1 Enoch 89

1 Enoch 89

Verse 1

The first 9 verse tell the story of Noah and the flood, the bulls to represent them are again, two white bulls, a red one and a black one, just like Adam and his sons.  Except the first white bull (Noah) became a man.   Because of this, Noah is not represented as a human being by a bull anymore, but is an actual human being.  This could either mean that he was more reasonable than the typical human (as reasonable as a human is to an ox), or it could be a symbol of God’s choosing and identifying him from the crowd.

Verse 6

So now that the stars were bound and cast into the abyss, the fate of the rest of the beings was as so:

“… while all the oxen and elephants and camels and asses sank to the bottom with all the animals, so that I could no longer see them, and they were not able to escape, but perished and sank into the depths”

Verse 7

And interesting note:

In the R.H. Charles version of the book of Enoch this verse is mistakenly labeled as verse 6; the preceding verse being verse 6 and the next verse being verse 8. 

The verse says that the water torrents were finally removed from the high roof.  So it wasn’t just rain that caused the flood, it was torrents of water.

“… and other abysses were opened…”

Verse 8

“Then the water began to run down into these, till the earth became visible;”

Again one must have an open mind and be familiar with concepts of relativity to understand that maybe the water didn’t only run down into the abysses, but the definition implies just as well that the earth may have floated to the surface through the water.  Just another possibility and perspective.

Verse 10

The verse seems to talk about the repopulation of the earth after the flood.

It interesting how the animals used to represent the generations after the flood are mostly carnivores, while before the flood, even the Nephilim were herbivores. 

Verse 11

This happens until the white bull begets the wild asses, since the asses were also use to represent the Nephilim.

 

The white bull here seems to represent Abraham.  The white bull that Abraham begets seems to represent Isaac, while the wild asses,

[at first, I thought represented Ishmael.  Since there is always a distinction between Isaac and Ishmael and in verse 13 it talks about one (Joseph) of the 12 sheep (sons of Israel) being given up to the asses (Ishmaelites).  But then in verse 16, it talks of a sheep (Moses) who escapes to the wild asses.  Moses had actually escaped to Midian, and although I could not find if the people of Midian were Ishmaelites or not, I actually found out in Genesis 25 that Abraham had a second wife named Keturah (Genesis 25:1) and had 6 sons: “Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.” (Genesis 25:2)  I think it is reasonable to assume that Midianites lived in Midian (where Moses fled to); and that Midianites descended from Midian (Abraham’s son).  

With this assumption we can conclude that the white bull that Abraham (the white bull) begat can represent Isaac, while the wild ass can represent “the rest of Abraham’s children”, whether they were by Hagar or Keturah.

Verse 12

In this verse, the white bull (Isaac) that came from the white bull (Abraham) begets a black wild boar, and a white sheep.   The black wild boar seems to represent Esau, or Edom; while the white sheep seems to represent Jacob, or Israel.  I assume this because the sheep then begets 12 sheep (which seems to represent Israel’s 12 sons).

Verse 13

This verse tells the story of Joseph, sold into Egypt, in animal form.

That is if we assume the sheep to be Israel’s sons, the asses to be the Ishmaelites (or as we explained in verse 11 reflection, descendants from the non-Isaac sons of Abraham), and the wolves to represent the Egyptians.

Verse 14

This verse then explains how the rest of Israel’s sons eventually joined the sheep (Joseph) with the wolves and lived among them and multiplied.

Here is the end of Genesis represented and breaking into the beginning of the book of Exodus in the Bible.

Verse 15

Tells the story of how the pharaoh began to fear the number of Israelites and began to get rid of them, in animal form.  The Egyptians are represented by wolves, while the Israelites are represented by sheep.

Verse 16

In this verse the sheep escaped from the wolves to the wild asses.  This is a representation of how Moses escaped from the Egyptians to the Midianites (which I explained in verse 11 I assumed them to be descendants of Midian… a non-Isaac son of Abraham).

Verse 41

This verse comes after the sheep that represent the people of Israel, reach the promise land.

As we know, after Israel reaches the promise land, God raises judges among them; then king Saul comes after the judges.

This verse sums up the time of judges by saying that “sometimes their eyes were opened, and sometimes blinded, till another sheep arose and led them and brought them back, and their eyes were opened.”

Verse 42

In this verse the Lord of the sheep doesn’t just raise another sheep to lead them back, but a ram from the sheep.  These rams now represent the kings.  With the first ram being Saul.

Verse 44

In this verse the first ram (king Saul) begins to behave “unseemly”.

Verse 47

This verse tells how Saul pursued David.

Verse 52

This verse seems to be talking about one of the sheep that God sent (or the prophets) it managed to escape and not get slain by the other sheep.

The interesting thing is that, Enoch sees in his vision that God brought that sheep up with him (Enoch), and they hung out together.

This makes me realize that Enoch had been an interactive part of the vision all this time.

Enoch’s part of the vision where he gets taken up to heaven (1 Enoch 87:4) represents just that; the time in his life that he gets taken up to heaven.  And then, everything he sees since then.

Verse 58

After Enoch cries to God about Israel being “devoured”, God “remained Unmoved, though He saw it, and rejoiced that they were devoured and swallowed and robbed and left them to be devoured in the hand of all the beasts.” (1 Enoch 89:58)

Just another example of God’s funny side, it reminds me of that verse in Job 9:23.

June 2, 2012

1 Enoch 86

1 Enoch 86

Chapter 86 continues the vision from the first population of the earth.

Verse 1

In the first verse, before the many stars fell to the earth, there was one star that lead (Samyaza).  The first star that fell; and leader of the fallen angels that made the pact to desecrate themselves.

Verse 2

The verse tells that this first star begin to live among the humans… that are represented in the vision by oxen.

Verse 3

After a while, many other stars followed that first star and became like and lived among the rest of the oxen.  Just as the rest of the angels made the pact to desecrate themselves lived among the humans.

Verse 4

This verse explicitly describes how the stars (angels) got the cows (humans) pregnant and bore elephants, camels and asses.  I tried to compare the types of animals being described.  Stars are cosmic objects, while elephants, camels, and asses have no cosmic nature.  Thus it makes me think that Nephilim had no divine properties but were just as “cosmic” as human beings (oxen), just like any other animals.  They were not more divine, though they were completely different from any rational being that had ever existed.  Monsters?  Of course, there is nothing to that tells us what property of the being is being represented by the object.

Verse 5

Nevertheless, the oxen feared them.  Maybe the elephants, camels and asses were not necessarily more powerful than the oxen.  But it was something that the oxen were not used to seeing and so they feared them.  As far as the elephants, camels, and asses, they were a new species themselves, and had no “change in the pattern of experience” to fear.

Verse 6

Here, the animals that represent the Nephilim turn against the oxen.

June 2, 2012

1 Enoch 85

1 Enoch 85

The beginning of Enoch’s second vision tells the story of some bulls

A white bull and a heifer… then a black bull and a red one.  The black one gores the red one until it is no longer found.  The black bull left with the heifer.  The cow laments and searches for the red one, but doesn’t find him.  Then the white bull begets another white bull that resembles him.

The story of these bulls seems to resemble the story of the first human beings.

I was confused about what these first bulls represented because in chapter 89 there are also four bulls that dwelled in the vessel that floated over the waters that covered the earth: a red one, a black one, and a white one… and another white one who became a man.  This white one that became a man is referred to as the same white bull from this chapter.  But the four bulls from the vessel seem to represent Noah and his sons while these first four bulls seem to represent Adam and his sons.

Verse 3

I came to this conclusion as I reread in verse 3, “… and behold a bull came forth from the earth, and that bull was white…” and wondered what it meant that it came forth “from the earth”.  I know that in prophetic visions, it is important to take note of where beasts comes from as this can represent different things.  But then I thought simpler and noticed that the first white bull came from the earth and was not born from another bull like all the other ones.  I concluded that this must be Adam, since Adam was also created from the earth.

Verse 5

I do not remember why, but I have always assumed that the necessary incest for the population of the earth right after creation happened between Eve and a son; and not, as many assume, between brothers and sisters.

Verse 5 says that the heifer that came right after the first white bull that rose from the earth (Adam), went with the black bull, after it had grown, and “many oxen proceeded from him which resembled him and followed him.”  If we assume that the heifer is Eve, then this text is saying that the generations of Cain came from Eve and not from a sister.  And thus Eve can rightfully reclaim her name as the “mother of all who live” (Genesis 3:20)

1 Enoch 85:3 Methuselah’s mother is named Edna.

June 2, 2012

Enos

Enos 1

 

Verse 13:

“And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him – that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps they might be brought unto salvation-” - Enos 1:13

 

                This verse expresses the main concern of Enos along with everyone who revers the plates as holy word of God, that the plates should survive no matter what happens to the rest of the world. That they would be survive to be available and help people in the future, whoever it may be. This concern is first explicitly expressed in the Book of Mormon through this passage.

                When I first read this verse, I was very confused because of the overuse of commas made me read that Enos was asking God for the Nephites to fall into transgression and the Lamanites should not be destroyed… “if it should be” (or if God would allow it). But no, “that if it should be, that my people the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed,” is all part of the conditional. Enos is asking that even if it were the case that: the Nephites should be destroyed and the Lamanites survive, that the plates of the Naphites would survive with them.

                In this verse Enos is asking God for the plates to survive over anything else. Enos is addressing the worst case scenario when he says that the Nephites may be destroyed and the Lamanites not, this is the case that each of the two societies is turned upside down. Enos’s first priority is the word of God, even above his own people. One could say that the word of God is the only thing with importance, because without the word of God, the Nephites would be reduced to nothing. The people of Zarahemla are an example of this. As in Omni 1:17, Amaleki describes the people of Zarahemla as a people with a corrupted language and without a record; that they denied the Creator.

                People are fallible and corruptible; Enos knows that the word of God is not and wishes for it to survive above anything else.

 

Written 9-9-14

 

Verse 20:

 

“And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore that Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us.

Verse 21:

And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.”

 

                Verses 20 and 21 draw a cultural distinction between the Lamanites and the Nephites. The Lamanites are hunters, savage tent dwellers, and the Nephites seem a little more humane and organized. The Nephites grow and raise their nutritional resources, and are apparently appalled by the Lamanites short skin girdles. The Bible also has a similar distinction between two types of culture. In Genesis 4:2 we find that “Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.” This becomes a cultural distinction when their descendants come forth. The descendants of Cain are settlers that work the soil and the descendants of Seth are keepers of flocks, and tent dwellers. Moses and the Israelites go through a transition from being nomads, keepers of flocks, and wanderers in the dessert, to people that become settled in the promise land. But in Enos, though the Nephites are settlers, they keep flocks and work the soil, while the Lamanites are hunters that live in tents. But the outstanding cultural distinction between the two is that the Lamanites are described more like savages.

 

Written 9-9-14

Psalms 148

Verse 4

“Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens, come and offer praise.”

What is at the end of the universe? Genesis 1:6

Since the Psalmist addresses the waters above heaven, this means that it was not completely poured out when the portals opened in Genesis 7:12.

September 23, 2012

Genesis 7

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

Some say there must have been an ice canopy or a vapor canopy over the earth before the flood, which melted/condensed down and flooded the earth.

But, as I mentioned in Genesis 1:14-15, the cosmos where inside this firmament that separated the waters, which made me think that there is water at the ends of the universe.  This would mean that when it is said that the “windows of heaven were opened”, it may mean that these “windows” were (not just clouds, if the were clouds I think they would have been called mists; but they were)actually portals that accessed the ends of the universe… where all the rest of the water is stored. 

Wormholes to the ends of the universe?  I think I just made the bible seem even cazier.

Reflection:
There are so many things that go observed but unexplained, like wormholes to other universes or other parts of our universe. These things have always existed and may have even been casually manipulated in the past or in other parts of the universe by higher or lower powers and beings.  But people hardly believe anything that is not mentioned in the textbooks; this is how an infinitely Reality becomes so limited and confined.

June 15, 2012

Genesis 1

Genesis 1

Verse 7

“And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from waters which were above the firmament.”

The first times I read through this verse with an attentive intent, I glanced over this verse without wondering what it meant too much.  Maybe it was a typo, maybe it was talking about something else, maybe I misread.  I disregarded it for a while, but then the inevitable question came back.

Waters above the firmament?

What could it be talking about?

Is there really water above our sky or is this “firmament” refer to some other firmament?

The next verse confirms the meaning of this firmament.

Verse 8

“And God called the firmament Heaven.  And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

I noticed that in the KJV, Heaven is spelled with a capital “H”; maybe it refers to a higher heaven?

So far up to the end of the universe maybe?

Is that what surrounds our universe? Water?

And what would such water be like?

What form would it take in such location?

Would it be an ethereal state of water and therefore have a metaphorical meaning, and not really a physical state of water?

Or is this just a cheap way to explain why the sky is blue?

I looked back to it a couple of times each time I thought about it, to make sure it actually said that.  Even now it surprises me when I read it.

For a while I believed that the mysterious contents of the ends of the universe was, therefore, water;

especially because in verse 14 and 15, God places “lights” in this firmament (the sun, the moon, and the stars… galaxies and such), and if there is water above the firmament, then the water is found above all of these.  In other words, at the ends of the universe.

Until I read Genesis 7:11 where it says that the ”windows of heaven were opened” and torrents of water poured out…  So I guess there is no more water at the ends of the Universe.  I still wondered whether all or only some of the water was flushed out.

Verse 22

“And God blessed them, saying, be fruitful, and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”

When I think of God’s words I think of something engraved in reality itself, this is how God is able to “speak things into existence”.  When God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply, I imagine it as a description of the manifestation that happened within the instinctual mind and physical anatomy and neuro-anatomy of these beings.  When God commands for something to happen, the universe morphs itself to match his command; when God commands us to do something, that command becomes part of us, so that if we decide to go against His command, we are ultimately going against something that is intrinsically and naturally part of our constitution and/or part of the design of the universe as well (and this is what is called chaos/darkness/evil/etc.).

June 15, 2012