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Tidbits of Truth - 5

Hey all you wonderful people!Jesus nicknamed the apostles James and John "the sons of thunder" not because they were the result of a cloud seeding experiment gone awry, but because they were loud, boisterous, wild and crazy guys whose presence was usually known before they entered the room. They were called "sons of thunder" because they were LIKE thunder in their behavior. That's the idiom. It's a figure of speech. Thunder is loud, startling, and attention getting. That's how these guys were. I'm sure you've known people like this. (By the way, this proves Jesus had a sense of humor.)You'll find this figure all through the Bible, Old and New Testaments.The simplicity of it is that the parent leads the way, sets the example, or initiates and inspires, while the child or son follows in the footsteps, imitates the example, or is like the parent.You're familiar with Abraham being "the father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11). Obviously he didn't father all who believe literally, but we are like Abraham because we believe as he did.Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be "followers [imitators] of God as dear children." The children imitate the father. The exhortation is to behave like God, our Father - to be like Him..Christ said "wisdom is justified of all her children" (Luke 7:35). Wisdom here, as in Proverbs, is being described as a "she." This is not literal, but figurative. People who are wise are like their mother, wisdom. In real life they show the preeminence of wisdom.He said in Matthew 5:44 & 45 "Love your enemies...That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven." Was Jesus introducing yet another way to get saved? No, he was simply saying to behave like our Father who loves all."Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." - Matthew 5:9. The verse is in reference to behavior, not birth. God is a peacemaker, and when we are peacemakers, we are like God.I John 3:9 & 10 says, "Whoever is born of God does not commit [practice] sin, because His [God's] seed [children] remain [abide] in Him [God]...In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil, whoever does not righteousness, is not of God...." The children are thus manifest by their behavior, They are called "the children of God" because they behave LIKE God and they are called "the children of the Devil" because they behave LIKE the Devil. And there is no literal seed involved in either becoming children.In John 8:41 - 44, Jesus said, "You do the deeds of your father...You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do." He was speaking to the scribes and Pharisees. Notice that the relationship of the Devil as their father was dependant on their behavior - "You do...you will do." They were children of the Devil figuratively because they were like him in behavior, not because they were somehow literally born of him.In Genesis 6:2 "the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took them wives...." The figure determines the interpretation of the "sons of God" here. Since the "sons of God" are those who are like God, and follow and imitate Him, they are the Old Testament believers. The term could never be in reference to fallen angels who are opposed to God. Besides, Jesus said angels "neither marry nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30). And though the apocryphal books of the O.T. are not accepted as Scripture, they still give us useful information, such as the many times O.T. believers are commonly referred to as "sons of God." Of course, they were not sons by a new spiritual birth, but sons because they believed and followed God."Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is." - I John 3:2. We are like Him now. We will be more like Him then!I believe we are sons of God by a literal, spiritual regeneration as it says in Titus 3:5. But as we read through the Bible, we should be aware of what is a literal and what is a figurative reference to being children and sons. It'll make the difference between error and truth.
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  • Not to belabor any point but the record in Job which I believe is in reference to the creation, has an interesting statement about clouds at that time. Same word from Genesis.

    Job 38
    4 ¶ "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,
    5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?
    6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,
    7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
    8 "Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
    9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band,
    10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,
    11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?
  • I do understand that it is not accepted as canonical scripture...
    My concern, however, is not whether something is accepted as canonical scripture, but rather is it the Word of God?...
    Perhaps in this case Enoch was translated badly... I dunno...

    The first use of the word "cloud" comes after the flood and it's presence is explained there...

    There would have to be a lot more work done on establishing this as written by "the" Enoch before I'd give it too much weight...

    But that's me...

    :) Bob
  • I did preface this with that it is not accepted as canon of scripture....but the Theological Workbook of the OT gives us this info about the word mist used in Gen 2.

    ’ ed. Mist (KJV, ASV, RSV,) vapor (Berkley Version) flood (JB, NEB) Stream (NAB). These are the various translations of #Ge 2:6. Most versions translate ‘mist’ in #Job 36:27.

    Based on these two biblical contexts and the Akkadian and Sumerian cognates, edû and A.D...A respectively, the meanings other than ‘mist’ and ‘vapor’ have been suggested. Earlier translators did not have access to the ancient cuneiform languages which help to determine the meaning of these difficult words. The LXX translators guessed at phgh (spring) in Genesis and nefelh (cloud) in Job. The Akkadian edû refers to the annual inundation of Babylon by the Euphrates as well as to irrigation. If Eden was watered by floods and irrigation rather than rain, it may have been located in an area like southern Mesopotamia where it does not rain. Such a location would suggest that the paradisiacal situation was not worldwide but peculiar to Eden’s immediate environs.

    The Job passage is rich with meteorological details. However, ‘mist’ is not demanded there; one of the several options such as ‘stream’ would well fit.
  • yeah, that's a problem...
    Enoch the seventh from Adam would never have even seen a cloud...
    :) Bob
  • "Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds"...

    That's what it says, dunno what it means.
  • clouds?

    :) Bob
  • Here is the quote from Jude. Sorry it took me so long to get to there. Enoch 1:9,10

    Chapter 1

    The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them:

    The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai, [And appear from His camp] And appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens.

    And all shall be smitten with fear And the Watchers shall quake, And great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth.

    And the high mountains shall be shaken, And the high hills shall be made low, And shall melt like wax before the flame,

    And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder, And all that is upon the earth shall perish, And there shall be a judgement upon all (men).

    But with the righteous He will make peace.

    And will protect the elect, And mercy shall be upon them.

    And they shall all belong to God, And they shall be prospered, And they shall all be blessed.

    And He will help them all, And light shall appear unto them, And He will make peace with them.

    And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly:

    And to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
  • But wait there is more........

    Chapter 10

    Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: ‘Go to Noah and tell him in my name "Hide thyself!" and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.’ And again the Lord said to Raphael: ‘Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.’ And to Gabriel said the Lord: ‘Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have. And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and that each one of them will live five hundred years.’ And the Lord said unto Michael: ‘Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all generations. And destroy all the spirits of the reprobate and the children of the Watchers, because they have wronged mankind. Destroy all wrong from the face of the earth and let every evil work come to an end: and let the plant of righteousness and truth appear: and it shall prove a blessing; the works of righteousness and truth’ shall be planted in truth and joy for evermore.

    And then shall all the righteous escape, And shall live till they beget thousands of children, And all the days of their youth and their old age Shall they complete in peace.

    And then shall the whole earth be tilled in righteousness, and shall all be planted with trees and be full of blessing. And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance, and as for all the seed which is sown thereon each measure (of it) shall bear a thousand, and each measure of olives shall yield ten presses of oil. And cleanse thou the earth from all oppression, and from all unrighteousness, and from all sin, and from all godlessness: and all the uncleanness that is wrought upon the earth destroy from off the earth. And all the children of men shall become righteous, and all nations shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever.
  • It is extensive. This is one of the Books found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. I'll have to look them up in my bible program. Here they are:

    Chapter 6

    And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.’ And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’ And they all answered him and said: ‘Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’ Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaquel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens.

    Chapter 7

    And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

    Chapter 8

    And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root cuttings, ‘Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven...

    Chapter 9

    And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. And they said one to another: ‘The earth made without inhabitant cries the voice of their cryingst up to the gates of heaven. And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, "Bring our cause before the Most High."’ And they said to the Lord of the ages: ‘Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, and God of the ages, the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. Thou seest what Azazel hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: And Semjaza, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought on the earth. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.’
  • Interesting.... I had never heard of the book of Enoch. What is the exact quote from the BOE in Jude 1?
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