Now, I am instructed to introduce you to my wonderful friend, the writer of those precious, sacred "Odes of Solomon." This writer was not King Solomon. King Solomon lived over one thousand years before Christ. The writer of the Odes of Solomon was a near contemporary of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a convert to Christianity shortly after the advent of Christ. He states in the forty-first Ode: "All those will be astonished that see me, for from another race (than Judah) am I; For the Father of Truth remembered me: He who possessed me from the beginning."
In order to give a more complete introduction to this marvelous individual's works I shall quote part of the explanations concerning his writings as reported by the translators of his words. They are as follows: "Here are some of the most beautiful songs of peace and joy that the world possesses. Yet their origin, the date of their writing, and the exact meaning of many of the verses remain one of the great literary mysteries.
"They have come down to us in a single and very ancient document in Syriac language. Evidently that document is a translation from the original Greek * * *. They are strangely lacking in historical allusions. Their radiance is no reflection of other days. They do not borrow from either the Old Testament or the Gospels. The inspiration of these verses is first-hand * * *. There does not seem to be anything about which everyone seems to agree unless it be that the Odes are of singular beauty and high spiritual value."
So much for the introduction to these precious Odes by the scholars and the translator of "THESE DAZZLING MYSTERY ODES," J. Rendel Harris, M.A., Hon. Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge.
And now, let me introduce the writer of these sacred Odes to you, in the glory of his meekness. He was too humble to use his own name, so he 'titled them "The Odes of Solomon," or to unfold the meaning fully, "The Odes of Wisdom."
The love of this man became so great he was given the laws of "translation" and of perfection, and he fulfilled them. And then, in the mercy of God, he was shown how, at the end of time, these great truths of OVERCOMING DEATH would be made known to the world.
Quoting from Ode 3:3-5: "For I should not have known how to love the Lord, if He had not loved me.
"For who is able to distinguish love, except the one that is loved?
"I love the Beloved and my soul loves Him."
Then in verses nine to thirteen it states: "And because I shall love Him that is the Son, I shall become a son;
"For he that is joined to Him that is immortal, will also himself become immortal;
"And he who has pleasure in the Living One, will become living.
"This is the Spirit of the Lord, which doth not lie, which teacheth the sons of men to know His ways.
"Be wise and understanding and diligent. Hallelujah!"
And now, in order to reveal a more complete appreciation of the writings of these beautiful Odes I shall have to share with you my own introduction to this glorious writer.
I was fulfilling the command of God to write the book, "Ye Are Gods," which I had been informed was to be A GREAT VOLUME and was to go forth to the whole world. I was copying a quotation from Nicodemus when the pages slipped away from me and my eyes came to rest upon these words: "THE HEAD WENT DOWN TO THE FEET, FOR DOWN TO THE FEET RAN THE WHEEL, AND THAT WHICH WAS A SIGN UPON IT--"
These words, as I glanced at them, went through me like a two-edged sword. "Oh, my God!" I exclaimed in awed wonder for they were as familiar to me as the palms of my own hands. They were more familiar to me than the words of the language I had been taught from childhood. They were a part of my very self. Excitedly I read that twenty-third Ode through to the end and then I read it through from the beginning. I shall introduce it here with the translators words sealed upon it: "THE REFERENCE TO THE SEALED DOCUMENT SENT BY GOD IS ONE OF THE GREAT MYSTERIES OF THE COLLECTION."
After I had read that Ode through I was told: "The mystery of that sealed document" is contained in the great wonder of God's KNOWING. It is a mystery because it pertains to the bringing forth of this document I have commanded you to write. This will be the GREAT VOLUME, WHOLLY WRITTEN BY THE FINGER OF GOD. And the mystery is that the earth has never before contained it.
And I wept in the wonder of it and in my own feeling of deep humility.
I marveled even more as the words of that foretelling were verified and fulfilled later in the release of that first volume which God commanded me to write, the book "Ye Are Gods."
1."Joy is of the saints! And who shall put it on but they alone?
2."Grace is of the elect! And who shall receive it except those who have possessed it from the beginning?
3."LOVE is of the elect! And who shall put it on except those who have possessed it from the beginning?
4."Walk ye in the knowledge of the Most High without grudging: to His exultation (praise) and to the perfection of His knowledge (or to the complete knowing of God).
5."And His thought was like a letter; His will descended from on high, and it was like an arrow which is violently shot from a bow:
6."And many hands rushed to the letter to seize it and take it and read it.
7."And it escaped their fingers and they were affrighted at it and at the seal that was upon it.
8."Because it was not permitted to them to loose its seal; for the power that was over the seal was greater than they.
9."But those who saw it went after it that they might know where it would alight and who would hear it;"
This prophecy, given nearly two thousand years ago was most literally fulfilled. The head authorities of the church to which I then belonged watched to see which of its members would receive this great book or who would have copies of it in their homes. Homes were investigated and if those books were visible on the shelves or on tables the members of that home would be informed that if they did not get those books out of sight they would be excommunicated, "Or cast out of the synagogue," as it was expressed in the days of Christ.
Later, when I realized that Christ Himself had been cast out of the synagogue of Capernaum, or excommunicated, my sorrow became a very humble satisfaction to me. It was however, as I grieved with a sorrow too great to express that I was tenderly informed that the Son of God had sustained that same devastating experience.
And now, to continue with that twenty-third Ode.
10."But a wheel received it (the great letter) and came over it." (A wheel is the movement of the power of God in action.) And it was so. These books, which God instructed me to write, have never been advertised or pushed forward by any publisher, or group or denomination or club or church yet they have gone forth to the ends of the earth.
"This wheel" which received this work or rolled it forth has been the wheel and the power of God's great love. Each individual who has received this work has felt the great urge to share it with his own special loved ones and friends. And only through this great sharing and this expressed love in action has it gone forth. It was this very love of God in the hearts of the children of men which has sent it forth and kept it going.
11."And there was with it (the wheel) the sign of the Kingdom and of the Government;
12."And everything which tried to move the wheel it mowed and cut down:
13."And it gathered the multitude of adversaries, and bridged the rivers and crossed over and rooted up many forests (old ideas and beliefs) and made a broad path.
14."The head went down to the feet, for down to the feet ran the wheel, and that which was a sign upon it."
(The great sign is LOVE! The books were all written and published through LOVE. No royalties were ever charged, only the price the publishers have required to pay for the printing expenses of these volumes has ever been required. And only a growing circle of love, as the wheel has enlarged, has been the means of their increasing popularity.
Now, back to that 23rd Ode.
15."The letter (or volume) was one of command, for there were included in it all districts: (physical, mental, moral and spiritual, along with a record of pre-existence, earth life and the knowledge of being able to step across into the higher dimensions without going through "THE GATES OF DEATH.")
16."And there was seen at its head, the head which was revealed even the Son of Truth from the Most High Father.
17."And He inherited and took possession of everything. And the thought of many was brought to nought.
18."All the apostates hasted and fled away. And those who persecuted and were enraged became extinct.
19."AND THE LETTER WAS A GREAT VOLUME, WHICH WAS WHOLLY WRITTEN BY THE FINGER OF GOD.
20."And the name of the Father was on it, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to rule for ever and ever. Hallelujah!"
So much for the sealed document for it was the first book which God requested me to write and I wrote it in fire and tears.
And that volume was written in thirty days, under the hand of the Almighty -- or as he "wrote it with His finger!" Take an outstretched finger and you will behold a finger pointing out the way or the direction or the correct road to travel.
While that book was being poured out through me, for I was only the humble scribe, I begged God to get someone important to write it. I pleaded with Him in these words: "Dear God, please get someone in authority or someone important to write this book. I would love it if I found it scribbled on scratch paper, lying in the gutter and soiled with sewer dirt and wrapped in slime."
"That is why you were called to write it!" came the answer powerful beyond all argument and all doubting.
I wrote that book in fire and tears for I wept almost all the way through it as light poured down through my being and out through my fingertips onto the pages in my typewriter.
At times I would be almost blinded by the glory and I would ask: "Dear God, how can I write these things? They have never even been thought before. And who will be able to receive them? And who read them?"
"It is no concern of yours who will read them or who will receive them," I was told; "you are to write!"
And so I wrote.
Later, to my great amazement, that 26th Ode came to my attention.
1."I poured out praise to the Lord, for I am His:
2."And I will speak His holy song, for my heart is with Him.
3."For His harp is in my hands, and the Odes of His rest shall not be silent.
4. "I will cry unto Him from my whole heart; I will praise and exalt Him with all my members (my whole being).
5."From the east even to the west is His Praise;
6."And from the south and even to the north is the confession of Him:
7."And from the top of the hills to their utmost bound is His perfection.
8."WHO CAN WRITE THE PSALMS OF THE LORD OR WHO READ THEM?" And so my prayer was understood and foretold two thousand years ago. The very words I prayed had been written down by the writer of those Odes so long ago.
And now, I must share with you that precious sixth Ode, for it is very sacred, and is as follows:
1."As the hand moves over the harp, and the strings speak.
2."So speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak by His love.
3."For it (love) destroys what is foreign, and everything that is bitter.
4."For thus it was from the beginning and will be to the end, that nothing should stand up against Him. (For those who fight against Him shall be destroyed).
5."The Lord has multiplied the knowledge of Himself, and is zealous that these things should be known, which by His grace hath been given to us.
6."The praise of His name He gave us; for our Spirits praise His Holy Spirit.
7."For there went forth a stream and BECAME A RIVER GREAT AND BROAD";
(This stream that went forth and became a "RIVER GREAT AND BROAD" is this work God has brought forth in this day. The first volume, "Ye Are Gods" was only a stream in comparison to that which has followed, even to this last volume. With this record added, which is the eighth book, it has indeed become a RIVER GREAT AND BROAD).
8."For it flooded and broke up everything and it brought water (or life) to the Temple:
9."And the restrainers of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose business it is to restrain waters;
10."For it spread over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything: and all the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it;
11."And thirst was relieved and quenched; from the Most High the draught was given.
12."Blessed then are the ministers of that draught who are entrusted with that water of His;" (The ministers of that draught are the blessed, glorious ones, who through their LOVE, have shared these books or truths with others. God bless them forever!)
13."They have assuaged the dry lips, and the will that had fainted they have raised up;
14. "AND SOULS THAT WERE NEAR DEPARTING THEY HAVE CAUGHT BACK FROM DEATH:
15."And limbs that had fallen they straightened and set up;
16."They gave strength for their feebleness and light to their eyes:
17."For everyone knew them in the Lord, and they lived by the WATER OF LIFE for ever. Hallelujah!"
From here on I shall quote only portions of these great and holy writings, that I might give you a more clear picture of the man who wrote them.
Ode 12:11-12: "For the dwelling-place of the WORD is man; and its Truth is LOVE.
"Blessed are they who by means thereof have understood everything, and have known the Lord in His Truth!"
1."Behold! The Lord is our mirror: open the eyes and see them in Him; and learn the manner of your face:
2."And tell forth praise to His Spirit; and wipe off the filth from your face; and love His holiness, and clothe yourself therewith.
3."And be without stain at all times before Him. Hallelujah!"
8."I have put on incorruption through His name; and HAVE PUT OFF CORRUPTION by His grace.
9."DEATH HATH BEEN DESTROYED BEFORE MY FACE; and Sheol hath been abolished by my word;
10."AND THERE HATH GONE UP DEATHLESS LIFE IN THE LORD'S LAND.
11. "AND IT HATH BEEN MADE KNOWN TO HIS FAITHFUL ONES, AND HATH BEEN GIVEN WITHOUT STINT TO ALL THOSE THAT TRUST IN HIM! Hallelujah!"
The holy writer of the Odes of Solomon (I am not yet permitted to reveal his name) is the first and only one, until now, who has been permitted to write a record of his life and of His progress and of his achievement.
Enoch was permitted to leave no such record, or Moses or Elijah or any of the many others who reached out with their perfected LOVE to bridge that chasm of death.
1."I was crowned (ordained) by my God; my crown is living;
2."And I was justified in my Lord; my incorruptible salvation is He.
3."I was loosed from vanity, and I was not condemned.
4."The choking bonds (of mortality) were cut off by her hands; I received the face and fashion of a new person:
5."And the thought of Truth led me on. And I walked after it and did not wander;
6."And all that have seen me were amazed, and I was regarded by them as a strange person;
7."And He who knew and brought me up is the Most High in all His perfection. And He glorified me by His kindness, and raised my thoughts to the height of His truth.
8."And from thence He gave me the way of His precepts (teachings). And I opened the doors that were closed.
9."And break in pieces the bars of iron; and my iron melted and dissolved before me;
10."And nothing appeared closed to me; because I was the door to everything." And so it is!
1."My heart was lifted up in the love of the Most High and was enlarged; that I might praise Him for His name's sake.
2."My members were strengthened that they might not fall from His Strength.
3."SICKNESS REMOVED FROM MY BODY AND IT STOOD TO THE LORD BY HIS WILL. For His Kingdom is true!"
The testimony and the witness of this gracious, saintly writer is entirely of LIFE EVERLASTING -- and he has testified of the truth of this work and of the books which God has called me to write. In prophecy he has testified of them and of their coming forth in this day and age. Each volume God has instructed me to write has made that RIVER become more great and broad as it has increased in power and size and momentum. Then in the thirty-ninth Ode it states: "Great Rivers are the power of the Lord;
2."And they carry headlong those who despise Him; and who entangle their paths."
1."Fill ye waters for yourselves from the living fountain of the Lord, for it is opened to you!
5."For it flows from the lips of the Lord and from the heart of the Lord is its name.
6."And it came infinitely and invisibly; and until it was set in the midst they did not know it;
7."Blessed are they who have drunk therefrom and have found rest thereby. Hallelujah!"
1."No way is hard where there is a simple heart.
2."Nor is there any wound where the thoughts are upright.
3."Nor is there any storm in the depth of the illuminated thought."
1."I went up to the light of truth as if into a chariot;
2."And Truth took me and led me; and carried me across pits and gullies; and from the rocks and the waves it preserved me;
3."And it became to me a haven of salvation; and set me on the arms of immortal life;
4.And it went with me and made me rest, and suffered me not to wander, because it was the Truth;
5."And I ran no risk, because I walked with Him;
6."And I did not make an error in anything because I obeyed the truth.
7."For error flees away from it, and meets it not; but Truth proceeds in the right Path, and
8."Whatever I did not know, it made clear to me, all the poisons of error, and THE PLAGUES OF DEATH WHICH THEY THINK TO BE SWEETNESS."
11."And His Word is with us in all our ways;
12."The Savior who makes alive and does not reject our souls;
13."The man who was humbled, and exalted by His own righteousness.
14."The Son of the Most High appeared in the perfection of His Father;
15."And the light dawned from the Word that was beforetime in Him;
16."The Messiah is truly one; and He was known before the foundation of the world.
17."That He might save souls for ever by the Truth of His Name: A NEW SONG ARISES FROM THOSE WHO LOVE HIM! Hallelujah!"
I shall not quote more from the glorious record of that inspired, saintly writer of long ago. His message has come down to us in this day and age for this is the time scheduled for the fulfilling. These sacred words have been brought forth in the Lost Books of the Bible by the World Publishing Company and copyrighted 1926 by Alpha House, Inc. Rejoice in them.
Not everything written in the Lost Books of the Bible are true or trustworthy. Many of them are. Read them with an open, prayerful heart and that which is authentic will find a place in your own soul. Otherwise lay it aside. However, this record of the Odes is true and authentic. It is sacred indeed. Read it with prayer and you will receive not only a full understanding of its truths but a blessing from the writer thereof.
And here is the special message given to us in our time:
"Beloved ones of this later generation, Greetings!
"It was to you I spoke in the days of my writings. It was of these truths and of their coming forth that I engraved my ancient record with such infinite care.
"And again I say, Joy is of the Saints and none can put it on but they alone!"
"There is no living soul who cannot cast out the darkness of his own doubts and fears and discords. Anyone in existence, if he so chooses, can walk in the realms of glory at all times as he holds his mind single to glory and gladness and thankfulness. Thus he clothes himself in Light and will acquire a body free from sorrow or affliction or pain. It is True that, the nearer man approaches perfection the clearer are his views and the greater are his enjoyments until he overcomes the evils of his life and loses every desire for sin in the joy of everlasting mastery. And like the ancients, or patriarchs, he arrives at the point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. This is accomplished by applying these higher, glorious principles of joy and rejoicing and eternal gladness and thankfulness in his life. This is how one becomes the joy and the gladness and the Master, with limitless Power.
"Make this practice of rejoicing the constant purpose of your existence and you will become the master of love and harmony and joyous, powerful living. This can be done by any living soul who desires to overcome the evils of his life, as self-pity is exalted into power and glory and understanding and strength.
"In this method are the keys of OVERCOMING contained. And any who lives by them cannot possibly be OVERCOME by the vicissitudes of life. And all things become subject unto him, for he is the MASTER."