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Jesslyn Johnson
Jesslyn was a friend of Ron Wyatt, first meeting
him as a student of nurse anesthesiology, and then later as a
co-worker at hospitals in the Nashville area. Ron told her in
1975 that he wanted to go out to Eastern Turkey and look for the
Noah's ark formation that appeared in Life Magazine in 1960, but had
been cast aside by some as a natural formation, but as a possibility
to others who were on that excursion. Ron knew he could
trust Jesslyn and he confided in her important information about his
discoveries. Photo above inside Ron's excavation for the ark of
the covenant.
YouTube Video by Jesslyn:
https://youtu.be/PrN7aYoq05s
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Jesslyn's Testimony
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SEARCHING FOR BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Ron Wyatt liked to talk about his
archaeological plans and when I had opportunities over those twenty
years or so, I liked to listen. Biblical archaeology was nearly always
on Ron’s mind and it seemed that there wasn’t anything that could
dampen his zeal for reaching that amazing goal of proving Bible
history to be true. He very much wanted to locate and excavate the
remains of Noah’s ark, find and document the actual Red Sea Crossing,
and see and photograph the real Mount Sinai and the surrounding area
in Arabia that the Bible book of Galatians speaks of. There were other
Bible places and things that he wanted to find, document, and
photograph, books that he wanted to write, and dramatic movies of
Bible stories he wanted to make, but until that strange conversation
in Jerusalem with the Israeli, he had not so much as had a thought of
searching for the Ark of the Covenant, the greatest of all earthly
treasures.
In telling me about his miraculous
conversation in Jerusalem with a man from the Israeli Antiquities
Authority while they were walking together near the Calvary
escarpment, Ron tried to impress me with how surprised he was at what
both of them had said unwittingly. He claimed that what had been
spoken by his mouth was not by his own will! He had not even once
thought of saying any such thing. When Ron and the Israeli were near
the Calvary escarpment, Ron’s left hand involuntarily pointed toward a
particular area and he involuntarily stated that that was Jeremiah’s
grotto and that the Ark of the Covenant was in there. Ron was shocked!
He hadn’t been thinking such things and wondered why his mouth would
say such words and his hand would point to that trashy-looking place.
Ron thought that this area being used as a dump seemed quite unlikely
as a hiding place for the ancient gold-covered Ark that held the Ten
Commandments written on by the finger of God; but why did his mouth
say that it was? How could he be made to say something that he had
never even thought about, much less intended to say? Ron also thought
it strange that the Israeli official had not expressed a bit of
surprise at what he had just said but instead, quite out of the
ordinary, the man instantly offered Ron a dig permit, a hotel room
with meals, and laundry furnished if he would stay and excavate there.
Ron was so puzzled by this sudden
incident that he didn’t know what to say. He even wondered whether
anybody would believe him if he should tell them about this strange
conversation. He decided to go home and do some research on the Ark of
the Covenant.
When Ron came home to Tennessee
and was telling me about this miraculous conversation, he was watching
my reactions for signs as to whether or not I believed what he was
saying. Even though I had no idea of what an "escarpment" was, I did
believe him, because Ron appeared to be sincere and I had never known
him to tell a lie. And then he strictly told me not to tell anyone
what he had just told me.
How I Knew Ron
Ron and his family and I and my
family had attended the same church in Madison, Tennessee. We sat on
the back pews because of our young children. He and his wife had three
children and at that time my husband and I had two (we now have four).
Ron was a deacon and sometimes helped pass the offering plates. Ron
remembered me from those Sabbaths at church, but my first remembrance
of speaking with him was when I was working in surgery at General
Hospital in Nashville in about 1970 when he was in rotation as a
student nurse anesthetist from Madison Hospital School of Anesthesia,
which is now Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia. I had graduated
from the same school about two years before. But I really didn’t get
to know Ron until the late 1970’s when he started working at Donelson
Hospital near Nashville (now Summit Medical Center), in the
obstetrical department where I was then working as a staff
anesthetist.
At that time, our work schedules
averaged a twenty-four-hour shift every third day, with three
anesthetists sharing the time. We swapped shifts often, sometimes
working two or more shifts back to back in order to have or give more
days off together. One summer, Ron requested to stay at work for a
whole week so that he could have three weeks off for one of his many
trips. In those days, the obstetric department wasn’t always busy, and
only on rare occasions were there two anesthetists actually working
together, such as at shift-change when there was more than one case
going on at the same time. But many times Ron and I had time to talk
for a while at the beginning or ending of shifts when we were
relieving each other.
It was Ron who did most of the
talking for I rarely had anything to say. It seemed that he never got
tired of talking about Noah's Ark. He had great plans for excavating
that gigantic pre-flood ship. He wanted people to see Noah's Ark for
themselves so they would believe the Bible and get ready for the soon
coming of Jesus. He wanted to make a way for tourists to go down into
the bottom section from one end and walk through the length of the
lowest story where those many separate compartments and the gigantic
round containers are and then up and out at the other end. He thought
the large containers were for storage of fresh water. In 1987 the
Turkish government officially––at a banquet and blood sacrifice at the
site of Noah’s ark––recognized Ron as the one who discovered the ark.
I was later privileged to be able to hold the forty pound piece of
gophered (layered) deck wood that Ron discovered the day of that
banquet where so many government and military officials were in
attendance and were witnesses of the event. I could see and touch the
five layers and the rosin-like substance and square silver nails that
held the petrified layers together.
One of my treasured memories of
Ron is the day let me work for an hour on a small model of his version
of Noah’s ark. It was probably no more than three feet long, but it
was quite detailed. The top decks would lift off to reveal a long
hallway with many compartments on either side. My job was to shape the
ends of Popsicle sticks as the deck-wood for the bow area. Ron glued
them into place. But after an hour, the Popsicle stick box was empty
and that ended my shipbuilding experience. Ron said that he was making
the model as a gift to present to the governor of Turkey, which he
later accomplished. I hinted that it would make a lovely addition to
my ship collection, but alas, it was not to be. But after some of
Ron's trips, he would bring me a small miniature ship for my
collection. They range in size from less than an inch to several
inches and are made from wood, metal, crystal or ivory. My favorite is
the carved ivory Egyptian boat that he hand-carried to me from Egypt.
Ron always had things to talk
about, and mostly he spoke on religious subjects. He sometimes would
caution me in regard to the errors that some people were trying to
bring into the church. When he shared his understanding of certain
passages of scripture, we found that we held the same beliefs. Ron’s
favorite writings were Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy. He studied
them often. His love of scripture led him to be greatly interested in
history and archaeology. He studied deeply into the history of Egypt
and Israel and could explain the dynasties of Egypt and who the
pharaohs were. He said that King Tut was killed by the destroying
angel on the night of the Exodus and that his father was the pharaoh
who drowned in the Gulf of Aqaba. Once he brought a book to work about
Moshe Diane of Israel. When he finished with it, he asked if I would
like to read it; I did, and found it quite interesting.
When Ron was exploring the subject
of the Children of Israel miraculously crossing the Red Sea, he read
all that he could find about it, first in the Bible, then in Spirit of
Prophecy. The information he found in Patriarchs and Prophets helped
him to understand where to look for some evidence of the exodus route
from Egypt. He made trips to that area and found places that perfectly
fit the descriptions he had read about.
Ron soon decided that he and his
children, Michelle, Danny and Ronny, needed to take scuba diving
lessons so they could search in the Gulf of Aqaba for artifacts from
the Red Sea Crossing. On the days that his work schedule interfered
with his diving lessons, Ron would ask me to come to work and relieve
him long enough to get to his lessons and back. After Ron and his
three children finished their scuba lessons, my two youngest sons,
Jesse and Teddy, and I also became P.A.D.I. certified divers. Ron,
Danny and Ronny made several successful dives in the Red Sea. I was
privileged to listen firsthand as Ron related their diving
experiences. Hearing about the coral-encrusted chariot wheels and
chariots without wheels was awesome, but the news of the four-spoke
gold one was most interesting! Ron's thoughts about that were that it
had once been on a chariot that belonged to one of the Egyptian
priests who accompanied the army into battle. One of the chariot
wheels Ron found was officially declared to be of the eighteenth
dynasty. That’s when the Children of Israel would have been making the
exodus. Ron turned the few retrieved artifacts over to the Antiquities
Department. Sometimes they would let him keep something. He let me
hold a horse hoof that he had brought up. Several times Ron came back
from a dive in the Gulf of Aqaba and said to me, "Jesslyn, I found
another pile of human bones”.
I have met and talked with several
people who have been diving at the Gulf of Aqaba crossing site that
was discovered by the Wyatt family. They all felt that this was truly
the very place where the Children of Israel crossed the sea. In 1994,
Jesse, his wife Debbie, Teddy and I were at this crossing site with
Ron and Richard and a large busload of tourists. Jesse, Teddy and I
brought our professional dive boots, fins, masks and snorkels along
because Ron had made plans to take us for a private dive and then
later take a taxi to join the rest of the group. The timing that had
been planned didn't work out so we didn't get to dive in the Red Sea.
We were disappointed. But when we got back to Eilat, Ron surprised us
by taking Jesse, Debbie, Teddy and me to the lovely underwater glass
observatory in the Gulf of Aqaba while the bus took the rest of its
passengers to a restaurant for a meal. While walking on the pier to
and from the observatory, we could look down into the very clear water
and see many formations of corals and beautifully colored fish. The
parrotfish were so interesting. We saw several divers there and a
bright yellow submarine.
Down inside the observatory we
could walk from window to window and watch the fish swimming in their
natural habitat. It was thrilling when lionfish would swim up to the
windows and look in at us! While we were watching the constantly
changing scenes at the windows, Ron went up top and bought drinks and
vegetarian sandwiches for us. What a kind and thoughtful person he was
to try to ease our disappointment of not getting to go diving.
The day before, our group had
taken the cable car up to the top of Masada and toured the ruins and
heard the stories of the Jews who had escaped to this flattop mountain
from the destruction of Jerusalem. We went across the road to see and
touch the Dead Sea. It is 404 meters below sea level, the lowest
place on earth. Then we climbed on the heavy-ash walls of nearby
Gomorrah and looked for the yellow balls of brimstone that helped to
burn that very large city. We couldn't explore there long because we
were heading for the southern tip of Israel, then across the border to
Eilat for a lovely evening meal in our hotel at seven o'clock. On the
way, we were to stop at Kadesh-Barnea to see the rock that Moses
struck to get water for the Children of Israel. Going south, Ron
announced, "There’s Sodom!", as we passed it. I could only get brief
glimpses from the bus window. It still lay in gigantic heaps of
heavy-ash and brimstone. I remembered Ron telling me that Sodom was
too dangerous a place for exploring there and he said, "The brimstone
there is as big as my living room"! Soon it seemed that we were
driving in the middle of nowhere. There was no sign of life except for
us. There were no buildings, no signs and not even any utility poles.
The road had turned into one unkempt lane of dirt. As we neared Mount
Hor where Aaron the high priest had died and was buried, the sun
dropped from the sky and left the summit silhouetted by streaks of
orange and pink playing on the clouds beyond. It was an impressive
sight! The bus was no longer moving. It could go no further because
that was the end of the road. We were now in the Wilderness of Zin. We
paused for a brief sundown worship of scripture reading and then we
had the choice of staying on the bus, or of searching on foot for the
rock that Moses struck. Many of us got out and hurried in the growing
darkness over rough, dry stony ground, following Ron and Richard.
After taking just a few steps, I turned back to get my flashlight from
the bus. I had to run to catch up with the others. The stony, uneven
ground made it difficult and dangerous for running, but I didn't want
to be out there alone and lost. After walking briskly with the group
for fully an hour, and sometimes I had to run to keep up with those
long-legged fellows, the search was called off just as some thought
they might have found the right place. By then it was dark and we were
very far from the bus. Everyone was tired and thirsty and hungry. I
felt thankful that I had remembered to get my flashlight, but then I
was told to turn it off because it kept people's vision from adjusting
to the dark. We had a long disappointing hour of hurrying back over
the rough terrain, not being able to see just where to step in the
dark. This caused me serious concern because I had a history of
sprained ankles. I began to pray that God would not only get me back
safely but that the bus would still be there waiting for us. Before
reaching the road again, a few people expressed the need to "relieve
themselves". There were no toilet facilities around so someone
suggested that the men go a little way toward the right and the ladies
to the left. We did and it was a relief. But not as great a relief as
when we finally got around the last bend and saw that wonderful,
though barely visible, sight of the big bus still sitting there
waiting for us! I had had enough of wandering on foot in this
Wilderness of Zin. And then the bus got lost! We kept going down dirt
roads then turned around in the narrow road to go another direction.
Once we came upon water across the road which we did not cross when we
went in. all of us were truly lost in the Wilderness of Zin.
The Gulf of Aqaba is very deep in
most places.
With the gear Ron had, it wasn’t
wise to dive much deeper than 200 feet. Some of his photography was
done by lowering a camera down into the water, and some was done while
diving with a camera. He very much wanted to explore in the deeper
parts of the Gulf. He would tell me about his desire to rent a
submarine so he could explore as deeply as he liked. And he was sure
that he would find many things from the drowning of Pharaoh's army.
The Bible speaks of the great
depths.
Sometimes Ron would come by the
hospital on his day off, and also after he no longer worked there, to
talk with the nurses and me about a trip he had just been on, or of
possible plans for another trip. One day he arrived after a trip to
Israel, and in his shirt pocket was the most interesting little clay
oil lamp! He had found it in a cave system under Mount Moriah. It was
perfectly preserved, almost like new. It is a treasured memory that he
let me hold it. It was exquisitely carved on both front and back.
There was a goat standing on its back legs reaching up into a tree.
Ron thought it might represent the Tree of Life.
Ron didn’t continue working in OB
at Donelson Hospital for many years. It didn’t afford him enough time
off for exploring and digging. He worked part-time at different
hospitals so he could be free to travel when he needed to.
I continued seeing Ron from time
to time, at church, at anesthesia meetings, at meetings about his
archaeological findings or at work. Ron consulted with me several
times about finding him anesthesia meetings to go to for continuing
education points. He had the habit of putting them off as long as
possible because his life was so very full. Several times I visited
with Ron and Mary Nell in their home, and they visited in our home.
Ron sometimes visited with my husband, Ed, where he was working, and
talked about his finds. Ed considered Ron a friend. Once when Ed and I
went to visit Ron and Mary Nell, Ron was exercising in the swimming
pool. He was talking about the Exodus video that Mary Nell had
recently finished. When Ron thought up something that he wanted done,
he wanted it done quickly. He thought Mary Nell was slow in getting
the EXODUS video finished. He said, “I told her, ‘Mary Nell, it took
you two years to make that video.’ And she said, ‘Well Ron, it took
the children of Israel forty years to make an exodus and it just took
me two!’” Ron laughed as he told us about it.
Ron was often talking with others
of his plans of finding biblical story evidence, and trying to recruit
people to get involved both physically and financially. He knew he
could not accomplish these big tasks alone and he needed help. He
needed financing for more trips to Turkey, Egypt, Israel and other
places. He needed many kinds of equipment such as for radar, for
digging, for scuba diving, for photography. He needed money for plane
fares, for traveling, for food and lodging, and for paying for the
privilege of exploring. He wanted his trips and diggings and findings
well documented so people would believe him when he discovered
something important. Photography was very important to him, but he
didn’t really enjoy that part of his work. He wanted to write a book
about Noah’s Ark. He had already written a small one, but he wanted a
nice large one with pictures and the latest information about the Ark.
He didn’t feel qualified to do a professional job himself so he tried
to recruit others to help him.
For a time, Ron was in the process
of planning to make a movie about the Bible stories. He thought that
the people who wouldn’t take time to study from the Bible might learn
Bible truths from watching his movie. He planned to start his story in
the Garden of Eden. Danny, Ron’s teen-age son, was to play the part of
Adam. Michelle, Ron’s teen-age daughter was to play the part of Eve.
Ron described the lovely shimmering golden fabric that Michelle’s
dress would be made from. But he never got his film made; he was too
busy with work and with his other plans.
I was a very busy mother of four,
working full time to support my family. I felt that I couldn’t handle
all of the many things that I already had to do. But Ron would look
for things for me to do that would help him with his goals. He knew
that I had had some photography classes so he talked with me about
helping with photography. From time to time, there were several other
things that he suggested that I do to help him. One of which was that
when I was reading from the New Testament, I should write down all of
the verses that were repeated because he wanted to have a new version
printed without repetition so that people could read it in less time.
But it wasn’t long before he decided to drop that idea.
He often talked about his plans
for the future; he had many long-term goals. The more he talked, the
more interesting he was. I had never met a person with such high
aspirations, but I just couldn’t foresee those things actually
happening. I thought he was a dreamer, but his dreams were so very
wonderful that it was sheer pleasure just to hear about them. Always,
the main goal was to give to the world enough evidence that that the
Bible was a true book of history and prophecy, so that they would
study it and be prepared for the soon coming of our Lord and Savior.
In the early years of Ron’s trips
and diggings, he would often tell me about something and then ask me
not to say anything about it. Many times I would only get to hear bits
and pieces about his experiences and they would not necessarily be in
chronological order. Sometimes that made it difficult for me to
mentally sort the information to try to get a true picture of what was
going on. A few years later, he gave me permission to repeat anything
that he told me, but then I didn't get to see him often because he was
usually either at work or away exploring or in another country or
state giving lectures about his finds. When I did get to see him, he
was usually busy talking with others and I didn’t want to bother him
with questions that could wait. How many times I have wished I had
those opportunities again! Although Ron shared a lot of information
with me, I rarely asked him questions about his explorations. Mostly,
I just listened to whatever he felt like saying at the time.
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Ron-Blood Report-Jesslyn
After his evening lecture on January 9, 1999, Ron allowed questions:
(I, Jesslyn Johnson, believe that the report
of the analysis of the blood that Ron took from the
mercy seat (as directed by the angel in the cave in Jerusalem), is on
paper and also on his video that is presently in the cave. That
belief comes from things that Ron told me in person, plus from what he
directly stated that is recorded on my video that Kevin put on
You Tube. You Tube ark of the covenant,
1999, Hi Res. People can
easily misinterpret what Ron said because of the way he said it. He
was quickly trying to make something clear, but was
misunderstood.)
Ron: It is no accident that we are here today. God is preparing a people
to finish His last work and you are that people.
Q. Are you going to test again to make sure the substance was
blood?
A. We tested it to make sure it was blood. It is unique blood. I will
quickly state this, I know that there are some doctors here, and nurses, and
people who are familiar with blood. All of us have 46 chromosomes, unless we
have Downs Syndrome. Christ had 24. Each parent supplies 23 chromosomes to a
new infant--all right, Christ got 23 from His mother, He got one from His
Father, and it was a Y, which made Him a male. He got it not from an earthly
Father, or He would have had 46 like the rest of us. When the test results
will be shown, nobody will be able to
honestly doubt that this is indeed the blood of God's Son. That is why He
says that this is His Testimony of His Son. It is His proof
to this world.
Q. What about the cells?
A. White blood cells. And you are saying “how can you test a dead
white blood cell for chromosome count?”
His blood is not dead!
When put in a growth medium the cells divided and
reconstituted themselves. If that doesn't blow your socks off, I don't
know what will!!!
Q. Are you in possession of this blood?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you have this second video available now?
A. I will share it with people who I can trust, when I am told to by
one of the four angels that are guarding the Ark of the Covenant, when to
release it and to whom. Because I can't tell, people can fool me, I'm not
that clever.
Are there any other questions? Yes Ma’am?
Q. Are you saying that you were able to take a video camera in there
and video? Is, is that what I judge you saying?
A. Well, I didn't say
that, but there
is video
available of ALL of this.
And there will be shown when I'm told to do so: The
Ark of the Covenant, my
removing the Tables of Stone out of it, (someone interrupts
him briefly) and the blood, and me taking
the sample, the analysis. I didn't do this.
I took it to a place in Israel where they do this kind of
thing. They thought I was crazy when I asked them to do a chromosome count.
But after they saw the results, they went crazy!
Ron said there is video of
ALL OF THIS. He listed 5 things:
(1) Ark of the Covenant,
(2) the Tables of Stone
(3) the blood,
(4) himself taking the sample,
(5) the analysis.
The analysis
was the last thing he listed that was on film; then he very
quickly stated that he didn’t DO the analysis himself. He wanted
everyone to know that he only did the filming of the analysis
and not the chromosome count itself!! Ron had just admitted that he was in
possession of the blood and I think he didn’t want people to get confused
and imagine that he had taken a sample of Christ’s blood to a microscope in
the basement of his home or anywhere else, in order to give them his own
home-done report. He spoke quickly because he wanted to make it absolutely
clear that this very important report of the blood of our
Savior was done by professionals
in Jerusalem, and not by himself.
It is very easy to misinterpret Ron’s words “I didn’t do
this!” to mean the videoing. He was admitting to the videoing, but
NOT to the professionally-done analysis. He was just quickly explaining
that in his videoing of the analysis, he did not also
DO the actual work even though he had samples of the
blood. Ron is the one who took it from the mercy seat to the laboratory. He
did exactly what the angel told him to do. Ron told me that he left the
laboratory with the report. Later, he spoke to me about the written report
that he had.
Jesslyn Johnson
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After one of the many trips Ron
made to Israel to dig for the Ark of the Covenant, he came home and
told me that he had found the hill, outside of the walls of old
Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified. How very interesting! That was
wonderful news! But I didn't ask how he knew that this was the right
place. Again, I just listened. Ron had made numerous expensive trips
to explore and dig for the Ark of the Covenant around the area where
his hand had pointed. He had prayed a lot and searched hard in first
one place then another. Much physical labor had been required from him
and his crew, but he wasn't about to give up! He proceeded to tell me
that while in the process of searching for the Ark of the Covenant, he
had inadvertently exposed some large rocks that had squarish holes
drilled out for holding crosses. That was a total surprise for Ron;
for he had no idea that he might discover the crucifixion area for
Jerusalem! But now he knew that all of his traveling, working and
expenses were not in vain.
The news of his important find
brought joy to my heart and I tried to imagine just where that hill
was and what it looked like! I could picture a beautiful hill in a
country setting, with gently sloping sides that were covered with a
variety of pretty trees. I could picture a lovely rounded hilltop,
well groomed with grass of the perfect length and hue, with enough
room for three crosses to stand near each other with a lovely view of
the sky beyond. Those were the impressions that I always got when
people sang, "On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the
emblem of suffering and shame". But my imaginings were in vain. I
had never thought of Jesus' crucifixion place having been prepared way
ahead of time. Recycled cross-holes! Imagine that! Since childhood I
had pictured someone with a shovel quickly digging a hole down into
not-too-solid soil for the placing of the crosses. How very
impractical that would have been. Let's see what the prophet has to
say about what the foot of Jesus' cross was placed into.
“Heaven viewed with grief
and amazement Christ hanging upon the cross, blood flowing from His
wounded temples, and sweat tinged with blood standing upon His brow.
From His hands and feet the blood fell, drop by drop, upon the rock
drilled for the foot of the cross. The wounds made by the nails
gaped as the weight of His body dragged upon His hands. His labored
breath grew quick and deep, as His soul panted under the burden of the
sins of the world. All heaven was filled with wonder when the prayer
of Christ was offered in the midst of His terrible
suffering,--"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Luke 23:34. Yet there stood men, formed in the image of God, joining
to crush out the life of His only-begotten Son. What a sight for the
heavenly universe!” Desire of Ages p 761.
So there was rock involved in the crucifixion! And it
had been drilled! Deeply drilled to about 23 1/ 2 inches, and made
especially for holding the foot of a cross to torture someone to
death.
Facing southward toward Herod's
temple, Jesus was crucified on a raised area of rock in front of the
Calvary Escarpment. His wooden cross had been roughly thrust about two
feet down into a rock with a square hole that had been drilled out.
Forward of this cross-hole and a few feet below, were other
cross-holes, also drilled from rock.
Yes, Ron had found that "hill far
away" where the Rock of Ages hung on a cross that was planted firmly
in the solid rock.
MOUNT MORIAH
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at
Jerusalem in mount Moriah… in the place that David had prepared in the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 Chronicles 3: 1.
“The destroying angel had stayed his
course outside Jerusalem. He stood upon Mount Moriah, ‘in the
threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.’ Directed by the prophet, David
went to the mountain, and there built an altar to the Lord, ‘and
offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord;
and He answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt
offering.’ ‘So the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was
stayed from Israel.’
“The spot upon which the altar was erected,
henceforth ever to be regarded as holy ground, was tendered to the
king by Ornan as a gift. But the king declined thus to receive it. ‘I
will verily buy it for the full price,’ he said; ‘for I will not take
that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without
cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold
by weight.’ This spot, [the Temple Mount] memorable as the
place where Abraham had built the altar to offer up his son, and
now hallowed by this great deliverance, was afterward chosen as the
site of the temple erected by Solomon.” {PP 748.5}
This is the spot on the low,
southern end of Mount Moriah where both of the beautiful temples were
built; the area between the Golden Gate and Dung Gate.
The area on Mount Moriah where Ron and his helpers
spent so much time working and digging is farther up the mountain to
the north. This is the Mount Moriah where, after Ron’s death,
archaeological research groups spent a lot of time and effort
researching and digging, and where I had the privilege of sometimes
serving as gatekeeper of The Garden Tomb during digs. Nearby,
is where an Arab tried to rob me. The Garden Tomb property is
completely surrounded by Arab territory. Arabs control much of Mount
Moriah. They would also like to own and control The Garden Tomb.
Sometimes they visit there.
On this area of Mount Moriah is where
the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world!
There are many similarities between the
sacrificing of Isaac and the sacrificing of Jesus. Jesus was crucified
on Mount Moriah, the mountain of the temples, but not on
the flat Temple Mount area to the south where the temples
had stood. Mount Moriah is a long, narrow mountain going
north and south. It is higher to the north and lower on the south and
it is fairly flat. Mount of Olives is to the east and Mount Zion to
the west. The present city of Jerusalem has spread to take in more
than these three mountains. The old walled city is partly on
Mount Moriah and partly on Mount Zion. The
Tyropian Valley that divided the two is no longer noticeable, since
Herod filled it in for the purpose of enlarging the Temple Mount so he
could remodel the temple as he desired. In order to do this, much rock
was removed from northern Moriah where an east to west moat-like area
was cut out of the mountain. This quarrying of the mountain left a
long, jagged cliff called an escarpment, which separates the northern
part of Moriah from the rest of the mountain as though it was broken
away. Jesus was crucified in front of this cliff or escarpment, facing
southward, on a raised stone area containing a large rock from which a
deep square hole had been drilled for the purpose of holding a wooden
cross for torturing someone to death. Forward of this cross-hole and a
few feet downward were three other cross-holes, also drilled from
solid rock.
I SAW "THE HILL"
Many times have I looked upon
Mount Moriah; many times have I walked upon it during the five trips I
have made to Israel, so far, but never once has there been the
slightest resemblance to anything I had previously imagined. My
beautiful mental pictures of that crucifixion hill were shattered when
I finally had the privilege of seeing that "Mount Moriah hill" for
myself. As I stood gazing upon the area of the real crucifixion site,
I realized that so many things that we think we know about are
completely misunderstood. I have traveled from northern Israel to the
Red Sea Crossing at the south, and from the Mediterranean Sea at the
west, into Jordan on the east. Israel has some beautiful places, but
most of it seems to be nothing but barren rocky wasteland, "good for
nothing except to help hold the world together" as my father would
say. In many areas now, people are working hard to reclaim the soil
for growing produce, trees and such. They are doing a good job. There
are many interesting things in Israel, especially of historical and
archaeological interest. It is a great place to visit, but I would not
like to live in that country. Mount Moriah may once have been a hill
of beauty, but it certainly isn't now! Today, the real beauty of
Moriah is not its outward appearance, but is instead, the privilege of
knowing and understanding the glorious wonders of what God wrought for
mankind right there on that hill.
Skull Faces
In the cliff near to this
crucifixion area is a rocky shape that resembles a large skull face.
This area is known as the Calvary escarpment and can be seen from a
distance. It is also known as Skull Hill, Golgotha and Gordon’s
Calvary. In the stony escarpment at the crucifixion area are large
recessed cutout areas that are thought to be where placards were
placed to advertise the crime of the person being crucified. The tops
of two of these large recessed stone areas appear to be shaped like
large eyebrows. These "eyebrows", along with some other shapes below,
remind some people of "the place of the skull" mentioned in the Bible.
I am not certain as to which of these the Bible is referring. These
two "skull faces" are not far from each other.
In the areas of these skull-faces
are the places where Ron and his helpers spent so much time working
and digging. The group has recently
spent a lot of time, money and effort researching and digging near
these same areas.
These are the same areas of Mount
Moriah where I had the privilege of spending a few weeks of a couple
of summers as gatekeeper of The Garden Tomb during the explorations.
Arabs now control much of this same Mount Moriah, which is also the
same Mount Moriah where an Arab tried to rob me. Ark of the Covenant's
Hiding Place
Ron made many long, expensive
trips to Jerusalem to dig for the Ark of the Covenant. He was the one
who was sacrificing so much and doing the hard physical work while I
was at my job wondering what was taking him so long. One day, after
returning from one of his many dig trips, Ron came to relieve me at
work. I wasn’t busy at the moment, so there in the anesthesia room,
Ron quietly informed me, after years of searching and digging, that he
had finally located the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant! He
said that it was in a cave underneath the place where Jesus was
crucified. What news! What wonderful news! But I wasn't supposed to
talk about it. Ron didn't show me any photos of it and, again, I
didn’t have the ability to picture it correctly. I had temporarily
forgotten about the cross holes being drilled from rock and I again
imagined the same lovely little rounded hilltop covered with the most
perfect green grass, only now there must be fresh dirt visible at a
hole in the side of the hill where Ron had been digging. And so I
thought that he had made a terrible mistake by going off and leaving
such a find, the most important artifact in the whole wide world, for
someone else to stumble across and take possession of just because he
had to leave Israel in a hurry to come home and relieve me at work.
When I let him know how I felt about it he just said, “Oh, it’s
alright, it’s well guarded!” He continued by informing me that I
shouldn’t tell anybody about it because there was very little that he
was allowed to reveal about the find at this time. He said that if he
told more than he was allowed to say, his life was in danger because
“they” would kill him. Ron said that "they" had ways of knowing
whether or not he had revealed too much. I didn't ask and he didn't
tell me who "they" were. assumed that he meant the Israelis who had
given him permission to dig. I felt so honored to be let in on such an
important secret, but it was certainly enshrouded in a lot of mystery!
When our conversation ended, I quickly
gathered a few of my belongings to take to my car. In my hurry, I
carelessly put a book on top of the Bible I was holding. I didn't
intend to, for I usually was very careful about my Bible. Ron quickly
said, "Jesslyn, don't ever put anything on top of your Bible"! I have
never forgotten what he said. Anytime I am tempted to put something on
my Bible, I seem to hear his voice again saying, "Jesslyn, don't ever
put anything on top of your Bible"!
The story is told, by a poet,
of a little girl who could not sleep that night.
“Father, are you sure the blood
is on the doorpost?” was her question.
“Yes, daughter, go to sleep; the
blood is there. A faithful servant put it not only on the side post,
but on the one above. Rest, little one, rest,” said the father; but
she could not rest.
At last she begged him to take
her to the door that she might see the blood. In his arms he
took her to the door. His face turned pale, for, lo, no blood was
there! The father himself hastily seized the hyssop and sprinkled the
blood on the doorpost. Then the little girl fell asleep.
And now, I too, can rest peacefully in the arms of my
heavenly Father because He has let me see, through His trusted
servant, that the lifeblood of God’s perfect Antitypical Lamb was
truly applied for me. Since Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us,
no longer need lambs be slain (see 1 Corinthians 5: 7). Just look by
faith to His holy blood that He sprinkled upon the mercy seat, and in
His loving mercy He will save you by sprinkling it upon the doorposts
of your heart.
SEVEN FOUNTAINS
By Jesslyn Johnson
God's TIMING
The crucifixion site and the
tomb where Jesus kept the Sabbath, even in death, are in a small
piece of real estate in Jerusalem called “The Garden Tomb”. I feel
that The Garden Tomb is the most important site in Israel for tourists
to visit, though it is not nearly the most popular. This property is
owned and managed by a group of Anglicans from London, England. It
has high walls all around it, for it is completely surrounded by Arab
territory. Tourists who came to visit were kindly questioned as to
whom they were and why they wanted to come in. I spent several weeks
there as a gatekeeper, primarily for some archaeological digs, and was
honored to be able to open the huge locked gate for the former
Archbishop of Canterbury and his family members after they had
finished their tour.
Scripture states that Jesus was
crucified in a garden. The Garden Tomb is a well groomed
garden of trees, plants and
flowers. Its main feature has been the walk-in tomb that once
belonged to Joseph of Arimathaea. The Garden has Roman-age cisterns
with great capacity for watering gardens or vineyard. There is an
ancient press for grapes or olives. And it is very near a large,
rocky skull-face in the escarpment, which may be the one scripture
speaks of as Golgotha, or Calvary. It is near to the old Damascus
Road where many people passed by. It is only a block or two from the
beautiful, and newer, Damascus Gate, which was built by Suleiman the
Magnificent, the Sultan of Turkey from 1520 to1566. The present
Damascus Gate is built above the old, still usable but usually locked
and trashy, gate that is now called Roman Gate. Roman Gate is the one
that they brought Jesus out through in A. D. 31 to take Him outside of
the city to crucify Him in the place called Calvary or Golgotha, which
was the customary place for stoning or crucifying people.
David built there an altar unto
the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called
upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar
of burnt offering. 1 Chronicles 21:18,25,26.
RON WYATT AND THE ELIJAH MESSAGE
by
Lydia Jesslyn Ice Johnson
The Elijah message is the good
news of the simple gospel of salvation. Salvation comes by simply
having faith in the blood of Christ as our promised propitiation.
God’s propitiation is the free gift of the blood of His sacrificed
Lamb on the mercy seat [propitiatorium] to pay for our sin.
John the Baptist said: “Make
straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]...
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of
God!” John 1:23, 36.
It was hard for people to
accept the fact that John the Baptist was one of the prophesied
Elijahs. Christ’s disciples also found it hard to understand. Jesus
said: “And IF ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to
come.” Matt. 11:14. While John was in prison, Jesus preached the
gospel of the kingdom of God and asked people to repent and believe.
See Mark 1: 14-15. He taught of His soon coming sacrifice. Then from
the cross He fulfilled the propitiation as He sprinkled His precious
blood down through the broken rock and into the wilderness tabernacle.
After the blood had sprinkled on the mercy seat and all the
furnishings, Jesus said, “It is finished!”
Long did the promised
propitiation blood of Christ lay on the earthly mercy seat as it
waited in the thick darkness until the fullness of time had come for
God to prove that He had perfectly performed His bloody propitiation
sacrifice, just as He had promised! “Christ our Passover is sacrificed
for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7.
After much praying and
exploring, Ron Wyatt was led by the Holy Spirit to find Christ’s
unique blood in the cave under the crucifixion site. The blood of
Jesus had been sprinkled throughout Moses’ hidden ‘tabernacle of
witness’, falling on every piece of the furnishings, exactly according
to the plans that God had given to Moses at Sinai.
Ron discovered several wondrous
things but he was humbled by the profound miracles that God performed
in his life. He often prayed for divine encounters and was given many.
Ron was miraculously led to the promised testimony; the proof of the
sacrifice that God said He would leave in the earth for a witness in
the last days. Several times I heard my friend and colleague, Ron
Wyatt, make statements like: “I’m no different from anybody else; God
needed some work done and I just volunteered.” Ron worked very hard to
help prepare a people for the soon coming of Jesus. When I started
comparing Ron Wyatt’s God-given work with the work of John the
Baptist, my list grew longer than I had expected it to:
|
JOHN
THE BAPTIST: AS ELIJAH |
COMPARED WITH: RON WYATT |
|
God
entrusted John the Baptist with sacred truths and a special work
that He gave no other. |
God
entrusted Ron Wyatt with sacred truths and a special work that
He gave no other. |
|
John
performed his work just prior to the beginning of
the Anti-typical sanctuary services. |
Ron
performed his work just prior to the ending of the
Anti-typical sanctuary services. |
|
John
sometimes felt alone in bearing the responsibility laid upon
him. He was a humble person preparing the way for Someone
greater that he. |
Ron
sometimes felt alone in bearing the responsibility laid upon
him. Ron was a humble person preparing the way for Someone
greater that he. |
|
John
was exalting Jesus, not himself. |
Ron
was exalting Jesus, not himself. |
|
John
had a powerful message about the Lamb of God who would take away
the sins of the world. |
Ron
had a powerful message about the Lamb of God who did take away
the sins of the world. |
|
John
was a reformer who practiced temperance. He dressed simply and
ate simply. |
Ron
was a reformer who practiced temperance. He dressed simply and
ate simply. |
|
John
was a vegetarian. He mostly ate wild honey and carob pods from
locust trees in the wilderness. |
Because he was a vegetarian, Ron sometimes had only bread and
cheese to eat while working in wilderness areas. |
|
John
taught that the Messiah had finally come. |
Ron
said Messiah would come again, soon. |
|
John
preached to prepare people to have faith in the Saviour who had
come to earth. |
Ron
preached to prepare people to have faith in the Saviour who was
coming again soon. |
|
John
was sent to his own church first, and then his message went
around the world. |
Ron
was sent to his own church first, and his messages are going all
around the world. |
|
John
kept the Commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath. |
Ron
kept the Commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath. |
|
John
preached good tidings to the poor. He taught that people should
repent and be baptized. |
Ron
preached good tidings to the poor. He taught repentance,
baptism, and developing good habits. |
|
Throngs of the common people heard John, gladly. |
Throngs of the common people heard Ron, gladly. |
|
John
baptized in the Jordan River. |
Ron
baptized in the Jordan River. |
|
John
was compelled to bear a message he hadn’t planned to say. Though
he didn’t fully understand it, he taught that Jesus would
fulfill God’s propitiation promises by being the Lamb of God
whose blood would take away the sin of the world. But John
thought that Christ might set up His kingdom on earth at that
time. |
Ron
was compelled to bear a message he hadn’t planned to say.
Without understanding why, he miraculously foretold the exact
area where the Ark of the Covenant had been hidden in the days
of Jeremiah the prophet. Ron would later find it, along with
proof that Jesus had offered His incorruptible blood upon the
mercy seat. |
|
John's church leadership wanted to direct his work. John was
disappointed in the reaction of the General Conference of his
day. |
Ron's
church leadership wanted control of his archaeology. Ron was
disappointed in the reaction of the General Conference of his
day. |
|
John
was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” |
Ron
believed his findings would be involved in “The Loud Cry” of the
last days. |
|
Miracles were performed to encourage John in the faith of his
work. |
Miracles were performed to encourage Ron in the faith of his
work. |
|
John
met Jesus at the Jordan River. |
Ron
met Jesus at the crucifixion site. |
|
The
disciples of John the Baptist personally witnessed Jesus working
miracles to encourage the imprisoned John. |
A
physician with Ron at the crucifixion site personally heard
Jesus encouraging and blessing Ron for working there. |
|
After
that personal attention from his Master, John was not
discouraged in his work. |
After
that personal attention from his Master, Ron was no longer
discouraged in his work. |
|
John
risked his life by teaching the truth. |
Ron
risked his life to confirm the truth. |
|
John
was imprisoned for teaching truth. |
Ron
was imprisoned while confirming truth. |
|
John
was mistreated by many. |
Ron
was mistreated by many. |
|
John
was considered a fraud. |
Ron
was called a fraud. |
|
When
death threatened, John didn’t despair. He died in peace,
affirming his God-given duties. |
When
dying, Ron refused to recant. He died in peace, affirming his
God-given finds. |
|
Jesus
stated that John was the prophesied Elijah. |
Was
Ron also an end-time Elijah? |
|
Many
people refused to humble themselves and accept new light that
God gave through John. |
Many
people refuse to humble themselves and accept the new light that
God gave through Ron. |
|
Those
who rejected John’s message also rejected Christ. Only a remnant
was saved. |
Are
those rejecting Ron’s message also rejecting Christ? Will many
be saved? |
John the Baptist…was a
representative of those living in these last days to whom God has
entrusted sacred truths to present before the people to prepare the
way for the second appearing of Christ.
In the last solemn work few great men will be
engaged.
As John prepared the
way for the first, so we are to prepare the way for the second advent
of the saviour.
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send
you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the LORD.
Luke 1:17 And he shall go before
him in the spirit and power of Elias…to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.
1.
The first Elijah
rebuilt the altar of God; pointing to the sanctuary system.
2.
John the Baptist
pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of the sanctuary system.
3.
Ellen White points
to the sanctuary system and emphasizes faith in the blood of Jesus.
4.
Ron Wyatt found
the blood of God’s Lamb in the hidden Wilderness Sanctuary; just where
God reserved it as a witness and testimony that He paid for our sins
with His Son’s life.
Many of God’s prophets and
messengers were not accepted by their own people.
- Moses
cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they
be almost ready to stone me. Exodus 17:4
- Elijah
was called the troubler of Israel.
- Jesus
answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for
which of those works do ye stone me? John 10:32
- Stephen
was stoned after accusing his hearers of murdering Christ. He asked:
“Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?”
Acts 7: 52.
- Ellen
White stated: “I have tried to bring back a good report and a few
grapes from the heavenly Canaan, for which many would stone me, as
the congregation bade stone Caleb and Joshua for their report. But I
declare to you, my brethren and sisters in the Lord, it is a goodly
land, and we are well able to go up and possess it.” Early Writings
p. 13.
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth SALVATION;
1
Peter 1:5, 18-20…through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time…ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things. . . . But with the precious
blood of Christ. . . . manifest in these last times for you,
Psalm 85:11
Truth shall spring out of the earth.
1Timothy 2: 5-6
…and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave
himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Hebrews 9:16
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be
the death of the testator.
1 John 5:8-11
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and
the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive
the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this
(blood of Jesus on the earthly mercy seat) is the witness of God
which he hath testified of his Son…he that believeth not God hath made
him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us
eternal life…Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace
through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things
unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth,
or things in heaven. Mark 1:15 The kingdom of heaven
is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
______________________________________________________________
Ron’s Amazing Revelation
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what
he hath done for my soul. Ps.66:16
By Lydia Jesslyn Ice Johnson
There were no dull moments when Ron Wyatt was around! Ron was
a tall middle-aged gentleman with light brown hair and light blue eyes who
was genuinely friendly. He was an outgoing, talkative person who never
seemed to be without something he wanted to say, and would talk to almost
anyone who would take time to listen. The majority of his conversations
centered on biblical themes because the Bible was his favorite book and
Jesus was his best friend. He spent a lot of time trying to share his great
enthusiasm for the archaeology he was involved in; whether it included
something he had already accomplished or some of earth’s greatest artifacts
that he was planning to find, or books that he wanted to write and
illustrate, or movies that he dreamed of making.
Ron loved going on God’s errands! He would pray daily for
divine encounters and was happy to recount the miracles God performed in his
life. He had a faith in Jesus that I could only dream of. Ron had more
ambition, determination, and faith than anyone I ever knew. He had so many
ambitious plans that I thought would never be realized. I made a few
attempts to get Ron to see that there would be many difficult hurdles
between him and all those impossible dreams, but he refused to be affected
by my negative thinking.
Ron talked more about Noah’s Ark than any other subject, and
it actually became his first major “find”! That convinced me that the work
he was doing had actually been designed in heaven. I am thankful that he
continually trusted in God’s help and never gave up on those mammoth-sized
goals. After ten years of Ron presenting evidence to the Turks, in order to
honor him for the find, the Turkish government held a banquet and blood
sacrifice at the site of the ark that survived the great flood. It was big
news in Turkey! Later, it made the news on Television and in newspapers,
magazines, and books that spread over the world.
To fulfill his ambitions, Ron made seemingly countless long
and expensive trips to different countries and I thought he would never get
finished with his traveling and searching for convincing artifacts. He was
happiest when he had a “dig” planned, which seemed to be most of the time.
My first memories of Ron are the times I saw him, his wife
Loretta, and their children, Michelle, Danny, and Ronny at church on Sabbath
mornings in middle Tennessee. That was somewhere in the mid to late 1960’s.
Ron and I were not well acquainted then. Our friendship came later, after we
both had trained at Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia in Madison,
Tennessee, under Bernard Bowen. Over a period of several years, Ron and I
became friends when we worked at the same hospitals as Certified Registered
Nurse Anesthetists. We attended some of the same Continuing Education
classes and occasionally saw each other outside of the workplace.
Aiming for wealth or fame was not Ron’s goal when he was
searching for ancient artifacts. He just wanted to work for God by actually
finding significant things that proved the Bible to be a reliable history
book. He thought that if he could accomplish that, then people from all over
the world would hurry up and study their Bibles so they could be ready when
Jesus comes. Ron was impressed with the thought that Jesus was coming really
soon, but he never did any date-setting and he argued with those who did. He
kept watching for biblical signs.
Over the years, Ron recruited a number of people to help him
with his various projects, but he rarely seemed to have enough help. Once
while making a trip alone, he met two young men who were traveling and
talked them into changing their destination and going with him, instead. He
even tried to get me to assist him in one way or another but, being a
working mother, there wasn’t much I could do to help. Once I helped for a
little while by shaping Popsicle sticks to make deck wood for a lovely model
of Noah’s Ark that Ron was making to present to the Governor of Turkey.
I used to trade work shifts with Ron so he would have more
consecutive days off for traveling. I remember when Ron stayed on call in
the hospital for seven days and nights straight so that he could have a few
weeks off to make an extended trip. Eventually, he gave up his full-time job
and worked part-time at different hospitals so he could choose his work days
and have as much time off as he needed for traveling, research, writing, and
lecturing.
I collected information for Continuing Education classes so
Ron could have immediate access for choosing where to go for the mandatory
Continuing Education points he would need for recertification. He usually
put off getting his points for as long as possible because he was so busy
with his own agenda. Sometimes he called me at home to immediately find a
brochure for upcoming Continuing Education classes. Never once did he come
to get it. I had to stop what I was doing and meet him at some designated
place to hand it to him. But I was glad to be able to do that.
I made a few trips to the hospital to relieve Ron long enough
for him to go to his scuba diving classes. He wanted to dive in the Gulf of
Aqaba to search for ancient artifacts from the Red Sea Crossing of the
Children of Israel. He found an abundance of evidence there: chariot parts,
wheels, hubs, and chariot beds without wheels. He let me hold a horse hoof
from one of his first dives; it could have been from Pharaoh’s horse!
Several times after returning from dives, Ron told me about the piles of
human bones and other things he had found. He would say, “Jesslyn, I found
another pile of human bones!” Another thing I could do for Ron was to be a
good listener. That’s what I enjoyed the most!
From Ron’s own lips I heard not only about God’s blessings
and miracles and several encounters with angels, but also about some of his
disappointments and dangerous situations. He told me about people lying to
him or about him, many unfulfilled promises, threats, his belongings stolen,
running for his life, photographic film confiscated, fearing for the lives
of his children, being kidnapped, brainwashing attempts, guns pointed at
him, interrogations in Arabia, being imprisoned, planning escapes, being
broke while abroad, cave-ins while digging, a great rock falling where he
had just been standing, sometimes not having enough to eat, and so many
other things that I can’t recall them all! But he always felt blessed of
God. Being discouraged was a rare thing for Ron.
I knew Ron as an honest Christian friend but there have been
many who denounced him as a deceitful person who did not find what he said
he found. I have a book of about four hundred pages by two brothers (revered
by many for books of truth they have written) that warns people against Ron.
It is a book totally filled with lies and insinuations. It appears that they
were making every effort to keep the truth from God’s people. Some who
called Ron a fraud never even bothered to meet him or to research his
claims. Others who did not believe Ron at first actually checked out his
claims and admitted they had been wrong. Several checked out Ron’s claims in
order to take credit to themselves for things Ron had already found. Many
statements that have been made on television, the Internet, and in published
articles, pointed to Ron as someone not to be trusted. There were many
things that could have discouraged Ron, including health problems from his
term in the U.S. Army that he had to deal with, and yet he was so positive
that God would eventually work everything out. It seemed impossible to
discourage him. I sometimes wondered how he had the courage to keep going
and why he didn’t just give up and stay home. He told me that the reason he
didn’t quit was because God kept dangling a carrot in front of his nose. It
must have been a very lovely carrot!
Because Ron kept following that “carrot”, he was handsomely
rewarded with finding the most important, most valuable, and most
sought-after archaeological artifacts in the whole world. Archaeologists
hated him for it! Nominal Christians didn’t appreciate him either; for
proving the Bible to be true suggested that they should be obedient to God
and keep His commandments. That was too inconvenient for many and some
people attacked Ron’s character instead of appreciating his work.
Only once were Ron and I in Israel at the same time. That was
in 1994 when Wyatt Archaeological Research was offering tours in Israel. Ron
said to bring our diving fins and masks for he was planning that while the
rest of the tour group was traveling from Eilat to the Red Sea Crossing site
he would take my sons, Teddy and Jesse, Jesse’s wife, Debbie, and me on a
scuba dive in the Gulf of Aqaba. But, unfortunately, we had stayed too long
at Mount Masada, and then our bus got lost in the wilderness of Zin at
Kadesh-Barnea, so that didn’t leave us enough time to go diving in the Red
Sea. Therefore, to ease our disappointment, Ron took us to the delightful
underwater glass observatory at Eilat, Israel. It was as if we were being
displayed inside a large aquarium and watched from the outside by the
lionfish, parrot fish, and other sea creatures that were swimming up to take
a look at us through the glass.
One of the highlights of the tour was the Friday evening we
observed communion at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Our communion glasses
were made of olive wood; we got to keep them. Then Ron gave a wonderful
sermon on the love of God while we were sitting on benches that were not far
from what Ron said was the crucifixion site.
He had already found the famous carved ivory pomegranate from
the first temple period. (I have seen it in Israel Museum. The armed guard
yelled at me for fear I might touch the glass it was incased in). Ron had
found Noah’s ark and much of Pharaoh’s drowned army. He knew where the real
Mount Sinai and the split rock were in Saudi Arabia. He had found the
drilled-out cross hole of Christ while searching for the Ark of the
Covenant. After enlarging a hole in the upper part of a cave, Ron discovered
all of the furnishings of the hidden wilderness tabernacle, and then he
spent much time searching for the original entrance to the cave.
I learned to have confidence in Ron, both as a friend and
colleague. When my eldest son, Eddie, needed major surgery, I requested that
Ron give the anesthesia, which he did. All went well. Ron worked in surgery
more than I did. I mostly worked in the Obstetric Department, which was
where Ron and I had several interesting conversations. We didn’t work on the
same shifts there. But sometimes at shift-change, when immediate services
weren’t needed, the one of us being relieved would stay over for a while and
we would talk in the privacy of the anesthesia room. Actually, Ron most
frequently did the talking while I listened. Our shift-changes didn’t
overlap very often during the times we weren’t busy but when they did, those
morning conversations produced some precious memories; especially that one
unforgettable morning that changed my life forever!
That very memorable morning was in the early 1980s, during
the years Ron was making frequent trips to Israel and other countries. My
work shift was to start when Ron’s shift ended. Fortunately for me, it was
one of the times when there was no need for anesthesia services right then,
so I was hoping Ron would stay for a while and talk about one of his recent
trips. But that eventful morning, he was strangely quiet and acted as though
he could hardly wait to leave. I was disappointed, for I hadn’t seen him
recently and wanted to catch up on his latest archaeological news. After a
very brief greeting and report, Ron quickly started toward the door. But he
only took a couple of steps then suddenly stopped and looked back at me as
though he was about to say something. He changed his mind and turned toward
the door again. Ron didn’t take more than two or three steps before he
stopped and looked back again as though he were about to speak. Then, for
the third time, he turned to leave.
As I was watching Ron’s strange behavior, I couldn’t help
noticing that his face had a serious expression I had not seen before. It
seemed that he was trying hard to summon the courage to say something and
yet he was not sure whether he should say it. This gave me an uneasy
feeling, for it was not at all like Ron. He usually didn’t hesitate to say
just what he wanted to say. I thought he was leaving for sure this time. But
again, he stopped and looked back at me as though he wanted to leave but
could not. I was surprised when he suddenly took a few steps in my
direction! He stopped and stood there for a few seconds, just looking at me.
I had no clue as to what he was thinking. I didn’t want to get my hopes up
that I might get to hear another of his intriguing stories and then be
disappointed, so I just stood there looking beyond him and tried to act
unconcerned about his weird behavior.
There were only the two of us in that room, but Ron slowly
glanced around as if to make sure that no one else would be able to hear
whatever he was thinking of saying. I just remained still and quiet although
I was beginning to get really curious about whether he was actually going to
say anything. Then he stepped closer and stared directly into my face! This
was getting really strange, but I kept looking away and just waited for him
to speak. It was only a little while that we stood there in silence but time
seemed to stand still in the quiet of his indecision and of my wondering
whether or not he was going to tell me about that mysterious subject on his
mind.
I finally turned and deliberately looked up into Ron’s clear
blue eyes, expecting a decision one way or the other! Then he looked
directly into my eyes as though seriously searching them for some kind of
information. It seemed to me that he might be trying to find out if I would
be open-minded enough to actually believe what he would share with me and if
I didn’t believe him, at least I wouldn’t laugh or make fun of what he would
say. But that didn’t make sense. I was certain he already knew I was
trustworthy. Several times Ron had told me secret things about his
trips—things he said not to share with anyone. I didn’t talk about those
things until he later told me that I could. Once, upon returning from a trip
to Israel, Ron told me he found the hill outside Old Jerusalem where Jesus
was crucified. After another trip, he secretly informed me that he had
finally located the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant. He said it was
in a cave under the hill where Jesus was crucified. That was great news! But
I wasn’t supposed to tell, because someone would kill him if it became known
too soon. He said they had ways of knowing. So now, I couldn’t figure out
why Ron would be having this intense battle with himself over sharing one
more secret with me. What could be more impressive than to learn of the
discovery of the actual place where Jesus was crucified and the hiding place
of the golden Ark of the Covenant? Surely there couldn’t be anything more
awesome than that. I was ready right then, so I thought, to hear whatever it
was he had to say. Why wouldn’t he just hurry up and tell me?
The seconds ticked by slowly, and I began to be concerned
that his decision might be to not tell me about what was probably his latest
news from Jerusalem. I dared not say anything or even break eye contact with
him for fear I would distract his train of thought. Would he tell me, or
wouldn’t he?
At last Ron made his decision! He would take the chance of
sharing this particular secret with me. But a big surprise was coming––one
that neither of us was in any way prepared for! Still closely watching my
face for any reaction, and looking directly down into my eyes, Ron simply
stated in one emotionally profound sentence, “Jesslyn, the blood of Jesus
fell on the Mercy Seat and that’s when our sins were forgiven!”
That is all he said, but it was enough. I was astounded! I
was speechless! That news was so shocking to me that I felt I was going to
pass out! My heart seemed to stop! My emotions ran wild and I felt as though
my entire body had instantly become as stiff as stone! I couldn’t move! I
couldn’t breathe! I didn’t understand what was happening to me. It was
frightening!
My involuntary reaction to Ron’s news was certainly not from
disbelief. I believed it all right––with all of my heart and soul I believed
it! Ron’s precious secret was the most welcome of any news I had ever heard
in my life! I had good reason to think that Ron would never find anyone else
in the whole world who would believe it as instantly and completely as I
did. I would gladly have explained to Ron why I was so overjoyed to hear it,
but I wasn’t able to. I could not speak. I could not move. I could not take
a breath. I could not feel my heart beating. From the instant Ron told me
that the blood of Jesus fell on the Mercy Seat, I could not move a muscle;
not even to lower my head from looking up at him or to close my eyes or
blink. I didn’t even have control of what I was seeing, for I could no
longer see Ron though he was standing directly in front of me!
Our eyes were closely focused on each other’s and yet his
were not the eyes I was seeing now. I was astounded by what was happening!
Instantly, I felt a mighty rush of wind that seemed to carry me through the
sky at lightning speed. I was instantly transported back in time as though
in vision; back to childhood days in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where I had
attended grade school for a few years in the lower portion of the little
brick church at the corner of Maud and Selma Streets. The right side of the
building formed one wall of the large school room and contained windows. One
window was open and I was quickly, but gently, deposited there, sitting on
the windowsill, facing in. As I gazed into the room, everything looked
familiar––the pale green walls, the maroon tiled floor, the teacher’s large
brown desk in the front. There was one person in the room. I instantly
recognized her.
Standing alone in the center of the room was a slender,
fifth-grade girl. She was staring directly at me as she stood facing the
window where I was sitting. Her thick brown hair was long and straight,
falling below her shoulders. She was wearing a simple, light-colored, cotton
print dress with pastel flowers. It had short puff sleeves and a gathered
skirt that came just below her knees. Her shoes were brown and laced. Her
arms were hanging down by her sides. She did not smile or move. She looked
very real, but she was as still as a statue. The most notable thing about
her was her face. It had a painfully bewildered expression! That pitiful
expression remained changeless as she stared intently into my face.
The girl’s eyes were deliberately focused on mine and I had
no power to avoid staring deeply into hers. These were the eyes I was seeing
instead of Ron’s. The child had a question that she was desperately longing
to have answered and she was looking directly to me for the answer. I knew
exactly who she was and what she was thinking, because she was me at age
ten. I easily read her thoughts and keenly felt her emotions as I stared
into her sad eyes. The poor girl was worrying about the mystery of whatever
happened to the blood of Jesus. Her important question was: “Why didn’t God
put the blood of His Lamb on the Mercy Seat like He was supposed to do?”
At school, we had had interesting Bible classes about the
ancient wilderness sanctuary services with its animal sacrifices. I knew
that God required perfection in the sanctuary services because He killed two
priests for not doing things right. Because God was the One who had made the
sanctuary rules, I thought that God was not fair to make human priests abide
by those rules when He didn’t seem to have obeyed them Himself when it
became His turn to sacrifice His Anti-typical Lamb. I knew that the blood of
bulls and goats could never take away sin, for sin could only be cleansed by
the “better blood” of Jesus. What I couldn’t figure out was why God would
let His Lamb bleed on the cross until He died and then not bother to finish
His Sacrifice by applying that blood as He should have, on the Mercy Seat. I
knew that a sacrifice was not complete until the blood was properly
sprinkled. There is no forgiveness without the blood of Jesus being
sprinkled on the mercy seat. That is what the mercy seat was made for in the
first place!
I understood that Jesus’ blood had flowed down the cross for
hours and that after His death John witnessed where the blood and water went
after the Roman spear was thrust into Jesus’ side. But I had never heard
anyone speak of the actual sanctuary application of the blood of God’s Lamb.
I had heard countless sermons on the crucifixion of Jesus, but not one had
ever told the whole story. Where, oh where was the blood?
I really wanted to go to heaven, but I didn’t think it was a
possibility if the blood of Jesus had not been sprinkled where Scripture
says it must be placed. If His blood was not in place so heaven could be
available to me, then what good would it do me to try to be a good child? I
needed an answer about the blood, but I didn’t know where to get it. I was
an intelligent student, but I could not find a way to solve this troubling
problem.
For many years I had lived with the fear that I would never
understand that nagging mystery of the missing blood. But now, just this
morning, I had heard the good news of Ron’s latest discovery. He had
actually seen the blood of Jesus, and it had been properly applied on the
mercy seat! I experienced wonderful relief when Ron told me the good news,
and now I could answer the sad girl in the vision so she could smile again.
My heart seemed knit with her heart and I wanted to put my arms around her
and gently let her know that she didn’t have to worry anymore about whether
her sins could be forgiven. I desperately wanted to hug her and lovingly
explain that the blood of Jesus really did fall on the Mercy Seat! Still
looking deeply into her eyes and feeling her distress, from my seat on the
windowsill I tried to lift my arms and reach out to her, but I could not
move and neither did she. Because I could not reach her, I tried as hard as
I could to speak some words of comfort to her but I could not move my lips.
Then I suddenly felt a strange sensation like a very strong
suction of wind pulling on me from behind. I was totally helpless as I was
being sucked backward out of the window and away from the girl. For a little
while I felt overwhelming emotion about not being able to share my good news
and cheer that sad little face! As I was being moved swiftly backward
through the air, I could not see my surroundings. It came to my mind that it
was impossible to console a child of bygone days, for history cannot be
changed. My past was past; I was no longer a child. I was starting to feel
relaxed about the shocking information that Ron had just surprised me with.
Suddenly I became aware that I was back in Tennessee and
standing in the same place and position as when Ron had finally delivered
his wonderful, most welcome message. I was still totally stiff and could see
nothing even though my eyes were open and my head tilted upward as when
looking at Ron.
Then my ability to see started to slowly return, not from the
center of my eyes, but from the sides. From the peripheral vision of my
right eye, I noticed Ron walking. He was no longer in front of me but was
headed for the door again! I have no clue as to how long he had stood in
front of me while I was seeing the vision instead of him. If he spoke to me
again that morning, I did not hear him. I had not been able to see him when
he first stepped away. As Ron was going toward the door, I could not move my
eyes, yet I could see that he was slumped over a bit and moving quite
slowly. I wasn’t surprised at the very puzzled look on his face! I
desperately didn’t want to be left alone in that condition, but I was unable
to communicate with him. I was curious as to what he was thinking about my
strange reaction to his wonderful revelation but I was unable to move or
speak to him as he softly tiptoed out of the room, leaving me all by myself.
Shortly after Ron was out of sight, I felt my body relaxing.
The stiffness didn’t go away as fast as it had come. The first area to
regain feeling was my legs. There was a strange tingling sensation that
moved upward. Shortly thereafter I was able to move and to breathe normally,
though I was weak for a good while. I really wanted to thank Ron right then
for sharing his awesome secret! He had no idea of what his news about the
blood of Jesus would mean to me, for I had never shared with him that
lingering question from my youth. I wanted to catch up with him and call him
back so I could explain about the tremendous relief to finally have the
answer I had waited so long to hear. But by that time I was sure Ron had
already left the hospital. And so, in overwhelming awe, I sat down alone to
ponder this extraordinary experience. I had been left in no condition to
work that day, but providentially, God kept my phone from ringing for
several hours.
I felt abundantly blessed to finally have the answer to my
life’s most important question! God’s Sacrifice was finished after all! Of
course it would be, for God does all things well. I was so relieved to know
that the precious blood of Jesus had taken its rightful place—its
heaven-appointed place—upon the Ark of the Covenant that was made at Sinai
for that very purpose.
Since my youth, I had learned that God really did love me
because He definitely had answered prayers and performed miracles just for
me. And so, long ago I had taken the chance of believing that maybe,
somehow, God might have secretly finished His Sacrifice without advertising
the fact. I figured that as long as God’s blood application was a mystery,
then trying to have a little faith in God’s Sacrifice was my only hope of
being saved. But whatever happened to the blood of Jesus had long remained a
mystery for me until that morning—that very unforgettable morning—when Ron
spoke those never-to-be-forgotten words, “Jesslyn, the blood of Jesus fell
on the Mercy Seat, and that’s when our sins were forgiven”! Oh, blessed,
long-awaited news!––news that nobody but God could know that I needed to
hear!
I had not known then that God planned to someday reveal to
the last generations the personal testimony and witness of His sacrifice.
When the fullness of time had come, God started carrying out that plan by
sending His servant, Ron Wyatt, to find the actual evidence of the promised
propitiation—the gift of the blood of the Lamb of God upon the Mercy Seat.
Then my heavenly Father remembered the longings from my youth to understand
more about His Anti-typical Offering, and in His loving kindness He decided
to let me be among the first to know the newly revealed truth about His
perfect, nothing-left-out blood Sacrifice. I’m glad it was Ron, my trusted
friend, whom God directed that morning to testify to me personally about the
discovery of that precious atoning blood.
Sharing that latest Jerusalem secret with me must have been
the only job that Ron ever tried to run away from! I am so thankful that God
kept turning him around until he finally told me about that amazing
discovery. And then God created a unique way to teach me that He had never
forgotten about my childhood questions. He showed me myself as a questioning
child to remind me of what I had desperately wanted to know. He indelibly
planted in my mind the fact that He had not forgotten to grant my wish, even
though I didn’t have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed. It was as if
God was saying to me, “Attention, Jesslyn! See how you have wasted time
doubting my Sacrifice? I do not make mistakes. I have a time for everything,
including the time for answering your childhood question. I have removed my
hand from hiding the evidence and your wish is now granted!”
I now have perfect freedom in knowing that my sins can be
washed away by the blood of the Lamb. Daily, I thank God for His loving
kindness in teaching me to have faith in Jesus. My life has not been the
same since that special morning––that very memorable morning––in the
anesthesia room when God used Ron and the brief little vision to actually
fulfill the greatest desire of my heart!
The sprinkled blood in the hidden earthly tabernacle is
evidence that God really did observe the sanctuary rules that He made and
that He is continuing to carry them out in heaven in the sanctuary of the
New Covenant. The earthly sanctuary was just a tiny shadow of the heavenly
one. Its purpose was to show us what would also take place after the
crucifixion. Priests could not enter the Most Holy Place without the blood
of the victim, so Christ has presented before the Father His own precious
blood and has sprinkled it in every place it was designated to go, using the
same rules that Moses used to sprinkle the blood on everything in the
sanctuary, and then on the people. (Exodus 24:6–8, Hebrews 9:11–23.) Because
God does not make mistakes, half of the blood was reserved to sprinkle the
people just as Moses had done. Christ uses His ‘fountain of blood’ to purify
our prayers and cleanse our confessed sins until the end of the Antitypical
Day of Atonement when He will throw the censer down and again say, “It is
finished!” At that time, there will be no more blood to cover the guilty.
“So shall he sprinkle many nations.”––Isaiah 52:15
“Unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ .
. .” —1 Peter 1:2
“To Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood
of sprinkling . . .” —Heb.12:24
“The sins of the world were laid upon the Lord Jesus, and He
died for those sins according to the Scriptures. The blood of the Lamb of
God, which was shed for our transgressions of God’s law, is that by which
our High Priest enters the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 9:12), and which, as our
advocate, He offers for us in that sanctuary (Heb. 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 John
2:1, 2). His great work, which began with the act of bearing the sins of the
world at His death, He here carries forward by pleading the cause of
penitent sinners, and presenting for them His blood, which had been shed as
the great sacrifice for the sins of the world. The work in the earthly
sanctuary was essentially the same thing. The sins were there laid upon the
victim, which was then slain. The blood of that sacrifice, bearing that
guilt, was sprinkled in the sanctuary to make reconciliation for the sinner
(Lev. 4:4-6).”—John N. Andrews, 1872.
“There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s
veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day,
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away”.
––William Cowper 1770
“Still bearing humanity, He ascended to heaven, triumphant
and victorious. He has taken the blood of His atonement into the holiest of
all, sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat and His own garments, and blessed the
people. Soon He will appear the second time to declare that there is no more
sacrifice for sin.” {Youth’s Instructor, July 25, 1901}
“Christ was hated by evil men because His character was
spotless, His works righteous. He came to be the Redeemer of the world, yet
He was taken by wicked hands, and shamefully entreated, and crucified. God
raised Him from the dead, and He ascended to Heaven to present His blood as
the propitiation for our sins.” (Review and Herald 1881-09-20)
“Jesus is officiating in the presence of God, offering up His
shed blood, as it had been a lamb slain. Jesus presents the oblation offered
for every offense and every shortcoming of the sinner.” {1Selected Messages
343}
“Then I saw Jesus, who had been ministering before the ark
containing the ten commandments, throw down the censer…. and now there was
no atoning blood to cleanse the guilty, no compassionate Saviour to plead
for them, and cry, ‘Spare, spare the sinner a little longer’” (Early
Writings 279, 281)
In my memory I hear Ron tell me again
That the precious blood did not go to waste.
Jesus took some to heaven and offers it there
As our High Priest in the Most Holy Place.
Please… don’t let your share of that very unique and precious
blood go to waste!
_________________________________________________________________________
Remembering Ron ’s Funeral
By Lydia Jesslyn Johnson
Updated 2-20-21.
Early in the morning, on Wednesday, August 4, 1999,
Elizabeth Rives called to inform me that Ron Wyatt had just died and that
his funeral would be in two days! Only two days! How could all the people
who would want to attend Ron’s funeral have time to make travel arrangements
and arrive by Friday? Some would have to come from as far away as the other
side of the world. I was certain that many people from everywhere would like
to be at the funeral of this most amazing man of God!
Both Elizabeth and I were distressed that the funeral
would be so soon! Some people wouldn’t get to hear about it until it was too
late. Elizabeth said to start calling everybody I could think of. I wasn’t
sure who or what numbers to call, but I did my best. The only telephone
books I had were for middle Tennessee. I spent ten long, busy hours on the
phone calling everyone I could think of and asking them to spread the word.
I understood that Mary Nell had reasons for wanting to
just get the funeral over with. She was quite stressed and in much need of
rest and sleep. She had known that Ron’s health problems were serious but
she trusted that God might heal him so he could continue to work for the
Lord. One time she had said to me, “Oh, don’t worry about him, Jesslyn.
God’s not through with him yet.” The timing of Ron’s death may have come as
somewhat of a surprise for her.
I will always be grateful for having had the
privilege of spending some time with Ron in his hospital room shortly before
he died. I live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and had traveled to Baptist
Hospital in Memphis, where I had spent about 24 hours in the single-patient
hospital room of my friend, Ron Wyatt. I left home on Monday, August 2, and
returned home Tuesday evening, August 3, before Elizabeth called the
following morning.
Ron had not been in good health for approximately two
years, and maybe longer. He was good at concealing just how bad he felt.
Lately, he had been obviously much worse! Mary Nell worked hard trying to
give Ron the care he needed. Now, she was badly in need of rest.
Mary Nell had accepted my offer to come to Memphis and
relieve her on Monday night so she could go to a hotel and hopefully, get a
good night’s sleep. When I arrived at Ron’s room about 2:30 pm, Richard
Rives and Mary Nell were with Ron. Ron smiled and waved to me. A doctor was
there, preparing Ron’s abdomen for an abdominocentesis to give Ron’s lungs
more room to function. When the doctor looked at the blood-tinged fluid he
had withdrawn, he predicted {but not in Ron’s hearing} that Ron would not
live more than two or three weeks.
Around three pm, Richard and Mary Nell planned to
leave for a while. Richard had been trying, without success, to get Ron to
eat his lunch. Richard told me to try to get Ron to eat while they were
gone. I tried a few times, but he refused even one bite. Ron was receiving
multiple bags of IV fluids of different kinds. He was getting intravenous
liquid nutrients. His mouth and lips were very dry. He was thirsty but he
could only swallow about half a teaspoon of water at a time. Each time I
gave him a tiny sip of water or wiped thick dried mucus from his mouth, he
would say, “Thank you.” Mostly, it was just a whisper. I told him to save
his breath; he didn’t need to thank me.
I was told that Ron hadn’t been sleeping well so I
was careful to keep quiet. I had questions for him, but I did not ask them.
Many times, during the long night he was interrupted by the nurses entering
and turning the overhead lights on. They had many duties to fulfill. They
checked on him often. He received a blood transfusion that night.
Once, he said that he wanted to sit up on the side of
the bed. I wondered if we could really do it. Ron insisted. I moved the
sheet back and carefully watched for tubes to avoid. I bent down over Ron
and he put his hands on my shoulders and held tight while I pulled back
until he was sitting up. Then together, we slowly moved his legs to the edge
and then down over the side of the bed, being careful of the catheter that
was under the leg of his pajamas. We made it with no problem! I stood in
front of him as he sat there appearing pleased with himself, but it didn’t
last long. Seemingly, in just a few seconds, Ron said, “I have to lie down.”
He didn’t say why. So, I helped him lie down. He didn’t frown or groan or
give any indication of pain. He never asked for pain medicine while I was
with him.
Ron did not sleep well that night due partially, at
least, to all the nursing activities. He took short naps. In the wee hours
of the morning, Ron said something I didn’t understand. His eyes were
closed, and he was quietly mumbling. I stood up and asked what he had said.
He continued mumbling as though he didn’t hear me, so I bent down low with
my ear near his mouth. I couldn’t understand all of his words, but I
understood enough to believe that he was dreaming that he was standing in
front of an audience and giving a lecture. Amazing! To think that even
though he was on his deathbed, he was still trying to win more souls for his
LORD.
Ron did not save money for the future. He believed
that Jesus was coming very soon. He wanted to alert the world that it was
time to get ready, so he put everything he had into the work for Christ. He
had dedicated his life to helping people everywhere to understand that the
Bible is truly a history book to be trusted. He searched for and found
physical proof that many of the Bible stories were true. To this end he had
prayed for help and was not disappointed. Ron was not prideful. He was a
very humble man who prayed for divine encounters and was given many. He was
comfortable speaking and praying in public. He enjoyed sharing and caring.
He had previously told me that he no longer prayed for himself. Instead, he
prayed for others. He asked me to pray for his children. I continue to do
so.
Ron was loyal to the work God gave him to do. He
actually accomplished most of what he had always wanted to do, and much more
than he had originally planned. A lot of the work was hard and expensive and
required a lot of study, prayer, courage, and faith. The three long years
that Ron kept up the digging trips to find the Ark of the Covenant seemed to
take forever! Ron did not feel worthy of doing this work for God, but he was
very grateful for the opportunity. He said that if someone else had been
chosen to do these things, he still would have wanted to have a part in it.
Ron gave his all.
Ron’s name is mentioned in lots of books, videos,
newspapers, and magazines around the world. Stories of Ron and his work
have been on national and international television. Therefore, I felt that
the world should mourn for Ron. He belonged to them also, and Ron knew it.
He always said these things were for the world.
Ron’s funeral was not a funeral of great expense.
There was obvious simplicity. I was not surprised when I saw that Ron was
not laid out in a handsome suit. He wore a simple, dark, multi-colored
plaid, long-sleeve shirt, and the khaki-colored many-pocketed vest that he
had worn on trips for exploring, excavating, and giving lectures in
different parts of the world. His simple casket was draped with a large red,
white, and blue flag, which would later be ceremoniously folded and given to
Mary Nell, for Ron had served his beloved country in the army. His military
tomb marker shows that he was in the Korean war.
Sheila Robertson, MD, was a missionary doctor who wrote
her own Bible Studies. When she heard about Ron’s finds she believed them
instantly and properly put them with Bible verses. She had great respect for
Ron and had wanted to spend some time with him. She went with me to Ron’s
funeral. My youngest son, Teddy, was there. I was pleased to see more
people than I had expected, but there weren’t nearly as many as I thought
should be there. We made our way to the center row of seats, not far behind
where the family was seated.
Mary Nell had requested “no flowers” but there were
lots of them. Soon beautiful music filled the large chapel as Elizabeth
Rives started playing a lovely hymn on the organ.
It was a nice service. Ron’s brother, Bill,
officiated. After an interesting talk about Ron’s life, he gave an
opportunity for others to speak. A long line of people quickly gathered, and
we got to hear about two hours of wonderful personal testimonies about God’s
servant, Ron Wyatt, who, in giving his all to give the redeeming message of
God to a dying world, gave himself.
Heavenly angels are now watching over the precious
dust of this servant of God, and he will come forth at the sound of the last
trumpet! His crown will be heavy with stars!
~ ~ ~
~ ~
_________________________________________________________________
SACRED BLOOD
By Lydia Jesslyn Ice Johnson
Alone,
in the garden, the cup trembled in His hand.
But He would have to
drink it, if He would rescue man.
His people didn’t want
Him, His glory was denied.
They had Him nailed
upon a cross, and that is where He died.
So carefully they
chose a lamb for that Passover day.
But the high priest
dropped the butcher knife––the lamb got away!
The true Passover Lamb
of God was on the cross, instead.
A spear was thrust
into His side, to make sure He was dead.
But His blood wasn’t
wasted! That
precious sacred blood
Did wend its way from
rivulets into a cleansing flood.
Down through the
broken rock it poured, beneath His naked feet,
And in the dark, it
puddled on the golden mercy seat!
God’s Aromatherapy
By Lydia
Jesslyn Ice Johnson
There’s the loveliest Rose blooming
o’er the garden wall;
It branches up and over, trailing to
the ground.
And the cascading blossoms are free to
one and all;
The perfect bouquets can always be
found.
Rose of Sharon, ever-blooming flower,
Sending down your blessings from the
heavenly bower;
Precious healing fragrance freely you
impart,
Rose of Sharon, bloom in my heart.
God removed from His garden His one
and only Rose––
Transplanted it upon the earth for
saving man.
They just called it a dry root and
planned for its depose.
God took it back to His garden again.
Rose of Sharon, blooming for us all
In the land of love beyond the garden
wall;
Help us cling to Thee lest we should
drift apart.
Rose of Sharon, bloom in my heart.
Are you weary of bearing your burdens
every day?
Just leave with Jesus all your cares
and all your woes.
You can breathe sweetest fragrance
from heaven right away
If you will take time to smell of the
Rose.
Rose of Sharon, heaven’s Royal Flower,
Lift us up in glory to the heavenly
bower.
Until I am with Thee nevermore to
part,
Rose of Sharon, bloom in my heart.
EASTERN WEDDING INVITATION
Lydia Jesslyn Ice Johnson
The Bridegroom came far from His Father’s house
To win back the heart of His bride.
He worked so hard for many long years
To bring her again to his side.
Once, she’d been faithful in the Eden home,
Before the time of the Fall.
The dowry was high but He loved her so;
He promised that He’d pay it all!
God’s precious Son came and canceled her debt;
It took everything that He had.
And His tender heart broke when separated from
His eternal friend––His Dad.
On the cross, the blood flowed from His head to His
feet
‘Till His veins were completely dried.
Then His heart was pierced and drained to the dregs
To pay for His wayward bride.
The dowry Christ paid could not see corruption;
His lifeblood cannot be diminished.
That pure crimson stream will continue to flow
‘Till He stands up and says, “It is finished!”
He arose from the tomb when the Father called,
Then went to prepare for the marriage.
He promised to return in the same way He left,
In His faithful angelic carriage.
Often, it was night when the bridegrooms appeared;
This wedding will be no exception.
At midnight the chariot will come for the church
And take her to the Father’s reception.
Wedding feasts were traditionally held in the fall
At the harvest time in the east.
So then, perhaps the Bridegroom will arrive for us
In the fall at the Tabernacle Feast?
The church must be ready to meet the Bridegroom,
With robes washed as white as the snow.
The lamp must be filled and the veil in its place,
Not a spot or a wrinkle must show.
Get ready, get ready, to meet your true Love;
The wedding day finally draws nigh!
The little black cloud will get bigger and brighter
As we watch toward the eastern sky.
All eyes will see Him, then we’ll rise in the air
With our guardian angels attending.
The wedding supper awaits us at the Father’s house.
We’ll be seven glorious days ascending.
ALTAR
BENEATH THE CROSS
Lydia Jesslyn Ice Johnson
Come,
climb up with me, if you will
To the altar high up on Moriah’s hill.
It’s there that we will humbly kneel
On the rock at the foot of the cross.
The altar is where the cross was based
So Christ’s blood could be
Anti-typically laced
To everywhere it was supposed to be
placed
From the altar at the foot of the
cross.
It seemed that His blood would never
stop
As it flowed and sprinkled drop by drop
To the bottom of the mighty altar rock
That held up the foot of the cross.
The altar of which the prophets writ
Received the blood, (’most every bit.)
For-sure that solid rock was slit,
Split-through from the foot of the
cross.
God’s Holy Word did not see defeat;
The precious blood landed on the Mercy
Seat
Where Christ performed His greatest
feat;––
Propitiation––at the foot of the cross!
To the crimson cross I will daily cling
And His praises I will gladly sing.
Ascending to heaven, Jesus really did
bring
His blood from the foot of the cross!
There’s only one medium that can set us
free;
It flowed through that altar at
Calvary.
Our High Priest can sprinkle both you
and me
With His blood from the foot of the
cross.
Isaiah 52:15 So
shall he sprinkle many nations;
1 Peter 1:2
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Dan. 9:24 Seventy
weeks…to anoint the Most Holy Place.
Lev. 17:11 For the
life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given
it to you upon the altar.
Hebrews 12:24 And
to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling.
The mission of
Christ…that called him from the throne of God to the mystery of
the altar. R&H-1894, Ellen White
…The blood fell, drop by drop, upon the rock drilled for the foot of
the cross. Desire of Ages p760, Ellen White
UNDERSTANDING PROPITIATION
Lydia
Jesslyn Ice Johnson––7-16-12
I couldn’t understand the deep
situation
About the cross of Christ and
propitiation;
But I was just a child.
This deep dark mystery I could not
learn,
Though my troubled heart felt much
concern,
‘Till it was reconciled.
The Lambs were slain at the sanctuary,
But I thought that God was so contrary
When He did His Sacrifice.
He didn’t seem to follow the original
plan
That He had laid out for redeeming man.
My judgment wasn’t nice.
But God was God and He cannot lie;
When He hung His Lamb on the cross to
die,
His orders were not diminished.
All of the things that the Father had
willed,
Without exception, were truly
fulfilled.
Then Christ said, “It is finished!”
At the cross, the Father agreed with
His Son;
Phase one of the redemption plan was
done.
That’s when He tore the curtain.
Christ’s flowing blood constituted
redemption;
His baptism of blood was no exemption.
God’s propitiation was certain!
The precious blood had fallen on the
mercy seat
Positioned down below underneath his
feet
In Moses’ Wilderness Tent.
The tent was well hidden under Mount
Moriah;
By the Levites’ instruction from King
Josiah.
So, THAT’S where the ark went!!
Propitiation was fulfilled as it should
have been.
And God sent a friend to help fill me
in.
I learned the truth from Ron.
I’m so glad to know God’s promises are
true!
And I want to share the Good News with
you.
Truth is marching on!
A
ROMAN MIRACLE
Author unknown
A pretty maid, a
Protestant, was to a Catholic wed.
To love all Bible
truths and tales, quite early she’d been bred.
It sorely grieved
her husband’s heart that she would not comply,
And join the
mother church of Rome and heretics deny.
So day-by-day he
flattered her, but still she saw no good
Would ever come
from bowing down to idols made of wood.
The mass, the
host, the miracle, were made but to deceive:
And
transubstantiation, too, she’d never dare believe.
He went to see his
clergyman and told him his sad tale.
“My wife is an
unbeliever, sir; you can perhaps prevail.
For all your
Romish miracles, my wife has strong aversion,
To really work a
miracle may lead to her conversion.”
The priest went
with the gentleman – he thought to gain a prize.
He said, “I will
convert her, sir, and open both her eyes.”
So when they came
into the house, the husband loudly cried,
“The priest has
come to dine with us!” “He’s welcome,” she replied.
And when at last
the meal was o’er, the priest at once began,
To teach his
hostess all about the sinful state of man;
The greatness of
our Saviour’s love, which Christians can’t deny,
To give Himself a
sacrifice and for our sins to die.
“I will return
tomorrow, lass, prepare some bread and wine;
The sacramental
miracle will stop your soul’s decline.”
“I’ll bake the
bread,” the lady said. “You may,” he did reply.
“And when you’ve
seen this miracle, convinced you’ll be, says I.”
The priest did
come accordingly, the bread and wine did bless.
The lady asked,
“Sir, is it changed?” The priest answered, “Yes,
It’s changed from
common bread and wine to truly flesh and blood.
Begorra, lass,
this power of mine has changed it into God.”
So having blessed
the bread and wine, to eat they did prepare.
The lady said unto
the priest, “I warn you, take care,
For half an ounce
of arsenic was mixed right in the batter.
But since you have
its nature changed, it cannot really matter.”
The priest was
struck real dumb––he looked as pale as death.
The bread and wine
fell from his hands and he did gasp for breath.
“Bring me my
horse!” the priest cried. “This is a cursed home!”
The lady replied,
“Begone, ‘tis you who shares the curse of Rome.”
The husband, too,
he sat surprised, and not a word did say.
At length he
spoke, “My dear”, said he, “The priest has run away;
To gulp such
mummery and tripe, I’m not for sure quite able.
I’ll go with you
and we’ll renounce this Roman Catholic fable.”
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