Albigena Italy
Spring 2003
Thirty Two Years after King Solomon's Gate
My first read of the Bible in life had been going slow but was picking up speed. This was not for lack of interest but with sights of Paris and London and the Long driving there was so much to do. After the events of the "Bible bomb" the "Avignon escape" and others, the similarities between what I read and what seemed to happen after was really getting my attention. Not only that but I was finally at 51 years of age actually closing in on the completion of an entire chapter of the Bible for the first time in my life. It was something I always intended to do, I had carried a Bible around for six years without ever really reading ANY of it. It was time I figured. It was 1 Kings of course, the section which I had stumbled into in 1971 when I raised my hand in response to
Dever's "one for the cause" speech. Besides, if A+E was going to credit the sweat of my back with its first scientific confirmation.... yea it was about time
The passages seemed so dense, ladened with meanings that took time to think over. And now I was stuck on one imparticular. 1 Kings 20:35.
"Then one of the members of the prophetic guild said to another at the Lords request, "strike me now". But when the man refused to strike him, he said to him, "Because you did not listen to the command of the Lord, when you leave me a Lion will kill you". When he left him, the Lion met him and killed him"
Now wait a minute I said to myself. Could I do this? Not really it seemed. It started a dozen questions in my head. The one had not said to the other "This is the word of the Lord" or nothing like that. Maybe the guy had no idea. Should I accommodate every Masochistic Son of a Bitch that walked? What if I lived in New York next to an S and M bar ? My knuckles would wear out. Is this really the Lords way? Did the man deserve it cause he did other things, or did the Lord just not really like this guy that much. What if he asked me to do the same? Wasn't this the exact phraseology of your common everyday lunatic? "I shot the president cause I heard voices in my head and I trusted in the Lord"?. So if I ever went crazy I should just "go with it"? Come on, get real. I don't strike people and I don't expect to get struck. But still, if this came to me as a test what would I do? Was I going to be damned for being in my eyes good and correct in my dealings with my fellow man? Eaten by a Lion no less? I finally decided that for some reason the Lord seemed to like me so he probably would not ask such a thing of me. So far, anyway, life had been nothing short of a blast. So somebody up there had to like me. Then there was all the near escapes of my life. I had made a lark out of courting danger and skipping through it, often stupidly, often humorously, most of the time in a near perfect imitation of an Inspector Clouseau movie. If the Lord didn't like me, at least he must find me kind of humorous and worth having around for a good laugh once in while I thought. After all did I or did I not have a role and a place in deciding my own life. Was I a separate entity or not?
Since it seemed I would not have much say in the matter anyway, I put the Bible back in the van and went into the bar for some wine. It had been a wonderful friendly place so far and I had seemed to be immediately accepted by the folks there. Dancing it up with the elderest daughter had seemed to get me some good points. I was struck and surprised by the warmth and the fun of the of the people there and the Mother/Owner with her shock of read hair was taking good care of me. I had driven all the way from the French Riviera on the secondary Roads only, it had been exhausting. This was the first wide spot in the endless mountains of the road and I simply turned right toward the ocean. Then the next day I had discovered it was Albigena, the site of where the Albigensie Crusade had launched from, and it had some great museums to visit. I was having the time of my life.
Later that night after I swam and showered. I was sitting with some people from the campground on the rocks near the opening to the sea and I looked over at the seat where I had sat reading the troubling passage and I got another good laugh. Right there above my head not ten feed from where I sat was the 20 foot banner spread across the entrance ..Proudly displaying "Camping Lionetta". The lady with the red hair...yep Mama Lionetta :)
If a reader finds this who can take a picture of the Lionetta Campground
entrance banner and email to the
webmaster@KingSolomonsGate.com it would greatly appreciated and promptly posted.
This is just one of the Paranormal Events surrounding
King Solomon's Gate
The first Archaeological Proof of the history of the Bible, Torah and Quran