Yeshua creates a grand illusion to aid in the escape of the high priestess Elissa from the city of Tyre.

1 That night, as he promised, Yeshua came to Elissa in a dream when she first fell asleep, and again just before she awoke, and revealed to her all that he would do to affect her escape from the Temple of Ba’al at Tyre and all that she must do to insure success.
2 Before he came to Elissa in her dream, Yeshua taught his Apostles the mysteries of the gifts of spirit that he would use to aid in her escape that they might understand how to expand their own abilities to use the gifts they had been given by Elohim.
3 He spoke to them, saying, “A centurion thinks his greatest strength is in his sword arm. A farmer thinks his greatest strength is in the size of his fields, a shepherd in the size of his flocks. Ask a man of any profession what his greatest strength is and you will receive many answers, but seldom the correct one, for it is a mystery to the people of the world, save those few who have a harmony with the Celestine Light.
4 I declare unto you that the greatest strength of a Child of Light is not something they can do with the strength of their arm or measure by their labor but is their faith in themselves and Elohim, empowering the gifts of spirit which in them dwell.
5 Among the greatest of the gifts of the spirit when in confrontation with men of the world is the power of illusion, which is easily projected by your thoughts and aura upon the impressionable thoughts of the weak minded and those with little light. Such as these have no defense against that which they do not know, for how may a city be defended when its citizens do not realize they are under attack?
6 By using your gifts of the spirit, you may accomplish great ends without violence and with a finality that battles never bring. Thus it will be upon the morrow.”
7 Then Yeshua spoke in detail to his Apostles about the secrets of projecting illusion through the aura and how illusion accomplishes most when married with reality, but the details of how Elissa would escape, he did not reveal, instead told them they would understand everything the next day.
8 He admonished them strictly that they were never to use such gifts for anything other than a noble and virtuous cause in which Elohim would delight.
9 The following day, many pilgrims came into the Temple of Ba’al for the sunrise ceremony, which was presided over in silence by Elissa the High Priestess, who sat upon a small, intricately carved throne of stone with ribbons of gold woven through its many lattices, while the male priests of the temple spoke with the pilgrims, directing them in their devotions.
10 After the ceremony concluded, the pilgrims departed. They would return again four more times during the day to pay tribute to Ba’al and receive blessings from the priests.
11 Once the pilgrims had vacated the temple, Elissa retired to her quarters and sat on a large purple cushion while two of her handmaidens removed her elaborate gold and feather headdress and combed her luxurious black hair.
12 During this time, Yeshua and those who were with him remained in their simple camp beyond the southern edge of the mainland city of Tyre.
13 After Yeshua explained to his Apostles the gifts, but not the details of that which he would do the night before, they sat now in a circle along with their wives and watched Yeshua as he stood in the center with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest so they could see how he accomplished that which he had spoken about.
14 They were startled when suddenly, without a sound, he threw his arms up and out toward the heavens and opened his eyes wide. But looking into the sky beyond, he seemed to be unaware that anyone else was even present.
15 At this exact time, Elissa rose from the cushion and walked out to her balcony, overlooking the city. Her handmaidens followed and remained a respectful distance at the balcony threshold lest she call or have need of anything.
16 Suddenly, there was a great and dreadful shadow over the Sun. Looking up into the sky to see the cause of the darkening of the Sun, the handmaidens screamed in terror at the sight of an enormous white bird descending upon Elissa. Its plumage was streaked with iridescent gold, and its tail was bright red. It looked like an eagle, with mighty talons and a ferocious hooked beak, but with a wingspan many times larger than that of any eagle known to man.
17 The terrified handmaidens fled in panic to the inner sanctuary of the temple, screaming for help with all their voice.
18 Hearing their cries, the priests of the temple quickly entered the chambers of the high priestess only to exclaim in astonishment and fear as they looked onto the balcony and saw the high priestess encircled by the mighty talons of an enormous bird and lifted off the balcony up into the sky.
19 The bravest among them crept cautiously to the balcony and saw the giant bird still carrying the helpless high priestess as it flapped its great wings and rose higher and higher into the sky.
20 Ashtzaph, the priest of administration, ran into the room, bellowing, “What is happening?” Not seeing Elissa, he swore an oath and yelled, “Where is the high priestess?”
21 A priest who had remained in the room and not ventured onto the balcony pointed to it and said, “A great eagle, larger than any ever seen, has taken her and flown off into the sky.”
22 Ashtzaph hurried to the balcony and followed with his eyes the pointing fingers of the priests with their arms raised toward the sky. With a shock of disbelief, he saw the great white bird with the vivid red tail and the slumped body of the high priestess in its massive talons.
23 The other priests looked to him in confusion, and one asked with fear in his voice, “What have we done to incur the wrath of Ba’al that our high priestess has thus been taken by a bird of myth?”
24 That was no myth,” another exclaimed. He touched the railing of the balcony, and holding his fingers up for the others to see, he exclaimed, “Here is the blood of the high priestess upon the railing, testifying that we have not seen a myth but a fearful manifestation of the anger of Ba’al. We must go immediately and make great sacrifices upon the altar, lest Tyre suffers an even more terrible fate.”
25 Ashtzaph scowled as he watched the giant bird as it became smaller and smaller in the distance until it could be seen no more. “Search everywhere in the temple for the high priestess,” he commanded. “Perhaps that was not her, but one of her handmaidens.”
26 “But it was her handmaidens who called to us,” protested one of the priests.
27 “That may be,” Ashtzaph admitted. “But let us not give up our high priestess so easily unless we are sure she is truly no more.”
28 And it came to pass that they did as Ashtzaph bid and searched every cranny of the temple and brought before him Elissa’s two handmaidens. And the handmaidens recounted to him every detail of what had transpired from the moment they had entered the chambers with the high priestess until the moment she had been seized by the giant bird from the sky.
29 At last, Ashtzaph could no longer deny the facts before him, and turning to one of the priests, he commented, “First a thousand snakes and now a giant bird that magically appears and just as quickly disappears. These are truly bad omens.”
30 Then he commanded another priest, saying, “Bring the daughter of Zatel to me. We must immediately begin the initiation of a new high priestess before Ba’al sends even more frightful terrors upon us.”
31 And thus did Elissa of Tyre pass from the thoughts and memory of the priests of the Temple of Ba’al.
32 Back at the camp of the Apostles, Yeshua had soon lowered his arms and remained in somewhat of a trance for several minutes while the bird had come upon and taken Elissa. But once it had vanished from sight, he opened his eyes and, after taking a deep breath, spoke to his friends, saying, “It is done.”
33 “What has been done?” asked Cephas.
34 “The priests have witnessed Elissa being carried off by a great bird,” Yeshua responded. They will not look for her, for in their minds she is no more.”
35 “A great bird?” Cephas spoke quietly with a bit of confusion and uncertainty.
36 “Remember our lesson of last night,” Miriam admonished him.
37 “An illusion?” Cephas asked.
38 “Yes,” Miriam affirmed. “An illusion; it was the same as with the snakes in the temple, but grander.”
39 “You saw it?” Philip inquired.
40 Miriam nodded, saying, “I am blessed to see what Yeshua sees when I have intention.”
41 “But how can an illusion carry off a woman who is real?” Cephas wondered.
42 “It cannot,” Miriam acknowledged.
43 “In my simple mind, I am confused,” Cephas admitted. Then turning to Yeshua, he asked, “Did you not say a great bird had come and taken Elissa away? How can an illusion do such a thing?”
44 Yeshua walked over to him and put his arm around his shoulder, saying, “Good brother Cephas, I said that the priests saw this event occur, but as no such great birds exist in our day, what they witnessed and believe with all fervency in their hearts was only that which I created in their thoughts to see, even as I taught you last night how to use the power of this gift of spirit.”
45 “Then what of Elissa?” inquired Toma. “If she was not really captured and taken away by a great bird, how is it that she will be able to escape from the temple?”
46 Yeshua answered him, saying, “Let us prepare our camp for quick departure, and when we are ready to leave, the answer will come upon us.”
47 Following Yeshua’s cryptic reply, they broke camp for their return journey to the communities of Gennesaret, and just as the last item was secured, they were approached by a small old man, bent over, walking with a cane and wearing the cowled robe of a devotee of Ba’al.
48 Everyone turned to face the man, and as he came up to them, he threw off his hood and they were astonished to see the smiling womanly face of Elissa, high priestess of the Temple of Ba’al.
49 Miriam came to her immediately and embraced her, saying, “Welcome to the Family of Light, Elissa, daughter of the light.”
50 Then each person, beginning with the women and ending with Yeshua, came and introduced themselves and gave an embrace of welcome to Elissa, and she told them, “If I were to die today, I would have a peace and joy and wonder such as I have never imagined, for I have felt more love already in your welcomes than I have ever known in all my life. Thank you for taking me, a stranger, to be among you, just by what you see in my heart.”
51 Marit was standing beside Elissa, and with an excitement she no longer could contain, she said, “Tell us now before we burst with curiosity; how did you escape from the temple?”
52 Before she could answer, Cephas admonished, “Let her tell her story while we travel and let us make haste and depart, for there may still be those who look for her.”
53 Agreeing that this was prudent, they all turned south and began the trip back to Galilee. But rather than travel due south as they had come, Yeshua bade them to bear to the southeast toward the mountains, saying, “The priest Ashtzaph still suspects something is amiss and contemplates a wider search. Therefore, let us lose ourselves from eyes that may seek us in the forests above, and this will also be a more direct route home.”
54 Cephas nodded in agreement, and thus they traveled, passing over the mountains of Lebanon to return back to the Communities of Light.
55 As they traveled, they stopped periodically, and Elissa related the details of her escape from the Temple of Ba’al at Tyre, saying, “As he had promised, Yeshua, blessed he be, came to me in a dream moments after I had fallen asleep.
56 We stood in conversation as if I were awake, and so real it was that even in my dream I had to continue to remind myself that I was asleep.
57 Yeshua showed me what it was that everyone else would see the next day, even a great white bird with a red tail, swooping down from the sky and carrying me off.
58 Yeshua said all this would be an illusion, but to be believed, it must be supported with things that were real.
59 Therefore, I was to gather some lamb’s blood from a temple sacrifice and thin it with a tiny amount of water; then pour it on the balcony railing just before I left that those who saw the illusion would think it was my blood.
60 Also he told me before I departed to leave my headdress on the table beside my favorite purple sitting pillow, and this I did.
61 In the morning, as there is most mornings, a group of pilgrims had come for morning devotions. I usually preside in silence over the ceremonies from a small throne at the end of the room.
62 On this day, I was not sitting upon the throne, but hiding in my chambers waiting for the pilgrims to depart. My two handmaidens had moments before walked with an illusion of me created by Yeshua to the room of ceremony to stand in waiting should I need anything while presiding over the morning devotional.
63 They and everyone else in the temple saw me sitting upon the throne, but there was truly nothing there except an image planted in their minds by Yeshua.
64 When the pilgrims departed, I was dressed as they were and simply followed after them, making to be as if I were an old man. They did not know that I was not just another pilgrim from a group other than theirs, and the temple priests merely assumed I was what I appeared to be, an elderly pilgrim attached to the group that was departing.
65 Assuming that everything continued in reality as it did in my dream, after the morning devotion, my two handmaidens returned to my chambers with me, although by this time I was already on the streets of Tyre and making haste for the gate.
66 To give me time to escape ere the gates of the city were sealed, they thought to be brushing my hair for some time as I sat upon my pillow.
67 They even imagined that they had removed my headdress and sat it upon the table, when in fact I had left it there to be discovered to give physical evidence to the illusion and the story they would tell the priests about what had transpired.
68 Shortly after I had departed from the city and was about halfway down the isthmus, Yeshua had told me in my dream that the illusion would be no more. Since that time, I have continued to look over my shoulder with trepidation, expecting any moment to be put upon by soldiers or priests, but none have come after me.
69 And that is really all there is to my story,” she concluded.
70 “All there is!” Talitha exclaimed. “Why that is such a wonderful and inspiring story? How blessed we are to be able to walk with Yeshua and be witnesses to such marvelous events, even as men have never known!”
71 Hearing her words, but also knowing somewhat of the challenges to come and how little time Yeshua would still be among them, Miriam said unto her, “More blessed than you know, my sister, more blessed than you know.”
72 And Yeshua, speaking to everyone, said unto them, “In the escape of Elissa, you have witnessed a powerful gift of the Celestine Light, which also resides in all of you. Contemplate it well, for the days will come when being able to call forth this gift will be as valuable to your life and the lives of the Children of Light as it was for Elissa on this day.”