I have just completed commentary on the entire Bible from Genesis to Re-Genesis (Revelation), the former the generation of life and the latter, its regeneration. The explanation of the generation of things is “ontology;” that is to say “being” (ontos) and “logic” (logia). Ironically, evolution theory is illogical and is faulty reasoning in that animate life flowing from inanimate is a type of alchemy.
“Eschatology” is
the study of the end and comes from eschatos (end) and logy (the
study) of the end. Therefore, reading the Bible is the study of the beginning and
the end of existence, and all the events between
are events that humans consider to be “existence.” We call existence “life” and
our role as human beings as experiencing life. “Hope” is the expectation that
existence is never-ending. “Fatalism” is the fear that all things will come to
an end.
Christians have the
hope of salvation. It is not wishful thinking but very rational, indeed.
Christians see the generation of existence from the perspective of Holy
Scripture, and have the expectation, that just as humankind was generated in
the beginning, it will be regenerated in the end. Hence, the theological concept
of “regeneration” is not that Christians will return to the innocence of the
womb but shall return to the innocence and perfection that God intended when He
made mankind in His own image. Babies are all “shapen in iniquity” (Psalm
51:5). Adam was made, not “very good” but “m? ‘od” (Hebrew) (Gen 1:31) —
exceedingly excellent — not only Adam but all things wherein he existed as a
living person.
“Paradise” was
the existence of Adam. It was a Garden kept by God and within it all things were
exceedingly excellent. If one thing was not, it was the presence of spiritual beings
who had already failed God! Angels were not prototypical of mankind wherein God
experimented and failed, but beings who served God and man for different
purposes. As such, archangels served the better purposes of God and fallen angels
as his “Testers.”
The ontological existence
of angels is for the ontology of mankind. In the end, eschatologically, it turns
out that Testing Angels will serve no further purpose and will be cast into
Hell. Those who served the Greater Good of God will have no end. Likewise, God
monitors and records the activities, thoughts, and behaviors of our kind
and threshes the grain from the chaff and the grains from the grains, and
winnows that which shall perish into the burning pit.
Paradise was made
as a home for obedient and faithful servants for God. Indeed, Adam was assigned
to “dress and keep” the Garden of Eden as an ontological receptacle for life.
It was “God’s Womb” so the speak wherein God provided life, nourishment for
life, and order for the continuation of life. Hid spiritual “cord” was the “silver
cord” of which Solomon wrote.
Adam would need not
do anything except keep the Way to the Tree of Life, which, when he failed that
one task, the cherubim were assigned to do what Adam did not do! (Gen 3:24).
What stood in Adam’s way? The way of the Tree of Knowledge. Out of two choices,
Adam chose wrongly! He could no longer be trusted to keep the Way to Eternal
Life. All that he had to do is stand under and eat of the Greatest Tree in the forest,
but its majesty was dimmed by the exotic fruit along the way.
Paradise was made
for mankind by God. The Law therein was one — keep the way to the Tree of Life.
Adam saw the “way” to life a little differently than he should have. God provided
essentials. If you are into psychology which I am not, consider Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs from the lower tier toward the upper: (1) physiological, (2)
safety, (3) belongingness and love, (4) esteem — high self-estimation, and (5) self-actualization,
finalized by a few by a “peak experience.” Those “needs” go from basic, to
psychological, to self-fulfillment.
As such, the Tree
of Life fulfilled all needs, but Adam desired to fulfill them all by “himself.”
God provided the basic and spiritual needs. “Psychology” is nothing more than
the “study of the soul” but there was no studying required. All things were exceedingly
great!
Sin turned out to
be self-actualization with too high of an estimation of themselves (Adam and
Eve). Even the Serpent spoke truth, “God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God” (Gen 3:5). The
Way to Life was by the grace of God. The philosophy tree (psychology) stood
between life and death.
The two trees
have great importance. Mankind always had clear choices. The Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil was knowledge of all things. God had not intended for His
beings to have knowledge of evil, but to make them human, they must have a
choice. “Look around,” God implied. “This Paradise is all yours!” However, two naïve
human beings thought they saw better things. What God provided was forever, but
temporal things that appealed to their flesh stood between two beings and
eternal existence.
What was it they
wanted? They had Paradise, but preferred Utopia. Paradise was what God planned
and made just for them, but they thought that they had a better way; The Tree
of Knowledge was their Utopia, but unknown to their own knowledge (i.e.,
stupidity) there was much to be learned from that day forward. Life was simple
with only the knowledge of “good” but when evil was instituted among men, the
order in the Garden became disorderly in their minds.
The two
questioned the reason for their own existence. “Why me?” they asked. Evil came
into their minds— “Paradise is meant for us; it belongs to us and we should rule!”
They, the moment they ate, lost Paradise that God had made for them and gained (sic)
a world of their own making. God knew that in advance and had prepared a place
outside Paradise for unruly people. Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise into
the world (Gen 3:23) but not before God provided them a skin of safety (Gen
3:21) as a hedge for things outside Paradise.
They passed by
the cherubim who had taken on their role. Think of the shame! Paradise certainly
had a hedge around its entire perimeter as there remained only one Way to
re-enter Paradise to follow the Way to the Tree of Life, and that was the Way
of Jesus. There are no backdoors to Paradise, and the continuous thread
throughout the Bible is that the work of men’s hands or the fruits of men’s knowledge
is not the way to regain Paradise. The obvious things for brilliant minds to do
is to deny Paradise, deny Creation, and deny God! With that outlook, ever
since, man has endeavored to build a Utopia, like God did with Paradise, but
without God and without the essential substances — truly excellent good things!
Their material is substandard if to any standard at all!
Paradise was God
creating “exceedingly excellent” and Utopia with humans creating “exceedingly
evil” using the substances of their own minds. Only God Created the elements
and the space for them. Man has neither the capacity nor the substance to build
anything, so they build with great fantasy! For them, only they understand
the process and those who credit God are nothing more than dreamers who themselves
created a “God” who did what they were unable to do!
Now consider Maslow’s
Pyramid and compare it to the Tower of Babel. The peak experience at Babel was for
those seeking higher things to make a name for themselves (Gen 11:4). They were
building “Maslow’s Pyramid” by using the materials that God provided and His
knowhow. They strived to reach into the heavens. Building a tower to heaven is
what Gid did with the Cross but here we have it again; mankind was dreaming
about Jacob’s Ladder and thought they could build what Jacob only dreamed of.
The Tower of
Babel was symbolic of the Tree of Knowledge wherein mankind was trying to regain
the “Paradise” they had lost. That “great ladder” was their way to Utopia; a “Paradise”
not built by the Hand of God (John 1) but the hands of men. The story of the
Tower of Babel is the story of men trying to do what God did! It is the
religious doctrine of socialism, and Karl Marx could as well have written the
plan for the fallen bricks of that Great Tower.
Tomorrow I will continue
with part 2 of 2 but first read a bout the Way to the true exceedingly
excellent Paradise that Utopians fail to see (Sibylline Oracles 2:314-335):
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