Replies

I hesitate to speak for Alamo. She is much smarter than I am, and she is far more guided by the Spirit in this understanding than am I.

I cannot look up all of her many explanations, but here is a concise one: (Found at:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2288826/replies?c=16

To: xzins

I think that is an perfectly fine way of putting it, dear brother in Christ!
My central point is that the tree of life is in the midst of the garden of Eden and also in the midst of Paradise.

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. – Genesis 2:9
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. – Revelation 2:7

And that the first three chapters of Genesis are not speaking only of the physical Creation but all of it:

These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground. – Genesis 2:4-5

So whereas I perceive that Adam was created in/for the non-physical realm (whether we call it heaven or spiritual realm) - I can also see where Eden/Paradise can be perceived as an intersection between the two like the Temple, Tabernacle, Ark, Holy Mountain, you and me.

16 posted on 07/09/2009 9:44:16 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl

My central point is that the tree of life is in the midst of the garden of Eden and also in the midst of Paradise.

And thus Alamo-Girl points to the central, unifying principle of God's four-fold revelation to us humans, His children: That He alone is Life, Grace, Light; and ultimately, the Sustainer, Judgement and Salvation of human souls.

To say as much doesn't leave much of a role for "scientific testing." Indeed, it seems to me that such "divine claims" are utterly beyond the reach of the scientific method.

The scientific method is the "wrong tool" for making such determinations. For the scientific method reaches only to direct observables. Which does not obviate the fact that God and His works are never "direct observables."

Which is to suggest that a man who wishes to "reduce" God and His works to what can be described by "science" is probably barking up the wrong tree.

For this would be an attempt to "reduce God" and His action in the world of creation to the finite categories of human intellection and understanding. Which attempt, if successful, only defaces and diminishes the very Face and Presence of God with us.

Having said that, I am still very open to, and would warmly welcome, alternative accounts of these matters, especially if posed from the direction of the scientific method and scientific thinking more generally.

Thanks for quoting AG here:

So whereas I perceive that Adam was created in/for the non-physical realm (whether we call it heaven or spiritual realm) - I can also see where Eden/Paradise can be perceived as an intersection between the two like the Temple, Tabernacle, Ark, Holy Mountain, you and me.

That does a lot to explain the meaning of a dream (oft repeated over a few years now, they are similar in detail with the same theme) I had last week, only this one had a different ending than the others. Unlike the others, this one arrived at its destination, but had to go "back to the future" in order to do so.

Furthermore (providing confirmation), the date of her post (July 9, 2009) was just before (~ a couple weeks) the time when I actually went to that specific destination [in real time], so I was busy preparing for the trip, which was integrated into a move/relocation. Thus, the trip [to Paradise] was truly an intersection between the two [locations].

These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created...

Divine rectification. Or how to change the past. Well when the properties of a physical entity are conditional upon its being observed.. one thing is not like the others, even though it's the "same". The soul is changed, which is the very substance of the thing.

Genesis 2:7-8
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Ezekiel is my favorite prophet. I named a cat after him once, one of the liveliest, most interesting cats I ever had.

Minor ‘coincidence’.

This thread covers Eden. Many believe that was located in Bahrain. I just happened to be posting about the kindly King of Bahrain yesterday. [Someone the Clintons shook down for $30 million.] He donated land for a Coptic Christian church.

You [Ezekiel] mentioned a dream:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3479720/posts?page=21#21

Wonders like that keep popping up in my life. Some would not call them ‘signs’ exactly — moments that seem like little coincidences. But to me they are wonders.