happen in your life, I
warned you this morning about the Jewish Rabbi, Jesus Christ. Since you
promised me stating that nothing will happen to him from your part, I was
at peace. But you forgot all that I warned you about and also your promise
to me. You sentenced that holy man to death and in face you have written
your own death statement. You can’t escape the punishment for this act of
yours….. This curse will follow you all through your life hence forth.
Please do not waste your time sitting in front of this Greek god Pan which
has no power to save itself…… then how will it save you….. You will reap
what you have sown….” Still Claudia prayed to Jesus Christ to be merciful
on her husband. She looked towards the cross of Calvary and prayed with
tears, “Lord please forgive my husband for he did not know what he was
doing.”
Also,
many of the people of Jerusalem who were courageous enough to shout out,
“let the curse of shedding the innocent blood of Jesus fall on us and our
generations…” were now caught with fear on seeing the frightful changes in
nature and the darkness which surrounded them. Now out of fear they all
shouted out, “Lord please forgive us for our statement and act of shedding
innocent blood….. Take away the curse from our heads…. Forgive us Lord….
Forgive us”
Jesus
Christ saw the tears and plea of the people and he was moved with
compassion. So, Jesus looked up to his father in heaven and said, “Father
forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” Two thieves were
crucified on either side of Jesus. They were brothers. The elder brother’s
name was Gisdass. The younger brother’s name was Thismass. A lady had come all
the way from Rome to Japheth along with her daughter to see her husband.
While they were going around the country, these thieves Gisdass and
Thismass kidnapped them and robbed them of all that they had. Of these two
brothers the elder brother Giisdass raped the mother and her daughter and
killed them. But his younger brother had no part in this rape and murder.
But they were caught by law for the robbery and murder and kept in prison
for two years. It was later decided that they should be crucified along
with Jesus one on either side of Jesus. This happened in order to fulfill
the prophecy that Jesus was considered one among the thieves.
Even
in such a situation one of the thieves who hung on the cross looked up at
Jesus and said, “You Jesus, if you are truly the son of God, save yourself
and save us also from this cross.” When his brother heard this statement,
he replied, “Why are you so ungrateful? Have you forgotten God altogether?
What makes you give such a statement? We deserve this punishment for all
the evil we have done. If you can’t bear this just and right punishment,
how will you bear a punishment for not doing anything wrong? But Jesus
Christ who has not done anything wrong has been crucified one among us…..
He who cured me of my leprosy in my young age… he who has cured the disease
of so many people wherever he went…. He, who raised the dead, fed the poor
and hungry…. Spread the good news of salvation…. Made the blind see, lame
walk, deaf hear….. And above all loved all of us….. Don’t you dare to speak
another word ill about him….” So, saying he looked up to Jesus and said,
“Lord forgive us of our sins…. Remember me when you come in your glory.”
Jesus was once again moved with compassion…. He saved this sinner even
while he was hanging on the cross with so much of pain and agony. He saw
the heart of this thief and the trust he had on him. So, Jesus said to him,
“Today you will be in paradise with me.” Though Thismass lived a sinful
life, his trust in god and true repentance made him inherit paradise after
his death.
At
the same time Pontius Pilate’s condition stated to worsen. He lost all his
peace. His lost the support and love of his wife and his dear Greek God Pan
had also forsaken him. Not knowing what to do, he looked at the judgment
seat which was kept at a place called Gabbatha in his palace. As he looked
at the judgment seat, he felt that it laughed at him seeing his condition.
He also walked around the place where Jesus was mercilessly whipped by the
soldiers. Pilate was ashamed, for not being able to save Jesus, though he
knew that Jesus was a righteous man. Then what was the use of his power and
authority? His consciousness questioned him constantly? He could not find
peace wherever he went. There came his wife Claudia and said, “My dear husband…
what are you looking at… trying to find out anything which is left behind….
See this blood stain of that holy man of God…. it will speak to you of your
incapableness to save him….. You and your men did not consider him as God
but you could have at least considered him as a human being…. You deprived
him of all human dignity and treated him worse than an animal…… you were
deaf to his cries and blind towards the blood he shed…. Not what else do
you want to see in this place? Knowingly or unknowingly you are the cause
for all this…. With your power and authority, you could have saved him. You
had every right to do so and still you feared the public more than God and
you gave such a judgment.”
Pilate
was unable to hear any more accusations from his wife and he said, “Enough
Claudia…. Even you failed to understand me….. I really thought that the
people would spare him after they see him being whipped so badly. But
his blood did not melt their heart…. They were hard hearted like bars of
iron…. They were thirsty for blood…. that too the blood of that innocent
man of God…. I was helpless before that savage Jewish crowd…. Thus, not
only Jesus even I became a prey for their blood thirst. I have done a great
mistake in my life…. No, I have committed an unpardonable sin in my life….
I have been one of the reasons for that holy man to shed his innocent
blood…. I beg your pardon Claudia… please forgive me.”
Unable
to find peace in his palace, Pilate left his palace and rushed towards
mount Calvary to see what has happened to Jesus. But he could not even go a
few steps out of his palace. There was chaos all over Jerusalem. People
were involved in commotion out of fear in the drastic changes in nature and
started to accept Jesus as the son of God. So, Pilate’s army general,
Abiathar, stopped Pilate from going out of the palace and kept him safe
inside the palace. He also quickly settled the commotion and brought back
peace in the city.
Right
below the cross of Jesus stood Mary, with tears rushing down her cheeks.
“Won’t you take me along with you dear son…? I can’t bear the pain to see
you in this state” was her request to Jesus which she said in a feeble
voice. As it was foretold to her in the temple of Jerusalem by Simeon, “a
sword will pierce through your heart”, Mary felt the pain of it when she
saw her dear son Jesus on the cross. But Jesus replied, “Woman, this is
your son.” This was the third statement Jesus said while hanging on the
cross. Then he looked at his disciple John and said, “This is your mother”.
This was the fourth statement Jesus made while hanging on the cross. That
very moment, John accepted Mary as his own mother.
Mother
Mary questioned herself, “Why did my son not call me as his mother and
instead called me as woman in front of all gathered?” but that one word
saved her life. If only Jesus would have called her mother, she would have
fallen dead at his feat that very moment for her agony was so much on
seeing her beloved son crucified on the cross. (at this point readers
should bring to their memory Gods promise to Adam that the savior of this
world will rise from his generation. He will be born of a virgin and he
will save the world. That virgin will stand against Satan and stamp its head
with her foot. In order to make Mother Mary and the whole world understand
and know that the lady referred to in the testaments through whom the
savior will be born, and the lady who will stamp the head of Satan, Jesus
called his mother as Woman.)
Since
Jesus knew that he had to undergo all these sufferings and shed his blood
to save mankind from sin and death, he willingly accepted this agony on the
cross. But since he underwent these sufferings on a human body, he said
these words, “Eli Eli Lama Sabactani” which means, “My Lord My Lord why did
you forsake me?” this was the fifth statement Jesus said on the cross. The
Pharisees caught hold of these words and mocked Jesus saying, “He is
calling Elijah” another soldier man said, “Wait let us see whether Elijah
is coming to save him” these words hurt the heart of Mary even more deeply.
In
this situation about thirty righteous men looked at all that happened to
Jesus Christ and were deeply moved with compassion and cursed the city
saying, “Oh Jerusalem, in which the most holy God resides in his Holy
Temple….. Should such a tragedy take place in this holy city of God? Oh you
Jerusalem, you condemned this righteous man of God….. You shed his innocent
blood and stained your city…. You will see your fall soon…. Your days of
Glory will soon fade away and you will have the right punishment for your
foolish act….. Very soon your enemies will surround you and burn this city
down to ashes.”
Jesus
suffered agony in his body and soul. All the words of the men who stood
around him mocking him set deep pain in his heart which was always filled
with compassion for mankind. With this pain Jesus said, “I am crushed like
the grapes which are crushed for wine…. But henceforth there will be no
more grapes that will be crushed for wine.” (I would like to remind the
readers of an incident. One of the sons of Noah, Japath, had his vineyard
in this Mount Calvary. He used to collect the excess grapes and uses an
instrument which resembled the cross to crush those grapes and take wine.
In this same way Jesus Christ too was crushed on the cross and his blood
was taken like wine. Jesus compares himself with those grapes which were
crushed by the son of Noah.)
Since
Jesus Christ lost a huge quantity of blood, he felt thirsty. So, he opened
his mouth to ask for water. Jesus Christ who gave life giving water to the
Samaritan woman and promised that He who believes in him shall have springs
of living waters flowing from his heart, now looks up to those cruel
traitors for a sip of water. He said, “I am thirsty…” though Jesus asked
for water, there was no one to give him water. Water was denied for the
person who changed water into wine and that too the best wine which the
people ever had. So, Jesus said, “Is there no one to give me water? Did you
forget me John, my beloved disciple?” Immediately John said that he would
make arrangements to get Jesus sip of water. In this way the prophecy which
was told about Jesus, “I did not have any one to quench my thirst” came
true. One of the soldiers by name Abithar, took a reed of hyssop and dipped
it in vinegar and offered it o Jesus. Jesus tasted it. in this way the fame
of quenching the thirst of Jesus on the cross was given to Abithar. In this
way the words of Jesus, by my name if you give a glass of water to my
servant, you will have great reward in heaven, came true in the life of
Abithar. Though Abithar was an Arabian by birth, he too became eligible for
the blessing of Jesus by offering Jesus a sip of water before his death.
It
was around three o’clock in the afternoon and by now the solar eclipse had
come to an end. Slowly the darkness gave way. The moon fell so fast as if
to fall on the earth. This once again set fear in the hearts of the people
of Jerusalem. There was chaos all over Jerusalem and the streets of
Jerusalem was filled with the cries of fear and terror. But the quickly the
moon changed its path and returned to its orbit. But the sudden close
contact of the moon with the earth made the terrific waves in the seas. But
everything became normal in a short time.
Having
tasted the vinegar, Jesus Christ spoke again saying, “When my tongue stops
its speech, the tongues of the dead will begin to speak.” These words of
Jesus gave another chance for the Pharisees to mock Jesus. They said,
“Blasphemy! Blasphemy!” Now Jesus knew that the time of his death was
nearing. Jesus started to sweat and his heart started to beat fast in an
unusual way. He knew that his time has come to leave this earth. So, he
gathered all his strength and said in a loud voice, “It all over.” Then he
said in a loud voice, “Father I commend my spirit in your hands” So saying,
he breathed his last breath.
Though
Jesus gathered all his strength to say those last words, still the good
thief on the side of Jesus, his mother Mary and his dear disciple John were
the only people who could have possible heard it. but there was great power
in those words and it echoed between the earth and heaven. This set
vibration through the entire solar system and the whole universe vibrated
by the power of those words including the earth. Some of the planets
changed their path on account of this vibration and crashed with one
another and were destroyed. The earthquake which took place immediately
after the death of Jesus set a partition from the foot of the cross right
up to hell. Through this partition the soul of Jesus descended into hell in
the form of a flame of light. This earthquake brought down many buildings
in the city of Jerusalem and there were huge cracks on the ground. The
Jerusalem temple was also one of the victims of this terrific earthquake.
A few
hours before the death of Jesus Christ, a voice was heard from the most
holy place of the temple of Jerusalem which said, “Come let us leave this
temple for our Lord God who is supposed to be here has already left this
temple and this earth. So, there is no necessity for us to remain here. So,
come let us go out.” The angels who were in that temple said these words
and left the place. This voice of the angels was heard by the people who
were present there in the temple at that time. After this the temple lost
its glory and became a empty building without the presence of God.
Two
huge pillars stood at the entrance of the temple which was connected to the
inner hall. The screen which was hung before the most holy place in the
temple was tied to these two pillars. But due to the earthquake one of the
pillars fell down and thus the screen was torn to two pieces from top to
bottom and fell down. Because of this the most holy place which was kept as
a secret entry point for the high priest alone was now set out for all the
public to see. This indication is that the screen represents the torn body
of Jesus Christ through which we are now given the privilege to enter the
most holy place of the temple. This was made possible by the blood of Jesus
Christ. Also, many of the secret places in the temple were now open to the
eyes of the public. In few places the roof of the temple fell to the ground
and in other parts of the temple the walls fell to the ground.
The people
ran here and there on account of such natural disaster and because of this
many people died of being caught under the ruins of the huge buildings
which fell to the ground. Also, the place where Jesus was made to stand for
trial and judgment and the place where Peter denied Jesus also became a
victim to this massive earthquake. In fact, those were the places which
were severely damaged because of the earthquake. The prophetic words of
Jesus Christ which stated, “The tongues of the dead will speak when my
tongue stops its speech” came true. After the death of Jesus Christ,
the grave of many righteous men of the ancient times opened and their
spirits roamed the cities of Jerusalem. Many people saw these spirits and
testified. These righteous people had the same dress which they wore in
their times and they appeared in pale yellow color. They went around the
streets of Jerusalem and their feet did not touch the ground.
John
the Baptist appeared before Herod and said, “You cold blooded murder….. You
too have a hand in the murder of Jesus Christ. You will surely be judged
for this.” On seeing the spirit of John the Baptist and hearing his
condemnation Herod was filled with fear and ran and hid himself in a secret
place in his palace. The father of John the Baptist appeared in front of
the most holy place in the temple and looked at the people who killed his
son John the Baptist and also a true servant of God by name Zechariah and
said, “The wrath of God has come upon you”
Also,
Simon who prophesized to Mother Mary and Joseph about baby Jesus when they
brought him to the temple for dedication and his father who lived a hundred
years before the birth of Jesus Christ appeared at the entrance of the
temple and gave testimony about the Jesus Christ was God who came down in
the form of a human being. They also said, “All those who have a hand in
the murder of Jesus will not escape from the wrath of God.”
All
of a sudden prophet Jeremiah appeared and sat on the chair of the priest
who used to conduct worship in the temple and said, “All the old
commandments which the Lord God gave us and that which we followed has come
to an end. Hence forth Gods new commandments and law is being given and
will come to pass soon.” Since more than hundred righteous men came out of
their graves and appeared to the people of Jerusalem testifying that Jesus
was their God who had come down to save mankind, the people of Jerusalem
including those who had an active part in the death of Jesus Christ, tore
their clothes and also their hearts and accepted Jesus Christ and placed
their trust in him. They also cursed Annas and Caiaphas who played the
major role in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They shouted out, “Oh your
treacherous coverts…. It is all because of you we betrayed this righteous
man and now we are under the curse of shedding his innocent blood. You
tactfully used our ignorance and made us do such a mistake in our lives…..
Oh, what all we said…? What have we done to our lives…. Not only our lives
we have been a cause for our whole generation to be under the curse of
shedding this innocent blood that righteous man…… we confessed with our own
mouth stating that let the curse of shedding this man’s innocent blood fall
on our head s and that of our generation… May the Lord be merciful on us
and save us from this curse…. But let not God spare you both.” In this way
they expressed their agony and frustration. Some people wore sack clothes
and put ashes on their heads as a sign of their lamentation for what they
have done. They stood in front of the Lord asking his forgiveness and
mercy. Before sunset many of the spirits of the righteous men returned to
their graves and some others vanished in various parts of the city.
Since
heaven and the solar system was
shaken, the Greek God by name Panias, who sat amidst his group of stars,
which had the head of a ram and the body of a man was pushed down from his
throne. He came down to earth along with his other evil spirits and hid
himself in the cave’s temple located in the city of Panias. Since at that
time the soul of Jesus Christ had descended into the bottom of the earth,
he was not able to enter deep down into the cave. Saint Michael the arch
angel stopped Pania from entering
the cave and a war broke out between Michael and the Greek God. The Greek
God was defeated and Michael tried to enter hell and defeat Lucifer. But
the soul of Jesus Christ stopped him and said, “Wait Michael, his time has
not yet come. His work on earth is not yet complete. He has to remain in
the heart of this hell for another two thousand years and until then arrest
him in this place. Accordingly, Lucifer was imprisoned in the bottom of the
hell..
The
moment the soul of Jesus descended to abyssl, a massive earthquake spread
all over the world. On account of this a huge vibration was felt at the
top of Mount Hermon, which is located between Lebanon and
Galilee. The snow at the summit of the mountain started to melt which lead
to snow slide and this led to heavy flood in the Sea of Galilee. Because of
these huge waves rose up in the Sea of Galilee and these in turn left huge
cracks all over the mountain. This also led to the formation of underwater
caves and the geological structure of the place and the mountain underwent
a great change. We can see these changes even today.
The
storm in the Sea of Galilee led to heavy floods in Gerasenes. It
was in this place, legion of evil spirits entered into the heard of pigs
and made the shore muddy. These spirits were driven out of a man by Jesus
Christ. Since after his death on the cross, the soul of Jesus entered into
abyss, these spirits were not able to be there and came out from the abyss
and swarmed all along the Sea of Galilee which caused high tides in the
waves. These changes in the sea sent a wave of fear into the hearts of all
those who saw this.
Next
was Gerasene ….. The drastic changes which shook
this city could not be described in just words along. It was a terrific
disaster. Many of the sky scrapers of those days, the tall and majestic
buildings were tossed upside down. Many of those who had been in the city
of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, on returning to their city were
shocked to see the whole city turned upside down. They had lost their
houses, buildings and most importantly their beloved wife and children whom
they had left behind. The whole city became a funeral spot and there was
mourning and weeping in every house.
A
similar incident shook the foundations of the city of Bethsaida. “Oh you
city of Bethsaida, will you be raised to the skies or be pulled down to the
ground..... If the signs and miracles which were done in your city
would have been done in the city of Sodom, the people would have repented,
worn sack clothes and turned away from their sins. But for you…. You will
be cursed…” these were the words spoken by Jesus to the hard-hearted people
of that city. This curse of Jesus came true after the death of Jesus. The
tall majestic buildings of the city which stood to be the pride of the city
were shattered to the ground. Many of the citizens got caught amidst the
shattered buildings and lost their lives. They were the people who
questioned Jesus, “how could we eat his flesh and drink his blood….? How
will he give his flesh and blood to us? His teachings sound atrocious… we
could not even digest his words and how could we eat his flesh and drink
his blood? Does his consider us to be cannibals…… man eaters… or
animals...? These teachings won’t suit us.” Many of the disciples how left
Jesus saying the above reasons belonged to the city of Bethsaida. This city
which bore the curse of Jesus remains with its ruins even today.
The
earthquake which took place when the soul of Jesus descended to abyss shook
the city of Nazareth also. The temple from where Jesus delivered his sermon
stating, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me”, was
heavily damaged on account of the earthquake. Many of its huge pillars fell
to the ground (these ruins stand witness for the earthquake even today).
The Pharisees of this city opposed Jesus more than any other Pharisees of other
cities. On account of their hard heartedness of not accepting Jesus and
opposing his teachings, Jesus said with a heavy heart that any prophet is
not accepted in his own city among his own people. When Jesus said this
statement, the Pharisees became angry and pushed Jesus to a nearby hill and
tried to push him down from the hill top. But Jesus disappeared from the
crowd. Even that hill from where the Pharisees tried to push Jesus down
also was not spared of the earthquake. The hill split in many places and
huge cracks appeared on the hill.
The
next is fort Trisha of Samaria.
It
was in this fort Jesus delivered many people who were kept as prisoners by
King Herod. For this Jesus had to pay a heavy ransom of money. This fort
was also split and had cracks all over. Many of its huge gateways fell to
the ground and the fort walls crashed to the ground as remained as a heap
of stones.
The
earthquake which took place after the death of Jesus Christ was felt in
many parts of Asia. It left a deep impact on the city of Kabul. Also, the
city of Ephesus and Greece were greatly affected by the tremor of the
earthquake. It was a great natural disaster for many parts of the world.
Many of the splendid architect work filled churches fell down upside down
on the earth.
On
the day when Jesus Christ died, that is in 3rd April 33 AD,
two men were discussing on an important and interesting topic in the city
of Ephesus. They were Dionysius who was a great scientist in the field of
astronomy and the other person was Polycarp who was a well-known Bible
scholar.
“My
dear friend Dionysius, you are a great scientist who knows all about the
changes that happen in the sky….. What do you think about the solar eclipse
which has occurred today?”
“Oh,
my dear friend first let me know what the bible states about this solar
eclipse.”
“Dear
Dionysius, I have very little knowledge about the depths of bible…. I
always do my research based on the truth. But it is very difficult to
conduct such research and I have very few evidences to support my research.
I am not able to believe in all that is available and at the same time I am
unable to ignore the result of my research.”
“But
my dear friend I know all about astronomy and the stars and sky as a whole.
This solar eclipse is a full solar eclipse. Also, I am not sure whether
such a solar eclipse would have taken place anywhere in the history before.
I have done a lot of research on a star which occurred in the sky 33 years
ago. Based on that, I found out that the star indicated the birth of a great
king on this earth. On the very same day, the roman governor Augustus
Caesar saw a vision in the sky which depicted the picture of a lady with a
male child in her hand. This has been recorded in history and I believed it
to be true. According to me that male child in the hand of that virgin must
be the next great king to rule the world after Augustus Caesar. But all
that has to follow this solar eclipse is yet to come to my knowledge. I
have to wait patiently for time to answer all my doubts and questions. But
I know one thing, nothing will happen without a reason. But at the same
time a great darkness surrounded the sky.
“What
was that darkness? Do you know anything about it? What does it indicate?
Also, can you see this darkness spreading all over our place here? It is
just 4 pm but it has turned out to look like midnight. What could be the
reason for this?” said Polycarp with great anxiety.
“Please
wait dear friend. This is not something natural. Can you see a huge dark
cloud rising up from the south western side….. look keenly at this sight.”
Said Dionysius.
At
the same time a huge group of evil spirits flew from one end of the sky.
They looked like huge bats or owls, so dark and black. They came with loud
noise which sent a wave of fear on every one’s heart that saw them. They
were so great in number that they hid the sun’s rays like a blanket and
caused darkness everywhere. As they flew they said loudly, “woe to our lord
Pan…. According to the command of the true mighty god Jesus Christ, Michael
the mighty archangel killed our Lord. Jesus Christ who took the form of man
according to the great plan of God, died on the cross today. Since he died
and descended to abyss our captain
and Lord Panias has been killed. According to the command of Jesus Christ,
we are now heading towards the sea to fall into it and be perished. So,
saying, they flew swiftly towards the north. As the two men looked up in
the sky the group of evil spirits fell into the sea near the city of Nichia and
was drowned. Because of this incident huge waves rose up in the sea and
caused great disaster on the coastal areas near the sea.
Following
the above-mentioned incident, many temples in the city of Ephesus fell down
with great noise as if a bomb blast occurred. Among these temples the Greek
temple of Aprodisa was greatly damaged. The deity of this temple was known
for lust and was called as the goddess with a thousand breasts. Also, a
famous temple known as the temple of snake god also split into two. The
giant serpent which lived in the temple came out with a loud cry of agony
and rose up to the sky and started to fly here and there. On seeing this
terrible sight, the two men said, “Oh God have mercy on us…. It has begun……
hence forth everything will begin….. I do not know the reason for the fear
of this giant serpent. I guess it might have come out of fear, having seen
Jesus Christ. I fear great disaster to come upon this world unless someone
comes forward and bind this serpent in chains.”
Oh,
my dear friend, do you know anything about Jesus Christ? We came to know
the name of Jesus Christ from the mouth of these evil spirits. The
appearance of this giant serpent, the death of lord Pan, and all the
tidings of the evil spirits… the great natural disasters…. What do all
these convey to us? Can you explain all these things using the knowledge
you have is astronomy?” asked Polycarp.
“Of
course, I can to a certain extent dear Polycarp. All these incidents signal
the death of a great man of God who had come to this earth and died. That
great man of God is certainly Jesus Christ. But I can’t tell you anything
more about Jesus Christ at present. But if God could give me another birth
then I will surely tell you who this Jesus Christ is.”
[Few
years after the death of Jesus Christ, Apostle John and Mary the mother of
Jesus came to live in the city of Ephesus. Through them Polycarp came to
know about Jesus and became the disciple of John. When he was eighty years
old, he died as a martyr in the city of Smyrna. The government gave orders
to burn Polycarp but, fire could not do him any harm. So, the soldiers
pierced him with spears as he stood among the blazing fire. The blood which
poured out of his body quenched the blazing fire. His spirit left his body
in the form of white dove and all those who saw that believed in Jesus
Christ and accepted him as their savior.]
But
the great astronomical scholar Dionysius did not get the chance to know
about Jesus Christ. Though many men with the name of Dionysius lived and
died for Christ, there is a special mention about a person called Dionysius
in history. Why is he so special? It was because even after he was beheaded
his head (after being separated from the body) shared the greatness of
Jesus Christ. Hence his testimony and death is of great importance in
history.
Some
are of the opinion that the spirit of bible scholar Dionysius who lived in
33AD, should have entered the body of this Dionysius and fulfilled his wish
to know about Jesus Christ and bear testimony for him. But this Dionysius
who was born in the third century AD, lived a life which was pleasing to
God.
In
the year 249 AD, King Trajan Decius became the emperor of Rome. Since he
was once a senate member he was well versed in politics as well as since he
had led the army in many battle fields, he knew how to handle the army.
During his time Christianity flourished in places like Rome, Europe,
Byzantine Empire, and Northern Africa. But the spread of Christianity
caused unrest in the minds of many people of the other religions. This was
because, there was less crowd in the Roman Greek temples, the priests of
other religions lacked importance and honour among the public, and above
all the income steadily decreased in the temples. Hence the other religion
priests were quite worried about this booming religion Christianity. Now in
order to regain the lost honour and glory of the Roman Greek gods, the
priests and other followers decided to propaganda the greatness of their
gods among the people. Also, they targeted to find fault with the Christian
way of worship. Moreover, the king himself showed great interest to find
ways to rejuvenate the lost glory of the art and cultural importance of the
Romans. Hence the priests and other believers utilized this chance to
fulfill their task.
They
gave false information about the Christians and made the King to believe
that the reason for all his failures were the Christians. This was because
the God whom the Christians worshiped, Jesus Christ was an enemy to their
gods. They made the king believe that it was because of this that his gods
were angry on him and that was the reason for all his failures. They also
told the king that the Christians were not trustworthy people and will
never be faithful to the king. They also challenged the king to test
and see for himself and then believe their statement. Based on all this
false counsel the king concluded which put the lives of many Christians at
stake.
King
Trajan Decius announced an official decree in the year 250 AD. According to
that, for the welfare of the King and the country, every citizen of the
Roman Empire has to worship their ancestral god Jupiter and also worship
the statue of the King himself. By doing this they will prove their loyalty
to the King and the country. This was implemented all over the towns and
cities which come under the rule of the Roman Empire. The people had to do
this worship in their respective districts at the time and date allotted to
them to show their loyalty. Those who fail to do so will lose their
citizenship and all the benefits thereof. Also, failure to abide by the
royal decree will lead to death penalty, or be thrown in prison and
tortured, lose their wealth and status in the society and may also be
banished from the city. The next minute of the enforcement of this royal
decree, the seventh persecution in Christian era began.
According
to the Christian historical calculation, the persecution period ranges from
the tyrant King Nero who began the persecution up to King Thiyclosian.
Altogether there were ten famous persecution periods in history. Among this
the persecution started by King Trajan in 250 A.D was the worst ever
recorded in history during which many Christians were mercilessly killed.
Thus, many Christians across the country were killed; some of them ran for
their lives and hid themselves. Not only the ordinary followers of Christ,
but even priests and nuns ran for their lives for the punishment and
torture was so severe. Seprian was considered a great Christian monk during
that time and even he ran and hid himself. Still there were Christians who
stood strong in faith and faced death for the love they had for Christ.
Holy Father Fabian was one among the brave martyr.
But
at the time of our story the Pope was Fabian. He was not intentionally
selected as Pope, he did not even stand in the election for being appointed
as Pope. Many priests and bible scholars were nominated for this post. But
at the time of election, a dove descended from heaven and sat on the
shoulders of Fabian. On seeing this, the election committee understood that
it was the will of the Holy Spirit and elected Fabian as Pope.
During
those days there was a requirement for teaching biblical lessons in France.
So, Pope Fabian called for Bishop Denise to go to France to teach bible
lessons. Bishop Denise belonged to Italy. Details of his birth, childhood,
family background, how he became a Bishop are not known. Pope Fabian called
Denise and said, “Denise, are you willing to take few more men along with
you and go to France and serve as bishop there?” Bishop Denise replied, “Holy
Father, if it is the will of God and yours then I am willing to go.” So,
saying he took 6 other Bishops and left for France. After this Pope Fabian
died as a martyr. Even today his grave remains in the Kalista cave.
In
those days France came under the control of Rome, hence the royal decree of
King Trajan was in force in France also. With this decree in hand, the
official representative and governor over France, Pessenyuis cesinuis
tortured the people with an iron hand. Because of this many people feared
to become Christians. The fear of severe punishments and torture made
people flee from Jesus Christ. The other Christians who feared their lives
could not stand before the government and proclaim their faith. And hence
they ran for their lives and lived as secret Christians.
It
was at this critical situation Bishop Denise came to Paris along with his
fellow bishops. Within a few days of their arrival many miracles happened
in the church. By their powerful preaching’s and the countless number of
miracles, they were able to rebuild the faith of the Christians. This gave
new strength to the Christians to bravely stand for Christ and proclaim
their Christian faith. When people started to courageously proclaim their
Christian faith, it rekindled the sleeping faith of many other people and
slowly people started to stand for Christ without fear. But this sent a
wave of fear in the heart of the governor. “How is this possible? How are
these people standing for Christ in spite of all the breathing tortures I
have implemented? Who gave them this courage? Who is the reason for
bringing back Jesus Christ back to the people? Let me see…. I will show
them who I am”, said the tyrant Synius. So, he commanded his men to arrest
Bishop Denise and his fellow bishops. Then he decided to accompany them
left to arrest the bishops.
At
that time the dear friends of Bishop Denise, Eleutherius and Rusticus were
not in the city. The soldiers of the governor had come there to arrest
Bishop Denise and his co bishops. At time Bishop Denise [the short form of
Dionysius is Denise] was offering mass in his church. It was time for the
sermon. In his sermon he said, “I bless you all in the name of the Father,
Son and the Holy Spirit. My dear sheep, today I being to you the good news
of to taste and see that the Lord is good. He is a good god, strong and
mighty, true God and never speaks lies, he does what he has promised, from
him all good things come. He is the door of heaven and it is only through
him we can reach heaven and eternal life. For he has said, “I am the way,
truth and life”. Let me now tell you the many qualities of Jesus….”. So,
saying our bishop began his sermon. At the same time an authoritative voice
echoed saying, “stop your nonsense teaching Dionysius”
Bishop
Denise looked at him and said calmly, “Oh it is our governor who has come
all the way to our church today. Please do come in and sit-down sir. I will
continue and complete my sermon.” The governor replied, “I have not
come here to listen to your nonsense teachings, I have come here to arrest
you and put you in prison. I have no time to waste and sit in this church.
“So, saying he turned to his soldiers and said, “Why are you standing like
dead people…. go and arrest him”
But
Bishop Denise calmly said, “I do not consider your visit to this church as
a great honour or a disgrace. My Lord God alone is worthy of all glory and
honour. You’re a representative of the emperor of Rome and I am the
representative of almighty God. So, let us not talk much about it. Now sit
down calmly and allow me to finish this sacred mass. Do not create a chaos
here for the church is the house of God, his holy place where he is
present. Let us not disturb the presence of God. Once the mass is
over I will come and surrender to you.”
“I am
not ready to listen to any of your requests or sermon. I have come to
arrest you and I don’t want to delay anymore. I am not bothered about your
mass or sermon. Don’t try to fool me using the name of God. Our God is
different. According to the information I received, there are seven
of you altogether…. Five of you are here, where is the other two…. Are they
afraid? Have they run for their lives? Tell me their hiding place?” roared
the governor in anger.
“You
are right; we are seven of us altogether. Two of our friends have gone out.
They have gone on ministry and have not run away to save their lives. There
is no need for us to hide anything” said Bishop Denise.
“That
is ok; they can never escape from me. I will get them later. Now all of you
move to prison. I have no more time to waste” said the governor.
Once
again Bishop Denise requested saying, “Kindly give me time to complete the
sermon I have begun. After that I will come and surrender myself.”
The
governor was furious at this request and said, “You insolent priest…..
Don’t you understand what I am saying? Or are you pretending that you have
not understood? I have come to stop your sermon, your ministry, the faith
that is spreading in the hearts of people about Jesus Christ….. Don’t you
understand? Then how are you asking me permission to carry on your sermon?
But if you still insist to preach, I will give you time when your head goes
off your body. You can preach at that time. Now walk to the prison
immediately.” So, saying he laughed aloud in pride.
So,
Bishop was arrested with his mass dress and his scepter and was put in jail
along with his other bishops. The next day the governor met him in prison.
“Oh the great bishop….. How is this place and how was our hospitality? Are
you comfortable with this place and the food?” asked the governor with a
cunning smile. Bishop Denise replied, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still
waters…… of course sir, I had a comfortable stay and good food provided
from my master.” Truly the Lord had provided them food in prison. “This is
the reason I do not intend to talk to you for you always tell fairy tales….
Now tell me where are the other two bishops? Tell me their hiding place;
they can never escape from me. Up to the time they come and surrender, you
will continue to have good treatment in this prison….” said the governor.
“Once
again I would like to remind you that none of my disciples have run away
for fear of their lives or the tortures you have announced. Jesus is our
life, death is our gain. We never fear you men who could destroy only our
body…. But we fear the almighty god who can destroy both body and soul in
hell….. They have gone out on ministry. But I wish they never come back for
they have to continue the ministry after us.” said Bishop Denise. The
governor laughed aloud and said, “Oh so is this plan? It will never happen
as long as I live. I have asked my men to search every nook and corner in
the city and they can never escape. Let them come and then I will punish
you.” Five days passed by. During those five days, Bishop Denise and his
other disciples went through immense tortures and punishments. They were
tortured to tell the details of the hiding place of the other two bishops.
A historical note says that they used hot iron rods and pierced it through
their ears. In the meantime, the other two disciples came and surrendered
to the governor. They too were put in prison and all the tortures which
Bishop Dennis and the four disciples underwent during the five days were
given to the two disciples in one day.
But
that very night, Jesus Christ appeared to them and gave them heavenly manna
and filled them with strength. The next day Bishop Dennis and his disciples
were set free….. Free from this earth….. Free form their body…. Out of the
physical body they were set free to go to heaven….. The next day, Bishop Dennis
and his disciples were brought before the governor for trial in Paris.
The
governor began his speech, “Bishop Dennis I give you one last chance.
Forsake your God and save your life. You will be set free.”
Bishop
Dennis looked up at the governor and
said, “Respected Governor, I am not a person who is afraid of death. Just
like how my Lord Jesus Christ said in front of Pontius Pilate, I tell you
if you are not given authority from heaven you can’t even touch my hair of
the hem of my garment. Go ahead and fulfill your wish. I am ready.”
“Now
look here Dennis being a citizen of
Rome, you have to abide by the rules and regulations laid down by the Roman
government. Accordingly, you have to follow the gods of our ancestors and
not incline to worship of any other foreign god. This is the order of
the King and as a true citizen you have to abide by it. if not then it is
like you are not loyal to the King and the country. The punishment for such
an act is death…. Cruel death…. That cruel death is waiting for you…. what
is preventing you from worshiping the gods of Caesar? You are insulting the
King as well as the roman gods roared the governor impatiently.
“Governor
Sissy’s, I want you to understand one thing clearly. The rules and
regulations of the government can control the physical activities of a
person. They are subject to the mind of a person. But religion and God
related issues are associated with the soul of a person. No one can
dominate it. Moreover, Caesar is a man, just like you and me and all the
other citizens of this empire. He too is a creation of God and not the
creator. Man has to worship the creator and not the creation. Also, we worship
only the true living God and not statues made of stone or wood which cannot
see of speak, which requires the help of men to even move from one place to
another. Above all none of the statues have life…. Our Lord has told us
that there shall be no other god before him in heaven and earth. So, this
is the reason we do not worship Caesar or the other gods whom you mention.”
The disciples of Bishop Dennis also gave the same answer to the governor.
So,
the governor sentenced them to death…. They had to be beheaded and killed.
So, Bishop Dennis and his disciples were taken to a nearby hill for the
execution of the punishment. That hill was known as Mount Mercury which was
located in Paris. On top of the hill there were temples for God Mercury and
Mars. This hill was situated 10 kilometers from Paris. All through the
10-kilometer journey to the hill, Bishop Dennis and his disciples were beaten, tortured
and badly insulted by the soldiers. This was similar to the journey of our
Lord to Mount Calvary. In spite of all these tortures Dennis and his
disciples prayed to the Lord saying, “Lord have mercy on them for they know not what they are
doing. Do not punish them but save them. We offer our lives to your perfect
will.” Many people gathered all around the hill to see the execution of the
punishment of Bishop Denise and his disciples. Among them there were many
secret Christians also.
Satan
worked through the governor to make Bishop Dennis and his disciples betray
the true God and worship him. As one last tries, the governor said, “Bishop
Dennis, I have nothing against you
except your God and your worship. Why don’t you just take a pinch of salt
and a drop of honey and sprinkle it on the Gods in the temple and go your
way. I will take care of the rest. There is absolutely no difficulty in
this. Ask your disciples also to do the same. I will set you free and also
give you the citizenship. This persecution will last only for some time and
then you will be free to do what you want. Why risk you precious life for this.
Shall I take the salt and honey and give it to you?”
Bishop
Dennis who was calm and spoke with due respect for the governor now lost
his patience and said angrily, “You foolish governor, you thought I am an
ordinary man is it? I am the representative of almighty god…. he is a true
living God. I was born of water [baptism], grew up in fire [confirmation]
and I am living in the spirit [the anointing of the Holy Spirit]. I will
never worship the false and evil goddesses. The Lord is my shepherd and I
am his sheep. I will listen to my master’s voice and follow him alone, for
he gave his life for me and set me free from sin and death. I will give my
life for him and please him. What did you think? You still think your false
gods are here in this temple in this mountain. The moment my disciples and
I stepped on this hill your gods have fled away from this place for the presence
of god has come down on this hill. No one can stand the presence of the
Lord, for in his presence even mountains will melt like wax. Not only in
this hill and your gods will no longer find a place anywhere in this city.
This city is now filled with the presence of God. This city will one day
become a Christian city, but I pity you…. You and your king who
persecute Christians will soon perish. But all those who give their
lives for the sake of Christ will receive eternal life. For that is the
promise of Jesus Christ, “He who saves his life will lose it and he who
give his life for my sake will receive eternal life.” My Lord has said, “Happy
are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil
lies against for my names sake. Be happy and glad for a great reward is
kept for you in heaven.” So, I am looking forward for my reward which is
kept in heaven. You do whatever you want and never expect me to give in to
your cunning thoughts.”
The
governor could not stand to see that he was insulted by Bishop Dennis in
front of all his men and the common people. So, he announced saying, “since
Bishop Dennis and his disciples failed to worship our ancestral gods
Mercury, Venus, Apollo and Mars, I hereby sentence them to be beheaded and
killed. I give all praise and glory to our great king Trajan.” Then he
looked at Bishop Dennis and said, “Deninis it is ok if you did not worship
our gods and offer them sacrifices. I am here to offer good sacrifice to
our gods, and that sacrifice is you and your disciples…. Your lives…. And
the first one is you.”
Accordingly,
Bishop Dennis was beheaded first.
But as the soldier was about to cut off the head of Bishop Deninis he
missed his aim and the axe cut off only the top part of the head of Bishop
Dennis This aggravated the governor. He yelled at the solider saying, “Are
you a man? You are fit for nothing…. Shame on you, by now his head should have
gone rolling on the ground…. He is the first sacrifice to our god and god
will not accept such a mistake. Your next aim should roll down his head
down this mountain, ok?”
Accordingly,
the soldier took a sharp aim and this time off went the head of Bishop Dennis
rolling on the ground. In the same way the rest of the disciples of Bishop Dennis
were beheaded. The governor laughed with pride for having executed the
official order of persecution in a perfect way. But this happiness did not
last long. He started to mock and speak with pride saying, “Oh! What a
pity…. Dear Bishop Deninis …at last I have won and my gods have won…. you
and your god Jesus are losers…. Ha ha ha…. You believed in a god who died
on the cross and today you too have lost your life. Your god is a false
god…. he could not save himself and today he has not come to save you…. I
pity you for having trusted a dead god…. Even after your death I will keep
up my promise to you, now I give you full freedom to continue your sermon….
I will not interrupt you nor will I prevent or punish anyone who listens to
your sermon…. Come on go ahead ….”
The
public gathered there could not bear to see seven bishops beheaded on the
same day at the same time. They were all filled with sorrow and many of
them beat their breasts as a sign of pity. At that moment something which
no one expected happened. Bishop Dennis who was dead rose and his headless
body picked up its head and held it in his hands. The head spoke saying,
“Praise be to the name of Lord Jesus Christ.” All those who were gathered
were overjoyed and praised god for bringing back Bishop Dennis alive and
shouted aloud, “praise be to god”. The governor could not believe his eyes
and stood speechless. Slowly he confirmed that it was true and asked,
“Bishop Dennis is this you?”
Bishop
Dennis replied with his head held in
his hands, “Yes, it is me, Bishop Dennis . You, who proudly said that you
and your gods have won, now tell me who the winner…is. My god is a true
living god, he rose from the dead and as he promised, “he who believes in
me will live even after death” has given me life. But you, though you are
still alive, remain dead for you have still not known the true god who can
give you eternal life. You speak about life on earth but I desire for life
after death. Have you ever seen anyone who spoke to you after they have
been beheaded? Holding their head in their hands? Now see for yourself and
know the greatness of god, for nothing is impossible for my god. My life is
in the hands of my god. My god has given me life, to be a witness for him, to speak of his
greatness, and to proclaim the good news to the people. Though the top
portion of my head has been chopped off, my memory is still great. All
those who are thirsty to listen to the word of god, now listen to me. You
are gifted to see this testimony and listen to all the good news I am going
to share right now. Our god is a great god. he who gave life to my dead
body is the only true god. As the lord has commanded me I am here to speak
his words. All the sheep who belong to Jesus Christ, listen to my words.
Holding
his head and the chopped off part of his head along with it, Bishop Denise
started to walk down Mount Mercury. He continued his sermon saying, “My God
who is beyond all knowledge and wisdom, I praise you for your glory. Your
ways are beyond understanding. Your hold my hands and lead me in the right
path. My god who is the alpha and omega, I worship you. Lord you have
examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand
all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all
my actions. Even before I speak you know what I will say. You are all
around me on every side. You protect me with your power. Your knowledge of
me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding. Where could I go to
escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? If I went up to
heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you
would be there. If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest
place in the west, you would be there to lead me; you would be there to
help me. I could ask darkness to hide me or the light round me to turn into
night, but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as
day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
My
father, son and the Holy Spirit; though you are three you are one. Just
like the sun gives forth heat and light, my Father you are the sun and the
light which comes forth from you is the son, Jesus Christ and the heat
which comes from you is the Holy Spirit. Just like how the sun, its light
and heat and one so all three of you are one. Who can understand this great
truth? Only those who are filled with your grace and wisdom can understand
and I thank you for giving me the grace and wisdom to understand you Lord.
All three of you are eternal beings and you have no beginning or end. You
are not created but you are the creator. When the Father God said “Let
there be light” that word was Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit gave the
formation for the word. So, Jesus Christ is the human form of the father
and the Holy Spirit is the driving power working through Jesus Christ. They
are the same; no one is greater of smaller to the other person. They are
one in spirit and action. Though they appear as Father, Son and Holy Spirit
but they are one in spirit, glory, power, eternity, wisdom and holiness.
So, this is the trinity of God. One should really have the grace of god to
understand this secret and truth. I thank god for making me understand this
truth.
The
Father feels the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Son feels the Father and the
Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit feels the Father and the Son. I could feel
the greatness of this trinity. How they are united in glory and love. They
are beyond this natural realm. They are supernatural beings. They are not
bound by time and space. No one could stop them from what they want to do.
Nothing is a hindrance for them. Our god can roll this sky like a curtain
and keep it aside. He is the maker of all things. All are created through
him and for him. I am gifted to have the grace to see this great god. I saw
the Lord just like prophet Isaiah, the Lord was sitting on his throne, high
and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple. Round him flaming
creatures were standing, each of which and six wings, each creature covered
its face with two wings, and its body with two wings, and used the other
two for flying. They were calling out to each other: “Holy! Holy! Holy! The
Lord Almighty is Holy! His glory fills the world.” Their glory, holiness,
their appearance, is beyond description. Pg 36
They
are one in spirit and one in glory. In the Old Testament when the power of
the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, god said to Moses that not even an
animal should touch the foot of the mountain. If it does so then the animal
has to be killed. Such a god with unmatched glory came down in the form of
a man and was born in the cow shed just because he loved us and wanted to
save us from sin and death. Apostle Paul explains this nature of Jesus
Christ saying, “he always had the nature of God, but he did not think that
by force he should try to become equal with God. Instead of this, of his
own free will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He
became like man and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked
the path of obedience all the way to death – his death on the cross. For
this reason, God raised him to the highest place above and gave him the
name that is greater than any other name. And so, in honour of the name of
Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on
their knees and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father”
But
Jesus did not stop here; he wanted to give this glory to us. Jesus said,
just like how the Father and I are always together, so do I want you all to
be with us. He wanted us to be with him for eternity. That is the promise
he gives to all those who believe in him. He has gone to get ready a place
for us in heaven. As he has promised he will come again in glory and take
all those who believe in him to be with him forever in heaven. What prevent
us from enjoying this eternal life are our sins. For this reason, he shed
his blood on the cross and redeemed us to eternal life. Not only Jesus all
the three persons in the trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
are involved in this process of winning us to eternal life.
Jesus
has explained this in the form of parables. He has given me the revelation
of the parables also. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus Christ came
as a good shepherd to this world to save the lost sheep and get it back to
the flock. The sheep are mankind, you and me, whom he came to save from sin
and death. In the parable of the old woman who loses one coin out of the
ten, lights up the lamp, sweeps the house and finds the one lost coin. This
is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lights up the lamp of the
word of God in our hearts and sweeps away all the thoughts of sin and thus
redeems us to eternal life. In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father
waits patiently for the son / daughter who have away not understood the
love of the Father. Even today the Father is waiting for you and me
to come back to him understanding his love.
So
open your hearts to Jesus Christ the true God. Be firm in your faith. Do
not be afraid of the persecutions. The Holy Spirit, the lord the giver of
faith, who proceeds from the father and the son, will strengthen you. He is
the comforter whom Jesus had promised to us and he will guide you. Stand up
for Christ and you too will enjoy eternal life.
God
is always ready to make us understand him. This shows the greatness, mercy
and holiness of God. The very creation shows the magnificent power and
awesome capacity of god. Who can understand the concept of whole creation?
The sun, the ball of fire above, the gravitational force which pulls us
down towards the earth, the light from the sun and the moon are all amazing
creations which shows the greatness of god. Every creation is unique and
independent. All these revelations which God has given me, I am not worthy
of it, I am just a worthless worm. But I would analyze the heart of God in
two different stages:
1. It is how perfect
will and mercy which makes him explain such great truth to worthless people
like me and also to anyone who desires to know the same.
2. Since the whole
creation was created for him and through him, his immense love for the
creation makes him to reveal himself to the whole creation.
The
vast sky above us, the planets which revolve in their set orbits, the
countless number of stars that shine in the sky, are above our imagination.
But what is greater that this is the countless number of blessings which he
showers on us. This is more than the sand on the beach or the starts in the
sky. But our sins prevent us from enjoying these countless blessings. Oh!
Our sin, our grave sins, is the ones which prevents us from receiving these
blessings.
In
order to save us from sin and to make him known to us, Jesus came down in
the form of man, with body, soul and spirit. The time when Jesus Christ
decided to come down in the form of man, is the time when man gets the
chance to know the creator, understand him, love him and worship him. Just
like how King David sang, “the river gives happiness to the city of God” my
heart too is filled with happiness now. The woman whom God chose to come in
the form of a man, our beloved Holy virgin, Mother Mary too understands
this time. Yes, Virgin Mary was the first in the perfect will of God to
bring forth Jesus Christ as man into this world. She is blessed above all
women to bear God in her womb and bring him into this world. Thus, she
fulfilled the great will of God. Mary was destined for eternity. I am
amazed at this great decision of God. I wonder the greatness of Virgin
Mary. If not for my faith, I would not have been able to understand the
great importance of the will of God to select Mary as the mother of Christ.
My eyes are filled with tears of joy and my heart longs to be in the
perfect will of God. There are much greater truths which are yet to be
unrevealed by God. If I have to say that Mary is a great piece of work by
God then the God who created her is greater than her. So, the creator is
always greater than any creation. Every creation of God exhibits the
greatness of God and Mother Mary reveals the greatness of God in a very
special way. God led Mary or helped Mary to be holy and pure for the holy
conception to take place in her. It is said that God had to wait for 4000
years to find a woman like Mary, so holy and pure and obedient to God. The
whole universe waited for that one word from Mary, “Behold the handmaid of
God, be it done to me according to your will”. She delivered the savior
child to this world who delivered the whole world from sin and death. Mary
was the way for God to come into this world as man. Jesus who became man is
the king of the whole universe. With the birth of Jesus, the whole universe
is getting ready to welcome the King and his eternal kingdom.
Jesus
Christ creates the angels under three categories and assigns them twelve
different tasks. They are to glorify God, to know and love him, to glorify
and be obedient to Jesus Christ, to accept Mary and obey her, to bear Jesus
and Mary in their hands wherever they go. Through Jesus Christ grace and
mercy
is poured on all of his creation. The Father makes Jesus the King of the
universe and all the angels to be obedient to him. At the same time,
he separated the angels who fell because of their pride. The Lord
discerns all his creations. He knows those who accept him, love him and
obey him and also, he knows those who are against him and do not accept him
as Lord. So, he created the heaven for the heavenly bodies and the earth
for us and hade for the rebellious angels and sends them there.
God
created man in his own image and likeness. He created them for him. He
created them to be loved and worshiped by them. He is the lamb which
is worthy of all glory, honour, praise and worship. (When Adam was created
he was in the form of a man at the age of 33 years and he resembled Jesus.
Similarly, Eve was created like a girl of fifteen years of age and she
resembled Mary). But Man sinned and lost the likeness of God. In order to
reconcile the lost relationship with man, God came down from heaven in the
form of man, as the Messiah to save mankind from sin and death. He
undertook the punishment for our sins and bore all the iniquity. He
delivered us from sin and with his precious blood cleansed us and made us
holy. He restored the lost likeness and image which man lost because of
sin. All those who accept Jesus as their savior will be saved and accepted
by Christ. God wants everyone to know him and accept him and be saved. This
is the perfect will of God.
God gave
man the full freedom to use his free will to know and do what is good and
bad. He has the free will to sin or to refrain from sin. He has the free
will to reconcile or go ahead with his sinful life. God never interferes in
the free will of man. At the same time, god never hinders his grace of
mercy to those who ask for it. He is not a partial god. He treats everyone
alike. So, God is ready to reveal himself to mankind and it we who do not
pay heed to know him or listen to him. Man does not have the thirst to know
god.
Lord
God, I am not worthy even to look up at you. But you revealed all these
great truth to me and I have now preached all those divine revelations to
the people gathered here. I am not worthy to see your glory, but through
your grace and mercy you have revealed yourself to me. Lord you are my
light. You are the lamp to my path. I know how I was and I know how I am
and I know how I would be for you have revealed everything through your
holy spirit. So, I do not fear of life after death. My dear people who are
gathered here, behold the time has come for me to leave this earth. This
time was given by God and I have completed the task he had given me.”
On
hearing the last words of Bishop Denise, the people gathered there shouted
aloud, “our dear Bishop Denise, please do give us good counsel whom we have
to follow to receive eternal life” So Bishop Denise looked at the crowd and
said, “My dear people, the sheep of my flock, listen to my words. Jesus
Christ is the good shepherd who willingly gave his life for his sheep (us).
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the
Father, in the same way I know the sheep and they know me. And I am willing
to die for them. There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this
sheepfold. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they
will become one flock with one shepherd.” So we are the sheep who are
scattered all over this world. Jesus died for our sins also. Believe in him
and confess with your tongue that he is God and you will be saved. As Jesus
rightly said, “the thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy. I
have come in order that you may have life – life in all its fullness.” So
Satan is the thief. Do not fear him. He has come only to kill and destroy
just like these persecutors. Satan works through these persecutors. But
believe in Christ and he will give eternal life.
He is
a merciful God. Plead for his mercy. Worship only him and no other god. Say
like how King David said, “Be merciful to me, O god, because of your
constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all
my evil and make me clean from my sin! Create a new heart in me, O God, and
put a new and loyal spirit in me. Do not banish me from your presence and
do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” Sin separates man from God. So
confess your sins and do not sin again. You will receive the mercy of God.
Jesus
is the light of this world. Go to him and you will be saved from the
darkness of this world. Through his mother, Virgin Mary, God has sent forth
this light to this world. Many do not understand or know Jesus Christ or
his mother and hence they are still in the darkness. Satan has tied the
spiritual eyes in such a way that they do not realize the love of God. Just
like Apostle Paul, pray that your minds may be opened to see his light, so
that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich
are the wonderful blessings he promises his people, and how very great is
his power at work in us who believe.
So,
if you fail to believe in Christ and his promises and fail to love him and
accept him as Lord, he will forsake you on the Day of Judgment. Jesus is
the door through whom we can go to the father. He is the way, truth and
life. Those who are adamant, ignorant, sinful will soon be taken away by
Satan into the world of darkness. So, wake up for this is the time. Time
once lost cannot be regained. So, make use of this time. Look up to Mother
Mary and go to Jesus. Be saved and receive eternal life. Ask for the Holy
Spirit who is the comforter Jesus Christ has promised us. Holy Spirit will
correct you and give you good counsel of your sins, judgment and the
righteousness of God. He will strengthen you and make you cling on to your
faith till the end.
The
time which god gave me to preach my last sermon is over. Yes I can feel
darkness fill my eyes. I am going to be one with the Lord. Hope to see you
soon in the eternal world.”
At
the end of this sermon, Bishop Denise had reached the banks of Seine River
in Paris. He washed his head in the river. Then he walked a few distance
and died once again. They built a tomb in that place where he fell dead for
the second time and later a splendid church has been built around the tomb.
Later, the kings who ruled France built their grave around this church. The
famous kings, Louis 15 and Louis 16 built their grave inside this church.
The church of Saint Denise, situated in France is very famous all over the
world. The architecture of this church is a challenge to the present-day
engineers and architects. This church was built with just ordinary
materials which were easily available around the place. People built this
church with bare hands. No machines or technology was used in building this
church.
In
the year 451 AD, Hunans, a notorious tribal race, under the leadership of
Attila, took control of Europe. They were a pain in the neck for the rulers
and people of Europe. When the people of France came to know that the
Hunans are fast approaching to invade France, they started to vacate the
country and move to places of safety. But a lady prophet by name Genevieve
prophesied stating, “Attila will never set foot on Paris. Do not fear and
return to the city.” In the same way, Attila turned his attention on the
southern regions of France and did not enter Paris. This prophet Genevieve
had changed the heart of the then ruler of France, Clovis, and made him
accept Christ. With the help of this king and the public, a great church
was built for Bishop Denise and the other bishops who were beheaded. The
church was built on the Mount Mercury where they were beheaded.
The
church honoured the prophetess Genevieve by giving her the title of Saint.
The people of France have erected a statue near the bridge over the River
Sane. Bishop Denise is the first martyr in France. Hence, he is known as
the first Apostle of France and also regarded as the patron saint of
France. The church of Bishop Denise and the church on Mount Mercury, has
been regarded as pilgrim places. The church honoured the seven Bishops who
died as martyrs by giving them the title of saints. The names of the seven
bishops were, Bishop Saint Denise, Bishop Saint Eleutherius, Bishop Saint
Rusticus, and these are the names mentioned in history. Though it is said
that forty disciples were with Bishop Denise, their names have not been
mentioned in history. The name and fame of our dear Bishop Denise spread
all through Europe and from there it spread all over the world. Eleutherius
and Rusticus
The
church celebrates the martyr day of these saints every year on 9th October;
since it was on 9th October 250 AD these saints were
beheaded. Since many other believers were also killed on this Mount
Mercury, this mountain is now being called as Martyrs mount. Some churches
are of the opinion that the other Bishops who died along with Bishop Denise
were not Bishops but were only the helpers or disciples of Bishop Denise,
and also some churches are of the opinion that there were only five
disciples and not six of them. Amidst these controversies the universally
accepted truth accepted by all churches is the life and death of Bishop
Denise.
Before
the death of Bishop Denise, the words he told to the governor stating,
“Your status and the status of your Emperor will soon change” came true.
The persecution which stated in the year 250 AD by the great Emperor Trajan
Design was completed in the year 251 AD. This was because the Emperor
and his son were killed in a war against the Carthaginians. Though this
persecution time period was a very short one which lasted for just one
year, it was one of the most terrible persecutions against the Christians.
The sermon of Bishop Denise gave the right answer for the question which
King Herod asked Jesus Christ many years ago, “Who are you?” Yes, he is the
savior who came to save this world from sin and death. He is the second
person in the Holy Trinity who came down in the form of man into this
world.
Our
dear Bishop Denise who gave your head to bear witness for our true living
God, pray for us. Amen.
Note:
The ceiling of St. Mary’s Cathedral, in Trichy, is adorned with the
paintings of many of the martyrs and how they died. Of this there is a
painting of our dear saint, Bishop Denise. This painting won my heart and
had motivated me to write this historical story. But I got only very few
information about this saint when I wanted to write the story. The only
information which I got was that, Saint Denise held his head in his hand
and walked for nearly ten kilometers, preaching all the way from Mount
Mercury up to the river bank of Sane and once again died there. There is no
information or evidence about what he could have preached during his
journey holding his head in his hand. I almost wanted to drop the idea of
writing this story but I couldn’t. At this time, I got a very valuable book
called ‘THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD’ written by Saint Agritha of Hispania. She
is a saint with the gift of revelation. In this book the chapter about the
secret truths about the trinity of God inspired me and hence I quoted the
same concept along with the path of salvation which Saint Denise would have
preached all through his ten kilometers walk.
I owe
my heartfelt gratitude to my dear friend, Rev Fr.Zacharias who is a
well-known phychiatrist, who translated this passage in Tamil for me. Also,
the book by name ‘Passion of Christ’ which is also written by Saint
catherin emmarick of Germany on account of her gift of revelation, helped
me to write all the historical events which took place from the time King
Herod asked Jesus, ‘Who are you?’ up to the time of the death of Jesus on
the cross and all the events which followed after the death of Jesus
Christ. So, I have done my part which is a small step from my side to make
known such rare true stories to the world. Do not break this chain; do let
someone whom you know also know these stories.
“Behold our saint with his head in his hands
Beheaded bare footed he walked the streets of France
Not afraid of the emperors threatening word
Nor stopped by the sharp two-edged sword
He unfolded great truths about the Holy Trinity
He preached with the revelations from god Almighty
Warning the crowd about sin and repentance
Ways to reconcile and receive god’s acceptance
He stood as a witness even when clothed with the death shroud
Knowing your love for God makes all mankind feel proud”
|
The face of the statue of mother Mary which was kept there came alive and her eyes opened and closed. Soon after this, tears of blood rolled down from her eyes along her cheeks. The people who saw this have testified also. Many medical reports and the testimony of many great priests confirm this incident to be true. This church is under the control of the priest of Jerusalem. The Roman Catholic Church has also confirmed this incident and has announced this church as one of the holy places to be visited. The church of Mary located in the Angara cave is called as ‘Mary of the Mount church’. This place could be reached by a travel of about one and half an hour towards north, from the capital city of Jordan.
The face of the statue of mother Mary which was kept there came alive and her eyes opened and closed. Soon after this, tears of blood rolled down from her eyes along her cheeks. The people who saw this have testified also. Many medical reports and the testimony of many great priests confirm this incident to be true. This church is under the control of the priest of Jerusalem. The Roman Catholic Church has also confirmed this incident and has announced this church as one of the holy places to be visited. The church of Mary located in the Angara cave is called as ‘Mary of the Mount church’. This place could be reached by a travel of about one and half an hour towards north, from the capital city of Jordan.
