“There appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”
“And he laid hold on the 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
– Revelation 12:3-5, 20:2-3
“As St. George who killed the dragon is the Patron Saint of our army as well as of our allies, let us unite with our allies in everlasting friendship and amity in order to be able to stand against the godless and cruel 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 which has newly risen and which is oppressing mankind.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1941; Selected Speeches, pages 338f.
“Scatter thou the people that delight in war.
Princes shall come out of Egypt; 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝.
Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord.”
– Psalm 68:30-32
“𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝 in joy and thankfulness and revealing her happiness to her children.
This day, on which the people of Ethiopia are freed from oppressive foreign yoke and eternal servitude and on which I am enabled to rejoin my people, whom I love and have longed for, will be honoured as a holiday to be commemorated annually as a Great Ethiopian Anniversary.
On this day we shall remember those heroic warriors who, determined not to surrender the great charge passed on to them by their Father, became sacrifices, shedding their blood and breaking their bones for the freedom of the land they loved and for the honour of their Emperor and their flag.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1941; Selected Speeches, page 337.
“𝐎𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧, but only the Father.”
– Mark 13:32
“No human lips can express the thankfulness which I feel to the merciful God who has enabled me to stand in your midst 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1941; Selected Speeches, page 332.
“And ye shall hear of 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐬: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
– Matthew 24:6-8
“𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐬 are occupying the attention of governments and peoples, but the world is thirsting more than ever for peace and justice.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, Wise Mind 1:25.
“These are crucial times when 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
Tensions increase, and disaster is possible at any moment. Distances are shrinking; peace and life are threatened by misunderstanding and conflict.
Now is the time when the sincere belief in man’s kinship to God must be the foundation for all of man’s efforts for enlightenment and learning – the basis for all understanding, co-operation and peace.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1961; Selected Speeches, page 22.
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐨𝐧.”
– Revelation 16:13-16
“Today, Africa has emerged from this dark passage. Our 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐨𝐧 is past. Africa has been reborn as a free continent and Africans have been reborn as free men.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1963; Selected Speeches, page 243.
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬, and their spears into pruninghooks: 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.”
– Isaiah 2:2-4
“Let us vow to be strong today only that we may in our strength advance the time when it will be possible to 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Let us pledge together that this time will not be long. Let us work for trust among men, for disarmament, for peace.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1966; Selected Speeches, page 353.
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐧 the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”
– Revelation 18:1-5
“In these modern days, there are a multitude of things published in print and broadcast by radio which captivate the human mind and spirit; many new ideas are disseminated by the learned. Many wonderful appliances are produced to make life more and more comfortable. The rich powers have passed on from exploring and exploiting this earth and are vying with each other to explore and conquer the moon and the planets. Knowledge is increasing in a bewildering manner. All this is good, wonderful and praiseworthy. But what will be the end of it all? It is Our firm belief that only what the Lord wills will be done.
We should be careful that the results thus achieved by mankind should not meet with the fate of the Tower of 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥, the handwork of those people of old which came to pieces in their hands. The Apostle Paul says: ‘The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God’ and ‘The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise and they are vain.’ The reason for this is because generally speaking man makes himself and his wisdom the beginning and the end of his aim in life, and we are convinced that the end of this is destruction and death.
Our Lord Jesus Christ says: ‘What has a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?’ Why did the effort of those who tried to build the Tower of Babel come to nothing? Was it not because they tried to live apart from their Creator, and because, vaunting themselves in their wisdom, they tried to build a tower whose top was to reach unto heaven and thus make a name for themselves? It is Our conviction that all the activities of the children of men which are not guided by the Spirit and counsel of God will bear no lasting fruit, they will not be acceptable in the sight of the Lord and will therefore come to nought as the Tower of Babel came to nought.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1966; Important Utterances, pages 489f.
“No greater victory can be won by the nations of today than the conquest of 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 mankind – poverty, disease and ignorance.”
– HIM Haile Selassie I Ras Tafari, 1967; Selected Speeches, page 156.