The Forbidden Fruit

In a related note to my previous article, I want to discuss this forbidden fruit that is mentioned in the Genesis account. What is it?  What is it’s significance?

You will often see this reference in western culture to an apple. Now just to set the record straight, while the account does talk about a tree, it never says what the fruit is.  But if one becomes more familiar with Hebrew culture, you will find this symbolism of trees, fruits, branches, harvest, etc. is common throughout the scriptures. This is a symbol. Many creationists and biblical defenders often make this mistake of trying to defend a literal interpretation of what they find in Genesis. The reality is that the story of Adam and Havah is a parable. I’m not saying it doesn’t have many true aspects rooted in fact, or that it didn’t really happen. What I’m saying is that the story is still presented as a parable with symbols meant to teach certain ideas. 

In symbology, trees represent many things, the most common things are family, life,and knowledge. In the case of this store you have a tree of like and a tree of knowledge.  The tree of knowledge is described in the account as knowledge of both good and evil. 

So to continue I will explain an idea, which is an idea presented in the very story itself. There are many things which are true, but that you must be prepared to grasp and understand before you can receive it. If this truth is given to you prematurely, it can actually be harmful.  Now in the account we know the “tree” was placed there, such that it could be taken. Now one could argue in this story that if God didn’t want them to partake, why did He put it there?  

To answer this I am going to give an example.  When you were a young child, no doubt your parents told you not to EVER touch the stove. Why did they say this?  Because as a young child the stove can be very dangerous.  At that age you didn’t understand how to use it properly. It can burn and could cause very serious harm if not treated with the utmost respect. But did this mean that you could never touch it, EVER?  Of course not. In that state you are not ready, but with preparation one day you may be. 

So it is with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The whole idea was that it was to be partaken of, but Adam and Havah needed to be prepared to do so. They needed to learn and grow first so that they could be properly prepared.  Along comes Satan and he convinces Havah to partake by telling her the benefits of partaking in that knowledge, but he deceives by not telling the consequences of doing so, and of course he doesn’t tell her his motives.  I think an important part in this is understanding Satan’s motive.  His plan was to get Adam and Havah to do what they were destined to do anyway, but try to get them to do it in a wrong way.  If he could introduce a corruption to it from the very beginning, then he could do as much damage to the plan of salvation as possible from the very foundation.  I just wanted make this distinction clear. There is a big difference between God telling them that they were ready to partake and them partaking on their own prematurely. 

Hopefully this sheds a new light and makes you think a little differently of our first parents. Hopefully this gives you a new love and respect for them. I intend to continue this discussion, but I leave this with you for now to ponder and consider and pray upon. 

To Be Like God

In my last article I struggled to figure how I wanted to say what I had been trying to say. But I figured there really isn’t that delicate of a way to introduce the idea. If you read my previous articles on the subject I have been introducing this concept of the plurality of Gods. Showing how Elohim is plural, how Adonai is plural, and in an important way YHVH is also plural. 

My goal is not to tear God down and make us think of him as just a man, even as great an idea as the first man is. I’m trying to teach my readers who they are. I am trying to teach my readers who Adam actually was, and what he actually did. And very importantly Eve Havah  too. Understanding the plan of Salvation in this context is important because it cuts through the false teachings and doctrines. It cuts through the excuses. 

So hear this version of the account. Elohim created the heaven and the earth. This is both symbolic and literal. Many think this means the stars, the moon, the planets, the sun, and the earth itself. And it does. But the heaven and the earth are also symbolic of a bigger picture. The Elohim, the council of the Gods created the heavens. The heavens are all things spiritual. And they created the earth. The earth representing mortality, all things we thing of as physical.  Then in Genesis and the other accounts, it details this process. Understanding that when it says God did this it is actually saying Elohim did this, or a council who is perfectly united in goal and purpose. They are so united that they are referred to as one. 

Then when this process is completed, one of them chose to give up His Immortal God form.  A being of incredible power and knowledge chooses to give that up an instead become human. A being that by comparison is fragile, weak, lacking in knowledge, lacking in understanding, prone to sickness, and death. And when the time is right He brings with Him another. 

And all this for what purpose?  To take this mortal form and make it like God. To bring about more Gods, if they will. Before I continue, I want to clarify a point lest pride convince men of something they are not. I will repeat this as often as necessary because it is important. Man is a god in embryo. That is man is capable of becoming a god. That does not mean that man is a god. Man is not perfect, man must purify this flesh of everything that is unlike God, in order to become a god. 

But that’s what this mortal earth and life is about. It is a testing and proving. It is an opportunity. What God did in becoming Adam was an act of love. Pure love. God knew that in becoming mortal He was falling. He knew that by becoming mortal that he was going to make mistakes. He knew that by becoming mortal he would himself be in need of salvation. But because of the great love he has for us, he will gladly give up his immortality for the chance that we might become like Him. 

I see so many criticize what Adam and Havah did. That they introduced sin into the world. But know this. They did what they did, knowing that if they didn’t, you would not be here now.  The story is true, but it is also a parable.  I plan on continuing this further, but I think I’ve said enough for now.   But please to all who read this. Pray about it and ask God for understanding and a confirmation of these words. 

Adam and Eve

Today I wish to share with you a truth about Adam and Eve. Or rather the original Hebrew version. Who are they?  Why are they so important?  Why is the story shrouded in mystery?  

Let's first examine Adam. If we look at the hebrew letters, Adam is  אדם. Let's examine these three letters to see the meaning. The first letter is Aleph א, which firstly is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is fitting here because it is used to represent the first man. Fatherhood is also symbolized. The formation of the letter contains two Yods. Recall that the Yod י is a symbol for God and the source of everything and is contained in everything. 

Next we will examine Eve. The first element is that Eve doesn't exist in the original Hebrew. Or rather not by that name.  

The original Hebrew text and Jewish tradition both tell us that the proper name is Havah, spelled in Hebrew as HVH הרה.  Havah basically means "mother of all living."  This is an accurate description.

But what many scholars miss is the full significance of the story. In this I want to point out that in the old Hebrew, HVH and YHVH are spelled so similarly. And this is not an accident or coincidence. This is deliberate. 

In this article I am going to outright say an eternal truth. I have been discussing and showing by the ancient scriptures themselves that God exists in plural. That God is one in purpose and truth, but that there are multiple Gods. Adam was one of them. And Havah was his wife. Now these names are really more titles, as they went by and today go by different names. As mortals, they were Adam and Havah. They were members of the council that created this Earth (Elohim), immortal Gods, who choose to risk their immortality in order that their children could receive the experiences necessary for them to likewise become Gods. The fall or Adam, often referred to as his transgression or the original sin, was nothing more than his choosing to become a mortal man so that he could produce mortal offspring. This was not a sin, it was an act made out of pure devoted love. And Havah choose to do likewise. 

Now I know this raises a lot of questions regarding the creation story. I plan to discuss that at some point, but for now I will summarize by simply stating that the creation story as contained in Genesis is a parable. It represents a general outline of the creation process. But it does not produce an accurate depiction of specific events. It is not intended to. 

Now my point in trying to teach this concept is to bring to our minds a realization that man, mortal men, can in fact become like God. And that an important part of that is the unity between man and woman. If we as mortals cannot become united in a real, true, pure love then we will never be able to become like our Heavenly Parents. 

What is prophecy?

In response to recent questions and statements I thought I would discuss this idea of what prophecy is, what it is not, and how to recognize it.  And by extension to define exactly what a prophet is. 

I’ll start by clearing up a misconception about prophecy. There is this popular idea that prophecy is this fortelling the future. That prophets speak of things to come.  Now it is true that this can be a part of prophesy, this idea actually diminishes and distracts from prophesy.  This is an idea that is really more closely related to pagan beliefs, tied in very much with ideas of magic, Druidism, Shamanism, and occultism. 

If one looks at biblical prophets you will see a pattern in their actions, words, and teachings.  Was it predicting the future that made them prophets?  Or was it something else?  And in reading the Bible it becomes apparent that at times there were many prophets at once.   In fact let me show a few examples of this. 

“And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.  And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!”  Numbers 11:24-29 

“For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.”  1st Kings 18:4 

There are many more examples, but my point here is to illustrate that prophets are not these “special” people that are maybe one in a generation or as many think today that there haven’t been prophets for centuries.  As though this is a special thing that only happened in biblical times. 

So what is prophesy?  Prophesy is the truth. The truth past, present, and future. Prophesy is the Spirit of God.    So what is a prophet?  It is one who through righteous living and heeding the words of God has become attuned to His spirit and can speak that truth. A prophet of God is one who has learned to know the voice of God apart from all others, and testifies of that truth.  That truth may be things to come, it may be things as they are now, and it may be the past as it actually was. 

So how are we to recognize and know a prophet. By the fruits they bear. A false prophet will try to get gain. He will tell people what they want to hear, or tell things to get gain, or to impress men. He may tell of things that might be factual, and yet be misleading.   

By contrast the prophets of God always say the same thing and work towards the same goal. True prophets bear a message of repentance, to turn to God, a message of humility. The seek to glorify God, and to help those who will hear and obey how they too can come to know God for themselves. In other words, true prophets teach people that through righteous living and obeying the commandments of God, they can come to know God for themselves, and when they are filled with the Spirit of God, they too become prophets. 

No Need for Justification

On a number of occasions a frequent critique made both of myself and others who are attempting to do the same work as I is one that we are “self-righteous”. 

Now let me clarify this with a reiteration of this responsibility I am called to bear. My duty is to help those in suffering, to help the weak, to bear the grief and pain of others, and most importantly to teach and spread to gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is primarily a call to repentance. Now this by its very nature does mean that ofimes I have to address matters.  It means that I must at times point out when things are leading people away from God rather than towards him. 

I will relate a story which is absolutely true. I know a young man who has had powerful spiritual experiences and has been called like myself to spread the gospel of Christ. And for time he seemed to be striving for the same kind of work and even seemed to have a great deal of success in helping others. . Unfortunately as is often the case this individual attempted to mingle the things of the world with the things of God. He began pursuing business ventures and acquiring wealth. And began encouraging others to do likewise. Out of concern both for himself and the possible damage that he could do to others I began asking him questions. These questions were directed of course to cause him to check his own motives and to help him see where this course will lead.  Unfortunately he began justifying himself in his actions, claiming that he has always been poor.  That the Lord has required him to go without, so that he could learn the lessons of being poor. Then he told me that in this stage of his life the Lord desires him to enjoy a little wealth. He claimed the Lord instructed him in how to invest his money in order to obtain more money. 

I pointed out that this was inconsistent with the teachings found in the Scriptures and with the teachings I have received from beyond the veil. To this he replied that was just my perspective, which was a result of my traditions and upbringing and that there was nothing wrong in obtaining a little wealth. . And he laid down the typical charge that I was being self righteous. 

I do not claim to be better than anyone else. I do not claim to be perfect. I do not claim to be worthy. I am filled with weakness. I am as much in need of repentance and forgiveness as anyone. 

Here is the lesson I am trying to teach. Whether I do right or wrong justification is not needed. If I do right I do right. The fruits of my actions will be good. If I do wrong I do wrong and the fruits of my actions will be evil. In either case I do not need to justify myself because the consequences will be the result of the action.  

In the case of this friend the results of his actions are that he and his followers are actually moving away from God. They are caught up in materialism, and they may not realize it, but they have begun persecuting those who are not doing the same as they are.  They are spending less of their time and effort in repentance and more of their time and effort in getting gain.  

This saddens me. My goal is not to make myself look better. My goal is not to say I’m right. My goal is not to make an example of others to make myself look good or impress anyone. I don’t need to. This is my point. We don’t need to justify our actions. We need to do right. 

The Adversary Is Real

An issue I feel I must address at this time is in regards to the idea of the existence of devils and what they can and cannot do. I believe I must address this for two reasons. 

The first reason is that many in Christendom take this attitude that Christ has taken all sin upon himself. This is a discussion for another time and I will get into this in further detail, but in summary at this time, Christ’s atonement is meant for those who repent. Repentance requires acknowledging that sin is real. And in acknowledging that sin is real that also means that a counter to Christ, an equivalent opposite also exists that strive to prevent us from repenting. 

This leads me to the second reason which is connected to the first. I will go into more detail on this second form because at this time I feel this is what the Lord wants me to bring forward. 

There is a growing movement driven largely by people who claim to have met Christ face to face. These experiences range from near-death experiences, open visions, etc. Now to clear the air beforehand I have nothing against such claims as I know for myself that such experiences are real. And to any of my readers who have a problem with this, now might be a good time to stop, since if you don’t believe in personal experiences with Heavenly beings there is no point in proceeding any further. 

My second point is to understand this, that not all spiritual experiences are heavenly. In ancient Hebrew you find this term occasionally used. Mastema. What does this mean?  Mastema is a plural for devil. It refers to not a singular being but a group or variety of fallen beings. Even though Mastema is plural it is used in a singular sense because these entities are united in one area. They wish nothing more than the overthrow and destruction of all that is good. 

Among their skills and tactics is to create counterfeits to truth and right. That is something that will deceive all but the elect. Among these deceptions is that they can pretend to be Christ. These counterfeits Often include principles that are true, but are mixed with lies to twist the meaning into something that does not lead to God. 

“So how is one to know the real apart from the imposter?” You may ask.  The answer is this and heed this warning well. You must become prepared. Ok, so how does one prepare?  Well if I give you the easy answer, the “shortcut”, it bypasses the work and preparation that is required. The answer is very simple. But it also requires a real work and an effort on our part. 

So where does one start?  One must learn the traits and attributes of Christ himself. In order to learn this, one must study scripture, with the sincere desire to learn these traits, and to apply them to our lives, each and every one of us. Seek out the prophets in the scriptures. Take note of their character traits and attributes. What did they do?  What was their motives?  What were they trying to teach the people. Look at the Savior when he came in the flesh. What did He teach? What doctrines did he put forth?  What was He trying to get the people to understand?  

The real Christ and the imposter both have something in common. Both desire to make us like themselves. But the end results look very different. The more you apply Christ’s teachings, the more selfless you become.  The more ennobled you become. Your heart and desires will forsake the things of the world and will turn to the things of God. In contrast, the more you apply the deceivers teachings, the more selfish you become, the more proud and vain you become. Those who follow him will turn to the things of the world, the pursuit of wealth and possessions, and will be taught to justify themselves in doing so. 

Break the cycle

In my previous article I talked about this conflict that existed between Canaan and Israel. While one side, from the evidence that can be gathered was more justified than the other, both sides did do wrong.  Both sides have committed acts of violence and hurt. 

In fact on one hand the Lord permitted the Israelites to make war with the Canaanite (Philistines, Assyrians ,etc.) people around them, but the Lord would put strict limits on how such wars were to be conducted.  I’m certain from what I know of God’s nature that He didn’t want His children to fight with one another and destroy one another. But if warfare becomes necessary then God would rather it be fine for the right reasons and that it is conducted in the right way. 

Allow me to explain. Throughout history, most wars were fought for one purpose. That purpose was usually to get gain. Armies would plunder and pillage wherever they went for gain. Kings would expand their territory to increase tax revenue and tribute. Taxes were enforced by the sword. Men would take their neighbors property. Spoils of war were then carried off to benefit the army, the ruler and the people. So how might God test and prove those that claim to be his people?  In times of war He can take away the gain. 

If the Lord demands that you kill the men and leave the women and children, what historically became of those people?  As terrible as it may be, most often the women and children were among the spoils of war. Slaves and servants that do the bidding of their conquerers.  Now aside from the fact that these people will resent their captors, which could cause problems later on, in the short term these people represent an opportunity for profit. They are a readily available source of labor which may be useful to work the conquered land and as such, from a materialistic standpoint, they are an asset.   So if God instructs the Israelites to kill the women and children too, much of the lucre of war goes with it.  Any conquered land will have to be worked by the people themselves which removes much of the benefit of conquest. And whether or not the Israelites obeyed said much about their condition. When they tried to gain by warfare, the Lord was displeased with them. 

And what of destroying the flocks and herds too?  Again, the animals and crops represent a wealth and an easy harvest. But if the people will destroy it rather than profit by it, it says much about the condition of their hearts. 

If one looks at the Old Testament history with open eyes, one sees that God didn’t actually want His children going to war. At times it may become necessary, and when it is necessary, God will lay out how such wars are to be conducted.  He would rather things be resolved peacefully.  And while men may be justified in defending themselves and their families, some of the most blessed are those who choose to break that cycle of warfare and bloodshed.  As Christ said —

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:9-10

Men may be justified in conflict at times, but there is a much greater blessing in forsaking our own will and desires and instead fulfill the law. Justice may demand that restitution be made, but Christ laid out and taught a better way. In our day, let Esau and Jacob be reconciled. Be the peacemaker.