The Song Of The Spirit

    Over 10 years ago, I heard an incredible story concerning the "lost music of the Bible" that has recently become very significant to our ministry. Many of our readers know I was at one time a Christian musician, songwriter, and record producer. Indeed, over the years I founded a Christian music record label, ran two music booking agencies, and produced contemporary Christian music projects - including an album of my own compositions and the debut project of a pop Christian artist known as Carman.

    During that period, I heard a rumor about some very interesting research going on in Europe by a female musicologist that believed she had discovered certain ancient melodies that were associated with the Old Testament. This woman's name was Suzanne Haik-Vantoura. In that I was intensely interested in Christian music at that time, I wrote to her in France, but was never able to make a connection with her. Eventually I forgot all about the subject as I moved on to other projects.

    This year, a reader was kind enough to point me towards another musician that had picked up where Haik-Vantoura's work left off. His name is Roger James, and I believe his work will eventually have a profound impact on the body of Christ.

    Haik-Vantoura (and subsequently Roger James) studied the work of the Masoretes - vthat mysterious sect of ancient Hebrew scholars that brought us the Hebrew Old Testament, known as the Masoretic text - the text that is widely used today. The Masoretes were the scholars whose written output included the codification of the vowel points and the cantillation marks (a kind of punctuation) in the original Hebrew of the Tanakh (the Old Testament). These "punctuation" marks are known as te'amim, and historically, it has been believed that the Masoretes placed these marks in the text by drawing from the oral tradition for the proper cadence and pronunciation of the reading of the Torah.

    Scripture scholars have long known that there were distinct melodies associated with the reading of "the law and the prophets" in the temple, but it has been long believed that these songs were lost many centuries ago. That is apparently not the case.

    Suzanne Haik-Vantoura, Roger James, and other researchers now believe that these te'amim marks are actually a form of ancient music notation that presently exists "within the very pages of the Hebrew Masoretic text" (Music Spirit & The Keys To Prophecy, Roger James). Haik-Vantoura achieved an astonishing breakthrough by deciphering certain key patterns that show a consistency in adapting these marks into musical tablature.

    To put it another way, we now see that there are entire musical compositions actually embedded in the original Hebrew text of the Bible!

    This astounding information is revolutionary in scope and may prove to be one of the most important discoveries of our time. Predictably, after the first word of this information was released, the scholarly skeptics emerged en masse - however, the internal evidence is striking. For instance, if this music notation were simply a random series of notes that "coincidentally" appeared with each of the words, then the odds of the music itself actually sounding melodic would be quite remote.

    On the contrary, the music 'sounds' as if it were actually written to coincide with the statements in the text! Where there is a building of tension in the words, the music does the same. Where there is a conclusion or a release of that tension in the phrasing of the scriptures, the music does likewise. In short, this music appears to have been written to go with the words of the Holy Bible - and it is actually embedded in the Hebrew text itself.

    The mind-boggling conclusion that some have reached is that the composer of the music is the Holy Spirit Himself and the music notation was inspired in the same fashion as the words themselves. And there is more.

    Roger James has arrayed a convincing argument that the commonly used modern musical scale of 7 notes that achieves an octave on the 8th note has powerful implications in the realm of the prophetic. The number 8 is usually thought to be "the number of new beginnings" (8 people in the ark, Christ rose on the first day of the new week - the 8th of the prior week, etc).

    In a very mystical fashion, when Jesus Christ returns after the 70th week of Daniel (a seven), He will raise us to the next "octave" of existence. It is self evident that the scriptures are literally filled with sevens (7 creation days, crucifixion week, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 angels, etc).

    Even as this incredible information is beginning to come forth, others are making discoveries concerning frequency vibrations and their beneficial (or deleterious) effects on the physical dimension in which we live. All matter vibrates at various frequencies on the molecular level, and researchers have concluded that cellular structures are directly affected by frequency vibrations and resonance. Music notes are simply audible vibrations that are tuned to specific frequencies.

    The early breakthrough work by a scientist named Royal Rife is in this realm. To this day, you can get the plans for building what is called a "Rife Generator" in most health food stores. Other University level researchers have already proven certain music (notably Classical) is beneficial and harmonious to living things. At least one study demonstrated that the playing of classical music helped plants to grow more abundantly.

    Others are attempting to use computer driven tone generators in an effort to facilitate what has been called "healing codes." In this regard, it is important to recognize that the spiritual perspective of those that are involved in this nascent field of inquiry greatly colors the conclusions they reach. Some are overtly occultic, while others have a worldview based on scientific principles without the requisite faith in Jesus Christ that generates spiritual discernment.

    The Bible prophesies that the things which are hidden will be unsealed in the last days. In fact, we see that during the tribulational events, the servants of God will "sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb...." (Revelation 15:3). In another passage in that same epic, we see,

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9,10).

    We already know that the ancient Israelites sang the words of the law and the prophets for the people during the tabernacle (and later the temple) ceremonies. Indeed, to this day, Jewish leaders sing for the congregation ancient melodies that are believed to go back centuries. We also see that during the Exodus in which the children of Israel were divinely protected as the tribulational plagues fell on the Pharaoh (read Antichrist) and the Egyptians, the Lord's provisional shield was based upon adherence to His words. The Lord subsequently brought his people out of the evil system of Egypt under the leadership of His two witnesses Moses and Aaron. At the time of this Exodus, they sang "the song of Moses."

    Through Moses, the Lord said "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee." (Exodus 15:26).

    In a chapter that speaks extensively about the Exodus, Paul tells us that "all these things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (I Corinthians 10:11).

    During the Great Tribulation, the book of Revelation portrays the Remnant Church as those that have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name...." (Revelation 15:2) The Word of God goes on to tell us these Christian Saints "sing the song of Moses, the servant of God...." (Revelation 15:3)

    As we believe that the tribulation is just about to begin, it would seem that the song of Moses will need to be re-discovered. Roger James, in his provocative new book, Music Spirit And the Keys To Prophecy: Restoring The Sacred Art categorically states that this song is already available to us in the actual Hebrew text of the Bible.

    After deciphering a number of the Old Testament melodies from the scriptures, Mr. James has produced and recorded a tape of portions of the musical compositions found in the book of Genesis. The book and tape recording are now available through Christian Media.

    As this exciting new field of research unfolds, we will continue to keep interested parties informed as to what we have learned.

August 6, 2002 -- James Lloyd