Conversion of Adronicus and Yunia

CHAPTER 70

Yeshua, Miriam, and the Apostles visit the unusual city of Hyppos, where they meet a woman named Yunia and her husband Adronicus, who are amazed by their encounter, and lead them on a tour of the city. As dinner guests of Yunia and Adronicus, when asked by another guest about dreams, Yeshua explains how to understand and interpret them. On the following day, Yeshua casts out a horde of demons from a man, saving his life. Afterward, Yeshua tells Yunia and Adronicus to put their affairs in order so they can join them in the Communities of Light on the north end of the lake.

 1 And it came to pass that Yeshua and his Apostles departed in the early morning from the Communities of Light and were ferried in three fishing boats to Hyppos on the eastern shore of Lake Gennesaret.

 2 As they sailed upon the lake toward Hyppos, it reared up majestically before them on a tall flat-topped mountain that stood apart from all other mountains, and thus it was easily seen from a great distance away in any direction.

 3 Pointing up to Hyppos, Yeshua spoke to Miriam, Cephas, Yakov, and Yohhanan, who were with him, saying, “Behold the city upon the mountain that cannot be hidden. Let it be always in your memory, and may you ever strive to be like an unforgettable city upon a mountain that cannot be hidden.

 4 But more than this, let your light so shine that men see the temple that you are, by day and by night, that they may come to wonder, and then to seek, and then to know the Elohim in Heaven, who have made the temple.”

 5 Arriving at the port of Hyppos on the shore of the lake, Yeshua and the twelve Apostles disembarked and immediately set forth upon the steep switchback road up the mountain and arrived by midday at the Western gate of the main city. After being stopped and questioned briefly by the ten Roman soldiers that guarded the western entrance, they were waved on and they passed through the walls and tower of the gate without incident.

 6 As they walked toward the center of the city, the Apostles took notice of all the Greeks and Romans and whispered among themselves how most of the citizens of Hyppos seemed to regard them with some disdain.

 7 And they marveled that a city so close to their own communities could be so different in the designs of the buildings and the dress and customs of the people, for though many of them had lived their entire lives just a few hours away, none had ever visited Hyppos before.

 8 As they came upon building after building, many times they could not fathom the purpose of them. They were baffled and perplexed and began to joke with one another as they speculated upon the purposes of various buildings that they passed.

 9 As they entered the central market area, the men looked about them in astonishment at the women of Hyppos. Not only were there as many of them as men upon the streets, but almost none were covered, and some seemed barely dressed at all.

 10 Though Miriam, who was with them, and the other sisters of light of the communities seldom covered their heads, in the other cities and villages of Palestine a women uncovered was seldom seen, much less uninhibited exposure of bare arms, neckline, and lower legs as was displayed by many of the women of Hyppos.

 11 Yeshua, seeing their astonishment, admonished them, saying, “Remember that it is Elohim that made the naked body in which your spirit dwells and man that made the clothes which drape upon it. Therefore, put not the restrictions or condemnations of men upon the creations of Elohim.

 12 Respectfully admiring the beautiful creations of Elohim, be it a plant, a butterfly, or a woman, is not a sin and gives honor to the creator. But to lust after a woman that is not your wife, particularly if she is the wife of another, is a grievous sin and a weakness of character that would be unworthy of the great men that you are.”

 13 Seeing them looking in wonder at the sights of Hyppos, a comely young woman richly adorned in colorful clothing and much jewelry, who was passing by accompanied by a man, looked to her companion and, laughing, exclaimed in Greek, “The barbarians have arrived!”

 14 Those walking with Yeshua who clearly understood Greek, were taken aback by this sudden statement from a stranger, much less a woman, for such a thing would be unheard-of in Palestine. And seeing that shock was holding their tongues, she spoke to them again, saying, “By your gawking and your clothes, you announce that you are the uncouth from the unknown. What purpose could you possibly have in the market of Hyppos?”

 15 Most of the Apostles understood just enough Greek for basic commerce and looked to Yeshua, Miriam, Mattayah, and Yudas Iscariot to translate the full meaning of the woman’s words. Yudas made to step forward to answer the lady, but Miriam held up her hand as he came forward, signaling for him to stop, and she went forward instead.

 16 Walking right up to stand before the woman, she asked her in Greek, “Whence comes the red sky, when the sun rises or when it sets?”

 17 The woman showed surprise that Miriam asked her this simple and elementary question that seemed to have no relevance to anything, and she answered her, saying, “It can be either, neither, or both. It depends upon the day. Is this a barbarian riddle?”

 18 Having seen the things Miriam could do when she was righteously angry; some of the Apostles began to look to one another and to Yeshua in uneasiness at this budding confrontation.

 19 But Yeshua did not intervene, and Miriam spoke again to the woman in a quiet and calm voice, saying, “If you would see a Sun that is ever rising and never sets, with the glory of the flaming horizon ever upon the sky, follow these barbarians wherever they go in Hyppos, and you will see wonders such as you have never imagined and come to understand that the greatest treasures are sometimes found in the simplest of containers.”

 20 The woman stammered as she tried to answer Miriam, for more than her words, she was humbled by her aura, which flowed over her and through her, and she answered with politeness, saying, “Who are you dear lady; and why is one such as you keeping company with men such as these?”

 21 Yeshua came up behind Miriam and put his hands upon her shoulders, and Miriam answered the woman with a fullness of love, saying, “I am Miriam of Magdala, wife of Yeshua of Nazareth, who stands with me.” Then sweeping her arm toward the other Apostles she said, “And these are my brothers of light, good men all, the best you will ever find. We follow and learn from Yeshua, things no men or women know. Come with us this day and you too will see a light you have never before seen or imagined.”

 22 The woman looked to her companion questioningly. Her mouth was open in silent astonishment, and she answered slowly, saying, “I am Yunia, and this is my husband Andronicus. Never would I imagine going with men such as these, but we seek to know the truth of all things and that which I feel in my heart is something I have never before felt so much so that it overrides what might be the better judgment of my head.

 23 I feel in my heart like I have just entered a beautiful and spacious temple and that all I have ever known was merely the narrow and dark corridor leading to this great room of light.

 24 Therefore, if my husband agrees, we will follow you in your wanderings through Hyppos that our curiosity might be satisfied, and we may yet see and learn some things of which we are ignorant and discover the source of the new beating in my heart.”

 25 Andronicus nodded his head and said, “My wife speaks my own words. I too have felt a strangeness in my heart, standing with you and listening to the words of this mysterious lady.” He said pointing subtly at Miriam, “Lead on therefore and we will follow and see what manner of people you are.”

 26 Upon this agreement, Yudas Iscariot and Mattayah turned to the other Apostles and explained in detail everything that had transpired in Greek between Miriam and Yunia.

 27 When everyone understood all that had come to pass, Yeshua invited Adronicus and Yunia to lead them on a tour of the city, and Yunia walked beside Miriam and Adronicus beside Yeshua, explaining the sights.

 28 Mattayah and Yudas Iscariot walked directly behind them that they could turn and tell the other Apostles the details of what they heard, spoken in Greek. As they walked, Yuda tapped Adronicus on the shoulder and inquired where they found water atop a mountain sufficient for a city of so many people.

 29 Adronicus answered, “We have great cisterns that catch the rain, and that is our only source and the single thing that limits the growth of our city. As you can see, this is a wealthy city for we are renowned traders and many are the people that desire to live here.

 30 But because of the scarcity of water, only those born into Hyppos can remain upon the mountain to live, except for rare exceptions. All others that desire to rub shoulders with us must dwell in the lower village upon the lake and truly that is nothing more than a dung heap.”

 31 After they had toured the city, observing the temples, the forum, the massive walls of the Eastern Gate with its formidable round tower, and the plaza with its expertly worked paving stones, Adronicus turned to Yeshua and inquired, “Why is it that you have come to Hyppos? We have shown much to you, but you have yet to show anything to us. Are your wife’s moving words empty after all?”

 32 Yeshua answered him, saying, “We have come for you Adronicus, and your wife Yunia, for your future is greater than Hyppos. But there are still some things you must see and hear before you will know the truth of my words. Therefore, invite us to dine with you and sleep in your house tonight, and more shall be revealed to you.”

 33 Adronicus was surprised at the boldness of Yeshua to invite himself and all his followers to dine and sleep at his home, but this boldness only whetted his curiosity greater. He wondered what sort of man this could be, and he agreed and suggested they head to his house immediately that the servants could begin preparing the meal.

 34 Shortly thereafter, they arrived at the spacious house of Adronicus, which commanded a spectacular view overlooking Lake Gennesaret. Yunia instructed the servants to prepare an evening meal for at least thirty people, and they hurried to accommodate her wishes in the few hours remaining before the allotted time.

 35 Adronicus called aside one of the servants and gave him instructions to go to the homes of several of his friends and invite them and their wives to share their evening meal and to hear the Hebrew prophet Yeshua of Galilee, whom they had heard spoken of.

 36 And it came to pass that the meal was served three hours later, and seven of the friends of Adronicus were present with their wives.

 37 After the last course was served, Yeshua rose to address them about the importance of good character. But scarcely had he begun to speak when one of Adronicus’ friends, who had drunk too much wine, rose up and said, “Do not lecture us with things we already know better than you, for we are Greeks and Romans and learn such things when we are youths from teachings of the greatest philosophers.

 38 We have heard that you are a sorcerer, and that is what we have come to see. So do not talk to us, but entertain us.” And though some of the guests present protested his impolite words, more nodded their assent and encouraged Yeshua to show them some magic.

 39 Yeshua answered, saying, “You have been misinformed. I have no magic, only the light of God. And such light is not for the haughty, but for the humble.” And with those words, Yeshua sat down.

 40 “Oh, come now,” exclaimed another of the guests. “He did not mean to offend you. Surely there is something you can show us. It is because you are here that we have come tonight at the invitation of Adronicus.”

 41 “What about dreams?” interjected another. “Can you interpret dreams? Because I had quite a nightmare last night.” And at his words, there was much laughter.

 42 Yeshua rose again after his question and said unto him, “I will speak to you about dreams, not for you alone, but for the edification of my Apostles.

 43 Describe if you will what you remember of your dream.”

 44 The man did as Yeshua bade and related the details of his dream. “I saw a great army invading; I know not where. But I found myself completely naked, holding only a knife, as a horde of soldiers descended upon me. I awoke just as they were all attacking me so I know not how the dream ends, but I fear the worst, for what can one naked man with a knife do against many soldiers with swords and javelins?”

 45 This statement was again greeted with much laughter, but Yeshua answered serenely, saying, “To interpret a dream, you must decide what type of dream it is, and there are five possibilities:

 46 Your most common dreams are simply your spirit of the night, taking events of your last days and recreating the themes with real or fictional characters in scenes that may or may not exist in reality. And you may or may not be one of the characters in the dream.

 47 These dreams may be a continuation of thoughts you were pondering just before passing into sleep or completely unrelated to your thoughts during the day. Either way, they are often useful to help you understand problems that may be vexing you from perspectives you may not have considered during the times you were awake.

 48 Therefore, do not dismiss these dreams as mere fanciful wanderings of your night spirit, but seek to remember them and consider how their lessons can apply to your current life challenges.

 49 If your dream is of this type, you will seldom awaken from it at the end of the dream.

 50 The other four types of dreams are dreams of fear, dreams of hope, dreams of lust, and visions of prophecy or revelation.

 51 The dream of being naked and almost defenseless while being attacked by overwhelming numbers is a dream of fear.”

 52 Yeshua looked at the man that had spoken of his dream, and he said unto him, “In your daily life, you may be fearful of being exposed for something you have hidden from others and, once exposed, attacked and perhaps even killed because of what was revealed, with little to save you from your fate.

 53 Even if such a thing is unlikely to happen, your guilt from your transgression causes you to fear just retribution, and this can be manifested in dreams such as you have described.”

 54 The other men at the table looked at their friend now with suspicion, and he leaped up proclaiming wildly, “It was just a silly dream! Why are you all looking at me like that?” Then grabbing his wife by the hand, he pulled her to her feet, snapping angrily, “Come we are leaving, this is nonsense!” And quickly, they strode across the room and departed from the house.

 55 Yeshua continued to speak, saying, “Then there are dreams of hope. They often relate to your daily life. For instance, if you are a fisherman, you may see yourself catching a net full of fish, more than it can hold.

 56 If you are a bachelor seeking a wife, you may see several beautiful women desiring your favor. If that scene becomes sexual, it transitions into a dream of lust.

 57 Dreams of hope can also be fanciful. You may see yourself flying in the air like a bird or discovering a treasure chest of gold.

 58 Dreams of fear and hope do often have a common ending. When they are powerful, they will cause you to awaken from your sleep.

 59 If you have had a dream of fear, you will awaken with a dread in the pit of your stomach and a heart that is beating rapidly.

 60 If it is a dream of hope, you will awaken with a feeling of euphoria in your heart and a joy that fills every part of you.

 61 Like the dreams of fear, dreams of hope often relate to your daily life, but more often in a less-direct way than dreams of fear.

 62 If you have just asked the woman of your heart’s desire to marry you, and all is well, you may dream that night of flying like a bird, for in truth, your spirit is soaring with happiness.

 63 On the other hand, you may dream of women without love, but only with lust, or women may have lustful dreams of men or even of another woman or a man of another man. Lustful dreams imagine acts that your awake self likely would find repugnant and would never contemplate, much less consummate.

 64 If you were to imagine these thoughts in your awakened state, especially of people of flesh and not imagination, other than your husband or wife, your sin of thought would be almost as grievous as the act.

 65 “But at night, while you sleep, or in the morning when you are half awake and half asleep, or in the night as you drift into slumber, lustful dreams are not a sin if they are of imaginary people, but a benign means Elohim has given you to harmlessly expunge the natural urges that build up during the day, that they will not prompt you while awake to commit acts which you and others would forever regret.

 66 Visions of prophecy are rare and do not come to ordinary men or women, for they are sent by Elohim to warn those who walk the pleasing paths of Elohim of things to come. But they can come to Children of Light wherever they are found without regard for race, sex, religious beliefs, or social standing.

 67 If you live your life with honesty and honor, show kindness and respect to others, and treat your body like a temple of God, you can receive dreams of prophecy and revelation concerning that over which you have been given responsibility.

 68 A true vision of prophecy will come more than one night while you sleep. They will be very memorable, vivid, and detailed, and you will almost always awaken directly after the vision.

 69 Unlike dreams of hope and fear, you will feel neither dreadful nor euphoric, but will simply understand in calmness.

 70 Most importantly, a true vision of prophecy will repeat more than once and sometimes often, even nightly, if it is showing you an event that is to occur very soon.

 71 Successive visions of the prophecy will always show again that which you have already seen, but they may also add additional details with each reoccurrence.

 72 Understanding your visions of prophecy correctly is of great importance, and it is sometimes prudent to seek out the advice of a knowledgeable Child of Light to correctly interpret that which you have seen, for sometimes the vision shows an actual event as it shall occur and other times, it shows representations of reality, such as a lion representing a king, or a soaring eagle representing victory.

 73 Understand foremost that your prophetic visions will only involve your sphere of responsibility. If you receive a vision of something beyond your responsibility, it only pertains to how that vision will affect your sphere of responsibility.

 74 Even as Noah saw great destruction coming upon the world, but did not try to save it, but only used his vision to prepare to save the worthy Children of Light he could reach and the animals that came to him, as he was commanded by Elohim.

 75 Therefore, if you are a parent, you may receive a vision of prophecy or dream of revelation regarding your children.

 76 If you are the owner of a trading caravan, you may receive a vision of prophecy or dream of revelation about your business.

 77 If you are the leader of a community, you may receive a prophecy or revelation concerning the community.

 78 If you are the leader of a congregation of worshipers, you may receive a prophecy or revelation concerning your flock.

 79 If you are an Apostle, you will receive prophecies and revelations about the specific responsibilities of your calling, but never for all of the Communities of Light unless all the other Apostles received the same vision of prophecy or revelation.

 80 If you are the prophet of Elohim, you will receive visions of prophecy and revelation concerning not only all of the Children of Light, but all the world as well.

 81 Beyond this, there is no constant meaning in the images you see in dreams, but each must be understood and interpreted according to the life and challenges of each person and the type of dream or vision that was seen.”

 82 Once more Yeshua sat down, and shortly afterward, the guests began to get up and depart, saying good-bye at the threshold to Adronicus and Yunia while expressing disappointment that they had not witnessed any magic and had to endure a boring and useless talk, as if a Hebrew peasant could teach them anything.

 83 Later that night, after everyone had found a place to sleep, Adronicus and Yunia lay beside each other and Adronicus told her, “I fear we will be the butt of endless and hurtful jests from now on, for without exception our friends think we are mad to have invited them to dine with these people, much less allow them to sleep in our home.”

 84 Yunia put her hand upon his face and kissed him lightly, saying, “They are strange and simple and certainly have not yet lived up to our expectations. But my heart still feels buoyant when I think of them, and yours?”

 85 “It is the same,” replied Adronicus nodding. “My head says I have been a fool, and my friends will surely affirm it. But my heart still has the most peculiar feeling within it, and I still desire to understand from whence it comes.”

 86 Yunia agreed, saying, “They have said that they are departing for their homes upon the lake tomorrow. Let us continue to walk with them and listen to what they have to say until they depart, in hopes that we will yet see or hear something to justify the rash curiosity of our hearts.”

 87 Upon the sunrise, before they broke the evening fast, Yeshua invited Adronicus and Yunia to join them in the courtyard overlooking the lake while they participated together in the Contemplative Movements and the Lanaka amidst the breathtaking, beautiful view from their home.

 88 Both Adronicus and Yunia deferred to participate and asked to observe only. Yeshua courteously agreed, but asked Miriam to sit with them and quietly explain all that they witnessed.

 89 Adronicus and Yunia sat next to one another on a stone bench, and Miriam directly behind them leaning close to their ears so she could whisper without distracting the Apostles, who seemed to be more enlivened from the Lanaka and more connected to all that is, with the Contemplative Movements than usual because of the expansive view before them.

 90 When it came time for the Apostles and Yeshua to reach out and touch the auras of those around them, Miriam whispered to Adronicus and Yunia to pay close attention to what they next felt.

 91 As the wave of twelve auras simultaneously flowed over and upon them, they were startled and amazed and looked to one another with wide-eyed wonder. “Did you feel that?” exclaimed Adronicus.

 92 Yunia nodded, saying, “Like a hot fire, but ever so peaceful and soothing, filling every part of my being.”

 93 After that, they watched the remainder of the Contemplative Movements with rapt attention and wonder.

 94 When Yeshua and the Apostles were finished, Yeshua came over to Adronicus and Yunia and told them, “The light of your hearts is beginning to resonate, filling all of your being with light. And so shall it ever build until the darkness around you can no longer overcome the Celestine Light within you.”

 95 After the morning meal, Yeshua told Adronicus and Yunia that it was time for them to depart as they had arranged with the fishing boats to be picked up at noon.

 96 Adronicus and Yunia accompanied Yeshua, Miriam, and the Apostles down the mountain to the port to await the boats that would return them to the communities at the north end of the lake.

 97 While they were waiting, they noticed a man running along the shore, screaming obscenities and kicking and pushing over people in his path.

 98 At the far end of the port, a group of six Roman soldiers noticed the commotion and hurried in the direction of the disturbance.

 99 Adronicus, seeing this, leaned over toward Yeshua and said, “You best ask your wife to turn toward the lake and perhaps even to walk out on the quay, for I think we will soon see a terrible scene.

 100 “This man has been crazy beyond belief, more so every day, since his wife and two children drowned when his fishing boat capsized in a storm. The soldiers have tolerated him for weeks, but now that he is attacking other people, I fear his end will be swift and bloody.”

 101 “We must insure that this is not so,” Yeshua replied with conviction. Immediately, he set forth rapidly toward the madman with Adronicus, Yunia, and Miriam and all the Apostles following him.

 102 Arriving quickly next to the man, with minutes still before the soldiers would be upon the scene, Yeshua held up his right hand and called out to the madman, “Cease this moment. Bind this man of sorrow no more!”

 103 At his command, the man let out a bloodcurdling and anguished scream, holding both hands to his head and pulling on his hair. He looked at Yeshua and tried to speak but only gargled unintelligible words came out.

 104 Yeshua looked at him steadfastly and commanded, “Depart now! Depart from this man. Depart from this place, ere you shall become even less than you are, even nothing.”

 105 Then the man spoke, his face contorted with effort to bring forth the words, and he said, “Spare us, Son of God. We beg thee, cast us not into outer darkness, but send us to any body, even a pig or a worm or a bug, anything but the cold and the darkness.”

 106 Yeshua crossed his arms in front of him and drew them rapidly across one another, saying, “You choose your fate before this world was. Begone spawn of darkness!”

 107 Then the man let out a gasp and fell to the ground unconscious, even as there was a loud clap like thunder that rent the air above their heads, causing everyone to look fearfully up into the clear sky.

 108 Immediately afterward, the man awoke asking, “Where am I? What has happened?” And his friends, those who had been his friends before he had become crazy, came to him now with joy to see he was again in his right mind.

 109 By the time the Roman soldiers arrived, the man had been taken away and hidden with his friends, and they were left to wonder what had occurred.

 110 Adronicus and Yunia looked at Yeshua with awe and reverence, and Adronicus marveled, “I have seen more than I imagined seeing, and felt more than I imagined feeling, though I understand not all that which I have seen and felt.

 111 Nevertheless, a man without a mind reasons once more, and the same man about to die still lives; and it was by your words that this was so.

 112 And from within that man came, I know not what, but as you commanded, so it abided, even as it was gone against its wishes, calling you the Son of God.

 113 I stand in awe, in wonder, and ask in humbleness, ‘Who are you?’”

 114 Yeshua answered him, saying, “I am who I am, and in your heart, you already know the answer to your question, and upon what path your destiny spreads before you.

 115 Therefore, put your affairs in order and join us in the communities at the north end of the lake, for the greatest days of your life are yet to be.”

 116 Yunia came up to Yeshua, and kneeling on one knee before him, she kissed his hand, saying, “Forgive me for the harsh words I said against you and your friends when first we met. Never again will I pass judgment upon someone because of their appearance, and ever will I look to find the true person that dwells within.

 117 I feel I have learned more in a day than I have in my whole life, not in knowledge, but in understanding the roots of all knowledge and the purpose of all life. Thank you for coming to Hyppos and into our lives. I know they shall never be the same and am exhilarated to contemplate what is to come.”

 118 Yeshua pulled Yunia up and embraced her and then held out his arm to also embrace Adronicus.

 119 When they released one another, Miriam came and embraced Yunia, and from that day forth, they were numbered among the Children of Light and great were the deeds they would do in the days to come.

 120 At noon, the three fishing boats arrived and Yeshua, Miriam, and the Apostles boarded them and waved good-bye to Adronicus and Yunia, who remained on the quay, watching the boats shrink into the distance until they could be seen no more. And they held each other and shed a few tears. But they were tears of joy.