Subj: a few questions
Date: 98-07-21 15:50:08 EDT
From: xxxxxx
To whom it many concern,
I have been reading your material (off the web site) for a number of months and have a few questions for someone at your Organization to field for me, if you would. I would like to quote the first paragraph from your article entitled, EXHORTATION ON CREATION:
In the beginning, spiritual seminal fluid came forth from Jehovah, and in that seminal fluid was the sperm of Jehovah or the Son of Jehovah called Elohim, and it came forth in a water medium but it was spiritual water. It wasn't water like our natural water. This expulsion of the seminal fluid from Jehovah worked with or resulted in a tear in Jehovah's fabric.
To save you a bit of time in repeating a rather involved and complicated answer, I will say this and you may respond or correct me if I am in error:
Now there is no way to derive the above extrapolation from literal values of the words in question from Gen. 1:1. So the only way one could come up which such is by use of either a "summary" build-up of the esoteric values of the Hebrew Alphabet and permutation of the combinations. I am not an expert or pretend to any scholarship here, but I am familiar with the Hebrew text and even the esoteric values of the Hebrew alphabet. I will state the most likely development of your idea as follows: I am familiar with the Hebrew idea/word Mv (Mem Vav), which may variously translated: what; into, through; water, fig. seed, from Mva (Mem Vav Aleph), to flow [example: Moab=mvab=water(seed) of a father. And thus we have example for the euphemism "water of life" for semen. But, I do not see how you can apply this to Jehovah, as the mechanism for creating the whole universe as we know it. Genesis does not say, "In the beginning was [seminal fluid]" Nor does it say that this "expulsion tore Jehovah's fabric." So I am assuming that you have gotten this idea from Br(Beth Resh), a verbal meaning to pierce; and that from either the first or second word of Genesis 1:1, Bereshith, a beginning or perhaps from Bara or Bra, to cut, cleave, a son, a cutting. And thus since the creation involved "water"; which one may infer from Shamayim, "heavens" (sha, fire; mayim, waters) one may see in this an allusion to "waters of life"=semen. And from Br either derived from br of bereshith or bara one may infer the idea of both "piercing" and/or "son".
Does the simple presence of a "meaningful" form within a word or the sentence justify an interpretation at odds with either the literal or even the metaphorical meaning of the sentence? If it does, how or why does it justify such a departure? Should one use an esoteric interpretation as a foundation for doctrine? If, so how and why?
I am not a priori against such esoteric interpretations; I am looking for what method of reasoning you have used in arriving at your amplification here in Genesis 1:1.
My other question has to do with equating the dragon and leviathan to functions or aspects of the mind. Like the dragon is equivalent to the subconscious mind. How is it that you arrived at such an equivalence? Since the terms consciousness, sub-conscious, and un-conscious are not used in the scriptures, how do you know that the dragon proxies for the sub-conscious mind in a individual?
Thank you for your attention.
Xxxxxxx
PASTOR SHEILA: You ask some very interesting questions. I will try to answer them.
God gave the Scripture to mortal man so that the mind of God could be formed in them. The Scripture is a supernatural message, which is capable of touching the SPIRIT of all men, no matter how great or small their ability to understand it. I have heard testimonies of people who could not read, yet they read their Bible.
We have a Downs syndrome lady in our Fellowship, who has the mentality of a five-year-old. She can neither read nor write, but has notebooks filled with unintelligible markings which she "writes" while the rest of the brethren are copying what I have written on the board. She tells me that she reads her Bible every day, and can be seen running her finger along the words, and she "reads." I have no tangible evidence that she has any knowledge of the Word, but when I look into her eyes, I see the love of Jesus. I do see evidence of the spirituality which is in Christ: She has dreams which are rich with Scriptural symbolism, although she has no apparent understanding of the symbols.
The Scripture is much more than the words, and even the letters, of which it is comprised, the total always being greater than the sum of its parts. The Scripture is the image of the Spirit who created the letters. But who can comprehend God? And among those of us who comprehend "some little bit," of Him, how many comprehend Him in the same way, or to the same degree? The problems to be faced in teaching mortal man about the fathomless, incomprehensible, Almighty God, are insurmountable to men, but with God all things are possible.
So the great God Jehovah formed a supernatural image of Himself, and covered that spiritual image with letters that give clues to His true nature, and the marvelous creature that he "thought" into existence. These letters, which have a specific, set meaning, are designed to communicate with man's mortal mind, but the Spirit behind the letters, the very pulsating life of the great God who speaks to man's spirit, circumvents their mortal mind.
So the man who "reads" the written words of the Scripture will understand on that simple level - and this is a good thing - but the man who "hears" the Spirit of the Word, does better. So there is a depth of the Word, which is not obvious to man's mortal mind, but which can be heard by the man whose spirit draws close to the Spirit of God. Daniel put it this way:
Daniel 12:21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. (KJV)
"Michael, your prince," signifies that only the mind of God is capable of comprehending the deep things of God. Paul put it this way:
1 Cor 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so THE THINGS OF GOD KNOWETH NO MAN, but the Spirit of God. (KJV)
Eph 1: 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION in the knowledge of him:
18 The EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING BEING ENLIGHTENED; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints . . . . (KJV)
But, I do not see how you can apply this to Jehovah, as the mechanism for creating the whole universe as we know it.
PASTOR SHEILA: It is the interaction between Jehovah's life in seed form, and the created earth which has "bubbled up" into this visible world, as we now know it. The "dark" or material earth reveals the invisible spirit.
An excellent example of this is "the invisible man," if you are acquainted with this "old" movie. A scientist became invisible as the result of an experiment. His attempts to communicate with his loved ones frightened them because he appeared to be "speaking out of the air," so, he dressed himself in a shirt, suit, shoes, gloves and hat, wrapped surgical gauze around his head, and thus "appeared" to have corporeal form, which was tolerable to them.
This creation is more than Spirit and earth. To simplify the matter for the purposes of understanding something that is beyond our understanding, we can say that the mixture of the two "fermented" and became more than the sum of the two, just like a child is more than the sum of the seed that grafts to the blood and tissue of the mother's womb.
Does the simple presence of a "meaningful" form within a word or the sentence justify an interpretation at odds with either the literal or even the metaphorical meaning of the sentence?
PASTOR SHEILA: No, it does not. I teach by the Spirit of Revelation, which revelation has not been "dictated" to me, but is the fruit of years of study and spiritual labor in the Word of God. The "Exhortation On Creation" was given in response to a disciple's request for additional help in understanding the spiritual principles presented in hours of recorded teachings.
I painstakingly research every single word of the Hebrew text and pray for hours for understanding. Invariably, when the understanding comes, frequently to my very own surprise, I find that by choosing a different, but perfectly legitimate translation, of some of the Hebrew words, the Scripture supports the Word in my heart. I explain in detail how I arrive at the my conclusions on audio cassettes which may be borrowed from our lending library.
Genesis does not say, "In the beginning was [seminal fluid]"
PASTOR SHEILA: But it does. Genesis says that the heaven and earth were created (Gen. 1:1), but there is no explanation as to where the waters came from (Gen. 1:2), because they are the eternal water's of Jehovah's life. And since that which is eternal is before that which is created, Genesis 1 might as well read, "In the beginning was the eternal seminal fluid, and the darkness was opposed [upon*] to the personality [face*] of the surging mass of semen [water*].
* King James translation.
Nor does it say that this expulsion tore Jehovah's fabric.
PASTOR SHEILA: "Tore" is the word that I have used, but I now believe that "protrusion" is more appropriate. The force of the expulsion created a stress within Jehovah's fabric which formed the cavity that contained the primordial waters.
This is the best explanation of "the deep" that I have ever heard. The truth of the matter is that there is much in the written Word which is not explained, but the answer is available to us through "the Mind of the Spirit."
Should one use an esoteric interpretation as a foundation for doctrine? If, so how and why?
PASTOR SHEILA: No, one should not. The foundation of the Doctrine of Christ, is the Spirit of Christ which, by the way, is the Spirit of Elijah in this generation.
Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh [his carnal mind] will I give to eat of the hidden manna [Word] . . . . (KJV)
I am not apriori against such esoteric interpretations; I am looking for what method of reasoning you have used in arriving at your amplification here in Genesis 1:1.
PASTOR SHEILA: I have answered this question above.
My other question has to do with equating the dragon and leviathan to functions or aspects of the mind. Like the dragon is equivalent to the subconscious mind. How is it that you arrived at such an equivalence?
PASTOR SHEILA: Job 3:88 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. (KJV)
The Hebrew word translated "mourning" is "Leviathan."
1Thes 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.(KJV)
"The children of the day" are the men in whom the light of the Mind of Christ is risen. "The children of the night," are men who live out of their carnal mind,
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (KJV)
The men that raise up their carnal mind, curse the men who raise up the Christ Mind.
2 Pet 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; (KJV)
Jude 1:1010 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. (KJV)
Since the terms consciousness, sub-conscious, and un-conscious are not used in the scriptures, how do you know that the dragon proxies for the sub-conscious mind in a individual?
PASTOR SHEILA: The definition of "subconscious" is "partially conscious." The description of Leviathan in Job, Chapter 41, describes the qualities of mortal man which the conscious mind rarely allows to surface. In the event that they do surface, the behavior is, at best, socially unacceptable, and at the worst, pathological.
Job 41:33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. (KJV)
The "fear" of verse 33, is the fear of God. The man bound by pride, has no fear of God. He is a Scriptural fool, who can be delivered from his folly, only through judgment.
Prov 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.(KJV)
Thank you for your interest in Living Epistles Ministries. God bless you.
Pastor Sheila R. Vitale
