Posted on 06/29/2008 10:09:33 PM PDT by tricky_k_1972
Looking up to the stars tonight, though the clouds and admiring the Creators work, the Great Engineer, the Creator of all the universe, I can't help but admire his creation and all that it implies.
He gave us such a large playground, and if our scientists have interpreted his works correctly, an ever expanding playground.
How can we not work to discover his works, his Creation, and how can we not "Read" and "Study" his works in the vast "Teaching" we call his creation, his universe.
"Be as smart and cunning as the serpent", he has called us to be.
I am in utter awe of His vastness.
I feel sorrow and pity for those whom wish to limit the Creators power to this lonely and small part of the universe he created.
To think that he created all of this simply for us to gaze upon and not explore, to not question, to simply live and die (granted with a place in the Heavens) and not discover his achievements, is a sin and perhaps one of the greatest sins, the sin of ignorance of GOD.
Did he create all of this, the entire universe, for us to remain ignorant of his teachings, for us to ignore his written word in the engineering of the world and universe around us.
I love my God and my Creator in full, and therefore I must work to explore and understand his word in the creation around us.
To not do so is to ignore the word of God.
What IF HELL were relegating a human to remain flesh for eternity.. and thats what Hell was.. You know a virtual slave to a human body.. albeit a healthy body that don't get sick or age.. Slavery... like NOW.. for eternity..
For every moment we(spirits) vs. (physical creatures) must feed, water, bathe, educate, entertain, provide air, groom, clothe, breed, step and fetch, provide for whims and a hundred other things for the physical body.. Without a human body to attend a spirit would be virtually FREED..
Sure a spiritual "body" of some sort "may" be needed but that is not for sure.. It could be possible to not need a physical "conduit".. or even possible to be able to create one when needed.. at will.. like Jesus after resurrection or Angels in the Bible.. A whole range of possibilities might present themselves in the future.. With no physical body "WE" would not need food, air, heat or coolness, gender, bathing, grooming, and many or all the things mentioned above.. What IF the earth in the future would be HELL.. or a kind of penal colony.. and spiritual FREEDOM would be lost.. And the inmates having loved being flesh on earth, would remain being flesh.. for eternity.. Serving the body.. Then the earth might be deemed a "lake of fire".. or the experience of constant servitude when comparared to what was LOST.. (freedom in the spirit).. Not only freedom FROM the body but freedom in many other ways...
The earth being a penal colony but to "others" the rest of the Universe WAS OPENED UP.. there might even be levels of servitude to human bodies.. first to your own body and next in various degrees to other bodies.. servitude upon servitude in levels of slavery.. like NOW.. Work/effort in cascading levels of an economy of servitude.. The personal servitude, servitude of others, servitude of groups, levels of servitude not possible now..
This could seem like a lake of fire in comparison to freedom from bodily service.. Actually what some got freedom from would be the real story.. Where some hated servicing others and other loved being of service to others.. For that is what LOVE is.. sacrifice.. HELL could be forced sacrifice or service.. An eternity of sacrifice.. to those that required the sacrifice of others but hateing giving it themselves.. On the otherhand it could get much "worse" than this.. Levels of service could generate a whole complex series of other scenarios..
A lake of fire being a mere metaphor could take a definite turn for the worse.. It could be an intellectual or spiritual lake of fire.. Where no actual lake of fire exists but a mental lake of fire does..
The real story is escape from all this.. thats is what I'm talking about.. and what could be at stake.. My Yarn or a version of it could be REAL.. according to Jesus.. Because his words speak of a dividing of spiritual and fleshly things..
Nevertheless, the terms - nephesh, neshama and ruach - and of course ruach Elohim - are all used in Scripture. All are introduced in Genesis, i.e. all are part of God's revelation of Creation.
Moreover, the Hebrew terms are rather apparent in Romans 8 which was probably written in Greek. Paul was a Jewish scholar so that shouldn't be surprising - but the important part is that Paul preaches exactly what he learned directly from Christ which corresponds to those teachings in the Torah, also from God.
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called [me] by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Galatians 1:11-19
I raised a few points in my brief introduction of the Hebrew terms, but there are other things which some might find interesting.
Among these is the term "ruach Elohim" which means the Holy Spirit. But notice that "Elohim" is plural. The singular form is "El" as in "El Shaddai." "Elohim" is used in Genesis 1:1 and "ruach Elohim" is used in Genesis 1:2.
Finally, the term "ruach" is used throughout the Old Testament to mean "spirit" or "soul" - but the emphasis from Jewish mysticism is on willfulness and more specifically choosing between being God-minded or earthy-minded. And that is the underlying theme of Romans, chapter 8.
Here is another example of something lost in translation - in this case, the Name of God The Rock which was specially announced in the Song of Moses.
First the announcement:
tsuwr po`al tamiym derek mishpat 'el 'emuwnah `evel tsaddiyq yashar
Dei perfecta sunt opera et omnes viae eius iudicia Deus fidelis et absque ulla iniquitate iustus et rectus
To God be the glory!
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