Posts

Posted on

Noah: Before and After the Great Flood

Noah Before and After the Great Flood

Copyright 2019 by Joan Berry

            To more fully understand the story of Noah, it is pertinent to view the lineage and his connection to Enoch, his great-grandfather. Enoch ruled over the City of Enoch that was founded by Cainin. Enoch was also a prophet of God, scribe, and the seventh generation from Adam.  Enoch recorded that God sent angels and Watchers to ensure safety and as helpers for His people. The account of the angels and Watchers is presented in a separate paper available at this site.

            Adam created ca. 3815 BCE

            Seth born 3685 BCE

            Enos born 3580 BCE

            Cainan [Cainin] born 3490 BCE

            Mahalaleel born 3420 BCE

            Jared born 3355 BCE

            Enoch born 3193 BCE

            Methuselah born 3128 BCE [lived 969 years]

            Lamech born 2941 BCE

            Noah born 2759 BCE

            Prior to the flood, people had long life spans as recorded in Genesis 5. Days were from sunup to sundown. A year was measured as Earth’s rotation around the sun just as it does today. Adam lived 930 years and Noah was born ten generations later; 20 years after Adam died. From Adam to Noah was a span of 1056 years. Noah was 500 years old when God called him to build the huge vessel. Traditionally, there is 369 years between the death of Noah and the birth of Moses. Moses is credited with compiling the Book of Genesis; most of which came from the writings of Enoch.

            The Midrash Tanchuma states that before Noah [Noach] was born, God cursed the ground for Adam’s sake: “…with toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life.”  When Adam asked God how much longer the curse would last, God responded, “…Until a person is born circumcised” When Lamech saw that his son was born circumcised, he said …”this one will bring about our consolation.” It is assumed that Noah studied the Torah because  he knew that he was to take seven kosher animals and birds into the vessel along with non-kosher animals and birds two-by-two [male and female].  The Midrash Tanchuma also states that Noah passed away after the flood and after he saw the world was settled with 70 nations descended from him.

The Birth of Noah

            Lamech was not only surprised by his son’s prenatal circumcision but in addition he was born with white skin (white as snow) and red as a rose [newborns often have red areas]; his hair was long and white as wool and his eyes were beautiful and full of light. His fingers were not webbed as well [earlier humans had webbed fingers]. Upon his birth, the child immediately spoke to the Lord. Lamech thought that his son looked like the offspring of angels and thought his wife had been unfaithful. Lamech went to his father, Methuselah, to discuss the matter. Methuselah in turn went to his father, Enoch, to inform him of this unusual event.

In the Book of Enoch sections 106.13-14-16, Enoch tells Methuselah that the child is Lamech’s and he is to name him Noah [connected to the Hebrew word for comfort]. Enoch further tells Methuselah that the Lord would do new things on Earth and that he had seen those things in a vision and those that he, Enoch, had revealed to him [Methuselah]. Enoch also tells his son that Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives would be saved from the coming of the Great Flood.

The Torah and the Bible say that God walked with Noah and when Noah was 500 years old, God called him to build the ark. The Book of Noah relates that God further tells him that the angels were in the process of building the wooden structure and when it was finished, He [God] would put His hand on it and keep it safe. He would also make a change so no dry land would remain empty.

Immediately before the departure of Noah and his family to board the ark, Noah relates to Lamech that the Earth is shaken and has tilted and hot springs are running cold. Professor Charles Hapgood determined that the North Pole shifted from the area of Hudson Bay [an inland seaindenting east-central Canada] to its present position. He posits that when the poles shifted a huge ice melt occurred and supported the Great Flood. Hapgood is known for his works on crustal shifts.  Albert Einstein corresponded with Hapgood about pole shifts, supported the theory, helped with the study, and wrote the foreword to Earth’s Shifting Crust.”

 “Just because the Earth is massive, this does not mean it cannot flip very quickly. The Earth is spinning, like a top, and in a zero g, and zero friction environment, it doesn’t take much more than a gradual buildup of an opposed magnetic field, to change that top from positive stability to negative stability, until eventually, some minor perturbation triggers the rapid switch, whereby the top wobbles, and then inverts, resuming positive stability, even whilst it retains its angular momentum. A little force is all it takes to persuade a spinning top that it is better spinning the other way up. Every 12,000 years the polarity of the ambient magnetic field (about the Earth) inverts.”

White, Black, and Red Skin

Consensus among many anthropologists is that all early mankind had black skin [shades of brown were included in this category]. White skin was unusual and sometimes considered to be albino. Noah was not an albino. Red skin came as a combination of the colors. Due to intermarriages, they posit, skins began changing to various colors as well as eye color. Biblical scholars/anthropologists in tracing the genealogy of biblical families report that Abraham was black and had two black wives and then Sarah who was white. Moses married a black woman in Cush [Ethiopia/political]; Joseph married an Egyptian; sons of Jacob married Canaanite women of various colors. From these intermarriages, scholars/anthropologists say that we now have many skin and eye colors. Jesus is described as having skin the color of burnished brass [Revelation, Letter to Thyatira].

Also Prior to the Great Flood

            Sacrifices were made to God before the Great Flood and this rite was continued by Noah following the flood. Some of the occupations included farming (Cain); shepherds (Abel); musicians (Jubal); metal works (Tubal-cain); they ate and drank and married. There was one city known (City of Enoch founded by Cain) but there may have been more. In Genesis 6, Nephilim are mentioned and described as being mighty men who were old men of renown. A very good description of these people can be found in the Book of Enoch. There are also mentioned angels fallen angels, Watchers, and human-angel hybrids. Wickedness and violence within humanity began early such as Cain killing Abel, Lamech also killed. Noah was the exception because he walked with God.

The Flood

            For 40 days, the flood was upon the Earth; the water rose 15 cubits above the highest mountain. The water covered the Earth for 150 days and then the rain ceased and the springs of the deep closed and the water began to recede. In the seventh month on the seventeenth day, the ark came to rest atop Mount Ararat. The water continued to ebb away until the first day of the tenth month when mountain peaks could be seen. Forty days later, Noah opened the window and sent out a raven that did not return. [Ravens eat carrion and no doubt found much of it in the water]. He then sent out a dove, but it found no perch and returned. Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove out again. The dove returned, but this time it had an olive tree twig in its beak. After another seven days, the dove once again was sent out, but it did not return this time. In Noah’s 601 year, on the first day of the first month, the water had receded from the Earth. By the27th day of the second month, the Earth had dried up. The event had lasted 364 days. Noah then built an altar and offered up burnt offerings to God and God was well pleased.

After the Flood

God placed all of Earth’s creatures in the care of Noah and his sons.  And then God made a covenant with Noah to never destroy the Earth with water again. He set a rainbow in the clouds as a sign of the covenant and now a reembrace for us.            

After the flood, God told Noah and his family to venture out to repopulate the world. Noah and his wife settled near where the ark landed on the Mount of Ararat. He lived 350 years after the flood.

Shem lived 600 years and inherited the Promised Land displacing the descendants of Ham. Shem had five sons and he is the ancestor of all Semites. Twenty-six nations were formed by his descendants.

Japheth inherited the coastal lands around the Mediterranean Sea as well as the islands.  He had seven sons who established 14 nations. He and Shem lived in harmony with each other. Japheth’s descendants lived to the north and west of Israel and their language was considered Indo-European.

Ham occupied what today are northern Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya. He had four sons and whose descendants founded 30 nations. Ham’s son, Canaan, was cursed for his error with Noah, but the curse landed on Ham as well.  

The lands settled by Noah’s sons. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Source 

Black History in the Bible (2016). Biblical and Historical Evidence of Black Hebrews).

The Real Book of Enoch resurfaced at the beginning of the 17th century when it was discovered in Ethiopia, written in an Ethiopic language. In fact, the book of Enoch is preserved in its entirety in the Church at Ethiopia, and is included in their Bible. The Ethiopians claim it was divine scripture. [Written before the Great Flood].– [http://scriptural-truth.com/stuff/BookOfEnoch.pdf ].

The term “Book of Jasher” is a bit misleading. This was not a book written by someone named “Jasher”. In fact the word “Jasher” (Hebrew: Yashar) means “Upright” so that the Hebrew Sefer HaYashar is “The Upright Book”. The definite article “Ha” tips us off that this is not a person’s name but a modifier for the word “book”.

Book of Methuselah: One of the books attached to of the Book of Enoch. [Written before the Great Flood].

Book of Noah: One of the books attached to the Book of Enoch. [Written before the Great Flood].

Eisenstein, A. and Hapgood, C. (2006). The Einstein and Hapgood Papers, Crustal Shift/Physics Forums.

Kabbala/Zohar: Kabbalah is the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, first transmitted orally and using esoteric methods (including ciphers). It reached the height of its influence in the later Middle Ages and remains significant in Hasidism. The Zohar (Hebrew: זֹהַר, lit.”Splendor” or “Radiance”) is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses) and scriptural interpretations as well as material on mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology.

Kranz, Jeffrey (2013). What was it like before Noah’s flood? In Bible Facts.

Midrash Tanchuma The genre of Jewish literature known as Midrash has been poetically described as “the hammer that awakens the slumbering sparks on the anvil of the Bible.” The Midrashic process utilizes a variety of methods, including expositions, explanations, gematria, plays on words, legends, and parables, to broaden our understanding of the full meaning of the biblical text.

New King James Version Study Bible (2nd ed). (2007). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

            [Genesis, Ezekiel, Isiah, I Chronicles, Matthew, Luke, Hebrews, I and II Peter]

Torah: (Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written; is used in a synagogue during services. Judaism – the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud.

 Yalkut Shimoni: The Yalkut Shimoni (Hebrew ילקוט שמעוני), or simply Yalkut, is an aggadic compilation on the books of the Hebrew Bible. It is a compilation of older interpretations and explanations of Biblical passages, arranged according to the sequence of those portions of the Bible to which they referred.     


Posted on

Pure, Less Pure, and False Churches

Pure, Less Pure, and False Churches

Note: I highly recommend that readers refer to the New Testament books of the Bible as a reference source. Church in the context of this article means a community of believers.

            Referencing the Christian groups that the Apostle Paul and other apostles oversaw, Paul was pleased with the progress and steadfastness of maintaining the correct and moral doctrine of the Philippian and Thessalonian churches. In comparison, Paul found serious doctrinal and moral problems at Corinth and Galatia. (Grudem, 1994). Here we see examples of more pure churches and two who are less pure and perhaps false churches. As a preventive measure, pure and very pure Christian groups, created in churches, are discouraged. Instead unity is encouraged and its degree of freedom from division among true Christians. The term, “true Christians,” is compared to Christians who claim the faith in name only. There is the concern that the latter group may put the unity of a church in question. However, we are encouraged to keep working for the unity of true believers (Bromiley in EDT, page 1127-28).

What is a church?

             In general consensus among Biblical scholars, the church is the community of all true believers for all time (Eph. 5:25; 1: 22-23; Matt. 16:18). Christ builds the churches according to the pattern set by God in the Old Testament. However, new privileges and blessings are given, by God, to the people of God in the New Testament (Grudem, 1994). George Ladd (1974) defined a church as the Kingdom, but not the Kingdom itself. Jesus’ disciples belong to the Kingdom as the Kingdom belongs to them, but they are not the Kingdom. The Kingdom is the rule of God; the church is a society of man.  

            McGrath (2011) reminds us that there us is a visible and in invisible church. The invisible church is as God sees it. We cannot see the spiritual condition of people’s heart. We see the visible church as its members come to worship and outward evidence of inward spiritual change (2Tim. 2:19; Heb. 12:23).

What makes a church more pure?

            Ephesians 5: 26-27 gives us one example to follow; other requirements in accordance are as follows:

Biblical doctrine [correct preaching of the Word]

Correct use of the sacraments

Correct use of church doctrine

Genuine heartfelt worship

Effective prayer [not for show]

Effective witness

Effective fellowship

Bible church government

Spiritual power in ministry

Personal holiness of the life among the congregation

Care for the poor

Love for Christ

(Grudem, 1994).

A word of caution

            Classical liberal Protestantism is humanistic and its approach for primarily human-centered dogma instead of God-centered doctrine. Signs to look for are basically as follows:

Shifting to impure doctrine, activities, preaching and counseling and the preacher becoming dictator-like. False teaching may begin with a certain verse that the preacher selects to prove a point without presenting other verses on the same topic. I have seen churches split over this conduct. In addition, look for a repeated emphasis in counseling for you to seek self-help articles in magazines or secular psychologists. Take note if there is a decrease in times of prayer and application of Scripture to daily situations. (Grudem, 1994; Berry, 2019).

Conclusion

            The Christian church is a group of Christ-loving, Bible believing people of all social levels. They meet in homes, large buildings, or the great outdoors to praise and worship God. Church groups are not perfect and are composed of the saved and sinners alike who want to hear the Word of God.  The church at large, no matter the denomination, to be as pure as possible.

Sources

Bromiley, G. W. In EDT, pp. 1127-28.

Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic theology: An  introduction to Bible doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI.        Zondervan.

Luther, M, (1539). On the Councils to the Church.

McGrath, A. (2011). Christian theology: An introduction (5th ed.). Malden MA. Wiley-Blackwell.

Posted on

Religion, religious, spiritual, and philosophy

“Bible philosophy is not an abstract monologue but a Dialogue with God” (anonymous).

            Several terms are associated with religious topics in discussions and some terms overlap and some offer a distinct difference. Only the differences in meanings will be discussed here: religion, spirituality, religious, and philosophy.

            Religion is defined as the belief and worship of a superhuman with controlling powers, especially a personal God or gods. It involves a relationship with God; and further defined as a system of faith. In the worldly sense, it is a pursuit or interest which someone ascribes supreme importance such as “Consumerism is the new religion;” or “I religiously brush my teeth every morning.” The Dali Lama expresses his stance as “My religion is kindness.” Generally speaking, the consensus of most scholars is that to be a true religion, there must be a god. Belief in God is what determines a religion. Buddhists do not believe in a god, but instead, they believe that people can become godlike.

            Some people claim to be spiritualbut not religious; this stance is also known as “spiritual but not affiliated.” The basis for this terminology describes a group of people who take issue with organized religion’s claim to be the only or most important means of furthering spiritual growth. Being spiritual means that a person does not need a brick-and-mortar building or community. Furthermore, they do not believe they have to be involved with an organized church to live a life of faith.

            How many times have you heard someone say that they feel closer to God in the woods or other places in nature where they can find peace and meditate on Godly thoughts?  I have heard many testimonies about leaving a church. Some were about false teachings, the pastor acted like a dictator, women not respected, dogmatic doctrine was shoved down their throats that claimed that if you did not believe their way, you would go to hell and the worst of all the sexual harassment from clergy. Having suffered some of those experiences, I believe it’s no wonder that people embrace spirituality. However, not everyone having bad experiences abandons churches entirely. They try to find denominations that seriously and unbiased offer them fellowship and Bible teachings, not someone else’s made-up doctrine.

            Philosophyat its core questions the nature of the universe and existence that do not necessarily presume the reality of God. Generally, it is a rational investigation whereas religion often makes the same kind of truth claims but does not claim to base it on reason or rationality, but instead it is based on other things like faith. Philosophy of Religion is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the philosophical study of religion, including arguments over the nature and existence of God, religious language, miracles, prayer, the problem of evil, and the relationship between religion and other value-systems such as science and ethics.

            In conclusion, each stance on religion, being religious, spiritual, or philosophical can overlap with each other to some extent, but they each can stand alone. Your personal experiences will determine your stance on a belief system. 

Posted on

Aliens, giants, and ancient advanced civilizations

Provocative Thoughts . . .

Aliens, giants, and ancient advanced civilizations           

 Sometimes I wonder just how ignorant the government thinks we are along with some religious leaders. For example, the other day during a discussion on TV, one of the speakers said that finding out there are other beings in the universe would create chaos in the Christian religion. And not only that, people would cease to believe in God or Jesus Christ. There is a Creator (God) who created us (a separate species) in His image (the godhead). The Bibles peaks of other worlds (Hebrews 1:2; 11:3). The important thing here is that Jesus is God’s only begotten son. He is born of God the Father and a human female. Jesus was not created in the manner as were Adam and Eve, who were prototypes. As for dismissing Jesus Christ, that is ridiculous. Scribes and historians such as Josephus wrote about Jesus as well as the disciples.

            We live in a universe that contains millions of planets. Why would an almighty God only pick our Earth alone to start life here? We know from astronauts, scientists, and others that UFOs are real and other species of humanoids exist. A fleet of UFOs flew over the capitol, Washington, D. C. in 1952 and was filmed. That must have been hard to explain away. And then there are people who scoff at the idea of giants roaming this world in Biblical times. That giant humans once roamed Earth is easy to prove. Let’s start with Enoch, who wrote about the giants over 3,000 years ago. He describes them as being about 15-feet tall. Genesis, Deuteronomy, Numbers and other Biblical books all discuss the giants often referred to as Nephilim. After the flood, they disappeared for a while, and then reappeared later as God’s enemies. Goliath was of this race. Several studies have been made concerning this race of people that I consider interesting.

Captain Cook and his crew of explorers reported seeing strange looking inhabitants on some South Pacific islands and described as being 12-feet tall. Josephus (37-95 C.E) wrote about the king of Persia sending hostages 10-feet tall to Rome. Skeletons of giants have been found in eastern China and Peking; Wisconsin, U. S. — 10 giant skeletons found in Wisconsin in a burial mound, others were found in caves; and others were found buried on California islands, and still others in the New England states. Gigantism exists today, not as a race, but rather based on growth hormone problems induced or as an existing disease. 

If we truly read the Bible for understanding, the truth is right before our eyes. Aside from parables that teach lessons for us, the Scriptures are quite literal. People used to believe that some accounts were myths, especially the account of Jericho.  Scientists, archaeologists, and anthropologists have discovered the city and probable cause used to bring down the walls just as the Bible states. The Bible is often compared to an onion, layer upon layer. What we read on the surface is good, but the more we study, it gets much better. We have to consider that we need to read the Bible taking into consideration the time in which it was written and the circumstances.

With an open mind, we can see the symbolic language. The ancients compared what they saw to their surrounding just as we do. For example, Ezekiel describes a flying machine and how he traveled in it. He was trying to describe what he saw in symbolic language of the time. Before the Great Flood of Noah’s time, great advanced civilizations existed, notably the Sumarians. According to the Sumarians’ cuneiform records, they had the power of flight and submarines. . Sumarians called their submarines “sunken boats” because they traveled underwater, not wrecks. We must take into account that before the Great Flood, there were great civilizations. After the flood, mankind had start all over again.

Posted on

Judging Others

We are to use our judgment to evaluate, not to condemn. According to Firestorm, p. 127, it says we are not to condemn people to heaven or hell; that is God’s domain, but we can use our judgment for discernment of a situation and this is our right and responsibility to discern wrongdoing. This is the real meaning of “Do not judge, or you, too, will be judged.” I thought this was a good way to understand Matt. 7:1.  What you do think about it?