Where do we flee to?

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Apr 1, 2018

News Letter 5854-003
The 2nd Year of the 4th Sabbatical Cycle
The 23rd year of the Jubilee Cycle
The 14th day of the 1st month 5854 years after the creation of Adam
The 1st Month in the Second year of the Fourth Sabbatical Cycle
The 4th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Sword, Famines, and Pestilence

April 1, 2018

Shabbat Shalom To the Royal Family,

Fleeing to the wrong place

This first section is taken from our teaching on this “Which Place of Safety Are You Going To?“.
When I wrote this section back then I did not know what I know today. Chronology in history is soooo important to understand. And knowing the chronology of prophecy is equally soooooo important to also understand. Getting it wrong will get you killed.

When I was in the Churches of God it was suggested that the place of safety we were going to end up at was Petra in Jordan. We also figured that only our group was going to be in that safe place.

We were sure wrong about all of that.

Today I see groups of people building refuge camps or places of safety or communes where they all must agree to abide by whatever rules those setting up the place deem appropriate.

Each group has their own calendar they follow and that determines who gets into their group. They want to set up in some remote area and be totally self-sufficient, living off the land, as if they had just moved back to the 1890’s.

(I have been dead set against this because we are to let our lights shine in the dark places of this world. You cannot do that when they are all gathered in one place and hid as it were under a basket. But that was then. We are fast approaching the time when the 2300 Days of Hell are to begin. So now we must rethink our understanding chronologically.)

There are still others who have over the years fled to Jordan itself, knowing what the bible says about the end time events for Jordan. Once they get there they live under fear of being spied on by the Jordanian government, so they hide and grow afraid to speak out about the Torah or Yehovah whom they say they love.

Just a few years ago people were writing to me asking about the many who were fleeing due to the Daniel Timeline with the tribulation beginning at Purim 2013. This tribulation period was to end with the Jubilee year of 2017 and 2016 being the 49th year according to their calculations. These people were fleeing to of all places some campground in Kansas. (Isn’t that where all the tornados are?) And they had weekly and bi-weekly updates on the daily events in Jerusalem and surrounding nations leading up to what they thought was the impending tribulation period. I think you all know who I mean here.

Others contact me to help them promote their particular place of safety, or ask me to join them in the hopes I might bring others with me. And then those I have exposed in the past become furious with me for not joining their ridiculous expedition of failure.

It is Jonestown over and over. But no one thinks they are Jim Jones. No, they all imagine themselves as the last of the Heroes at Masada cheating the Romans (Babylon) of their victory by committing suicide or getting off the grid in some remote section of the country.

Maybe you were a part of these groups in the past or you are in one of these groups now. Maybe you are planning to get out of Dodge as you read this Newsletter.

Maybe you have already moved to Puerto Rico,(then got slammed by Hurricane Irma in 2017) or Ecuador, or Guatemala, or San Salvador, or Costa Rica and begun to build your place of safety. We have written about this before. You can read that article here. You can also flee to Montana or Saskatchewan now as well if you want. But all of these places are the results of human inventions. What does your Bible say?

Almost all of these groups mentioned above believe the USA is Babylon. They get this idea from those who teach and dabble in Illuminati and conspiracy teachings, not trusting any government because the leaders are all 33 degree Freemasons or they have some secret society handshake that only they know about. They teach that the Twin Towers was an inside job which proves you cannot trust any Government. And this then implies that you can only trust those who have the secret information which is only that group.

Some of these groups are sincere Bible students and teachers. They have many truths and they teach some level of conspiracy teachings and mix them in with their bible studies. Over and over they say that the USA is Babylon the great and all the conspiracy teachings prove it. On and on it goes until they get enough people who only do half studies or do not study at all. They then find others who do not study or only do partial studies to swell their numbers, mixing the truth of Yehovah with the lies of the conspirators and the leadership of that group.

I do not care how Hebrew roots they say they are or how Torah observant you think they are. If they mix any conspiracy teachings or any Freemason or Illuminati teachings in with the Torah, run as fast as you can to the door and get out and never look back.

I do not care how big they are and how much you have learned from them. Run now and never go back. When you mix the truth of the Torah with untruths or flat out lies you get an abomination, which Yehovah hates. It is the Mixing of two kinds of seeds. It is spiritual idolatry.

Lev 19:19  You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with different kinds. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed. And you shall not allow clothing mixed of linen and wool to come on you.

Mt 15:9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

De 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

De 12:32 Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Pr 30:6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

Isa 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;

We have provided exhaustive studies on exactly who the people of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and other North Western Nations of Europe are. We can prove it to you in spades from history and your bible that these people have descended from the 12 tribes of Israel.

We also show you in great detail how Daniel’s end-time Beast grows from the Beast before it and over the same area in which the first Beast appears. This end-time Beast of Babylon is going to cover the majority of Europe combined with the majority of North Africa and the entire Middle East, except Jordan.

Pro 1:20  Wisdom cries outside; she utters her voice in the streets; 21she cries in the chief place of gathering, in the openings of the gates; in the city she utters her words, saying, 22  How long will you love simplicity, simple ones? And will scorners delight in their scorning? And will fools hate knowledge? 23  Turn at my warning; behold, I will pour out my Spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. 24  Because I called, and you refused; I stretched out my hand, and no one paid attention; 25  but you have despised all my advice, and would have none of my warning. 26  I also will laugh at your trouble; I will mock when your fear comes; 27  when your fear comes as a wasting away, and your ruin comes like a tempest when trouble and pain come upon you. 28  Then they shall call upon me, and I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; 29  instead they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of Jehovah. 30  They would have none of my counsel; they despised all my correction, 31  and they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own desires. 32  For the turning away of the simple kills them, and the ease of fools destroys them. 33But whoever listens to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

You are to flee with the woman, as you are told in Revelation. You are to flee from Jerusalem. So you had better figure out how you’re going to get to Jerusalem from the secret place you are now planning on hiding at. Because if you do not go with that woman into the wilderness, Revelation then says the beast turns and makes war with those who keep the commandments.

Have you considered that?

I will leave that thought with you to think about.

Rev 12:12-17 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

The Greater Exodus

In the past number of weeks and years, we have shown you when these world shattering end time events are to take place. We have shown you over and over who it is that is going to do what to whom. By now you all should be able to prove this to anyone who asks you. Many people talk about the second Exodus or the Greater Exodus that is soon to come and how some of us will be a part of it.

And they all quote Jeremiah when they talk about this subject.

Jeremiah 16:14 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.

What I have found in most teachers is the lack of or the willingness to tell you that before you can come out of this captivity or this 2nd Exodus, you must, first of all, go into captivity. This means our people must be defeated in war and those of us who survive taken into captivity and enslaved. This has been the ongoing teaching that we at sightedmoon.com have been sharing with you. Warning you that war is coming and that today that war is not far off. And out of the millions that are alive today only a remnant will survive.

Isaiah 10:20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

Our teaching a couple of weeks ago about South Africa is a warning for all the tribes of Israel. We have also spoken about ISIS and how they have slaughtered millions. Husbands and sons will be separated from the women and girls. Then males will be slaughtered and the women turned into sex slaves and then they too will be killed. We are all about to be beaten and raped and tortured and murdered and this is going to go on for 6 1/4 years before the two witnesses begin to avenge the millions who have died.

We are told here again in Isaiah that Yehovah is going to gather us a second time. Again the second greater exodus.

Isaiah 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals. And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

We are told a lot in this section of Isaiah. First that King David is going to be the signal for the world at Jerusalem. But as you know, those who have a good understanding of the Torah and the Holy Days, that David is not resurrected until Shavuot in the final year of the Tribulation. His resting place is still today Jerusalem. But you should know these things. See our many articles on this subject and begin to understand the truth.

Right here in Isaiah 11, we are told where the remnant, those who survive leading up to the tribulation, are to come back from. Do you see south or central America? Do you see Kansas? Do you see Jordan? They are coming back from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. Over and over again we are told that they will be brought back from Assyria and Egypt.

Zech 10:8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till there is no room for them. He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart. I will make them strong in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the Lord.

Isaiah 27:13 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Micah 7:12 In that day they will come to you, from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain. But the earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.

So, I have to ask you why have none of you fled to these places? Why are none of the Hebrew Roots people promoting these places to flee to? Kansas, give me a break!

The lead up to this war is taking place right now and it is followed by the 2300 Days of Daniel 8 in which the SAINTS are trampled underfoot for 6 1/4 years. It is not talking about the sanctuary, it is about the SAINTS, the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel in these last days. The time of Jacobs trouble is now.

Jeremiah 30:1-11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”
These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
“Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
of terror, and no peace.
Ask now, and see,
can a man bear a child?
Why then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?
Why has every face turned pale?
Alas! That day is so great
there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
“Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, I will save you from far away,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
I will make a full end of all the nations
among whom I scattered you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

In the book of Revelation, I want you to read the 5th seal. But before that fifth seal, you must first read the other four.

Rev 6:1-11 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

The first four seals are describing Islam as it takes over the world. The first seal is the white horse that conquers with a bow. See our article on The Hunters Cometh. The second seal after Islam gets a toehold with the faith that claims peace peace when there is no peace is the red horse of war. Then comes the black horse and starvation and then the pale horse is diseases and death. Over 1/4 of the earth will die as a result of Islam and the destruction they bring to everywhere they go.

Islam, the world’s fastest-growing faith, will leap from 1.6 billion (in 2010) to 2.76 billion by 2050, according to the Pew study. At that time, Muslims will make up nearly one-third of the world’s total projected population of about 9 billion people.

Christianity is expected to grow, too, but not at Islam’s explosive rate. The Pew study predicts Christians will increase from 2.17 billion to 2.92 billion, composing more than 31% of the world’s population.

This will lead to war as each tries to dominate the other in politics and business. And you oh Israel will go back into captivity once again because you must come out of that captivity.

Now let’s read the 5th seal with the knowledge that the first four are describing the conquering of the world by the false religion of Islam. Even these four colours of the 4 horses make up the colours of many Islamic flags.

Rev 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Many of those who keep Torah are going to die and be found under this altar waiting to be resurrected at Shavuot. These are not those who did not obey Yehovah. But notice they seek vengeance. Who is it that does this?

Rev 19:1-2 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

The two witnesses begin this process of vengeance by the curses they command to come upon the whole earth.

Isa 11:12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

Isa 56:8 Yehovah, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.”

It will not just be the Israelites who are gathered only but those who are obedient to Torah from other nations as well. Anyone who obeys is now eligible and is to be part of this ingathering.

Isa 43:5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;

Jer 23:3 “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Jer 29:14 I will be found by you, says Yehovah, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says Yehovah, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Jer 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there.

Jer 31:10 “Hear the word of Yehovah, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’

Getting back to Isaiah 11, when we do any research at all we know that the prisoners are taken to these countries mentioned in Isaiah. So who are these countries? We have studied them in the past. Assyria is modern-day Germany and by extension Europe. And we saw from WW II that the prisoner of war camps were death camps and slave labour camps. And Germany has just brought over a million Muslims to live in their country. This is not where you want to spend the time from 2020 to 2030 trying to survive.

When we look at Egypt and the list of other nations we see that these too, are the prisoner of war places and not places we would want to be held captivity in which are Islamic nations today. The list again is Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar,  Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. This is Iraq, Iran, North Africa. Again all nations that are prophesied to come together as one nation under the King of the North and the King of the South. A German-led Islamic nation and we have seen what happens to the Jews and the Christians in these nations. They are tortured and raped, enslaved and destroyed. Germany, by the way, used to be the nation that colonized East Africa. We will have more on this later in this article.

We have said this many times before and will repeat it here. Islam does not mix with the host nation they have immigrated to or invaded. They do not assimilate into the culture. Germany is represented by the iron and Islam by the clay and they do not mix in Daniels image of the toes of this end time beast system.

Daniel 2:40-45 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

But I also see something else here. Do you? Read what is to happen again here in Isaiah 24.

The Coastlands?

Isaiah 24:1-23 Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
for the Lord has spoken this word.
The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
No more do they drink wine with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
The wasted city is broken down;
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.
For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
Terror and the pit and the snare
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
On that day the Lord will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.

What are you being told in verses 15-16?

Therefore in the east give glory to Yehovah;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of Yehovah, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!

While many are wasting away in captivity with no hope, they will hear of some in the east in the coastlands of the sea giving GLORY TO THE NAME OF YEHOVAH THE ELOHIM OF ISRAEL. Who are these people?

I also have to point out one other thing you are told here. So many people say the laws are done away with. Or that they are only for when you are in the Land of Israel, or that they are only for the Jews. Yet right here in Isaiah, you are told that the WHOLE EARTH HAS BROKEN THE COVENANT AND ARE UNDER A CURSE!

Isaiah 24:4-6 The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.

The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.

Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.

Have you considered what else Isaiah tells us? Read some more.

Isaiah 60:8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.

What does this mean? What are you being told here?

Hosea 11:11 has some more clues and you need to read the rest of this chapter to see just how anguished Yehovah is at what He is about to do to us, Israel.

they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.

The doves are us Israel. But where is this coastland?

Isaiah 51:5 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.

Do you see it? Do you recall what you read in Isaiah 11:11?

In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

We will be brought back from the coastlands also. Where is this?

Isaiah 42:4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.

The coastlands are waiting for His law. What people on this earth, are waiting for His law? Where is this place? Who are these people who hope for Yehovah? Where are these people who are singing praise to Yehovah from the ends of the earth? But there is more in this chapter.

Isaiah 42:5-9 Thus saith God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house. I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Isaiah 42:10:12 Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.

Isaiah 66:18 “For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.

Yehovah is going to send to these coastal places, these people to teach them and they, in turn, will gather all of Israel and bring them to Jerusalem as an offering, a grain offering. Is this not the Wheat or the barley offering that are made at Passover and Shavuot? There are no other grain offerings. My mind is going WOW WOW WOW as I read this. Is yours? Read it again and again. Know this verse.

What is the sign that Yehovah is going to set among them?

and I will set a sign among them.

The Sabbath is the sign of Yehovah. See our article on the Mark of the Beast.

And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away,

These are the places you will go to, to survive. But do any of you know where they are? What are they called today?

that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations.

Israel failed to declare His Glory and to live by His Laws, but these people who have not heard of Him will obey and they are going to be the ones crying out in the last days.

And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem,

From these nations, you are going to be brought back as an offering to Yehovah, like a grain offering! So you need to get studying to learn who these nations are. And Imagine the blessings that will come to these nations who do protect and care for those survivors of Israel.

Jeremiah 31:10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, Let us just look up the word for coastlands in all of these verses. It is the same word each time.

H339   ‘i^y     ee

From H183; properly a habitable spot (as desirable); dry land, a coast, an island: – country, isle, island.

H183    ‘a^va^h   aw-vaw’

A primitive root; to wish for: – covet, (greatly) desire, be desirous, long, lust (after).

So these coastlands are islands and they are greatly desired. Something people lust over and long for.

In Canada, we have long cold winters. I lust for the Caribbean Islands all winter long because of the warm tropical winds and warm oceans and fresh fruit and lots of sunshine. Many lust after the warm islands of Greece in the winter to go to or the coast of Spain to spend time in enjoying the beaches and the warm sun. But the Caribbean Islands are not in the East nor are the Greek Isles nor anything in the Mediterranean Sea. They are not East of Jerusalem.

So what Islands is Yehovah talking about?

 

Who are The Islands that Long for the Torah

Isaiah 24:15-16 Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.

Isaiah 42:4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.

Isaiah 41:1-6  Keep silence before Me, O coasts; and peoples shall renew strength; let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. Who raised up the righteous one from the east, called him to His foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them; he passed on in peace. He does not go by the way of his feet.  Who has planned and done it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, am the first and the last; I am He.  The coastlands saw and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, and drew near, and came. They each one helped his neighbor, and said to his brother, Be strong.

The Coastlands are where they renew their strength and where they and those of the coastlands come together to be judged. The Coastlands fear Yehovah whereas other nations did not and will be judged.

Luke says something very similar to this in;

Luke 11:31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

This is speaking of the Queen of Sheba and you are about to learn how the land of Sheba is associated with the coastlands that we are looking at.

These are quite the powerful scriptures. I certainly do not see North America wanting the Torah like these Islands do. Nor glorifying the name of Yehovah. No not even the Caribbean Islands are crying out to Yehovah after all these past hurricanes which wiped so many houses and businesses away.

Who are these coastlands that hope for Yehovah and His Torah and praise His name? We get a clue in Isaiah 60:9 again.

Isaiah 60:8-9 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.

The Ships of Tarshish are going to bring us back. Tarshish is first mentioned in Genesis. We need to now search out where Tarshish is in the hope of finding these Islands that are being lusted over and who sing praises to Yehovah and hope for His law.

Genesis 10:2-5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.

So Tarshish is amongst the Coastland peoples. The word again for coastlands is again Islands.

Again notice here in Genesis are the names of those mentioned in Isaiah 66:18

“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory.

Tarshish

From the Jewish Encyclopedia

TARSHISH:

By: Isidore Singer, M. Seligsohn
In the genealogical table of the Noachide, Tarshish is given as the second son of Javan and is followed by Kittim and Dodanim (Gen. x. 4; I Chron. i. 7). As with all these names, Tarshish denotes a country; in several instances, indeed, it is mentioned as a maritime country lying in the remotest region of the earth. Thus, Jonah flees to Tarshish from the presence of Yhwh (Jonah i. 3, iv. 2). With Pul, Tubal, and Javan, it is mentioned as one of the remote places that have not heard of Yhwh (Isa. lxvi. 19, comp. lx. 9; Ps. lxxii. 10; Ezek. xxxviii. 13). Any large vessel capable of making a long sea-voyage was styled a “ship of Tarshish,” though this did not necessarily mean that the vessel sailed either to or from Tarshish (Ps. xlviii. 7; I Kings x. 22, xxii. 48; Isa. ii. 16; et al.). It seems that in parallel passages referring to Solomon’s and Jehoshaphat’s ships (I Kings l.c.) the author of Chronicles did not understand the meaning of “ships of Tarshish” (II Chron. ix. 21, xx. 36).

Tarshish appears to have had a considerable trade in silver, iron, tin, and lead (Jer. x. 9; Ezek. xxvii. 12). It gave its name, besides, to a precious stone which has not yet been satisfactorily identified ( See Gems). The Targum of Jonathan renders the word “Tarshish” in the prophetical books by “sea,” which rendering is followed by Saadia. Moreover, the term “ships of Tarshish” is rendered by Jewish scholars “sea-ships” (comp. LXX., Isa. ii. 16, ????? ????????). Jerome, too, renders “Tarshish” by “sea” in many instances; and in his commentary on Isaiah (l.c.) he declares that he had been told by his Jewish teachers that the Hebrew word for “sea” was “tarshish.” In Isa. xxiii. 1 the Septuagint, and in Ezek. xxvii. 12 both the Septuagint and the Vulgate, render “Tarshish” by “Carthage,” apparently suggested by Jewish tradition. Indeed, the Targum of Jonathan renders “Tarshish” in I Kings xxii. 48 and Jer. x. 9 by “Afri?i,” that is, Carthage.

Josephus (“Ant.” i. 6, § 1), apparently reading “Tarshush,” identifies it with Tarsus in Cilicia. This identification was adopted by Bunsen and Sayce (“Expository Times,” 1902, p. 179); but it seems from Assyrian inscriptions that the original Hebrew name of Tarsus was not “Tarshush.” Bochart (in his “Phaleg”), followed by many later scholars, identifies Tarshish with Tartessus, mentioned by Herodotus and Strabo as a district of southern Spain; he thinks, moreover, that “Tartessus” is the Aramaic form of “Tarshish.” On the other hand, Le Page Renouf (“Proc. Soc. Bibl. Arch.” xvi. 104 et seq.) refutes this theory, declaring besides that Tartessus never really existed. Renouf’s opinion is that “Tarshish” means a coast, and, as the word occurs frequently in connection with Tyre, the Phenician coast is to be understood. Cheyne (in “Orientalische Litteraturzeitung,” iii. 151) thinks that “Tarshish” of Gen. x. 4, and “Tiras” of Gen. x. 2, are really two names of one nation derived from two different sources, and might indicate the Tyrsenians or Etruscans. Thus the name may denote Italy or the European coasts west of Greece.

I also have the following from Yair Davidiy

TARSHISH

The Assyrians claimed to control Tarsis in the far west of their domains. The exact position of Tarsis is still uncertain though a place somewhere on the west coast (more specifically the southwest coast) of Spain, near Gades (Cadiz) is usually accepted. In Classical (Greek and Roman) records there was an important center named “Tartessos” somewhere on the Spanish southwest coast. “Tartessos” is generally identified with the western Tarshish of Scripture. According to one opinion Tartessos once controlled most of Spain and Gaul8. Tartessos served as an emporium for goods from Gaul and Britain.
“Tarsis”, “Tartessos”, and “Tarshish” are all different ways of pronouncing the same name.
In Scripture and Talmudic sources TARSHISH is often linked with the “Isles of the Sea” (meaning Britain) and with the “Yam Okyanus” (i.e. Oceanic Sea) meaning the Atlantic Ocean9.

In some Talmudic accounts Tarshish is taken to refer to the Sea encompassing one third of the world10. The Aramaic translation of Yehonathan translates “Tarshish” as “sea”11. Rashi (the major Talmudic Commentator) says that (the sea) Tarshish is called the Sea of Africa presumably meaning the Atlantic*12.
In one of the Psalms, it says “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents” (Psalm 72;10): The Aramaic Targum translates this expression to say, “The Kings of Tarsis and of the Isles in the Oceanic Sea shall bring offerings” and by Oceanic Sea (i.e.”Yam Okyanus”) it is generally understood that the Atlantic Ocean is intended13.

“Tarshish” is referred to in connection with the Messianic era and with the return of the exiled tribes of Israel:

“Who are these that fly as a cloud and as a dove to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God to the Holy One of Israel because he hath glorified thee” (Isaiah 60;8 9).

The above verse speaks of the exiled of Israel returning to the land of Israel by air (i.e. in aeroplanes) and by ship. The “Ships of Tarshish” means those plying the Atlantic Ocean (“Yam Okeanus”) and it therefore follows that Tarshish was someplace on the Atlantic coast.

TARSHISH IN ANCIENT TIMES

Prior to the Assyrian exile, the Israelite Hebrews had had seafaring experience, had co-operated with the Phoenicians, and had become familiar with “Tarshish”. King Solomon had been partner to Hiram king of Phoenician Tyre in an enterprise that circumnavigated Africa and re-entered the Mediterranean after visiting Tarshish somewhere on the European Atlantic shores (1- Kings 9;26-27)*14.
Herodotus (4.42,43) reported that Pharoah Neco who reigned just after Solomon also sent Phoenician sailors to circumnavigate Africa and return via the Pillars of Hercules (i.e. Straits of Gibraltar); he likewise mentions the fact that this trip took three years to complete since he explains the sailors would make a camp on dry land and sow and reap a harvest before continuing*15.
The prophet Ezekiel listed Tarshish amongst the numerous places that were wont to trade with Tyre:

“Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs” (Ezekiel 27;12).

It is well to note that tin and copper were essential in the production of Bronze and most tin was claimed to have originated in Britain. The Egyptian (Coptic) word for tin is “pithran” said to be derived from a mispronunciation of Britain. Tarshish is a name applied to a port “Tarsis” in Cilicia as well as to Tartessos in Spain and it has been claimed that sundry Phoenician trading posts also received the name. Regarding Tarsis of Cilicia (Anatolia) there are no rich deposits of iron, tin, and lead there16. The Septuagent (in the 300s b.c.e.) translated Tarshish as Carthage (in North Africa) but at the time the Septuagent was written the domain of Carthage included much of Spain17. The name Tarshish has been found inscribed in stone in Sardinia wherein the Phoenicians also founded colonies but the relevant settlement (Nora) in Sardinia was founded by Phoenicians based on Spain18 and, by inference, may mean that the settlement was connected with “Tarshish” of Spain. In other words the concept of “Tarshish” as far as Scripture and the connection between Tyre, Israel, and Tarshish is concerned is referring to Spanish Tartessus or a connected post on the Atlantic Ocean.
The above points show that both the ancient Hebrews and the Phoenicians had association of trade and points of control in Tarshish and the Atlantic prior to the Assyrian exile. The Israelite involvement with Tarshish was connected to that of the Phoenicians and of joint Hebrew PHOENICIAN maritime enterprise.

There are many other studies out there and all of them end up leaving you just as confused as they are as to where Tarshish was and is today.From reading all these views on Tarshish, I have gotten nowhere.

I am now going to go back to read some other things that have always troubled me.

First of all, let us assume Tarshish is in Southern Spain as most scholars have assumed. Now let us go and read the Story of Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

:15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

I had always assumed the Fish transported Jonah to Nineveh but it only says the Fish vomited him out on dry land. So Jonah could have traveled from the Mediterranean over land.

 

The Gold of Ophir

We read in 2 Chronicles about Solomons Gold and how it came by the Ships of Tarshish.

2 Chronicles 9:20 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

1 Kings 9: 26-27 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.

1 Kings 22:48 also speaks of the Ships of Tarshish at Ezion Geber

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

Jehoshaphat reigned from 870 to 849 BC and it sounds like the ships were destroyed near the end of his reign.

Then we can read about the Prophet Jonah in 2 Kings 14:23-25

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

Jeroboam II reigned from the years 793 BC to 753 BC

And here is the catch. By the time of Jonah, about 100 years had passed from the time when the ships had been destroyed until the time he was called to go to Nineveh. Jonah going to Nineveh was just years before the first invasion of Israel by Assyria.

1 Chron 5:26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.

2 Kings 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.

These events began to take place in the year 740 BC, just about 13 or more years after Jonah had gone to them and given them the warning.

So because no ships were sailing from Ezion Geber since the last fleet had been destroyed about 100 years before Jonah come on the scene, Jonah caught a ship in Joppa that was going around Africa to Tarshish.

 

We have already seen from the Scriptures and we have read that the Ships of Tarshish bring back the Survivors and they are brought back from the East. Solomon knew where Tarshish was. That is why He built his ships at Ezion Geber at the South of Israel on the Red Sea. And these ships also brought back the Gold of Ophir. So now, we are looking for Ophir as well.

But some have said that they sailed around the continent of Africa and came to Tarshish in Spain on their way to Israel again. The shortest trip completely around the continent of Africa is roughly 12,400 nautical miles, including the trip through the Suez canal. The Spanish Galleons during their time have been estimated to travel at about 5 knots/hour, 7 tops.

Distance = rate X time

12,400 nm = 5 kts (nautical miles per hour) X time

12,400 nm / 5 kts = time

2480 hours = time

2480 hours / 24hours per day = 103.33 days

There are 365 days in a year. So allowing for stops along the way, it should not take a ship 3 years to just go around Africa.

If we go back to Genesis we can see that Ophir is one of the sons of Joktan and where their land was.

Genesis 10:26-30 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east.

 

Job also speaks of Ophir and he lived hundreds of years before King David and Solomon.

Job 22:23-25 If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.

Job 28:12-17 “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

Isaiah also spoke of Ophir.

Isaiah 13:11-13 I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
I will make people more rare than fine gold,

and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger.

And David made a prayer for Solomon and in this prayer changed the Gold of Ophir to the Gold of Sheba. You will also notice in Gen 10 that Sheba and Orphir are brothers.

Psalm 72:1-15 Of Solomon.
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!
For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!

I have to wonder if the gold of Uphaz is another name for Ophir and Sheba.

Jer 10:9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz.

Uphaz is defined as follows;

ATS Bible Dictionary
Uphaz A region producing fine gold, Jeremiah 10:9 Daniel 10:5. In Hebrew it differs from Ophir by only one letter; and it is thought to denote the same region.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Probably another name for Ophir (Jeremiah 10:9). Some, however, regard it as the name of an Indian colony in Yemen, southern Arabia; others as a place on or near the river Hyphasis (now the Ghana), the south-eastern limit of the Punjaub.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
UPHAZu’-faz (‘uphaz): A gold-bearing region, mentioned in Jeremiah 10:9 Daniel 10:5, otherwise unknown. Perhaps in both passages Ophir, which differs in one consonant only, should be read. In the second passage, instead of “gold of Uphaz,” perhaps “gold and fine gold” (‘uphaz) should be read. The Jerusalem Talmud states that there were seven kinds of gold, good gold, pure, precious, gold of Uphaz, purified, refined, and red gold of Parvaim (2 Chronicles 3:6). That of Uphaz, which is so called from the place from which it comes, resembles “flashes of fire fed with pitch” (M. Schwab, The Talmud of Jerusalem, V, 207).

We are also told that this gold has another name. Parvaim is used and it has the meaning of the Eastern or Orient.

2 Chron 3:1-2 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

6-7 He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls.

In the book of Ezekiel, he is prophecying against Tyre. Tyre, in the last days, is Europa. Spain is part of Europe, so Spain cannot be the Tarshish we are looking for.

Ezekiel 27:12-13 “Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

In the Gog Magog war, we see Sheba the brother of Ophir and Dedan the brother of Tarshish speaking up against Gog and they all come from the same area.

Ezekiel38:13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its leaders will say to you, ‘Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your hosts to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to seize great spoil?’

The Queen of Sheba Came by Ship

In the story of the Queen of Sheba we are told how both the Queen and Hiram arrived and presented gifts to the King at the same time. She heard about King Solomon from the men of Solomons navy.

1 Kings 9:26-28 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.

Everything that was used or given to Yehovah was the very best and never was used before by anyone else. Each of the pots that carried the water for use in the Temple was used one time and then destroyed after that one use. We find at Jacobs Altar lots of pottery that was broken for this very reason having been used once. So Solomon built new ships to bring the Gold and wood back for the temple. He would not have used old ships to do this. Were these ships destroyed after that one use? I do not know.

1 Kings 10:1-13 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.
And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

Ethiopia and Yemen do not take three years to go to and return from. Even if they were just part of the journey around Africa. This still does not fit. The Queen of Sheba is not some Black North African Queen as some are trying to tell you. No, she came from far away. And it does not say she had Solomon’s child, a bastard child like some Black Hebrews say.

We have spoken of Jonah above and how Nineveh repented. Yehshua spoke both of the Nineveh and of the Queen of Sheba in Mathew 12:41 at the same time. Why?

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

She came from the ends of the earth and not Ethiopia. Yehshua connected the two stories together, Jonah going to Tarshish and the Queen coming from Ophir. But there is more here. The Queen of Sheba will rise up with those at Shavuot and condemn those who do not repent in these days.

Almug Trees

Do you know what nation we have been talking about this whole time? Have you figured it out yet?

The wood that Hiram brought back on the ships was not found in Israel or the Middle East. It was a very special wood that was resistant to termites and had a very pleasant smell.

We read that Hiram brought back from Ophir Almug trees in great quantities. This was a red Sandalwood only found in South East Asia.

1 Kings 10:11-12 Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a very great amount of almug wood and precious stones. And the king made of the almug wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day.

We are again told about this Algum wood in 2 Chron 9:10-11

Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

Algum or Almug are both describing the same things here. In Hebrew the Almug is Almuggyim and Algum is Alguwmmyim.

Summertime is the blooming of the Narra, the Philippine’s national tree.  One may have noticed that a lot of Narra trees around Metro Manila, including those in surrounding provinces, had bloomed during the hot dry summer, giving a majestic sight of a tree almost filled with profuse fragrant yellow minute flowers, which fell down to the ground at the end of the day.

Though the flowers are short lived, they are quite noticable as the whole narra tree canopy becomes filled with fragrant tiny golden yellow flowers.  After the flowers have fallen,  flat or disc-shaped seed pods form on the branches tips, which, after a few months, the seeds are scattered and dispersed in the area.

Narra or scientifically known as Pterocarpus indicus, belongs to the family Fabaceae, is a native of southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands.  The tree is found all over the Philippines, in primary and secondary forests, from low to medium altitudes.  Aside from the Philippines, it is also found in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Narra is one of the most useful tree in the country as it provides both timber and also shade. It is noted for its hardiness, rapid growth and being pest resistant.  Because it is being used for timber, its conservation status was placed under “vulnerable” bythe IUCN. It is a large deciduous tree growing to about 30–40 meters in height, with a trunk that can grow up to 2 meters in diameter. The leaves are green, about 12–22 cm long, pinnate, with 5–11 leaflets. The fragrant and yellow flowers are produced in panicles, about 6–13 cm long containing a few to numerous flowers. The flowering season is from February to May in the Philippines. Once pollinated, the flower form into a dry flat fruit or a semi-orbicular pod, about 2–3 cm in diameter, surrounded by a flat 4–6 cm diameter membranaceous wing which aids dispersal by the water, as it falls off the tree during the typhoon months of July & August. It contains one or two seeds, and does not split open at maturity.

The Narra produces timber which is a hardwood, purplish in color, rose-scented and is termite resistant. Freshly cut wood or its saw dust characteristically produces a green sap when poured with water. The flower is used as a honey source while leaf infusions are used as shampoos. Both flowers and leaves were said to be eaten.The leaves are supposedly good for waxing and polishing brass and copper. The tree is recommended as an ornamental / shade tree for avenues and parking lots in the city, as its branches are strong and then tree wouldn’t easily be toppled during a typhoon. It is also a source of kino or resin. In folk medicine, it is used to combat tumors. This property might be due to an acidic polypeptide found in its leaves that inhibited growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells by disruption of cell and nuclear membranes. It is also known as a diuretic in Europe during the 16th and 18th centuries. Its reputation may be due to its wood infusions, which are fluorescent. It is widely planted as a roadside, park, and carpark tree. The tall, dome-shaped crown, with long, drooping branches is very attractive and the flowers are spectacular in areas with a dry season.

Knowing the Narra’s uses and beauty, we would now appreciate why it was chosen to be our national tree.   It is not just a majestic and straight tree, but also a medicinal plant, an important shade tree, and ecologically important as a nitrogen fixer for soils and habitat for birds, insects and small tree climbing mammals.

Article by: Norberto R. Bautista

Narra in Tagalong or Philippine language has the exact same meaning in the Hebrew language as the word Naara. Admirable, wonderful, worthy of admiration, Young Girl. It actually means she who must be admired just like the young Queen of Sheba.

Mount Pulag

Going back to Genesis 10:25-31 we have some more information there to help us identify where Orphir and Sheba were located.

To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

Joktan was the son of Eber and the brother of Peleg. The earth was divided in the days of Peleg so they were also divided in the days of Joktan as well. Eber is also known to be the Father of the Hebrew. So, Joktan was also a descendant of Eber making Joktan also a Hebrew. This then makes Joktans children Hebrew as well. The Queen of Sheba and the people of Ophir would then also be Hebrews. But they are not from the 12 tribes of Israel.

Joktan also means they will be small. This could be both in height or as a nation of peoples. Keep this in mind as we go forward.

Darby has verse 30 as follow;

And their dwelling was from Mesha, as one goes to Sephar, the eastern mountain.

Sephar means towards a numerous population. Har Ha Kedem which is translated as Eastern Mountain or hill country of the east means A mountain of the Orient. What nation has the most numerous of peoples?

Of the three highest mountains found in the Philippines, the one in Luzon is called Mount Pulag. It is very similar to the name of Joktans brother Peleg. In Hebrew, Pulag is a variant of Peleg and it too means He or It was divided. But in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, Pulag means Glare Dazzling Light.

When I was in the Philippines for Sukkot in 2015, one of the places I went to teach at was Baguio City which is not far from Mount Pulag. I had no idea at that time of the significance of this.

Near Mount Pulag is Kabayan, officially the Municipality of Kabayan, (Ilokano: Ili ti Kabayan; Filipino: Bayan ng Kabayan), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 15,260 people.[3]

Kabayan is the site of centuries-old Ibaloi mummies buried inside caves scattered around its villages.[4]

The third highest mountain in the Philippines, Mount Pulag, is located in the territorial boundary of the vegetable farming town.

Kabayan spelt in Hebrew is Chabaya and means “Yah Has Hidden”.

Another name Sagada to know praise. Is Yada in Hebrew.

North of Manila are two volcanoes. One is called Mount Arayat which is east of the other one called Mount Pinatubo. Ara means Earth and Yaat means to cover in Hebrew. Pina means Yehovah raises and tubo means His Goodness in Hebrew. It erupted in 1991 and the ash cloud was met with of Typhoon Yunya (Diding), bringing a lethal messy mix of ash and rain to towns and cities surrounding the volcano. It produced the second-largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula

Again in Northern Luzon is Mount Kabuyao where Kabu means Great Hourse and Yao means Yehovah. Or Great house of Yehovah.

Mount Mayon Volcano means Spring of Water in Hebrew.

Taal Volcano in South Luzon. IN Hebrew it is Ta-hal and means to be called out or summoned for a specific purpose.

Caballian Volcano is known as the Hidden Mountain. In Hebrew Chaba is Hidden and lian is Very, very, much, exceedingly, greatly or Greatly Hidden.

Banahaw Volcano.

Bana in Hebrew means built and Haw is Yah so this is built by Yehovah.

Matutum Volcano

Matu in Hebrew is to totter, shake, slip and Tum is the plural of Tom and means perfection or Jewels. One of the epithets of the objects in the High Preist Breastplate as an emblem of complete truth. Thummin. Or shaking Jewel of complete truth.

Iraya Volcano

Ira in Hebrew means Wakefulness. And Yah together means wakefulness of Yehovah.

Balut Volcano and Island. Balut is Hebrew for Accorn.

Ifugao in Hebrew is Son of the Honoured one.

The Igorot people in Hebrew means Letters. And there are the Ekaya people who claim to be descendants of the builders of Solomons Temple

The Philippines Are shown on Ptolemy’s Map 200 AD

100 BC onward
Iron age finds in Philippines also point to the existence of trade between Tamil Nadu and the Philippine Islands during the ninth and tenth centuries B.C.[40] The Philippines is believed by some historians to be the island of Chryse, the “Golden One,” which is the name given by ancient Greek writers in reference to an island rich in gold east of India. Pomponius Mela, Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentioned this island in 100 BC, and it is basically the equivalent to the Indian Suvarnadvipa, the “Island of Gold.” Josephus calls it in Latin Aurea, and equates the island with biblical Ophir, from where the ships of Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items. The Visayan Islands, particularly Cebu had earlier encounter with the Greek traders in 21 AD.[41]

Ptolemy locates the islands of Chryse east of the Khruses Kersonenson, the “Golden Peninsula,” i.e. the Malaya Peninsula. North of Chryse in the Periplus was Thin, which some consider the first European reference to China. In about the 200 BC, there arose a practice of using gold eye covers, and then, gold facial orifice covers to adorn the dead resulting in an increase of ancient gold finds. During the Qin dynasty and the Tang dynasty, China was well aware of the golden lands far to the south. The Buddhist pilgrim I-Tsing mentions Chin-Chou, “Isle of Gold” in the archipelago south of China on his way back from India. Medieval Muslims refer to the islands as the Kingdoms of Zabag and W??w??, rich in gold, referring, perhaps, to the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago, the location of present-day Philippines and Eastern Indonesia.[42]

The Lequios

The Lequios may refer to certain inhabitants of Ophir, which the Spaniards considered to be the Philippine Islands before its colonization.[1] The inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands were also referred to as Lequios by Tomé Pires.[2][3]

The Ryukyu Islands are those that go between Japan and Taiwan.

Lequios is Hebrew from the word Leqot or Liqqet and it means to gather or to glean.

This same volume also contains the official documents regarding the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan. It also contains the logbook of Francisco Albo, the chief pilot of the ship Victoria. This logbook is also one of the main references regarding the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan.

Ophir was “…in front of China towards the sea, of many islands where the Moluccans, Chinese, and Lequios met to trade…”

Jewish Settlements
Along the route described by Document No. 98 are locations of old Jewish settlements.

It would not be surprising for that was the procedure used by King Solomon’s fleet.

Settlements were established at selected places to trade and process the gold and silver. The ships collected the gold and silver and brought it to King Solomon. To the credit of the Hebrew people, their settlement remained true to the Jewish faith even for thousands of years. Settlements were found in India, Burma, Sumatra, and Vietnam (Annam and Cochin China). Jewish settlements then, even extended to the Philippines, which was Ophir proper.

In association with these records, Spanish books mention of a mysterious people known as Lequios. Modern historians variously identified them as Okinawans, Koreans, or Vietnamese. They were favorite targets of Spanish ships during the time of General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi because the ships of the Lequios were always laden with gold and silver.

Also, according to Document 98, the Lequios were big, bearded, and white men. They were only interested in gold and silver when trading at Ophir. Okinawans, Koreans, and Vietnamese people are not big nor are they white. Their beards are just small goatees and could not satisfy the word “bearded”. Therefore, they were not the Lequios. The Lequios were thus deemed to be the remnants of Hebrews and Phoenicians who have made enclaves in their trade with Ophir proper.

These Lequios were scattered among the islands of the Philippines. Eventually, they too were converted to Christianity: along with the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Animists of the Pre-Hispanic Philippine states after active Hispanic settlement via the Americas became uninterrupted in the 333 years of Spanish colonization.

Cebu City is known for its rich history. The famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed here in April 7, 1521 and was welcomed by Rajah Humabon king of Cebu. Rajah Humabon and his people converted to Christianity and were baptized by Magellan’s priest.

In spite of being a Portuguese, Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition was under the banner of Spain. His proposed expedition to the king of Portugal was refused several times, so he went to the king of Spain and was granted funding.

On April 27, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan died in the Battle of Mactan lead by the Philippine’s first national hero Lapu-Lapu.

What most people don’t know is that he’s not the first European explorer who landed in the Philippines. A European explorer named Tomé Pires wrote about Luzon which he refers to as Luções or Luzones during his expedition around 1512-1515.

Here’s what he wrote:

“The Luções are about ten days’ sail beyond Borneo. They are nearly all heathen; they have no king, but they are ruled by a group of elders. They are a robust people, little thought of in Molucca. They have two or three junks at the most.”

“The Borneans go to the lands of the Luções to buy gold, and foodstuffs as well, and the gold which they bring to Molucca is from the Luções and from the surrounding islands which are countless, and they all have more or less trade with one another. And the gold of these islands where they trade is of low quality – indeed very low quality …”

The Account of the Genoese Pilot (Leone Pancaldo) says that in March 1521, when Magellan’s expedition arrived at the small island of Malhou, in the south-eastern Philippine Islands, the natives informed them that ‘they had already seen there other men like them‘, which suggests that possibly even before 1521, there were other Europeans that already visited the archipelago.

In Spanish the name for Gold is ORO. Now look at the Islands of the Philippines and note those places with Oro in their names. Also note where the Capital of Sheba is today. Cebu.

The Philippines Are Ancient Ophir

By: IKE T. ARTIGO
TAGA-LUZON EMPIRE

“Where is Tarshish and Ophir”

During the early period of European colonization, the Biblical lands of Tarshish and Ophir, or Tarsis and Ofir, as they were called, held the imagination of European explorers. Not only was it believed that the “lost tribes” of Israel were to be found in these lands, but also untold wealth. To these kingdoms, King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre sent ships for trade that “brought from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones,” (I Kings 10:11). Concerning Tarshish, it is written: “For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacock.” (II Chronicle 9:21)

In Samuel Purchas’s well-known travel compendium Purchas His Pilgrim, he devotes the entire first chapter to a discussion of Tarshish and Ophir. In particular, he argues strenuously that it is beloved Britain and not Spain that deserved the title as the modern Tarshish and Ophir. Curiously, in Careri’s journal of his visit to the Philippines, he mentions that he would not go into the argument raging in Europe at that time over whether the Philippines was originally populated by the descendants of Biblical Tarshish.

In modern times, scholars have attempted to relate Tarshish and Ophir with a number of areas, none of which include the Philippines. However, things were different in Europe prior to the discovery of the Philippines. There, they believed that Tarsis and Ofir were some lands far to the east of biblical Israel. Their reasoning was actually quite logical. King Solomon built the port from which ships departed for Tarsis and Ofir at Ezion-Geber on the coast of the Red Sea. The return journey took about three years, so obviously the location must be somewhere far to the East. In modern times, some scholars have tried to suggest that Solomon’s navy circumnavigated Africa to reach the Mediterranean, but the seafaring Europeans of those times would not consider such nonsense. Tarsis and Ofir were unknown lands beyond the Golden Chersonese of Ptolemy. Their discovery would undoubtedly bring untold wealth and great fame in the minds of the people of those times.

But what, one may ask, has this to do with the Philippines? The truth is that the search for Tarsis and Ofir was directly related to the “discovery” of these islands by Magellan!
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Magellan and the Search for Ophir

Magellan’s contemporary, Duarte Barbosa, wrote that the people of Malacca (in modern Malaysia) had described to him an island group known as the Lequios whose people were as “rich and more eminent than the Chins (Chinese),” and that traded “much gold, and silver in bars, silk, rich cloth, and much very good wheat, beautiful porcelains and many other merchandises.”
However, Barbosa was not the only one to mention the Lequios during Magellan’s time. About a decade after Magellan’s voyage, Ferdinand Pinto had written in his journal of the experience of his crew and himself after being shipwrecked on the Lequios! Pinto was travelling through the Malay Archipelago at the time and he describes the Lequios islands as belonging to a large group of islands many of which were rich in gold and silver. He mentions that at that time the Portuguese were familiar with Japan and China, and also with the island of “Mindanaus” or Mindanao, so the Lequois islands must have been somewhere between these two areas. Furthermore, Pinto even goes as far as to give the exact latitude of the main Lequios island. He states that is was situated at 9N20 latitude and that the island was on a meridian similar to that of Japan.

Now, in Magellan’s time, all exploration was done by latitude sailing and dead reckoning, as no navigational clocks were in use. Latitude sailing required fixing one’s latitude precisely by means of an astrolabe. Longitude could only be approximated roughly by using a patent log to track the distance the ship has travelled in any particular direction. When Magellan began to suspect he was nearing the region of the Moluccas he deliberately steered on a north course and then turned westward at a latitude of 13 degrees North according to both Pigafetta and Albo. Pigafetta states that the reason was to get near the port of “Gaticara” which was the Cattigara mentioned by Ptolemy. In the book, Magellan’s Voyage around the World, the author, Charles E. Nowell, offers another possible reason for Magellan steering so far to the north of the Moluccas. He notes that Magellan himself had rewritten part of Barbosa’s book referring to the Lequios, and in his version, Magellan substituted “Tarsis” and “Ofir” for the world “Lequios.”

Although these lands are not mentioned in Magellan’s contract, less than six years after his voyage, Sebastian Cabot signed a contract with Spain which did have as one of its objectives the “lands of Tarshish and Ophir.” Magellan had been to Malacca himself, and probably many have heard of the community of Filipino workers and merchants that lived there under the protection of the king of Malacca. Probably many of you already know of the theory that Black Henry, the slave Magellan purchased at Malacca, may have belonged to the Filipino community of Malacca as he was able to speak with the natives at Limasawa. Whatever the case, we know from his own pen that Magellan thought the Lequios islands might be the same as the Biblical Tarsis and Ofir, and it may be that his idea of the position of the Lequios was partly shaped by Barbosa’s book, and partly by information he may have received from Filipinos in Malacca. Was the fact that Black Henry was able to converse with the people living at the latitude given by Pinto (but not with the people of Samar or Leyte) a coincidence, or something planned in advance from information gleaned in Malacca?

Even after their discovery, many still regarded the Philippines, rich in gold and silver, to be the same as ancient Tarsis and Ofir. Father Colin, referred to them as such in the early 1600’s and even at the turn of the century, the Philippine historian Pedro Paterno, still claimed that the Philippines were really Tarshish and Ophir! Whatever one thinks of these claims though, the search for the Biblical El Dorado appears to have played an important role in the European discovery of the Philippines.

The following glyphs or symbol was discovered by Gene Savoy in the cliffs far above the Utcabamba River. There was a theory that this is not a symbol but a sketch map going to Ophir used by Phoenician people.

Gran Valaya “ship” designs of the Chachapoyas from the tomb walls at “Pueblo de los Muertos”

At this point, we will try to use the 1st sketch map. Try to figure out from what country pointing the arrow, corner and the endpoint. It was fit to the description of the Spanish record that Ophir can be found by travelling from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, to India, to Burma, to Sumatra, to Moluccas, to Borneo, to Sulu, to China, then finally Ophir.

In a book found in Spain entitled Collecion General de Documentos Relativos a las Islas Filipinas, the author has described how to locate Ophir. According to the section “Document No. 98”, dated 1519-1522, Ophir can be found by travelling from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, to India, to Burma, to Sumatra, to Moluccas, to Borneo, to Sulu, to China, then finally Ophir. Ophir was said to be “[…] in front of China towards the sea, of many islands where the Moluccans, Chinese, and Lequios met to trade…” Jes Tirol asserts that this group of islands could not be Japan because the Moluccans did not get there, nor Taiwan, since it is not composed of “many islands.” Only the present-day Philippines, he says, could fit the description. Spanish records also mention the presence of Lequious (big, bearded white men, probably descendants of the Phoenicians, whose ships were always laden with gold and silver) in the Islands to gather gold and silver. Other evidence has also been pointed out suggesting that the Philippines was the biblical Ophir.

Chryse

Chryse, the “Golden One,” is the name given by ancient Greek writers to an island rich in gold to the east of India. Pomponius Mela, Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mention Chryse in the first century CE. It is basically the equivalent of the Indian Suvarnadvipa the “Island of Gold.” Josephus calls it in Latin Aurea, and equates the island with biblical Ophir, from where the ships of Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items.

Chryse is often coupled with another island Argyre the “Island of Silver” and placed beyond the Ganges. Ptolemy locates both islands east of the Khruses Kersonenson the “Golden Peninsula” i.e. the Malaya Penisula. North of Chryse in the Periplus was Thin, which some consider the first European reference to China.

In addition to gold, Chryse was also famed for having the finest tortoiseshell in the world according to the Periplus. Large ships brought trade goods back and forth between Chryse and the markets at the mouth of the Ganges.

Chin-lin

In ancient Chinese literature, a mysterious region beyond their southern border in Annam was known as Chin-lin “Golden Neighbor” and the Southeast Asian border was also called the “Golden Frontier.”

When China invaded Annam (northern Vietnam) in the first century BCE, the kingdom of Champa fortified villages along the old caravan trail. This path became Route Colonial 9 during the French colonial period, and it was used by the Americans to build the McNamara Line of fortified bases during the Vietnam War.

With this fortified line, the rugged Central Highlands and a policy of constant piracy, the Champa kingdom held the Chinese at bay for a thousand years. After the fall of the Chin dynasty in the 5th century, Cham raids on Tongking became so frequent that the governor appealed to the emperor for assistance. A war of attrition between China and Champa began that lasted until the rise of the T’ang dynasty. During this time though, China was well aware of the golden lands far to the south. The Buddhist pilgrim I-Tsing mentions Chin-Chou “Isle of Gold” in the archipelago south of China on his way back from India.

The Medieval Geography of Sanfotsi and Zabag

The great kingdoms of Sanfotsi (Tagalog:  SAAN PO SI?) and Toupo (Tagalog: Tao Po)(Shopo) mentioned in the Chinese geographical works of Chau Ju-Kua, Chou Ku-Fei and Ma Tuan-lin are often located in areas of the West like Sumatra, Java and Malaysia. However, a close analysis of the texts give directions that point decidedly further East. Thus, scholars like Roland Braddell and Paul Wheatley have looked further East, specifically to the region of Northern Borneo. Some other researchers, though, like J.L. Moens, from the Leiden school, M. Yang-ouen-hoei, D’Harvey de St. Denis and Austin Craig asserted that either Sanfotsi or Toupo were located among the Philippine islands.

Sanfotsi, Entrepot of the South

Here is a paraphrased excerpt of the translation of Chau Ju-kua’s Chu-fan-chi by Hirth and Rockhill regarding Sanfotsi. Notice the directions given for voyages to that country:

“Sanfotsi lies between Chenla and Toupo. Its rule extends over fifteen chou. It lies due south of Tsu’an-chou. In the winter, with the monsoon, you sail a little more than a month and then come to Lingyamon (Lingayen), where one-third of the passing merchants before entering this country of Sanfotsi.

A large proportion of the people are surnamed P’u (Apu). The people either live scattered about outside the city, or on the water on rafts of boards covered over with reeds, and these are exempt from taxation.

Actually, after you passed the Sumatra, Java, Malaysia going further east of the North Borneo you will enter the entrepot of Zabag that’s why you need to say Hello to all the people there, saying just like “TAO PO or TOUPO”. Once you reached the place of Zabag you must ask the people out there, “SAAN PO SI or SANFOTSI? That’s why most people in Kapampangan or Tagalog in Luzon use “APO” word before the name for Older persons or relatives. Example; “TAO PO! SAAN PO SI APO or APU MARIA?

They are skilled at fighting on land or water. When they are about to make war on another state they assemble and send for the such a force as the occasion demands. They appoint chiefs and leaders, and all provide their own military equipment and the necessary provisions. In facing the enemy and braving death they have not their equal among other nations.

During most of the year, the climate is hot, and there is but little cold weather. Their domestic animals are very much like those of China. They have wine of flowers, wine of coconuts, and wine of areca nuts and honey, all fermented, though without any yeast of any kind, but they are so intoxicating to drink.”

Chou Ku-fei has pretty much the same thing to say about Sanfotsi:

“Sanfotsi is in the Southern Ocean (South China Sea). It is the most important port-of-call on the sea-routes of the foreigners from the countries of Toupo on the east and from the countries of the Arabs and Kulin (Thailand) to the west; they all pass through on the way to China.

The country has no natural products, but the people are skilled in fighting. When they are about to fight, they cover their bodies with a medicine which prevents swords wounding them (anting-anting). In fighting on land or on water none surpass them in impetuosity of attack; even the Kulin people come after them. If some foreign ship, passing this place, should not enter here, an armed party would certainly come out kill them to the last.”

Examining the accounts above we find that Sanfotsi was to the south of China, and was, in fact, due south of the port of Ts’uan-chou. This is supported by an official historical document describing the trade routes of the South, which mentions the voyage from Sanfotsi to China.:

“Sanfotsi is an important thoroughfare on the sea-routes of the foreigners on their way to and fro. Ships (leaving it for China) sail due north, and having passed the Shang-hia-chu islands and the sea of Kiau-chi (Tongking), they come within the limits of China.”

If we study the map below (not to scale), we see that Ts’uan-chou is located by most geographers on the South China coast adjacent to northern Taiwan. It is generally treated either with present-day Fuzhou or Xiamen at about 120 degrees East longitude.

Obviously, if we head due south of Ts’uan-chou, we will be heading on a course for the Northern Philippines, or at least the northeast coast of Borneo. It may be that in this same area was the land known as Foshi by the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, I-Ching. Foshi is often related linguistically to Sanfotsi, and it was reached by a 20-day journey to the south from the ports of Canton or Ts’uan-chou during the winter monsoon. This closely matches the description of travel to Sanfotsi. Here is the description of the voyage to Foshi by Kie Tan:

“From Kuang-chou (Canton) towards the southeast, travelling by sea for 200 li, one reaches Mount T’un-mon. Then, with a favourable wind going westward for two days, one reaches the Kiu-chou rocks (Hainan). Then southward, and after two days one reaches the Siang-shi, or Elephant Rock. Then southward after three days, one comes to Mount Chan-pu-lan, this mountain is in the sea at 200 li east of the country of Huan-wang (Tongking). Then southward, after two days journey, one reaches Mount Ling. Then, after a day’s journey one comes to the country of Montu. Then after a day’s journey one comes to the counry of Ku-tan; then after a day’s journey one reaches the territory of Pon-to’o-lang. Then after two days journey one comes to Mount Kun-t’u-nung. Then after five days journey one comes to the strait the Barbarians call Chi. From the south to the north it is 100 li.. On the northern shore is the country of Lo-yue, on the southern coast is the country of Foshi.”

Toupo(TAO PO), Entrepot of the Southeast

Toupo was Sanfotsi’s main competitor in the South China Sea. Both were great island empires that thrived on trade. Here is a description of the journey from Toupo to China from the official Chinese documents:

“Ships coming from Toupo go a little northwest but when they have passed the Shi-ir-tzi rocks, they take the same route as the Sanfotsi ships from below the Shang-hia-chu isles.”

Thus, the ships from Toupo sailed northwest toward Sanfotsi, which after passing, they headed due north along with ships from that port. Chau Ju-kua states about Toupo:

“The kingdom of Toupo also called P’u-kia-lung is in a southeasterly direction from Ts’uan-chou, whence ships start, as a rule, during the winter, for sailing continually with the north wind, they arrive within about a month.”

The winter monsoons mentioned for travel both to Sanfotsi and Toupo blow from South China towards the southeast, the opposite direction of the typhoons of the rainy season during the summer.

According to most Chinese geographical works, the journey from Toupo to the China coast first involved a journey of about two weeks heading northwest before reaching Poni (Panay), then you resume a northwest heading arriving in about a week at Mai (Mindoro), from here the journey still continues northwest before reaching Sanfotsi in a few days. From here you head either due north for Ts’uan-chou or a bit northwest of Canton. Clearly, Toupo was well to the southeast of the South China coast. J.L. Moens believed that the capital of Toupo was the city of Toubouk, the old name of Cotabato in Mindanao.

While Sanfotsi was considered the major port of the South, and Toupo of the Southeast, ports at Tongking and Cambodia were considered the major markets of the Southwest from the port of Canton near modern Hong Kong. Clearly, from this, we can see that both Sanfotsi and Toupo are located to the east of Cambodia and Tongking.

Zabag and Wakwak

The kingdoms of Zabag and Wakwak, famed among the medieval Muslims as rich in gold, referred to the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago i.e. the Philippines and Eastern Indonesia.
Zabag means is the expression of surprise and astonishment like, “GOOD HEAVEN” or “OH MY GOD, A MOUNTAIN OF GOLD ”.

Zabag was based in what would later become the kingdom of Lusung came from the word of Locues or Leqiuos. The Hebrew word “LEQOT” or “LIQQET” means to gather, to glean. It resembles closely the word Lequios. It will fit the men of King Solomon’s fleet who gathered gold and silver. (Note: The Hebrew alphabet has no small letters.)

The Lequios are the Hebrew and Phoenicians descendants of the Biblical trade missions to Ophir. In this sense, the Philippines fits the bill as a gold-rich realm. The country has consistently ranked second in the world behind only South Africa in gold deposits per land area. The Philippines has historically been the largest producer of gold in Asia despite its relatively small size and the fact that until 1980 most gold was obtained only through small alluvial deposits.

Although some ancient gold artefacts have been found in this region, they don’t match the age suggested by linguistic reconstruction. Gold may have been mostly handed down from generation to generation rather than being used as a burial good item.

In about the second century CE, there arose a practice of using gold eye covers, and then, gold facial orifice covers to adorn the dead resulting in an increase of ancient gold finds. More than a millennium later, the popularity of dental gold to decorate the teeth significantly increased the amount of gold found at archaeological sites.

When the Spanish came they discovered an abundance of gold used among the people of the Philippine islands. Here are some relevant quotes:

Pieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs are found by sifting the earth in the island of that king who came to our ships. All the dishes of that king are of gold and also some portion of his house as we were told by that king himself…He had a covering of silk on his head, and wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears…At his side hung a dagger, the haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth, and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold.
— Pigafetta on Raja Siaui of Butuan during Magellan’s voyage

For brass, iron and other weighty articles, they gave us gold in exchange…For 14 pounds of iron we received 10 pieces of gold, of the value of a ducat and a half. The Captain General forbade too great an anxiety for receiving gold, without which order every sailor would have parted with all he had to obtain this metal, which would have ruined our commerce forever.
— Pigafetta on gold trade in Cebu

Sailing in this manner, for some time, in 16° of north latitude, they were obliged by continual contrary winds, to bear up again for the Philippine islands, and in their way back, had sight of six or seven additional islands, but did not anchor at any of them. They found also an archipelago, or numerous cluster of islands, in 15 or 16 degrees of north latitude, well inhabited by a white people, with beautiful well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any other of the islands of these parts; and they had many golden ornaments, which was a sure sign that there was some of that metal in their country.
— Antonio Galvão in 1555 describing the journey of Bartholomew de la Torre in 1548

“…the ore is so rich that I will not write any more about it, as I might possibly come under a suspicion of exaggerating; but I swear by Christ that there is more gold on this island than there is iron in all Biscay.”
— Hernando Riquel et al., 1574

In this island, there are many gold mines, some of which have been inspected by the Spaniards, who say that the natives work them as is done in Nueva Espana with the mines of silver; and, as in these mines, the vein of ore here is continous. Assays have been made, yielding so great wealth that I shall not endeavor to describe them, lest I be suspected of lying. Time will prove the truth.
— Hernando Riquel et al. on island of Luzon, 1574

There are some chiefs in this island who have on their persons ten or twelve thousand ducats’ worth of gold in jewels–to say nothing of the lands, slaves, and mines that they own. There are so many of these chiefs that they are innumerable. Likewise, the individual subjects of these chiefs have a great quantity of the said jewels of gold, which they wear on their persons–bracelets, chains, and earrings of solid gold, daggers of gold, and other very rich trinkets. These are generally seen among them, and not only the chiefs and freemen have plenty of these jewels, but even slaves possess and wear golden trinkets upon their persons, openly and freely.
— Guido de Lavezaris at al., 1574

About their necks they wear gold necklaces, wrought like spun wax, and with links in our fashion, some larger than others. On their arms they wear armlets of wrought gold, which they call calombigas, and which are very large and made in different patterns. Some wear strings of precious stones–cornelians and agates; and other blue and white stones, which they esteem highly. They wear around the legs some strings of these stones, and certain cords, covered with black pitch in many foldings, as garters.
— Antonio de Morga, 1609

“… the natives proceed more slowly in this, and content themselves with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is considerable, for he must be poor and wretched who has no gold chains, calombigas, and earrings.”
— Antonio de Morga, 1609

The Portuguese explorer Pedro Fidalgo in 1545 found gold so abundant on Luzon the inhabitants were willing to trade two pezoes of gold for one pezo of silver.

When the Portuguese first arrived, most of the gold traded into Brunei came from Luzon. That island was known as Lusung Dao or “Golden Luzon” to the Chinese who also traded for gold in this region.

References:
Legeza, Laszlo. “Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art,” Arts of Asia, July-Aug. 1988, pp.129-136. (Mentions gold jewelry of Philippine origin in first century CE Egypt)
Peralta, J.T. “Prehistoric gold ornaments from the Central Bank of the Philippines,” Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54.Villegas, Ramon N. Ginto: History Wrought in Gold, Manila: Bangko Central ng Pilipinas, 2004.

Mines Dating Back to at Least 1,000 B.C. Have Been Found in the Philippines

According to De Morga: (1,000 B.C. is when King Solomon’s navy of ships going to Ophir for gold) Mines dating back to at least 1,000 B.C. have been found in the Philippines. When the Spanish arrived the Filipinos worked various mines of gold, silver, copper and iron. They also seemed to have worked in brass using tin that was likely imported from the Malay Peninsula. The ironwork in particular was said to be of very high quality in some cases, and occasionally in some areas, even better than that found in Europe.

When the Spanish arrived, the Philippines was so gilded with gold that most of the gold mines had been neglected. “… the natives proceed more slowly in this, and content themselves with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is considerable, for he must be poor and wrethced who has no gold chains, calombigas, and earrings.”

As the missionary Francisco Colín wrote in 1663:

In the punishment of crimes of violence the social rank of the slayer and slain made a great deal of difference. If the slain was a chief, all his kinsfolk took the warpath against the slayer and his kinfolk, and this state of war continued until arbiters were able to determine the amount of gold which had to be paid for the killing… The death penalty was not imposed by public authority save in cases where both the slayer and slain were commoners, and the slayer could not pay the blood price.
Blair and Robertson, Vol. II, p. 116.

Legazpi describes one of the “Moro” pilots captured from Butuan:

“…a most experienced man who had much knowledge, not only of matters concerning these Filipinas Islands, but those of Maluco, Borney, Malaca, Jaba, India, and China, where he had had much experience in navigation and trade.”

According to Pigafetta:
However, things seem to already diminished from Pigafetta’s time:

“On the island [Butuan] where the king came to the ship, pieces of gold as large as walnuts or eggs are to be found, by sifting the earth. All the dishes of the king are of gold, and his whole house is very well set up.”

Pigafetta goes on to describe the huge gold ornaments, gold dagger handles, tooth plating and even gold that was used to decorate the outside of houses! On the gold work of the Filipinos is this description of the people of Mindoro: ( copied by Israel recorded in 1Chronicles 29:4 Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal)

“…they possess great skill in mixing it [gold] with other metals. They give it an outside appearance so natural and perfect, and so fine a ring, that unless it is melted they can deceive all men, even the best of silversmiths.” Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 131 Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54

Apparently, even foreigners desired Filipino gold products. Recent discoveries show that gold jewelry of Philippine origin was found in Egypt near the beginning of the era. These finds are mentioned in Laszlo Legeza’s “Tantric elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art,” (Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 131) along a discussion of Philippine Tantric art. Some outstanding examples of Philippine jewelry, which included necklaces, belts, armlets and rings placed around the waist, are showcased in J. T. Peralta’s “Prehistoric gold ornaments from the Central Bank of the Philippines,” Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54.

Luzon Empire

LUCOES or LEQUIOS ISLANDS

Luzon Empire according to Chinese historians

Luzon Empire (1279-1571 AD) was an ancient empire once located around Manila bay region of the Philippines. Its capital was Tondo, its territories covered most of what is now Central Luzon, extending from delta region that surrounds Manila Bay, all the way into the interior along head waters of the surrounding rivers in the province of Pampanga, Bulakan (covered part now Rizal).

The history of Song Dynasty was compiled under Mongol Prime Minister Toktoghan in 1345 AD. In it the Mongols recount the final and complete destruction of Nan song (southern song Empire) (1127-1279 AD), wherein 1279 AD the Mongol Fleet crushed the Nan Song Navy at the Naval battle of Yamen. The loyal Minister of the Left Liu Xiufu committed suicide with last Na Song Emperor, the children Songdi Bing rather than be captured by the Mongols.

The Grand Admiral Zhang Shijie escaped with his grand armada but were later annihilated by a typhoon while crossing the seas.

Alternative source refute the accounts of the destruction of Zhang Shijie’s grand armada as nothing more than Mongol propaganda since there were no eyewitness accounts of its destruction nor were there traces left of its remains. For most historians, the fate of Zhang shijie and his grand armada remains a mystery.

Contemporary Chinese historians in Guangdong are now even questioning the Mongolian accounts regarding Emperor Bing’s death. Even though Mongol sources claimed that the corpse of the last emperor has been found washed ashore along the coast of Shenzen, his actual grave is yet to be found. Cantonese folklore expressed in the traditional Cantonese opera narrates an alternative account where the loyal Minister Liu Xiufu tricked the Mongols by committing suicide with his own son disguised as the young emperor. The real emperor was said to have been smuggled out of the scene of battle by Grand Admiral Zhang Shijie, who will eventually return to redeem the empire from the invaders. The Travel of Marco Polo also recounts the escape of the last song emperor across the ocean. Zhang Shijie’s fleet and the last song emperor may have escaped to pre-colonial Philippines and established the Luzon Empire or the ‘Lesser Song Empire”.

Despite the conjectures regarding its origins, the Ming Annals are clear on the actual existence of the Luzon Empire. It records that in 1373 AD, the Luzon Empire sent its first among the many succeeding diplomat mission to the Great Ming Empire (1368-1644 AD), accompanied by the embassies of India’s Chola Empire.

The Ming chroniclers added the character for “kingdom” of “empire” (pinyin: GuU) after Luzon (Lusong), indicating that it was once an independent and sovereign kingdom. Her rulers were acknowledged as king and not mere chieftains. The Ming empire treated the Luzon Empire more favorably than Japan by allowing it to trade with China once every two years, while Japan was only allowed to trade once every 11 years.

Luzon empire flourished during the latter half of the Ming Dynasty when China closed its doors to foreign trade. Foreigners were forbidden to send trade missions to China. Chinese merchants were likewise forbidden to trade beyond the borders of the Ming Empire. Yet clandestinely, merchants from Guangzhou and Quanzhou regularly delivered trade goods to Tondo. Luzon merchants then traded them all across Southeast Asia and were considered “Chinese” by the people they encountered.

The Portuguese who came to Asia much earlier than the Spaniards recorded their encounter with the inhabitants of the Luzon empire and called them ‘Lucoes’. The Portuguese records that the Luzon Empire played an active role in the politics and economy of the 16th century Southeast Asia, especially in controlling the trade traffic at the Straits of Malacca.

The Luzon Empire’s powerful presence in the trade of Chinese goods in 16th century East asia was felt strongly by Japan, whose merchants had to resort to piracy in order to obtain much sought after Chinese products such as silk and porcelain. Famous 16th century Japanese merchants and tea connoisseurs like Shimai Soushitsu and Kamiya Soutan established their branches here. One famous Japanese merchant, Luzon Sukezaemon, went as far as to change his name from Naya to Luzon.

Tondo (Tungdu in Cantonese) or the ‘Eastern Capital’ has always been the traditional capital of the Luzon Empire. Its traditional rulers were the lakandula (Kapampangan: ‘Lord of the Palace’). During the reign of Paduka Sri Baginda Rajah dan yang di Pertuan Bulkiah (1485-1521) the Kingdom of Brunai decided to break the Luzon Empire’s monopoly in the China trade by attacking Tondo and establishing the city state of Mainl’l, as a Burneian satellite. A new dynasty under the Salalila was established in Manila to challenge the House of Lakand’l, in Tondo.

When the Spaniards arrived in 1571 AD, the unity of the Luzon Empire was already threatened by the uneasy alliance of the Three Kings of Luzon: the Rajah matanda of Sapa, the Lakandula of Tondo and Rajah Suliman III, the ‘rajah muda’ or “crown prince” of Mainl’l and ‘laxamana’ or “grand admiral” of the Macabebe Armada. Powerful states like Lubao, Betis and Macabebe become bold enough to challenge the traditional leadership of Tondo and Mainl’l. The Spaniards took advantage of the chaos, played favourites with one ruler and pitted them against the other.

Rumor has it that the Spaniards had poisoned the Rajah Matanda of Mainl’l, so as to win the support of Lakandula of Tondo. Disregarding the legitimacy of Rajah Suliman III as ‘rajah muda’, the Spaniards installed the child Rajah Bago as the new king of Mainl’l.

In 1571, Rajah Suliman III, the ‘rajah muda’ of mainl’l and laxamana of the Macabebe armada, challenged the Spaniards to a naval battle at the estuary of bangkusay. The Spaniards were able to crush Rajah Suliman III and his Macabebe armada due to the lack of support from the other rulers of the empire. The Luzon Empire was quickly overtaken by the Spaniards. Its territories were carved out and distributed as spoils among themselves. The province of Pampanga was the first Spanish colonial province carved out of the Luzon Empire and the people who spoke one language from Tondo to the rest of Pampanga are now called Kapampangan.

After the collapse of the Luzon empire, the Spaniards were finally able to create their first colony in Asia, the Philippines, named in honor of Spanish King Philip II of Spain. The name Luzon was given to the entire northern Philippine island, in memory of the former Luzon empire.

The Luzon Empire was said to have finally ended in 1571 AD according to Spanish records.Yet the fortified cities of Lubao and Betis continued to thrive as independent principalities of the Luzon Empire till 1572 AD.

In 1575 AD, the Spaniards executed the child king Rajah Bago and his cousin Lumanlan. The Lakandula of Tondo also died in the same year.

In 1586 AD, the Spaniards crushed the revolt of former nobles of the Luzon Empire, in the province of Pampanga. The revolt was based in Candaba under the leadership of Don Nicolas Mananquete and Don Juan de Manila.

In 1588 AD, the Spaniards crushed the revolt of the nobles of the Luzon Empire in Tondo. It was led by the descendants of the Lakandula and their kinsmen with the assistance of Japanese merchants. Many of them executed or exiled and their properties confiscated.

In 1590 AD, the King Sattha of Cambodia sent two elephants to the “King of Luzon” through his Portuguese ambassador and requested the Luzon Empire’s assistance in their battle against Siam. In the same year the “lords” of the Luzon Empire were said to have been corresponding with theTaikou-sama of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, begging for assistance to help liberate the Luzon Empire from Spaniards. Hideyoshi responded by sending a letter to the Spanish Governor of Manila, demanding that the Spaniards leave Luzon quietly or else face a full scale invasion that would force them out. Ill-prepared for a Japanese invasion, the Spanish Governor of Manila decided to appease Hideyoshi by sending gift from the Americas, including the two elephants sent by the King of Cambodia. The rulers of the old Luzon Empire who cooperated with the Spanish overlords became the principal of the new Spanish colony. To this day, their descendants still play an influential role in Philippine society.

The study of Philippine history has for many years been Eurocentric, most Philippine historians have gone as far back at the earliest Spanish records but have failed to look into the archives of neighbouring countries, such as Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and China. Their dependence on the English language limits the majority of Philippine historians from accessing volumes of materials written in Chinese and other Asian languages. As a result, the history of the Luzon(Zabag or OPHIR) empire remains mythical in their scholastic psyche and still virtually non-existent in mainstream Philippine History.

Sheba Invited to Build Third Temple

As I was about to leave for the Philippines this article came out in which the Sanhedrin was inviting the Arabs to work with them to build the next temple. If only they knew where the real Queen of Sheba came from. Not Saudi Arabia but the Philippines.

The article leads off with this quote;

Dust clouds of camels shall cover you, Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. They all shall come from Sheba; They shall bear gold and frankincense, And shall herald the glories of Hashem. Isaiah 60:6 (The Israel Bible™)

The nascent Sanhedrin, a Biblically mandated court of 71 elders, released a letter in Hebrew, English and Arabic inviting the Arabs as the sons of Ishmael to take their role in supporting the Third Temple as prophesied by Isaiah. This move is far more than symbolic. It is intended to bring the entire world one step closer to the global peace that will characterize the Messianic era.

The letter reads:

“Dear brothers, the distinguished Sons of Ishmael, The great Arab nation,

“With the gracious help of the protector and Savior of Israel, Creator of the world by covenant, we declare that the footsteps of Messiah are evidently heard and that the time has come to rebuild the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem in its ancient place.”

“We, the Jews who advocate building of the Temple, are applying to your Honorable ones, who were nominated by their peoples to give oath, raise vows and gifts to the Temple as prophesied by prophet Isaiah concerning your essential role and honorable position in keeping the Temple and supporting it with lamb sacrifices and incense in order to receive God’s Blessings.”

Raise your eyes and look about: They have all gathered and come to you. Your sons shall be brought from afar, Your daughters like babes on shoulders. As you behold, you will glow; Your heart will throb and thrill— For the wealth of the sea shall pass on to you, The riches of nations shall flow to you. Dust clouds of camels shall cover you, Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. They all shall come from Sheba; They shall bear gold and frankincense, And shall herald the glories of Hashem. Isaiah 60:4-6
“By virtue of this, we are certain that you will choose peaceful means and avoid all paths to hostility and violence. And we are sure that together we shall open doors to love and respect.”

The letter was signed by 23 respected Rabbis who have received smicha (Rabbinic ordination) for the purpose of re-establishing the Sanhedrin. The rabbis are in the process of acquiring signatures of the full quorum of 71, after which they will send the letter to major Arab institutions and leaders. They hope to hold a conference with Arabs.

 

Conclusion

We are told in Exodus 12:11 to eat the Passover in hates ready to flee.

In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

So it is highly appropriate that I send this at this time so that you all can talk about it over Passover and consider all that is being revealed to us at this time.

From the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycles we know we are in the 120th and final Jubilee cycle for the 6th Millennial day of man. We know that!

From the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 we know that there are 70 Jubilee cycles from the Exodus until this time we are in right now.

We also know that in the middle of that 70t Jubilees cycle Israel, all 12 tribes will be cut off and be as if they never were as punishment for not keeping the Torah.

So we know when. You should have proven this by now.

We know why.

But we did not where to flee to. I had assumed it was Jerusalem because we flee from Jerusalem to Jordan. But I was missing one step.

A year ago friends told me to watch this Christian video about the Philippines. It said the garden of Eden was there. I dismissed it because we know for a fact the Garden of Eden is in Northern Iran and Eastern Turkey. I have been there myself when I went to visit Noah’s Ark. But in that long video series was some other things. In January February 2018 more people urged me to look at it again. So I did my own research and then watched what they offered.

I also have to wonder why the only two places I have been able to share this message of the Jubilee has been enthusiastically received only in two places. Burundi and the Philippines. And Both of them are I believe mentioned in Isaiah 11:11. Pathros is the ends of the Nile and that is exactly where Burundi is, at the very end of the Nile system. And the Isles of the far east is the Philippines.

It is my position that we are to flee to the Philippines if we want to have any hope of surviving what is to come. I have told you all to get your passports and have them up to date and ready to go. Revelation talks about the Saints under the Altar that are told to wait until their brethren too would be killed. You do not have to be one of them.

When the Assyrians invaded Israel. Some of the tribes had already fled. Dan being one of them.

Again I must remind you of what we are told in Ezekiel 20:37-38

I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Yehovah is going to force everyone to pass under this rod and to be removed from your homes.

Isaiah tell us exactly what that “ROD” is.

Isaiah 10:5 Woe to, Assyria, the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Germany is the “ROD” Yehovah is going to use to fulfil His fury against the 12 tribes for not obeying Him. And you all have seen in recent years how Germany has invited millions of Islamic men to come to that nation. Now just imagine a German Nazi with Islamic belief’s and consider how anyone who even looks like they are “Jewish” will fair in that climate. How many times have you been asked if you were Jewish because of the beliefs you now hold on to?

Again I am telling you to prove these things for yourself. Prove them beyond all doubts. Do not believe me.

Some of you just want to continue to play religion. I have never been playing that game. This is real to me and has been since I began to learn the truth.

Keep in mind what Yehovah said in Isaiah 66:19-21

And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

Some of these Filipinos will be made into Levitical Priests. And those of us from Israel they will bring to Yehovah in the same way the grain offering were done at Passover and Shavuot. Do you want to be that grain offering?

 

I have given you much to think about and to consider. Some of you will begin to plan how you can move there. The cost of living is very low compared to North America. Others will give up without even trying and be upset.

In all of this, we have a work yet to do. We need to train those who will become those Levitical priests. Please do continue to pray and support this work and to make your plans for what is about to happen.

28 Comments

  1. Steven Smith

    This is only my second year keeping the correct appointments with Yehovah. Been a little lonely seeing I was also part of a Church of
    God fellowship that actually teach that Yehovah is one and Yehshua was not eternal. They fall short at the Sabbatical year rest for the land and keep the Hebrew Calculated Calendar . So that been a challenge but the learning makes up for it. It been a intense year and a half of study.
    Might of taken less time if i had someone to show me some of this who had a good understanding but the videos helped a great deal. Still see new things the more i stud videos and the books. I read them sort of out of sequence. The first one I read last but it brought everything together I was unsure of thankfully.
    This Newsletter actually an answer to my prayer so very thankful for this information. Especially knowing you are taking time from the Feast to share this with us. Shalom Mr. Dumond

    Reply
    • Jet

      Thank you Bro Joseph for sharing to us the very essence of the message of Torah esp the prophecies concerning grand exodus and where should we flee in case… Now I understand exactly what you are trying to tell us when you were here in the Philippines when you were being asked abt Goshen: that Philippines is the land of Goshen since the Torah will be taught all over our country and Jews will be fleeing here as well…
      Adonai Elohim bless you abundantly and protect you and your family Bec of your hard work and faithfulness to YHVH

      Reply
  2. Marc Gravelle

    Thank you Joe for all the research that you have so painstakingly undertaken, it is great information that I would not even begin to understand where to start in getting all of what you have given us here in this news letter.
    Thank you for the constant effort that you put into all of your studies to keep us informed and educated and all I can say IS keep up this good work, because it is desperately needed in the body of Messiah, for there are so very few people that have willingly and lovingly chosen to walk in total surrendered obedience to the Torah of Moses given to Moses by our heavenly Father at Mount Sinai, compared to the innumerable amount of people that have chosen to follow man made religions and or the people that populate this world of ours. There are so very few people that actually follow and obey YHVH’s inerrant and everlasting teaching and instructions, His Torah of Life, His directives for everlasting Life, His eternal TRUTH (Psalm 119:142).
    Today is a day that is celebrated by all of Catholicism and Christianity as the day that the Lamb of Elohim, our Messiah, rose from the grave, and since according to Scripture WE ARE OUR BROTHER’S KEEPERS, I believe that YHVH wants each and everyone of us to fall on our faces in repentance for the corporate sin of rebellion and disbelief of the so called body of Messiah (His people) , and pray for those that have been mislead for thousand’s of years by the religious leaders of this world, pray that YHVH would manifest His TRUTH, His Torah of Life, to ALL those that profess to follow and obey the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, YHVH, for Scripture emphatically states that IT IS YHVH’s wish that NOT even one of His children perish, therefore let us take this opportunity to show our heavenly Father, that we TRULY love Him, BY LOVING our brothers and sisters that are so deceived by man made religions and man made doctrines, loving them enough to fall on our faces to intercede on their behalf that YHVH would show Him His eternal TRUTH, His Torah . 2 John Whosoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Messiah, does NOT have Elohim. however, HE that does abide in the Doctrine of Messiah, HE has both the Father and the Son. What is the Doctrine of Messiah? John 7:16 Yeshua answered them, and said, “My Doctrine IS NOT my own, but it IS the Doctrine of Him that sent me”; and we know that it is our heavenly Father that sent our Messiah to deliver and save us, and the Doctrine of our heaven;y Father’s righteousness is found in Proverbs 4:1-2 Hear, ye children, the instruction of your Father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake you NOT My Torah (My Law of Righteousness) , and finally YHVH tells us in Deuteronomy 6:25 how we can become righteous as He is righteous; And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these Commandments before YHVH our Elohim, as He has Commanded us, AND just in case someone thinks that the Commandments of YHVH are different than His Torah of Life, YHVH removes all doubt in 1Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of YHVH your Elohim, to walk in His Ways, to Keep His Statutes, and His Commandments, and His Judgments, and His Testimonies, AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE TORAH OF MOSES, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wheresoever you turn yourself.
    May YHVH bless every repentant obedient heart that willingly chooses to intercede and pray for the deliverance of His children. Amen
    Sincerely
    Your brother in Yeshua
    Marc Gravelle
    Langley BC

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    Sara Modrell
    APRIL 3, 2018
    I’m going to the post office today to update my passport. I’m not sure what is next to do. Where to start?
    My son is a non believer. All three children think I’ve ?ost it.
    My studding is the best thing I have in my life right now. Thanks to the news letters old ones the new one
    I’m counting the Omer this year and looking forward to Shavuot will pray for everyone…
    I’m so happy I have brothers and sisters in YAH.
    Praying your trip is helpful to many and that there law will pass. Have safe trip home
    Shalom Joseph,

    Reply
  4. Albert Ndebele

    The Queen of Sheba is not some Black North African Queen as some are trying to tell you. No, she came from far away. And it does not say she had Solomon’s child, a bastard child like some Black Hebrews say.

    Reply
  5. Eddy Haskel

    Hi Prophet Joe,
    I am booking my flight to the Philippines pronto. Thanks for the heads up!
    Best regards,
    Eddy

    Reply
  6. Mr. G

    Wow! give me a year or so to absorb this.

    Reply
  7. Mike

    Your studies on this topic has helped more than I can express. I used to think: oh, move to [the state of] Israel… so that I can go to that special place in the wilderness when it gets bad… lol. I was naïve. Then, I realized that, I’M ALREADY IN ISRAEL — your teachings have made that very clear. The [state of] Israel in the Middle East is Judah. And, they don’t want me, and I don’t think I would have liked it (good article on this: https://sethfrantzman.com/2016/03/20/10-things-i-wish-id-also-known-before-moving-to-israel/). Also, Judah is going to have the same problems as us. So, where does one go?
    From the perspective of a United States citizen, the Philippines is the obvious choice to expatriate to. I have lived in the United States my entire life and have only visited a few countries (quietly looking for one that I would be willing to flee to). The Philippines was basically a part of the United States from 1898 until 1946 our first colony. Their government structure is based on the United States concept (judicial, executive, legislative led by an elected president). Also, although we still have residual military bases there, after saving them from Japan during the war, we did what no other countries ever do… we left. As a result, they are very welcoming to Americans, and English is one of the two official national languages (the other is Tagalog/Filipino which is very similar to Spanish because the Philippines was a Spanish colony from the 1500’s before the United States came it… so, that high school Spanish that most Americans like me had to learn will come in very handy). Personally, my childhood “pastor” spent most of his early life/career as a missionary inside the Philippines and spoke of it often; so, I’ve had my eye on this part of the world for a while. So, I’ve done a little bit of academic research. I’ll include that below.
    The Philippines is known as the most “foreigner friendly” nation. In addition, they are known as the most Westernized Asian country. The top negatives are the poverty rate (most make less than $300 a month or about $4000 a year) and naïve Westerners can be the target of scams (especially men with an eye for the pretty natives or people who flaunt their money around). However, a Scripture focused person should be able to overcome these negatives with a bit of wisdom. Speaking of religion, the Philippines is about 86% Catholic, 8% Christian, and 4% Muslim. Technologically, cellphones and internet is everywhere, and one can get by without car because public transportation is everywhere. On the flip side, as a result of folks over there having internet, folks over here can right now watch YouTube videos on many topics associated with expatriates living there.
    Visas, citizenship, and land owning… Another negative for foreigners: I have heard not to expect to find a job in the Philippines. Massive poverty. They won’t let foreigners work there, anyway. However, one apparently does not need that much money. The cost of living is very cheap. “A Special Resident Retiree Visa” requires $10,000 in the bank and $800 a month pension income (U.S. Dollars). However, most people just go over on a “tourist visa” and keep renewing it. Banks like Citi Bank here in the U.S. are global and have locations in the Philippines… so, your Citi Bank credit and ATM card will work seamlessly over there as it does over here. There are other visas for special workers and for employers, but they are much less common (although, preferred, in my opinion). On the negative, there is little chance of citizenship at all, and foreigners cannot own land at all.
    Another side issue… what do the Scriptures say that the end time currency is? FOOD (not gold/silver). Remember that day’s wages for wheat (Rev 6:6) and they’ll throw their silver in the streets, and gold won’t deliver them (Eze 7:19) stuff? Right now, the Philippines is seen as poor because they export so much food… but, in the future, it’s food that’s valuable (scripture even gives us the exchange rate in Rev 6:6).
    So, you’ve given me a lot to think about. Making a massive life altering change like moving to the Philippines is something that is just way, way too big for my mind to wrap around. However, you have planted the idea. Yehovah can do a lot with an idea.

    Reply
  8. Pwus

    Reading that you can ‘prove that people of USA and UK are descended from the 12 tribes indeed smacks of Replacement Theology. This is intensely offensive to Jewish believers in Jeshua. If you take the idea that Jews live in these countries it is a no brainer. You will offend many with your provocative suggestion and need to question whether your vastly complex historical ‘facts’ are worth more than the people you are offending. I am far from impressed with your presentation with its presumptuous air of superiority.

    Reply
    • Joseph F. Dumond

      Pwus what is deeply offensive is when some one comments having not done their homework. If you are not able to take the truth, then tells me you would rather live with a lie than face the facts. That is very disappointing. We have proven the facts. We have proven them over and over and over to confirm what we are saying. Judah is the State of Israel but the name of Israel belonged to the Northern 10 tribes and in particular to the tribe of Ephraim and not to Judah. The Northern Tribes or the so called Lost tribes were never Jews. They were as your own bible states Israel.
      Those who refuse to check the facts and would rather rely on their own opinions are not the ones to lead our peoples. I can take all my teachings and put them in front of any court of law and they will stand the test of being examined on the facts alone. And if that offends you. So be it. Time to grow up and learn the truth of whom the Bible is talking about. Living in ignorance will get you killed.

      Reply
  9. Bobby Farmington

    Prophet Joe has spoken. The place of final safety has been identified, it is now just a matter of getting over to the Philippines. Those of you who don’t will incur the wrath of Yehovah as he punishes the nations and Israel. Grabbing my Tagalog dictionary and booking my flight. See everyone in the Philippines! Will you be coming back Joe, or have you made the Philippines your permanent base of operations?
    Shalom,
    Bobby Farmington

    Reply
    • Joseph F. Dumond

      Shalom Bobby, we are working on securing a way in which we can be back in the Philippines permanently.

      Reply
      • G. S.

        Hi Joe – From the High Lands of Australia
        Let us know when you are back permanently in the Philippines to come over and join you

        Reply
  10. Ezra Raduban

    I think it is only fitting that the Philippines has been identified as the place of safety. You can put a modern twist on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians with this: “Prophet Joe, a servant of Yeshua and Yehovah, to the future Levitical priests of the Philippines…”
    Shalom and may all the readers of this newsletter escape the wrath of Yehovah that is going to come upon this world.
    Ezra Raduban

    Reply
  11. Peachy

    Dear Brother,
    I live in Canada, but I was born and raised in the Philippines till I was 39 years old (now 62). I am very surprised to read the article above but am very happy learning all of the above. I was actually converted to the WCG (HWA time) as early as my early 20’s. My mother, a Catholic as with my whole clan (LOL), did not object. I was surprised to hear her say that they don’t feed their patients unclean food (she was the chief cook in the only hospital in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. If you look back at your Philippine map above, I am from the southernmost part of Ilocos Sur (capital-Vigan, where I spent my first 5 years).
    I am very happy for non-Filipino brethren planning to move to the Philippines. You don’t need a lot of money (Pesos). I believe if you are retired or near retirement age, have your pension sent to the Philippines or to your bank account which can be accessed over there. If you are not allowed to work, I believe you are allowed to engage in business. Joseph, your company should qualify to bid on projects there (ditch digging or road repair, I forgot exactly what you do, sorry). Anybody who wants to move there may inquire about doing a business. I think there is a Starbucks there now. But nearing the end time, brethren might be best engaging in agriculture. Ask Leo Javier Rivera and other brethren there. Sorry, been in Canada for so long and visited the Philippines only once before I got stricken with terminal ovarian cancer.
    Speaking of terminal cancer, I would like to mention to the brethren reading this that I was stricken with terminal ovarian cancer almost 5 years ago. I did surgery but I refused chemotherapy and radiation (was given approximately 8 months to live). My family and my OB-Gyne thought I wanted to die. After insisting on a cancer test, I was granted and believe it or not, CANCER WAS GONE ! I prayed and asked YHVH what He wanted me to do. I went back to my Bible and started reading it again and within 10 months, I learned I was not doing a lot of things right. On a side note, I requested Joseph Dumond to anoint me as he visited me right after my husband’s funeral service which is right after my surgery. I also started reading his newsletters (I never did even if I received them once a week- LOL). I eventually started keeping the right Holy Days which prompted my congregation to disfellowship me. I kept my first Sabbatical year 2 years ago and became a member of Talmidei Yeshua Fellowship, a Sabbath keeping congregation that keeps the Holy Days according to the sighted moon.
    Please continue to pray for my small fellowship, and for me, as I hurdle a lot of personal problems. See you all soon.
    In Yeshua’s name,
    Peachy (Pilar Yutangco Daye)

    Reply
  12. Karin

    Hey Joseph! Your sharing the truth has blessed my family and has helped us to understand what is coming, and is helping to prepare us. Thank you for sharing this truth! My family and I, which are made up of 5 people, and 2 large dogs, are willing to give up all we have here, and move to the Phillipines or wherever Yehovah wants us to go, we will go. We have a problem though, and I’m hoping maybe you can offer some advice or wisdom on this predicament. We have $300 to our name, bc we came out of the World System, out of churches, out of working for corporations and bosses who demanded that we work on the Sabbath and holy days, and who wanted to take our lives and everything from us for a small amount of money/month, just enough to pay the bills and scrape by, with the aid of our families, who also look down on us for who we are. We are giving up everything. We don’t just try to leave these places, but they kick us out bc we won’t bend, and the things they demand are morally, ethically, and physically wrong. We will not be able to even pay our house payment next month, let along the bills. I grow food, so we may be able to survive, and my husband has been trying to sell the products he makes, and trying to offer services, bc he has so many skills and gifts to give, but no one is biting. No one wants anything from us. How are we going to even make it while we are here? We would sell all we have, even our home, so we could get airfare to go wherever Yehovah would lead us, but how can we even get there? We have wisdom and gifts that He has blessed us with. We know His Word, and His torah, and walk in it, and obey Him, and He has gotten us through every obstacle, but we are being persecuted here, and at this time and we need His help, and the help of His people to allow us to serve them with our skills, or wisdom of Yehovah. I believe His people should support each other, and we have joined torah believer market places online, and things like that, but nobody has bought anything from us. If you have any advice on a type of work that we could do, that wouldn’t cause us to break torah, while we are still in the U.S., that would allow us to pay our bills, our house payment, our few debts that we have left, so that we could turn around, sell everything and leave, I would be so thankful! If we can help you even, work for you in some way, to get the Word out, or whatever you need, we would do that too, but our problem is not understanding at this point, its surviving outside of the rigged system of corporate America. How can we make it across the ocean if we may not make it here right now? Please advise, and pray for our family! Thank you brother! May Yehovah bless you and keep you!

    Reply
  13. Karin

    Hello Joseph! I wanted to update on what’s happened since I left the above comment. That day we fasted and we prayed, and called upon Yehovah to help us in our current situation, bc honestly, coming out of churches, lifestyles, schools, doctors, business, and now jobs too, is pretty intimidating! We know Yehovah has always gotten us through every obstacle we’ve faced before, and that He allows them to test us to see where we are with Him, and what we will choose, and this causes us to grow. Well, we fasted and prayed, and told Him that no matter what happens, we will not give in, and will not break His holy days, or His Shabbats. The next day, we made a good sale and He opened our minds further to understand how to network through business, and different ideas that will help us! Then today, we made another sale! We have just been thanking Him for always being our help when we need Him most, and for being so patient with us! We had just been through a spiritual attack, bc we went to visit with my family, and told them what we were going through, and the pride, and condemnation was so thick in that house, you could cut it with a knife! I feel that I need to warn my family about the things that are coming, and to tell them the truth about torah, and the scriptures, and what they actually say, but anytime I try to speak about just a bit of it, or anything that’s important or true to us, they change the subject quickly or shut it down. They are very religious Lutheran folk. I feel I need to tell them the truth bc I don’t want to have Yehovah ask me why I didn’t some day, although, I’m not sure if I can even get it across to them, it’s that bad. I don’t want bad things to happen to them. We had told them we were going into business with each other, but things are hard right now, and at the time, we hadn’t sold anything yet. They want us to work for corporate America and go to Lutheran church, and have savings for college tuition for our kids, benefits, and a retirement fund. That’s not the life we lead, and they judge us harshly for that. We had an awful response from them the other day, and it got to us a bit. We knew He was testing us, but it does get scary sometimes. I just wanted to write this to say, with Yehovah, all things are possible, and I know that no matter what obstacles we face He will always be there for us to help us when we call His name! We are thankful for you and all the information you provide to His people! Our mission in life is to do His will in all things, and to reach as many as will listen before it’s too late. I’m sure that He will provide a way for us to do that. We have just had issues with reaching prideful christians who have made money, status, and material wealth their idols. We can show how Yehovah has blessed us in every area of our life, but up to this point, money, has been a hard spot, although, we’ve never tried to come out of the job system before either. We are just praying that He blesses us and provides financially so that we can reach these particular people, if it’s possible. That’s all they notice. That’s what they always ask about. It’s really sad, but true. We can’t wait to see what He does through our family, and we may just be able to make it to the islands some day! I pray that day is made possible sooner rather than later! Even if we have to walk in between our people on the way out, I know He will take care of us. I just wanted to show this update, so others can see how amazing our Elohim is and how He always provides for His children, even during dark times. Shalom Joseph, and I hope someday, we will all dwell nearby, spreading His truth to the nations together!

    Reply
  14. Dolly

    Hello Friends! Please give your worries to our Lord. ” Where God guides, God will provide”.
    Happy Sabbath, Mr. Dumond.
    God bless you!

    Reply
  15. Barry Geerlings

    This is just unbelievable.
    amazing revelation, thank you Joe for your insight.
    Baruch haBa Bshem Yahuah

    Reply
  16. Anna

    I’m reading this here from Australia, and think, how is the UK a faraway coastland? its all super close. Now Australia, thats faraway. You can all come and flee here, i’ll light the barbie. PS: If i’m not home i’ll be in the Wall of Jerusalem in Tasmania.

    Reply
    • G. S.

      Hello Anna from Tasmania
      Up here in Queensland we don’t light up the Barbie. We display the hotplate to the Sun and let the meat and sausages sizzle in the Sun.
      In the future we know that the Sun will be 7 times stronger, therefore we will have to keep an eye on the meat that it doesn’t get burned to ashes.

      Reply
  17. John Rumsey

    Hi Joseph,
    Thank you for all the work you are doing, it is great for me to be reading your work and trying to gain a greater understanding of God and what he has done, is doing and of what he is still to do. But I am still part way through reading your books and busy trying to prove things for myself. So I still have lots of questions in my mind. A couple of questions I have for you is this:
    When you talk about us fleeing, are you talking about the same event that Jesus refers to in Matthew Ch. 24 v15-16 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
    Firstly if you are discussing the same event as Jesus was referring to, is it right for us to flee now or as soon as possible or alternatively do we take Jesus words literally and only flee once we have seen the abomination that causes desolation set up?
    Secondly, could you briefly outline for me who you believe Judea to be?
    Looking forward to hearing from you.
    John.

    Reply
    • Joseph F. Dumond

      The first flight I am speaking about is the one we must all make before the 12 tribes of Israel are attacked and destroyed. I believe that to be 2020. This is what this article is about.
      The one you are referring to in Daniel is after we are brought back to Israel in the year 2030, that as Passover comes we will see the armies surrounding Jerusalem to conduct the final slaughter. That is when we flee into the wilderness for 3 1/2 years while the Great Tribulation takes place. I have said many times that this will be the time that the two calendar systems come into play. One will be 30 days before the other.
      This is why it says in Revelation that the Beast then turns to make war on those who keep the commandments. My question is why are those who keep the commandments still there and why did they not flee with the woman? The answer is they are using the Hebrew calendar versus the crescent moon and barley to begin the year.

      Reply
      • John Rumsey

        Hi,
        Thanks for that reply? That is very helpful in understanding what you are referring to.
        Would you please tell me the Bible reference where we have an instruction to flee when the sacrifice and offering are bought to an end in 2020.
        John.

        Reply
        • Joseph F. Dumond

          Ezekiel 20:33 “As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
          Daniel 8:21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

          Reply
          • John Rumsey

            Hi Joseph,
            Sorry to ask more questions as I am a little confused. When I referenced Matthew Ch 24 v15 Which tells those in Judea to flee when they see the abomination of desolation. Using the Jubilee cycles as you do and which I agree with, this would be approximately at the end of 2023. But in your earlier reply you said this would happen in 2030. Have I misunderstood something here? Can you explain?
            Secondly, the passage from Ezekiel Ch20 v33 is a fascinating passage, but I was surprised that you see this passage as an instruction to flee around or before 2020. When I read that passage all I read is what God is going to do with the rebels and those who transgress against him. In other words God will remove the rebels and transgressors from the land they are living in but will not let them enter the land of Israel. For me this passage is not an instruction for those who are living for God to flee when things get tough.
            I hope you don’t think I’m being argumentative, but I am just keen to get to the bottom of things and make sure I have understood God’s Word correctly. You have been very helpful to me in this, and I believe you can continue to be.
            John.

  18. Jan

    Excellent newsletter and thanks for bringing in the depth of research on the Ophir and the clarification of the Queen of Sheba. I only today read this newsletter due to my own research in proving where we go. I didn’t want your opinion to bias my own research. As we discussed earlier, I am 100% on board with your conclusions. I’ve felt led on this to go to “the strangers” and you confirmed my thoughts totally. When the door was opened for the Philippines and Burundi….JUST WOW! I’ve cried out to Yehovah for Truth and only the Truth and to not let me follow any man. I’ve done too much of this in the past with prior Hebrew Roots teachers. I believe this is why He led me on my own research so i would KNOW the Truth when you presented it. Thanks for ALL the detail because it brings in more proof that the Philippines and Burundi are key nations. WOW WOW WOW!
    And your pointing out the verse of bringing the nations back to Jerusalem as the grain offering….well WOW!
    THANKS for pointing out Isaiah 66:19. Your newsletter, however used the KJV which used the word survivors.
    The TS2009 uses “THOSE WHO ESCAPE!”. NOW, this verse can be in context for the initial fleeing and not at the end of everything. NOW it too makes so much sense. And of course, that sign among them will be the true Saturday Sabbath and not the Catholic Sunday.
    Isa 66:19  “And I shall set a sign among them, and shall send some of those who escape to the nations – Tarshish and Pul and Lu?, who draw the bow, and Tu?al and Yawan, the coastlands afar off who have not heard My report nor seen My esteem. And they shall declare My esteem among the nations. 
    I likewise saw your note about Burundi being the end of the Nile..,..PATHROS.
    Tell me please, did the people of Burundi know this? Is this how James learned of this? Did Telesphore recognize Pathros?
    Again, just WOW!

    Reply
    • Joseph F. Dumond

      No James and Telesphore did not know this until I did some research on those nations mentioned in Isaiah 11:11. When I began to look up where each of those nations were and I just so happened to be doing this after James went to Burundi the first time. James then sent me a picture of the start of the NIle in Burundi which was neat. It was only later that we connected the dots.

      Reply

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