Hebrew hermeneutic: two

[Pig]

Using the Hebrew hermeneutic:

When there are two things, they represent two aspects of one thing. This dualism s NOT eastern, nor Gnostic. This is the dualism of Paul who recognizes the flesh and the spirit. The flesh is not evil, since God created it good. It is living by fleshly instinct (putting one's self first) which is the sin.

In this context, the goats are not THEM and the sheep US. I am both a goat and a sheep.
I am a tare and a wheat.
I am the harlot and the virgin.

With Paul I cry out "Ro 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

So when there are two in the field, there is only one in the field who has two aspects. The body is left and the spirit is taken.
When there are two in the bed, the body is left and the spirit is taken.

As I approach Christ, my flesh (my left hand, the same side as the goat) exalts itself claiming to have done good works, Christ says, "Depart from me, I never knew you." But then he sees his spirit inside me. And my spirit says, "I have done nothing for you."  But he shows me the fruit of the spirit (the right hand, and same side as the sheep) that He produced in me, and the love that he showed through me. 

Although I have not explained the hermeneutic in detail, and this is just an example, I have enough confidence in it that it causes me to question the verses like these that are used to teach of hell.

If eternity is timeless, then we can die at different times, but arrive in the air with Christ simultaneously, as we move from time to eternity.  He can come as a thief in the night as we see it from this side, and everyone see him at the same time as we see it from the other side.

Everyone standing there, and everyone who read it since, is referred to when Jesus said 'this generation will not pass away before all this happens." We all see the rapture.

[eaglesway]

"If eternity is timeless, then we can die at different times, but arrive in the air with Christ simultaneously, as we move from time to eternity.  He can come as a thief in the night as we see it from this side, and everyone see him at the same time as we see it from the other side."- Pig

This is where I see the conflict(in our minds) between the poles of a large number of dualisms. The parodox resolved becomes a new paradigm :o)

We see these seemingly opposing faces of paradox and choose sides, when they are the two faces of one coin.

The thief is death, comes in the night, takes everything. If the man of the house had known when the thief would come, he would arm himself(with the day/life/light) and lose nothing.

We are not children of the night that the Day sould come upon us like a thief(unarmed). Therefore walk as children of the Day. The Day of the Lord is like a thief in the night- everyone awakens from death at their appointed resurrection....in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye(from the timeless view). Asleep until the Day breaks and the veil in the heavens rolls back like a scroll and the sign of the son of man appears in the heavens(from the "in time" side).

From this side, where time must pass the sleepr sleeps. "Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and the light of Christ will shine upon you". "He that believes in me has passed from death unto life."

Just a few more layers into the onion from standing around and arguing about which things happens to the soul at death, whther we sleep, or are instantly in the presence of the Lord, or cease to be until the resurrection- all elements of one reality.....

Zechariah 14:7 For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.

But in my opinion the duality doesnt eliminate the time view, as some who go too far posit(imo:). But as we see beyond the duality and pass through the time view(lower heavens, elementary principles of the oracles of God) into the deeper layers(higher heavens, hidden wisdom, mystery) until we are seated experientially(not just imputed theoretically) with Christ at the rght hand of God.

Every seemng paradox that divides has a resolution, "further in"- "Come up higher" the voice cries out at the last trumpet.

For this reason I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what ido not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

[Pig]

It is one of the basic rules of hermeneutics that when there are apparent contradictions, they resolve in a higher unity. I think often they are resolved by a correction of ontology.

We imagine timelessness as though there can be no sequencing, and so we cannot imagine quantum time. Yet time may be just an illusion, for God says "As long as it is To Day...." The past is just a memory, and the future is just a hope. If I actually exist in the future, then there is not 200 pounds of me, but 400 pounds.  And if I exist between those two points in time, then I have to add another 200 pounds for every place in time I actually exist.

We have the same difficulty with space. We imagine that when God created the universe that he created it outside of himself ad then infiltrated it. But "the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee". Therefor, when he created, he had to make room for us inside of himself.  As the rabbis say... he created a void inside of himself and then spoke into it.

'All things are in him and for him'  can be taken literally. 'In him all things have their being'.

[Pig]

Two things;
Dark and light

When there are two things, they are two aspects of the same thing. Another rule in the hermeneutic is that a metaphor must be the same everywhere.

Hence dark cannot, at it's fundamental meaning, represent evil. God dwelt in darkness before he said "Let there be light".  Light represents his holiness which is expressed as separation, law, judgement, etc. The other aspect of the nature of God is Love, grace, etc.   The Trinity existed in perfect Love, before the creation.  Although his attributes of Holiness existed as well, they could not be expressed since there was nothing to be separate from. As soon as he created... he said "Let there be light" as an expression of his holiness.  Holiness is hinted at in a pun of Elohim, 'a lo khoom' meaning 'not dark'.

So how did darkness become a metaphor for evil?  When God created, he was Holy, his creation was not holy. Holiness would destroy not holy had he not covered his creation in Love. When you live in sin and are not destroyed, you are receiving grace. The darkness that men live in is a life that deserves destruction, but they are not destroyed. They have hidden their sin in the darkness/grace.

He commands us to come out of the darkness... stop living a life which presumes and demands grace, and come into the light: Be ye therefore Holy!.

God chose to communicate his character through two messages:Holiness and Love.  If we mix up those messages, we cannot understand. If we see a criminal go free, we do not rejoice in mercy but cry out that there is no justice. If we are the criminal and don't get to go free, we don't rejoice in justice, but cry out that there is no mercy. So all the laws against mixing are symbols that we can't mix Holiness and Love... until Christ does on the cross.

His mixing on the cross is the perfect revelation of the character of God as BOTH Holiness and Love.

This world was created in darkness....love. But we did not understand that God is Holy, and made him to be a peer by creating out own judgements of good and evil. We presume that if he can make the rules and judgements, so can we.  We became 'like God' declaring/defining good and evil.  Only when we acknowledge that God is God and we are not, do we enter into a proper relationship. Now we properly become 'like Christ' who is the express image of God, in the Holiness that he imputes upon us.

If the cross is the perfect revelation of God's judgement and Love, and all other judgements are mere shadows, then the purpose of the new heavens and earth is to re-create all things with a memory of the lesson concerning the character of God. We enter into that age, knowing that God alone is God, and acknowledging him in all our ways. In that age there is no darkness, because there is no longer a need for extending grace.

Love does not cease, but like Light was hidden in his name, then Love will be known in his name. Elohim has two more puns: L'chaim = life, lechem = bread.  By his name we know that he is the life and his body/bread was given for us.

[marie glen]

...then the purpose of the new heavens and earth is to re-create all things with a memory of the lesson

..this line is what most caught my eye in this thread.. :smile:

..the lesson concerning the character of God. We enter into that age, knowing that God alone is God, and acknowledging him in all our ways.

Amen!! ..and to my way of thinking, He is life itself - "in Him we live and move and have our being" and "in the beginning God" no other building block! So He Himself is Life.. to wander from Life just, well, will not work out well for anyone.. ever.. eternal lesson, don't do it!!

Also the opposite of perfection (holiness) is nonlife! so again, don't do it! don't go there.. ever! because life w/o Life will not, and cannot work.. Learning good from evil / Life from nonlife..

Not really 'free will' as the paradox.. but rationality.. thinking ability.. for with it, sooner or later, comes the ability to make choices.. and choices not made 100% in and in agreement with Him/His will result in imperfection the opposite of life. Because He is Perfect and Perfection, and also Life.

All things are perfect. Even in life as we presently know it, because they are proving Him.. His character, and His essence.. There really is (ultimately) nothing else, can be nothing else.. But by His design, temporarily, there is / it seems as though there is..

Love does not cease, but like Light was hidden in his name, then Love will be known in his name. Elohim has two more puns: L'chaim = life, lechem = bread.  By his name we know that he is the life and his body/bread was given for us.

And He is forever the bread of (our) life - Ps 2 - "this is the decree" (Jesus! is the decree of God) "You are my begotten Son"