By Abdu Rafiu
Most of us human beings are yet to open to great events occurring in our world, in the cosmos. Mankind is preoccupied grappling with existential posers, pursuits and responsibilities. This is in an atmosphere politicians befuddle minds and dim our gaze with their unrelenting quest for power, money and influence, and promises to alleviate sufferings in their respective lands. Yet, monumental and indescribable events pass us by. This is because man’s expectations and description of what is great are constricted from impaired intuitive perception. The impairment is such that if the Lord Jesus Christ were to set foot on earth today, perhaps walking on Broad Street, Lagos, a majority would pass Him by unable to recognise Him! After all, despite the prophecies and centuries of preparations, the depth and power of knowledge He mediated, the Jews did not recognize Him. The political and priestly establishments did everything to get rid of Him.
They did not expect a Messiah to be born in a manger in Bethlehem, and to a carpenter, but instead to the house of a scribe, or an emperor! This is even for the sake of argument for the Lord is to come in the clouds! We learn that two angels appeared after He had interacted with His Disciples for 40 days by which time their ethereal eyes, that is their inner eyes, had opened to behold Him in His ethereal body — not the physical body. The interaction occurred after His crucifixion. When He finally departed from them the angels said to them: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into Heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into Heaven.” The Lord ascended; a cloud had received Him out of their sight.
It needs to be made plain that the Son of God is often taken for the Son of Man. The Son of God is the Lord Jesus Christ while the Son of Man is the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter. The Lord said of Him: “I still have many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore, said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16: 12-15). Indeed, the Lord began by saying: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.” (John 16: 8-10).
In all these, the Lord Jesus did not refer to Himself, but to a different Person, all in third person singular number. The Son of Man is Imanuel, whose coming Isaiah prophesied, God with Us, the Eternal Mediator. Angel Gabriel it was who announced the coming of the Lord Christ. But the world has been made to believe one can be substituted for the other. Luke and Matthew thus report: “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21: 5). ‘’And then shall appear the sign of Son of Man in Heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24: 30). With the enlightenment spreading on earth today, we now know the difference. It is Imanuel the Son of Man who is to come in these End-Times to bring judgment as the Justice Arm of God Almighty. The two angels were, therefore, correct when they said the Lord Jesus is to come in the clouds.
What I am getting at is that stupendous Events do occur to which man today does not pay heed. May, for example, rolled off the cosmic calendar, its uniqueness hardly sensed or observed. What with the soothing weather, the coming to life of plants noticeable in leafy surroundings and vibrancy of man and animals, renewed energy of men who are open to the Rays of the uniqueness! The Lord Christ said to His Disciples: “And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from On High” (Luke 24: 49 )—.Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. We now know that that Event occurs yearly at the end of May. It is when the Almighty renews His Creation through outpouring of power by the Holy Spirit from His Abode, the Grail Castle at the Summit of Creation. April 18 marked the 150th anniversary of a matchless Grace mankind could ever be blessed with. The Day passed unrecognised except by an infinitesimal few in relation to the world’s population!
However, despite the immense help that surrounds us, mankind marches on in the wilderness, closing themselves to the high knowledge and hardly, if at all, aware of the outworkings of Creation – that our world is governed by the Almighty Father through His Will which is expressed in the Laws of Nature also known as the Laws of Creation and Divine Laws. Until we invite ourselves into deep contemplation with a view to finding out the purpose of life on earth, a great many will live ignorant about the Grace of God surrounding us. Who am I? Why am I passing through this vale of matter at this time? Where does my path lead me at the end of my sojourn on earth? It may bear restating as it has been said before in these pages that it is inconceivable that the Most High, He Who generally is acknowledged as perfect, just, omniscient, who is All Love and Justice and Perfection would bring worlds and worlds — visible and invisible – into being without rules, without laws. What we claim to know is even in part. Apostle Paul spoke of the state of incomplete knowledge when he said: “For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, but when the complete comes, that which is in part will be done away with.” (1 Corinthians 13: 9 -10).
The world’s population is now more than 7.8billion, yet our universe, Ephesus, is no more than the tip of a fountain pen, indeed for the modern man, the tip of a Biro, immeasurable as it may seem to us; and there are seven universes, each with its own solar systems and galaxies which are in billions each also with its own planets of which the earth is one — all Creation in living activities, working and weaving, weaving and surging, and sparkling, energy fields far away from and to regions incomprehensible to human reasoning, indeed, immeasurably vast.
The world is not an accident; like cars, television and radio sets and aircraft, the world is a work. As a living work, it bears the Will and Aims of its Maker. These aims are achieved through the application of certain mechanisms. Turn the key in the ignition and the car starts. Engage the gear, and fire the accelerator and it moves. Slam the brake and it slows down or stops. There are rules governing the use of cars, of aircraft and ships. If the rules are obeyed, the automobile gives pleasure and peace of mind to the user and promotes his health. Non-observance of the rules as spelt out in the manual brings harm and, in many cases, shortens life. Before constructing a house, soil engineering is done to determine if the soil is solid enough to bear the weight of the building. Structural engineers must determine the nature of reinforcements and balance the load here and there. In other words, the engineers recognise the existence of certain natural forces which they are powerless to annul: they bow to the nature of these forces in order to get along with them. The world, or better still, Creation, is no different construction.
Laws govern the whole of Creation and are uniform in their operations. These laws have been sensed and hinted at here and there in different cultures, but they have not been fully grasped, nor have their origin and their operations. Consequently, ignorance has led men to all kinds of conclusions, and blasphemous accusations against the Creator. It is knowledge and understanding of His Principles that reveal how sublime His ways are and how unrelenting, ceaseless, immutable, perfect, incorruptible and just the mechanisms that govern life are. It is in this the understanding of inequalities; why good people suffer and the wicked people prosper lies. The grasp of these mechanisms, the Laws of Creation, helps us to adjust our ways, our thinking, speeches and deeds to them in our own interest.
A driver who ploughs through the market or a gathering of school children and kills any of them will return, and in his childhood as a school pupil or a market chief get killed by another driver with tendencies similar to his in his previous life. A man who preaches violence and ill-motivated armed struggle other than in defence of unprovoked and unjust attack on his territory will in lawfulness of life be allowed to experience it in fulfilment of his own longing. The threads of his weaving will lead him to circumstances that will afford him the opportunity to satisfy his unflattering yearnings, in a land under unceasing siege. The same Law of Reciprocal Action more widely known as the Law of Sowing and Reaping applies in cases of killings or corruption. A great many with veils on their inner eyes will be drawn to the front of their previous mansions built with proceeds of corruption now in new re-embodiments as beggars, stretching out their bowls seeking help to eat for the day. Those who have stolen or manipulated figures from the public till and who think they have gotten away with their loot are deceiving themselves. All will be made by the self-acting and incorruptible Laws of God, the Divine Laws, to pay back their overdraft from the bank of life, gnashing teeth, biting lips and wringing hands in supplication to passers-by for just pittance for the day!! Some will sit by an unwashed gutter in the rain or in the sun!!! This is not even to mention the torment in the Beyond!!
A highly respected colleague of mine narrated a gripping story in his compelling and celebrated column about a beggar and her son only last Monday. The story begins with the deportation of 10, 000 Nigerian beggars from Ghana. If I may cull portions of the article, it begins as follows: “If you think there are too many beggars on your street, take heart and brace up. A trending video is showing a massive throng of Nigerian children and women being deported from Ghana where they were found doing street begging. They are said to be part of thousands of West Africans on Ghanaian streets. About 10, 000 are reported to be involved. Is there anything too shameful that we can’t and won’t export? But to go to the more salient portions, writes Dr. Olagunju: “In February 2022, the newspaper I edit carried the story of some women and children from the North who migrated to Ibadan to make a living for themselves and their families through begging. Nafisa Shehu and her mother were among the beggars found on the Ojoo Bridge in Ibadan. Nafisa sat among other begging children and from that point calmly told the reporter that her dream was to become a medical doctor. Nafisa’s story was published, it went viral, and a prominent private school in Ibadan contacted the reporter and offered Nafisa a scholarship from primary to medical school.
“If you thought her dream of becoming a medical doctor was becoming real, you missed it. It never happened. A meeting was arranged between the school and Nafisa’s mother, with the reporter present in Moniya, Ibadan. Some meddlesome interlopers who called themselves local Hausa leaders made sure they were present also. It was a negotiation to help Nafisa; proceedings appeared very positive. But the tragedy started from that point: Nafisa and her mother disappeared from the street shortly after the meeting. The only condition the school gave Nafisa was that she would be a full-boarding student. That was a huge problem for her mother who wanted her to beg while in school.
“We still thought we could help. I told the reporter not to give up on that girl. And he did not. After several follow-ups, the reporter was told that Nafisa and her mother had travelled back to Katsina State where they came from. Fourteen-year-old Nafisa was being prepared to be married off. She must be a mother somewhere now, and possibly begging to eat – like her mother.”
How does one explain that, the fate of Nafisa? It is a pity. Each person will be born and raised where he or she deserves and needs for his or her development and inner polish. A person cannot tear free until he is broken from within from experiences and recognition of where he is. If he finds his state distasteful, then the longing for a change of condition begins. However, those imbued with love and compassion should not allow themselves to be drained of these virtues. We must never fail to do good and show empathy. It is not for nothing that we are warned: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay. Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. Recompense for recompense.” (Deuteronomy 32:35). The warning is not for us to get into the street and begin to knock out the teeth of our errant neighbours, but to allow the Laws of Creation in which lies Justice to have their way. Through the combined and automatic outworking of the Law of sowing and reaping as well as the Law of the Cycle, fruits of every sowing must return to the sower. And the Lord Christ was to say: “Think not that I have come to abolish the Law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.” (Matthew 5: 17). The pronouncement coming from the Lord says it all. At all times, therefore, we stand amid multiple returns of our sowing — good or bad. We are products of what we had thought, said or done in the past. And what we are doing in the present time will fetch us fateful consequences, with the time of arrival depending on the nature of the seed sown.
