Akhenaten/Moses succeeded; in eventually drawing a definite 'LINE in the SAND' , so to speak, when he led a relatively small band of ‘followers’ out of the land of his birth and away from the presiding Pharaoh’s dictates based upon religion – whomever the Pharaoh was at the time. But more fundamentally he led them away from the pagan priesthood responsible for the oppressive religious bondage that hung over the place as an ever increasing stench. However in hindsight we can clearly witness the obvious - as referred to above; that the newly freed flock of sheep, after following their utterly outstanding shepherd out of the place; cherished a serious lack of trust in regards the very SOURCE and purpose for their freedom in the first instance.
It would seem obvious that whilst Akhenaten sat on the throne for 17 years as Pharaoh, he was continually faced with a determinedly powerful and hostile opposition, that only sought upon returning to the previous complex system of slavery through religion. Yet 40 years later, now as Moses in leading the few away from their highly oppressive past under such severe bondage, he may well have had to deal with an even more hostile opposition, which despite their newly found freedom from the physical serfdom in the slave quarries, had no intention whatsoever to release their grip on religion - as their way of life.
Indeed, as we read above, “Who were the people who .. quarrelled so bitterly? – Those who .. fell dead in the wilderness .. (so) would not enter HIS rest!” These followers of Akhenaten/Moses – every one of them had a serious lack of trust and therefore became bitter, and through this cherished bitterness, grew in disobedience. As a result they never actually entered the rest (from bondage) that they had been brought out in order to receive – for in their disobedience, they (each one) ‘sinned’ – all for of a serious lack of trust.
So from this opening text, we can clearly see that their problem was actually a 'lack of trust', but what were they being asked to place their trust in? Freedom? Moses? Akhenaten? A new religion? A promise of being delivered into a 'rest'? We will soon explore what this lack of trust was all about, and towards that aim we will continue to look into who these people were and their general mindset.
The 'LINE in the SAND' had been once and forever defined, and the few followers who effectively placed the lives of themselves and families across that line - and in the palm of (quite likely) the most outstanding man who ever drew breath on this planet when they accepted the leadership of Moses/Akhenaten out of Egypt, quite possibly never even recognised who the man they were following was; as being the very same individual who previously sat on the throne as Pharaoh; and was responsible for that enormous 17 year speed hump by the name 'FREEDOM' that
He was now 63 years advanced on the young Pharaoh who first ascended the throne, and it had been around 46 years since he was last seen walking the hallowed halls of the empire, as still a relatively youthful king. Now he returns as a bedraggled old shepherd with strenuous words of unrelenting demand upon the most powerful king of the planet to release the entire slave labor force of the nation. Yet there is an even more significant reason why he was far from recognisable to anyone of the time, particularly those who eventually followed his leadership - heading away from the prevailing bondage to Pharaoh under the religious priesthood (of Amen).
When anyone sits on the throne of any nation, the vast majority of the population never actually get to see the man with their own eyes. Even today, most of us have to rely upon the TV screen or photos in some publication to have any inkling what President Bush (for instance) looks like, but in ancient Egypt; before the photograph or television was developed, the regular guy in the street, generally had only artwork as carved in stone by an artist to have any idea at all about the appearance of his supreme ruler.
Deformed (effeminate) image of Akhenaten (17) at his ascension
In the case of Akhenaten, we can clearly see by an example of the artwork of the time, that when Akhenaten first ascended the throne (above), he was a teenager with an appearance of being very youthful, healthy and normal, even a very attractive young man. There is no hint in the facial features of any deformation or disease that would cause any unusually grotesque changes. Yet the image still is not quite correct, as the torso seems to have an hour glass shape, indicating a womanly figure, and it even hints of female breasts.
In later images of Akhenaten left for us by the artists of the day, perhaps a few years after the above representation, we find his appearance now to be quite unusual, sickly and not at all manly - even suggesting moronic. There are some examples as punctuating this post, however it is obvious that none of these artefacts have been produced with any level of respect for the man, so surely would have been part of a post rule demolition of the (previous) Pharaoh.
One would be excused for feeling quite some revulsion for the man who supposedly posed for the artist, but how could a 17 year old (as above), after just a few years of the healthiest lifestyle available to anyone at that time, end up with such deformed features as below? Many have been the explanations for the odd features, particularly ‘a very rare bone disease’, and ‘an inclination’ of this particular Pharaoh to delight in seeing himself as a comical representation for the amusement of his people. Both these and all other suppositions are obviously utter rubbish, from ‘experts’ who have absolutely no concept who this most outstanding leader actually was.
The evidence for our witness from within the artwork available today; with the increasingly grotesque images of a deformed and effeminate man, is actually a demonstration of a profound hatred for this exceptional king, who after his 17 year reign, had disappeared before he could be murdered. The rage within the Amen priesthood was deep and concentrated, for they had spent the best part of the previous 17 year reign denied by his laws, of their most depraved self-serving fervor. They remained the most wealthy and influential folk in the land, yet they had been reduced to (almost) ‘illegals’ when their religious activities - of skinning their constituents in the name of Amen was outlawed.
There can be no downplaying the depth of the anger and urgency for revenge such actions created in the cesspit hearts of these self glorifying ‘holy’ people. This was no band of kindly, humble, spiritually focused, subservient gentle-holy-man. They were indeed a band of (previously) worshipped, strutting, pontificating, self-edifying peacocks with egos so over-inflated by generations of wooed and beguiled pharaohs into extending all his relative authority into their grubby hands - in their expressed duties to promote him into the ‘gods’. These men, so deeply corrupted by the obscene wealth and power at their disposal through the levels of fear they commanded; had no doubt that any disruption to their ongoing worldly comforts - brought to them through service to Amen, needed to be met with the most severe punishment imaginable.
Akhenaten is certainly one who severely disrupted their self-serving activities by up to17 years no less. So the intended retribution upon him needed to be substantial as the price for his actions - in denying them as he did. Alas, he escaped the obvious death penalty that hung over him, so how was the Amen priesthood now to punish him as they considered he deserved? His remaining officials were most assuredly dispatched into the granite quarries, or worse - along with his most ardent followers. The remainder of the believers (in ‘The Aten’) were then given the choice to join them with pick in hand and whip on back, or convert back to the previous servitude under Amen.
But what of Akhenaten himself? How was he to be punished for his lawful denial of the strutting, self glorifying peacocks who were the Amen priesthood?
Unflattering and disrespectful - Akhenaten and Nefertiti
After many months of searching without success for the reviled previous Pharaoh in the surrounding wilderness, the only thing left for this murderous bunch to access in order to cause him harm, was to discredit him in any way possible - by defacing his legacy. The obvious starting point for such intention would be the images of the man. Make him appear less of a man, effeminate, deformed, inhuman – indeed even an object of humor. So what we are witnessing with the extremes of the artwork representing this man and his family, is likely the first derogatory cartoon graffiti the world has ever experienced for the purpose of making their previous leader of the most enormous stature ever to ascend any throne - to appear worthless - even comical. It is almost too easy to overlook the undeniably putrid-in-the-extreme levels of disrespect for such an outstanding man that these despicable actions are witness to.
The people of Egypt, now again under an increased severity of servitude to the priesthood of Amen, as under their now up-ramped servitude soon forgot about the previous pharaoh who offered them (even to this day), an indelible image of what freedom from oppressive religious regimen could be like. So they again found themselves groaning under an even more heavy handed bondage - to Pharaoh through religion, but did they have any idea what the slavery was all about, or who it was in the service of? Did they have even the first clue at all; that they had just been nurtured through an extaordinary period of unparalleled freedom via the courageous hands of a monumental historical figure? Or did that freedom appear, in a twisted kind of manner; presenting more as an imprisonment of sorts?
Extraordinary disrespect -Akhenaten - as a woman
It is a well known but curious phenomenon that any prisoner of long standing, once released into the freedom of general society, can find it most difficult to cope with the rules and regulations of his newly realised freedom. He certainly enough enjoys the concept of ‘freedom’, yet is unsure what such a lifestyle expects of him on a minute by minute basis, for even though he is now ‘free’ to go where he pleases and do as he desires with whomever he chooses, yet he really has little recognition according to ‘degree’ and ‘appropriateness’, and therefore his mind is overwhelmed with doubt, and the fear that grows out of this doubt. So he will struggle for a time but in the end, as strange as it seems; many will intentionally commit crime for the express purpose of being returned to the ‘safe’ world of being told when to go to sleep and when to wake up and when to eat - and have it all paid for by ‘society’.
To such a man, as conditioned by extended confinement under duress;
** Imprisonment feels like freedom (from having to work out the details of life), and
** Freedom has all the hallmarks of imprisonment (within the walls of fear of responsibility for actions).
Our witness then, is that it is a reasonably common occurrence for the human mind to being beguiled through fear - to distrust the rules and regulations founded within freedom - for they require a stronger intention upon reason and understanding, as being weighed in the balances in order to make intelligent choice for the best results - and all according to what is lawful. All of which is a far more daunting prospect for the ex-prisoner than those based upon blind servitude to a task master, as harsh as it may be – according to the demands of another. All this goes quite some distance in explaining why it is that even after leading his relatively small band of followers out of Egypt, Akhenaten (as Moses) had to continue in his thankless efforts for a further 40 years to have them release their determined grip upon religion - which was not realised until (through a small portion of) the subsequent generation.
Grotesque image of Akhenaten
Was Akhenaten then, a deformed effeminate moron as the Amen priesthood would have us believe? This blog for the sake of the obvious, states in the most emphatic fashion possible -
******ABSOLUTELY NOT******
He was in fact likely - the most MANLY individual ever to walk the dust of the earth of this planet. It is only in the putrid cesspit that is the mind of the priest of religious determination, that you would find such a vile suggestion.
WHAT OF TODAY?
What does our witness show us today, firstly according those who regard themselves as being the ‘authentic’ descendants of the ‘children of
Secondly, Akhenaten's defined 'LINE in the SAND' is still very much existent today. Indeed freedom is still assuredly available, yet unquestionably comes at a price. It is not cheap; the exchange rate being very high indeed; AND it still requires - **CHOICE** - the very same choice!
It can only be purchased at only the full undiscounted price - of ACCEPTANCE - and TRUST. And furthermore, this transaction is only accessible through the most definite pain - of releasing one's tenuous grip upon the bondage that has been in place for so long it feels like a part of our flesh - because it ACTUALLY IS a very definite part of our flesh.
On the other hand, REASON and UNDERSTANDING and TRUTH through TRUST seeks to have us join in and enjoy the ABSOLUTE FREEDOM - which is far more than a pleasant sounding or religious notion - as Akhenaten/Moses offered, when he brought his band of (previous) slaves out from under Pharaoh's harsh bondage, yet they did not ever get to enter and enjoy their promised rest, but why?
** PHYSICAL freedom - they could understand, take hold of = TRUST.
** SPIRITUAL FREEDOM - not comprehended = continued LACK OF TRUST.
Therefore, they never entered their promised REST, because they never - in any way - took hold of their promised REST. For how can anyone enjoy anything if he refuses for whatever reason - to take hold of it?
The ultimate question then; for every living human in 2008 is still the same - and relates directly to this very same 'LINE in the SAND' - leading to the very same promised REST of Akhenaten's/Moses' offer - Can I be sufficiently courageous to reject the warnings and threats of eternal doom (brought to us by the very SAME - Amen priesthood); and follow the leading of the most awesome SHEPHERD of 'WHAT IS' YAHWEH, to step across the line - and then out of the religious bondage that is, even today - spiritual Egypt; and into the promised Religious Land of FREEDOM, as is available on the other side through;
TRUST!
