H.I.H. Princess Aster Sellassie

On Rastafarianism: Part IV
"False Prophets in the Latter Days"
H.I.H. Princess Esther Sellassie Antohin,
The Imperial House of Sellassie of
The Solomonic Dynasty in
The African Diaspora
[Editor's Note: In the following series of articles by H.I.H.
Princess Esther Sellassie Antohin, of the Imperial House of
Sellassie, great granddaughter of H.I.M. Haile Sellassie I, we
continue to present her responses to some of the most frequently
asked questions on the Haile Sellassie Family Web:
www.sellassie@angelfire.com
7. What is our view of the Rasta concept of "False Prophets in the
Latter Days?"
Indeed, my dear brothers and sisters, the truth of this concept
grieved the heart of my great grandfather, H.I.M. Haile Sellassie I,
and pains me deeply on a daily basis. We read in the Bible the test
by which we can recognize, uproot and destroy a false prophet: "And
if thou say in thine heart, `How shall we know the word of the Lord
which the Lord hath not spoken? – when a prophet speaketh in the name
of the lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the
thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it
presumptiously; thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Dt 8: 21-22) The
most mistaken of false prophets ever to have stepped forth within the
Ethiopianist Congregations of Jamaica was Leonard Howell, and Reid
before him. Howell arrogantly took it upon himself to prophesy that
my martyred great grandfather, who loved his people dearly and served
them so well, was "God made flesh," the African Messiah who would
lead our "Spiritual Children of Ethiopia" out of oppression and
bondage and back to the Zion of Ethiopia. How great was this
deception!
After torture, which broke every bone in his 83-year old body, my
saintly great grandfather was martyred through suffocation by
Mengistu himself in the cellar of our home in 1975. It was not until
the present democratic government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi that
we were allowed to exhume his broken body and bury him properly in a
private ceremony. I shall always be thankful to Prime Minister Zenawi
for this kindness.
However, the deceived disciples of Leonard Howell, to save the first
lie, then proceeded to construct lie upon lie in order to hide the
falseness of their leader's prophesy that my great grandfather
was "the Messiah, God made flesh." They mythologized a very great man
into a very small god. "Put not your trust in princes, nor in a son
of man in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth
to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that
hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his
God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein is, who
keepeth truth for ever" (Ps 143: 3-6)
No, I would forthrightly tell my dearly beloved Rastafarians, give no
attention to the false prophets of the latter days, who speak to you
of peace in their vain idolatries, the imaginings of their own
hearts. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts: `Hearken not unto the words of
the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain; they speak a
vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They
say still unto them that despise Me, "The Lord hath said, `Ye shall
have peace.'" And they say unto everyone that walketh after the
imagination of his own heart, "No evil shall come upon you."'" (Jer
23: 17.) In the case of my martyred great grandfather, H.I.M. Haile
Sellassie I, do not walk with those false prophets who have made a
very small god out of a very great man!
Before it is too late, turn away from false prophets, oh my dear
brothers and sisters, Ethiopianist Congregations of Jamaica, turn
back to your elders who knew the Bible, and the old ways, the vision
of Marcus Garvey: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in princes" (Ps 118: 8-9) […even in my saintly great
grandfather]
Develop your God-given minds and intellect: "Ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free." (Jn 8: 32) And above all, "Keep
thee far from a false matter." (Ex 23: 7a)
8 How does one go about becoming a member of our Church?
One of the most sincerely asked questions which we have received on
our Haile Sellassie Family Web is how to "become a member of our
Church." It is true that the king of Reggae, Bob Marley, did study
and convert to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tawahedo Church. But really, it
is not a matter of a membership in any given church and we, the House
of Sellassie, forthrightly voice our full encouragement and support
for each and every child of our Heavenly Father, whatever the
institutional affiliation. Rather, it is a dynamic process of walking
sincerely and uprightly with God in our day-to-day ethical conduct
toward our fellow man, of whatever race or faith he or she may be.
This was the undying message of President Abraham Lincoln, Marcus
Garvey, President John F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Martin Luther
King, Jr., and yes, it was bequeathed to us by my great grandfather,
H.I.M. Haile Sellassie I, the Lion of Judah, the Elect of God, the
Defender of the Faith. Simply become the best, most noble
representative you can possibly be of your own Walk with God.
To be continued

Notes:
The interested reader may enter the Sellassie Community via:
http://members. linkopp.com/sellassie/list.html, "How to use the
Sellassie Website."
http://members.linkopp.com/sellassie/doc/secretar.html
http://sellassie.ourfamily.com/academics/orthodoxy.html
http://www.angelfire.com/ak/sellassie
http://sellassie.ourfamily.com/rasta/rastafi.html
www.RestorationFoundation.org
Princess Edjigaheu Sellassie-Antohin, Registrar
The Imperial House of Sellassie
115 Kelsan Way
Fairbanks, AK 99709