I’m currently reading a book titled, The World Jesus Knew by Anne Punton. It offers a wealth of historical insights from matters of cleanliness, education, and details like why the mezuzah was placed on the doorpost. A mezuzah is a small piece of parchment held in a decorative container with specific verses from Deuteronomy inscribed on the parchment. This fulfilled the command to write the Word of God on the doorpost of the home.
Jewish phylacteries
Jewish fathers also taught their sons how to wear phylacteries. In case phylactery isn’t a word you know, the general definition is that it is “any charm, spell or amulet worn as a preservative from danger or disease.” But for the Jews, it was and is a small leather box containing Hebrew texts. They are worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law and so they are also referred to as “prayer boxes.” They originated as a reminder to the people that they were to write God’s Word in their heart and hand. This is still practiced by observant Jews today.
Mark of the beast
As I talked about these things with my husband, he asked, “Where will the mark of the beast be worn?” I had never made this connection. “On the hand or forehead!”
It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name (Rev. 13:16-17).
Even as I said it, I thought of the 144,000 Jewish people who come to Christ during the tribulation time (Rev. 7). They will understand the significance of the placement of the mark of the beast, and in Rev. 14, we see that they have the Father’s name written on their foreheads.
If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath (Rev. 14:9-10).
The mark of the beast will be on the head or hand because it mimics the command of God. It is a way to worship the beast and its image.
My spiritual journey
I wrote the Inheritance because of my own spiritual journey. I grew of in a religious home that practiced many traditions. I had a happy childhood and thought what I believed was the truth. When I had my children, I brought them up in the same tradition. But then, they came home with information that said that some things that were sins when I was growing up, were no longer sin. This put my faith into a tailspin. How can what is sin change? Was it the truth I was taught or something else? And so, in The Inheritance, the main character asks many of the same questions I asked.
The Inheritance excerpt
"I admit, I seek the truth," Jejune had conceded. "How can people reach the Eternal City if they don't know how to get there?" He let the three irate men intimidate him and quash his remaining questions. Now he couldn't help but wonder what Pundit Punctilious meant when he spoke of a royal line? Jejune buried this question with the others.
The ever-present hunger for something more lingered. I had hoped this would change today.
Clouds engulfed the cliffs and moved in to hang like a wispy ceiling above the crowd of spectators. Speaker after speaker lectured. The sun worked to burn through the clouds casting elongated intermittent shadows from the onlookers toward the Illuminati.
Jejune's ears itched as he listened to the various theories, some new and some old. How can pivotal points contradict each other and yet be embraced as truth? The Illuminati despised this line of thinking. They taught truth was relative and that no objective, rational basis could be found for moral decisions.
Water splashed in the nearby Fountain of Tradition where young children played without a care. Crystal liquid spilled from the upturned urn held by the faceless, hooded statue some called the Great Thinker, while a few said it represented the All Knowing One. Ancient scrolls taught that the founders built the fountain after escaping life in the Valley of Shadow. The flow of water represented new ideas that made Lofty Thought a village above the rest. Current theories bred controversy, whether or not an All Knowing One was a real entity or an imaginary concept put in place by the Great Thinker to help Lofty Thinkers find themselves.
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About The Inheritance
Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.