Grace—Velikovsky—Moses—Venus

Grace — Velikovsky — Moses — Venus

from   The Story Of Man

Grace Van Duzen   April 16-17, 1970

Immanuel Velikovsky psychoanalyzed Freud, and he then began to study Moses; and this is what really led him into all this. I think the beginning of it is rather interesting. What he brought forth primarily and vitally are some new viewpoints with respect to science and all these related fields; and he brought a new consideration of these cataclysms into the picture. James Churchward found out a great deal through his translations of old hieroglyphic writings, but he tended to limit his study to the earth itself. Something happened in the earth of course—volcanoes and earthquakes and all of these—but he missed the point with respect to extraterrestrial activity, and this is what Velikovsky brings in with respect to the planetary family. And it does give a whole new picture. And what we really need to remember is that something happened way back there when, as it is put in Genesis, man was driven from the garden, and man found himself functioning in a much different state, because of his own actions, than that in which he was created; and the earth underwent many great and violent upheavals. Back at the time of Noah, there were other planetary bodies involved.

At the time of Moses, primarily we have a comet involved. Velikovsky says it is a comet that came into the earth's orbit, and it came very close to the earth, and it was in the process of becoming a planet. It lost its tail. It looked like a great battle going on in the sky between two bodies, and actually it was the fiery globe of the body of the comet, and the tail of the body, and great electrical discharges were emitted and these, of course, involved the earth at this time.

It could be that this comet had been a planet at one time, and we're not going to speculate—it's not vitally important right now. But it is possible that it was, because of the destruction which occurred between the earth and the other planets way back there in those olden times, that this comet was in the state it was at the time of Moses. In any case, it was coming into the earth's orbit and, as Velikovsky shows in some of his later works, there was not a planet called Venus before this; and so he said that the comet became the planet Venus at this time. There isn't time to go into it. You need to read the book Worlds In Collision if you want the background of these conclusions. But the planet Venus was very different at this time than as we see it in the heavens now. It was the primary thing after the comet settled down and became this stable body in the heavens—it still was a fiery thing, very large looking at it from the surface of the earth. Then about 700 B.C. we will find something else happening; it was at that time that this body came into its orbit as we know it today, and became just another planet in the sky, viewed from the earth's surface.

Exodus, the 20th verse, speaks of ten plagues—called plagues in the Bible—very mysterious things because a plague is something really which one thinks of as happening slowly—you know, it's contagious and all this—but this was something that happened very suddenly according to the story. The results were immediate and drastic. And these things happened all over the face of the earth. And of course throughout you'll have the story sound like it didn't touch one of the Hebrews, but all the Egyptians. And that's a concept that has entered in here. However, there were certain conditions, for instance, in the last plague, a great—what shall we call it, for want of another word—a great electrical shock which reached the earth, and there was a great sudden destruction and many, many people killed and dwellings overturned, and so on. Well, the nature of the Hebrew dwellings—the huts—the very nature of them saved many of them; and these outer factors were certainly part of the picture, so that the great cities suffered a great deal more than the other places. And this is another word with respect to the fact that the Egyptians were killed and the Hebrews were not, because, again, there's a truth in this, isn't there? Those who were focalized, or identified, with the power that was working—here you have the same principle as the flood; that which is in the ark is lifted up by the same force which destroys that which is not. So, actually, that is what is portrayed in that sort of record.

Exodus 8:24. "And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye sacrifice to your god in the land." Now, that sounds innocent enough. Pharaoh was being good here and he was letting them go. But read it. He said, “Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.” In other words, what he is saying is, “Stay in Egypt. You can sacrifice to God in Egypt.” And that means conformity with the pattern as it is. That means, yes, you can serve the Lord, but you don't have to go all the way out, do you? And this is Pharaoh speaking, remember—this is the self-active mind. And also, in the overall picture of all this that's happening—the threatened destruction of the whole earth—remember that the only thing that saves is deliverance from Pharaoh, is that there is a body which will come out of subjection to the self-active mind, so that the Lord can do something. “And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God”—if they stayed in the land. Now, it is always pictured a Moses doing this. Moses stopping the swarm of flies, but it is simply saying that they moved through that phase and here was a chance for another cycle, and something was carried over because of the presence of Moses, which means the Presence of that which is identified with the Lord. Moses represents all that is thus in tune with Him.

Exodus 9:23. "And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt." In this particular aspect of the cataclysm, it's obvious that this isn't just ordinary hail, is it? When you have hail—ice—there isn't fire running along the ground. These are meteorites and great stones. “So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous”—in other words, hot—“such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” We'll read a little from Worlds in Collision. The very first manifestation was:

“The red dust, soluble in water, falling from the sky in water drops [which] does not originate in clouds but must come from volcanic eruptions or from cosmic spaces. The fall of meteorite dust is a phenomenon generally known to take place mainly after the passage of meteorites; this dust is found on the snow of mountains and in polar regions.

“Following the red dust, a ‘small dust,’ like ‘ashes of the furnace,’ fell ‘in all the land of Egypt’”—he's quoting from Exodus here—“and then a shower of meteorites flew toward the earth. Our planet entered deeper into the tail of the comet. The dust was a forerunner of the gravel. There fell ‘a very grievous hail… Stones of ‘Barad,’ here translated ‘hail,’ is, as in most places where mentioned in the Scriptures, the term for meteorites. We are also informed by Midrashic and Talmudic sources that the stones which fell on Egypt were hot. This fits only meteorites, not a hail of ice.” And then he goes on to say that the thunderings which were heard were more correctly translated “explosions,” “explosion-like noises” or “crashes.” And in this case “they were so ‘mighty’ that, according to the Scriptural narrative, the people in the palace were terrified as much by the din of the falling stones as by the destruction they caused... The red dust had frightened the people, and a warning to keep men and cattle under shelter had been issued: ‘Gather thy cattle…’ “Falling stones and fire made the frightened cattle flee. The Egyptian record also says: “’Trees are destroyed,’ ‘no fruits, no herbs are found,’ ‘grain has perished on every side.’” And then in Exodus it was written that the rye and all the rest was destroyed, remember." Velikovsky goes into some interesting references with respect to other countries. In an ancient epoch it said “the sky ‘rained, not water, but fire and red-hot stones.’” So the similarity is certainly interesting.

Exodus 10:28-29. "And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more." Velikovsky had something to say about the darkness here: “The earth entered deeper into the tail of the onrushing comet and approached its body. This approach... was followed by a disturbance in the rotation of the earth. Terrific hurricanes swept the earth because of the change or reversal of the angular velocity of rotation, and because of the sweeping gases, dust, and cinders of the comet.” In other words, he's saying that the contact here, not of the bodies themselves but their atmospheres, contacting so closely there was this terrific impact. We say electrical discharge, but of course out there it involves a lot more than electricity as we know it, but this mighty thing which was a fantastic shock to the earth and its particular relationship with the other bodies.

“Numerous rabbinical sources describe the calamity of darkness; the material is collated as follows: “An exceedingly strong wind endured seven days. All the time the land was shrouded in darkness. ‘On the fourth, fifth and sixth days, the darkness was so dense that they could not stir from their place.’ ‘The darkness was of such a nature that it could not be dispelled by artificial means. The light of the fire was either extinguished by the violence of storm, or else it was made invisible and swallowed up in the density of the darkness... Nothing could be discerned... None was able to speak or to hear, nor could anyone venture to take food, but they lay themselves down... their outward senses in a trance. Thus they remained, overwhelmed by the affliction.’” This indicates a condition of some kind of shock, doesn't it? “The darkness was of such kind that ‘their eyes were blinded by it and their breath choked’; it was 'not of ordinary earthy kind." These are all quotes from ancient records. “If ‘the Egyptian darkness’ was caused by the earth's stasis or tilting of its axis, and was aggravated by a thin cinder dust from the comet, then the entire globe must have suffered from the effect of these two concurring phenomena; in either the eastern or the western parts of the world there must have been a very extended, gloomy day."

“Nations and tribes in many places of the globe, to the south, to the north, and to the west of Egypt, have old traditions about a cosmic catastrophe during which the sun did not shine; but in some parts of the world the tradition maintains that the sun did not set for a period of time equal to a few days,” according to where they were located. “Tribes of the Sudan to the south of Egypt refer in their tales to a time when the night would not come to an end. Kalevala, the epos of the Finns, tells of a time when hailstones of iron fell from the sky, and the sun and the moon disappeared (were stolen from the sky) and did not appear again; in their stead, after a period of darkness, a new sun and a new moon were placed in the sky. Caius Julius Solinus writes that ‘following the deluge which is reported to have occurred... a heavy night spread over the globe.” And Velikovsky goes on around the world with these records.

Exodus 11-12. Here we have the beginning of regulations and it rules with respect to the Passover. And they were to eat it with their clothes on and everything ready to flee, ready to go; the minute Pharaoh said go, they were ready to go. Notice Pharaoh is beginning to give in here at the point where that would be the end of him. It comes to that, doesn't it? It comes absolutely to giving all, and it's one way or the other—either eliminated or yielding completely. That's really what it is.

Now, with respect to this that's going on in the sky, Velikovsky says: “The earth, forced out of its regular motion, reacted to the close approach of the body of the comet: a major shock convulsed the lithosphere, and the area of the earthquake was the entire globe. Ipuwer [the Egyptian] witnessed and survived this earthquake. [He said] ‘The towns are destroyed. Upper Egypt has become waste... All is ruin.’ ‘The residence [meaning the palace] is overturned in a minute.’ Only an earthquake could have overturned the residence in a minute... “The reason why the Israelites were more fortunate...” Well, I've mentioned this, the fact that they're living in huts of clay and so on; but of course the meaning behind it is the one in which we are interested.

Exodus 12:29. "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on the throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle." Now considering the word “first-born”—Velikovsky says: “In Ages in Chaos (my reconstruction of ancient history), I shall show that ‘first-born’ in the text of the plague is a corruption of ‘chosen.’ All the flower or chosen of Egypt succumbed in the catastrophe,” so that this picture of the first-born, or the oldest in each family, and of all the animals and everything, was killed, does tax one's credulity. But here he shows the difference in these two words. He says, in the translation—and of course, this is true of a lot of words that have come down in translation—that what should have been “chosen” in the record, he says, came out as “first-born.” In other words this is simply the working of the Law, and the chosen of Egypt were taken; very specific reference in the Egyptian record to the son of the Pharaoh, for instance, and this may have influenced the record. But it makes an interesting study with respect to these old words, and how the distortions appeared.

Velikovsky says: “The head of the celestial body approached very close, breaking through the darkness of the gaseous envelope, and according to the Midrashim, the last night in Egypt was as bright as the noon on the day of the summer solstice. The population fled. ‘Men flee... Tents are what they make like the dwellers of hills’ wrote Ipuwer. The population of a city destroyed by an earthquake usually spends the nights in the fields. The Book of Exodus describes a hurried flight from Egypt on the night of the tenth plague; a ‘mixed multitude’ of non-Israelites left Egypt together with the Israelites...” There were many Egyptians who fled with them. ‘“The lightenings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook... Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron’... 'At midnight' all the houses of Egypt were smitten; ‘there was not a house where there was not one dead.’ This happened on the night of the fourteenth of the month Aviv. This is the night of Passover. It appears that the Israelites originally celebrated Passover on the eve of the fourteenth of Aviv. [This] is called ‘the first month.’ Thout was the name of the first month of the Egyptians. What, for the Israelites, became a feast, became a day of sadness and fasting for the Egyptians.” Rather interesting, isn't it?

Now, he's quoting: "'The thirteenth day of the month Thout is a very bad day. Thou shalt not do anything on this day. It is the day of the combat which Horus waged with Seth.’” The thirteenth day of the month. This goes back to 1,500 B.C., and Velikovsky said it very easily could be the origin of this superstition. The Hebrews have written this up as the great day of deliverance for them, and here you have the picture of something identified with what was moving. And the Egyptians have this consciousness of being acted upon. And incidentally it was true of all the records that he found all over the face of the earth, this Egyptian attitude of “this dreadful thing that happened to us—a most awful thing.” So, it is the only record we have which has this other identification in it. So, the thirteenth day was a very bad day for the Egyptians. It gives us a new attitude with respect to the thirteen, doesn't it?

Now, let's go back in this chapter and look with respect to the Passover here. Exodus 12:21: "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover." This is looked upon as a prophecy for what would occur later—using hindsight, of course—see this as a prophecy with respect to what happened to Jesus later, the sacrifice of the lamb. And yet let's look at really what was here. And the Lamb, remember, is another word, exactly the same symbol, for Jehovah, the expression of God through His means on earth, through human form. This is Jehovah in the First Sacred School or the Old Testament. It has the same meaning as Christ in the New Testament. And the Lamb is the word used in Revelation. So you have the First and Second Sacred Schools represented here. The Lamb is another word for the expression of the Christ in the New Testament, or the expression of Jehovah. It's all the same thing. It is the expression of God in human form, or through human form—and that is life, and there’s no other life; all other forms die. In other words, it is the very expression of God for this place of creation—specifically through human form. And blood we know is the symbol of life. So what would you guess might be going on in this symbol? Verse 22: "...and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood... and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning." The blood of, the life of, the lamb, then, or the expression of God through human form, is painted on the sides and the top of the door here, or in expression through the human form. Here is the physical substance—the door; and when this is the case, death passed over. And yet, again, it is turned completely around and translated as though this was God's will, and here is the prophecy that it would happen to His own Son. Always Pharaoh takes these symbols in his mind and turns it around completely. But it's saying that where this is in expression—Jehovah, the Lamb—death passes over that house; it is not the will for that house.

Exodus 13: 17-22. "And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near... And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night." Now, there is reference again to many meanings with respect to that pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day. Velikovsky had something to say about that also in his works; again that which was appearing in the heavens—the comet and its tail; and there were many forms given to it. In many lands, this seemed to be the origin of the dragon, and you have the fiery globe, seeming to fight with a serpent, or the tail, which took the appearance of a dragon. And it would change its shape in all this that was going on, so that dragons or something that applied to the different nationalities and their interpretation, did come into their religion at this time. It's interesting that this one history [Exodus] has it as something constructive, meaning that they were identified with the power that was working; and if this isn't true, when something like this happens, then it is all destroyed. This which was occurring was certainly not unrelated to what had happened before at the time of great destruction with Lemuria and Atlantis—and remember that they were all really part of the same thing, over a period of time. But here again was something quite drastic, and it came out, if we take a good long look backward, with a constructive result.

We can see that this planet was restored, and something later happened—as I say, we'll come to it about 700 B.C. when there was something else happening in the heavens that came close again, and Mars was involved when it found its orbit which it has today. But all through these years, Venus, and all the other names for Venus, played a very, very great part in the history of all peoples, because it was such a big thing in the sky. You look in the sky tonight and you wouldn’t pick Venus out particularly; you certainly wouldn't worship it; but through these years, between this time and about 700 B.C. it was doing all these things in the heavens. At this time it did become a planet, the orb without the tail, but you have all this rain of meteorites, and really a time of very great destruction on the face of the earth. But the part that Pharaoh plays—the record is perfect here—indicates that he brought this about. It was man's fall. It was because of the state in which man found himself that all this had happened. The reason for the destruction was there, the same as the destruction that had happened at the time of the other great cataclysmic events, something had been thrown out—and here was an opportunity to correct it, with respect to what was happening in the cosmic family, the planetary bodies—and Pharaoh [the self-active mind] was right here on earth.

There had to be something aligned with what was happening in the heavens—with God. They were working with God. It was Moses who did it. Moses stretched out his hand, and this is absolutely vital. Perhaps we think, “Well, that's too much.” It taxes our mind too much to think we would have that kind of a part to play in the whole family, but the whole family is one, whether it's planetary, cosmic, universal—made in the image and likeness of God. There must be that in action on earth; and there was that in evidence here symbolized by Moses, and there very definitely must be that now, because we're not talking about something back there. We're talking about this day.

Exodus 14:13. "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew ye to day; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever." In these few words is the whole answer. “You stand still,” Moses said, “Let the Lord do something.” But the Lord can't operate until this mind is still, until you relax and be the channel through which the power can work. So, there's the beauty of it. There was no answer as far as the circumstance was concerned, absolutely no answer. The Egyptians were after them. Pharaoh was off his throne, though. He finally let them go, and then when he changed his mind he had to come off the throne; and once he's off that throne, it's the end of him. The throne is the place of control; and when he actually did let the people go, as it says, there was still something to meet. In fact, it looked like it was the worst that could possibly happen; they were in a corner, for sure. But they had let go to Moses. Here was the point of yielding. And then to stand still and let it clear itself out, let the whole thing come to absolute point. Here is that climactic point where so many forget, and so many say, “Well, that's the end; it's the finish.” But it isn't. It's the absolute point of victory, because Pharaoh is off his throne. But he's chasing them, and it looks bad.

Exodus 14:19. “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.” In those few words, which are usually completely overlooked as being rather mysterious, is one of the vital keys in Velikovsky's work. Here you have a reversal of something. He said the polarity of the earth was changed; it actually changed its direction—and it has, not just once, in the history of the earth. They know this by certain directions of the magnetic indications left in rocks. You'll find all this in Earth in Upheaval. But here you have an indication of a reversal—the angel of God, which is what they called this manifestation in the heaven. They didn't call it the dragon, as many other nations did. “The angel of God which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.” So there is a reversal here—a cosmic something occurring, a great shock, a lightening shaft, or whatever you want to call it. Now, if there was nothing more in this story than a symbolic presentation, it would be wonderful! Velikovsky does bring out more. His work contributes the element of fact to the story itself, and also reveals the sort of thing that has happened on this earth and that could happen again.

They came to a point where they were coming to the Red Sea, and Pharaoh and all his hosts were pursuing them; and it looked like the absolute end. I mean, what could be worse? If you went into the sea, that would be the end; or, if the Egyptians caught up with them, that would be the end. If they didn't go in, the Egyptians would get them; and if they did go in, that would be the end. And then Moses' words, “Stand still.” So you see the beauty of this portrayal: Stand Still. Well, if you stand still, something is going to get you, the Red Sea or the devil. But the way opened, the Red Sea opened, and they went through on dry land, and the Egyptians coming after went through and the waters returned, as it is said, and swallowed them up. Here again we have that same principle we've seen all the way through: that the working of the same power uplifts one—saves it, restores it—and destroys that which is fighting against it. So the identification with that power, and the fighting against, it saved the one and destroyed the other. And the alignment with it is indicated in Moses' words, "Stand still" and let the Lord do it.

This is identification with the power that is working. It's never a power of God coming from somewhere else and working on something here. It will only work on earth through the channels created for it, and that’s you and I. There is no other channel on earth except what is called God's crowning creation. Yes, the Lord expresses through all things, but with respect to the outworking of His will, the intelligent carrying out of His commands, this must be in place. So this story does portray that in a most marvelous way. Once Pharaoh is off his throne, it's the end; and he followed them until the waters engulfed them, and of course, there again is another beautiful symbol, even as is the flood the waters covering all this which had been evil. Water is a symbol of truth, and in it are contained design and control; so, being consumed, or covered, by this element of truth, it is all restored and changed to the proper design, showing again that there is One Power and that the distortion of it is eventually eliminated. Life on earth will be according to the principles of God or not at all. This is the way it was created.

Exodus 14:21-22. "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them, on their right hand, and on their left." Now, with respect to Velikovsky's contribution in this particular part in our story; he says: 

“The ocean tides are produced by the actions of the sun and to a larger extent by that of the moon.” Here he is dealing with this phenomenon of the opening of the sea. “A body larger than the moon or one nearer to the earth would act with greater effect. A comet with a head as large as the earth, passing sufficiently close, would raise the waters of the oceans miles high. The slowing down or stasis of the earth in its rotation would cause a tidal recession of water toward the poles, but the celestial body near by would disturb this poleward recession, drawing the water toward itself.”

“The traditions of many peoples persist that seas were torn apart and their water heaped high and thrown upon the continents. In order to establish that these traditions refer to one and the same event, or at least to an event of the same order, we must keep to this guiding sequence: the great tide followed a disturbance in the motion of the earth.” And he goes to the Chinese annals and the Indians of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma report: “’The earth was plunged in darkness for a long time.’ Finally a bright light appeared in the north, ’but it was mountain-high waves, rapidly coming nearer.”' By the way, some of the most ancient records on the face of the earth had been found in this western territory, this Rocky Mountain range on this continent.

“The Hebrew story of the passage of the sea contains the same elements. There was a prolonged and complete darkness. The last day of the darkness was at the Red Sea. When the world plunged out of darkness, the bottom of the sea was uncovered, the waters were driven apart and heaped up like walls in a double tide. The Septuagint translation of the Bible says that the water stood ‘as a wall,’ and the Koran, referring to this event, says ‘like mountains.’ In the old rabbinical literature it is said that the water was suspended as if it were ‘glass, solid and massive.’ The sea rent apart was a marvelous spectacle and could not have been forgotten. It is mentioned in numerous passages in the Scriptures.” There are quite a few references in the Psalms. “At the same time that the seas were heaped up in immense tides, a pageant went on in the sky which presented itself to the horrified onlookers on earth as a gigantic battle. Because this battle was seen from almost all parts of the world, and because it impressed itself very strongly upon the imagination of the peoples, it can be reconstructed in some detail.

“When the earth passed through the gases, dust, and meteorites of the tail of the comet, disturbed in rotation, it proceeded on a distorted orbit. Emerging from the darkness, the Eastern Hemisphere faced the head of the comet. This head only shortly before had passed close to the sun and was in a state of candescence. The night the great earthquake shook the globe was, according to rabbinical literature, as bright as the day of the summer solstice. Because of the proximity of the earth, the comet left its own orbit and for a while followed the orbit of the earth. The great ball of the comet retreated, then again approached the earth, shrouded in a dark column of gases which looked like a pillar of smoke during the day and of fire at night, and the earth once more passed through the atmosphere of the comet, this time at its neck. This stage was accompanied by violent and incessant electrical discharges between the atmosphere of the tail and the terrestrial atmosphere. There was an interval of about six days between these two close approaches. Emerging from the gases of the comet, the earth seems to have changed the direction of its rotation, and the pillar of smoke moved to the opposite horizon... The column looked like a gigantic moving serpent.”

“When the tidal waves rose to their highest point, and the seas were torn apart, a tremendous spark flew between the earth and the globe of the comet, which instantly pushed down the miles-high billows. Meanwhile, the tail of the comet and its head, having become entangled with each other by their close contact with the earth, exchanged violent discharges of electricity. It looked like a battle between the brilliant globe and the dark column of smoke. In the exchange of electrical potentials, the tail and the head were attracted one to the other and repelled one from the other. From the serpent-like tail extensions grew, and it lost the form of a column. It looked now like a furious animal with legs and with many heads. The discharges tore the column to pieces, a process that was accompanied by a rain of meteorites upon the earth. It appeared as though the monster were defeated by the brilliant globe and buried in the sea, or wherever the meteorites fell. The gases of the tail subsequently enveloped the earth.

“The globe of the comet, which lost a large portion of its atmosphere as well as much of its electrical potential, withdrew from the earth but did not break away from its attraction. Apparently, after a six-week interval, the distance between the earth and the globe of the comet again diminished. This new approach of the globe could not be readily observed because the earth was shrouded in the clouds of dust left by the comet on its former approach as well as by dust ejected by the volcanoes. After renewed discharges, the comet and the earth parted.” Now, he has a little more to say here: “A phenomenon of great significance took place. The head of the comet did not crash into the earth, but exchanged major electrical discharges with it. A tremendous spark sprang forth at the moment of the nearest approach of the comet, when the waters were heaped at their highest above the surface of the earth and before they fell down, followed by a rain of debris from the very body and tail of the comet.”

Exodus 14:27. "And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea."

“The great discharges of interplanetary force are commemorated in the traditions, legends, and mythology of all the peoples of the world... This tossing of the Egyptian host into the air by an avalanche of water is referred to also in the Egyptian source I quoted before: on the shrine found”—there was a shrine, a great, black, meteorite shrine, a stone, and on this they inscribed this story, actually very much like the story we have in the Exodus, which would seem to give credence to the fact of something actually happening with respect to the people moving out of Egypt. This is the Egyptian record of what happened to the Pharaoh of the time of the history as reconstructed by Velikovsky, which reference, I think, is most interesting—that he met his end by leaping into the place of the whirlpool and was lifted by a great force. He also then brings out the identity of the Pharaoh of this time; and remember that what Velikovsky brings out is completely different in the historical setting from what you will read in any other time-worn annals—for instance, as to the name of the Pharaoh of the Exodus. I believe you usually hear Rameses. Well, that's about 600 years out, according to the reconstruction.

So, we have the contribution of Velikovsky which perhaps takes it out of the realm of the fairy tale. It still might seem to tax one's credulity, but I think it's wonderful to be able to see things in an absolutely new light; and it does also give one the new idea that nothing is impossible, doesn't it?—which is really what the Lord was saying through Moses at the Red Sea: "I created all of this. What makes you think that I can't maneuver it, manipulate it?” And this is, I think, something that we need to remember constantly. If we are identified with the Lord, what is impossible? It’s only impossible if our identification is not at that point. This is one of the stories that can be reviewed over and over again and, remembering also the absolute value of it is in the personal application of what is revealed here in symbolic portrayal, which is victory—the movement out of Egypt. There was a verse back there, when Moses said, “Stand still... for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” This is an attitude to remember. The Egyptians, or all of those things which keep coming up, that have their focus point in Pharaoh, of the outer-mind self-activity, he says, “Ye shall see them again no more for ever.” You have the victory, so don't keep thinking the Egyptians are going to come alive again. They're dead, and let that be the end of them. And if there is the contact with the mass consciousness, as we call, of these things, well, it isn’t a matter of never thinking of these things again. But it's a matter of not being involved in it, not giving it the life force or feeling. “Only with thine eyes shalt thou see and behold the reward of the wicked.” In other words, you can see it, you can think it; well, it's there—it's in this great cistern—but you aren't identified with it. You hear the Word of the Lord: “Stand still, and let it all be changed in the waters.” 

Now, through this period, after the crossing of the Red Sea — remember in the individual application here we have a crossing from one state to another state. This is always symbolized by a crossing of a river, for instance—water; but when they got on the other side, you don't find people sitting on clouds plucking harps and things. There's a lot of work to be done in order to bring all of the children through, all of mankind, the whole body of mankind. So there's the necessity for a personal victory, doing it within oneself. But then, we could say it's accomplished, and it's achieved over and over again, not as a battle but in the strength of the Lord, so that the exodus appears for all of mankind, for the whole body of God on earth, but as a Body. There was a body of people that did this, and they had come this far. Now, the world was in quite a dreadful state from an outer standpoint. There were thick clouds for many, many years, and this is symbolized by the term “the wilderness,” when they wandered in a rather vague way without too much understanding. We'll see that that was because of their own doing also. But the physical world was dark and dreary for many years.

Exodus 15:23-26. "And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter... and the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet." And here we see that the waters were not drinkable; and when we realize all that happened to the waters, we can understand it. And you have the symbolism here of the bitter waters, and made pure by a tree; and of course, here we have the tree of life. And, with respect to the physical aspect, these people of ancient time did actually have a knowledge of the properties—shall we say, healing or medicinal properties in herbs and trees—and they used them freely. And it's an interesting aspect of the story because, actually, there is the provision under any circumstance, no matter what the world is going through. There is the provision there for survival, shall we say, for the healing of the waters. There's always that present. If one is attuned and aligned with the Lord, one will know what can be done under exactly those circumstances. “And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes”—be receptive to the creative compulsion in every moment—“and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” And there you have it: the Presence of the Lord in the face of everything that happens. And today we can see it, if ever anyone could—pollution on every hand. Here you have the Word, the one condition: to diligently hearken to the Voice, to obey all His commandment, so that He can make it right, not because He says, “I want all this for myself,” but “I can't do anything without this.”

Exodus 16:2-3. "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Israel in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died under the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots; and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." You will find all the way through the journey of the children of Israel, much murmuring. They had a very limited view, and they felt that what they had left in Egypt while they were under terrible bondage—you know when you leave it you begin to see just what was pleasing back there. The mind plays tricks, and they forgot their cruel bondage because of what they were going through at the moment. And of course they didn't realize that this was not limited to them. The conditions in Egypt, as it was proven later, were worse than anything they could possibly experience. There was a very vicious people that moved into Egypt at this time. There was a migration of peoples and animals in great hordes, all over the earth a certain desperate instinct to get away from what they were experiencing, not realizing that it was universal, or world-wide. And their stomachs were getting the better of them. And the “flesh pots” certainly is an excellent word, with respect to that which is hungered after by self-active man.

Exodus 16:14-17. "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, on the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing... they said to one another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was." Now, here is a beautiful symbol in this manna. Velikovsky had something to say about this, too. It certainly changes the idea, if we get stuffy about believing anything. But this is a perfect symbol of the provision of the Lord under any circumstance, in the world, with respect to any condition. Here is this provision of the manna. And “they wist not what it was”—just perfect; they didn't know what it was. They couldn't label it; they just had to take it the way it was “And Moses said unto them. This is the bread which the LORD hath given you… Gather of it every man according to his eating... according to the number of your persons... And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.” And here you have the provision; and it is not the same, in an outer sense, for everyone. There is a design, and yet some say "he has got more than I have," whether it's attention, whether it's anything, whether it's a place. But this attitude is not the food of the Lord. The provision of the Lord is according to each person—what he is, according to his need, we say, but according to his nature, according to his design. “And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack”—the perfect design—“they gathered every man according to his eating.”

That's what happens. This is a moment by moment provision, and it's perfect in the moment and brings life. Now here, though, in this eating of the manna, you see a marvelous symbol, don't you? Something which took them over an interim period. Yes, they had crossed the Red Sea, they had taken that big step from one state to another, but then, no concepts allowed: "Now we're going to be in heaven." No. Now there is a state to pass through, and if anyone gets the idea that what is the provision during that interim state is forever, you have a hang-up, because here is an interim state; the manna is for that state until they came to an inhabited land—another step along the way. But many become discouraged because they say, “Is this the Promised Land?” They hadn't reached the Promised Land, they were in the wilderness; and that which was right for them would reveal the next step.

Velikovsky speaks of this gloomy period. It's called a gloomy period after the complete darkness. “The ‘shadow of death’ is related to the time of the wanderings in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt… The phenomenon of gloom enduring for years impressed itself on the memory of the Twelve Tribes… The low and slowly drifting clouds enshrouded the wanderers in the desert... The clouds that covered the desert during the wandering of the Twelve Tribes were called a ‘celestial garment’ or ‘clouds of glory.’” And then he traces it through the different countries and their annals. “The eerie world, dark and groaning, was unpleasant to all the senses save the sense of smell: the world was fragrant. When the breeze blew, the clouds conveyed a sweet odor. “In the Papyrus from somewhere; this is Egypt, I guess, written ‘in the year of misery,’ in which it is said that the months are reversed, the planet-god is described as arriving ‘with the sweet wind before him.’ In a similar text of the Hebrews we read that the times and seasons were confused, and ‘a fragrance perfumed all the world,’ and the perfume was brought by the pillar of smoke. The fragrance was like that of myrrh and frankincense. ‘Israel was surrounded by clouds,’ and as soon as the clouds were set in motion, the winds ‘breathed myrrh and frankincense.’ The Vedas contain hymns to Agni which ‘glows from the sky.’ Its fragrance became the fragrance of the earth. The generation of those days, when the star conveyed its fragrance to men on the earth, is immortalized in the tradition of the Hindus.”

“In what way did this veil of gloom dissolve itself? When the air is overcharged with vapor, dew, rain, hail, or snow falls. Most probably the atmosphere discharged its compounds, presumably of carbon and hydrogen, in a similar way… After the nightly cooling, the carbohydrates precipitated and fell with the morning dew. The grains dissolved in the heat and evaporated; but in a closed vessel the substance could be preserved… The exegetes have endeavored to explain the phenomenon of manna… The clouds brought the heavenly bread, it is also said in the Talmud. But if the manna fell from clouds that enveloped the entire world, it must have fallen not only in the Desert of Wanderings, but everywhere… There was a world fire, says the Icelandic tradition.” It speaks of them being fed by morning dew, and so on.

Anyway, what he is bringing out is that there was a condensation of the nature of a carbohydrate, and he said that if they ever have any evidence with respect to Venus, they would find that this cloud around Venus is composed of something of a carbohydrate nature, which they have now discovered. And, of course it was this global part of the comet that became Venus the planet; and he said that this all ties up together, this carbohydrate which was rained upon the earth. And I suppose if the mind can be changed to believe something like that, it's loosening up. But here you have the other traditions with respect to honey-dew in a celestial body; he says ambrosia, the name ambrosia from heaven, originated at this time. “The honey-frost fell in enormous quantities. The haggadic literature says that the quantity which fell every day would have sufficed to nourish the people for two thousand years. All the peoples of the East and the West could see it… A few hours after the break of day, the heat under the cloud cover liquefied the grains and volatilized them. The ground absorbed some of the liquefied mass, as it absorbs dew. The grains also fell upon the water, and the rivers became milky in appearance.” So you have milk and honey.

"The Egyptians relate that the Nile flowed for a time blended with honey. The strange appearance of the rivers of Palestine—in the desert the Israelites saw no river—caused the scouts who returned... to call it the land the ‘floweth with milk and honey.’” So that is what he has to say about that. But the symbolism of the manna, with respect to the provision in any moment, under any circumstance, is indeed something to remember. And there actually was a period after this great cataclysm when things did not grow, so that here was a substitute pattern, you could say. There were years before the ground could bring forth; there was not enough light of the sun getting through, and so on, and the great destruction.

Exodus 17:8-9. “Then came Amalek and fought with Israel at Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.”  Now, that small verse introduces something else. Amalek, or the Amalekites, is the name of the vicious people who had come out of Arabia at this time and moved into Egypt. And we notice that there were migrations during these times. These people moved across into Egypt as the Israelites moved out, and they met them somewhere in here. These were a very ruthless people. They perhaps bring to focus during that time what has been seen in every generation—that which is out for world domination.

In this story it looks like just somebody fighting a tribe on its way out. But this was the focus point for the civilization, remember, of the people, of the world at this time—it wasn't just a little territory. And Egypt and Babylon, and so on, were the great civilizations. They brought all this to focus, and these people were out for world domination, and they had no regard for how they would bring this about. In other words, they utilized torture and all the rest of it. So this is the first contact of the Israelites with Amalek; and they “fought with Israel in Rephidim.” As they moved into Egypt at this time, it changed everything in Egypt. These were the people who deliberately destroyed the ancient records, who set up a corrupt priesthood and made life very miserable for the Egyptians at this time.

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