New Jerusalem: City of Peace
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’
doesn’t make any sense.
THIS POEM BY THIRTEETH CENTURY SUFI MYSTIC and great Persian poet, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi, has been circulating for several years. I’ve given it consideration over the past several months and have come to see and experience this “field” of Rumi’s not so much as a place to go as a place one cannot leave. It’s the eternal here and now. It’s where I live and have my being. The Master Jesus called it “the Kingdom of Heaven.” In Genesis it’s called Eden, a garden state, indicating a realm where seeds of intention are planted, nurtured and germinate. David Bohm calls it the “implicate order” of vibrational essences and patterns for manifesting forms in the “explicate order.” Episcopal priest and mystical author Cynthia Bourgeault describes this field as the “imaginal realm.” In a word, Rumi’s “field” is at the Center of my turning world were I AM known. A place of absolute silence and tranquility where “nothing is wrong; everything matters,” to borrow a wise saw from a friend.
A NEW JERUSALEM
While in an elevated Field of the Spirit, John of Revelation had a vision which he describes as a “new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.”
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And I John saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev 21:1)
Recently I heard this field of Rumi’s described as the realm of the “Source Code” where the patterns of creation for the “new Jerusalem” are held and made available for downloading, to use a tech term, into human consciousness. I resonate with this perspective . . . up to the point of interpretation.
This is a field, as Rumi described, where judgement of right and wrong is utterly non-existent. Where the design for the New Earth, the new Jerusalem, is held inviolate and out of sight of the judgmental human mind. The old Jerusalem doesn’t qualify for inclusion in Rumi’s field, burdened as it is with the “Law of Moses” and a slew of Old Testament laws detailing all the “wrongdoings and rightdoings” for the Jewish people.
The design for the new Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven into the pure and peaceful heart where it can be nurtured and protected. This relates to what is occurring NOW everywhere, and not to any particular sect or religion, such as the Jews, Muslims or Christians, all three of which occupy the old Jerusalem, the “Holy City.” They’ve all been given their opportunities and failed utterly to show people the Way by which they may enter the kingdom of heaven now without having to die in order to go there . . . they themselves failed to enter in.
This is in no way intended to be anti-Semitic, anti-Christian or anti-Muslim. It’s just what is and has been all down through the ages. I have nothing against the Jews, the Muslims, or the Christians. My discomfort lies in the interpretation of the passage in Revelation in which John sees in a vision “the new Jerusalem” coming down from God out of heaven. To explore and uncover what’s warranting my discomfort, I have given a lot of meditative time to the meaning of the world “Jerusalem” itself.
JERUSALEM, MELCHIZEDEK AND SHEM
Jerusalem. A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel. The name means “city of peace.” Jerusalem is often called Zion; Mount Zion is the hill on which the fortress of the city was built. (Wikipedia)
The word Salem means peaceful and complete. It was the “Holy City” in ancient Hebrew history where the temple of Jerusalem was located, and where “Melchizedek” reigned as High Priest and “King of righteousness.” For Christians, Jerusalem is also the place where Jesus preached, died and was resurrected. Many also see the city as central to an imminent Second Coming of Jesus. Jerusalem is now a major pilgrimage site for Christians from around the world. For Muslims, Jerusalem is a site of key events in the life of Jesus and other important figures. It’s also the spot where, according to traditional interpretations of the Koran and other texts, the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Mohammed was carried from Mecca to Jerusalem, and then from Jerusalem into the heavens, where he conversed with prophets before returning to earth. For more than 1,300 years, there have been Muslim shrines in Jerusalem. (Washington Post)
A SHIFT OF THE PRIESTHOOD
There was a shift from the Levite priesthood of Abraham’s day to the priesthood of Melchizedek, the title “Priest of the Most High God” that Shem inherited from Noah, his father. Here’s a bit of history about this shift:
Psalm 110, in referring to a future messiah of the Davidic line, alludes to the priest-king Melchizedek as a prototype of this messiah. This allusion led the author of the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament to translate the name Melchizedek as “king of righteousness” and Salem as “peace” so that Melchizedek is made to foreshadow Christ, stated to be the true king of righteousness and peace (Hebrews 7:2). According to the analogy, just as Abraham, the ancestor of the Levites, paid a tithe to Melchizedek and was therefore his inferior, so the Melchizedek-like priesthood of Christ is superior to that of the Levites. Furthermore, just as the Old Testament assigns no birth or death date to Melchizedek, so is the priesthood of Christ eternal. (Wikipedia)
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD
After the “Fall” when man lost conscious awareness of the Garden State in which he was created in God’s image and likeness, and the Presence of the Creator in the Garden, there arose a need for an intercessor, a go-between, to represent and speak for God in man’s fallen state. The priesthood was that intercessor between God and man and between man and his Creator. Adam was the first “Priest of the Most High God.” The priesthood came down through Adam’s lineage and was passed on to Noah, whose eldest son Shem (or Melchizedek) was High Priest in the temple at Salem. Shem and Melchizedek may be one and the same, as Melchizedek is thought not to be the name of an individual but rather a “High Order” of the priesthood; a title given to the “Priest of the Most High God,” or simply High Priest.
Shem inherited the land of Salem and Melchizedek [Shem] is the king of Salem. Shem reigned in righteousness (Melchizedek’s name means King of Righteousness), and the priesthood came through him. If Shem is indeed Melchizedek, the name is then used as a title, not an actual name. This title would seem to fit the biblical account of the Godliness and righteousness ascribed to Shem. Shem, Noah’s Son that was still alive at the time of Abraham and that would make him the oldest man alive qualifying him as a candidate for the order of Melchizedek.
Melchizedek, also spelled Melchisedech, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), a figure of importance in biblical tradition because he was both king and [high] priest, was connected with Jerusalem, and was revered by Abraham, who paid a tithe to him. He appears as a person only in an interpolated vignette (Genesis 14:18–20) of the story of Abraham rescuing his kidnapped nephew, Lot, by defeating a coalition of Mesopotamian kings under Chedorlaomer.
In the episode, Melchizedek [Shem] meets Abraham on his return from battle, gives him bread and wine (which has been interpreted by some Christian scholars as a precursor of the Eucharist, so that Melchizedek’s name entered the canon of the Roman mass), and blesses Abraham in the name of “God Most High” (in Hebrew El ʿElyon). In return, Abraham gives him a tithe of the booty. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Melchizedek)
THE OLD ORDER HAS PASSED AWAY
Another translation of the phrase “for the former things are passed away” is “for the old order of things has passed away.” The old order of the Levite priesthood has passed away and the new priesthood, according to the order of Melchizedek, characterized by the sharing of communion with bread and wine, had been established on earth by the Lord of Love himself during the “Last Supper” with his disciples before his crucifixion. His one and only message in the form of a commandment was that we love the Lord our God with all, and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. Another way he phrased his commandment was “That ye love one another as I have loved you.” He did not establish a religion with a plethora of laws. In fact he cautioned against making any more laws than the ones he had given, lest they keep one from doing the right and fitting thing in the circumstance at hand. The Jewish religion, of course, rejects Jesus altogether as the promised messiah, which means it also rejects the entire New Testament of the Bible, including John’s Book of Revelation . . . so the point of this blog post carries little weight if any for anyone who embraces the beliefs, and denials, of Judaism. This denial does not dismiss the truth that the old order of things in heaven and on earth pass away to give room for the new order.
CITY OF PEACE
The “new Jerusalem” is none other that the New Earth now being born from out of the New Heaven, and it is designed by God to be a “City of Peace.” We have entered a new Golden Age wherein peace and love will abide and flourish in the hearts of human beings and spill over into the world — and there will be no need for an intervening priesthood as the conscious awareness of God’s presence within every man and woman will be restored and man will awaken to the realization that he has direct access to God within himself. This awakening is already happening.
Those who insist on holding onto the belief that the new Jerusalem is to be an earthly city or nation governed by a religious sect are not in position to see the City of Peace in the Heaven and therefore exclude themselves from participating in the birthing process of the “new Jerusalem.” Contention and war are not possible in this City of Peace, neither is isolation, superiority, entitlement and exclusion of others.
Our Home among the stars
“THE HEAVEN OF THS EARTH IS A CITY IN A STAR”
The City of Peace is the Garden of Eden remembered once again by Man restored. It’s a “CITY IN A STAR” as my spiritual mentor, the late Martin Exeter, describes here below. Here is an expanded perspective of the Garden of Eden from an cosmic point of view:
The Garden is so close that we cannot in fact get out of it, and yet we don’t know it is there. We don’t know it is there because there is this veil, or I suppose it might be called a transformer, in between, which steps down the Garden Radiation to something that human beings can stand in their murky state. And it is because of this that they have continued to exist and that the potential for a return to the true state has been present. It is present because life is still in the carcass of mankind. I suppose if one were to use one’s imagination a little one might recognize that the heaven of this earth is a City in the Star. It was called the Holy City, wasn’t it, coming down from God out of heaven to take form. We may have a view of something rather vast, at least from the standpoint of human proportions: a mighty star which is composed of heaven and earth. It is all one thing. In the United States there are many cities but it is still one nation. In this star there are many cities but it is still One Star, something whole. Of course that is not the end of the wholeness either, as far as that is concerned, but it is about as far as we need to go this evening, I think. (The Great Cosmic Story To enjoy this entire enlightening consideration, simply click on the link)
This City is poised to fully manifest on Earth, and it will be painful for those who resist the purification of their hearts in the fire of Love that is already burning in the hearts of men and women the world over. It will be cause for rejoicing for those who dwell in heaven. The “sign of the Son of Man” already appears in the clouds of heaven, in the consciousness of Man now being restored. Look not down to see where the new Jerusalem might appear, nor where one may believe it will appear, nor where Jesus might return. Look up into the clouds of consciousness and see and welcome the City of Peace already descending.
Angels are uncloaking their radiant beings and apocalyptic light is shining in the dark shadows of Eden. Rumi’s “field”— the kingdom of heaven — the new Jerusalem — the City of Peace — the City in our Star — are all at hand within and all around us. The pure of heart see God in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Let not your heart be troubled. Let it be purified in the fire of Love — love for the Lord our God and love for one another. Be at peace. This is what is at hand. . . and shall be henceforth.
Thank you for sharing my meditations and thoughts. Feel free to share yours in the comment section or by email. Until my next post,
Be love. Be loved
Anthony
tpal70@gmail.com
Healing Tones 