1 Enoch 98

1 Enoch 98

Verse 4

“I have sworn unto you, ye sinners, as a mountain has not become a slave, and a bill does not become the handmaid of a woman, even so sin has not been sent upon the earth, but man of himself has created it, and a great curse shall they fall who commit it.”

“sin has not been sent upon the earth, but man of himself has created it”

The Qur’an also has many attestations that say that God only brings blessings and it is man who created sin and suffering.

Verse 6

“I have sworn unto you, ye sinners, by the Holy Great One, that all your evil deeds are revealed in the heavens, and that none of your deeds of oppression are covered and hidden.”

“all your evil deeds are revealed in the heavens”

There is a realm in which every action that is done, every intention that is possessed is exposed.  In the realm of clarity, nothing is hidden.  When one is able to see into this new dimension (usually referred to as “heaven” because of its extrinsic nature), one can see thoughts and actions in all possible sites and locations (whether it is inside a room or inside one’s own imagination and even in certain regions of time).  Everything that manifests explicit and eternal; all is transparent.

 Verse 7

“And do not think in your spirit, nor say in your heart, that ye do not know and that ye do not see that every sin is every day recorded in heaven in presence of the Most High.”

This verse implies that we know and see in our hearts and our spirit about this realm in which all is revealed and permanent (from 1 Enoch 98:6).  Deep down, we know that we cannot deny that we know about this realm, since we can derive this statement from knowing that truth is undeniable and unalterable.  No matter how well a secret is kept, it is still part of reality, it is still part of the truth; no matter how much one tries to hide it, it can never be destroyed.  By understanding the essence of this truth, we inherently and undeniably certify that realm in which everything is recorded.

June 14, 2012

Mosiah 4

Mosiah 4:27

“… for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength…”

Humanity is stupid. As creatures we are nowhere close to understanding or being part or in harmony with the divine. Thank God that reaching our goal does not depend on how fit we are, but only on whether we are striving appropriately. Our best thoughts are completely evil, but what counts is when we try our best to be good. Does this seem like pretending?

“… And again, it is expedient that he might win the prize…”

            This is not pretending, although are acts of goodness may as well be pretension. But when we have a genuine desire to be good we only do “good” the best we know how, even if it is only as good as pretending to do “good”. If a baby is crying on the hot asphalt in the middle of the street, and the best we can do is drop a cracker beside him and pretend to ourselves that we help him out, though our acts are still evil and pathetic, they are enough for God.

Written 9-23-14

Mosiah 4:2

“And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth…”

They were able to see themselves in a new light. They saw themselves in the light of such a great manifestation that they saw their worthlessness. This is an essential revelation that all must have. People tend to have a degree of pride that is part of their everyday lives. This degree of pride makes one think that their life matters, that they have a duty and a responsibility to make something out of their existence. This degree of pride makes one think that they must succeed and excel beyond what they are, that they must make themselves suffer through great efforts to make certain things happen; and yet, the collective struggles of all of humanity do not even measure up to a whimper in the universe. In the light of God we may as well not exist.

Mosiah 4:5

“For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state –”

Mosiah 4:11

“I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility,”

This realization frees you from all responsibility, from all desire and pressure to change something in the world. It makes one’s pain, conflicts, struggles, meaningless. One can finally rest from the cares of the world and admit that they could never make anything “meaningful” no matter how much they try. It is all in God’s hands, there is nothing on your shoulders. God carries all burdens, you are free to roam or to stay, you are free to run or to struggle, but you are never obligated to do either.

Mosiah 4:11

“And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of an angel.”

Written 9-24-14

Ezekiel 20

Verse 25

"I gave them laws that bring punishment instead of life,"

Verse 26

"and I let them offer me unacceptable sacrifices, including their first-born sons.  I did this to horrify them and to let them know that I, the LORD, was punishing them."(CEV)

I want to compare verse 26 with another verse with the same topic in Jeremiah 7:31"At Topeth in Hinnon Valley you have built altars where you kill your children and burn them as sacrifice to other gods.  I would never even think of telling you to do this." (CEV)

NIV says "They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire--something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind."

Acknowledging that God could have allowed child sacrifice without commanding it, the statements between these two verse seem to contradict.  In Jeremiah God says that child sacrifices are abominable, that God
did not command the Israelites to do such a thing, and that the topic would not even enter His mind.  And yet, in Ezekiel, God says that He allowed the Israelites to do such a thing so that they would be appalled at their own actions.

This is not the first place in the bible where inconsistencies are found, similar inconsistencies also appear in Exodus (God's command for Moses as far as what he wants him to do to the rock differs in different accounts).  Also, in some accounts, the pharaoh was too stubborn to let Moses's people go, and in other accounts, "God hardened his heart in order to show-off His glory".

But the question in this verse is, would child sacrifice enter God's mind as for Him to allow the Israelites to do such a thing? (even if it is only to appall them).

As I reflect on the seeming inconsistency, I find that there is no reason to think that God's thoughts and intentions are clear to us.  Simply put, we do not understand that mind of God, therefore we may not fully understand the details of what he thinks.  For example, somehow, God is able to forget the sins of those forgiven and know absolutely everything about the universe at the same time.  Does God know or does He not?  In my conclusion, yes He knows everything, but somehow He is able to discredit and deny some details of that knowledge.

As far as the account about the stubborn pharaoh, sometime the seeming contradiction stems from a misunderstanding about how God works through nature and reality.  Yes, it is true that the Pharaoh was stubborn by his own will, and yes it also true that God made him stubborn.  But no, this does not have to be considered a contradiction if one manages to use their imagination to find a way to fit the two.  Maybe the things that are done by free will of man are also done in God's will.  So that when God compels a soul, the action is so inevitable from that person that it stems from the source of their being, and it is even engraved into their fate.  In other words, God can influence influence infinitely, meaning that God can influence them so much so, that the influence becomes part of who that person always was (never needing God to influence them in the first place, in order for them to do what God influenced them to do).  And how can one expect any less from an omnipotent being?

I think that the verse about child sacrifices is just another seeming contradiction that a little imagination can solve.  Can God have two intentions, two opinions, and two decisions about the same topic, at the same time?  If He is truly omnipotent, He would be able to do this; there is no reason for Him to not be able to do this. 

There is no contradiction here, just a lack of imagination that limits our view of true omnipotence, (or maybe just a lack of understanding of psychology).

Written 9-10-13

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